Tag: urban fantasy

ARC Book Review: Welcome to Fae Cafe (High Court of the Coffee Bean #1) by Jennifer Kropf

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 405 pages
Author: Jennifer Kropf
Publisher: Winter Publishing House
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There are ten golden rules to follow if you want to survive an encounter with a fae.

On a cozy fall morning, Kate Kole is nestled in a coffee shop in the city of Toronto reading her favourite novel when she accidentally kills a guy who’s being rude to the coffee shop’s cashier. Unfortunately for Kate, the person she killed was a fae assassin of the North Corner of Ever, visiting the human realm in secret.

From there, four deadly fae assassins come to the human realm to hunt her down for breaking a fairy law and killing one of their own. Leading them is Prince Cressica Alabastian, the most feared and deadly fae assassin of the North and heir to the North Corner of Ever.

After the assassins arrive in the human realm, things go terribly wrong. To Prince Cressica’s horror, his assassins unwittingly get roped into running a cozy café on Kate Kole’s behalf. To blend in, the fae assassins are forced to learn how to do basic human activities like cleaning up after themselves, driving without road rage, reading popular fantasy books at book club without getting into alpha male fights over what they’re reading, and in general, be nice, all to blend into regular human society.

With a temper like no other, and deadly power that’s unmatched, Prince Cressica seeks to get revenge on Kate Kole. But as he aims to strike where it will hurt her the most, the Prince finds himself enchanted by his human target in more ways than one. And when the darkness of the Ever Corners comes knocking at the human realm’s door, he needs to make a choice that could cost him everything.

Thank you to Book of Matches Media and the author for an eARC.

THIS WAS GREAT.

I picked this up for its unique premise and it did not disappoint. I loved the urban fantasy vibes and watching four fae assassin’s try to figure out life in Toronto. I laughed multiple times at the things they went through and thought the author did a fantastic job of bringing the humor to this type of novel.

The grump x sunshine romance between Cress and Kate was fun to watch. I liked their banter and especially in the second half when the romance picked up a bit more (I do wish there had been more throughout). There’s lots of good fall and winter moments and Cress is one of those protective fae heroes we love to see. I thought the ending was interesting and wrapped up a few specific plot lines while leaving room for more story (I’m hoping we get a book for each assassin??).

It is definitely in the cozy genre. There is some intense action sprinkled throughout, but a lot of it is Kate figuring out life while the assassin’s figure out her. It’s a great combination and I just genuinely enjoyed how different this was than my usual reads.

Overall audience notes:

  • Cozy Urban Fantasy
  • Language: some throughout
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, loss of loved ones

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Book Review: Starlight (Angels of Elysium #3) by Olivia Wildenstein

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Urban/Paranormal Romance
Length: 488 pages
Author: Olivia Wildenstein
Publisher: WildStone Publishing
Release Date: December 28th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

ANGELIC FACT NUMBER 100: Having wings doesn’t make one noble; it simply makes one fly.

Naya and Adam have nothing in common. Besides black wings. The same birthday. And fathers who are as close as brothers.

But nothing else.

Sweet, diligent Naya has always abided by the rules. Arrogant, uncivil Adam has made it his life’s mission to break each one.

She is the beloved daughter of an archangel. He is the guilds’ resident bad boy . . . well, bad fletching.

When Naya thrusts herself in Adam’s life to request a place on his clandestine team of guardians, he turns her away. The last thing his unsanctioned squad needs is an archangel’s attention, and the last thing he needs is a bubbly, blonde distraction with a sinful voice and soulful eyes.

Problem is, Naya suddenly, and inexplicably, becomes the only thing he wants.

SATISFYING CONCLUSION.

I have really enjoyed this series. I read it over a month which is unusually fast for me to binge a completed trilogy. While there are some magical system gaps and I still have questions about world building, I had SUCH A GOOD TIME with the stories. It’s intense, and romantic and swoony and all the things.

Naya and Adam’s story has been a long time coming and I love the slow burn edge this book took. There’s a really good build up and I loooove Adam’s alpha side. I can’t help myself. Naya is a strong FMC and if you’re looking for a darker vibe, this book has it. The plot is dark and full of shocking things and it often kept me on the edge of my seat.

This feels like an underrated paranormal romance series. I am so happy I took the chance on it and for someone who’s not usually a paranormal fan this checked off many of my boxes. And they’re fantastic on audio!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Paranormal Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 3-4 open door; high explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, kidnapping, medical experimentation, murder, high blood/gore depiction, physical and weapons violence

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Book Review: Cupid’s Compass (The Soulmate Seekers Series #1) by Ashley Weiss

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Magical Realism
Length: 434 pages
Author: Ashley Weiss
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Some say it’s a blessing. Others swear it’s a curse.
Cupid’s compass is the enchanted tattoo that links soulmates and reveals when they will first meet. Most seekers, such as fifteen-year-old Lacey Baker, are thrilled to wake up to their sealed fate, but not everyone’s future is clear.
Her best friend is cursed by a compass that never moves but she can’t figure out why. Her mother’s soulmate link spontaneously changes, leaving their family in shambles. And Lacey’s soulmate. . . that’s another story.
A city away, Jaylynn Clare has a different problem. After a haunting prediction from a local psychic, her life becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. Promised unavoidable tragedy if she meets her linked partner, she takes it upon herself to run at all costs. But can fate be avoided, or only prolonged?
In a mad dash of love, lies, and long-forgotten curses, seekers across the globe weave together in this heart-wrenching narrative of entangled soulmates.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

UNIQUE CONCEPT.

If you’re looking for a very diverse read with a concept I haven’t heard of, this might be the book for you! I loved the compass idea and how this book looked into MANY types of love situations. From love of a friend, companion, partner, self and more. I enjoyed finding out each person’s story.

There was a looooot of POV’s though. I think I counted 12?? And that really didn’t feel necessary. I feel like the author was trying to make sure we saw every single angle, but it took me awhile to remember who was who and which story line and everything in between.

I liked how short and fast the chapters were. And this isn’t a FANTASY book. More of a urban fantasy + magical realism kind of vibe. I didn’t mind, as I thought it functioned well within the world built around these compasses and the Roman gods. I loooove meddling gods and look forward to hopefully seeing more of them too.

The writing was fantastic. I had set out to read x amount of pages a day, and proceeded to find something continually wanting to pick it up. It was an engaging story and after that ending I NEED ANSWERS.

Overall audience notes:

  • Urban Fantasy / Magical Realism
  • Language: low
  • Romance: Kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual assault, suicidal thoughts, death of loved ones, a religious cult, self-harm off page, homophobia, emotional abuse

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Book Review: Roaring by Lindsey Duga

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical + Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 390 pages
Author: Lindsey Duga
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: July 24th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Colt Clemmons is an agent in a specialized division within the Bureau of Investigation-one that hunts down not just mobsters, but also monsters.

For reasons that are kept top secret, Colt is the only person who can resist a siren’s voice. But he’s never had a chance to test this ability. The last siren left in the world mysteriously disappeared years ago.

Then one night, with a single word, she reveals herself. It seems too good to be true.

And it is. Because nothing about this siren-her past, her powers, or her purpose-is what it seems…

ADORED.

I technically would give this four stars, BUT GOSH DANG I enjoyed the heck out of this read y’all. I did. It was exactly what I needed to pull me out of a few books I didn’t love as much. I beg of y’all to give this a chance, it deserves it.

Why four stars? Part of the plot felt repetitive in nature. Go over here, get captured, be rescued, move on. That was the base of the story, BUT, there’s also enough else happening that I overlooked it. Once again, for pure enjoyment purposes.

Monsters and mobsters?? Oh so clever a setting. I loved the 1920’s speakeasy vibes and the clothes, the perfectly used pet names (doll? SWOON) and more. Undercover agents turned monsters?! All the urban fantasy things I struggle with absolutely captivated me here.

And the romance was sweet. It was a slow burn that grew on me. I liked how Colt had a lot of personal growth, trying to move past childhood trauma. Eris was easy to love and intensely compassionate. Both are characters to cheer for as they attempt to escape their forced upon fate.

Intense action, swoony kisses, all the monsters.

Read it.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical + Urban Fantasy Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: medical experimentation on children, loss of life, explosions, torture, kidnapping, gun violence

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