Tag: new adult romance

Book Review: Brought to Light by Allie Lewis

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Mystery Romance
Length: 360 pages
Author: Allie Lewis
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: August 5th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three things Whitney is obsessed with: true crime podcasts, sticky notes, and coffee.
Two things Whitney knows for certain: she needs to focus on her future and she doesn’t want a relationship her senior year of college.
One thing Whitney never saw coming: Derek Mitchell.

When a dead body is found in the middle of Stratford University’s campus, Whitney Snow feels like she’s been dropped straight into one of the true crime podcasts she listens to every morning. She’s determined to help solve the case by whatever means necessary, but when Stratford’s golden boy, Derek Mitchell, offers to help with the investigation, Whitney isn’t so sure. Her one experience with Derek freshman year left her with a bad taste in her mouth from the guy every girl on campus seems to be obsessed with.

After Whitney reluctantly agrees to let Derek help her investigate the murder, things get even worse when rumors start spreading that the two are dating. Not wanting to rouse suspicion about what they’re really up to—especially with a potential murderer on campus—Derek and Whitney go along with this fake dating scenario. But as they work closely together to solve the case, the investigation isn’t the only thing that starts heating up. And as it turns out, the secrets buried deep within Stratford University may not be the only secrets that are brought to light.

Brought to Light is a new adult romance novel perfect for those who love a sizzling romance (without explicit sexual content) with a dash of murder mystery.

NOT TOO SHABBY.

I took a chance on a new debut author and in it found some good and some okay.

The setting? ADORED. There needs to be more college setting books. I loved the fall semester vibes and all that entailed. The vibes was definitely there.

Murder mystery? Lacking. It was strong in the beginning and strong in the end but the middle felt like a separate college romance story. These two plots moved alongside each other rather than being woven together. I needed a little more weaving to follow the flow and pacing better.

Romance? One of the best aspects. I thought it was really sweet. Whitney and Derek had some great chemistry and interactions. There were some cute dates and I loooove some good protection moments. The emotions at the end gave all the warm fuzzies of romantic ending.

Writing wise, I could tell it was a debut. There were times I could easily skim over some paragraphs because there was too much attention paid to nuances of the story that didn’t truly matter to the story.

I would definitely read another book by this author and look forward to what she has in store next.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Murder Mystery + Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, physical altercations

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Book Review: The Call of the Void (Shadows and Crowns #3) by S.M. Gaither

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy + Romance
Length: 504 pages
Author: S.M. Gaither
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: October 18th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

War is building. Blood is spilling. And the gods are not pleased.

Casia has survived her brother’s attempts to crush her and her growing army, but the battle for their empire is just beginning. Bitter and wounded, carrying the curse of a dark and dangerous upper-god, and desperate for more allies, she charges northward to seek the elves who once walked alongside the divine beings.

The elven Court of Moreth holds knowledge. Secrets. And power. The kind of power that could shift all of Casia’s wars in her favor. If she can survive the dangerous politics and treacherous magic of the elf-kind.

While these outer battles rage, so too do the ones within. Elander is losing what remained of his divinity. His court. His powers. His grasp on what he once was and what he once knew. But he’s determined to keep fighting, gathering his own ancient allies and working to aid Casia in her wars. He lost her once. He won’t do it again.

But his devotion to her may be the very thing that destroys him.

And when that destruction comes, it comes with a twist—one that could change their entire world.

ANOTHER GOOD READ.

I am just highly enjoying this series!! Such a hidden gem that I can’t get enough of.

I read this book rather than listened and I think that made a difference in my rating. I thought it was a bit slower off the bat and that not as much happened in the overall plot. I was hoping for a bit more political intrigue and action, but that didn’t happen until the late second half.

What I did get a lot of was the roooomance! And I loved it! The spice was definitely stepped up a bit (which wasn’t my full cup of tea, but it’s cool). I love the progression and depth Elander and Casia with each other. They work together and build each other up and I love a supportive relationship like that. It’s always unique to see a fully formed couple before the series is even half over.

I can’t wait for the next read! I adore this entire cast and all of the close friendships. There’s some good movement here and I am thoroughly enjoying every moment.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: three open door
  • Violence: strong blood/gore
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical and magical altercations, war themes and battles, near death experiences

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Book Review: Hopeless (Hopeless #1) by Colleen Hoover

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: New Adult Romance
Length: 417 pages
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: December 18th, 2012
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author of SLAMMED and POINT OF RETREAT.

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever. 

SHATTERED.

Wow does this book absolutely break my heart. It’s a CoHo book. I KNOW something is always coming. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting to see what moment is going to break me. And as expected, once I realized what was happening, alllll of my emotions flared.

I love how Hoover’s books are romances, BUT so much more. SO MUCH more. There’s deeper story. Deeper conversations and thought. They’re nuanced and tend to be traumatic. And I keep coming back for more. I love the journey I’m taken on every time. I adored Dean Holder. Absolutely smitten with that bad boy with a soft and supportive heart. Sky was indominable beyond belief. Going through some of the worst things a child can and to rise again. The strength of many of the characters of this story defied comprehension.

There’s an immersive plot where usually by chapter one I am HOOKED. This was no different. I love working through her backlist of stories because now that I’m on my 15th (maybe more?) of her books, they all have something unique to bring to her collection.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses to brief open door scenes
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual assault and rape (multiple times) of multiple children, kidnapping, on page suicide (by gun), off page suicide mention, PTSD

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ARC Book Review: This Vicious Grace (The Last Finestra #1) by Emily Thiede

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Emily Thiede
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: June 28th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three weddings. Three funerals. Alessa’s gift from the gods is supposed to magnify a partner’s magic, not kill every suitor she touches.

Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and stop the invasion. When a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island’s only hope, her own soldiers try to assassinate her.

Desperate to survive, Alessa hires Dante, a cynical outcast marked as a killer, to become her personal bodyguard. But as rebellion explodes outside the gates, Dante’s dark secrets may be the biggest betrayal. He holds the key to her survival and her heart, but is he the one person who can help her master her gift or destroy her once and for all?

Emily Thiede’s exciting fantasy debut, This Vicious Grace, will keep readers turning the pages until the devastating conclusion and leave them primed for more!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an eARC.

THAT WAS SOMETHING.

I feel perplexed by my thoughts on this one.

We’ll start here. On one hand, I had a hard time putting this down. The writing was great and captivating. Easy to follow and fly through. I LOVED the banter between the love interests Alessa and Dante. And hello, a bodyguard romance? YUP. You read that right. The build-up was sweet and I liked how they got to know each other and connected on multiple levels.

I also did liked this cast of characters. Everyone had different personalities and nobody blended into the background. I would have loved even more background on Alessa’s new group of friends to solidify those relationships even more.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t call this a strong fantasy. It leans heavily to the romance (which is fine for me), but not hard enough into the world building and magic system. Things were laid out well, yet as I was finishing the book I realized some aspects just didn’t make sense? It’s hard to explain, but as a devout fantasy lover there were things missing for me.

Definitely still interested in the second book. I think that has a lot of potential and I would looooove to see where this romance can go. Can’t wait!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA/NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: vague open door
  • Violence: physical and magical altercations, creature attacks
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: attempted murder, near death experiences, kidnapping, imprisonment, mentions of past child abuse, thoughts of suicide (and others trying to convince the MC to commit suicide)

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