Tag: devney perry

Book Review: Rites of the Starling (Shield of Sparrows #2) by Devney Perry

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: Devney Perry
Publisher: Red Tower Books
Release Date: April 7th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

RITES OF THE STARLING is the epic, heart-pounding sequel to Devney Perry’s #1 New York Times-bestselling SHIELD OF SPARROWS. A princess journeys across a cursed realm to find the truth about her family, only to discover her quest intertwines with the fate of a lost warrior. Love, danger and magic collide in a captivating romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros.

Calandra’s five kingdoms are on the verge of destruction. The crux migration is coming. And in the wake of a devastating attack, I’ve been separated from the man who owns my heart.

I’m lost. Terrified. Homesick. Hunted by monsters, driven to exhaustion, and kidnapped by a powerful priest, the only thing keeping me going is the little girl counting on me to keep her safe. It’s my turn to become the Guardian.

Our lives change one fateful night. A night of death. A night of monsters. A night of truths. That night, I learn the real meaning of fear—and the depth of my own strength.

Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I embrace my crown? What if the secrets I uncover save our realm?

What if my sacrifice means salvation for the man I love?

For too long, I’ve feared the monsters we make.

It’s time to discover the monster within.

I’LL TAKE IT.

I feel like big, anticipated sequels can go south quickly and I’m grateful that this was not the case for Rites.

But. I do have some issues.

I really can’t stand when the main couple is split for so long when they’ve already become an official couple. It just makes me cranky the longer the pages go on without Odessa and Ransom working together. I do love the interactions between them and loved when we finally got the chance to see them.

There was also a new POV. And I am still trying to figure out why it was added in the first place. YES, we got some back story but I do not think it needed to take up so much page time. It was as if the book needed more pages and this was the chosen way to fill them and it took me forever to feel emotionally invested leaving less room for the main story line to move forward.

I genuinely had an easy time reading this and was invested enough. I love all of these characters. The main leads and the side ones too. I think the world is great and the magic system continually intrigues me. While this book didn’t provide any answers I’m still looking forward to seeing how the [big issue] is solved.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 4-5ish brief open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: loss of life, loss of loved ones, murder

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ARC Book Review: Shield of Sparrows (Shield of Sparrows #1) by Devney Perry

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 528 pages
Author: Devney Perry
Publisher: Red Tower
Release Date: May 6th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Fear the monsters we make.

A swoon-worthy, spicy romantic fantasy filled with legends and monsters. The Witcher meets “Cinderella.” A princess is chosen to fulfill the terms of an ancient treaty and finds herself traveling with an infamous monster slayer.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Red Tower for the gifted copy.

WHO KNEW?

First off, I had no idea this book would show up on my doorstep but DANG I am happy that I got to read this early. The first physical book I’ve read in a hot minute and I enjoyed it. I’ve read a few DP contemporaries but dare I say fantasy might be her calling??

This was a SLOW BURN. OH HOW I HAVE MISSED SLOW BURNS. Gosh bring them back, I’m begging. Give me all the little moments, the actual get to know you moments, the moments without awkward lust. I was in love with how this was handled. There was actual time for connection and it has made me even more excited for book two.

The plot and world building was crafted well. It didn’t feel super info-dumpy and it was easy to get a handle on and understand. I like the magic system and the way it kept expanding as the book went on.

I had a few minor pacing quips but those last 50 pages or so the anxiety KICKED in. I love the chaos of those last moments in a fantasy book. I could flip a page and not guess who was going to make it out and who was going to land where by the end. This was beautifully written and GIMME BOOK TWOOOOOO.

Overall audience notes:

  • Romantasy
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2-3 open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: blood/gore depiction, loss of life and loved ones

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Book Review: Blitz (Treasure State Wildcats #2) by Devney Perry

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 356 pages
Author: Devney Perry
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 7th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A forbidden, small town, sports romance from Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Devney Perry.

A coach. A student. The rules were concrete. We broke them anyway.

The night I met Toren Greely was the night I learned how to lie. He was a Treasure State football coach. I was the star of the volleyball team. Coaches and students were forbidden. My future was on the line, so I told myself it was only one night.

That was the first lie. They got easier to tell after that. The lines blurred. The boundaries shifted. Our relationship became a game of its own.

A chaste smile. A knowing glance. A veiled touch or a hushed kiss. We hid in plain sight. We were invincible. Or so we thought. Neither of us saw the blitz coming until it was too late.

Game over. The night I left Toren Greely was the night I learned how to lose.

I LIKED IT.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this forbidden romance, but honestly, it didn’t bug me all that much. I liked the set-up and just kind of rolled with the fantasy of this plot. I was here for vibes, and I liked the vibes.

The FMC was a bit dumb though. I didn’t like her POV as much with how repetitive she was and kind of unobservant of her situation. I think multiple things could have been handled differently, but I did love that she was a volleyball player and eventually found her passion and dreams.

I adored Toren. He was a sweet and I could not get enough of this age gap. There is something in Perry’s writing that pulls me in and I find myself flipping pages as fast as I can. I enjoyed the plot and had a good time reading this.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Sports Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3-4 open door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: inappropriate coach/student relationship, underage drinking

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Book Review: Coach (Treasure State Wildcats #1) by Devney Perry

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Sports Romance
Length: 341 pages
Author: Devney Perry
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 6th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A single dad, sports romance from Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, Devney Perry.

Football star. Single dad. And once, a long time ago, mine.

I’ve spent the better part of a decade forgetting Ford Ellis. If he had just stayed away from Montana, I might have erased the memory of his striking blue eyes and rugged smile forever. Avoiding him was easy when the only place I saw his face was on ESPN—and a remote control could fix that problem.

Except my boss just hired Ford as the new head coach for the Treasure State Wildcats. Not only will I be stuck watching him on the sidelines this season, but avoiding him will be impossible now that we’re working together.

Maybe I haven’t forgotten Ford. Maybe I still dream about what we might have been. Maybe he hasn’t forgotten me either.

Except those maybes won’t change the fact that we were never meant to be. Maybe he was mine once. But as of today, the only thing I’ll be calling Ford Ellis is Coach.

LOVED.

Took a swing at another Devney Perry book and this was a HIT. I was in a chokehold over Ford. I loooved how much he was IN. He wanted all of Millie and continually made a point of showing that in word and deed. We are here for a man like that. Swooned in a puddle 100x over.

I also really loved Millie. She finally got the chance to clear the air, reconnect and find her happily ever after. I absolutely loved that she was an assistant AD. Ford as a single Dad was immaculate. And the football content was everything you want in a sports romance.

The burn is pretty quick and I do wish there was a bit more something. Some more angsty buildup? I don’t know, there’s just this last little thing niggling me that was missing. The ending was too dang good though and I am can’t wait for book two.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sports Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4+ open; high explicit
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: divorce, cheating ex (who also is a neglectful parent)

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