Tag: fantasy romance

Book Review: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1) by Heather Fawcett

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy + Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Heather Fawcett
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: January 10th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love, in this heartwarming and enchanting fantasy.

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party–or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones–the most elusive of all faeries–lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all–her own heart.

I DON’T KNOW HOW I FEEL.

On one hand, this was an interesting read. Had some unique touches that I enjoyed and I liked the whole set-up of Emily Wilde out in the field, learning about faeries. I’d overall consider this a soft four star read.

But it also lost me for a lot of the middle. I thought that things slowed waaaay down. There were a lot more encyclopedic tangents and I was missing the point of the whole book in the first place. I did like most of the romance. It had its own flair and Wendell had snarky golden retriever vibes that I liked. Emily is fine for a FMC. I don’t really have any intense opinions on her one way or another.

The last quarter was intriguing. I have a lot of questions about some of the fae world, the king, the powers, and a few [redacted] stuff too. I want to read the next, and I’ll definitely do that through the library again.

Overall audience notes:

  • Urban Fantasy
  • Language: little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate

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ARC Book Review: The God and the Gumiho (Fate’s Thread #1) by Sophie Kim

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Sophie Kim
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: June 4th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this sly and dazzling contemporary fantasy, the most notorious nine-tailed fox in Korea pairs up with a trickster god–turned–detective to track down a wrathful demon . . . before it can destroy the mortal world.

Kim Hani has retired from a life of devouring souls. She is, simply put, too full. Once known as the infamous Scarlet Fox, she now spends her days working in a coffee shop and annoying a particularly irritating, if unfairly handsome, trickster god as often as she can.

That god is Seokga the Fallen. Exiled from the heavenly kingdom of Okhwang, he now begrudgingly resides in the mortal realm, working toward his redemption and suffering through his interactions with the particularly infuriating, if sneakily charming, gumiho barista at his favorite café.

But when a powerful demon escapes from the underworld and threatens to end all of humanity, Okhwang’s emperor offers Seokga an enticing bargain: Kill this rogue creature, as well as the legendary and elusive Scarlet Fox, and he will be reinstated as a god. Hani, however, has no intention of being caught. Seokga might be a trickster god, but she has a trick of her own that he’ll never see coming: teaming up. As Seokga’s assistant, Hani will undermine and sabotage his investigation right under his overly pointy nose. Sure, she’ll help him kill the demon, but she certainly won’t allow him to uncover her secret identity while they’re at it.

As the bickering partners track their case down a path of mayhem and violence, the god and the gumiho find themselves inescapably drawn to each other. But will the unlikely couple stand together to prevent the apocalypse, or will they let their secrets tear them—and the world—apart?

Thank you to Del Rey for the gifted ARC.

I TRIED.

I have tried reading this author twice and I just don’t think we’re a match. I wanted to love this one, I was very intrigued by the summary, and ultimately a lot fell flat.

I don’t think I realized this was much more urban fantasy that I generally like. There’s coffee shops and police departments, real life cities, etc. That can be all well and fine, but my initial understanding was that this was much more fantasy and I had a hard time getting into this setting.

The “banter” between Seokga and Hani was more childish that that sweet spot of an enemies to lovers dynamic. I kept rolling my eyes and waiting for the story to move along rather than soaking up the page time they had together. It was missing that romantic vibe.

For the plot, I found it fairly predictable. All of the parts of this book were there, and the execution was not.

Overall audience notes:

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

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Book Review: The Secret Service of Tea and Treason (Dangerous Damsels #3) by India Holton

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: India Holton
Publisher: Berkley Books
Release Date: April 18th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two rival spies must brave pirates, witches, and fake matrimony to save the Queen.

Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice’s capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case.

But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice’s greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life— pretending to be Alice’s husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans.

Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.

NEW FAV.

I think this is my new favorite of the series! It was a lot of fun and I looooved that it had the fake marriage because we’re undercover agents trope.

I really felt the romance and chemistry between the main couple. It’s a delicious slow burn that you can feel. And I especially loved having dual POV, it rounded out the story all the more. The plot is full of the same antics that we’ve seen before. It made me laugh a good amount. I like that these books don’t take themselves too seriously. It makes for that lighter romantic read I’m craving.

Fantastic audiobook as usual. Lovely fantasy + historical vibes that is my favorite combination. These are a joy to read!! I love how light hearted they are and they are so dang quirky. It works perfectly in the world Holton has created.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Historical Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 3-4 vague open door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Fall of the Horizon (Dusk and Dawn #1) by Jessica J. Ayala

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 650 pages
Author: Jessica J. Ayala
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 13th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The War of the Skies is over, the gods are gone, and the new world has begun . . .

Zara Santos is the adopted daughter of the Ikarrian king and mercenary of her kingdom’s guild, though throughout the Continent of Ribera she is known as the Rogue—the High King’s personal assassin. Every hunting season she kills in the hope to one day be free of her shackles. When Zara receives a unique assignment to hunt down the mysterious leader of the shadow markets, she will do whatever it takes to gain her freedom.

The war has left Ronan Menodora a shadow of the male he once was. The archangel grapples with the underworld to provide for those he cares about as retribution for the failures of his past. When various cities are destroyed, their citizens disappearing, he makes a dreadful discovery that threatens the survival of his business and seeks the help of the infamous mercenary.

As the unlikely pair delve deeper into the strange happenings of the Continent, along with the help of their close allies, rumors rise of the return of the Three Sun Gods—the main Primordials believed to be long lost to the mortal world—and the mystery behind the missing people may pose a greater threat than anticipated.

Fall of the Horizon is the first book in the Dusk and Dawn adult high fantasy series, and explores injustice, emotional turmoil, self-discovery, and romance.

GREAT READ.

This one took some time to grow on me but once it did I was hooked. There’s a bit of a slow start and some info dumping that happens initially, then the story settles and you can really dive deep with the plot and characters.

I adored that this had multiple POV. I loved that two of the main characters were sisters who cared for each other and loved all the good and bad within each other. There was so much growth from Zara and Daria throughout the book that I very much would love to see where they go in book two.

And the romances?? I loved how they contrasted with the darkness of the book. They were much softer and subtler. The banter and pining was top tier and I loved the reveals and twists from the romances too. This had my favorite kind of slow burn where I get a chance to love the character separately and the chemistry they have between them feels naturally devloped.

I am intrigued by the ending and it was a fantastic cliff hanger. I am absolutely going to need book two and look forward to another book in this world.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2-3 open; low innuendo
  • Violence: high

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