The premise was good, and I did enjoy reading this. The characters were lovable, and the small town setting was idyllic. The townies were all endearing, and it shows they all have affection for Iris, despite her trying to have a reputation as a villain. The familiars were also a selling point for me, especially Quince! Reading this book, this felt like it had the perfect formula for a cozy fantasy, however it fell a little bit short. Nothing really happened to forward the plot until the second half of the book, and the romance also was a little underdeveloped. Still, I had fun reading this book and look forward to reading more from the author.

Thank you to netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a copy of this book

Honey loves her job as an auditor for the Bureau of Magical Compliance. Her latest job assigns her to audit a wishing well in a farm owned by Ethan , a single father of three girls, who does not have time for magic, or all this bureaucratic nonsense.

This book was so cozy! I love small town settings in romance. Adding some magic, a menacing chicken, a baby goat, and a grumpy-sunshine dynamic and we have the perfect romance book!

Honey and Ethan are also a really cute couple, and it was fun reading about them fall in love! I love the town’s lore of bells ringing when people fall in love!

Being so for real, the ending made me tear up. I loved how it all panned out and I cannot recommend this book enough!!

Thank you to the author for a copy of this book!!

3.5 stars rounded up

Oh I adore this book! I loved not only the whimsy here, but also the portrayal of grief and mental health.

I enjoyed the magic system and the world building. Seeing this whole new world that opened up to Olivia through her eyes, and us witnessing it with her for the first time was really captivating I also loved the animal companions!

The characters are lovable. And as a sucker for found family, this hit all the right spots.

Thank you to the author for a copy of this book

To Defy Angels was such a captivating book! This is my first foray into books with themes of African mysticism and it absolutely did not disappoint. The worldbuilding and lore was very rich and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the world and the different cultures in the book.

The characters were the best part for me. A lot of the characters we read about are so layered and complex, and finding out about their motivations and secrets was what kept me turning the pages. I love Pet! I love the unhinged-ness Mortius Twins!

The pacing and the plot were top-notch. The story unravels slowly and keeps the reader guessing with the twists that when you reach the end it feels so rewarding.

Thank you to the author for a copy of this book.

Pearly Gates is a spirit guide who likes to do things her way, instead of the official sanctioned ways of improving the aura and quality of life of her charges. Pearly likes to look past the charts and the data, and connect to them on a spiritual and human level. And that's what her boss absolutely hates!

Seeing her charges hit a spiritual dead end, she proposes a wild plan to her boss. Give Pearly 10 days in Paris with her charges. If Pearly can raise their spiritual vibes by the end of the trip, her boss leaves her alone to do her own thing. If not, Pearly is stripped from being a guide, and is banned to cosmic waste management. No biggie. Totally doable! Right?

This book was very fun and endearing to read. It's campy, yes, but it's also very heartfelt and earnest in a way that keeps you hooked and invested in the characters. I love how there's emotional development not only for her charges, but for Pearly herself as she navigates her life post-breakup from her soulmate.

I'm also biased but hey, I love the Filipino representation here. And I love how the book handled Reyna navigating her feelings and coming to terms with her own self.

I would absolutely love to have Pearly as a spirit guide! Bonnie Solomon is absolutely an author whose works I'll be watching out for.

Thank you to netgalley and Bonsol Press for a copy of this book!

Fei was born a prophecy was made. She was destined to become the Empress of all Empresses. The emperor, upon hearing this prophecy, immediately betrothed Fei to his son, Rong Siwang to secure the future of their empire.

Growing up knowing one day she would marry Siwang, Fei has always lived under the control of others. And to her that is stifling. No one really pays attention or listens to her, beyond her just being there by Siwang’s side, sitting there and looking pretty.

I was the empress-to-be, but an empress still had to bend to the will of a man.

The only way she sees out is to kill a Beiying tiger, which grants her one favor from the emperor, wherein she’ll wish for the breaking of their engagement. She just wants to be free from her destiny and live her life away from the shadow of the prophecy, and of Siwang.

Why should my voice sound the quietest in this crowded room of men, set on dictating every aspect of my existence? Who gave them the right?

So she sneaks out to find the beiying tiger, and instead stumbles upon Lan Yexue, the prince of the fallen kingdom of Lan, who was forced to remain in Rong as a ward, heavily injured and poisoned.

That one decision she makes to save him, snowballs into something bigger than anticipated. One that not only deals with the future of their kingdom, but also with her own future.

As I said, we have double villain love interests. One is a traumatized golden boy who was betrothed to her since birth, and the other is a prince of a fallen kingdom, an immortal who would willingly start a war for her.

Both love interests are deeply flawed, and I love how Fei didn’t take any BS from either of them, instead choosing to forge her own path and make her own decisions.

When I was done reading, I almost crumpled the paper up and threw it. "You don't get to blame this war on me," I whispered. "None of you get to blame this on me”

The pacing was a little slow, but I understand that it had to take its time to set all these things up. And we had to sit with the characters for a bit to become attached to them, and to get in the mindset of Fei and where she’s coming from. I wanted to know more about the magic system and the lore, since it didn’t focus that much on it. I feel like we didn’t explore enough the vampire powers, and the prophecy itself. Still, I am looking forward to more of that in the next books.

For five years straight Hudson and Leilani have been summer camp rivals, and have been competing with each other over a game of capture the flag - with the loser doing a dare of the winner’s choice with the stakes getting higher each year.

I love the setting of this book - an adult summer camp! And this book was so much fun to read.The banter, the teasing, the tension, and the spice were absolutely A-tier. The dialogue made me chuckle out loud more than once.

The dynamic of Leilani and Hudson was also something I enjoyed. The competitive rivals with a little will-they-won’t-they. They can’t stand each other, but deep down, is that how they really felt?

The side characters are also interesting, andI’d love to read more about them in the nextCamp Clandestine books.

Thank you to K. L. Parsons for an advanced copy of this book

We have bisexual representation, antagonists to lovers, arranged marriage, found family, and a sweet sweet slowburn. A perfect recipe for a romantasy, IMO.

Amarin finds herself blindsided. She's now being led to Sandria to a forced political marriage by the very same people she's fought in the desert with. Upon arriving at the kingdom, she finds herself to wed to Justos - Sandria's soft-spoken king - who is also happy to keep her at arm's length. A small consolation is due to her being a warrior, she's handed a small guerilla unit to train. In doing so, she finds herself constantly butting heads with General Karik - the army general who seemingly set her up to fail from the beginning.

Court politics, intrigue, assassinations, and betrayals -this book was a fun read!

The romance didn't fully hit it's mark with me, but I understand it. I hope to see more of it in the following books. I love the queer representation and I am left wanting more from the characters.

Thank you to the author for an advanced copy of this book.