Emily

Holy hell, our author loves a cliffhanger doesn't she? I am starving for book 3 and will probably start it after writing this review! The Bonds That Tie series continues in this second installment, and boy does it deliver! I found the pacing to be spot on and the split continue to be twisty and intriguing. Oli's gift continues to grow and develop and does her relationships with her bonds. There is one bond in particular that is quickly stealing my heart and attention. The spice is taken up a notch compared to Broken Bonds— and it is hot! We begin to learn more bits and pieces about the bonds, and I think there's definitely more depth and development still to come. Overall, this was a really good second book such a long series, and I cannot wait to start Blood Bonds soon (like in the next 5 minutes). Savage Bonds is an adult paranormal romance, 18+ for sexual content and themes.

I. Am. Reeling. Lexi freaking Ryan! This was such an amazing conclusion to this duology. I couldn't stop reading, and the pacing was perfect. These Twisted bonds picks up right where These Hollow Vows left off, and the story continues to follow our female main character, Abriella. After the betrayal she is feeling after the events of book 1, she finds it extremely difficult to trust anyone. The love triangle between Sebastian and Finn continues in this book, and in my opinion, is much more prevalent than in These Hollow Vows. I find in love triangles, we always root for one character over the other. I found the plot of this book hard to predict, which I loved, and it only made me devour the book to seek resolution. This book is classified as young adult, but y'all... she is a steamy YA. There is lots of sexual tension- which we love- and the pay off was perfect for the tone of the series. This book ticks so many boxes for me: intriguing plot, twists and unexpected turns, one horse trope, and bits of forced proximity. This book is YA fantasy, 16+ for sexual content

This book was a part of the September book buddy read for Bibliovert Podcast's patreon group, and while I didn't finish it in time for the zoom meeting, I just finished it and it was so good! It was a slow start for me, but once I got into it I was hooked! Slow burn, enemies to lovers, adventure. This book had it all- literally so many tropes! I knocked off a star simply because I felt like the ending wrapped up really quickly. I'm interested to see what happens in the next book for this world though. After what felt like the slowest burn, there was some spice and y'all, the spice was good! I felt like it was a good spice level for the book and it wasn't graphic or explicit but not fade to black which was nice. I'd say this book is adult fantasy 18+ for some language and sexual content.

This story was just so so sweet! Friends to lovers is not a trope I normally reach for, but I really loved it in this story! We met Hannah and Fox in It Happened One Summer, and I loved the glimpse we got of them there. Seeing it all play out in their book was an absolute delight. I really love all of the back story we get about Fox and his upbringing. It helped me really connect to his character and just root for him that much stronger. Hannah is such a unique FMC. She is strong and independent, but she also has insecurities that hold her back from reaching for what she really wants. This book was a much slower burn than It Happened One Summer, so fans of tension will love! There was so much tension and I both loved and hated it (IYKYK). The payoff was worth it, but seeing Fox discover his worth was probably my favorite part of this story. This is an adult romance, 18+ for sexual content.

Spoiler-Free Review: (Potential Spoilers for the first 3 books of the series )

Raven Kennedy... excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor! Y'all this book was so good! Those last few chapters had me by the throat with anxiety. Glow picks up where Gleam left off, which for me, kept a good pace for the book. Slade is escaping with Auren, Queen Kaila is being sketchy, the people are panicked, and we get all of this through multi-POV goodness. Y'all know I love multi-pov... it just makes for deeper development, which I am a sucker for. In this book, we get a fair bit of back story into Slade's past. This really deepens his character development and helps explain why he is the way he is. Secrets are revealed about his past and his family that I hope get more expansion in the next book. Auren— my sweet, sweet Auren. She has spent the last three books enduring some deep trauma, and we finally get a bit of healing in this book. The way Raven Kennedy wrote her finally realizing her worth, and not fearing her power, was truly beautiful. Slade and Auren's romance finally heats up now that they are free to do so, and y'all, it is hot! The level of spice in this book is more than any of the others. The way Auren takes hold of her sexual freedom after being abused for so long, is just chef's kiss. So many sub-plots and side stories, but there's one in particular that I am very intrigued to get more of— cough Osrick. The ending still has my heart pounding and it's been an hour since I've finished. I cannot wait for Gold next year! This is an Adult Fantasy, 18+ for sexual content, themes, language. Check trigger warnings.

It has been a long time since I've felt that a book or a story was truly beautiful, but A River Enchanted was absolutely beautiful in every way! Rebecca Ross' writing style is one of the most lyrical I've ever read, and her storytelling is phenomenal! I can't think of anything I didn't like about this book. The plot, world, and magic were all very unique and fresh, which I appreciated. The imagery used to describe the world was excellent. There is a romantic element in the story, but I wouldn't say it is at the forefront. For me it was more more of an undertone that added depth to the overall story. There were however moments of tension which were very nice and well-written. We get multi-POV, which I am a sucker for! We get the POV of a married couple who are trying to recover after a traumatic event, and I loved how she wrote them rebuilding and repairing that relationship. It was one of my favorite elements in the book. There is a twist that I did not see coming at all, which is always fun. I don't like when a story is too predictable and this wasn't. Basically, I need everyone to read this and tell you every thought because I loved it so much! This is an adult fantasy novel but I say 16+ for themes and mild violence.

This was such a good jump back into fantasy after hanging out with romance for the last few weeks! J. Bree does a great job at setting up the series, and I immediately bought book 2 when I finished. Broken Bonds follows Oleander (Oli) who is captured after being on the run and has a huge secret she will do anything to keep that way. We are also introduced to Oli's Bonds: North, Nox, Gryphon, Gabe, and Atlas. The world building felt just a tad slow in the beginning, but it definitely kept me engaged and intrigued. It's also been a while since I've started a fantasy series, so it might just be me. I know this series ends up being “why choose” but there is mostly just tension in this first book. The last 10% had me absolutely feral and hooked, and I am even more excited to start Savage Bonds soon! Broken Bonds is an adult fantasy, 18+ for language, themes, and sexual content

I bought this book a little less than 2 years ago after finishing The Ember Quartet by the same author. I found a signed copy in a small book shop in Texas, and when I got home I tucked it on my shelf with a plan to read it “soon”. We all know how this goes. Life happened and other books happened, and now I'm mad I didn't read it sooner! This book is absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. It's about the importance of friendship, the prejudices that exist, life after loss, and so so much more. We get to experience the story with multi-POV which I enjoyed. Despite having a physical copy, I listened to the audio of this and it was very well done with dual narration. All My Rage is one of the first traditionally published books that I've read that had a trigger warning page and also a page of resources after the story was done. I will be thinking about Noor, Salahudin, and Misbah for a while. Their was so impactful! All My Rage is a Young Adult novel, 16+ for themes.

Now that my tears have finally stopped

The journey to California in the Cadillac continues with Aria's story in this fourth book in The Runaway series. This one was a really quick read for me and only took me a few hours to get through. However, the story and characters felt a bit underdeveloped compared to others in the series, but I still really enjoyed it. Forsaken Trail follows Aria and Brody. Brody is Aria's sister, Clara's boss, and it's no secret that Aria and he do not get along. After a drunken one night stand leads to something unexpected, the two must decide on how to make things work civilly. There are whisperings of tension, spice, and a little forced proximity, but I definitely feel like they could have been expanded on. I'm really excited to get to book 5 and see where the story goes for Clara. Overall this was a quick and sweet read, and Aria's story definitely needed to be told. Forsaken Trail is an adult romance, 18+ for sexual content and themes— I recommend checking trigger warnings

Another great installment in this series by Devney Perry! The journeys that these characters go on to finding themselves and love after everything they've been through is so emotional and heartwarming. This third installment follows Katherine (Kat), who we last saw in Montana managing the ranch, and Cash, Easton's (from book 2) brother who also works at the ranch. Kat and Cash have been friends since she came to the ranch years ago, and they even live together as roommates. This is friends to lovers goodness filled with unrequited love and tension. I took off a half star because, for me, the resolution felt a bit rushed for the size of the conflict, but otherwise I absolutely loved it and am excited to get to Aria's book next! Quarter Miles is an adult romance, 18+ for themes and sexual content. Like the other books in the series, there is heavier content so look up trigger warnings or DM me

Stefan Dalca... Stefan freaking Dalca! Y'all, this book and this man chef's kiss. I've been making my way through @elsie's Gold Rush Ranch series and this is my favorite so far! This is an enemies to lovers story with fake dating mixed in, and it definitely does not disappoint. The female main character, Mira was 34 which I appreciated and made her more relatable. Stefan is a dreamy male main character whose confidence adds to his appeal. Stefan pulls Mira out of her comfort zone in the best possible way. I found this book to be much spicier than the previous books in the series. This is an adult romance, 18+ for language and sexual content

I have been putting this book off for a long time, and now I'm mad at myself for doing so. I've seen mixed reviews on this book, so I think that intimidated me a bit. Maybe I was scared I wouldn't like it

Spoiler- Free Review:

This was such a sweet romance! I am fully invested in knowing more about the characters in this amazing town that Elsie Silver has created! I picked up this book as a quick palate cleanser, and it was more than I expected in the greatest way! This book follows the stories of Cole and Violet who we meet very briefly in book 1, Off to the Races. Cole has so much baggage and things to overcome from his past as well as a secret that I did not see coming. His character arc was one of my favorites and I feel like he deals with things that a lot of people struggle with on a daily basis. Violet, sweet sweet Violet. She is like a breath of fresh air. So carefree and fun, but she also has some insecurities holding her back. This was just the sweetest love story, and I love that the author gave a glimpse into the future in the epilogue; because, we all know I love closure. This is an adult romance, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, age gap, so many good tropes! The way Elsie Silver writes is amazing. The story was so sweet, but the spice was hot! She writes this so well! Definitely recommend this series for fans of romance. 18+ for language, sexual content, and themes.

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea by Katherine Quinn
Book 1 in The Azantian Trilogy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars


Spoiler-free Review:

Slow-burn, enemies to lovers, pirate vibe- say no more! This book was such a pleasant surprise! I bought it because I saw it was on sale for Kindle, and I don't regret it at all! Margrete is a strong FMC and Bash is a dreamy MMC. I can't wait to see where this series goes. I think it's set up for a strong second book of the trilogy. Theres a slow burn romance, but the payoff is so good. The spice is very well written. The writing style was superb, and I found myself consumed by the story and unable to put it down. There were a few things I was confused about that I feel like could've been explained better (unless that's to come in future books). I also feel like the ending wrapped up rather quickly and for those reasons I gave 4/5 stars. Grab it while it's on sale!

I absolutely loved being back with my favorite Off-Campus
boys again! I have loved this series and getting to know all of
the amazing characters that Elle Kennedy has created for us
to enjoy. The Legacy is a book comprised of four novellas
that are essentially epilogues to everyone's stories. I felt like
everyone got amazing resolution and closure except for one
couple, and I'm kind of bitter about it since they're one of my
favorites. Otherwise it was a good read if you enjoyed the
series. I took off one star because I felt like I had unanswered
questions at the end for one of the couples, and their story
felt unfinished to me. These are adult romance novellas. 18+
for sexual content, language, and themes

Laura Pavlov, what have you done to me? I am on a romance binge for sure, and all of these small town romances are hitting me right in the feels! Tangled is the second installment in the Willow Springs series, and it follows Gigi, one of our Magic Willow girls who craves the college experience and independence, and Gray, fraternity president and Gigi's brothers best friend with some family troubles. Gray starts out as an overprotective guardian over Gigi who he's known his whole life because of his friendship with her brother, Cade. Gigi tries to go out and date other guys, but Gray is always there to lay down the law and interfere. Eventually tensions heighten and they realize that they have feelings for each other. Gray and Gigi's romance is so sweet and continues along those coming of age/early adulthood moments for Gigi. There is lots of tension, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was spicy. I would say this is a slower burn, but worth it because Gray is so tender with Gigi! Tangled is a new adult romance, 18+ for sexual content and themes.

Possibly Spoilery Review:

What a freaking roller coaster! This book is the third installment in Raven Kennedy's Plated Prisoner Series. This reread has been so fun, and I didn't realize how much of this series that I forgot about. More eye-opening and alarming behavior from Midas that made me so incredibly angry. This book is full of secrets and betrayal which made it impossible for me to stop listening. Yes, I endured the audio again. It's not great narration, but I was able to speed it up a bit which made it more bearable. We finally get some pay off from all of the sexual tension that has been building between Rip and Auren. Auren's eyes are opened further to what her life could be like in a world where she was free, a life that she craves. The story comes to an extreme head at the end of this book, and I am ✨starving✨ for Glow, which comes out next month. This story is a story of overcoming extreme odds after enduring years of abuse and intense betrayal. I cannot wait to see Auren's story continue and where her journey takes her. Also, what the heck is the queen up to? There's two queens that I'd like to know what part they're planning in all of this. This book, like the others, is an adult fantasy, 18+ for language, sexual content, and themes. Continue utilizing trigger warnings.

The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks (ARC)
Book 1 in the Witch Walker series

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Spoiler-free Review

I stumbled upon Charissa Weaks' Instagram page about 2 weeks ago and on a whim joined her Facebook group and was given an eARC for The Witch Collector. Y'all, I am so glad I did! The story was so unique which was refreshing. The book was well-paced and I found myself unable to put it down! I had to know what happened next. It is full of action and adventure and some romance. All the things! The main characters, Raina and Alexus are so well written and both such strong individuals. I thought the world building and explanation of the magic system was well done and easy for the reader to follow. There are some strong side characters that I hope we get more of in future books. This book is dual POV and I knocked a half-star just because I wish we'd gotten just a little more from Alexus' POV. His chapters were some of my favorites! I think we will get that (hopefully) in the next book. This book was slow-burn (in my opinion) enemies to lovers, and at times the sexual tension was thick! There are a few spicy moments as well as some language so I'd classify this book as adult fantasy. I cannot wait for this book to come out in November to buy a hard copy and I can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes! Preorder now! Release date is 11/2/21.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


This book was everything I didn't know I needed! Wow! The two main characters are literally the best. Olive is so awkward and nerdy in the most adorable way. Adam is one of the moodiest male characters I've ever read, but I love it. Hello new book boyfriend! This book has a grumpy/sunshine love story and slow burn romance. As a woman who works in STEM, I appreciated this book so much. The science aspects made me smile. I laughed, I cried and I raged at assholey characters. The burn is slooowwww and the sexual tension is definitely there, but the pay off is worth it! Hello Spice! Extremely well written and perfect for the relationship the two characters share. Read this book! I've been on a fantasy binge, and this was the perfect palate cleanser!

This was a reread for me, and I was not ready for the way my heart and soul would react to being back in Haerland with Aydra and Draven again. The first time I read this, I didn't leave a review so here it goes...
This book is the first book in The Honest Scrolls series, and it is so good! The world is complex and I found myself appreciating the prologue so much more during this reread. It definitely lays the groundwork for all of the different characters that you will meet throughout the series. Dead Moons Rising follows Aydra and her journey to “break the wheel” of traditional queens of her people. She is such a strong main character. She does what she wants, when she wants, and it was refreshing to have such an independent FMC. She meets Draven who is from an enemy people, and y'all... Draven is so good! A strong male main character who would go to the ends of the earth for his kingdom. The banter that he and Aydra have is so well-written and fun to read. The spice in this book... it is so good! The lovers part of “enemies to lovers” is definitely achieved! In this book, we get everything: world building, character development, banter, adventure, sexy characters and spice, literally all the things. This is just an intro into the amazing world that Jack Whitney has created for us. Flames of Promise is book 2, and The Gathering is a companion novella that takes place during the events of DMR; but, I recommend reading Flames of Promise first.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars

Swipe for Synopsis⏩

This book was super light and cute which is exactly what I needed! My last two reads were super dark so this was perfect and seasonal which we love! Perfect light read for spooky season! Mild enemies to lovers, maybe more like lovers to enemies to lovers? I loved the male MC. He was perfectly British and had such swagger. I wish he had had a little more closure at the end of the book. I deducted one star because I felt it was a little slow paced. The story didn't really pick up for me until about right after the half way point. I also feel like it all kind of wrapped up rather quickly. Overall though, a really cute rom com. I laughed out loud at parts. There's still time to pick this up before Halloween! Check it out y'all!

I wanted to love this book. I wanted so much to love it, but it just fell a tad flat for me. Was it a fun read? Hell yes! Was the spice good? Extremely! But I had a few issues with the plot and some characters. Let's start with what I liked. I liked that Isolde (the FMC) was a fighter first. She didn't take any shit from anyone and I liked that. I also always love an enemies to lovers trope and one horse trope and this book had both of those. Adrian (MMC) would do anything for the people he cares about which I love in a male character. He and Isolde have some really tender moments. As for what I didn't like... I felt the storyline was kind of predictable. This book was heavy on the “I shouldn't want this man but I do” trope. I know this comes with an enemies to lovers trope, but it was mentioned so frequently that it got repetitive. I also didn't like how if the characters were arguing they frequently used sex to move past it or reconnect and there wasn't a lot of actual communication about the issues. Overall I thought it was a fun read. The story picked up a lot toward the end and has me curious for book 2 so I will probably read it when it comes out. However, I personally enjoyed the authors other series more. This is definitely an adult read. 18+ for sexual content and language.

Possibly spoilery

This was a reread for me, and I honestly forgot how much I liked this book! The ending had me wanting to jump into Glint right away! This series is a King Midas retelling with a twist. The story follows Auren who is the kings favored concubine and her journey to realizing her true value. This book is a bit slow, but I always expect that in first book of fantasy series. By the end of this book, I was craving more. I reread this book to prepare for the upcoming release of Glow, book 4 in this series. I can't wait to move onto Glint and Gleam! I did this reread with the audiobook, and the narration was kind of difficult for me. It was very slow and just her cadence of speech was off, but once I upped the speed to 2x it was tolerable and less noticeable. This is an adult fantasy, 18+ for language, sexual content, and themes. Check trigger warning because this book definitely touches on some difficult themes.

Spoiler-Free Review:

This was a reread for me, and I honestly forgot how much I liked this book! The ending had me wanting to jump into Glint right away! This series is a King Midas retelling with a twist. The story follows Auren who is the kings favored concubine and her journey to realizing her true value. This book is a bit slow, but I always expect that in first book of fantasy series. By the end of this book, I was craving more. I reread this book to prepare for the upcoming release of Glow, book 4 in this series. I can't wait to move onto Glint and Gleam! I did this reread with the audiobook, and the narration was kind of difficult for me. It was very slow and just her cadence of speech was off, but once I upped the speed to 2x it was tolerable and less noticeable. This is an adult fantasy, 18+ for language, sexual content, and themes. Check trigger warning because this book definitely touches on some difficult themes.