I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
SYNOPSIS
From the USA Today bestselling “master of witty banter” (Entertainment Weekly) comes a hilarious and heartwarming romance about two enemies whose feud turns red-hot. Maya Mehta will do anything to save her tiny, beloved community theater. Put on musicals she hates? Check. Hire an arrogant former-pop-star-turned-actor? Done. But what Maya really needs to save her theater is Matchmaker Bay’s new business grant. She’s got some serious competition, though: Benjamin “Law” Lawson, local bar owner, Jerk Extraordinaire, and Maya’s annoyingly hot arch nemesis. Let the games begin.
Law loves nothing more than getting under Maya’s skin, and making those gorgeous eyes dance with irritation. But when he discovers the ex-pop star has a thing for Maya, too, Law decides he’s done waiting in the wings-starting with a scorching-hot kiss. Turns out there’s a thin line between hate and irresistible desire, and Maya and Law are really good at crossing it. But when things heat up, will they allow their long-standing feud to get in the way of their growing feelings?
REVIEW
Maya Mehta and Ben “Law” Lawson have been at odds since they can remember. They continually best each other at everything and the whole town knows how much they dislike each other. When Matchmaker Bay develops a new grant – both Maya and Law want it. Maya wants to save the community theater and Law wants to open up a newer restaurant. Who will win the grant and how far will the town meddling old folk go to keep on throwing Maya and Law into situations together?
After reading the previous two books in the Matchmaker Bay series I was excited to read about Maya and Law. Their enemies-to-lovers relationship was always there in the first two books in the series and I couldn’t wait to see these to finally get their book in Sandcastle Beach. I loved how sweet and caring Law was with Maya. How he always wanted her best interest even if he was pretending to keep up the charade of hating her. Sadly I felt like Maya was a tad bit too harsh with Law. I understood that she was in a lot of stress, especially trying to keep her theater and cater to moody actors. I do feel like the chemistry between Maya and Law was lacking for me. The misunderstanding that put them at odds felt very one sided and I just wanted a little bit more angst.
As in the first two books of the Matchmaker Bay series I enjoyed being back in the small town setting! Although the town folk are always meddling – they do have a good heart. It was great reconnecting with Sawyer, Eve, Jake and Nora. The sense of family and friendship is so strong in this series and I really do love that!
If you’re looking for a charming, slow burn, small town romance grab Sandcastle Beach!
I received a complimentary copy/audiobook of this book from the publisher.
SYNOPSIS
In Act Your Age, Eve Brown the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.
Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It’s time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she’s not entirely sure how…
Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.
Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.
REVIEW
Eve Brown has held a few different jobs over the past few years. The latest one being a kind of disaster – oops! Eve’s parents are a bit harsh and decide to cut Eve off for a while until she can hold down a job.
Eve is upset, but understands (kinda) her parents reasoning for cutting her off. While taking a long drive she happens upon a charming Inn. This is where she meets Jacob Wayne – owner of said Inn. Jacob and Eve immediately do not get a long. Jacob just happens to be interviewing for a cook and Eve just happens to be looking for a job. The interview doesn’t go so great and while leaving, Eve manages to hit Jaco with her car (yikes!). And now Eve kind of has to stay to help out Jacob because – she did kind of hit him with her car.
What starts off as a rocky working relationship slowly turns into a tentative friendship. I loved the relationship between Eve and Jacob. They are literally the definition of sunshine and grump with Jacob even nicknaming Eve “Sunshine” (swoon 😍). I loved the slow growth of their relationship and how they didn’t ever shy away from hard subjects for both of them.
I really liked the fact that Jacob was very outright and forthcoming with his autism. And that he felt at ease with Eve. Eve hasn’t always had the best relationships with friends either and so it was a joy watching their friendship bloom. They were always free to be each other when they were together.
As always, Talia is such a talented author. There are always specific lines that stick with me when reading her books and I definitely highlighted parts of Act Your Age, Eve Brown that I will be going back to revisit.
Audiobook:
Story: 4.5 Narration: 5 Overall: 5
I had an opportunity to listen to the the audiobook of Act Your Age, Eve Brown and it was so good! The audiobook was narrated by Ione Butler and I feel that she did a wonderful job narrating Eve, Jacob and all of the secondary characters in the book. I was laughing so hard while listening to this book and that just goes to show you how amazing and talented the author and narrator are!
Grab Act Your Age, Eve Brown if you’re looking for an enemies-to-lovers/grumpy sunshine romance that will have you laughing and swooning in equal measures!
I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the publisher.
SYNOPSIS
Mary Trace is bright, bubbly and back in the dating pool in her midthirties. All of her closest friends are in love, and she refuses to miss out on romance. So when a regular customer at her trendy Brooklyn boutique wants to set Mary up on a blind date with her son, she gives a hesitant yes. John Modesto-Whitford is gorgeous and well-groomed, so maybe dinner won’t be a total bust—until he drops a less-than-flattering comment about Mary’s age.
Desperate to be nothing like his snake of a politician father, public defender John Modesto-Whitford prides himself on his honesty and candor. But his social awkwardness and lack of filter just blew it with the most beautiful woman he’s ever dated.
Luckily, Mom’s machinations keep Mary and John running into each other all summer long, and soon they resort to fake dating to get her to back off. When their pretense turns to real friendship—and some surprisingly hot chemistry—can these two stubborn individuals see past their rocky start to a rock-solid future together?
REVIEW
Mary agrees to a blind date with the son of one of her clients. She’s back in the dating pool and is an optimistic person by nature. When the date starts off on the wrong foot, Mary tries to give John Modesto-Whitford the benefit of the doubt. But when John drops a less than flattering comment about Mary’s age, she’s out. She doesn’t deserve to sit on a blind date and feel harassed.
As soon as the words leave John’s mouth, he knows he should never have said them. He tries to make things right with Mary and even seeks her out at her shop to apologize in person. But that setback landed him firmly in the friend zone.
The more time Mary and John seem to spend with each other – the harder it is to not want something more. They understand each others vulnerabilities and complicated familial relationships. Both John and Mary are fighting their own battles with their loved ones, but can always rely on one another. Will they end up taking a chance on one another after their rocky beginning?
Audiobook:
Story: 5 Narration: 5 Overall: 5
The audiobook of Flirting with Forever was narrated by Susannah Jones and I loved her narration of both Mary and John. I could always feel the varying emotions from both characters – from frustration to elation. I enjoyed the audiobook so much that I would often find things to do around the house or walk just so I could continue listening to the audiobook of Flirting with Forever.
I’m not sure why I haven’t read a book by Cara Bastone before, but I can’t wait to read more of her backlist! I really enjoyed the sweet, sexy slow burn romance in Flirting with Forever!
I received a complimentary audiobook of this title from the publisher.
SYNOPSIS
An arranged marriage leads to unexpected desire, in the first book of Alyssa Cole’s Runaway Royals series…
When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true. But it’s nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.
A king must rule with an iron fist, and newly crowned King Sanyu was born perfectly fitted for the gauntlet, even if he wishes he weren’t. He agrees to take a wife as is required of him, though he doesn’t expect to actually fall in love. Even more vexing? His beguiling new queen seems to have the answers to his country’s problems—except no one will listen to her.
By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion. When turmoil erupts in their kingdom and their marriage, Shanti goes on the run, and Sanyu must learn whether he has what it takes both to lead his people and to catch his queen.
REVIEW
Sanyu is the newly crowned King of Njaza and he is expected to marry. He doesn’t exactly want to marry, but his father is ill and would like for Sanyu to marry before he dies. He doesn’t expect to stay married for long as the usual marriage term ends in 4 months and then the king is free to choose his next wife if he so chooses.
Shanti was born to be queen. She feels a spark when she first meets Sanyu, but then weeks go by and he doesn’t even try to interact with her. She has many ideas to change the kingdom for the better, but how can she implement them if no one gives her the time to listen – especially her husband, the king?
I liked the marriage of convenience aspect between Sanyu and Shanti. But I do feel like some of the chemistry was lacking. The book had a slower pace in the beginning and it took me a while to get into the story, but that picked up towards the end.
Audiobook
Story: 3.5 Narration: 4 Overall: 3.5
I enjoyed the audiobook of How to Catch a Queen narrated by Karen Chilton. This was my first book by Karen Chilton and I feel like she did a wonderful accent for the voices of Sanyu and Shanti. I was always able to tell the various emotions a character was going through.
Overall I would rate How to Catch a Queen 3.5 stars.
The fifth book in the Alaska Force series, Special Ops Seduction, is sure to be filled with plenty of suspense and a side of my favorite romance trope – fake dating! Read on for an excerpt.
SYNOPSIS
She’s the last woman he ever wanted to see again…
After an official operation turned deadly, Jonas Crow began a new life in Grizzly Harbor with Alaska Force. But when fellow soldier Bethan Wilcox joins the group, she forces him to remember things he actively prefers to forget. That’s unforgivable enough. But now the two of them are forced together on a mission to uncover deadly secrets tied to their complicated past, and with the heat between them at a boil, forgiveness is the least of his worries…
And the only woman he needs.
Bethan Wilcox, one of the first women to make it through Army Ranger school, didn’t join Alaska Force to deal with Jonas’s foul temper. Or her own errant attraction to him. Thrown together in a race against the clock, they have to pretend to be a couple and play nice to throw the enemy off their scent. She knows better than to let their pretend love feel real…especially while time is running out.
Jonas has always been good at saving the world. But it’s Bethan he needs to save this time around—if she doesn’t save him first.
EXCERPT
Bethan had been highly trained in a variety of scenarios. She’d signed up for the army right out of high school, mostly to appall her high-ranking air force general father. But then, spite enlistment or not, she’d loved basic training. She’d loved it when she got into psyops, too, and for a time, she’d greatly enjoyed her work as an interpreter, translator, and interrogator, connected to highly classified missions all over the world. It was after one of those missions—the one where she’d met Jonas, though neither one of them ever spoke of it—that she’d decided she wanted to be able to do more. To do something, on a grand scale.
That had led her to becoming one of the very few women to ever make it through Army Ranger School.
But the army hadn’t given her what she wanted, and now she was here. Using all her years of army training to stay calm in the face of provocation. Whether it was a building that shouldn’t have blown up or Jonas freaking Crow.
“Proceed,” Jonas ordered her.
“I have you covered,” Griffin said, cold and precise.
Bethan’s gut was working overtime, but courage wasn’t the absence of fear. It was using it as fuel. She eased out of her protected position, squinting past the billowing smoke from what they’d had down as a meaningless outbuilding in this creepy, abandoned place. She could feel eyes on her, no doubt friend and foe alike, and wished she were in full combat gear—but that wasn’t how they were playing this.
She quickly considered her options. The inhabited ruined building was directly across the square from where she was. The original plan had been for her to take the long way, skulking around the back of what was left of the row of houses where she’d been squatting. Then find a way in through a window that was almost certainly alarmed, if not actively guarded.
Bethan hadn’t seen any guards yet. And it was always possible that someone was blowing stuff up on the outskirts of this crumbling ruin of a mining town for reasons that had nothing to do with why she was here. Anything was possible.
But the more likely scenario was that there were guards, and those guards knew Alaska Force was here. And that they’d expressed themselves with a little C-4 as a welcoming gift, so there was no point sneaking around anymore.
Bethan stood. Then she sauntered around the corner of the ruined house like she was out for a stroll somewhere civilized. She headed across the arid dirt square, in the kind of broad desert daylight that made her lungs hurt, to go knock on what passed for the front door opposite.
“I like it,” Rory said with a quiet laugh from his position around the far flank of the building she was approaching. “A frontal assault always confuses them.”
“Shock and awe, baby,” August agreed.
Jonas, naturally, was completely silent.
Bethan knocked. The sound echoed strangely out here, with the Andes towering in the distance and that profound, if deceptive, emptiness all around. She knew how American she was, because she wanted to see a tumbleweed roll by, or a creaking saloon door, or the beginning twangs of a Wild West theme. But there was nothing.
Bethan knocked again. Louder.
She could feel all the targets up and down her back as she stood there. As if the eyes on her were punching into the light everyday tactical gear she wore, and worse, directly into the back of her deliberately uncovered head.
Look how friendly and approachable I am, her clothes were meant to proclaim across the desert, to all the various bad guys lurking around. No need to shoot.
Every single alarm inside her body was screaming bloody murder and she wanted nothing more than to duck, cover, and hide. Instead, she stood tall. Because she knew the fact she wasn’t visibly cowed was as much of a statement as a blast of C-4. A bigger one, maybe.
“I know you’re in there,” Bethan said through the makeshift door, leaning against the gutted wall beside it as if she felt nothing but casual, here in the middle of a creepy, abandoned desert village in a place even the few hardy locals avoided. “The trouble is, everyone knows you’re in there. And sooner or later, they’re going to come. All of them. And they won’t knock at the door, as I think you know. They’ll come right in—if they haven’t already.”
Languages had always come easily to her. This one, a specific dialect of a language very few of her own countrymen knew existed, much less could speak, had always been one of her favorites. Tongue gymnastics, she’d said, laughing with a friend, way back at Monterey’s Defense Language Institute, where she’d first started learning the kinds of languages that made her invaluable in the field.
She waited as the pitiless sun beat down on her. She had that same sort of split focus she often did in situations like this. There was a part of her that was all here, right now. She was aware of everything, from the faint sounds of life from the other falling-down structures around the square, to the wind from the far-off mountains, to that skin-crawling sensation of being in the crosshairs of too many targets. And on the other hand, she found herself thinking of her home of a year and a half now. In faraway Alaska, where a March afternoon like this one would almost certainly be gray. And wet. It might even be snowing.
For a girl who’d spent a significant part of her life in sunny Santa Barbara while her father ordered people around on Vandenberg Air Force Base, the idea that she could long for a place like Alaska should have been funny.
Some days it was.
Today it felt like a much-needed moment of centering. Reminding herself that she had a job to do here and a home to go back to, which let her focus in more sharply.
“All I want to do is ask you a question,” she said to the door. Conversationally. “What will the rest of them do, I wonder?”
Another eternity passed while the sun blazed down on her, lighting her up and giving every sniper in the village ample opportunity to take her out.
But no one did.
Far in the distance, she heard what sounded like a foot dragging. Faintly.
“There were three guards around the perimeter,” Rory said into the comm unit a few beats later. “Neutralized.”
Griffin’s voice came like a knife. “Three seems like a low number.”
Bethan knew their best sniper was up high on one of the buildings around this square, but she didn’t bother looking for him. She knew she wouldn’t be able to find him unless he wanted to be found.
“A little house-to-house turned up some more,” August said quietly. “Bringing the total to an even eight, which is still low for an asset like this.”
“I don’t like this,” Jonas said in that stern, considering way he had.
Bethan was sure he was about to recall her—order her to fall back and find a defensive position—but that was when the door cracked open.
She waited, aware that she looked relaxed when she was anything but. Her weapons were holstered, so she simply stood there with her arms loosely at her sides, looking as unobtrusive as any of them did in their tactical gear. Her cargo pants and a combat-ready shirt weren’t as dramatic as army fatigues, but she doubted very much that the slender woman who stood there in the sliver between the board masquerading as a door and the questionable wall would confuse Bethan for anything but what she was.
For a moment the two women eyed each other. Bethan smiled. The woman did not.
“Hi, Iyara,” Bethan said quietly. Warmly, as if she knew the woman personally instead of from photographs. “Do you want to tell me where your brother is?”
“How do you speak the language of my childhood?” Iyara Sowande asked softly in return. “How do you know a single word?”
“I’m only looking for your brother,” Bethan repeated in the same steady tone. “I don’t mean you any harm.”
“What is harm?” Iyara asked bitterly. “You’re too late for that.”
I received a complimentary advance audiobook and e-book of this title from the publisher.
SYNOPSIS
Cassandra Pomfret holds strong opinions she isn’t shy about voicing. But her extremely plain speaking has caused an uproar, and her exasperated father, hoping a husband will rein her in, has ruled that her beloved sister can’t marry until Cassandra does.
Now, thanks to a certain wild-living nobleman, the last shreds of Cassandra’s reputation are about to disintegrate, taking her sister’s future and her family’s good name along with them.
The Duke of Ashmont’s looks make women swoon. His character flaws are beyond counting. He’s lost a perfectly good bride through his own carelessness. He nearly killed one of his two best friends. Still, troublemaker that he is, he knows that damaging a lady’s good name isn’t sporting.
The only way to right the wrong is to marry her…and hope she doesn’t smother him in his sleep on their wedding night.
REVIEW
Cassandra isn’t interested in marriage. She’s strong willed, opinionated and isn’t in the marriage market. Cassandra’s father though has issued an ultimatum – if Cassandra doesn’t marry soon then neither of her sister can’t either.
When Cassandra and Duke Ashmont find themselves in a compromised position, the only honorable thing would be for the Duke to marry Cassandra. Unless…Cassandra and Ashmont enter into a fake relationship and then plan to break things off therefore freeing each other to move on.
After recently reading A Duke in Shining Armor (book 1 in the Difficult Dukes series) I knew I had to read the story about Duke Ashmont. Ashmont was hilarious in the previous book and that didn’t change much in Ten Things I Hate About the Duke. I loved his hilarious interactions with Cassanadra. These two had such great chemistry and I was immediately rooting for them to end up together in this fake relationship/marriage of convenience historical romance!
Audiobook:
Story: 4 Narration: 5 Overall: 4
I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Ten Things I Hate About the Duke. The audiobook was narrated by Kate Reading. This is not my first audiobook narrated by Kate Reading and I think she is spectacular. I love the way she is able to convey different emotions for every character that she is playing. I had no difficulty telling when she was trying to portray Ashmont vs Cassandra. You definitely will not be disappointed if you pick up the audiobook for Ten Things I hate About the Duke. I found myself laughing, grinning and swooning while listening to the audiobook.
I received the earbuds shown in the picture above as a gift from Sudio.
I received a complimentary copy of this book & audiobook from the author.
Gunnar and Posy knew each other way back when. Gunnar was the bartender at Posy’s family bar and both of them were duking it out for the bar manager position. After a steamy hot kiss, Posy never saw Gunnar again. Until he shows up at her coffee shop asking her to hire him as a barista (?!). Something doesn’t add up, but Posy is desperate enough to hire him on.
Gunnar thought he was done with the East Coast and New York in particular. Having moved to California he helped Max run The Company from the West Coast. Max asks Gunnar for a favor and when Gunnar finds out that there’s a murderer on the loose in New York and one of the common threads always happens to be Posy’s coffee shop he agrees to an undercover operation. But can Gunnar and Posy’s close proximity rekindle feelings they both once had?
I really enjoyed Loverboy! Having read Moonlighter first, I was ready for the next book in The Company series and it did not disappoint. I love a great second chance romance and Gunnar and Posy had such great banter! And the adventure and suspense had me hooked. I looked down at one point and realized that I had almost finished the book because I was so sucked in to the story. Sarina Bowen is a master story teller and these books are so complicated, but I always understood what was happening and I couldn’t stop reading!
As always, the steamy scenes in Loverboy were STEAMY, but also with a lot of heart. Both Posy and Gunnar are so vulnerable – neither of them willing to let the other in completely. I appreciate it how they decided to go slow with their relationship. I definitely enjoyed this slow burn. I can’t wait to read Max’s story next!!!
Audiobook:
Story: 4.5 Narration: 4 Overall: 4.5
I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Loverboy. The audiobook was narrated by Joe Arden and Vanessa Edwin. I feel like these two did a wonderful job narrating Gunnar and Posy! I’ve listened to Joe Arden in the past and really enjoy his narrating. Vanessa Edwin is a new to me narrator, but I enjoyed the way she was able to portray the different emotions that Posy was feeling. This was a fantastic audiobook!
If you’re looking for your next sweet and sexy romance filled with amazing suspense pick up a copy of Loverboy!
I’ve had the opportunity to listen to and read an ARC of Loverboy and loved Posy and Gunnar❤️ My full review will be up in a few days!! Enjoy the excerpt below.
EXCERPT FROM LOVERBOY BY SARINA BOWEN
Gunnar waits for my answer, watching me with hungry eyes. I take another sip of tart, fruity goodness and feel a rare looseness in my limbs, as if I’m limber enough to mold myself into the kind of woman who knows how to handle this moment. The possibility of Gunnar and me in bed stretched itself out around us.
He’s waiting for me to say something. Except that I’ve forgotten the question, let alone the answer. He gives me a smile, like he can read my thoughts. And then he lets me off the hook by glancing up at the TV screen to check the score. “Tell me,” he says. “Where did you go just now?”
“Nowhere,” I say quickly, chickening out. I take another deep gulp of my drink. I haven’t had quite enough alcohol to nonchalantly ask Gunnar to come home with me tonight. I want to, though. Really. A lot. He’s just the right kind of playboy to get me out of my rut. It won’t mean anything to him. He won’t have any expectations.
And neither will I, of course. We have nothing in common.
Although lately I find myself appreciating Gunnar for much more than his very fine ass. Who could resist a guy who comes to work on time every day, and makes fabulous coffee for eight hours without complaint?
The old Gunnar would have teased me mercilessly and hidden the sugar cubes when he went on break. The new Gunnar keeps his head down and saves my overworked butt during every shift.
Sure, he still flirts mercilessly with the customers. But nobody is perfect. And I’m just jealous. I’d rather have those pale eyes trained on me.
They were, too, only a moment ago. But I blew it already. He was waiting for me to give him the green light, and I chickened out.
That’s a theme with me.
BLURB
Secrets, desires, and exquisite pie. It’s all in a day’s work at The Company.
Growing up, I was the rough guy from the wrong neighborhood who couldn’t catch a break. Posy was the pampered girl I tried to impress. But I managed to steal only a single kiss before I had to skip town.
Now I’m back, and the tables are turned. Posy runs a struggling pie shop. I’m the VP of a secretive billion dollar security company.
Not that I can tell her.
There’s a murderer on the loose in New York, and he seems to spend a lot of time at Posy’s shop. I can’t let on that I’m here to bring him down before he can harm a hair on her pretty head.
Going undercover as Posy’s new barista wasn’t my idea. I don’t even drink coffee. But now I have to call her “boss,” and do everything the curvy perfectionist asks of me. I’d forgotten how much we infuriate each other, and that she somehow fills me with both irritation and desire in the same breath.
There’s nobody more skilled at stealth ops than me. I can bring this killer down. Right after I take a cold shower. And just as soon as I figure out how to make a skinny peppermint latte with milk poured in the shape of a kitten…
Jack Mulligan has one rule he lives by Qui n’avance pas, recule – who does not advance retreats. He is the Kingpin in New York – ruling over his territory ruthlessly. Jack has everyone he needs in his pocket and he doesn’t do anything without a favor in return.
When Justine Greene crosses paths with Mulligan – she is in dangerous territory. She knows how dangerous Mulligan can be, but still she is left with no choice but asking him for help in solving a case that she is working on on behalf of her charity. Mulligan is willing to help Justine, but he doesn’t offer his services freely and of course there will be a favor in return.
This favor is what starts the unusual relationship between “do-gooder” Justine and Kingpin Mulligan. When their dalliances with one another become more frequent and they begin to long for each other – will either of them stand a chance to be with one another?
I absolutely LOVED The Devil of Downtown. The chemistry between Mulligan and Justine was explosive from the moment they met with one another. The sexy times between the two were next level hot hot hot.
The way Justine was able to see underneath Jack’s tough exterior and not be judgmental about his upbringing said a lot about her character. But how long do they have with one another before they realize that their worlds do not align. How could a Kingpin possibly have a future with a woman who is set on doing good in the world.
There were quite a few times where this book brought me to tears. And I ached for both Jack and Justine. I wanted there to be a way that these two made it work and I was rooting for them until the very end.
I’ve read a quite a few historical romances and honestly this was one of the first ones that I have read that was set in America. I truly enjoyed learning about New York in the 1800’s and it was a refreshing change in scenery from typical historical romances that are set in London or Europe.
This was my first novel by Joanna Shupe, but most definitely won’t be my last! I can’t wait to go back and read the rest of the series!
This review is going to contain spoilers – so if you haven’t read the series yet, please look at my GoodReads reviews (no spoilers).
Feyre has defeated the evil general Amarantha in the previous book in the series A Court of Thorn and Roses and she’s free now. Free to go live her life with her love, Tamlin. Tamlin who Feyre fell in love with in ACOTAR. The same Tamlin who doesn’t want anything to happen to Feyre and will protect her at all costs.
Feyre wants to know what is happening with the fallout after Amarantha. She wants to help Tamlin and go with him to his meetings and ventures. But Tamlin’s love for Feyre has put limitations on what he allows her to do or try to do.
I didn’t think I would love A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOMAF) as much as I loved ACOTAR and I do! Every character in this book was there for a purpose, for a reason and I loved learning about all of them. From Azriel and Amren to getting to see more of Rhysand (swoooooooon).
Immediately from ACOTAR I loved Rhysand’s character. The way he didn’t seem to give a shit about what anyone thought about him. Okay, yes he was a bit of an asshole – but I still really liked him. Especially the way he flirted with Feyre. But in ACOMAF – gosh I loved him so damn much. I loved the way he cared so deeply about Feyre, but wanted her to shine on her own. He wants her to find her balance, her strength without getting in the way of that. And that is seriously so damn sexy.
ACOMAF has the slowest of slow burns and it paid off completely by the end of the book. I am still left reeling after reading it and keep on going back to read the bits and pieces of the book that I highlighted. Those few chapters that everyone keeps on talking about – they are the absolute best! They were sweet and sexy and just the perfect way to show how much Rhysand and Feyre belong to one another.
ACOMAF is definitely going into one of my favorite reads of this year! Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
Readaholic Book Reviews 