Reviews of my Reading List
Review #241
Songs of the Deep by Kelly Powell was slower than I expected. I rated it a 4.3/5 due to the beautiful atmospheric prose. Powell writes such gorgeous descriptions of the sea, lighthouse, and details of the environmental setting. The narration style of first person...
Review #240
I have this contemporary romance a solid 4.2/5 stars. I liked the first in this series better than this one. Their relationship was sweet. There weren’t any unexpected turns or anything that had me on the edge of my seat. It was a cute easy read for a relaxing...
Review #239
I gave The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff a 4.1/5 stars for this historical fiction standalone. I loved that there were three alternating female POV in different years until their story intersected. There wasn’t much romance in this (no steam) but the little that...
Review #238
I rated the contemporary standalone, Reminders of Him, by Colleen Hoover a 4.8/5 stars. Sometimes I wish the artwork on her covers weren’t as vague. The only way I can describe this author’s style or give it a comp is “Nicholas Sparks but waaaay better.” Here’s the...
Review #237
I rated Kristen Circcarelli’s “Edgewood” a 4.9/5 stars. The only reason this new adult fantasy lost .1 was because of the italicized internal thoughts that jumped tenses and were confusing when compared to “other” voices also being in italics. I believe this is a...
Review #236
I gave Music of the Night, a stand-alone, by Angela J Ford a full 5/5 stars. This Phantom of the Opera mixed with Beauty and the Beast had the perfect balance of romance, magic, songs, urgency, desire and steam, and captivating settings. It also has the most...
Review #235
I rated The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain a 3.9/5 stars. This standalone was a mix of contemporary and historical fiction involving a hard theme involving racism, segregation, and murder with dual timelines. Here are my live thoughts while reading:...
Review #234
I gave Darling Girl by Liz Michalski a solid 4.4/5 star rating. This was a unique Peter Pan retelling with Holly Darling as the main character and Peter as the ultimate villain. I’m glad I chose this Book of the Month selection since it was a swirl of dark...
Review #233
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez received a rare 5/5 stars from me! This friends to lovers had so many feels and I felt like I went on a whole, deep journey with Josh and Kristen instead of staying in the shallow water like some other contemporary romances. There are...
Review #232
I gave “The Stars We Steal” a solid 4/5 stars. This first person (one point of view from Leo) sci-fi YA stand-alone was enjoyable & flowed smoothly. It was a bit predictable but was an easy read for a lazy, sunny day. I had first heard of this author from YouTube...
Review #231
I gave Stolen by the Shadow King by Alisha Klapheke a 4.3/5 stars. This fabulous enemies to lovers was the first of a fantasy romance series. I’m unsure if it’ll be a duology or longer. The next is called Rise of the Fire Queen, available for preorder. There are other...
Review #230
So Wake County Public Library purchased Touch of Malice at my request. I’m the first one to read a fresh copy! Unfortunately, at the end I rated this steamy contemporary fantasy as a 3.3/5 stars and here’s my thoughts as reading. Chapter one is all about Persephone’s...
Review #229
I’d give this fantasy a 4.9/5 because I still wanted a little more emphasis on the romance. It was a tiny bit better than the first novel in this duology. I appreciated the effortless prose in first person present tense that stayed in Alosa’s POV the whole time. ...
Review #228
I gave a strong 4.8/5 star rating for Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller. If you want a female Captain Jack Sparrow, this is the fantasy pirate book for you. I assumed this was fantasy romance, but the romance wasn’t as strong as a focus as I wanted...
Review #227
Unfortunately, this contemporary trajectory was a 2.9/5 star rating for me. I loved the LGBTQ representation and the bravery of addressing the difficult theme of death. The first chapter felt pretty choppy, vague, staccato and the prose were a little awkward. In the...