Review: The Whispering Night

The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Overall I really loved this series, and this is a fitting conclusion to Winnie Wednesday's story.  This installment was my least favorite of the three in the trilogy.  I felt like the story was a bit scattered and the plot jumped around alot.  Certain lines are repeated over and over again as Winnie tries to figure out what is going on in Hemlock Falls and save her loved ones.  The pacing was inconsistent, and there were parts where I was super interested when things were action packed and fast paced and parts where my interest waned as the plot dragged.

As I listened to this on audio, I found this hard to follow at times when Winnie was reciting countdowns or timestamps different situations, that probably made more sense in print and didn't translate well to audio.  The narrator was great and did a great job otherwise.  

Again this is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy and I feel it wrapped things up nicely.  This is a great series or YA readers as things don't get to graphic or gory when it comes to the fighting or the romance.  This is a great mix of fantasy, romance, and mystery.  There are great discussions about self-discovery, vulnerability, fitting in, friendship, and family.  There is plenty of action to keep the reader interested and now that the series is finished you can read all three books with out waiting to find out what happens next.

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Review: Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really fun holiday romance.  

I was looking for something short to listen to, so I grabbed this from Kindle Unlimited.  It is part of an Amazon Original 5 novella collection called Under the Mistletoe, written by some of romance's most popular authors available in print and audio.  I'm a big fan of these collections when I need something on the shorter side to read or listen to and I can get them all with my KU subscription and there is something in every genre.  I haven't picked up the others in the collection yet, but there's plenty of time before Christmas.

This particular book was really cute and I loved the characters.  Evie is a comic book illustrator and spends long hours working on her art.  She has a crush on her upstairs neighbor, but she forgets her people skills when he is around.  Theo equally has a crush on Evie, but awkward moments and missed signals have them on the wrong track.  The apartment holiday party is the perfect place to air their romantic feelings and get things moving in the right direction.

The audiobook was about an hour and a half, but it felt like a complete story.  You knew who the characters were, what their intentions were, and how things ended.  There was a nice amount of spice, but it wasn't overly graphic. If you are looking for a fun holiday romance, this is a good option.

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Review: Once Upon a Christmas Tree by Lulu Moore

Once Upon a Christmas Tree by Lulu Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a really fun and spicy holiday romance. It was also a nice introduction to Moore's new series coming out in 2025.

Shane East is one of my favorite narrators and he plays Alex perfectly. CJ Bloom is a great narrator as well and has narrated several books I've loved. She plays a perfect Haven. They both capture the spirit of the holidays, or in Alex's case his dislike of the holiday season, which I very much related to. Not everyone loves Christmas, and while I love holiday baking, building gingerbread houses, and spending time with family, like Alex Christmas and the holiday season can be upsetting. Haven on the other hand was like the president of Christmas as she inherited the family Christmas tree farm and the local Christmas Shop selling all sorts of holiday gifts and decorations. She spends her time helping out at the other local businesses and spreading the holiday cheer to the tourists and locals.

This is a prequel to The Valentine Nook Chronicles and introduces us to the Burlington brothers, who are all members of the British aristocracy. This installment follows Alex as he and his brothers escape to Aspen, Colorado when the eldest of the brother's wedding is cancelled mere hours before they take their vows. Alex hates Christmas, but while in the winter wonderland the brothers take time to have fun together and he makes a connection with local Haven who's entire livelihood revolves around Christmas. Haven and Alex have instant chemistry, and they have some heated encounters during their short time together. This book gets very spicy!

This left Haven and Alex's story unfinished, however I'm hoping that they get a proper novel in the series or as the series progresses we find out where their relationship ends up. This was a great start to the series and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go. I've never read Lulu Moore before, but this has me hooked and I the little bit I've learned about Valentine Nook has me intrigued.

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Review: Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes

Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and Berkley/Ace, all opinions are my own. In full transparency, I had already purchased the audiobook and ebook prior to the book being picked by Berkley/Ace, and this has been sitting on my TBR for 2 years so the rerelease was the perfect motivation to finally pick this book up.

This follow Faraine, the oldest of several sisters who has been sent to live at a convent when her courtship goes awry due to her gift. Each of her siblings has a magical gift, hers tends to make her ill when she is overwhelmed with the emotions of others. Having failed to make an alliance, she is sent away only to be called back to help her younger sister forge a new alliance with the Shadow King. Her sister Ilsevel is everyone's favorite, and Faraine has been brought home to convince her that this alliance is necessary to save their kingdom. Faraine meets the intimidating King Vor and finds him to be kind and respectful, they have an instant connection but they both know that duty comes before desire. When Faraine is forced to take her sister's place, she is not eager to deceive Vor, but again she must fulfil her duty. Both Vor's kindgom and Faraine's kingdom need each other to survive, but can their marriage survive the deception despite their undeniable connection?

I found this compelling and hard to put down. It is rare that immediately want to pick up the next book in the series, but that is the case here. It alternates between Farraine and Vor's perspectives. There are times when their chapters will rewind and recap events from the previous chapter from the other character's perspective. I didn't mind as one or the other character wasn't present in the scene taking place so we get to understand what was going on where they were, for other readers that will be and irritating style choice as the timeline isn't moving forward at all times. Some readers will not want to read the same thing twice, for me sometimes I felt like I was missing something in the prior chapter, but then we get that info in the next chapter from the other POV.

The spice is fairly low in this book. Nothing is overly graphic or descriptive, which is actually my preference when it comes to spice. I'm not sure if things get more detailed as the books continue, but I desperately want to dive right into the next book. I actually appreciated this was more of a slow burn and that the spice level was low considering the betrayal and deception. I thought the worldbuilding was great, we get good descriptions of the characters and their surroundings which I always appreciate. I still don't feel like I have a handle on what is going on with each of the kingdom's yet and the things they are fighting, but I suspect that there is more to be revealed in the next two books. I also expect more character development as the series continues, as I feel like I was just starting to get to know Vor, Faraine, and the rest of the characters when this ended. It says alot about how much I enjoyed this when I want to push aside all of the other books I need to read and review this week and read this series instead. The remaining books are set to be rereleased by Berkley/Ace in early 2025 but they are currently available on Kindle Unlimited and Audible. If you are looking for a fun slow burn romantasy, pick this up today! I absolutely loved it!

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Review: Golemcrafters by Emi Watanabe Cohen

Golemcrafters by Emi Watanabe Cohen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided a audio and ebook ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a powerful look into both Jewish and Japanese heritage and the importance of connecting with ones ancestors and history.  The author uses family connection as well as adventure and a mix of  magic and fantasy to take a brother and sister on a fantastic journey onto a world they never knew existed.  With the help of their estranged grandfather and the stories of generations past they unlock their own strength and power to confront the very real issues they face in the real world today.

This is marketed as middle grade, however it has some very heavy topics and some very violent scenes.  Topics include racism, anti-Semitism, bullying, victim shaming, and it gets graphic at times.  If you have a sensitive reader, I would recommend reading this first or reading it with them or waiting until they are ready to tackle these topics and discuss in a healthy way.  I'm neither Jewish or Japanese, and I was left feeling very emotional about the brutal history captured within the pages of this book.  This isn't a very long book, but it was captivating and hard to put down.  It is certainly a worthy read and I'm so happy I picked it up!

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Review: My Darling Jane by Ilsa Madden-Mills

My Darling Jane by Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley via the author and Grey's Promotions, all opinions are my own.

This is the second book featuring one of the Darling siblings, however they read as companion novels and you can this as a standalone.  This follows Jane, who we did meet in My Darling Bride, a single mom who is trying to get her matchmaking business off the ground.  She has all the pieces, what she doesn't have is clients.  Enter superstar quarterback Jasper, who loves to irritate Jane every chance he gets.  He's friends and teammates with her brother in law, so they see each other frequently.  Jane basically only knows him on a surface level and what she's heard from tabloids, and she has judged him based on that, so when he asks to be her client she shuts him down.  When she realizes he is serious about settling down and that she is being unfair and that if she can get him to recommend her it may help the business, she aims to set him up with the perfect woman.  As they try to find the right woman their own attraction grows and things get a little blurry between them.

I really enjoyed getting to know Jasper and Jane.  They had good banter and I appreciated that they were vulnerable with each other.  This does touch on feelings of abandonment by a parent as both main characters have that in common.  They both had positive outcomes, but there is lasting trauma that not only shows up in the plot but helps them form a bond.  They don't rush into a relationship and things don't go exactly as planned but I really enjoyed their enemies to lovers vibe.

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Review: The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken

The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I did opt to mainly listen to the final production audiobook via my library.  

Like the first book this is a bit on the long side, clocking in at around the 500 page or 19 hour mark depending on your preferred format. The narrator again did a great job giving each character a unique voice so you can tell who is who when there is dialogue and she also did conveying emotion throughout the book.

This picks up where book one leaves off, so you don't really want to read this as a standalone.  You really need to read the books in order to understand what is going on.  Tamsin and her group are attempting to regroup after the events of book one.  With Avalon destroyed, they must search for the artifacts that will defeat Lord Death and the Wild Hunt before he unleashes hell on Earth.  Tamsin has to use her skills at solving puzzles and tracking to figure out who her allies are and where those items are hidden before Lord Death finds them or destroys them.  She and her friends find help in unlikely places and she uncovers some new information that is hard to swallow that will help them with their mission.

I feel like this book lacked the focus that the first book had.  This wasn't as much of a quest, which is what I really enjoyed about the first installment.  While there was action in this book, it didn't feel as well choreographed as the first.  We still get some dark and gory scenes though.  There were so many characters (maybe too many characters) but I still don't feel like I got to know any of them.  I wanted more character development and backstory in the first book, and I still don't feel like I got that.  For as long as this book is, I wanted more information and more answers.

If you enjoy King Arthur retellings, this was an entertaining duology.  It doesn't strictly stick to Arthurian lore, but the characters and setting are certainly inspired by it.  While I didn't enjoy this as much as I enjoyed book 1 it was still fun, and tied things up nicely for our characters.

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