Lisa

Rounding this up to 4 stars from my personal rating of 3.5.

This book's strength lies in the central plot continued from the first book. It's mysterious, tense, and at times shocking. The world's history is rich and evolving in a really interesting way.

It's weakness for me lies in the pacing. The book moves quick. Multiple times I was surprised to be done with a scene. It brings you right to the beginning of excitement and then cuts to black, coming back in after it's resolved. Some of the plot twists feel like they came out of nowhere.

I enjoyed the continuation of this series and I want to see how it goes, I just may be willing to wait a while.

(4.75)
This book was like eating an entire bag of my favorite chips (or tropes) in one sitting and I had such a good time reading it.

This was such a fun take on a grumpy sunshine sport romance. Josephine's sunshine is capable, smart, and sassy and Wells remains a grump even when revealing a heart of gold. It's true insta-love. Wells is concerned, lightly possessive, protective, and a marshmallow under a bad boy exterior. Josephine is talented, loyal, driven, and funny. They don't fall in love, they collide and it's enjoyable to watch.

One of my favorite tropes is hurt/comfort and you get a little bit of that throughout this one. I can't speak to the accuracy of golf or diabetes representation, but as someone unfamiliar with both it came across fine.

As always with Tessa Bailey, you get a pretty even balance of heartfelt character growth, banter, spice, and plot action. My only complaint is that you really kind of just get thrown into the middle of things and it feels like things get set up very fast. Not even just the romance, but getting to know them both as characters before being expected to understand their motivations.

Also if you spend the entire book, like me, worrying about a surprise video scandal with all the canoodling these two do in public, then you can be relieved to know that you don't need to worry about it!

The last quarter of this book is an absolute roller coaster, but at the midway point I wasn't sure I was going to continue this series.

Silla can be incredibly naive, and I don't always have the patience for that (especially in a book this long). Some of her internal dialogue felt too repetitive for me, but there's enough character growth by the end that I don't think that will be as much of an issue moving forward.

There are twists. One in particular felt a little clunky. I could tell where the author was trying to build it up but it felt so out of the blue that I thought the character's emotions were being manipulated through magic. The other big twist was a fun surprise I hadn't considered, and that is the one that is bringing me back. I had an idea of where the plot was going and was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

Recommended for people who like fantasy romance, slow burn romance, found family, and a sunshine main character who is full of secrets.

The next book seems to have some tropes I enjoy so I'll continue reading, but I don't know that I'll come back and reread this one.

(4.75 stars) Part mystery, part romance, part focus on mental health and family

This is one of the most unique romance books I've read. Jess Greene's life is defined by the mother who left her, and when a popular true crime podcast comes knocking she's forced to confront the emotions she's tried desperately to keep locked away. Adam Hawkins has his own story to tell and he needs this podcast to go well before he can do it. He soon finds himself entangled in Jess's life and at odds with his own professional ethics.

As someone who used to binge a lot of true crime podcasts, the vibes of this book were spot on. The mystery of Jess's mom and the conman she left town with is compelling and holds its own against the romantic arc. There's also a strong theme of mental health and how different people cope with trauma. The two main characters are deeply introspective and hyper observant of the world around them. You spend much of the time in their thoughts (honestly almost too much at times) but it gives a really interesting look into how different a person's own view of themselves can be from those around them.

The romance isn't insta-love but is insta-connection. There's an immediate attraction pulling Jess and Adam together (even when they're basically strangers) and this felt a bit weak to me initially, but I ended up enjoying it. Jess is emotionally guarded, and Adam is there in a professional capacity so the romance is a slow burn. It's satisfying to see him do the work to gain her trust.

Overall I loved it. It was complex and emotional. There's character development not just for the main characters but the side characters as well. I'd recommend it to anyone, but especially to people who have listened to investigative podcasts and enjoyed them.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster. The first half is a slow ascent of knowing you're getting closer to the point where everything tips into a rush to the end.

Rebecca Ross writes beautifully, and this book managed to do two things well that I was worried about. First, she was able to recreate some of the magic of Iris and Roman falling for each other's words. Second, even when separated, you get a sense of their connection. The story didn't drag with them apart.

If you enjoyed the first book, you'll likely like the conclusion. It feels complete.

(DNF) Wasn't for me, but will appeal to others.

There are YA books that easily bridge the gap to adult books and then there are YA books that feel young. This book feels young, despite containing adult themes.

The writing is very simple. There's not a lot of variety to the sentence structure and the descriptions of characters are very black and white . I felt like I was being spoon fed everyone's feelings and motivations instead of letting their actions speak for themselves.

It was giving me How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days vibes in that the two characters seemed to be working against each other while outwardly pretending otherwise. It didn't feel as serious as I would have expected despite hints at more serious topics appearing later in the book. I'm not qualified to speak for the plot overall as I didn't finish it.

Pros: It would probably be easy to read and there is some promising world building, so if you don't see a problem with my issues above it might be worth a try. But I would definitely recommend downloading a sample first to see if you vibe with the writing. I personally couldn't get past it, but maybe the plot would have pulled me in eventually.

This already had me at single parent, grump sunshine, bodyguard romance but I'm delighted to report that it delivered.

Is this too much dramatic near death experiences for one small Scottish town and family? Probably. Do I care? No. It's my favorite genre.

I loved the Adair sibling series and I'm happy we get to stay within that universe. While this could be read as a standalone I don't think it would be quite as good without the background of the previous series.

An explosive conclusion to a really fun series. I was worried some plot lines would be left unfinished just due to the sheer amount of things going on but you get answers to everything.

I love the world and the characters in it. This book is a satisfying end but I wish it would keep going just so I could keep reading it. There's definitely room for spinoffs within this universe.

The pacing is a little quick for me still (which makes sense given how much needed to progress to be wrapped up) and occasionally the writing is repetitive in a way that's distracting but I'd absolutely recommend this series to someone looking for a quick paranormal romance with suspense, mystery, and action in a unique urban fantasy setting.

This book was everything I hoped it would be! Romance, adventure, and mystery delightfully set around a cursed tomb in Egypt. Although I'd read an entire series based around Edie and Ben, this book wraps up in a way that feels complete.

My only complaint is that the book often switched perspectives mid scene in a way that was at best distracting and, at worst, confusing. But never so much that I was unable to enjoy the story and want to continue.

If you showed up to The Mummy for the romance but stayed for the intrigue, you'll feel right at home with this one.

Death Raiser is a good addition to the series. It delivers on suspense and moves the plot forward nicely. My only critiques are that Lark's romantic relationship progressed very fast and some of the twists were set up a little too clearly early on. I would have loved a bit more of a slow burn.

Overall, still a very fun book in an interesting setting. Felt a little fast but I can already see myself rereading it in the future.

A dynamic journey full of history, secrets, magic, and fate that spans centuries.

At it's core, this is a book about tough love and character development. Diana has a lot to understand with her unpredictable magic as well as her deepening relationship with Matthew (and his lifetimes of secrets). Matthew has to come to terms with the actions of his past in light of his newly shifted priorities. Despite getting a break from the pursuit of the Congregation, danger still surrounds them. It's only by trusting each other that they can survive.

There's a lot to like about this one. It's full of historical easter eggs, found family, suspense, and mystery, but where it really shines for me is the gift of having more time. More time for Diana to master her magic. More time for them to understand their relationship. More time with old friends and loved ones.

Without going into detail, there are strong themes of forgiveness, bittersweet happiness, and closure that bring me to tears every time.

Often book two in a series can feel a little slow, especially if it's essentially one big training montage, but I think this book avoids that. It overcomes some of the more obvious obstacles in progressing the plot in a way that doesn't feel tedious or like time wasted.

Personally, I think this is the strongest book out of both sagas. Seeing how the Olympians and gods interact with and adapt to (or don't) the modern world has always been my favorite, and there's plenty of that in this.

When you tell the same story from a different point of view, it can be challenging. Hades and Persephone's story arcs are independent enough that there's plenty of space for this to feel fresh.

The action scenes were well done and dramatic.

This book includes chapters from multiple characters, and while I normally dislike changing that so late in a series, it felt natural and was necessary for this book to feel complete.

The only downside I can think of is that you get stuck with the same cliffhanger twice, but that's kind of part of the fun isn't it?