With this one, Haley Warren has officially become one of my go-to authors when I need an emotional book that will make me cry and jump into the story to give the MCs a hug! The background to both Greer and Becket was so unique ; but their feelings and mental health I think will resonate with a lot of people. Greer’s journey specifically, is so complex and layered and I think the author did a brilliant job describing that. Their romance was everything I wanted - it’s all about the beauty of finding someone who truly sees you, gets you and respects everything about you. My only criticism is that the writing can feel a bit repetitive, with some adjectives being used quite often; but honestly that did not take much away from my enjoyment!

In this historical fantasy, Vesper - a young journalist- is tasked by Maximilian -the charming and wealthy sorcerer - to solve the murder of an extravagant inventor. Max is high on the list of suspects ; and Vesper desperately needs money to save her newspaper; so they strike a bargain and start working together on the case.

I struggled a bit with the writing style - even though this is a murder mystery, it still is a YA book , and definitely had some Scooby Doo vibes, and some characters felt a bit too caricatured. The romance was cute - at the beginning their connection felt a bit forced; but as the book went on I did find their scenes wholesome and adorable.

In terms of plot, I was never fully hooked, but it was interesting. Our victim was killed on the same day they revealed a new invention that would allow everyone, not just sorcerers, to perform magic. In this book, magic is used as a metaphor for elitist opportunities in today’s society ; and this new invention definitely felt like a (well deserved and well done) dig at the rise of generative AI! Both criticism were very smartly done and probably the highlight of the book for me, together with the feminist tone of the novel. The actual mystery read very similarly to an Agatha Christie mystery, which I also enjoyed (and was very pleased with myself for guessing the culprit correctly).

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I love second chance romance , specially when we get flashbacks to their initial relationship! Dusty and Cam were super cute, and I loved Dusty’s relationship with Riley. The romance felt easy-going; I really enjoyed that the “drama” wasn’t their relationship per say but the other factors in their life, specially Cam’s (her parents can get in the bin) We get small glimpses at the other characters , that’s always a plus when all of them are so amazing (although Amos , you will always be special to me). Overall such a great cowboy romance series.

I had high expectations and they were 100% met! Rachel Gillig’s writing just has a spark that pulls you in and demands your attention. I like how in both this and in One Dark Window, the reader learns about the world as we go on with the story. It makes me so curious and I end up not being able to put the book down because I just want to know more. I loved all aspects of this - character, world, plot, pace. I wouldn’t consider anything to be a plot twist ; more like puzzle pieces clicking together - it was really satisfying for me to be able to understand where the story was going and see how it all unravels. Sybil and Rory’s romance was so delicious - we definitely have a new yearning king! The balance of the dark themes with a bickering romance , a cute found family and a ridiculously adorable gargoyle was so well executed! Made the book fun while also dark and twisty. Cannot wait for book 2!!

Sometimes all someone needs is a revival of the popular guy x shy girl trope okay? This book felt very nostalgic of those early 2000s romances , in a slightly less toxic way. For starters, our FMC is curvy and does not go through a “make over”; and the MMC has actual depth to him! They were really cute, and even though I understand some people would think Maisie’s body image issues can be repetitive, I think they felt realistic. A super easy , heartfelt read! Very much the case of right book at the right mood 😂