Hear me out... it's like spicy Percy Jackson but with rival witches.

Sounds unhinged? Leona and Erik have to go on a magical roadtrip to keep the super powerful spell book her sister stole out of the hands of evil witches (although admittedly, Erik stole it first). Every time they make a pitstop to rest, there is some chaotic magical challenge awaiting them (hence my PJ comparison). I loved how this kept the plot moving and gave them plenty of obstacles to overcome.

Some are dangerous, like the giant trolls guarding the interstate onramp, and some are silly, like the enchanted honeymoon suite that DEMANDS the one-bed trope. Why? Because these witchy enemies are also secretly married! Waking up in Vegas takes on a whole new meaning when magical hand-fasting is involved.

Despite Erik's desperate scheming and Leona's demands for divorce, the two cannot deny their chemistry and desire. I loved how they seem like total opposites but they actually understand each other better than anyone else. There's no "getting it out of their system" no matter how hard they try. It's a smutty, forced proximity, adventure!

10/10 MUST LISTEN!! 🎧

When people ask for recommendations, I always say to read newer releases instead of worrying about “catching up”. So I don’t often make my way through an author’s backlist. BUT THIS IS WORTH GOING BACK TO!!

A day after this rocked my world, my sister texted to tell me about this great audiobook she just finished… People We Meet on Vacation! 🤣💗 If that’s not an endorsement from the universe then I don’t know what is.

Poppy & Alex haven’t spoken in TWO YEARS but they used to go on a summer vacation together every year since they met in college. Don’t stress about the timeline, it feels like a lot to remember. Everything will eventually ease into place.

I love how Alex seems to indulge his wild best friend, but he never treats her like she’s silly. So it’s not condescending. I think he fully appreciates who she is.

Emily Henry has mastered the art of naming her books something so benign, it hides how emotional distraught you’re going to be 😂 Perfect if you enjoy stories where it feels like love but the timing never seems to be right, and you’re wondering if you’re crazy or if the coupling would just be too powerful for the universe to handle.

Update: How I recommend reading this series! Definitely read Iron Widow (it's seriously amazing) but stop after than. Wait for book 3 to come out so you can read 2 & 3 back to back instead of being left in limbo. I think that will solve the pain-points and allow readers to still love the series.

Idek what to say, except that it left me (a mega fan) feeling like shit at the end. There’s a lot of positives, the writing craft showed improvement, it made huge leaps in world building. But it felt like a betrayal to its own readers so I am putting the series on timeout until book 3.