LJ Andrews

Review of Ward of Wyvern: A Dragon Shifter Fantasy by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
A troublemaking mage. A fire-breathing queen. A love that will bring their world to its knees.

Teagan Ward is running out of chances. Facing his third strike following a not-exactly-legal string of fun, he knows he’s lucky to be sent to reform school instead of serving time in magically warded prisons.

Jade Drake may be the queen of her people, but the smothering presence of her security team has the dragon shifter yearning for any kind of excitement. So when she feels an instant connection with the new guy, she’s determined to get closer, especially after he saves her from assassination—even if he doesn’t remember how he did it.

Waking from the incident covered in green tattoos, Teagan is stunned when Jade’s overprotective family insists he’s a mage. But the color of his tattoos could mean he’s the one fated to protect Jade or they might link him to a sinister sorcerer bent on destroying her kind.

With everybody fighting to keep them apart, will their bond be strong enough to defeat a treacherous evil?

Perfect for fans of Holly Black and Jennifer Armentrout who love sweeping fantasy romances, epic worlds, and the perfect balance of sweet and steam.

Review:
I expected I would love this because I very much loved the fairy tale retellings I’ve read by Andrews. I did enjoy it, but it wasn’t nearly as strong of a book as the other series (The Broken Kingdom Series). While some might say that is because that is more fantasy based and this is more modern fantasy, I’d argue that a lot of it is because of the very slow and gradual build up of the relationship between the characters without there being a lot of things going on in the background. This book is very well based and set for a YA novel with the slow burn connection/romance, but it seemed rather lackluster and like there was too much left to find out. The pacing seemed a bit too slow, and I didn’t find the plotline to be that surprising. Given the age of the characters, the setting being in a high school was also an interesting choice that seemed to be done to cement the story as Young Adult versus New Adult, whereas the content of the story itself is far more geared towards New Adults and finding/making your place in the world. That being said, I’m sure that this book likely is very great for it’s intended audience, which I am not a part of. I am uncertain if I will continue reading this series as it just didn’t wow me.

Star rating: ✯✯✯

Happy New Year! 2022 Book Recommendations…

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In 2022 I read/wrote book reviews for 73 books (that’s one down from last year)! Of course there are always a few stand out authors/series/books so of all the books I read my top recommendations would be:

Books

A Dreadful Splendour by B.R. Myers
A Victorian spiritualist who made her way by swindling people ends up in jail. Her salvation is a stranger who asks her to help a grieving widow move on, except Mr. Pemberton doesn’t seem like the heartbroken man she was supposed to manipulate. He believes his fiancée had been murdered, and he wants her to help use her trickery to convince the murderer to confess. When odd happenings begin around the manor, they realize there may be more to the Somerset ghost than originally thought.

The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Gläser 
A forgotten book can hold such power! Emma finds a book that whatever she writes in comes true, but there are consequences. Unfortunately someone else has realized the power of the book, and she has to rely on the new boy with a sour face and rude disposition, Darcy de Winter, to help. A mixture of fairy tales meets Jane Austen, this story will suck you in and enrapture you.

The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith
Ian Cameron finds himself bludgeoned and almost killed, demanding answers from two witches, Edwina and Mary Blackwood with odd abilities. As their secrets are slowly unveiled, Edwina attempts to help Ian figure out his lost time and the investigative case he was on. As they search through London for a missing person, and a series of gruesome murders, they find clues that threaten the unshakeable bond of being a twin.

A Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Elisabeth, a librarian who had been orphaned and raised by the library staff, is implicated in the crime of releasing the most dangerous magical book. The only choice she has is to go to Nathanial Thorn, even though as a sorcerer he should be her mortal enemy. Once with Thorn and his demon servant, Silas, she finds herself caught up in a centuries-old conspiracy, racing to keep the great libraries, and the world, from going up in smoke.


Authors

Helen Harper
Amazon Page – Website
Originally recommended to me because of her Slouch Witch books, I found her writing style quite enjoyable, with mysteries that I often don’t quite figure out before the end. I quite enjoyed that series, so when I started reading The Firebrand series, I was surprised how much I absolutely adored her way of writing a quirky detective who doesn’t exactly listen to what she’s told, despite having been the best in class before being “demoted” to working with the supernatural squad. Very English, great descriptions of locations with The Firebrand taking place predominantly in London, England.

Tessonja Odette
Amazon Page – Website
Having just started another one of her books, I can say I was drawn in from the first sentence. The depth of her characters and politics within her novels is quite endearing. Her retellings of fairy tales I’d long known and loved were refreshing and while they did have a connection, the story doesn’t merely follow the same path we already know, and there are certainly times when it seems that there will not be a happy ending. I ended up reading all of the books in the Entangled in Fae series and found that none of the characters were as I expected them to be, and their depth and uniqueness made them all the more enthralling to read about.

LJ Andrews
Amazon Page – Website
Oh my goodness, she writes amazing fairy tale retellings mixed with Vikings. Once you start reading they are impossible to put down, and I binge read the entire series she’d done of The Broken Kingdoms (which starts with a Beauty and the Beast retelling) just to find the next one won’t be out until February 21st! Soon, I’ll get to continue! Her writing immediately draws you in and immerses you in the world, and her characters are both flawed but likeable. Her characters drastically change throughout the books and grow, making you feel as if you’re truly along for the experience.

K. M. Shea
Author Page – Website
She writes some amazing fantasy books. I first got hooked on The Fairy Tale Enchantress books, but there hasn’t been a book of hers I’ve read that I haven’t loved. Her writing is refreshing and her plotlines interesting and you’re never quite sure what you might be getting yourself into. Also absolutely loved her Court of Midnight and Deception book series, and of course Pack of Dawn and Destiny!

Review of Dance of Kings and Thieves by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
Dreams will become nightmares…

To take her place as rightful queen, Malin Strom stands by the side of the Nightrender and his guild of thieves in the fight to take a throne she never wanted. Now, as warriors from distant kingdoms answer their call, a new battle begins.

But when dark fae side with the Black Palace, Malin and Kase are forced to take drastic measures if they are to have a hope for victory: forge an unwilling alliance with a cruel sea fae, draw out a cursed beast they thought long dead, even risk the lives of everyone they love by twisting the memories of fate itself.

For Kase and Malin, this fight could be their hard-fought salvation…or a vicious end to everything they love.

Welcome to the final stand in the Eastern Kingdom. Where the stakes are higher, the battles are darker, and the romance is spicier. A wicked spin on Cinderella comes to a head in the final battle of thieves and kings.

Review:
This book had everything! Adventures, risks, stakes! Seeing all of the characters relationships develop and deepen was amazing; the characterization and depth thereof is one of Andrews strong suits for sure. Getting to see more of the characters we know and love from our first three books as well as how they become very tightly knit with Malin and Kase was brilliant and super sweet. I absolutely loved seeing Lumpy’s friend once again. The writing in this was absolutely superb. Even when you thought you knew everything and all the marks, there was still a couple of chapters where everything appears turned about and it really threw me for a lark in the best possible way.

I cannot wait for this series to continue and as I got towards the end I thought, if it didn’t continue with a story for Ari I’d be quite upset so I’m super excited to get to hear more about our former rebel king and current Northern ambassador; I’m only sad I must wait until February to read more!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Game of Hate and Lies by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
When wicked men first took the boy she loved, she was a child.
Now they’ve taken him again, but this time…she’s a queen.


For weeks, Malin plotted and schemed with the kingdom’s cruelest crooks, the Nightrender and the Guild of Kryv, to infiltrate a wicked masquerade.

They survived. They escaped. Most of them.

To the underbelly of the kingdom, the Nightrender never made it out of his own scheme. To Malin, he’s only Kase, the man who owns her heart, and who is once again a prisoner of their enemies. Malin and the Kryv will stop at nothing until he’s free. Even if it means claiming her birthright to a throne that brings death and war.

But when they discover Kase has been locked in a cruel spell, Malin must find a way to steal his new twisted memories before he is lost to them for good.

The only trouble is when Kase looks at Malin, all he sees is an enemy with a death sentence.

Return to the vicious world of the Eastern Kingdom. Part Viking, part Cinderella, the battle continues with more schemes, spicy romance, and epic adventure.


*Author Note* This book contains the spiciest scenes yet in this series. As a member of the mom-of-a-teenager club, I would recommend those who are not old enough to vote to read responsibly. There are open-door love scenes.

Review:
Could not wait to see what happened in this one. It really did a great job of showing how in politics and war you have to have patience and slowly follow a plan to get results. I could definitely feel and understand Malin’s pain as she had to work so very hard to get Kase back. While seeing Malin and Kase together and how they found each other again was quite epic, there is also great loss in this book that made me quite sad. I’m already fairly far into the next book in this series, because this series is just amazing and perfectly binge worthy.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Night of Masks and Knives by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
Wicked men stole the boy she loved. But when she found him again, he’d become more wicked than them all.

Malin Strom has been searching for Kase, her childhood sweetheart, since he was lost at the annual masquerade years ago.

With her gift for stealing memories, Malin crosses more than one dangerous line to take secrets from those who know what goes on behind the curtain of the wicked festival.

But when her brother is traded into the masquerade as punishment for using magic to hide Malin’s gift, her only chance to save him is to enlist the services of a brutal crook—the Nightrender—and he bears a striking resemblance to a face from the past.

No longer the boy she knew, her lost love, Kase, now rules as the amoral leader of brutal thieves. Pulled into his world of tricks and schemes, tantalizing attraction returns, but so do the secrets behind Kase’s disappearance, and the masquerade.

When their plan to save Malin’s brother takes them back to the dangers of the festival, painful betrayal forces Malin to face a cruel choice: save her brother’s life? Or give up the thief who has always held her heart.


Filled with luscious world building, spicy romance, and epic battles, this first book in the Eastern Kingdom is part Viking, part Cinderella.

Review:
This book had me drawn in from the beginning. Kase might be dark and lost in his own pain, not wanting to let others in because they could be hurt, but Malin was willing to do whatever it takes to free not only her brother but Kase as well. Seeing the two try to reacquaint themselves and deal with the darkness that people often face (though perhaps not to that extreme) when growing up and taking on more responsibilities. I absolutely love this well developed world where no one is a stock character; everyone has hopes, thoughts, dreams, ambitions. I also love how Andrews ties in fairytale elements without mimicking the plot of said fairytale. There is more spice in this book than some of the previous ones but it isn’t overly descriptive. I absolutely adored this book, and have already started the second in this series (technically the 5th in the Broken Kingdoms series). Highly recommend.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Crown of Blood and Ruin by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
War begins. But secrets have the power to end…everything.

Fallen princess. Traitor. Queen.

Forsaking her people and her birthright, Elise Lysander takes her place at the side of the new fae king of a broken land. Revered by some, hated by many, Elise’s fight for her love and freedom is only beginning.

As secrets of Castle Ravenspire come to light, Elise and Valen discover their enemies hold more power than they ever imagined.

It will take more than blades to defeat them.

Fulfilling a dangerous request from Valen’s imprisoned brother. Destroying a prophecy of fate kept in the hands of Elise’s brutal sister. And an unwilling alliance with a shadowed thief from a neighboring kingdom that might end in victory or more death.

Blood is calling. War will answer.

But for Elise and Valen this fight could be their hard-fought salvation…or a vicious end to everything they love.


Filled with luscious world building, banter-filled romance, and epic battles, this final book in the Northern Kingdom is part Viking, part fairy tale. One-click to start reading today.

*This is the final book in Elise and Valen’s love story, however, more tales will continue in the Broken Kingdoms. Romance and spice increases and is recommended for readers 17+ for the remaining books in the series.*

Review:
What an epic ending to Elise and Valen’s story! I will say I did expect most of the ending. I hadn’t expected a lot of the middle of this book, or the setup for the second one, but this book was quite epic. Highly immersive and you want to keep reading to figure out exactly what happens next. As we know, I love Beauty and the Beast, so I was quite happy to read this. I really loved the growth of all of the characters throughout the three books and how they developed both strength wise and opening up. I have already started the next book, and look forward to finishing it!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Court of Ice and Ash by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
She chose him. He chose revenge. But some choices have deadly consequences.

When Elise agreed to break a vicious curse over the man she loved, she never imagined he was a lost fae prince. But Valen left her to carry out vengeance for his slaughtered family. So when she joins the outlaw fae in their uprising against her own sister, all Elise wants is to forget the prince who holds her heart.

But fate has a different plan.

Reunited in the rescue of a mutual friend, Elise and Valen are forced to decide where they stand in the battle of crowns. As their passion reignites, so too do the dangers threatening to pull them apart for good: a strange magical blight infecting the land, betrayal by one of their own, and a devastating secret not even a fae prince saw coming.

The wicked game for the right to rule has begun. But who will save Elise and Valen from a dark magic with the power to destroy their love forever?

Review:
Elise is stuck in a horrible situation where she must fight for justice, and while she wanted to do so with the man she loved, instead she has to go on as if he hadn’t destroyed her. Seeing Valen fight himself and his true desires was very validating. This book is well paced, hard to put down, and I could not wait to read more. Absolutely loving the twists and turns, and so very glad for how it came together at the end. Of course I’m already on the next book, which would say I do highly recommend this…


Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Curse of Shadows and Thorns: A dark fairy tale romance by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
A rebellious princess. A cursed rogue. A forbidden love that will bring a kingdom to its knees.

As niece of the king, Elise Lysander cares about two things: sneaking into gambling dens, and avoiding an advantageous marriage at all costs.

When her uncle holds the life of her deathly-ill father over her head, reluctantly, Elise puts her fate into the hands of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. He may be arrogant and infuriating, but soon Legion incites a blistering, forbidden passion she can’t ignore.

As their attraction grows, so do the dangers: attacks from black-eyed people, a cursed enemy who is more beast than man, and rumors of fae returning for the crown they believe was stolen from them long ago.

After a bloody coup upends the kingdom, Elise flees with Legion, but nothing is as it seems. The man she allowed into her heart reveals his own secret plans with the return of magic—and he has every intention of using Elise to see them through.

With war between magic and mortal on the horizon, Elise must pick a side to protect her kingdom. Does she stand with her people who stole the throne? Or with a man who lied his way into her heart and whose secret past could bring her destruction?
 
Filled with luscious world building, banter-filled romance, and epic battles, this first book in the Broken Kingdoms series is part Viking, part Beauty and the Beast. One-click to start reading today.
 
This series will be 9-10 books with four different couples, but characters will be interconnected throughout the entire series. 
 
*Author Note* Be prepared, these fairy tale retellings might begin as a slow burn romance, but the series progresses with the spice and steam. Book 1 is not the standard for the heat of the romance and each book gets spicier.

Review:
I started this book because I’d finished the Hades and Persephone series I’d been reading and wanted to continue along the fairy tale/myth route. This book, I wasn’t sure of when I started. I already had it on my kindle and picked it based on the title; not actually remembering any description. Later I realized I’d found it off booktok, but I digress. I was quite pleased I picked it, as I fell into it right away.

Most of the characters, save Elise, in the royal family seem unredeemable. Following her adventures really resonated with me, for I believe most will feel like her about marriage. The world was well built and developed, the characters the same. Now, I had figured out our “main twist” from almost the beginning, however, I absolutely never would have expected how the end would come about. Oh my goodness! I had to immediately start the second book because I absolutely fell in love with Elise and Legion and need to know what happens next!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯