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Book Review: A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies #1) by Stacia Stark

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 532 pages
Author: Stacia Stark
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: March 24th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For years, when I fell asleep, I dreamed of a man with blazing green eyes and a cruel smile.

The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me for dead.

Just hours after humans are born, the gods take what little power we have. In return, they protect our borders from the vicious, merciless fae.

The humans who manage to keep their power are known as the corrupt.
And they are burned.

When my forbidden power is discovered, I’m forced to flee my tiny village and the life I adore.

To survive, I make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me at my weakest.

Our deal is simple: I’ll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city. And he’ll help me learn to wield the strange, dark power I’ve always kept hidden. The power that may just be the key to my survival.

But the ruthless mercenary is hiding secrets of his own. Secrets that threaten the safety of everyone I love. Secrets that could tear this kingdom—and perhaps even this world—apart.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the audiobook.

THE BONES WERE GOOD.

I wanted to love this more than I did but a few things kept holding me back. What it does have is a really good general fantasy romance set-up. I love hidden identities, some enemies to lovers and warring lands. I just wish the execution was a bit less…repetitive. The same ideas kept continually rotating through the story, they kind of kept doing the same things over and over and even the romance lost some steam too.

I didn’t mind Lorian and Prisca as main characters. They were perfectly fine. I liked the banter that they had and wanted to see them together more often to really feel that chemistry igniting. I did love that it was dual POV and that I saw both sides of the story.

There’s some good plot lines but I am on the fence about continuing the series. Might do the audiobook route again.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 2-3 open door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life/loved ones, attempted murder, executions

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Book Review: Faking the Fall (Sweater Weather #4) by Julie Christianson

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 318 pages
Author: Julie Christianson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 21st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

What’s a movie star to do when giving up the spotlight could hurt the ones he loves most?
My agent has this idea—an insanely bad idea—to reboot my Hollywood heartthrob status by having my long-lost love dump me … while I’m proposing to her on national TV.
The theory? Women everywhere will swoon over poor Lincoln James, scrambling to repair his vulnerable, shattered heart.
Trouble is, I don’t have any kind of love—long, lost, or otherwise.
To play my fake girlfriend, my agent enlists Hadley Morgan, my secret college crush. The one who dragged me to an audition that launched my career but left her in the dust.
Upping the ante, she offers Hadley a slot on the show she missed out on years ago. When the alternative publicity ploy is for reporters to dig up dirt on my family, I’ve got no choice but to go along with the ruse.
That’s why I’m in Harvest Hollow now—as one half of the dream couple HadLink—at least until Hadley explodes our relationship during a very public proposal.
Our breakup’s built into this deal. Too bad I’ve got real love for this woman.
But if I come clean, I risk Hadley’s big break, my family’s painful past, and my own rebooted heart.

A SWEET GEM.

I went into this with the best of hopes and I was gratefully charmed by the entire story. I absolutely loved the way LInk was written and how we learned more about his background and reasoning. I’m hit or miss on celebrity romances and I loved the way this one was crafted.

I also really liked Hadley too. These were both just two genuinely kind people trying to make the best decisions with the life they’ve been handed. I looooved the mutual pining and the increasingly tender moments they had as their connection reignited. It’s a sweet story with some good fake dating moments and let me tell y’all, the communication towards the end?? LOVED IT SO DANG MUCH. Exactly what I hoped for, made total sense, and really showed that Hadley and Link trusted and cared for each other. I am smitten.

The fall vibes are once again in this series, immaculate. These authors have all done a fantastic job of creating this world. I found this to be a super fast read and once that made my heart flutter.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: None
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones (happened prior to book)

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Book Review: The Lost God by Sheila Masterson

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 485 pages
Author: Sheila Masterson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 10th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two kingdoms vying for an ancient power. One witch on the verge of releasing it. But all magic requires an exchange.

Memory Witch, Cecilia, is used to sacrificing for power. She’s exchanged her blood for memories, her pride for respect at court, and her forbidden and unrequited love for her guardian, Rainer, for the sake of her duty. It will all be worth it if she can complete the Gauntlet and release the power of the Lost God.

But when the god of war attacks, sending the two kingdoms from simmering tension to open war, Cecilia and Rainer set out on one final perilous journey. They venture deeper into enemy territory than ever before, aided by a charming hunter who offers Cecilia a glimpse of the adventure and romance she’s always wanted.

As the trio encounters vicious memory-stealing hunters, enchanted illusion forests, and meddling gods who speak in riddles, they draw ever closer to the pinnacle of the Gauntlet, and the sacrifice that Cecilia has been dreading. When faced with the most important magical exchange of her life, Cecilia must choose between her kingdom, and her heart, knowing one will be left irreparably broken.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

I willingly went into this knowing there was a love triangle because I was feeling the angst that trope brings. What I wasn’t expecting were a bunch of other tropes/plot devices that I usually am not a big fan of to just work for me here. A true testament to Masterson’s writing ability because I was very much involved in wanting to know what was going to happen next.

There’s some good tidbits involved with the plot and magic system, but I will say there’s also a lot of plot holes. Did it bother me that much? Honestly, no. I do have questions though and would like some answers.

The insta-love here is in your face and you’ve gotta roll with it. Xander somehow endeared himself to me and everyone around him. I think I’m a bigger fan of Rainer though. There’s something there and I know it. WHY HAVE I DONE THIS TO MYSELF.

Anyways, catch me reading the second book because I’m a glutton for personal punishment.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 4 open; low-moderate explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, kidnapping, near death experiences, battle themes

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Book Review: The Make Up (Falling for Franklin #2) by Hailey Gardiner

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 268 pages
Author: Hailey Gardiner
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 21st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Thou shalt not lie, steal, cheat, or…fall in love with your best friend.

When my best friend, Hunter Ward, offers me the opportunity to star alongside him as the lead love interest in a music video he’s directing, I’m torn between taking the gig and risking my heart. My job? To look and act like I’m in love with Hunter…without revealing my true feelings for him.

I’ve seen the man in action and watched him work the room. I’ve witnessed countless women fawn over him and practically swoon in his presence. And now that the full force of his charm is being worked on me, I’m supposed to drudge up the grit to resist him? Impossible, I tell you.

He’s breaking down the fences of friendship we’ve kept in place for so long, both on and off camera. How am I supposed to make it out with all of the pieces of my heart still intact?

A laugh-out-loud, friends to lovers, closed-door romance with heart, humor and sizzling chemistry. Books in the Falling for Franklin series are full length stand-alone novels and can be read in any order.

ADORBS.

I needed something light, fun and endearing enough to keep my interest. This hit those marks for me.

The writing style was entertaining and filled with amusing anecdotes that caused multiple smiles. A well set-up friends to lovers romance with a country music video at its center. Hunter and Chloe had clear chemistry from the get-go and the handful of flashback chapters added more depth to their overall story.

I loved how swoony Hunter was and how he continually endeared himself to Chloe. Actions really do speak louder than words and he showed off those actions with flair.

The scoliosis rep was amazing and I appreciated seeing that and learning more about a condition I only understood the bare minimum of. It was beautiful and I loved the support Hunter continually gave Chloe.

This was super cozy and perfect for fall. I look forward to reading more of Gardiner’s books!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: brief mentions of divorce, panic attacks, and death of a parent

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