Tag: young adult romance

ARC Book Review: Always Choosing You (Scoops Series #2) by K. Sinko

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: K. Sinko
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 9th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Nothing has felt normal for Rory Michaels since that big fight last summer…and when certain big secrets were revealed.

Now the ice cream shop where she works is closed for the season, yet things are still icy with her coworker—and boy next door—Tyler Chapman. Sure, she may now know that her childhood bestie has been harboring a crush on her for years, but she just misses having Ty in her life. So they agree to move on and let things go back to normal…until a cheerleading stunt goes horribly wrong at Haverport High’s Homecoming football game, and Tyler catches the captain’s fall. The entire town swoons, and soon, Tyler is dating the Homecoming queen.

Rory told Tyler she wanted to move on and go back to the way things were, yet why, when it seems Ty has finally moved on, is she feeling bitter? And why, after years of pining for him, is Jay Sanchez finally hitting up her phone and admitting he misses her?

ALWAYS CHOOSING YOU is a young adult romance featuring a girl on a journey to find herself during her senior year of high school, and all the choices she’ll have to face. Between choosing what to do after graduation, which boy she’s meant to be with, and finally learning the true identity of her father, Rory finds herself at a crossroads in life. Should she choose the path she always thought she wanted, or should she choose to follow her heart?

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

SUCH GROWTH.

I had the chance to beta read this book and seeing it in its final glory was something special. I love the way K. Sinko writes the complexities of growing up and how messy things can be in high school. I loved that Rory is kind of an unlikeable FMC but you get to see how she makes those mistakes, learns to apologize and find where her passion for the future lies. It’s a beautiful story of hope in the future and the road ahead.

The love triangle will bring the angst and tension. I love kind of knowing where things are leading (or I often get frustrated) and seeing who we all know Rory was going to end up with melted my heart. I loved their relationship and the push and pull. Not to mention the fiery kissing scenes.

And I adored getting to see the whole Scoops family again. I loved the side characters as always and especially seeing more of Calvin and Melanie. They have a special place in my heart and wove into Rory’s story well too.

I liked seeing Rory struggle with her Mom in realistic and honest ways. And how much Rory didn’t know what she wanted to do after high school (because I still feel that way). The pressures of life can feel especially heavy and chaotic at this coming of age time and I loved the way K. Sinko approached it all.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low-moderate
  • Romance: Steamy kisses
  • Violence: low

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ARC Book Review: An Unlikely Proposition (Unexpected Seasons #2) by Rosalyn Eves

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Rosalyn Eves
Publisher: Fierce Reads
Release Date: March 5th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A standalone companion to An Improbable Season , this Regency romance ⁠― perfect for fans of Bridgerton ― is about following your heart, pursuing your dreams, and falling head over heels in love.

Eleanor did not come to London to be proper and boring. After the death of her husband and a year of mourning, the seventeen year old wants nothing more than her independence and to have a little fun. She’s hardly looking to remarry, despite pressures from her late husband’s nephew, who is keen on obtaining her inheritance. Eleanor quickly devises a plan that includes a fake engagement. What’s not a part of the plan? Falling for a dashing, quiet man outside of her social circle – a man who is not her betrothed. Can she survive the Season with her heart and her fortune intact?

Thalia is determined to begin afresh after a disastrous first Season in London. No romantic distractions, but only her work as a poet and newfound companion to Eleanor. Determined to get her poems published, she struggles to be taken seriously as a female writer. As the spring progresses, Thalia does not expect to take interest in a man from her past (a man who is engaged to her employer, no less!), but some feelings demand to be felt even if the timing isn’t quite right.

Rosalyn Eves’s An Unlikely Proposition is a transportive Regency drama that captures the sparkle of London, thrill of friendship, and swoon of new love.

Thank you AustenProse PR and Fierce Reads for the gifted copy.

CHARMING.

I really enjoyed this! Another charming and delightful read in this standalone series. I love the London atmosphere and the balls and intriguing romances that come about.

Eleanor and Thalia both had a lot of character and I liked seeing their growth throughout the book. Eleanor needed to learn to lean on others and I was so happy to see how things worked out for her in the end. Thalia meanwhile, gained confidence in her writing and the courage to pursue her passions. Add in two handsome men and this brought a smile to my face.

A few small tidbits that kept me from that full five stars, but a genuine enjoyable read nonetheless. I like the voices the author creates for these characters and the drama and hope that flows throughout. If you’re needing something on the lighter side with a bit of swoon, I would absolutely recommend this (or book one! Which can be read on its own too).

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Romance
  • Language: none – low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a spouse (recounted), attempted sexual assault (one brief incident)

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Book Review: These Infinite Threads (This Woven Kingdom #2) by Tahereh Mafi

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

With the heat of a kiss, the walls between Alizeh, the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom, and Kamran, the crown prince of the Ardunian empire, have crumbled. And so have both of their lives.

Kamran’s grandfather, the king of Ardunia, lays dead, the terrible secret of his deal with the devil exposed to the world. Cyrus, the mysterious copper-haired royal, has stolen Alizeh away to Tulan, the neighboring kingdom where he rules. Cyrus has made his own deal with the devil—one that would require Alizeh to betray her feelings for Kamran if she’s to reclaim the Jinn throne.

Alizeh wants nothing to do with Cyrus, or his deal with Iblees. But with no means of escaping Tulan, and with the tantalizing promise of fulfilling her destiny as the heir to the Jinn, she’s forced to wonder whether she can set aside her emotions—and finally become the queen her people need.

Kamran, meanwhile, is picking up the pieces of his broken kingdom. Facing betrayal at every turn, all he knows for certain is that he must go to Tulan to avenge his grandfather. He can only hope that Alizeh will be waiting for him there—and that she’s not yet become queen of Tulan.

WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO FEEL.

This book left me feeling super conflicted.

If I think about the romance in one context, I don’t necessarily mind it, I can see where it could work. Morally gray is my wheelhouse and romantic switch ups are fantastic. Lets do it.

Buuuut if I’m supposed to be thinking about it in a different way on the other side of the love triangle I didn’t realize was occurring then why were they separated the entire time??????

I DON’T KNOW. Honestly, I don’t know how to continue the review. There’s not much true plot movement. It’s mostly spent with Alizeh trying to decide if she should marry someone and Kamran wallowing about his new position. Grateful for an audiobook I could speed up.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Context Warnings: kidnapping, some physical altercations

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Book Review: Maiden of Candlelight and Lotuses (The Zheninghai Chronicles #0) by Anastasis Blythe

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 387 pages
Author: Anastasis Blythe
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Dreams of magic and romance have no place in the heart of a poor farm girl. Or so Liena thought…

Magical visions have a way of turning the world upside-down. One minute Song Liena is a simple farm girl hoping for good luck at the matchmaker, and the next she is a student at the empire’s most rigorous and dangerous magic Academy.

It doesn’t take long for her to realize she’s ten years behind, her magic is weak, and she is in way over her head. But Liena is determined to work hard if it means a chance at a better life for her family.

She just wasn’t counting on being noticed by the handsome Crown Prince—a warrior-in-training said to have fire magic powerful enough to decimate entire armies.

But princes are not for peasants, and everything is not as it seems at the Academy. Monsters lurk around every corner, and someone is dabbling in dark, illegal magic.
Someone who has set their sinister sights on her.

THOUGHTS.

One on side of the review I enjoyed this. It has an easy writing style that makes for a fast pace. I liked the nods to Mulan (though maybe a little too close at the beginning and end?). It’s a good premise type of set-up that leaves plenty of room for more stories in the world.

What’s missing is the world though. My main issue stems from the fact that there’s no world building. Everything is set at an academy and there’s discussions on the different types of creatures they have to defend against buuuut that’s kind of it. There’s even a Prince! And I know NOTHING about his kingdom??! Or the magic. Everyone seems to have a different type of magic yet there’s no explanation as to why that is or what type of limits there are or why someone’s works better than the next.

The romance is sweet, would have loved even more development, it was cute enough. And the side characters are your typical bunch you find at school: the nice guy, the bully, etc. I’ve heard how the series differs from here so I’m tempted to give the second book a go.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: med-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical and magical altercations, weapons violence, creature attacks, bullying

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