Tag: indie author

Book Review: Clean Out of Luck (Only Magic in the Building) by Carina Taylor

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
Length: 264 pages
Author: Carina Taylor
Publisher: Lit and Write LLC
Release Date: April 2nd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Six months to find love. One overprotective menace (who’s way too handsome for his own good). And a building that might have the final say.

Scarlett Fernsby holds the world record for shortest relationships. Mostly thanks to overprotective parents and an interfering brother, every attempt at dating has been a disaster.

When her whole family is out of town for six glorious months, she knows it’s time to find love.

What she didn’t count on was Wade Hendrix. Her older brother’s best friend.

He’s even worse than her brother. He’s soon crashing every date of hers, and Scarlett’s beginning to wonder if he’s made it his life’s mission to annoy her.

Wade is a firefighter with a hero complex; she doesn’t want to be his pity problem. Especially when she’s starting to misinterpret those fiery looks of his.

Scarlett doesn’t know what to do with this newfound attraction to him, and though she’d like to scrub him out of her life, the building she lives in has a very different plan.

Wade Hendrix has a problem. His best friend asked him to keep an eye on his little sister. But Wade has trouble keeping his eyes off of her.

What starts out as a favor for his best friend soon turns into pure torture: watching Scarlett date other men right in front of him.

Wade would love to tell her how he feels—but he knows she doesn’t feel the same.

Or does she?

After an especially disastrous date that Wade ruins—and with the help of a very special mop that likes to grant wishes—Scarlett tells Wade that he owes her a goodnight kiss.

But one kiss isn’t enough. Wade wants forever. Now he just has to convince Scarlett that just maybe, love has been right in front of her all along.

SO FLIPPIN’ CUTE.

This book just made me happy. I had a giddy little smile on my face because I was smitten with Wade (who’s a firefighter, you can’t resist) and Scarlett. They had insane chemistry and the banter was incredible. It’s cheeky and humorous while also being laced with attraction and heat.

My one small thing is the plot lacked something more. It was basically Scarlett going on a bunch of dates…that’s it. Minus that, I was charmed. There’s many swoony moments and the kissing scenes will light your kindle on fire.

I also loved all of the friendship moments too. I loved the sense of kindness and helpfulness that was woven throughout. It’s a short read and will absolutely brighten your day!!

(And if you’re not a big magical realism fan this book of the series had the least amount so far, the *mop* in question was barely mentioned/used).

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance + magical realism
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content warnings; mentions of a past car accident

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Book Review: When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall #1) by Sarah A. Parker

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 718 pages
Author: Sarah A. Parker
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: January 13th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Creators did not expect their beloved dragons to sail skyward upon their end. To curl into balls just beyond gravity’s grip, littering the sky with tombstones. With moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall.

As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.

Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.

The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths …
They’re too poisonous to swallow.

When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages.

I AM AS SURPRISED AS YOU.

Well hey.

I wasn’t a big fan of this author’s previous series (never made it past book one), but I had multiple people mention this one to me and I really needed a five star, and this was that book!!

It in incredibly slow and intricate with beautiful writing that brought me deep into this world, the magic system and the lore of the lands (and did I mention, DRAGONS? All the dragon content y’all). While slower, do not mistake this for not also being dark and gruesome. There is some ACTION that is intense and heated and might make you cringe a bit. This is why I love dark fantasy.

The romance was the best kind of enemies to lovers slow burn. I was INVOLVED. And in an absolute puddle when pronouncements and those really hidden deep feelings started showing up and being spoken. The soft moments balanced beautifully with the heavy.

I am floored by the ending and the things happening. I love the set up for book two and scenes I know are coming. Very happy I took a chance on this. It was just the book I was looking for.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 3+ open door; mild innuendo
  • Violence: high; lots of blood and gore
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: are listed at the beginning of the book!

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ARC Book Review: The Haven, the Hallow, & the Highborn (A Roots of Magic Series Novella) by Jessa Grey

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 218 pages
Author: Jessa Grey
Publisher: Paper Heart Publishing
Release Date: April 15th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In facing her finest opponent, she will uncover her greatest strength.

Eedy Blackthorn wields a rare and mystical witch magic—she can become a conduit to harness the raw forces of lightning itself. But her abilities do not make up for her painful past. After a tragic accident claims her beloved father, Eedy inherits his seat on the mage-led council. Consumed by guilt over her father’s death and determined to honor his legacy, she refuses to be silenced, no matter how often the male-dominated council disregards her suggestions.

When a mysterious disruption in magic threatens the kingdom’s balance, Prince Caelum is sent to join the council. Discovering Eedy’s identity reawakens a grudge tied to her late father, who ridiculed his family for years. With old wounds resurfacing, every council debate between them crackles with tension. As they clash over how to restore the magical order, their arguments become charged with something neither of them is willing to name.

With duty and destiny colliding, Eedy and Caelum must navigate their forbidden feelings for each other while racing to restore the kingdom’s magic before the winter solstice. As the solution to the magical crisis becomes clear, the couple is faced with an impossible decision, one that will test the limits of Eedy’s power and the depths of Caelum’s heart.

Love, magic, and sacrifice intertwine in this rivals-to-lovers romantasy novella. This novella takes place a century before the start of the related Roots of Magic main series.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

I LIKED IT.

I didn’t have any set expectations for this because it’s an author I’ve never heard of but a novella seemed like an easy way to try a new author and it was good! I am intrigued enough to read a full novel and see more of this world and the characters.

This has a lore novella vibe where I feel a lot more will make sense with larger expansion of the world, magic system and characters. I did like the few characters I saw and I thought the writing was great.

It does have that more instant love (even though their “rivals”) which was my biggest issue. It felt rushed for the timeline, even when I could see the necessity of the decision for the plot. I just needed more between them to really feel the connection.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance Novella
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: one open door
  • Violence: mild – moderate

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ARC Book Review: What Blooms From Death (What Blooms From Death #1) by S.M. Gaither

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Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 618 pages
Author: S.M. Gaither
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 17th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Princess Bellanova has spent years surviving on her own, forced to flee her palace in order to escape the curse that put the rest of her royal family into a death-like slumber and set their lands to rotting. After spending her exile honing her thievery skills alongside her innate necromancy powers, Nova has earned a reputation as one of the fiercest outlaws the kingdom has ever suffered.

But soon she’ll be the fiercest outlaw who ever died.

A death that will be on purpose.

For rumor has it that the true cause of her family’s demise—Luminor, the Blade of Light—is buried deep in the belly of the underworld. Stealing that blade back into the realm of the living will mean a chance at undoing the curses it left, restoring her family, her reputation, and her kingdom to life.

The only things standing in her way are the endless twists and turns of the underworld, its terrifying monsters, unpredictable magic…and Aleksander, the infamous Light King himself—keeper of the blade, and the one who wielded it on the night of her family’s ruin.

King Aleks has spent nearly a decade trapped in the underworld, a phantom of his former self, unable to truly die. When Nova crash lands into his purgatory—an inexplicably bright and lively being in a sea of endless dead things—he begins to dream of the world above for the first time in ages.

He needs her to get him back to that world above. She needs him to undo the curse. But as the two form a reluctant alliance that soon blooms into something dangerously deeper, they find themselves unraveling ancient magic and dark secrets that will have greater consequences than either of them could have ever imagined…

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

A GOOD STARTER.

I’ve continually enjoyed S.M. Gaither’s books over the years and this was no exception. I love the complicated world building that’s filled with so many layers that weave throughout that make this book feel epic. I loved the concepts brought up in WBFD and how that connected to the magic system. It led to some big reveals and I’m excited to see those unfold in future books.

I don’t know that I would call this enemies to lovers though. There wasn’t enough animosity for me to believe it, but I did think that Aleksander and Nova had solid chemistry. I would have loved even more on page time with them. By the end I was much more invested in their relationship and what the fallout is going to be in the sequel. And I just really enjoyed both characters on their own too (there were some Aleksander POV chapters and I am here for them all!!).

Brutal cliffhanger alert (my fav). S.M. Gaither doesn’t miss.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 4-5 open door
  • Violence: high

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