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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Review: Wild Goose Chase: A Slow Burn Small Town Romance by Kilby Blades

Wild Goose Chase: A Slow Burn Small Town Romance by Kilby Blades
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

As with all of the books in the series this can be read as a standalone.  There are characters mentioned from prior books, however you don't need to read those to follow along with the storyline here.  This installment focuses Chase who runs a local farm and hosts a successful farm to table supper club.  He transitioned to being a chef after taking over the farm and retiring from firefighting after the death of his best friend Todd.  When he's not cooking or tending the land, he is spending time with his godchildren and Todd's widow Violet.  Chase and Violet have been friends long before she met Todd, and he's always had feelings for her, but he would never betray his best friend even after his death.

Violet has been doing her best to keep it together as a single mom.  She feels like she wants to get back out there in the dating world, and now that she is ready to graduate from college she wants to try her hand at running her own business instead of running things on Chase's farm.  Chase obviously wants her to stay on as she has made the business a booming success, and from a personal perspective whether platonic or romantic he wants her in his life no matter what.  Their lines get crossed when it comes to romantic feelings, especially when Chase is pulled back into firefighting service to investigate the fire that killed Todd due to suspicious circumstances.  He can't tell Violet what he's up to, especially because it may impact her own court case with her insurance company.  With emotions on high alert they both have to face their grief, as well as their feelings for each other.  

I really enjoyed this slow burn romance.  It deals with PTSD, loss, grief, and sense of self in such a sensitive and respectful way.  Both characters had to pick themselves off the ground and put their lives back together, but they had each other and a good support system to lean on while do it.  I also appreciated that they took their time examining their feelings before taking action.  If you like a slow burn or a friends to lovers, give this one a read.

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Review: The Invitation by Adriana Locke

The Invitation by Adriana Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I was also provided an ALC of this book via the author, and the narrators were fantastic in the audio version! They captured the banter, emotion and humor between Ripley and Georgia perfectly.

This was hilarious! I love a good enemies to lovers, and this did not disappoint. Ripley and Georgia have known each other since senior year of high school. Something happened that made them fight like cats and dogs every time they see each other, which is fairly often as their best friends are engaged. Georgia's best friend needs a female lead in a reality dating show when the actors she hired pull out at the last minute. Unfortunately, Ripley has been slated as her date to film the pilot. Both of them are too stubborn to back out, and they both have their reasons for wanting to make the show a success. As they "fake" date for the cameras and actually talk to each other for once, they finally get to know each other and begin to wonder why they have been fighting all these years.

This had great banter and it was so fun getting to know Ripley and Georgia. They both have some baggage to work through, but they are there for each other. They also both get to the bottom of why they started fighting all the time back in high school. I always appreciate when couples actually talk about what is bothering them and support each other.

As with all of the books in the Brewer family series, you can read this as a standalone. If you want to get to know the rest of the family, I highly recommend reading the other books in the series and to understand what is going on with their dad as those events have taken place in other books and are only mentioned briefly here.

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Review: Song of Ash and Moonlight by Claire Legrand

Song of Ash and Moonlight by Claire Legrand
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

This installment follows Farrin, who if you have read book 1 you will remember as the oldest of the Ashborne sisters.  The first book followed Gemma, and if the trilogy follows this trend I expect the next book to follow Mara, the third sister.  That being said I don't feel like you can really read this as a stand alone, you really need to read the first book in the series, as it sets up events in this book and introduces you to many of the characters.

This was hard for me to get through as the main character was very hard for me to connect with.  She was so angry all of the time.  The audiobook is just shy of 23 hours, so you really need someone you can root for.  I felt like she never wanted to solve the problems and only wanted to whine and wallow in her own issues and block everyone from moving forward.  She never actually had any suggestions to move the plot forward and always acted emotionally, admitting that she let her emotions get the best of her in every situation.  That being said this is very romance heavy and I found that the romance between Farrin and Ryder lacked chemistry.  She is always so mean and distrusting of him that I found it hard to believe their attraction and affection.

I liked the plot and the setting, but the length of the book and the lack of connection with the characters really had me putting this book down more often than I wanted to pick it up.  I really enjoyed the fantasy elements when we get them, the creatures and lore are really unique in this series.  Much like the first book this is more character driven and there are long periods where the characters are interacting or having inner monologues and the plot isn't advancing.  Then there are periods of fast paced action where alot happens all at once and you learn quite a bit of information.  I'm interested to see how the series concludes as I actually enjoy the plot, and if Mara is the focus I think she will make and interested main character.  

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