Books

Review of The Wild Side; A Small Town Friends-to-Lovers Romance by Cassie-Ann L. Miller

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Synopsis:
That marriage pact I made with my grumpy, off-limits best friend. That was totally a joke…Right?

It was a heat-of-the-moment agreement scribbled onto the back of a crinkled gas station receipt nine years ago.
“If neither of us are married by age 30, we’ll marry each other.”

Haha! So funny!

Cash moved to a city 500 miles away. Building his billion-dollar empire. Making a name for himself.
Me? I stayed in our gossipy hometown. Working a simple job. Living a simple life.
And we never discussed the marriage pact again.

But I just turned the big three-oh.
And Cash showed up at my door, in the middle of a freaking rainstorm.
Tall, muscled and soaking wet.
With a birthday cake in his hand and a daring smirk that says he means business.

Holy plot twist! Didn’t see that coming!

Now the small town rumor mill is in overdrive.
Cash is dissolving my defences with those sexy half-smiles he saves just for me.
And my brain is exploding with what ifs…

What if we give this a shot?
What if we’re crazy enough to try?
What if we’re good together?

We’ve always been ‘just friends’. We’re experts at playing it safe.
But his skin on my skin leaves me reeling. His oh-so-fiery kisses melt my excuses.
I know our decade-plus friendship is on the line. But I’m aching to see Cash’s wild side.

Review:
I wanted to love this book. It sounded good. The characters clearly liked each other. Unfortunately, there were too many times that they kept pulling themselves back from what they had wanted for so long that their desire almost began to seem as if it were unrequited as neither was willing to actually say how they felt. When the slow burn finally seemed like they were on their way to understanding and moving forward, there was another bump. The spice itself had some very odd prose. The other characters, and friend/family connections were great and well done; especially the grandmother! I did love the last few chapters and how the book ended, but honestly, I had stopped part way through this book to read another then came back just to see how it ended.

Star rating: ✯✯✯
Spice rating: 🌶️

Review of Waifs and Strays by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
Nobody is just a cat lady.

Kit McCafferty’s life is quiet, unremarkable and filled with cat hair. In the magical city of Coldstream, located on the border between Scotland and England, Kit is viewed as little more than mildly eccentric and mostly harmless. She passes her days caring for her family of five cats, feeding the local feral moggies, and maintaining relatively good relations with her neighbours.

All that changes, however, when a teenage werewolf shows up at her door in the desperate hope of renting out a nearby vacant flat. Kit knows that the smart move is to tell him to leave. The last thing she needs is to become embroiled in complicated shapeshifter politics. But something about the secretive young werewolf tugs at her heartstrings.

It’s not long before Kit ends up caught in a maelstrom of mysterious crime and magical wrong-doing. Fortunately, there’s far more to Kit McCafferty than meets the eye and she has a few dark secrets of her own.

Of course, anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows that you underestimate a cat lady at your own peril.

Waifs And Strays is the first book in a new urban fantasy crime series. Expect mystery, magic and adventure with a heroine who will keep you turning pages late into the night. There will also be a lot of cats.

Review:
“No matter how good you are there is always someone better, and greater numbers almost always beat greater skill.” (Page 43)

“They must have had fish paste for brains.” (page 225)

Every time I read a new Helen Harper series (or an older one) I always think, this won’t be as great as whatever the last one of her series I read is and yet, this was absolutely phenomenal. There’s great depth and characterization of all the characters we come to meet, and the twist at the end was simple perfection. This book left me in the biggest book hangover, far more than Nocticadia–which had been addictive for completely different reasons. Kit is relatable, understandable, and with lots of moxie.

As an aside, this book is very realistic to the life of a “cat lady”, I say as Abby has decided she MUST be on top of me as I am working at my desk this very moment. I absolutely love how Kit has very different relationships to all of her cats; similar to how multiple cat households are. I also love how Kit’s cats act when they are worried, both for and about themselves/her. They’re pretty darn awesome!

There’s great banter, an awesome plot, and it hits that perfect modern fantasy itch. I highly recommend this to people who love cats, modern fantasy, werewolves, intrigue (sometimes political) and the unexpected.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Princess Diaries, Volume VI: Princess in Training by Meg Cabot

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Synopsis:
Student body president, that is—nominated by her power-mad best friend, Lilly. This is not how Mia imagined kicking off her sophomore year, but as usual, she has bigger problems to worry about, like Geometry. And now that Mia’s one true love, Michael, is uptown at college, what’s the point of even getting up for school in the morning? But the last straw is what Lana whispers to her on the lunch line about what college boys expect of their girlfriends. . . . Really, it’s almost more than a princess in training can bear!

Review:
In this book, Mia finally starts to find her voice, and what is worth standing up for. While it is both sad and frustrating what Lana whispers to Mia, and how her relationship seems to go after that conversation, it is unfortunately a very real problem that many relationships are affected by. While Mia didn’t really want to run for student government, it’s great to see her speak about things she finds truly important without getting ill from nerves! Lilly, unfortunately, is continuing to show that when she wants something, she doesn’t care what she has to do to try to get it. While some may think it all in fun, it isn’t cool that Lilly consistently insists on referring to Mia by a title/nickname she doesn’t like and has asked her not to use. All in all, this was a great book, and I can’t wait to read on!

I’d love your thoughts on Mia’s relationship with Lilly!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Ether Witch: The Casting Call by Delemhach

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Synopsis:
Tamlin Ashowan has troubled his family for years. Between the fearfulness of his magic and his refusal to share exactly what it does, his loving parents and sister don’t know how best to guide him. Tam, on the other hand, insists he doesn’t need any assistance. Despite ignoring his magic and possessing a preference for remaining locked up in his room with a good book, Tam is determined to play his role as the heir to his dukedom to the best of his ability. But being the son of Finlay Ashowan, the famous hero of Daxaria, his life is prone to chaos.

Will a new assistant, who has even more secrets than Tam himself, be able to help navigate Tam’s endless responsibilities? Will all chaos break out thanks to the unstable kingdom of Zinfera? And lastly, can Tam handle everything without having to use his magical power, or will he be pushed to new limits as his fate rushes to meet him?

Find the answer to these questions and more in the new trilogy set in the same universe as The House Witch series, The Princess of Potential, and The Burning Witch series. There’s no need to read the previous books to enjoy the new, fun adventure. Feel free to jump right in!

Review:
“…those without ambitions of their own will be swallowed by others who are ravenous with the desire for more.” (Pages 447-448)

Tam is certainly different from his father. Unlike where The House Witch starts, Tam is an adult, but one that hasn’t really ever done anything on his own. He hasn’t faced up to his own abilities and potential, and has allowed himself to live in the shadows of his family. For a while, being left in the dark feels a bit frustrating, as if Tam is keeping a secret even from himself, which, in a way, he was. I loved every twist and turn of this novel, especially the way in which drama follows the Ashowans, even if it is in a different aspect from how Fin may have expected it to occur. It was lovely getting to see how much culture Tamlin has had from growing up as Fin and Annika’s son, and how well he appreciates knowledge and the world around him. I spent so long waiting, waiting, to see if we would have another little furry familiar, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens in the next novel!

Part of me wishes I had waited until the trilogy was out to avoid the book hangover this was sure to give me, and yet… I’ll just be waiting for the next! As with all Delemhach’s published works to date, I highly recommend this novel!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Princess Diaries, Volume V: Princess in Pink by Meg Cabot

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Synopsis:
In her heart of hearts, Mia has but one wish: an evening spent with Michael in a tux and a corsage on her wrist—in other words, the prom. Michael, however, does not seem to share the dream that is the prom. Worse still, a service workers’ strike (with Grandmère and Lilly at the heart of it and on opposite sides) threatens the very existence of this year’s prom.

Will the strike end in time? Can Mia talk Michael out of his anti-prom views? Most importantly, will Mia get to wear her pink prom dress?

Review:
This book shows that Mia really doesn’t want to say what she thinks to Michael, as much as she loves him, because she’s worried he’ll think she’s stupid or hate her. It was quite frustrating how Mia wants something so bad she has even told her Grandmere about it, but won’t confront Michael directly. It also shows that Lilly is quite the opportunist, and perhaps not the best friend Mia has. All in all, it was interesting to see how the characters are continuing to grow and develop–perhaps further apart than together.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of The Princess Diaries, Volume IV: Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot

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Synopsis:
Never before has the world seen such a princess. Nor have her own subjects, for that matter. But Genovian politics are nothing next to Mia’s real troubles.

Between canceled dates with her long-sought-after royal consort, a second semester of the dreaded Algebra, more princess lessons from Grandmère, and the inability to stop gnawing on her fingernails, isn’t there anything Mia is good at besides inheriting an unwanted royal title?

Review:
“But I will never love anyone or anything as much as I love Fat Louie.” (Page 88)

Mia has everything she wanted, more or less, but also a position as a princess that makes everything so much harder on her; but she knows one truth–Fat Louie will always come first(to anyone with a pet they adore, it’s so true). It’s fun seeing how she interacts with her cousin Rene, and very amusing as she is thrust into spending so much time with Grandmere that she decides to take her advice. It does get a bit frustrating how Mia won’t come out and tell anyone what is actually bothering her, however, one can understand she doesn’t want to make anything be a problem or seem overly important; after all, to her, being a princess if very uncool. I do love how when given the full understanding of why people have pushed for certain things, she does what would be considered morally right, or, what she would have wanted someone to do for her. For someone who worries so much about not being self-actualized, she is far more insightful than I think I was at her age. Mia spends a lot of time uncertain about what makes her unique, or if she has any talent at all, and while the reveal may not be as surprising as one could expect, imposter syndrome is something that everyone faces, so it was great to see how she tried to cope with a feeling of less-than without becoming fully self-destructive.

All in all, I still would highly recommend this series. I’m in love and only wish I’d read it sooner!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Princess Diaries, Volume III: Princess in Love by Meg Cabot

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Synopsis:
Princess Mia may seem like the luckiest girl ever. But lately she spends all her time doing one of three things: preparing for her nerve-racking entrée into Genovian society, slogging through Manhattan in December, and avoiding further smooches from her hapless boyfriend, Kenny.

For Mia, being a princess in love is not the fairy tale it’s supposed to be…or is it?

Review:
“A princess… does not shirk her responsibilities. Nor does she run at the first sign of adversity.” (Page 219)

Poor Mia avoids confrontation a lot, and with that means getting stuck in situations you don’t want to be in, because you didn’t want to hurt people’s feelings. This book reads just like a journal of a teenage girl would, and I absolutely adore every bit of it. While Mia is stuck trying to figure out her social life, Grandmere is trying to launch Mia into stardom, and with that, comes the unfortunate situation of constantly being criticized, both for being too honest at times and not understanding what’s going on at other points. Regardless, Mia will find her way, and it’s a great story to follow along with.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Phobia by Keri Lake

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Synopsis:
This is a standalone follow up novella to Nocticadia in which the siblings of the original respective couple meet, and what ensues is… curiosity, chaos, and understanding.

Review:
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book at all, because honestly, it felt like Bee had a lot of problems and I wasn’t sure that I would care about seeing her star in something. It seemed that Lilia was always covering for her and trying to keep her on the up and up, but Bee was clearly disturbed. Because of that, when she ends up in a rather dangerous situation, she finds herself understanding “Mr. Caed” more than one might expect.

I wasn’t really as big of a fan of this novel, in part because despite having gone through quite a lot of tribulations before the beginning of the novel, Bee is still very young and because of that naïve. If you loved Nocticadia this may allow you a bit more of a release from the stranglehold the first novel casts, but they are not at all the same type of book; in the word’s of Keri Lake, “The setting and tone of this short story is a complete departure from Nocticadia, and echoes my gritty contemporary books.”

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Nocticadia by Keri Lake

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Synopsis:
A dark, atmospheric tale of deadly secrets and forbidden love.
Mortui vivos docent.
The dead teach the living.

After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I’d find the cure for what ravaged her. And leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me.

Four years later, I receive an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it’s rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before. Those whose bones are said to make up the island’s white sandy shores.

And restless ghosts aren’t even its most daunting peculiarity.

Devryck Bramwell, known on campus as Doctor Death, is a brilliant pathologist in charge of the midnight lab. He’s also my devastatingly handsome professor, who seems to loathe tenacious first-years, like me. Except, his dark and enigmatic gaze tells me all the ways he’d devour me if given the chance, and his stolen kisses burn my lips with forbidden jealousy.

I crave his authority.
He aches for redemption.
Together, we’re toxic. Delicious fodder for the prying eyes hellbent on exhuming the rotted skeletons of our pasts.

For the dead have much to teach, and it’s only a matter of time before Dracadia’s most depraved secret is resurrected.

Nocticadia is a standalone dark academia gothic romance.

Review:
“What separates monsters from good men is only a matter of perspective.” (page 80)

This book is one of the absolute best dark romances I’ve read. Diving headfirst into Lilia’s life, there’s drama, there’s the unknown, and there’s a girl who had to grow up too fast. I wish all dark academia books were similar to this one; for this is so much greater than the others I have read, they cannot even be compared. This book is long, but not an epic though I certainly wouldn’t let that deter you because there was always something going on that made it nearly impossible for me to set this book down. I was absolutely enthralled and couldn’t wait to read the “freebie” novella Phobia afterwards (which you can get at the end of the novel).

There are certainly some trigger warnings associated with this book, and this type of taboo isn’t going to be for everyone. There is a lot more drama and behind the scenes politics than one might think at the beginning of the novel. One thing that certainly made this book stand apart in the dark academia genre would be that Lilia is old enough to be in college; older than an average freshman. She also has seen things, and while she might not be overtly experienced romantically, she isn’t some brand new to society hermit looking for connections wherever they find her; she has a particularly goal, and she doesn’t want to let anything stand in her way from understanding and continuing to fight against letting what happened to her mother happen to other people.

Every time I thought, okay, this is it, there were A LOT of hidden secrets and such; BAM, another twist is revealed. This book is perfection, and I am not sure I’ll ever find an equivalent dark academia to this ever again. There’s such tension, so many stakes, and undeniable connections. If you like dark romance, or dark academia, I dare you to take a chance on this book.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Release Day for The Knight Journal!!

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One might think I didn’t drum up a lot of hype for this book, and that might be true, but this poetry book is an act of love, full of poems about various books, games, movies, live shows, and lots of anecdotes that relate to my husband and I, while also having a poem series about a Knight and Princess as well.

If you’re looking for some new media to get excited and fall into, I would definitely recommend those written about within.

So Happy Release Day to The Knight Journal!

Purchase in paperback here, or e-book here.

For those of you that saw (and/or read) Genevieve’s book–here’s a poetry book with a bit more umph behind it, and not a haiku in sight!

With special thanks to my awesome editors, Meredith Winger and Christopher Cook.