4.5 stars

driven completely took me by surprise, and as i finished the first chapter, i knew i was in for a great time. the story is utterly thrilling, filled with high stakes, car chases, illegal street racing and some really sexy chemistry. if you love fast and the furious, formula 1 or car racing in general, and if you’re a fan of the romantic suspense genre, this book is perfect for you! emma j warrender’s writing will have you in a chokehold. she knows how to immerse you in the moment, and make you feel like you’re experiencing the danger and the thrills of the races too.

the story follows gianna, a street racer and former artist who is dealing with immense grief after losing her father and her brother. when ryker, her brother’s best friend and her almost ‘something’, returns, she is drawn into something hot, dangerous, and full of buried secrets. gianna was such a badass and relentless in what she wanted to do. she was determined and brave, and refused to back down even when things got really risky. my heart went out to her because she has been through so much, but i was also in complete awe of her and her bravery and strength. truly such a compelling and powerful protagonist!

i also loved that we had ryker’s pov because, oh, how i love a possessive and obsessive man. broody, tattooed, loyal, and so charming, he will make you swoon. ryker was the dream book boyfriend, and his connection and chemistry with gianna is magnetic. i loved that the story doesn’t shy away from showcasing ryker’s own version of grief, which serves as his motivation to return to booker bay, to get to the bottom of the mystery and to reunite with gianna again.

the dual timeline setup was perfect, because it was such a great way to be introduced to gianna and ryker’s relationship, to see how they started, everything they experience together, and how they would be in their current interactions. plus i felt the dual timeline really added to the suspense and myster of the story, as things slowly unravelled both in the past and the future. and i cannot forget the spice…this book had some of the best (and hottest) spicy scenes i’ve read recently.

utterly exciting, with a pulse pounding slow burn romance, driven is an exciting debut!!! i absolutely adored the writing and i look forward to whatever emma writes next (i hope its renny and monique’s book hehe)

thank you hachette anz/the bookish type hau for the e-arc!

4.75 stars

i have been looking forward to reading to dance with death since last year, and after joining the street team for this series and receiving an early copy, i was all the more excited to get started. and holy crap, this was everything i could have ever wanted and then more. i also have to sing praises for brittney arena’s writing because, oh my god, it was absolutely freaking perfect!! i’m truly in awe of her incredible talent and the way she describes things because the descriptions were stunning. i could clearly imagine all the locations in my head, and it felt like i was walking alongside vasalie on this perilous journey.

the second book continues from where we left off, and the opening few chapters had me emotionally devastated. i definitely wasn’t prepared for the level of angst coming my way. and the way vasalie’s feelings were described, especially given what had happened with anton, felt so visceral and so real. the journey to, and her arrival in, the underworld is fraught with danger, but she is so brave and determined and fierce, even while she deals with her chronic pain. her character arc in this book was just perfect, and she has now become one of my favourite fantasy protagonists.

as for anton? let me just say, i was on vasalie’s side, but some of the things he said would have me charmed immediately. he lowkey made me swoon hard. and the yearning!! oh, the yearning from both vasalie and anton was palpable. this was a slow burn, but the tension between them was sizzling. there were so many moments between the two in the book where i lowkey felt like i was intruding on something private.

there were some unexpected moments as we progressed into the plot, but the intensity of the last quarter of the book was simply incomparable. i literally couldn’t bring myself to look away. no spoilers, but tears may have been shed. just a little.

overall, to dance with death was an absolutely perfect ending to this incredible duology, and i’m counting down the days till i can hold a copy in my hand! and i eagerly look forward to whatever brittney writes next!!

a huge thanks to bloomsbury for the e-arc!

strap in, folks! this is gonna be a long one (a little over 600 words!!!)

i honestly do not have enough words in me to encompass just how life-changing reading tropesick felt. seriously, the second i finished, i sat and stared at the wall with tears in my eyes, because of this beautiful, angsty, gorgeously emotional romance. my heart and my soul both feel like they have been torn in two and put back together because of this book. lauren okie’s words were truly magic, and every single sentence she wrote felt so impactful and so important to the story.

as someone who loves the idea of a story within a story, i absolutely loved tropesick’s version of it. the plot and the concept of this book were pure art on the page. the way this book uses romance tropes (second chance, forced proximity, only one bed, brother’s best friend, etc) and adds its own refreshing twist was nothing short of a museum-worthy masterpiece. i felt like i was reading a new, beautiful and angsty variation of some of my favourite tropes, and i loved everything about it.

i also didn’t expect this book to be a dual pov, so when i flicked past katie’s chapter and saw that tyler had his own pov, i knew for a fact that i was in for a great time. katie and tyler will forever hold a special place in my heart. i loved how the story showed what grieving looked like in two different ways; through katie’s eyes, dealing with the loss of her beloved brother and what that did to her family and the boy she loved. and through tyler’s eyes, who lost his best friend, who blames himself for what happened, and hurting the girl who meant so much to him. the evolution of their story, from their past to their future, where after nine years, they have to work together to ghostwrite a romance novel, and maybe rediscover their own love story again, was simply perfection. the tension between them simmers and lingers in every action they took, the words they shared and in all the time they spent together.

when katie and tyler give in to their feelings and share that first kiss, it was special and truly one of the best kiss scenes i’ve read. i also liked that their romance wasn’t straightforward and that they both had to fight for the happy ending they deserved (with a little bit of meddling from one meredith bradford). it was angsty, it was painful, it was heartwrenching, but it was also hopeful and beautiful and so deeply romantic. i also have to add here how much i loved the portrayal of addiction in this story, and it honestly might be one of the best portrayals i’ve read/seen in any media. it feels well researched and so thoughtful and you can feel the care that’s gone into it.

and that twist…it left me gasping in shock and awe. there were slight inklings throughout the story that something was going to happen, but when it did, it happened in a way i could never have predicted and left me reeling. it was perfect basically. and by the time that ending came around, that beautiful, heartwarming ending, i was in tears. this is the kind of romance you read once and immediately know it’s going to be something special.

we are halfway through this year, but honestly, i think it’s safe to say, that tropesick is one of my top romance reads of the year. i loved everything about it, and will be recommending it to every single person that i know. and whatever lauren okie writes? i will be there first in line to read it.

a huge thanks to hachette australia/the bookish type hau for the e-arc!