A perfect Autumn read for the crystal girlies or anyone looking for cozy, witchy, cottage vibes!
This story was so fun and enjoyable -- witches, shadowA perfect Autumn read for the crystal girlies or anyone looking for cozy, witchy, cottage vibes!
This story was so fun and enjoyable -- witches, shadow magic, secrets, cute romance, yummy recipes, & the coziest autumn aesthetic. I really enjoyed the magic within this book, and felt it was very digestible and easy to comprehend. The storyline was fun and well paced in my opinion. I loved all of the secrets and the dark magic aspects that we learned as the story progressed. I did, however, wish there was more detail about the coven or even more of an exploration into the other magic specialties outside of our MC's abilities. The Halloween vibes were fun and felt so nostalgic. I absolutely love celebrating Halloween, so I am so excited for everyone to read this in October when it releases.
The "forbidden" romance storyline was cute, but I was definitely wanting a little more from Kate & Matthew. The chemistry felt a little off for me, and then the feelings started to feel a little rushed because I wanted more tension/build up between the two.
The recipes included at the end of the book were such a fun touch! I was drooling over everything that Kate made throughout the story, so having the recipes at the end was a happy surprise!
Many thanks to Alcove Press & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of my honest review. All thoughts are my own!...more
Wowwowwow. The way that this book and this series as a whole has consumed me. Kate Golden has somehow taken all of thUMM EXCUSE ME KATE! HOW DARE YOU!
Wowwowwow. The way that this book and this series as a whole has consumed me. Kate Golden has somehow taken all of the aspects that I LOVE from my favorite romantasy books and wrapped them up together in this series.. and for that I bow to her!
The pacing through this whole book was almost perfect.. given that Arwen was a bit annoying in the beginning. I loved the sort of adventure/scavenger hunt plot line because it felt new and different from book one. We also meet a few new characters *cough cough Fredrick cough cough* and get a little bit more intricate world building.
The Plot Twist... Kate we need to have a talk! I did not see the ending coming one bit, and was completely shook by the epilogue. I literally have no idea what I will do with myself waiting for book three on October....more
4.5⭐️- The slow burn tension mixed with the impeccable banter had me eating this book up.
This was a spur of the moment buddy read for me and I loved 4.5⭐️- The slow burn tension mixed with the impeccable banter had me eating this book up.
This was a spur of the moment buddy read for me and I loved every bit of it. The world building was so incredibly easy to understand but still unique in its own way. It made it so easy to get sucked right into the story.
All of the characters are so lovable! I was cackling the entire time at Arwen & Mari. Their friendship was perfect. Of course I had to add King Zane Ravenwood to my book boyfriends because he had me screaming, blushing, & kicking my feet the entire time! New shadow daddy unlocked...more
A week later and I'm still thinking about this book. Kate Stewart has such a way with her writing that makI will never emotionally recover from this..
A week later and I'm still thinking about this book. Kate Stewart has such a way with her writing that makes you actually feel every single bit of happiness, pleasure, pain, and hearbreak that our FMC experiences. *Emphasis on the pain and heartbreak* The writing itself is so incredibly consuming that it was hard to put down. I'm not being dramatic when I say this book wrecked me. Kate, you know what you did!!
She still keeps you guessing through most of the book. Feeding you little tidbits of details and secrets along they way that keep you hooked and always guessing. Once again the ending leaves you needing more and I ran so fast to pick up The Finish Line. ...more
4.5⭐️ - I actually love this series soo much and cannot belive that it's over, but at least I have The Ravenhood Legacy to look forward to.
Although th4.5⭐️ - I actually love this series soo much and cannot belive that it's over, but at least I have The Ravenhood Legacy to look forward to.
Although this book has a very different feel to it than Flock & Exodus, it was very mush the closure that I needed. It definitely felt more slow paced, but I think that was very intentional. It's what Tobias and Cee needed and deserved. I absolutely loved getting Tobias' pov, and his story. It helped to fully shape him as a character and truly appreciate his growth. The flashbacks sometimes threw me off, but they always left us with another piece of the puzzle. Cecilia's epic growth and ownership in this book was everything! I could not help but feel soo freaking proud of her. Oh, can't forget to shout out the flannel pajamas!!
I will probably never stop thinking about this series, and especially these characters.
“Ma chatte. Mon corps. Ma femme. Mon coeur. Ma vie.” ...more
My initial rating was 3.75, but now that this series is living rent free in my head I am going to confidently bump this up to 4 stars. I highly reccomMy initial rating was 3.75, but now that this series is living rent free in my head I am going to confidently bump this up to 4 stars. I highly reccomend going into this series blind. Like seriously don't you even dare read the blurb about it!
This book did an incredible job of completely consuming me from the very beginning with absolutley no idea where the story was going to take me. Every single thing that takes place is mysterious and sketchy in both the best and worst ways. I was constantly racking my brain trying to figure out what the big SECRET was, and it definitely got annoying at times, but I really feel like that was the author's goal.
The ending left me a bit shook and I was still so confused, but I absolutely had to run straight to the next book & I'm completely hooked!...more
This book is for the Slytherin's who fall head over heels for a morally grey dark magic wielding man, and love an empowered FMC. Not only is the coverThis book is for the Slytherin's who fall head over heels for a morally grey dark magic wielding man, and love an empowered FMC. Not only is the cover of this book actually stunning, but it is also full of so many of my favorite things. Dark Academia, Rivals to Lovers, Slow Burn, Magical World Building, Political Scheming, & Dark Magic.
The story takes place during the WWII era in a world that resembles Harry Potter where Magicals live on earth, and due to the current war conflicts amongst the humans, Magicals are facing extinction. While a lot of the magical aspects felt very similar to the world of Harry Potter, the Author does a really great job of differentiating the world in other ways. The political scheming was what really immersed me into the story. I often wasn't sure who I could trust or what narrative to believe, and it kept me on my toes.
The slow burn rivals to lovers narrative between Maeve, our badass FMC with an incredibly unique ability, and Mal, our dark and mysterious MMC, had me pretty giddy. There was so much tension between them that I just couldn't get enough.
The ending had my jaw on the floor and immediately craving more! Well done to Lauren Cate Leake on this debut novel. I cant wait to get my hands on book two.
I'm not sure if this is a controversial opinion.. but I'm a bit of a Reeve stan! I was obsessed with his banter and interactions with Maeve, && I am dying to know ALL of his secrets!...more
4.75⭐️- This was my first Jennifer Hartmann read, and she is now officially an auto buy author for me!
With all of the hype around this book, I was pre4.75⭐️- This was my first Jennifer Hartmann read, and she is now officially an auto buy author for me!
With all of the hype around this book, I was pretty sure that I was going to love it. I still managed to go into it pretty blind, and I highly recommend doing so if you are thinking of picking up this book. (obviously, definitely check your TW first though)
First and foremost.. Dean Asher deserves the world and I would rather parish than let anything else happen to him! I still don't understand how Dean was able to be so incredibly caring, thoughtful and freaking selfless all while dealing with his own trauma, and for that we are NOT worthy!
"She looks like healing. She feels like healing."
This story is not just your average romance. This is a beautifully heartbreaking love story about overcoming trauma and learning how to heal and love again. It touches on mental heath and loss, and learning to forgive and trust again. The dark topics in this book were handled so genuinely and with the utmost respect.
This was soo close to being a 5 star read for me, and I'm sure as I continue to mull it over my rating might change, but as of now I simply cannot give narcissistic Mandy 5 stars. Mandy is quite honestly my new most hated side character, and she does not deserve happiness. The way I wanted to throw this book every time she made the situation about her!
As beautiful as this book is, it is also incredibly heavy and sad so please make sure you know what you're getting yourself into....more
This was definitely a jaw dropping Debut in the Romantasy relm!
The world building and magic system felt so unique and unlike anything else I have readThis was definitely a jaw dropping Debut in the Romantasy relm!
The world building and magic system felt so unique and unlike anything else I have read which made it so incredibly fun to dive into. Most of the world buildng happens at the beginning and doesnt leave you utteely confused like a lot of fantasy noveles do. There is still soo much more that I am dying to know about the magic system, which i suspect we are going to get in book 2.
The twists and turns are live and well and make it really hard to put the book down. There's also clearly a lot of secrets these charactrs are keeping which let me with so many questions and thoughts on how the series might continue.
The cliffhanger ending was chef's kiss. L.N. Cole knows how to leaver her readers begging for more. I can't wait for book two and to find out how Vee and Amica's story continues!...more
In all honesty I think this could have been a duology, and most of the second book could have been cut outWell at least this was better than book two…
In all honesty I think this could have been a duology, and most of the second book could have been cut out and then combined the last bit with half of book three.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed the first half or so of this book and thought the author introduced some interesting new concepts and ideas, however the ending just felt so underwhelming. This book was just entirely too long.
It became so difficult to relate to characters that I once loved and that began to overshadow the bits of the plot that I enjoyed....more
I looooooove Jasper & Sloane — tail babies and all!
There is just something about Jasper's silent but strong personality, and as a dancer of course I lI looooooove Jasper & Sloane — tail babies and all!
There is just something about Jasper's silent but strong personality, and as a dancer of course I loved Sloane. These two had such good witty banter mixed with the perfect amount of tension and spice. I truly loved emotional connection between the two and experiencing their character growth was everything. This is just all around such a joy to read, and I have fallen head over heels for this series!
Lets be honest, Harvey also stole the show in this book with his iconic one liners. Elsie girl we neeeeed a Harvey Novella!...more
I might be at a loss for words after that one, Elsie!! I'm pretty sure I never stopped feeling giddy the entire time I was reading this one. (except fI might be at a loss for words after that one, Elsie!! I'm pretty sure I never stopped feeling giddy the entire time I was reading this one. (except for that one time I wanted to throw it across the room! iykyk)
Winter was so incredibly relatable to me, easily overstimulated, hates asking for help, quite harsh when overwhelmed.. I think the only difference is that I do in fact cry all the time. I loved the character growth that she recieved in this book. Her side of the story deserved its moment and experiencing her find herself was a joy to read. Winter & Theo had me kicking my feet and giggling since their little feature in Powerless, and I fell in love with them so fast. Theo freaking Silva was everything. I honestly have no notes, he's just THAT good!
I didnt think any other books in the series could top Hopeless for me, but damn! These books might be my new roman empire. Elsie give yourself a pat on the back girl!...more
I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about this book. Most of it gave me the ick quite honestly, but it was sort 3.5⭐️- Freida that was something esle!
I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about this book. Most of it gave me the ick quite honestly, but it was sort of like a car crash that I couldn't look away from. I dont think I liked a single character, but I also could not put the book down and I sort of feel like that was the author's goal.
I agree with outehrs that a few of the plot twists were quite predictable, but that epilogue takes the freaking cake because I never saw that coming. I literally had to re-listen to the epilogue and then pick my jaw up off the floor.
Not my favorite Freida book, but it was still a wild ride that I would reccomend if you're looking for something to chanege it up a bit....more
This was a beautiful second chance romance unlike anything I have ever read before. Yasmen & Josiah’s story was heartbreaking, inspiring, painful, andThis was a beautiful second chance romance unlike anything I have ever read before. Yasmen & Josiah’s story was heartbreaking, inspiring, painful, and beautifully messy. Their love was one of a kind, until loss and grief pushed them away.
Their story is about growth and healing not only for yourself but for the ones you love. Although the topics in this book are heavy and traumatic, (loss, divorce, mental health, co-parenting, self-love, acceptance) they are touched on in such a powerful and respectful way.
The character development in this book is unmatched and truly authentic. I felt as though I knew each of these characters to my core and experienced so many emotions with them.
This story was heartbreaking and lovely all wrapped into one. There was never a moment that I wasn’t rooting for these characters, and I can’t wait to see where their story continues. ...more
This book was definitely cute & the Italian food talk was next level. I was quite literally hungry the entire time I was reading this and now I want tThis book was definitely cute & the Italian food talk was next level. I was quite literally hungry the entire time I was reading this and now I want to travel the world! No but seriously, Lizzy Dent did such a beautiful job in detailing every single bit of the setting. I could almost taste the pasta and feel the Tuscan sun on my face.
I wanted so badly to love Olive & Leo, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing and I struggled a bit to connect with them. I love a slow burn, but this form me was entirely too slow and the romance that we did get was a little lack luster. I definitely found myself skimming for dialogue quite a bit just waiting for something to happen. I did however really enjoy the friendship between Olive, Ginny, & Kate. The bater between them felt so genuine and their dynamic was very relatable.
With all that said, this book was good but it just didn't blow me away. I would recommend this to someone looking for an easy beach read or something to take on vacation.
Many thanks to Penguin Group Putnam & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of my honest review. All thoughts are my own! ...more
