This is truly a slow-burn cozy journey! It took me a while to get into this story, but once I did, I found myself really caring about Ainsworth and the staff at the Inn of Mount Vengeance. Ainsworth sets off to achieve greatness as a scholar by hoping to research and write an account of the Inn, but instead he runs into obstacles that help him learn some hard lessons about himself and what he really needs out of life. It was lovely to see how he changes over the course of this novel. Honey, who is the caretaker of the inn, is such a special character! I really enjoyed learning about who she is, the staff she employs, and her motivation. There were some heavy themes in this book that the author addresses in such a deep and meaningful way. I found myself feeling deeply for every character and their experiences. Overall, I was so pleased with the resolution of the plot! I did an immersive read of this book, and it was the right choice. I had a few struggles with the Scottish lore and some of the names, but the plot and the characters really kept me on the journey! The narrator in particular had a lovely cozy Scottish accent, and I really enjoyed both reading and listening. I would recommend this book to lovers of Scottish folklore and readers of Legends and Lattes. The tone reminded me of the slower pace of Travis Baldree's tales. If you love cozy fantasy, definitely give this book a read!

My husband hijacked my TBR! lol I have heard a lot of buzz about this series over the last year, but it did not sound like my cup of tea, so I recommended it to my husband instead, knowing he would definitely enjoy it. Well, I was right, and he convinced me to listen to the audio with him on a whim. It's been a fun activity to do together. I found this story to be both intense and enjoyable. The series has elements of dark dystopian topics like The Hunger Games, which I am familiar with, and sci-fi that is fairly new to me. There is definitely a good amount of humor woven into the intensity. The most challenging elements were the lit-RPG ideas and terms that I was unfamiliar with, but that made for really fun conversations between the two of us. I learned a lot more about this type of storytelling and now have a better grasp of the world-building for this series. It was really fun to try a new genre and spend quality time with my partner while we listened together. I'm excited to continue this story because I definitely need to know more about a few certain characters and see where this goes after that ending.

Let me preface this by saying I've only read a few dark romances, and never a mafia romance before this book. This was a buddy read and a fun experiment to see if dark romance might be something I'd enjoy. This book surprised me. I was very engaged. I liked the glimpse into the childhoods of the main characters to better understand their stories. The author managed this well while also keeping the main plot a mystery. This story was very, very emotionally dark, with a lot of trauma and triggering topics. (Be sure to look up trigger warnings.) However, I feel like the author presented this story in a raw and honest way, which became even more evident after reading the author's note and motivation at the end of the book. I could see her passion for bringing light to a very dark and traumatic crime. I was surprised by the magical realism and Irish myths that were woven into the storyline. This really intrigued me as a fantasy reader. While dark romance is not my go-to genre, I would recommend this story to those who enjoy it. The plot was meaningful and gripping. I really could not put it down.

I enjoyed this book more than book 2. It felt like the author went back to her girl-next-door roots from book one. I did enjoy the nerdy aspect of the MMC and the adventurous FMC. I related a bit to her contentious family dynamics and how that drew her into the family dynamics of the FMC. But this book was still just ok for me. I had a good time, but this is not going to be a book that I remember like the first one.