Blog Tour + Review: The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth

The Falling in Love Montage
by Ciara Smyth
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQIA
My rating: 4 hearts
Publication date: June 9, 2020
Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis:

Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. If they were real, her mother would still be able to remember her name and not in a care home with early onset dementia. A condition that Saoirse may one day turn out to have inherited. So she’s not looking for a relationship. She doesn’t see the point in igniting any romantic sparks if she’s bound to burn out.

But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.

Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, complete with every cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance come fall. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the characters actually fall in love… for real.

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Diverse and relatable - Little Black Bird ARC Review

Little Black Bird 

by Anna Kirchner

My rating: 5 hearts

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Publication date: June 20, 2020

Publisher: Gurt Dog Press

Synopsis:

Magic is dying out, but it will not disappear without a fight.

Wiktoria is a seventeen year old with a secret: she has psychic powers. Her uncontrollable telekinesis hurts her and others, setting fires and throwing objects in the air, no matter how hard she tries to hold it back. All she wants to have is a peaceful, average life, but it’s difficult when you’ve been cursed to destroy the magical world.

Her carefully maintained facade of normality starts to unravel when she’s hunted down by local sorcerers and their Guardian, and accused of unleashing banished demons back into the human realm. When a murder shakes up the magical community, everyone agrees that the only way to save the world is to kill Wiktoria.

Her only ally is a boy who can read her mind, shares her dreams and makes her question her sexuality. Together, they face mythical creatures and uncover ancient legends, and they soon realize that there is no such thing as simply good or evil. Whether they break the curse or allow it to fulfil its destiny, the magical world will be forever changed.

Little Black Bird is a tale of trust, friendship and family, and what it means to discover one’s true path.

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Blog Tour + Review: Super Adjacent by Crystal Cestari

Super Adjacent

by Crystal Cestari

My rating: 4 hearts

Genre: Young Adult, Superheroes, Romance

Publication date: March 17, 2020

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Synopsis:

Claire has always wanted to work with superheroes, from collecting Warrior Nation cards as a kid to drafting "What to Say to a Hero" speeches in her diary. Now that she's landed a coveted internship with the Chicago branch of Warrior Nation, Claire is ready to prove she belongs, super or not. But complicating plans is the newest WarNat hero, Girl Power (aka Joy), who happens to be egotistical and self-important . . . and pretty adorable.

Bridgette, meanwhile, wants out of WarNat. After years of dating the famous Vaporizer (aka Matt), she's sick of playing second, or third, or five-hundredth fiddle to all the people-in-peril in the city of Chicago. Of course, once Bridgette meets Claire-who's clearly in need of a mentor and wingman-giving up WarNat becomes slightly more complicated. It becomes a lot more complicated when Joy, Matt, and the rest of the heroes go missing, leaving only Claire and Bridgette to save the day.

In this fresh and funny take on the world of supers, author Crystal Cestari spotlights what it's like to be the seemingly non-super half of a dynamic duo with banter-filled romance and bold rescues perfect for readers seeking a great escape.

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Emotional and important - Am I Normal Yet? Review

Am I Normal Yet? (The Spinster Club #1)
by Holly Bourne
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
My rating: 4 hearts
Publication date: August 1, 2015
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd.

Synopsis:

All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?

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Diverse fantasy - Belle Révolte ARC Review

Belle Révolte

by Linsey Miller

My rating: 4.5 hearts

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication date: February 4, 2020

Synopsis:

Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.

Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.

Emilie and Annette swap lives—Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.

But when their nation instigates a frivolous war, Emilie and Annette must work together to help the rebellion end a war that is based on lies.

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Blog Tour + Review: Beyond the Shadowed Earth by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Beyond the Shadowed Earth (Beneath the Haunting Sea #2)
by Joanna Ruth Meyer
My rating: 3 hearts
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pub. date: January 14, 2020
Publisher: Page Street

Synopsis:

It has always been Eda’s dream to become empress, no matter the cost. Haunted by her ambition and selfishness, she’s convinced that the only way to achieve her goal is to barter with the gods. But all requests come with a price and Eda bargains away the soul of her best friend in exchange for the crown.

Years later, her hold on the empire begins to crumble and her best friend unexpectedly grows sick and dies. Gnawed by guilt and betrayal, Eda embarks on a harrowing journey to confront the very god who gave her the kingdom in the first place. However, she soon discovers that he’s trapped at the center of an otherworldly labyrinth and that her bargain with him is more complex than she ever could have imagined.

Set in the same universe as Joanna’s debut, Beneath the Haunting Sea, Beyond the Shadowed Earth combines her incredible world building and lush prose with a new, villainous lead.

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Slow start but amazing end - Becoming Review

Becoming: The Balance Bringer (The Balance Bringer Chronicles #1)
by Debra Kristi
My rating: 3.5 hearts
Publication date: January, 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis:

Ana still blames herself for her boyfriend's death two years prior. Now, what she thought were mere dreams are starting to enter her waking life.

As Eerie shadows hunt Ana, strange new abilities develop. Her dream guy becomes reality, and Ana is becoming something...other.

Ana feels like she's becoming something beyond human, or maybe she's just going crazy. But there's no one for her to turn to. Her mother and her best friend are keeping a dark secret about who Ana really is―a secret that could restore the balance between worlds or hurtle them deeper into darkness.

Ana is not only discovering the world is far stranger than she ever expected, but that its survival is dependent on her. But for there to even be a glimmer of a chance at salvation, she must make it alive to the home she's never known.

If you devoured the Mortal Instruments series you'll love this award-winning, action-packed, romance-touched, coming-of-age adventure told from the point-of-view of a confused and unreliable high-school senior.

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Blog Tour + Review: Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen

Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance
by Jennieke Cohen
My rating: 3 hearts
Publication date: December 3, 2019
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Romance

Synopsis:

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in this witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery!

Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could want: an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home.

But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society’s treacherous season.

Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky’s exact circumstances: whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility.

Most unfortunately of all, Vicky’s books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day.

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Suspenseful, intense & complex - Hexen's Binding ARC Review

Hexen's Binding (Hexen's Cross #2)
by J. Kowallis
My rating: 5 hearts
Publication date: September 23, 2019
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Bryden changed everything. History that once was, is no longer. And life doesn't exist as it once did. Hellia lurks in the shadows between worlds, but the specter of the once-powerful hexen is the least of Taran Grim's worries. Something happened that day in Bryden. Something Taran failed to see. And Coll might be the one paying the price.

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Great Romance but Disappointing Plot - The King ARC Review

The King (A Wicked Trilogy #3.6)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Publication date: July 23, 2019
Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis:

From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the next installment in her Wicked series.

As Caden and Brighton's attraction grows despite the odds stacked against a happily ever after, they must work together to stop an Ancient fae from releasing the Queen, who wants nothing more than to see Caden become the evil Prince once feared by fae and mortals alike.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
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Epic fantasy with slow-burn romance - Chosen Champion ARC Review

Chosen Champion (Vortex Chronicles #2)

by Elise Kova

Publication date: May 1, 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis:

A princess on the run, with enemies on all sides...

Vi Solaris is on the eve of getting everything she’s ever wanted—her family, her home, her throne—and to save the world she’s going to have to give it all up.

The Empire sees her as their Crown Princess, returning at long last. But Vi only sees visions of fate guiding her to the world’s gruesome end. Across the sea is a man who holds the keys to deciphering her premonitions and thwarting the ancient evil ravaging their world. But to get to him, Vi will have to contend with enemies of the crown, romance she didn’t expect, sorcerer pirates, and a betrayal she never saw coming.

She will learn the hard way that some evils never die... They only bide their time...

Return to Solaris in the second book of Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles, a young adult epic fantasy filled with even more magic, adventure, and romance. Get ready for twists you never saw coming that will keep you up all night reading!

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A Complex and Exhilarating Adventure - Storm and Fury ARC Review

Storm and Fury (The Harbinger #1)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Publication date: June 11, 2019

Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens—gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers.

When Wardens from another clan arrive with disturbing reports that something out there is killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s safe world implodes. Not the least because one of the outsiders is the most annoying and fascinating person she’s ever met. Zayne has secrets of his own that will upend her world yet again—but working together becomes imperative once demons breach the compound and Trinity’s secret comes to light. To save her family and maybe the world, she’ll have to put her trust in Zayne. But all bets are off as a supernatural war is unleashed…

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Blog Tour + Review: Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Hi guys! I'm so excited to share the blog tour of Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan with you all today! This book was amazing,so you should definitely give it a try!

Fast-paced and Original, but the Romance Was Flat - The Faerie Guardian Review

Title: The Faerie Guardian

Series: Creepy Hollow #1

Author: Rachel Morgan

My rating: 4 hearts

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pub. date: October 17, 2012
Synopsis: Enter a hidden world of magic, mystery, danger and romance in this YA fantasy from Amazon bestselling author, Rachel Morgan...

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamor follows her into the Fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the Fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out alive. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Great Mythology, but Slow-paced - Beyond a Darkened Shore Review

Title: Beyond a Darkened Shore

Author: Jessica Leake

My rating: 3.5 hearts

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Pub. date: April 10, 2018

Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis: The ancient land of Éirinn is mired in war. Ciara, Princess of Mide, has never known a time when Éirinn’s kingdoms were not battling for power, or Northmen were not plundering their shores. 

The people of Mide have thankfully always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions. But lately, a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat. Although her clansmen dismiss her visions as pagan nonsense, Ciara fears this coming evil will destroy not just Éirinn, but the entire world. 

Then the crow leads Ciara to Leif, a young Northman leader. Leif should be Ciara’s enemy, but when Ciara discovers that he, too, shares her prophetic visions, she knows he’s something more. Leif is mounting an impressive army, and with Ciara’s strength in battle the two might have a chance to save their world. 

With evil rising around them, they’ll do what it takes to defend the land they love…even if it means making the greatest sacrifice of all. (synopsis from Goodreads)

An Unforgettable Story With Masterful Storytelling - Escaping from Houdini Review

Title: Escaping from Houdini
Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper #3
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
My rating: 5 hearts
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Mystery
Pub. date: September 18, 2018
Publisher: JIMMY Patterson
Synopsis: In this third installment in the #1 bestselling Stalking Jack the Ripper series, a luxurious ocean liner becomes a floating prison of scandal, madness, and horror when passengers are murdered one by one…with nowhere to run from the killer. . 

Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are en route to New York to help solve another blood-soaked mystery. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, they’re delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining the first-class passengers nightly.

But then, privileged young women begin to go missing without explanation, and a series of brutal slayings shocks the entire ship. The strange and disturbing influence of the Moonlight Carnival pervades the decks as the murders grow ever more freakish, with nowhere to escape except the unforgiving sea. It’s up to Audrey Rose and Thomas to piece together the gruesome investigation as even more passengers die before reaching their destination. But with clues to the next victim pointing to someone she loves, can Audrey Rose unravel the mystery before the killer’s horrifying finale? (synopsis from Goodreads)

A Really Sweet Sports Romance - Player Review

*Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Player

Series: What Happens on Campus #1

Author: M.L. Sparrow

My rating: 4 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pub. date: September 1, 2016

Synopsis: Let the game begin… 

After a tragic accident which leaves her tormented by guilt, Chloe Newman accepts a scholarship to study a St. Joseph’s University. Traveling from England to Texas, the last thing she expects is to meet the schools charming quarterback on her first night. However, Parker Mitchell is a player both on and off the field. 

Parker is immediately fascinated by Chloe and, after a rocky start, they manage to find a way to make their relationship work despite interference from others on campus, including Parkers jealous ex, and the ghosts that haunt Chloe’s conscience. But, the real test comes when they visit Parker’s family over Christmas break and he finds himself being pulled back into their lifestyle... (synopsis from Goodreads)

A Fun, Original Fantasy - Three Mages and a Margarita Review

Title: Three Mages and a Margarita

Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #1

Author: Annette Marie

My rating: 3.5 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

Pub. date: September 14, 2018

Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Synopsis: Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.

It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview—to see if I'd mesh with their "special" clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an asshole right back. That's the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ass. Instead, they… offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn't a bar. It's a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I'm exactly the kind of takes-no-shit bartender this guild needs, or there's a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what's a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course—with a pay raise. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Sweet and Romantic, but With Annoying Characters - Just Pretending Review

*Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader's Copy from Netgalley for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Just Pretending

Series: The Chicago Falcons #3

Author: Leah Rooper, Kate Rooper

My rating: 4 hearts

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pub. date: November 5, 2018

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Synopsis: It's not easy being royal. Sixteen-year-old Evangeline wears her crown proudly, but between her duties and her overprotective big brother, the idea of romance is just a dream. But a chance encounter in Chicago changes all that…. 

Sure, seventeen-year-old Tyler Evans loves playing hockey, but he's more concerned about providing for his dad and little sister. Then he meets Eva--and falls head-over-heels in love—and he has two more problems. One, she's his best friend's little sister. Two, she wears a crown.

But then Eva accidentally mistakes Tyler for a visiting prince, and for the first time, Tyler doesn't feel like a nobody. He knows he has to tell her the truth…but not yet. 

His plan? To keep up the royal charade as long as it takes to convince Eva he’s the guy for her. Even if he’s lying to everyone…including himself.

Disclaimer: May cause disillusionment. Those girls looking to find their Prince Charming might consider scouting out hockey rinks. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Hades and Persephone Like You've Never Seen Them Before - Blinding Night Review

*Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Blinding Night

Series: Blinding Night #1

Author: Chantal Gadoury

My rating: 4 hearts

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Pub. date: October 2, 2018

Publisher: The Parliament House

Synopsis: What if you were the missing piece in one of the world’s most epic legends? 

Despite being an art history student, Summer isn’t thrilled to be stuck with her archeologist family all summer in Greece. While the rest of her college friends are posting a million selfies by the pool together, Summer is stuck alone, trying to entertain herself alone in a place where she doesn’t even speak the language. 

Upon her arrival to Greece, strange dreams and even stranger shadows seem to haunt Summer, leaving her to ponder the meaning of pomegranate seeds and twisted, darkened faces. 

Suddenly, her stay abroad leads to tragic twists, leaving Summer in the arms of a dark stranger, who claims to be the god, Hades, whom she feels like she knows from another life. In a whirlwind through the busy streets of Athens, Summer is seduced to the lowest point of Greece where Hades’ lair awaits…the Underworld. Determined to find out who she is and where she belongs in an age-old myth, Summer joins Hades to discover that the secrets about her past life are beyond anything she could have ever imagined. (synopsis from Goodreads)