Ciara Harney

Characters: 10/10

Writing: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Setting: 10/10

Enjoyment: 10/10

Oooooh myyyyy Gooodneeeeeeeess! Ahhhhh!

I LOVE this book so much. The way it was written was so funny and engaging and truly made fall for both Josh and Clara. I loved them and their motivations. And the YEARNING, it was so palpable. I was giddy, laughing, having a good time, had my heart broken, and then stitched back together. I don't care what anyone says. This was a masterpiece.

I loved the discussions as well surrounding sex and desire within relationships and business, i.e. the adult film industry. It felt amazing to see it written with such care despite the casual format. The way this author also talked about intimacy without it ever being raunchy. Heck out of any spicy book I've read I would've thought this would take the cake with raunchiness. But, no, it was never over the top. It was unapologetic, yes, but not as anatomical and everywhere like many other unassuming erotica parading as romance.

Needless to say, this is one of my top reads of this year, if not my life.

I picked this up on a whim but got pleasantly surprised and sucked into the story. The beginning for sure was an interesting way to start the book but pulled me in nonetheless. I loved Edie and I loved John (honestly I LOVED Anders, the most).

I really enjoyed the progression of their relationship. And Edie's inner monologue exploring anxiety, panic attacks, night terrors, and PTSD symptoms felt really well presented from the perspective of a teenager trying to deal after everything that happened to her and John.

Normally I would get bored with books of similar boy meet girl, girl like boy, boy wants to be friends until - f e e l i n g s. The way the author wrote this though was very compelling to me even with the pop culture references (a very small peeve of mine).

I liked that our main character is presented as a thicker girl and actually stayed that way throughout the book. I hate when I read a book about a plus sized woman/girl and it feels like her size changes throughout the book without the author meaning to. Here we had none of that, and yes she does get mean remarks and insults regarding her weight but she owns it.

I do kinda wish that this was dual POV but that's just me being spoiled and wanting to know what john was thinking a lot of the time. Like I could see what he was doing and guess how he felt but, uhhh what I wouldn't give to find what he felt the whole time.

People might have things to critique this about but I honestly can't find any fault in the book at all. I have this warm fuzzy feeling just thinking about it (ok maybe the ending was a little concise and short for me but still...). I have to give it 5 stars just cause I am real happy about just everything that happened.

3.5 stars

I picked this book up with no expectations really since I haven't read that many books in the sports rom genre. I will say that I did enjoy this book mostly for the ridiculousness of the FMC and the MMC for his consistency in asking for consent. There were some things that rubbed me the wrong way but it didn't deter me from finishing the book.

What rubbed me the wrong way at times and may deter others:

- The FMC's constant ridicule and shaming of hockey team fans, most specifically female fans. They were referred to as “puck bunnies” and the FMC's favorite term: “hockey hookers”. This made every female other than the FMC, her friend, and the team's family members into essentially attention seeking whores, sluts, and any other creative insult she could think of.

- Her constant yes and no with the MMC. What I mean: she says one thing but does another and regrets it. But does it again and then when it should be shown that she knows who he is (the MMC) as a person he makes a mistake (pretty big one, I'll admit) but she acts like “I was right the whole time”. Which means, she was just waiting for him to mess up.

- She (FMC) was pretty obnoxious to an extent and immature. Especially surrounding the MMC's “MC” or appendage. Though to me, her utter ridiculousness as a character did make me laugh because I never expected a character like her. Considering how the author wrote her, I would say they both have pretty strange imaginations and perhaps no filters.

So, it's not the best book that I have ever read but it was pretty good for an easy read though it lasted longer than I expected. A lot of the portrayals of people or concepts were OTT. But nonetheless, I mostly liked it for the side characters and the MMC. So I will definitely continue the series just to see their stories.

BTW I am not an expert critique or anything. I honestly find most things people hate to be funny and/or enjoyable, even if it's stupid (to them or just in general). Just letting anyone who reads this know.

I am feeling such a wide range of emotions after having finished this book. I had tears in my eyes while simultaneously laughing. I love the world building, the magic, and the characters, even if a handfull were awful people. They were all so interesting and different. Everything was just built with such care and a little humor here and there. And it was not afraid of getting gruesome, in death and in the price of magic.

I listened to the audiobook of this as well as read the physical book. I have to say that Moira Quirk did an amazing job of bringing the characters to life each with their own voice and intonation.

Upon first hearing the premise, this book may seem like a lot or too ambitious. But Tamsyn Muir really weaved all the elements of necromancy, outer space, a haunted house and the murder mystery within. As well as the presence of 18+ characters each with distinct personality and motivations.

I cannot wait till I dive back into the nine houses that encompass this deadly solar system.