Book Review: If I Never Remember by Meagan Williamson

May 6, 2025March 16, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 317 pages
Author: Meagan Williamson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 2nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They’re back for the summer… and changing everything

Teddy’s life isn’t her own anymore. It’s been nine months since the accident, and she still can’t remember anything from before it. When all hope rests on the heart-shaped sketch from the six summers she spent in Bear Lake, she memorizes it. A last resort in the laundry list of failed attempts at restoring her memory. When it becomes just another reminder that she’s disappointing the people she loves, she vows to leave the small town at the end of the summer. Until her path collides with the two handsome faces from that sketch.

Reed is her new coworker at her summer job. He’s confident, eager to spend time with her, and hard to ignore. If it weren’t for their alluded history, she could use a friend. Miles is quiet, reluctant to open up, and pretending not to know her. Avoiding him is impossible while he’s living next door. But he’s the only one who seems to understand what she’s going through.

The more time she spends with them, the more Teddy begins to live her own life again. She’s starting over in the one place she thought she’d need to leave behind. Until a pivotal moment tests just how much she is willing to give up before she defines her future for good.

A coming-of-age romance with nostalgic heart, summer love, and second chances.

THE FEELS.

I kind of waffled with my thoughts on this one but for someone who doesn’t like flashback chapters all that much, the fact that this one had me glued to my kindle deserves the praise. I was hooked on needing to know what would happen.

And I think I’m turning over a new leaf on love triangles. I enjoyed the way this one was crafted and the emotions that went into the push and pull between Reed and Miles. There’s secrets to uncover and truths to be known as Teddy navigates recovery and her past.

It’s fast paced and now that I’ve read two Meagan Williamson books I’m officially a fan and can’t wait for her new series.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: low
Romance: 1 brief open door (emotion > physical) based
Violence: mild
Content Warnings: TBI, car accident

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: April 2025

May 1, 2025April 29, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

New look who this?

I feel like this month got wildly out of hand. I even had MULTIPLE two star books sooooo that was fun. Anywho, here’s the list!

Debt of My Soul by K.P. Haven
The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane #2) by Cassandra Clare
[ALC] Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
[ALC/ARC] The Wind Weaver (Reign of Remnants #1) by Julie Johnson
Clean Out of Luck (Only Magic in the Building) by Carina Taylor
Out with the Tide (Never Harbor #2) by Julie Olivia
[ALC] The Love Haters by Katherine Center
Direbound (The Wolves of Ruin #1) by Sable Sorensen
[ARC] The Haven, the Hallow, & the Highborn (Roots of Magic Novella) by Jessa Grey
Daisy Haites (Magnolia Parks Universe #2) by Jessa Hastings
Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy #3) by Lauren Roberts
[ARC] Saving the Mountain Man’s Legacy (Brothers of Sapphire Ranch #8) by Misty M. Beller
[ALC] Enigma by RuNyx
Just Our Luck by Denise Williams
Off the Wall (Only Magic in the Building) by Julie Christianson
[ARC] The Ashfire King (The Sandsea Trilogy #2) by Chelsea Abdullah
The Shadow Bride (The Scarlet Veil #2) by Shelby Mahurin
I Knew He Was Trouble (Sweeter Than Fiction #1) by Amanda Schimmoeller
Swept Away by Beth O’Leary
The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
A Proper Governess (Hearts of Harewood #2) by Kasey Stockton
The Book That Held Her Heart (The Library Trilogy #3) by Mark Lawrence
Signed, Sealed, and Smitten (Only Magic in the Building) by Melanie Jacobson
The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues #1) by Alwyn Hamilton
[ARC] Shield of Sparrows (Shield of Sparrows #1) by Devney Perry
Wild and Wrangled (Rebel Blue Ranch #4) by Lyla Sage
Voice of the Ocean by Kelsey Impicciche
[ARC] Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt
The Splendor of Fire (The Hebridean Shield #2) by Ashley Worrell
The Wolf King (Wolf King #1) by Lauren Palphreyman
The Escape Plan (Only Magic in the Building) by Katie Bailey
His Mortal Demise (The Last Bloodcarver #2) by Vanessa Le
Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine
Nightshade (Sorrowsong Duology #1) by Autumn Woods
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
[ALC] Jilted by Vi Keeland
[ARC] Every Hour Until Then (Timeless #5) by Gabrielle Meyer
[ALC] The Thrashers by Julie Soto

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Book Review: Direbound (The Wolves of Ruin #1) by Sable Sorensen

April 29, 2025April 7, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Dark Fantasy Romance
Length: 650 pages
Author: Sable Sorensen
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: February 26th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them…

Meryn Cooper has never dreamed of being one of the Bonded, the King’s elite warriors who form mental links with massive, vicious direwolves. She’s made peace with her life scraping by in poverty in the shadows of the castle. But then her younger sister Saela is kidnapped, stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting.

And Meryn’s world falls apart.

Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army—only to discover that there are Bonding Trials this year, where all soldiers are forced to risk their lives in an attempt to connect with a direwolf. It’s too late to turn back; Meryn is thrown into the deadly competition against her will.

Now, she’ll need to survive the next four months of training at the castle if she wants a chance of finding Saela. Everything here is a test, from the brutal classes where one mistake means death, to the glittering court parties where every smile hides a knife.

To make things worse, Meryn is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her gorgeous instructor, Stark Therion, is as malicious as the wolves himself.

Everyone is out to get her—everyone but the dangerously handsome crown prince, Killian Valtiere. But if she loses her heart to him, she may also lose her life.

And the castle is hiding dark secrets…

Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in dark action-packed fantasy series, perfect for romantasy fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses , The Serpent & the Wings of Night , When the Moon Hatched and Quicksilver!

GIMME BOOK TWO.

A friend asked me to buddy read this one with her and we both devoured it over the course of a weekend. It was pitched as a fourth wing but with wolves and I gotta say, that actually tracks (but it is not a copycat, do not fear). I loved that this wasn’t a shifter book, the humans bond with wolves in this military-esque fantasy romance that had me locked in.

I love a complicated romantic plot line. I love enjoying the journey of tiny moments and quiet moments, the angry proclamations and the jaw dropping reveals. I got it all here. If you’re reading this without reading the summary, skip it and just go read it!! Trust me!!

Even more surprising was the fact that I was blindsided by a few of the reveals (a few I could see coming, but wasn’t mad about). ANYWAYS, I loved all the twists and turns. There’s a good level of politicking mixed in with action and there’s a ball??? I mean come on, I had to read this book.

The ending left me without breath and begging for the next book. AHHHHHH.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: strong
Romance: 4-5 open door
Violence: very high
Content warnings: high levels of blood/gore/violence, kidnapped children, loss of loved ones, murder

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

April 24, 2025April 4, 2025 GoodeyReads3 Comments

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: