Review: Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross

Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

If you are a fan of the Letters of Enchantment Duology (aka Divine Rivals) this is a prequel, that delves into the lives of the gods that are frequently mentioned in those books. We get the background leading up to events that occur in Divine Rivals, however this does read as a standalone and you can read Divine Rivals before or after reading this. This follow Matilda, herald of the gods and goddesses and a goddess in her own right. In this world there are two different sets of gods, those of the Underling and those of the Skyward, Matilda is unique as she belongs to both and is the only one that can traverse the two realms in addition to the mortal world. She has befriended a mortal boy named Vincent in childhood through her dreams, and after a long separation they reunite in person as adults.

The first third of the book sets up the world nicely and describes who the characters are. We have a good understanding to this point who Matilda is, how the magic system works, and who the players are, but the plot is only just beginning to be revealed at this point. The plot really starts to pick up in Act 3, when the conflict between Vincent and his uncle kicks off and the gods pick sides in this familial war. This book is a bit on the slower side as we spend most of our time with Matilda, but some of the chapters are in Vincent's POV. Matilda must decide where her loyalty lies and come to terms with new abilities she uncovers as the story unfolds. She must make alliances, make deals, and call in favors to help Vincent and his people, all while performing her duties. As she aids Vincent, their friendship turns in to something deeper, and they must grapple with their differences while war rages on around them and the plans fate has laid out for them.

I'm a huge fan of Ross' books and this is no different. The writing is beautiful, and while the pacing is a bit on the slower side it fits the plot. We spend time with Matilda, who as a goddess is immortal and time doesn't really matter to her and very few things can hurt her, so we spend more time with her on her tasks and developing plotlines and strategies. For Vincent, time is limited and as a human his body is fragile, so our chapters with him tend to be faster paced. I loved how their relationship developed, and if you like a relationship with yearning, look no further.

I loved the audiobook and the multiple narration is wonderful.

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Review: Resisting You by Katana Collins

Resisting You by Katana Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Literally Yours PR, all opinions are my own.

I'm a bit behind on reviews, but this was delightful. I loved that Noah and Rosa were already friends for a long time and already had chemistry between them. That eliminates the awkward we just met and now we're married situation after a night of debauchery. Noah had been asking Rosa out for years, but she always turned him down, despite liking him. She had her reasons, which become very apparent as the book unfolds. Now that they are married and tabloid fodder, these two friends turned spouses decide to use this marriage to their advantage as it might help both of their careers. Plus it helps that they actually like each other, I mean really like each other. Everything starts off well in their "marriage of convenience" until Rosa's overbearing parents show up demanding she have a proper wedding, inviting people she doesn't know and people Noah can't stand to their wedding. The happy couple is determined to make their marriage work until traitors in their midst make it known that they are determined to tear them apart. Will the couple survive the tabloids and the paparazzi?

Noah and Rosa were such a fun couple. They had great banter and chemistry. I also loved that they adopted a puppy! I love dogs. We get alot of character development from our couple as they both have to deal with alot of outside pressure from family and the media in the wake of their accidental marriage. Rosa grew up with famous parents and she doesn't like being in the spotlight. She wants to do her job and be successful on her own merit, and when her credibility gets questioned she completely shuts down. I think her reaction was completely reasonable and realistic, but I loved that she had a friend to support her. I also appreciated that she had a conversation with her father about how she felt. I would have liked to see a similar conversation with her mother, but overall I thought the conflict resolution was done nicely on Rosa's side. As for Noah, relationship's aren't really his thing, but you can tell he's be holding out for Rosa this whole time. He has some family stuff to deal with, and I loved how that was all handled in the end and his interactions with his siblings especially his twin sister.

This reads as a complete standalone, however it is related to the Maple Grove series. I've read a few of the books in the series out of order, and I can attest that you can read them in any order. The Tripp family is worth getting to know and Maple Grove is 100% a place I wish was real because I want to live there. I can't wait to read Callie's book!

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Review: The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell

The Austen Affair by Madeline Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I loved this time travel, historical romantic comedy!  This follows Tess Bright, a Teen Choice Award winning actress who has recently been cast in an adaptation of Northanger Abbey opposite very serious method actor Hugh Balfour.  Hugh is classically trained, and wants nothing to do with Tess.  He has heard the rumors of why she was fired and believes all of them and doesn't believe she is qualified to star in this production.  Little does he know that Tess is actually a very good actress and Jane Austen has been part of her life for a very long time, and this is her chance to be taken seriously as an actress.

When an accident at craft services sends Hugh and Tess back 200 years, they will get to test their acting skills in the actual Regency period.  They find themselves on the Balfour estate with Hugh's ancestors, and they must put all of their knowledge of the time to use to fit in and find a way to get back to their own time.  As they navigate the Balfour estate and the social customs of the Regency era, Hugh and Tess slow down and really get to know each other.  With time to put away external gossip, hair and makeup, and call times for the movie, they learn they have much more in common with one another than they ever thought.  Quickly a bond forms and sparks start to fly.

I really loved all of the characters and getting to know them.  I love a good enemies to lovers and this was just that.  This had good banter, a unique plot, great side characters, and was just fun overall.  This touches on grief and ailing parents, I thought that was portrayed in a sensitive yet believable way.  Both of the characters were dealing with grief in  different ways but were able to connect with their feelings on the topic.

This was a wonderful debut and I really enjoyed it.  

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Review: An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love by Lauren Appelbaum

An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love by Lauren Appelbaum
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

This follows Mallory in the wake of her grandmother's passing.  Mallory has a nice quite life in Seattle where she works from home, does online yoga, and rarely has to interact with other people.   During the reading of the will, Mallory finds out that she has inherited her grandparent's cottage under the condition that she keeps an eye on her grandfather who lives in Florida.  Determined to turn the cottage into a rental property, she takes a quick trip to Florida to see what needs to be done and hire a property manager and check in on  Gramps.  There she finds out that the cottage needs quite a bit of sprucing up before it can be turned into a rental.  Gramps enjoys having someone to chat with and help him out with things

I didn't really understand why Mallory was classified as introverted, socially awkward for sure, but  Mallory does not like spending time alone in fact she seeks out contact with people even if she says the wrong thing sometimes.  At times she is completely outgoing, but she is completely clueless and when it comes to certain basic life skills and adult situations.  She gave off a more scared to try new things and not be perfect vibe than introvert.  I did enjoy her relationship with Gramps!  Mallory's initial attempts to connect with Gramps were a bit insensitive and pushy, her heart was in the right place.  Once they started to connect, their relationship was actually quite lovely.  The romance that develops between Mallory and property manager Daniel was OK but lacked the tension and chemistry I wanted.  She kept pushing him away because she was always going back to Seattle "the next day" then changing plans.

Mallory's work from home situation really irritated me, because it hit close to home and I'm going to step on a soap box for a second which I normally don't do in reviews.  As someone who has worked remotely since Covid, and worked from home several days a week for years prior, I know it is a privilege that I don't take for granted.  I know I am very lucky but I am also very aware of our company policies, she didn't even seem to know that there was a company policy for working remote which I find strange because most places have them.  I have worked with people like Mallory in real life that threaten that privilege daily, because they work where they aren't supposed to without permission, don't complete their tasks in a timely manner, or they get caught doing something else on the clock. In this case, Mallory was already fired once from a remote position and didn't get the hint that she actually has to do her work and got mad when her boss checked in with her about progress.  No one wants to be micromanaged, but a simple conversation with her manager about her family situation would have sorted that whole situation out, made this whole thing believable (in my opinion), and given Mallory a sense of maturity that she was missing.  To be clear most remote positions can actually be worked from anywhere depending on the company you work for, but there are tax implications if you work out of your "home base" for more than 30 days so there is accounting paperwork that could have been done with a quick conversation with a manager or HR, which her HR person mentioned when they noticed Mallory was using her VPN in Florida instead of Seattle, which if undocumented is a fireable offense at most companies.  If she had just asked to work in Florida or taken a leave of absence it would have made so much more sense, plus her job didn't have anything to do with the plot.  That's why this bothered me so much, because this could have been portrayed so much more accurately, but instead situations like this is why companies want to take away remote work, because employers think we are painting and installing flooring on company instead of doing our actual jobs.  End rant.

I think this book will work for alot of people but the whole work from home thing really took me out of the book because it is something I face everyday.  It is kind of a "this is why we can't have nice things" situation that those of us that work remotely face constantly and it hit really close to home and took away from my enjoyment of the story.  That paired with my inability to connect with Mallory on other levels didn't help.  For alot of readers that will not be an issue, so take my review with a grain of salt.

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Review: The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez

The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This is being marketed as a sapphic romance between the maiden and the monster, however the romance takes a backseat in the novel until the very end of the book.  For much of the book main character Malka is terrified and fairly nasty to the golem Nimrah.  Their interactions are not romantic at all until the very end of the book, and they don't have any romantic chemistry in my opinion.  Malka is a healer, and the forest surrounding her village is known to take young girls who never return.  The golem is rumored to have done terrible things under the control of magic, which Malka has been taught to fear.  I feel like the romance aspect was completely unnecessary.  The action, lore, and magic was enough to keep me entertained, and had they learned to respect each other and work together (which they did) that would have made more sense to me.

I believe this is a retelling of the Golem of Prague, which I plan to read soon.  I loved the folklore, the magic, and the worldbuilding.  I thought the magic system and the creation of monsters and forest were explained well.  We also get a good explanation of the politics and religion going on in the world.  While I found Malka to be an unlikable character, that is part of her character development arc.  Her core is deeply rooted in her faith, and that is shaken on her journey to save her mother and her people.  She learns that not everything she was told is true and she has to come to terms with that in her own time.

Overall, I thought the book was well written and developed.  I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

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Review: The Summer War by Naomi Novik

The Summer War by Naomi Novik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Del Rey Publishing and Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was such a rich novella.  At only around 150 pages it packed a complete story.  This follows Cella, the youngest of 3 half siblings.  Being the youngest she has been sheltered from much of the world while her older brother Argent has been trained as a soldier.  Her middle brother Roric is tolerated, but mostly ignored, but when she accidentally curses Argent, she and Roric only have each other and they form an alliance.  Through this alliance they come to genuinely care for one another and come up with plans to break Argents curse.  Cella only found out about her magic when she cursed Argent in a fit of rage, and sorcery has been long dormant in their world.  Given that this is a novella, this isn't explained in great detail or how her magic suddenly came to be.  I would have liked more information about her magic and them magic in general, but the rest of the story is well developed so it gets a pass.

While Argent is off soldering and Cella and Roric are planning, the King, his sone, and the King of the Summerlands are also plotting.  The royals have long been fighting a ware between the humans and the fae, now that Cella has magic she is caught in the center of a new plot.  Unfortunately for the Kings, Cella is strong, smart, and doesn't do as expected.  This has the beautify writing I've come to love from Naomi Novik with a fairy tale atmosphere.  It has lessons to be learned and interesting character dynamics to move the plot forward.  If you are interested in trying Novik's work for the first time, this novella is a great place to start to see if you enjoy her work.

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Review: To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth

To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

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

This is the 2nd novella in the Curse Bearer series.  I'm not sure if there will be more to the series, but I hope there is.  This was fast paced and action packed.  I highly recommend reading the first novella to understand the dynamics at play and the character interactions.  It has been quite a while since I had listened to the first novella, and I wish I had taken the time to listen to When Among Crows before jumping in to the sequel to refresh myself on the world.  The author does do a good job reminding the reader of what is going on and giving you enough information on the lore and characters so you aren't completely in the dark.  The Slavic lore is front and center in the novellas and it really works well to develop the plot.

Like the first installment this is narrated by Dymitr, Ala, and Niko, we also get a few chapters from Elza Dymitr's sister.  In this tale, Ala and Dymitr work together to find something for the Baba Jaga, while Dymitr attends a wake for a fallen member of his family in his hometown in Poland.  Niko on the other hand is on a mission to kill a very dangerous member of Dymitr's family.  Dymitr has secrets he needs to keep from his family and his feelings for Niko complicate things.  His dynamic with his sister is interesting as well.  

The narration is excellent, with each POV being voiced by a different narrator.  I always appreciate when I can tell who is speaking when I don't have a copy of the book in front of me and the narrators did a wonderful job with accents, emotion, and character interaction.

I really enjoyed this novella, and hope that this is the beginning of a much longer series for these characters.  I really love the lore and the concept.  The character dynamics are interesting between the blood family loyalty and traditions and the found family.  I'm interested to see where this goes in the future.

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