RELEASE BLITZ: On Loverose Lane by Samantha Young

 

On Loverose Lane by Samantha Young is now live! 

Imagine my surprise when my new neighbor turns out to be one of Scotland’s most famous (and hottest) professional footballers, Callan Keen. I’m even more shocked to discover that the brooding player is still holding a grudge for something that happened (or didn’t happen) between us years ago.

Too busy trying to take my social media management company to the next level, I don’t have time for this gorgeous blast from the past. Or at least I shouldn’t. Yet whenever I see him, I can’t help but engage in a battle of wits with the grump upstairs.

When a huge client opportunity arises, circumstances force me to enlist Callan’s help. I require a fake date and Callan needs me to facilitate a meeting with my dad to further his own business interests.

The deal between us should be simple. Except, of course, the blazing chemistry we’ve shared since the moment we met. We can’t deny it, we can’t control it, and soon we’re agreeing to six weeks of no-strings-attached, mind-blowing, steamy shenanigans.

I told myself I was too smart to catch feelings. But when Callan finally finds out the truth about our past, he becomes the guy I used to know. And that man is way too easy to fall for.

The problem is that Callan has vowed to never let another person close enough to break his heart again.

It just might prove impossible to show my stubborn Scotsman I’m worth the risk, especially when old wounds are re-opened and threaten to wreck any chance of a future together…

The #1 International bestselling author is back with this emotional and steamy sports romance in which ambitious entrepreneur, Beth Carmichael, meets her match in the grumpy football captain who moves into the apartment above hers.

  

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Narrated by: Shane East & Zara Hampton-Brown

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Meet Samantha

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She's been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. Samantha writes adult contemporary and paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy and YA contemporary fiction and is currently published in 31 countries.
She resides in Scotland.

 

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Review: Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  I did end up listening to the audiobook which I borrowed from my library as this has been sitting on my TBR for a while.  I'm sorry it took me so long to read this as this was really great!  This is the kind of fantasy that I love to get lost in.

I don't know why more people aren't talking about this book!  It had everything I look for in a fantasy.  There are some dark moments, trials, interesting magic, interesting fae creatures and characters, betrayal, and a bit of romance.

Kenna is not well liked in her village.  She is always collecting things from the bog to sell or trade to survive.  Her best friend is selected along with several other women to be sent to the fae in Mistei as tribute.  The people of Kenna's town believe this to be a great honor, but Kenna isn't so sure.  She offers to help her friend and the women travel the dark path on their journey only to become trapped in the fae land her self and find herself enslaved.  She is assigned to a fae who is about to undergo trials to prove her worth and grant her immortality and power.  Kenna must aid her mistress or face death.  Armed only with her wits and a strange magical dagger she found in the bog before entering Mistei, Kenna finds that the world she has entered is wrought with secrets and plots to overthrow the mad king.  She also finds herself being courted by a handsome fae prince.  

I really enjoyed this.  Kenna develops so much as she helps Lara through the trials.  She is always wandering around gathering information wherever she can to ensure that Lara will successfully pass.  Kenna is always getting herself into sticky situations, but she is clever and finds a way out of them.  I loved the addition of the dagger, which is sentient, and a character in its own right.  I expect we will see more out of the dagger in book 2 as there were some pretty big revelations at the end of this book.  I really enjoyed the characters and the world building.  I can't wait for book 2 out later this year and to find out where Kenna the now Princess of Blood ends up in this magical world.

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Review: Get Lost with You: A Novel by Sophie Sullivan

Get Lost with You: A Novel by Sophie Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both the ALC and ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  Than you to St. Martins Press/St. Martin's Griffin and RB Media/Recorded Books for providing me with advanced copies of the book in both formats.  I have really come to enjoy reading along with the audiobook when I get the opportunity.  The narrator did a great job keeping me engaged

This was a super sweet second chance, small town romance.  Jillian Keller, aka Jilly has been in love with Levi since high school.  He left their small town of Smile to chase his dreams of becoming a chef and working in a big time fancy restaurant and while he had feelings for her, he didn't want to lead her on.  He was also friends with her older brothers and didn't want to break the "bro code".  Fast forward into the future, Jilly is a divorced single mom and helping to run a small lodge with her brothers.  She is cautious about everything in her life but overly so when it comes to love after her failed marriage.  She has alot on her plate with the lodge's summer opening looming and some new offerings on the way to bring in new clients.  She doesn't have time for a new relationship when Levi reenters her life, but everything happens for a reason.  

Levi has returned home to help out with the family construction business when his dad needs routine surgery.  There is a rift between father and son that needs mending due to Levi leaving town to pursue his dreams and not taking over the family business.  Naturally feelings were hurt, but Levi wants nothing more than to mend this fence and reestablish himself in his home town.  He achieved his goal to become a successful chef, and now more than ever he knows that the small town life is what he wants.  He also wants to explore that spark he has always felt for Jilly, so when an opportunity to cook at the lodge and spend more time with her opens up he jumps at the chance to show her how great they can be together and that he isn't going anywhere.

I really loved this.  Levi and Jilly were really cute together, they kept their relationship playful while dealing with real life situations.  They passed notes to one another like teenagers to keep things fun, while building up the trust needed for something concrete.  It is very low spice, there are some intimate scenes, but they are fade to black and not very descriptive.  I appreciated that Jilly got to explore her feelings of inadequacy in a relationship and fears about a new relationship as a single mom on her own terms.  She had real conversations with Levi and the conversation she had with her mom were really great to help her overcome her objections and find love again.

This is the 2nd book in the Rock Bottom series, but it does read as a complete standalone.  I have not read the 1st book in the series which centers around Jilly's brother Beckett and girlfriend Presley.  They are side characters in this book, and I'll be picking Love, Naturally soon as I want to know everything about their love story!  This is also my first book by the author, but it will not be my last!

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Release Blitz:The Kiss Lottery by Ilsa Madden-Mills

 

The Kiss Lottery by Ilsa Madden-Mills is now live!

From bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills comes a steamy story about first love and second chances where a city girl returns home for a Valentine's Day tradition...and the boy who broke her heart.

Roses are red, violets are blue--someone in Rose has feelings for you...

Yeah, bad ones. Everly Davis didn't leave her tight-knit hometown on the best terms. It's been ten years, but you don't forget heartbreak like that. Then again, the anonymous invite to the annual Kiss Lottery in Rose, Tennessee, gives Everly content for her podcast. And she has a bone to pick with that old heartbreak anyway.

Beckett Whitfield has never left Rose--and he's never forgotten Everly. He even named the villain in his latest bestseller after her. Turns out she's not happy about that. Nothing about their reunion is particularly happy, and after the way they left things, what did he expect?

When the Kiss Lottery pairs them together, Everly and Beckett will have to confront old feelings that never went away and the secrets they never shared. But finally telling each other everything might be exactly what they've needed all along.

 Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

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Meet Ilsa Madden-Mills

#1 Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills pens angsty new adult and contemporary romances.

A former high school English teacher and librarian, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She's addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

 

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Review: The Kiss Lottery by Ilsa Madden-Mills

The Kiss Lottery by Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This was the perfect second chance romance leading into Valentine's Day.  It is a complete standalone, and to my knowledge doesn't connect with any of the author's other works.  In the town of Rose, the Kiss Lottery pairs strangers and those well acquainted in the hopes the couple finds true love.  Everly and Beckett had that already, but their friendship and feelings for one another were shattered in high school.  Her true feelings for him were put on display for the whole town to see, and he was given a choice and he didn't choose her.  

Years apart have not healed all wounds, so when Everly receives an anonymous invitation to participate in this year's Kiss Lottery, she returns home to cover it for her podcast and to see if she can mend her broken heart.  Beckett never left, and he never forgot his first love and the one that got away.  With the help of their friends, a meddling Aunt, and a bit of an unsolved mystery Everly and Beckett are able to clear the air and open up about how they really feel.

This is a novella but I could have spent several novels worth of time in Rose with the characters, I really connected with them and the town and didn't want to leave when it was over.  I really enjoyed the main and side characters and the town of Rose.  Everly and Beckett were fun as they danced around each other before really confronting their feelings, given the novella length some of the scenes felt a bit under developed, but I think the author did a good job given the overall length of the book.  I think had this been a full length novel, we would have seen the full development of those conversations and confrontations as we typically do in the author's work.

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Review: The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I really enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a great job voicing not only Dorothy, but the other Queens and characters as the story unfolds.  It made it really fun to go on this adventure with these ladies as they solved this crime and try to sort out all of the evidence as well as build each other up and establish their friendships.

This was delightful!  If you are a fan of historical fiction and classic mysteries this will take you on a fun adventure through England and France to solve a murder with some of the most famous mystery writers of all time.  Dorothy Sayers, whom I didn't know anything about prior to this book, was a real person, a successful mystery writer, and a founding member of the very real writer's group The Detection Club which apparently still exists to this day.  Dorothy is appalled that The Detection Club initially is not open to admitting female writers despite their success outside of Dorothy and the also famous Agatha Christie, so she invites 3 additional writer friends to join her to solve a real murder case to prove to the men that they are not only worthy of membership in the club but a cut above.   The group of five capable ladies makes up the Queens of Crime.

This story is told from Dorothy's point of view as the Queen's gather information about the victim and the crime scene as and piece together the solution as the characters from their novels would.  The victim is being painted in a poor light by the French police and in the newspapers, but the Queen's will not give up on justice for May Daniels.  With all the makings of a locked room mystery that they are all familiar with writing, they have to work together as a team to put the puzzle pieces together to solve May's murder and tell her story.  I loved the way the women worked together.  Their group was so realistic as the story unfolded.  Their interactions were filled with snark and jokes, pain when secrets were kept, and concern and compassion when one of their own was in need.  I was engaged the entire time, trying to figure out the mystery and who-dun-it myself.  I loved the characters and their interactions and felt like I was there with them as they traveled between London and France to gather clues and investigate.

As with all historical fiction books, I highly recommend reading the author's note to understand what liberties were taken with the facts, what was fabricated, and what was factual.  This book has inspired me to look into these women and read some of their books, as the only one I was aware of prior was Agatha Christie.  The author's research into the time and the women clearly shows as the story is told.

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Review: Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray

Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

The narrators January LaVoy, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, and Major Curda were excellent! LaVoy is one of my all time favorites and I will listen to anything she narrates, but the addition of the 2 other narrators to voice Miles and the Grandmother on the tape telling the story were perfect choices. They really brought the 3 interconnected stories to life.

This follows 3 interconnected stories, and I'll admit it took me a while to figure out how they were all connected but I eventually put it all together. This follows best friends Sophie and Hanna in the 1940's in Germany as the Nazis are establishing their hold. As teenagers they are maturing from girls into women and putting their beloved fairytales and folklore behind them like the famous Bridegroom's Oak that is said to make love matches and send messages between lovers. The oak tree becomes a key part in the events that take place in their town not only when it comes to romance but to save lives. In the 19080 we meet Jenny, who has moved to Germany from Texas because of her father's job. Her parents want her to be one way but she is desperate to find her true identity. Lena a punk rocker just might hold the key to unlocking that identity as she shows her the real Germany and introduces Jenny to the punk scene. Then we have Miles, who is stuck alone doing virtual school and terrified to go outside during the COVID pandemic. His moms can't come home due to travel and Covid protocols, so he has to fend for himself. His best friend Chloe gets a strange package from her ailing grandmother that leads them to investigate two missing teenagers from 80 years ago around the Bridegroom's Oak. Those teens are Sophie and Hannah, which unfolds a story that connects Miles, Chloe, the missing girls, and Jenny in a very unexpected way.

I really liked the way this was told. It has the same beautiful writing you would expect if you have every read Libba Bray in the past. The interwoven storylines was a creative way to tell this tale. Despite the fact that all three storylines are broken up I felt like we got to know all of the characters pretty well. We see growth in all of the characters as they face their fears and opposition, stand up to bullies, and stand up for what they believe in. I also thought that the recording of the fairy tale by Chloe's grandmother was a nice touch, it not only helped with the investigation, but as with all fairy tales it was a way to hide what was really going on at the time and tell the real story of what happened.

I'm a huge fan of The Diviner's series, I grew up in the 80s, survived COVID, and I love WWII historical fiction. This book was a huge win for me. I love Libba Bray's writing, though this does not have the fantasy elements that Diviner's had. This touches on alot of things in the various historical events of the 1940s and 1980s in Germany as well as the spring of 2020 pandemic that we all just lived through. If those time periods and events are going to be triggering for you, take care and maybe shelve this one for later. I thought the author did a great job discussing the political landscapes of each time period and some of the horrible events that occurred.

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Review: Penitence by Kristin Koval

Penitence by Kristin Koval
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

A family is destroyed when their son is murdered and the only suspect is his younger sister, Nora. Nora doesn't really remember what happened that night, and she isn't speaking to anyone. Her father seeks the aid of local lawyer Martine, who doesn't have experience with criminal cases but her son Julian is a criminal lawyer. We come to find out that all of the character's are interconnected as the story is told from different points of time from different characters perspectives.

Initially I was hooked and couldn't put this down, but as the book continued I realized this wasn't really a mystery or thriller as it was marketed. There is no big reveal or twist at the end and I felt mislead, the resolution is information we already know. The book is well written no doubt but it is not mysterious or thrilling as the story plays out, it is more of a family drama This book initially reminded me of DJ Palmers The Perfect Daughter where you weren't sure if the sister did it or if there was some medical diagnosis that was going to lead somewhere. There were initially some red herrings in the case that made me believe this was a thriller and something was going to come of Martine and Julian's investigation into Nora's behavior especially the mental illness. The book focuses more on the adults and their relationships and entanglements than it does on the actual investigation and trial. As the book unfolds we come to find that this was more of a story about family, forgiveness, grief, the human condition, and healing.

I did enjoy this, however I don't like it when I feel misled. I would have liked this much better had I known this was not a thriller. It is like ordering coffee and getting tea, I like both and consume both regularly, but when you get something you aren't expecting you don't like it as much. I did think Thérèse Plummer was an amazing narrator as always, she always does such a wonderful job.

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Review: This Wild Heart by Karla Sorensen

This Wild Heart by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This is the 5th and I believe final book in the Wilder Family books. You do not have to read them in order, as they are companion novels and all read as standalones. There are bits and pieces of family events that are mentioned throughout, and if you want to get to know all of the siblings and extended family mentioned you will want to read the rest of the series and possibly the Ward Sisters so some of those events make sense. Each story does read completely on their own and Karla does a wonderful job making sure you have enough information so you aren't completely lost.

This follows Parker, the youngest of the Wilder siblings. He is still grieving the loss of his father, and the trying to chase away the guilt he feels about how he handled his grief about his father's diagnosis and choice to live out his final days. Parker has spent months trying to ignore his feelings, but when Anya walks into his life he finally feels that spark he's been chasing. Unfortunately, she is engaged the first time they meet and being the respectful man his parents raised him to be, she's off limits. The next time they meet Anya is taking "sad shots" in Vegas with her best friend after breaking up with aforementioned fiancé. The next thing they know Parker and Anya wake up married. They both have their reasons for getting married, and a marriage of convenience is the perfect arrangement for both of them right now. If you have read the previous Wilder books, you are no stranger to relationship and marriage shenanigans with this crew.

As Anya and Parker pretend to be married and settle into their honeymoon phase, an unexpected surprise from Parker's past shows up and upsets all of the headway they've made in their not so fake feelings. Neither of them is sure if their attraction and easy interactions are enough to overcome the emotions they are feeling the caused them to get married in the first place.

I really loved watching Anya and Parker fall for each other. They had instant chemistry both in and out of the bedroom. What really shines though is the way the author captures the other emotions of the characters and how they support each other through that. Grief is no joke and I thought the author did a wonderful job capturing the feeling of losing someone so close to you and the guilt you feel about what you did or didn't do in those final days or months. You will want to have a box of tissues nearby when Parker finally opens up about his feelings, those scenes were really emotional. We have gotten to know the Wilder's in the prior books and it was nice to finally get to know Parker, as he only makes brief appearances due to his job as a pro football player. I loved the scenes with his mom, she is a wonderful character as were Anya's parents who we first met in Isabel and Aiden's book Forbidden. The thing I love about Karla's character's is how realistic they are and how real their interactions with their family and friends are.

I can't recommend this series enough and this was the perfect ending to the series!

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Review: Lightfall by Ed Crocker

Lightfall by Ed Crocker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was amazing!  I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I did end up borrowing the audiobook from the library and listened to about half of it while following along with the ARC.  As always, all opinions are my own.

The audiobook has a single narrator, and while I thought she did a wonderful job, I do think this is the type of audiobook that would have benefited from multiple narrators or even a full cast as there are so many characters.  

It has been quite a while since I've come across a unique fantasy book, and this has alot going on to make it so.  This is a tad on the long side, but it crosses several genres and follows a cast of characters to keep the reader invested and wondering "What the heck is going on?"  Some readers are going to hate the way this is structured as it jumps around from character to character within the chapters, while others are going to love it.  I loved it and didn't mind the character jumps as each piece of the story was relevant and eventually leads somewhere.  This follows several of our main characters as main perspective, and there are some random side character and truly random perspectives thrown in throughout.  Each perspective brings something to the table and were clearly thought out.  If you aren't a fan of alot of characters and genre blending they may not be the book for you, but I thought the author did a great job keeping things moving forward and moving each of the intertwining plots organized without giving too much away too quickly.

This has court politics, magic, vampires, sorcerers, werewolves, a murder mystery, and more all rolled up into fantastical tale.  I thought the world building was excellent as this takes place mainly in First Light, home of First Lord Azzuri who is one of our main players. It is home to the vampire race that survived a long ago war.  There are some other locations as well that are well described and the backstory that we get regarding Lightfall and Greyfall are also well told, though I still think there is more information to come.  First Light is full of secrets especially when the First Lord's youngest son turns up dead under mysterious circumstances.  His spymaster and captain of the guard don't seem very invested in uncovering information, when two sorcerers from the desert with no magical abilities show up under the guise of research and a palace maid team up to figure out what is going on.  Sage and Jacob belong to a sorcerer cult dedicated to finding proof that mortals once existed, but they will never admit what they know.  Sam is a maid who has revenge on her mind and wants to be more than a to clean for spoiled lords and ladies for the rest of her life.  The three of them find themselves caught up in an investigation bigger than themselves and on quite the adventure to start a rebellion within the vampire city and to stop the mysterious Greys who are determined to wipe out the vampire race entirely.

I loved this.  I was completely invested in this book.  It felt a bit on the long side, but that is because there are so many characters and complexities to keep track of.   This delivered on all of the things I love in a more epic fantasy.  The pacing was good, there was action and conflict to keep you invested.  I enjoyed the characters and while we have sorcerers, the two main ones don't have magic so we don't really need any explanation of the magic system to complicate things.  There other types of sorcerers but the author does briefly explain their abilities.  He did do a good job of explaining how the types of blood works for the vampires and the commerce system which I thought was really well thought out.  I can't wait for the rest of the series!  I hope to see this book pick up more popularity as the year goes on within the fantasy community.

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Review: The Soccer of Success: How the Beautiful Game Can Help You Achieve Goals in Business & Life by Ciarán McArdle

The Soccer of Success: How the Beautiful Game Can Help You Achieve Goals in Business & Life by Ciarán McArdle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  I found it helpful to have both formats available as there are some lists in the e-book and as I was listening along with the audiobook I always find it helpful to refer to the print version when lists are being read aloud.  The author did a good job with the narration and explaining his points, giving examples, and giving us his perspective.

This was a great common sense approach to achieving goals and setting yourself up for success.  The author uses soccer as an example for how elite professional soccer/football players around the world achieve their goals when it comes to training and living their dreams both on and off the field/pitch.  Having played soccer through high school and for fun through my adult life, the comparisons made a lot of sense to me.  His advice is common sense and straightforward, but sometimes you need to hear it to put it into action.  I've been struggling to get back into an exercise routine since COVID, but his method of prioritizing your top three at work and at home and eating the frog really resonated with me.  I found myself listening to this while I was getting some exercise, and thinking to myself "This isn't that hard, I can do this!  I really need to eat that frog."  Eating the frog refers to a concept of performing and prioritizing undesirable tasks, like exercise, first so you get them out of the way instead of putting them off until last so you never get them done.

My own kids want to be high achievers when it comes to sports and have high aspirations in their future careers.  I think this book would be great for a new high school or college grad.  The author speaks to breaking your day up into chunks to increase efficiency and prioritizing tasks, and most importantly turning off your phone to prevent internet distractions.  The book is not very long but McArdle gets to the point and lays out his keys to success in an understandable way.  If you are fan of soccer I think this will really hit home if you are struggling to prioritize or looking for some perspective on goal setting.  

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COVER REVEAL: The Merger by Adriana Locke

THE MERGER by Adriana Locke

The Merger is the next interconnected standalone in the Brewer Family series, and is filled with heat and humor, spice... and secrets.

Releasing: February 10, 2025

Model Cover Design: Kari March Designs

Model Photographer: Julia Mindar

Special Edition Cover Design: Books & Moods

Crushes are harmless—unless they involve your best friend’s grumpy, off-limits
brother.

Gannon Brewer is the epitome of my type. He’s at least ten years older than me, emotionally unavailable, and highly disagreeable—a walking red flag in a tailored suit. But do I listen to that? No. In fact, when his office plants start dying, I convince myself that I can ignore the pheromones and save the philodendron.

Now I’m in his office every week, dodging sinful smirks and heated stares, reminding myself to reach for the watering can—not him. But one late-night “ivy incident” changes everything. Suddenly, we’re sneaking around, indulging in a steamy, forbidden fling that’s supposed to be nothing more than (a lot of) fun.

After all, he swears he’ll never fall in love. I assure him that I only want one thing, and it’s not his heart. But the closer we get, the more lines we blur, and the harder it becomes to keep 
our promises …

Especially when the secret I’m keeping threatens to shatter everything.

Amazon Preorder: https://geni.us/TheMergerPO

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Review: An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided and ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program, all opinions re my own.

If you like dark academia with a hint of horror and gothic fantasy, this is a wild ride. The concept was really unique, but this book is either one you are really going to love or it is going to leave you wondering "what just happened?". It certainly left me thinking "Did I even like this?" There were aspects that I enjoyed, while others I thought fell flat in execution.

This follows Lennon in the wake of discovering her fiancé's infidelity. Her self worth is wrapped up in her relationship which is a theme that continues throughout the book, but a mysterious phone call invites her to an interview at the strange and exclusive Drayton University. Upon her arrival at Drayton she is put through a very odd admittance process which includes a written exam as well an in person interview. Lennon finds that she has the gift of persuasion, where she can assert her will on others and at Drayton she will learn to hone that gift and in her case her abilities surpass those of her classmates. She struggles with the morality of persuasion and the mission of Drayton. Her abilities put her in a different category of student and she is pushed harder to develop these abilities than the others for reasons that are revealed much later in the book. Lennon has some issues with her self-worth, so when she is given an opportunity to be loved and praised by her professors, she jumps at the chance and poor decisions are made for the sake of progress. I found Lennon to be immature and unlikable, but I think that was done purposely by the author. The author had the opportunity to explore mental illness, jealousy, toxic relationships, and boundaries but none of those were really fleshed out in the book as Lennon figures out where she fits at Drayton and in the world.

This book is very atmospheric, but left me with a feeling of dissatisfaction. There really isn't a ton of world building as this takes place in Savannah, Georgia; however I thought that the campus of Drayton and the "magic system" could have been described much better. The characters just accept everything a bit to easily when they arrive and the training they participate in. I really liked the idea of the magic and the concepts presented at Drayton, but I would have liked more explanation of how it all worked and more development of the characters. There are a ton of side characters that we never really get to know. There is mention toward the end that "they are Lennon's friends" but they never really develop relationships with her and she is kind of a terrible friend.

In the end, there were concepts I enjoyed but I wanted more explanation of what was going on. I was often confused about what was happening. I feel like the author was trying not to give too much away until the twists and reveals, however by the time we get to the end I wasn't satisfied with the conclusion. I do think there are readers who are absolutely going to love this, but I didn't connect with it the way I had hoped.

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Review: Spied: A Romantic Comedy by J.M. Miller

Spied: A Romantic Comedy by J.M. Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an Audible code for this book via the author, all opinions are my own.  I had previously purchased a kindle version of this book, but had not read it yet.  I've been a fan of the author's contemporary and fantasy novels for quite some time and this was a great romcom to read over the snowy, freezing cold weekend we are having here this weekend.  

I thought the two narrators were excellent.  They really brought  Gia and Mark to life.  This book really lent itself well to the dual narrated format alternating between Gia and Mark.

This was a hilarious romcom following an amateur private investigator Gia, who also helps out at her family's bridal shop.  Gia was inspired to start a secret business to uncover unfaithful partners, after she herself was cheated on by someone she thought was "the one".  She is pretty jaded about love and relationships, but she loves her family and aspired to be a real PI one day.  While on a job she runs in to Mark, a maintenance man at a local resort.  She escapes unscathed, but she and Mark will meet again sooner than she expects.  Unbeknownst to her Mark's sister has ordered a custom wedding gown that her sister is making, and they keep running into each other after that.

Gia keeps showing up in unexpected places that Mark just happens to be at with convenient excuses.  Turns out she is spying on Gia's fiancé, Guy, and Mark is at all of the prewedding festivities.  As he gets pulled in deeper and deeper to Gia's antics, Gia feels worse and worse about lying to him about why she is always around.  Gia is constantly finding herself in awkward situations in order to take pictures of her target, and Mark is always interrupting aka distracting her while she is on the job.  These situations make for very comedic and sweet interactions between them as Gia tries to come up with a feasible explanation for why she is there in the first place and she tries to ignore her growing attraction to Mark.  She is terrified to be hurt in another relationship, but Mark may just be the right guy to let in.  His willingness to be patient with her and help her was endearing and their banter was excellent.  This gets pretty steamy in parts so be prepared for that.

I enjoyed the cozy mystery aspect as Gia tries to determine if there is a scandal going on with the upcoming wedding or if everything is on the up and up.  Her antics are pretty laugh out loud.

If you are looking for a cozy read this winter or a fun beach read this summer, I highly recommend picking this up in whatever format you prefer, it is available on Kindle Unlimited at the time of this post as well as paperback, audiobook, and ebook.

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Review: Babylonia by Costanza Casati

Babylonia by Costanza Casati
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I was a huge fan of Casati's [book:Clytemnestra|61361681], and this has that same slower paced build up and similar world building style that I enjoyed so much.  The author took great care to ensure that the historical aspects of the real people and events in the book were portrayed to the best of her ability and that her characters felt real.  Her writing is descriptive and doesn't hold back when we get to the battle scenes.  In her author's note she explains her research and where she took liberties with this retelling.

Much like in Clytemnestra, we get another strong willed female lead in Semiramis who makes her own way in the male dominated world she lives in and captivates the men around her to establish her own future and power.  We get to see Semiramis rise from a mistreated orphan to the ruler of an empire.  She had goals and ambitions, and she wasn't afraid to go after them.  

This book is full of political posturing, the court reminded me of King's Landing from Game of Thrones where everyone has their own goals and will stab their neighbor in the back to get what they want.  There is war, love, death, betrayal, guilt, and so much more going on but the author does a great job stringing everything together.

I really enjoyed this but I wasn't as drawn into this book as I was Clytemnestra.  I enjoyed the narration and felt the narrator did a great job telling the story.  If you enjoy mythology and retellings this is well written and well researched.  

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