Book Review: Fly with the Arrow (Bluebeard’s Secret #1) by Sarah K.L. Wilson

April 3, 2022March 12, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 311 pages
Author: Sarah K.L. Wilson
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: March 2nd, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A STOLEN BRIDE. A TERRIFYING BRIDEGROOM. THE GAME THAT WILL DETERMINE THEIR FATES.

No one told her the most important law of the court – the Law of Greeting.
If they had, maybe she wouldn’t have greeted Bluebeard when he arrived to claim a mortal wife. And if she hadn’t greeted him, she wouldn’t have become his sixteenth wife or been swept away to the lands of the Wittenhame.

But if none of that had happened, then she wouldn’t have been an integral part of the game that takes place every two hundred years – a game that determines the fates of nations .

For not all is as it seems, not in her homeland of Pensmoore, not in the Wittenhame, and certainly not in her new marriage.

CONSIDER ME INVESTED.

This is my first book by Wilson and it will not be my last! What an enjoyable fantasy romance that holds a lot of potential for future books.

I was here for this slow burn romance. And it is verrrrry slow. But I think that really led to Izolda and Bluebeard connecting past the initial differences between them. Throw in a curse that is an occasional nuisance to work around added to the fun. I thought they had great banter and some of those quiet moments I am always begging for. I can’t wait for to see the intensity ramp up between them.

The plot is really interesting! I don’t know much about the story of Bluebeard (though BRB going to go look it up). Each plot line kept me reading, and even at a short fantasy the world building and magic system lined up well. It wasn’t trying to do too much and was easy to envision and enjoy. I could have used something intense. That was the only thing missing. I never felt amped by the romance or the story itself until the last 20 pages. I wanted a little more from that vibe throughout. The ending is great though and I will definitely have to get to book two ASAP.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: very little
Romance: kisses
Violence: low/mild
Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, physical and magical altercations, creature attacks

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Book Review: The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons #2) by Julia Quinn

April 3, 2022March 30, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 391 pages
Author: Julia Queen
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: December 5th, 2000
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

ANTHONY’S STORY

This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. London’s most elusive bachelor Anthony Bridgerton hasn’t just decided to marry—he’s even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended’s older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate’s the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams…

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands—and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate’s determined to protect her sister—but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony’s lips touch hers, she’s suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself..

THE ANGST.

This was a complete, bookstagram made me do it. I had no designs about picking up this series and a friends review convinced me to give it a try and Y’ALL. WHY DID I HOLD OFF ON THIS.

THE PINING. THE PASSION. THE ANGST. THE HEATED GLANCES.

It is everything I LOVE about enemies to lovers and I couldn’t get enough. There were so many rememberable scenes and I loved watching these two fall in love. Fantastic banter and the quiet moments where they learned more about each other were so tender. I liked how much background was added for both characters to give credence to decisions and actions. I found the steam scenes to actually be really sweet and work well into the story.

I liked the way the side characters worked into the plot but didn’t over shadow the romance. They added to the story and I loved many of them. I bet I’m going to find myself reading the rest of these books.

The ability for both Kate and Anthony to overcome different aspects of their pasts and find love together was CHEF’S KISS. There was no way I wasn’t throwing five stars at this book and now I already want to reread it.

Overall audience notes:

Historical romance
Language: little
Romance: two low explicit open door
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: PTSD, death from anaphylaxis recounted, death of a parent discussed

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Book Review: In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount

April 2, 2022January 13, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary romance
Length: 364 pages
Author: Lynn Rush & Kelly Anne Blount
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Cutting Edge meets Friday Night Lights in a sizzling new hockey romance from bestselling authors Kelly Anne Blount and Lynn Rush.

Willow
Figure skating was supposed to be my whole world. But one unlucky injury and now I’m down…but I’m definitely not out. I just need to rehab—a boatload of rehab—and who’d have thought I could do it on the boys’ hockey team?

Of course, the infuriatingly hot captain of the team seems to think I’m nothing but sequins and twirls. What’s a girl to do but put him in his place? Game on.

Brodie
Hockey is my whole world. I’ve worked my tail off getting my team in a position to win the championships—hopefully in front of major college scouts, too—so what’s a guy to do when a figure skater ends up as our new goalie?

Of course, the distractingly sexy skater thinks I’m nothing but a testosterone-laced competitive streak. And surely she’s only biding her time to heal, then she’s gone. Game over.

ALERT: RAGING TEEN HORMONES

That’s about the only major thought that kept going through my head. This was a book that couldn’t decide what age group it actually wanted to be apart of. The dialogue, conversations, and inner monologues swayed from young YA and towards NA (new adult). It was weird. Really weird.

What I did like was the hockey story. I love a good sports novel and I LOVE that Willow got be the goalie for the boy’s team. That was awesome and really neat to see. I liked reading about the games and wondering who was going to win.

I also did enjoy Willow’s character progression. Ridiculous thoughts about Brodie aside, she made some great strides in figuring out what was best for her. I think she made the best decisions with the information she could and picked what she truly felt was going to make her happy in the long run.

The wild drama all over the place took me out of the story. I don’t mind a bit of drama, but sometimes it hits a line. This one rolled way past that point. Everything felt amped to try and create an emotional side, and I didn’t feel much of that. I wish I could have felt drawn to some of the inner story more, but it’s fine. This was a quick YA romance that had some good, some bad.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult sports romance
Language: some
Romance: kisses/make-outs
Violence: physical altercations
Trigger/Content Warnings: difficult sports injuries, sexism, misogyny, loss of a parent through car wreck, parent abandonment, parent incarceration, alcoholism

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ARC Book Review: Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill

April 1, 2022January 10, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆ (3.5)
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Kaitlyn Hill
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: April 5th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This summer, Reese Camden is trading sweet tea and Southern hospitality for cold brew and crisp coastal air. She’s landed her dream marketing internship at Friends of Flavor, a wildly popular cooking channel in Seattle. The only problem? Benny Beneventi, the relentlessly charming, backwards-baseball-cap-wearing culinary intern–and her main competition for the fall job.

Reese’s plan to keep work a No Feelings Zone crumbles like a day-old muffin when she and Benny are thrown together for a video shoot that goes viral, making them the internet’s newest ship. Audiences are hungry for more, and their bosses at Friends of Flavor are happy to deliver. Soon Reese and Benny are in an all-out food war, churning homemade ice cream, twisting soft pretzels, breaking eggs in an omelet showdown–while hundreds of thousands of viewers watch.

Reese can’t deny the chemistry between her and Benny. But the more their rivalry heats up, the harder it is to keep love on the back burner.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

WELL, I ADORED BENNY.

I really wanted to love this more than my review shows and while I did like a lot of it, there were some aspects that held me back. Something I did love was the setting!! I loved the concept of a company with online cooking videos and the like.

Benny. He was top notch one of the better YA love interests I’ve read in awhile. He was incredibly supportive, realistic, and charming. I love that he was the sunshine between the two and had a positive attitude. Benny was all things sweet and the grand gesture at the end was completely over the top and I loved it.

Reese. I was much slower to warm up to her. I didn’t mind that she was the grump in the relationship and I liked that they got together halfway through! She showed some growth and, but towards the end it got a bit stagnant. I didn’t love the way the conflict was handled and I felt my care for her decisions wane as she became increasingly whiny. It was okay.

I realize this is a contemporary romance and I love that. That’s why I picked it up. That’s what drew me in. Unfortunately the larger agenda of the book felt forced and pushy. Even for things I am all for and in support of, I felt suffocated by that storyline over what I thought was the main aspect of the plot (the romance).

Overall audience notes: