There are some books that leave you transformed in a way that is rare and hard to explain. Shadow Trials is one of those stories. From beginning to end, I was captivated by the story and the author held me in the palm of her hand for the entirety.

Fiona is intelligent and strong in her own right, aided by others without a doubt, but at her core she is strong enough already. I appreciate that strength, especially the emphasis on how she draws power from empathy and care for others.

Azric’s story is incredibly well crafted and while the book community loves to joke about “morally grey shadow daddies” and on paper, that’s what he is, Azric is so, so much more than that. Every tiny detail we learn about him helps to clarify his choices and the picture of a fully fleshed out man begins to take shape.

I find the magic system of the Priests to be very interesting and unique. It was fun to learn through Fiona how the Priests structure everything and what each mark means. There’s a huge learning curve to the magic in Nyth but I feel like the reader is guided through it in a way that is clear and concise.

I’m not always a fan of quotes at the beginning of chapters and interludes that are not from the same time as the main story as sometimes I feel like it can take me out of it or give too much away about where the story is headed. In this specific story, I thought they were really well done and I found myself connecting the dots on my own rather than burning spoon fed the answers/information.

I really really loved this book and I can’t wait for book #2! I will be not so patiently waiting!

May your Marks forever burn 🔥 May your blade never fail ⚔️

I recieved an advance review copy for free from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Eternal Hunger is a really fun and interesting take on vampire romance! Set in 1860, I really appreciated the authors commitment to making the actual prose of the novel feel like it was written during that time period, something I feel is rare.

I loved the push and pull between Malcolm and Emily, especially the fact that they both were keeping significant secrets from each other. Despite obvious differences in age, status, wealth, and physical power, it felt like Emily and Malcolm were very evenly matched which I appreciated.

Something I will say is that there is a late third act introduction to the main “bad guy” which felt really out of place and jarring and then was taken care of extremely quickly. I would have like to have more tension and mystery around who was following Malcolm and Emily and why before it was time for the final confrontation.

Overall I enjoyed this book, while there are things I wish were expanded on, I found myself completely captivated by the story!

This is an open door romance with some very spicy scenes. It also deals with terminal illnesses, death, and grief.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m absolutely obsessed with this book and I cannot wait to keep reading this series.

From the moment I picked up this book I was captivated and could not put it down. I found the magic system, and Eleni’s role in it specifically, to be so interesting. It’s based in classic elements but the way it’s used feels very unique and the way the magic influences the politics of the world it so interesting.

I thought Eleni, Velorn, and Ehlark were all written exceptionally well and it was so fun to see how their relationships between one another changed and developed throughout the book.

I don’t usually love books that move from the modern world to an unknown fantasy setting but I thought this was done very well. In many books that do this, I feel like the main character completely forgets their previous life and adapts seamlessly into their new world. In contrast, Eleni stays very grounded in her “human world” roots and even uses her knowledge as an emergency room nurse to aid others throughout the book.

Small side note on that part, as an emergency room nurse, I really appreciated Eleni’s job 😉

As I said before, I will definitely be reading future installments and have thoroughly enjoyed my time so far in Thysia!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I Who Have Never Known Men is unlike any other book or story I have ever read. We follow a narrator who has no name that is ever revealed to the reader, something that may make the character seem distant but the opposite is true. We don’t know her name, or even if she has one, but it is easy to know who she is.

I struggle to find the correct words to describe the feeling this book left me with. We gained no answers in the course of the story but we were never promised them in the first place. The story is written with a hindsight mentality, the narrator already knows how the story ends and makes it clear to the reader that they know.

It’s impossible not to drawn parallels between real life and this book. Concentration and internment camps, and more modern detention centers. It’s a rare novel that is always relevant.

The idea that humanity’s sense of curiosity and discovery is inherent and not easily squashed, the thirst for more, for knowledge, for circumstances that are better than what you have always known is conveyed so beautifully by Harpman.

I never read the forwards of books prior to reading them as I find that plot elements are often revealed. Carmen Maria Machado’s introduction finds the perfect word for the book that I so struggled to find. Disquiet. A feeling of anxiety, unease, or lack of calm, often describing a state of worry. That is precisely the feeling that this book draws out of the reader.

I will be thinking of this book for some time to come and I doubt that that disquieting feeling will subside. This is an important feeling and an important pieces of literature for everyone to read.

Chess Not Checkers is a quick and fun read that I enjoyed for the most part. After reading just about every hockey romance under the sun it was nice to read something a little different, albeit very similar in many ways. What can I say, I love my tropes!

I had the privilege of receiving an ARC of the audiobook version of this novel and I think my rating would be higher if I had read it on its own. The choices the male narrator made for different character’s voices are wild and took me right out of the story. Some of the fellow college football players sound like they are 100 years old. It’s very distracting.

That being said, I found the content of the book to be enjoyable and engaging. Definitely worth a read, especially if you love sports romances and need a break from the hockey side of things!

Something I really enjoyed was that both protagonists had multiple interests, not just one defining hobby. Some authors pigeon hole their characters into only having one hobby or interest so it’s nice to see characters acting like real people. I thought the common hobby of chess was endearing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Last Special Thing is a captivating debut from author Alyssa K. Burns. In a market that is saturated with romances that focus solely on the couple, it was so refreshing to see a true coming of age novel. Losing yourself and then finding yourself again is something I think most of us can deeply relate to.

Amelia, while not perfect, is a young woman who has had everything she could ever dream of, yet wants to spend the summer chasing adventure and continuously pushing the boundaries she sets for herself.

Art, a free spirited drummer, rockets into Amelia’s life and seemingly fills every gap, the two of them becoming completely attached in the blink of an eye.

The version of Amelia at the beginning and the version at the end feel very different, in the best way. I relate to this story deeply as someone who also dated a drummer and lost myself a little in the process (albeit no drugs were to be found in my situation.)

While reading this book, I felt at times like the author was glorifying drugs and uplifting a relationship where one person says “it’s okay to say no” but has a huge positive reaction when the answer is yes, covertly manipulating the outcome. By the end of the book it was clear that this icky feeling I was having was completely intentional by the author and I appreciated all those intentionally uncomfortable moments even more.

This is a powerful story of female friendship, making your own path, and staying true to yourself. It’s not a book that everyone will enjoy, and romance readers may be surprised by the direction it takes but I’m glad to have read it and think there should be more books in this vein!

Thank you to Beyond the Book PR for the ARC!

Review of advance copy received from the author. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read your book!

Second Draft is a lovely look inside the head of fantasy romance authors as they’re thrust into the spotlight themselves. It’s impossible not to think of the authors we know and love as we read Emma’s story. Emma is likable, endearing, and smart as hell, even if she makes some mistakes along the way.

Darren is the MMC we all love, in more ways than one. It’s honestly really refreshing to see this take on the love interest, he has a lot of layers and it’s not because he’s morally grey, it’s because he’s a genuine person.

These characters feel real and grounded in reality. I enjoyed every second of this book.

My only gripe is Emma saying the cold in England is worse than the cold in Minnesota but that’s my Minnesota bias peeking through 😉