Book Review: The Realm of Oblivion by Marae Good

January 19, 2024January 26, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 339 pages
Author: Marae Good
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: December 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They say what you don’t know can’t hurt you.

They’re wrong.

For as long as she can remember, Collins Avery has been imprisoned in the same house by the same cruel and unforgiving parents – visited only by a strange woman with even stranger questions.

Problem is, Collins can only remember the last two years of her life.

Desperate to discover who she was before the accident that stole her memory, Collins escapes to meet a friend in secret. Instead, she finds herself abducted by a charming stranger, who claims that she has been trafficked from the Planet Aita…and sold to the highest bidder.

As Collins begins to piece together the events of her prior life, everything points to a huge and terrifying betrayal. Now, desperate for freedom, she must decide who she can trust to deliver her to her rightful home – a home that has never been on Earth to begin with.

But a new identity comes with new dangers – especially when your enemies know you better than you know yourself…

Swirling with magic and steeped in mystery, The Realm of Oblivion is the first book in The Realm Wanderer series by Marae Good.

LACKING.

I truly did want to love this, and it started out pretty interesting, then things kind of fell flat for me.

With memories being wiped, I initially thought that was a really cool idea. Discovering what’s what and who Collins truly is. All good things. But it also felt like I was continually watching flashback moments and being told a lot of things rather than showing since multiple people were trying to remember what had happened to them.

I liked the commentary of dark vs. light and finding that light within yourself. It had an air of working through depression and the shadow periods of our lives. Plenty of good sentiments there that I easily connected to and understood.

Romance missed me too. While at the start I was meh about how things started, then they flipped (which I admittedly do love), I guess I once again had that show/tell problem. I can’t go into much detail because it would probably venture to spoiler territory.

Overall audience notes:

NA Fantasy Romance
Language: none
Romance: closed door
Violence: medium
Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, torture, memory loss, physical altercations, loss of loved ones, loss of parents

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ARC Book Review: Sadie and the Bad Boy Billionaire (Oakley Island #3) by Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor

January 12, 2024January 2, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 277 pages
Author: Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: January 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I will NOT fall for the smart-mouthed, pretty-boy billionaire who owns Oakley Island. But his yacht is another story …

Love and happily-ever-after? It’s not for me. I’m much happier keeping everyone at arm’s length, focusing on my government cybersecurity work.

But then I push things a little too far and hack my way into trouble. When I need to lay low and stay off the radar for a bit, what better place to do so than on Oakley Island with my sisters?

With limited housing options, I reluctantly agree to stay on the yacht of the very annoying Benedict King—the billionaire who has been messing—flirting?—with me since we met.

I did NOT agree, however, to a voyage out to sea.

But I wake up to find the yacht that should be docked and empty somewhere in the Atlantic with two government agents tasked with babysitting me and one Benedict King.

Who also lied about being my boyfriend.

Typical rich man—thinking he can take whatever he wants.

But he won’t take my heart. Not even when I see his softer side, see behind his walls, see the real man behind the reputation.

Honestly, this might be more dangerous than any of the other trouble I stirred up. Because if I fall for Benedict King, I’m not sure there’s any hope of rescue.

Thank you to the authors for an eARC.

MY HEART.

Once I started this book I was quickly reminded how much I love this author duo’s writing style. It just sucks me in, makes me feel good, and the story only heightens all of that for me.

I adored this story. It was different, and I love different. I love the complexity of characters and thoughts and trying to find that way to love. There’s reasons and depth and a raw truth that I feel in my bones when reading. Falling in love is hard y’all. And also Benedict King should be protected at all costs.

There were alllll of my favorite kind of moments. The soft, the take care of, the laughter, the swoon, and the amazing kissing scenes. WHY ARE KISSING SCENES ARE UNDERRATED Y’ALL, these were spectacular. I’m sitting here thinking of all the moments that I couldn’t get enough of. This was full of everything I love.

And getting those epilogues? I will not apologize for being an absolute sucker for that kind of stuff. Give me all the glimpses of life in the future.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: very low
Romance: make-outs
Violence: low
Trigger/Content Warnings: very brief gun violence

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Book Review: The Agaped Bearer: Wishing Stars by Hannah Taylor Lindsey

January 9, 2024October 24, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Middle Grade Fantasy
Length: 584 pages
Author: Hannah Taylor Lindsey
Publisher: Starnate Publishing
Release Date: July 28th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The most powerful force in the universe falls out of the sky and into the hands of a magicless thirteen-year-old girl. Lisa Robbie, a freckled, soon-to-be-eighth-grade girl from Keyport, New Jersey, happens upon a shooting star that isn’t merely space debris but is magic—the Agapéd Magic. This leads her to a whole new way of life where she learns she has the most powerful magic in all four galaxies, a power that the Guardians have waited 120 years for… and they are not too thrilled about it.

The only person who sees her worthy enough to wield this magic is the 700-year-old brutish Wishing Star gardener, Gaius. Still, even he won’t tell her the Agapéd’s true purpose—the purpose for Lisa’s life. Why don’t they like me having this magic? What is so special about it? Why are they keeping me and this Agapéd Magic a secret?

Curiosity takes Lisa down a path of nightmares as the Agapéd Magic begins to take a toll on her heart, and she must decide if this new way of life is worth all the pain and sorrow tagged along with it.
. . .
The Agapéd Wishing Stars is the beginning of the epic light-versus-darkness saga, a fantasy adventure perfect for those who enjoy constant tugging at their heartstrings and plenty of magical encounters.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

VERY LONG.

I could see the good bones in this book. There’s some coming of age and being the chosen one and all that comes with when your thrust into something so young. I liked the learning moments and I didn’t mind the main character, Lisa, or Gaius. I liked their mentor/mentee relationship and the growth there. And the prince is cute too! I loved his addition and think that will play a much bigger role in the future books.

What brought this down for me was the length. With 600 pages and only 300-400 of those truly necessary. There were a lot of tangents and world dumping explanations. And I found myself skimming more than I wanted. The plot lost a lot of speed and I this book felt completely dedicated to Lisa working on her power, that’s it.

A mixed bag of thoughts for this one.

Overall audience notes:

Middle grade fantasy
Language: none
Romance: none
Violence: moderate
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life

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Book Review: Censorshipped (Getting Shipped! #4) by Savannah Scott

January 6, 2024December 11, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 402 pages
Author: Savannah Scott
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 4th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I am finally over my crush on Duke. Completely done.

Duke’s always been like a big brother to me … a big brother with abs of steel, a heart of gold, and those dimples that make my heart rate double whenever he smiles.

As far as Duke’s concerned, I’ll always be his best friend Chris’ little sister—the little girl who dunked his Darth Vader action figure in Elmers glue and glitter.

Even if Duke noticed me, it wouldn’t matter. I’m so off limits, I may as well be wearing an outfit made entirely of caution tape. We both know Chris would enlist a special ops tactical team to hunt Duke down if he ever pursued anything beyond friendship with me.

Good thing I’m over Duke. One hundred percent attraction-free, that’s me. Well, mostly … until I accidentally send him one of my usual scrambled texts (thank you, autocorrect) … and he thinks I’m hitting on him.

I’m mortified enough to momentarily consider relocating someplace obscure like Greenland. I can never show my face around town again. I’ll buy a parka and an ice pick and learn to love fish. A lot.

But then Duke answers my text …
Am I dreaming? He’s not mad. He’s not even making fun of me.
In fact, it seems like he might be flirting back

I guess I might not be completely over this crush after all.

Just don’t tell my brother.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

SOME GOOD.

Oh y’all. I have tried, but I just don’t think this writing style is for me. There’s a handful of quirks that kept taking me out of the story.

I did like some of the tropes in this one. The forbidden romance was fun and the mutual pining was really sweet. I liked Duke a bunch. He was a swoony lead who was really trying to put his best foot forward into the future he wanted. The years of this tension worked well into many forced proximity moments.

The small town vibes are there and I love the strong connection between friends and others around them. There’s some humor and lightness. It’s flirty and pleasant and a great slow burn.

Overall audience notes: