Tag: Book Review

Book Review: Blood of the Sands (The Ballan Desert #1) by S.C. Grayson

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Rating: ★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 412 pages
Author: S.C. Grayson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 17th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Keera is used to protecting herself from the dangers of the Ballan desert. Guarding her heart may be the most difficult challenge of all.

Keera is an exile struggling to survive, forced to rob passing travelers or face starvation. When she steals from the wrong man—a vicious masked warrior named the Viper—his hand around her throat awakens an ancient magic within her, and she uses it to escape his clutches. Now, Keera must master her power to protect the city of Kelvadan—the only place an exile like her can find a home—from the Viper and his growing army.

The Viper serves the magic of the desert, but the sins of the past threaten to destroy it. To protect his home, he will do everything it takes, even marching on the great city of Kelvadan. However, the real key to healing the desert’s magic might lie in the infuriating but intriguing exile who slipped through his fingers and now fights for his sworn enemies.

Keera and the Viper are on opposite sides of a war to save the Ballan desert, but the strange bond they share could be the key to saving their home—or destroying their world as they know it.

Blood of the Sands is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent and L.J. Andrews..

…no.

Oh y’all I tried. I tried so hard. And I was interested through about 30-40% and then I felt my grip on this book loosen and I became increasingly more frustrated.

For one, it bugged me the main pair didn’t truly meet until like halfway through the book but have had raunchy dreams about each other? And then there’s 3+ open door scenes (and the writing of them made me cringe so hard y’all) in the second half that I don’t feel matched the pace of the characters and felt like a push to call this book “spicy.”

There’s some good bones to the plot, yet I got lost the more I thought about the magic system. I don’t expect to have all the answers in the first book, but I didn’t get enough to keep me going. It was somehow fast and too slow with a predictable story line.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: low – moderate
  • Romance: 3+ open door scenes
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: blood/gore, battle themes

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ALC Book Review: Overdue by Stephanie Perkins

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Saturday Books
Release Date: October 7th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Is it time to renew love or start a new chapter?

Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They’ll take a one-month break to date other people, then they’ll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship― and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.

Overdue is a beautiful, slow-burn romance full of lust and longing about new beginnings and finding your way.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

WELLLLLLL.

After thinking about this one more, I think the main problem is how it’s been marketed. The romance is not at the forefront of Overdue enough for me to feel like it was a true romance. It lent more towards a fiction story with some romance too.

The beginning was icky. Even if both Ingrid and Cory were consenting in the situation it had an aura of cheating and was not the way I wanted this book to start. All of the dating (and sleeping with) other people took up the first half of the book and I kept wondering when the actual romance was going to get going.

There were some truly genuine and sweet moments with Macon and I wanted more!! I liked their interactions and soft dynamic. I think I would read another adult romance from this author? Maybe?

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: multiple fade to black, 2ish open door
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: loved ones with mental illness (on page)

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Book Review: Love at Second Down (Boys of Ann Arbor #2) by Gracie Graham

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Rating: ★★★★.5
Audience: NA Sports Romance
Length: 433 pages
Author: Gracie Graham
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: June 24th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three years ago, Avery Astor ruined me. Now she’s back to finish the job.

I had the girl.

The scholarship.

The future.

They say quarterbacks have short memories.

But I remember everything.

Every promise. Every plan. Every damn kiss.

Avery Astor was supposed to follow me to college. Instead, she broke me in half and left me to rebuild my life from scratch.

That was nearly three years ago.

Now I’m in my junior year of college in the Big Ten, laser-focused, and headed to the national championships. I’m completely off-limits.

Until she shows up. At my school. And at the worst possible time.

She says she’s here to win me back and there are reasons she left that I don’t know, and she can’t tell me.

The problem is . . . I’m not the guy she left behind.

And I don’t want to be won.

A NEW FAV.

This is easily going in to one of my top books from Gracie Graham. I was glued to my phone y’all. A unique second chance romance you should read too!

I didn’t know how I would feel about Avery being the chaser/wanting the MMC back (because I feel like it’s often the other way around). As the book progressed I started to enjoy it all the more. I wish Avery had stopped saying I can’t tell you yet, but overall she was an FMC to admire and I liked her tenancity.

I was very much obsessed with Damon too. There’s something about a man eternally down bad that works so beautifully when written well. And GG 1000% achieved that nuance. I loved seeing this group of friends again and really appreciate that both Damon and Avery have strong support groups that banter and love them well.

The classic dash of drama/suspense that Graham likes to add in was present here too. I thought it was intriguing and watching it unfold kept those pages flying. I can’t wait for the next book!!

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Sports Romance
  • Language: high
  • Romance: 2ish open door; innuendo throughout
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: loss of loved ones (recounted), blackmailing

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Book Review: Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

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Rating: ★★
Audience: Holiday Fiction
Length: 397 pages
Author: Jenny Bayliss
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

White Christmas meets Nora Ephron in Jenny Bayliss’ latest wholehearted, ensemble-cast holiday extravaganza.

Christmas can officially get stuffed because Harriet Smith is not feeling bright and merry this year. She hasn’t for a while. So when her college-aged daughter opts for Manhattan’s winter wonderland instead of Christmas at home, Harriet finds herself seeking solace in a wine-soaked one-night stand.  

But how Harriet will spend the holidays is swiftly decided for her after she takes the fall for some students who break into the town’s old Winter Theater. To get the students off the hook, the theater’s elderly owner requests that Harriet direct the washed-out stage’s final Christmas performance. And Harriet will do anything to help the kids . . . even work with the owner’s lawyer who, as it turns out, is her less than impressed one-night stand.

Directing the play with him won’t exactly change her life. But it might just reignite the Christmas spirit and remind her what makes life merry and bright again.

WHERE?

For a book called Kiss Me at Christmas. I felt there a distinct lack of romance. My ruined expectations made this hard to read and I struggled through the audiobook. The audio narration was perfectly fine, the book itself was not.

I didn’t care much for the heroine either. Most of the book felt frustrating. I think there were some good growth moments by the end and some of the themes were enjoyable to be touched on because I don’t see them often.

Ultimately I needed and wanted more romance. And I didn’t like the casual nature of most of the relationship (started off with a one night stand). I was very much over hearing about the play.

Overall audience notes:

  • Holiday Fiction
  • Language: low – moderate
  • Romance: closed door

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