Kendall

This book was so cute! I really enjoyed how it was written with the interspersed articles of both characters. It let me see a bit into the mind of the MMC who didn’t have a POV. Normally, I am not one to really like second chance romance’s, but this one was really well done. They had just enough tension as well as actual problems that it made it believable that they weren’t still together / couldn’t just quickly get over it all. It also made for really good Friends to enemies to lovers that I am a sucker for. Their banter was funny and adorable. I also liked the underlying plot of bettering yourself outside a relationship. Its kind of rare to see a romance book advocating to be single (even as a comedic devise), but I really liked it.

Overall, I would definitely recommend! I will also never look at a sunflower the same way again (if you know, you know).

This was such a wonderful sequel to the Lovelight Farms series. I absolutely loved Beckett in the first book, but being able to actually learn more about him and how he thinks was so great. I fell more in love with his character because of it. I also appreciated that this book was Dual POV. Often, romance books in a series stick with a similar POV throughout, and since the first one was from only from the woman’s POV, I was worried about losing out on Beckett’s thoughts. I was very happy that was NOT the case. I also fell in love with Evelyn. She was very relatable. Her search for happy in a world that is inundated by social media and the internet is something I think everyone can connect to. This book even made me want to take stock of my life and look for “my happy”. It’s rare that a romance book does that for me. While, of course, this book had more than just romance, ooooh man, was the romance good. They both were so sweet with each other and had such good chemistry, it was hard not to shout “just get together already!!”. There is something really addictive about the way this author writes. I’m not sure what it is but it just screams comfort and wholesome. I really can’t recommend this book (and series) enough. I will 100% being reading the next installment.

This book was interesting to say the least. I will say that I found it to be really … heavy. The world and the magic system are pretty complex and odd in this book, so it makes sense that so much time is spent of describing how it all works. But there is SOOOO much detail. It isn’t just the first couple chapters and then sprinkled in as needed. Nope, its constant and consistent the entire way through. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t necessarily categorize it as a “fun” read. It was dark, moldy, and uncomfortable at times. So why did I still kind of like it? The characters. I loved the fact that the main character El is destined to be a villain, yet still tries to be good. I loved how sarcastic and rude she was to everyone even if she was saving them. I also loved Orion, the embodiment of a cinnamon roll, who has such a one-track mind of being a hero that he’ll save the one girl who doesn’t want him to multiple times. Their relationship (odd as it was) along with all the other cool side characters is the reason that I kept reading and why I will probably read the next one. While I wish the author understood that sometimes we as the reader don’t need to know every micro detail all the time, I do want to know what happens to everyone and if they graduate this deadly school.

This book was sooooooo good. It felt like getting wrapped up in a warm blanket on a chilly day. It had all the perfect elements: a main character who learns more about herself, good food, a swoonworthy love interest, and and eccentric, magical apartment. While I could go on about how the plot is well written with jumps back in time and how even the side characters are interesting, it is really the way that the author wrote that sells this book. It is so poetic in its prose that nearly every page, I found another quote that I loved. It beautifully intertwined the aftermaths of grief and how easily it can be to lose yourself in the habituality of life. Not to mention, it wonderfully showed a love story that spanned 7 years in such a way that I wasn’t frustrated with either of the characters for not getting together sooner.

I can’t accurately put into words how good it was. I will be reading this book again!

I heard a lot of hype around this book, but unfortunately, it was the boy who cried wolf for me.

I will say that I normally don't read this type of romance (Alpha werewolves and the like), but I wanted to try something different. I want to give that disclaimer because it very may well be that I am just not knowledgeable to the genre and its tropes. I'm not sure if it was the nature of these types of books where the main characters are a "perfect match" or if it was the countless spicy scenes with little personal growth that turned me off this book. Regardless, it was a rough one for me. This book was pretty long, but I don't feel like I really saw WHY the characters liked it each other. It all seemed very superficially explained. They start out seeming to "hate" each other, but as soon as they smell each other... all is well? It may just be me, but I root for main couple to get together in books because their personalities match, not because pheromones say so. I will say that I liked being able to see each person's perspective. It made me realize that they did have some sort of personality, even if it didn't show itself very often. I also appreciated that they simply explained the whole werewolf Alpha/Omega lore. As a newbie, it all seemed to make sense. Overall, I found this book to be a trumped up spicy romance with little chemistry between the characters outside of the physical. They didn't have much banter or the "enemies" part to enemies to lovers. Maybe this book wouldn't have been so bad if the marketing for it hadn't been so off.

Ooof. This book was RoUgH. If I had to pinpoint a perfect example of trying too hard, I'd pick this book. To start off, the first couple chapters weren't actually that bad, and the premise of the whole book was pretty cool, but the execution was painful. I could honestly feel the author trying to be mysterious instead of BEING mysterious. As a reader, the last thing that I want when reading a suspense novel is to be constantly told by the main character's narration that someone is being weird. I should just inherently know that. There were also a LOT of plot holes that were just never explained. For instance, the entire time Mira, the main character, keeps getting these weird "gut feelings" about people or feeling suddenly nauseous, but there is not explanation. The "strangers" all also seemed to know each other, but how they did was never explained. The ending honestly felt like a shot in the dark. I wish that I could say that there were parts that I liked, but this was difficult to get through. I would NOT recommend.

I really wanted to like this book, but the ending didn’t match the beginning for me. I loved the premise. A surprise vampire as your roommate that you need to teach about the ways of modern life? SOLD! The beginning was a good mixture of fun, magic, and even plausibility (as much as one can have with a vampire book). Unfortunately, the middle lost steam. The world of vampires, how things work, and more importantly how Fredrick became a vampire isn’t really explained. I wanted more answers (even simple ones) than I actually got. The only thing that got explained were highly ridiculous like the mysterious coat closet she is forbidden to go into at the start of the book. By the end, I was still hoping that the characters I got invested in at the beginning would be able to salvage the book, but alas… nope. The end felt very rushed and not very well thought out. Overall, I liked the premise and the characters, but I think more time was spent editing/working on the start and idea of the book that ending got lost. If you like vampires and light-hearted contemporary romance, you’ll probably still like this book. I just wanted a bit more complexity outside of the overdone vampire tropes.

Woah… That was amazing. Heartbreaking. Wild. Addictive.

As we all know, this book is very popular on Booktok, but I keep seeing a lot of criticism for it. Unlike a lot of people out there, I really liked this book. The pacing was much different from the first book, but for me, I liked it. It was much more serious and slowed down than the first book which makes sense as Violet and the squad that we love so much enter into their second (and deadlier) year at Basgiath. They have more time to take stock of their surroundings and lives. I also keep seeing a lot of criticism about Violet and Xaden’s relationship, specifically their back and forth / “lack of growth”. I may be in the minority here, but it made sense to me. For a large portion of the book (minor spoiler!), they are separated and only see each other for less than 24 hours every couple weeks. Of course, you aren’t going to solve your major issues in your relationship that quickly. Especially with everyone watching you like a hawk. Also, while Violet isn’t 16 or anything, she also isn’t 30 year old with life/relationship experience and access to a good therapist. She is a general’s daughter… and Xaden is a war revolutionary’s son. That doesn’t say warm and cuddly communication, you guys.

Criticism that I disagree with aside…. there were also parts that I really loved. I loved Xaden and Violet’s snarky back and forth. I loved seeing the loyalty and found family vibes from the squard (Ridoc is the best!). I loved Tairn and his relationship with Adarna. AND I absolutely loved the plot of the “revolution” and what the government is hiding from the rest of the public. This book really has a bit of everything, and I can see how the author is laying the groundwork for future books.

Overall, I literally cannot wait for the next book! The cliffhanger was jaw-dropping, and I need answers!! 100% recommend reading this if you have read Fourth Wing. And if you haven’t read Fourth Wing… Go read it!