ARC Book Review: Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama #2) by Kristy Boyce

December 29, 2024December 17, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Kristy Boyce
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: December 31st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the author of the nationally bestselling Dungeons and Drama comes another gaming romance that’s sure to win you over!

Quinn Norton is starting over at a new high school and hopes that joining a D&D game will be the trick to making friends. The plan sounds even better when she’s invited into a group that includes Logan Weber, the cute and charming guy she met on her first day of class. But this isn’t your average D&D campaign— this group livestreams their games and enforces strict rules: no phones allowed, and no dating other group members.

Quinn is willing to accept the rules, even if it makes Logan off-limits. And she quickly learns that doing so won’t be a problem, since Logan goes from charismatic to insufferable as soon as she agrees to join. As their bickering—and bantering—intensifies inside and outside the game, Quinn can’t help wondering: Is Logan’s infuriating behavior a smokescreen for hidden feelings? Quinn is risking it all, and the twenty-sided dice are rolling!

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook and Get Underlined for my gifted copy.

ANOTHER CUTE READ.

These just make me smile. They have that true high school quality (and as an adult I can definitely get frustrated but it feels very true to the characters so it’s fine, just mentioning) and I love that I could actually hand this off to someone in the YA age group without an issue.

The romance is cute and has a little bit of a forbidden vibe to it. There’s some sweet and swoony lines and a whole lot of moments for connection and interaction. But I also really loved that the main theme centered more on found family and finding your people. Those who love and support you. And I am always in love with a supportive and caring family too.

The audiobook was great. I loved the narrator. It’s a fast and light read. Plenty of D&D content if that’s your thing and I’m happy with another book that made me smile.

Overall audience notes:

YA Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses

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ARC Book Review: The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke

October 26, 2024October 2, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Horror + Historical Fiction
Length: 384 pages
Author: C.J. Cooke
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 8th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A mother must fight for her daughter’s life in this fierce and haunting tale of witchcraft and revenge from the author of A Haunting in the Arctic.

Clem gets a call that is every mother’s worst nightmare. Her nineteen-year-old daughter Erin is unconscious in the hospital after a hiking trip with her friends on the remote Orkney Islands that met a horrifying end, leaving her boyfriend dead and her best friend missing. When Erin wakes, she doesn’t recognize her mother. And she doesn’t answer to her name, but insists she is someone named Nyx.

Clem travels the site of her daughter’s accident, determined to find out what happened to her. The answer may lie in a dark secret in the history of the Orkneys: a woman wrongly accused of witchcraft and murder four centuries ago. Clem begins to wonder if Erin’s strange behavior is a symptom of a broken mind, or the effects of an ancient curse?

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy (Berkley Partner) and PRH Audio for the audiobook.

WELL THIS FREAKED ME OUT A BIT.

I am in my horror reading era apparently and have found myself enjoying another one! This went back and forth between past and present and I liked waiting for that moment of collision where all the pieces made sense. This is definitely on the darker side and doesn’t shy away from some awful things that made it hard to listen to at times.

The pacing did drag somewhat and I spent a lot of time waiting for the other foot to drop. I did like the atmosphere and it is perfect for the spooky season. It covers a lot of ground and leaves you feeling haunted.

Overall audience notes:

Horror Historical Fiction
Language: moderate
Violence: high
Content Warnings: persecution of women (including torture, false imprisonment), abuse, cult behaviors, loss of life, murder, extensive burn wounds

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ARC Book Review: Seven Summer Weekends by Jane L. Rosen

June 4, 2024May 31, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fiction + Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Jane L. Rosen
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 4th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A woman inherits a beach house, along with a series of weekend guests, while butting heads with the irritable (and irritatingly handsome) man next door, in this sparkling new escape from Jane L. Rosen.

When a Zoom disaster upends Addison Irwin’s decade-long career at a posh Manhattan advertising agency, things look bleak for the thirty-something mid-western transplant. But an unexpected inheritance from an aunt she barely remembers—a property on Fire Island, complete with guest house and artist’s studio—changes everything.

While debating whether to stay or sell, Addison learns that she’s also inherited her aunt’s list of eclectic guests, tying her to the island for seven summer weekends. Eager to convince Addison to keep the house rather than let a new buyer build a monstrosity in its place, the neighbors welcome her to their laid-back community. Well, all except the moody guy next door, who seems intent on glowering his way through life.

Steadfast in her path since college, Addison is determined not to let this detour on Fire Island throw her off track. But soon, between the revolving door of weekend visitors and the up-and-down relationship with her neighbor (and his adorable dog), she finds herself in unfamiliar territory. Should she try to pick up where she left off—or embrace entirely new possibilities?

Thank you to Berkley #BerkleyPartner and PRHAudio #PRHPartner for the gifted book and audiobook respectively.

WELL.

Audiobook notes: I loved the audiobook. I had no complaints and thought the narrator did a great job. Even if the book wasn’t my favorite, I’d recommend this format if you want try it!

I was pulled in by the gorgeous water color cover. This is definitely FICTION with a SIDE of romance. I wish I had my expectations a little bit more figured out before diving in.

There were some good themes though. I liked Addison getting a break from work that she didn’t know she needed and enjoying a slower pace in life. I loved the beach house setting and the quirky factor of a new someone showing up every weekend as Addison reconnected with her deceased Aunt.

I did like some of the romantic aspects. There was good banter and a nice slow burn. Something wasn’t clicking in the second half though and I wish there would have been a bit more development.

And the whole reason there was this big fight in Addison’s family felt more frustrating than anything. I was expecting something more grand and once I finally knew what happened it lacked the needed drama.

Overall audience notes: