Tag: fantasy romance

ALC Book Review: The Undermining of Twyla and Frank (The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy #2) by Megan Bannen

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Megan Bannen
Publisher: Orbit Books
Release Date: July 2nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy comes a heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom com twist–When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons!—set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria.

The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla and Frank are still patrolling the dangerous land of Tanria, the former prison of the Old Gods.

Twyla might look like a small town mom who brings cheesy potatoes to funerals and whips up a batch of cookies for the school bake sale, but her rewarding career in law enforcement has been a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank’s job a lot safer … and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals covered in liquid glitter–and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon–they are more than happy to be back on the beat.

Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as the danger closes in and Twyla and Frank’s investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might just be the person who has lived next door all along…

Thank you LibroFM for the gifted audiobook.

I LIKED THIS.

Audiobook notes: I loved the audiobook! I had no issues listening at my usual speed (3x). The narrator was great and highly recommend this format.

I liked the big themes in this book. I loved that this was an older couple!! It was a pairing I rarely come across and it was a nice change. I loved that Twyla got to learn more about herself and what was going to make HER happy. Resonating with giving much of your life to your children squeezed my heart. Learning that it’s okay to also have separate things you love and want to be a part of too. And how wonderful a second chance at love can be, regardless of where you are in life.

There’s some good friends to lovers moments woven in. While some I personally get frustrated with (my struggled with F2L continues), I liked most of it. And there’s dragons!! I love dragon content always.

I think this book was well paced and had the quirky and cozy vibes that I loved from the first book. This is a unique series and I would definitely read another book in this world.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate-high
  • Romance: 1-2 open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: loss of a spouse (mentioned)

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Book Review: Fate Calls the Elf Queen (The Elf Queen #3) by J.M. Kearl

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 574 pages
Author: J.M. Kearl
Publisher: House Valor Books
Release Date: October 26th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The captivating third book in J.M. Kearl’s bestselling Elf Queen saga is filled with breathtaking romance and heated tension. Layala Lightbringer’s worst fears came true when she woke the wicked Black Mage, Hel. He claims she is a goddess reborn… and his wife. For her, the Elf King Thane is the love she desires, the one she fought for, and the one she wishes to marry. She wants nothing to do with her past. Until their lives are threatened and her relationship with Thane depends on remembering who she was in her previous existence as Valeen. But she can’t do it on her own. To get her memories back she must rely on the one she hates most, Hel, and working with him rather than against him poses its own risks. He is a dangerous temptation, and Layala finds herself pulled between two entirely different lives with two very different loves. Content this story contains violence, death, a villainous love interest, steamy content, and profanity.

THAT ENDING.

Every time I finish one of these books I am left with the best kind of cliffhangers. I love how the last 20% leaves me flabbergasted and begging to be handed the next book. The love triangle in this book had me feeling EVERYTHING. I was mad, I was smitten, I was being rolled around in circles trying to figure out how I felt and I love when a book can bring out all of that.

I enjoyed the continuation of the plot. It slows down a bit and there’s some added in flashback chapters that help round out and gear up for the last book. I am really into these audiobooks and I loved that this one had dual narration.

The first half had me a little flustered because I kept thinking that this entire book was just going to be two men arguing over a woman, luckily that slowly evolved to some great reveals and turns. I’m excited to see what happens next!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 1-2 open door
  • Violence: high

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Reading Wrap-Up: June 2024

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SUMMER.

It was a slower month of reading because we got to do some traveling as well. I got through quite a few good ones!

Favorites this month:

  • Masquerade of the Heart
  • Scythe and Pen
  • First Test Graphic Novel
  • Beauty and the Beach
  • [Reread] The Way of Kings
  • Seven Summers
  • Unmasked
  • Beauty and the Baron
  • One-Star Romance
  • The Night Ends with Fire

Least favorites:

  • A Love Like the Sun
  • Refine (House of Oak #4) by Nichole Van
  • A Ballad of Stars (Thieves of Felshan #2) by Jacqlin Guernsey
  • Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis
  • [ALC] The Calculation of You and Me
  • Caught Up (Windy City #3) by Liz Tomforde
  • The Wren in the Holly Library (The Oak and the Holly Cycle #1) by K.A. Linde
  • [ALC] Masquerade of the Heart (Garden of the Cursed #2) by Katy Rose Pool
  • Scythe and Pen by A.C. Hobbs
  • [ARC] We Shall Be Monsters (We Shall Be Monsters #1) by Tara Sim
  • [ARC] First Test: Graphic Novel by Tamora Pierce
  • [ARC] Beauty and the Beach (Falling for Summer) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
  • A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson
  • [Reread] The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archives #1) by Brandon Sanderson
  • Seven Summers by Paige Toon
  • Forever Reign (The Elementals of Iona #2) by V.B. Lacey
  • Summer Ever After (Falling for Summer) by Kortney Keisel
  • [ALC] The Undermining of Twyla and Frank (The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy #2) by Megan Bannen
  • Unmasked (Benevolence & Blood #2.5) by Lauren M. Leasure
  • [ARC] The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
  • This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
  • Beauty and the Baron (Forever After Retellings #1) by Joanna Barker
  • Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
  • To Forge Her Fate (Hearts of Harewood #1) by Kasey Stockton
  • City of Mirth and Malice (Order and Chaos #2) by Alexis L. Menard
  • One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin
  • Beachy Keen (Falling for Summer) by Kasey Stockton
  • [ALC] The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
  • Where We Started (Stone Riders MC #1) by Ashley Munoz
  • [ARC] The Night Ends with Fire (The Night Ends with Fire #1) by K.X. Song
  • Awakening (Infinity Blade #1) by Brandon Sanderson
  • Plotting Summer (Falling for Summer) by Jess Heileman
  • [ARC] Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan

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Book Review: When Gods Fall (The Gifts of the Gods #1) by S.E. Bouvier

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 607 pages
Author: S.E. Bouvier
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: November 23rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two sisters. Both destined for greatness. One will rise. One will fall.

In the Freefolk camps, magic is forbidden, and the gods are dead.

Alena has lived in the camps all her life but is fascinated by the Old Lands and their magic.

When her father is injured in a hunting accident, that same magic is his only hope of survival. Alena has no choice but to break Freefolk law to save him—a crime for which she is swiftly captured. Now, only her older sister, Katell, can help her.

But Katell, a Freefolk huntress, discovers she has magical abilities of her own, and in the camps, being Marked is a death sentence. The sisters are forced to leave their home and venture into the war-torn Old Lands in search of answers. Their journey takes a dangerous turn when slavers capture them.

Alena escapes slavery and finds an unlikely ally—a rebel warrior, fighting against the oppressive Rasennan Empire. Katell, a slave, is sold to an arena to fight for the entertainment of the Rasennan crowds. Her life is on the line with each ferocious fight.

Alena vows to rescue her sister, but amidst awakening gods, scheming rebels, and a power-hungry Emperor, the sisters’ bond will be tested, and each must decide how far she is willing to go to save the other.

If you crave strong heroines, elemental magic, ancient Greek and Roman influences, tortured heroes, and a heart-wrenching romance, get ready to dive into this gripping upper YA fantasy.

WHEN GODS FALL is the first book in a new epic fantasy series, perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, An Ember in the Ashes, and Air Awakens.

Please note: WHEN GODS FALL is an upper YA fantasy that contains moderate violence, some gore, and mild adult situations.

MORE PEOPLE NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.

I love finding indie gems. AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM. I loved it so much. I loved all of the Greek & Roman inspired dynamics and how those + the meddling gods played into the larger plot. I loved both of these sisters and how much they cared for each other but also how they have to pursue their own paths for now.

I’m also weak for the subtle slow burn romances. The longing glances and heated kisses, good heavens, if I could ask for one thing, MORE of this. I loved both dynamics (each sister has a romantic sub plot). And the reveals??? I kept thinking I had figured something out and then was hit with new information that made me GASP. And tear up, let me tell y’all, things get emotional.

I loved all of the more prevalent side characters. I loved how much action and politicking was involved. I loved seeing glimpses of the emperor and the big journey these characters went on. The magic is really cool, and is one of those thick fantasy books I crave. It absolutely deserves all the love and I need more people to find it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA/NA Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: one closed door
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: war themes, loss of life, near death experiences, weapons violence

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