Lisa

When Beatrice Donovan agreed to help her twin sister Delilah by switching places she never planned to fall for her new boss.

⭐️⭐️ It was ok, I liked parts of it

The ingredients for this story were all there, but the execution fell short for me. I felt Bea was a well fleshed out character who had a lot of heart and I could connect with her.

However, Jonah felt like a record stuck on repeat. His character lacked depth and growth, and every time we were in his POV he mentioned the same issues: ex-girlfriend, famous dad. His conflict never made a lot of sense to me in relation to the overall conflict of the story.

The overall plot, while enjoyable, lacks the necessary depth and tension I was looking for. The day-to-day operations of the hotel, while necessary for establishing the setting, sometimes overshadowed the central romantic relationship. I felt I was reading more about the job, than the characters. I needed more interactions between Bea and Jonah. The pacing is really uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others drag.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
The moment that really turned me off this book was when Jonah sleeps with Bea and then immediately walks out on her. He couldn't grovel enough to make up for that (but that's ok because he didn't even have to do that, even though he states he had to do something he “couldn't come back from”). I don't know - from that moment on the book really lost interest for me.

When did pine tree air fresheners become sexy?

I just really love Luka and Stella.

4.5⭐️

Nothing happened in this book until there were only 150 pages left. Why did I need the other 600 pages?! This series has not been fun for me. I struggled through the first book due to the content. Nothing happened in the second book. The third book was enjoyable and I thought it was ramping up to something but then came this. 600 pages of absolutely nothing and then small plot into a cliffhanger. This book was so long that it just wore me out and I'm no longer interested. Plus you separated the characters and I hate that in books most of all. I want them together and I don't trust that the next book will deliver. So while I finished this book I think I might DNF the series. Thinking I'll wait till the last book is out and just read the last 100 pages of that to see what happens because I no longer really care.

Literally nothing happens in this book, like at all. Don't know why it was 400+ pages.

I don't get the hype. I was bored every single page and drowning in descriptions of all the things that did not matter. The note on the text at the end explaining the Magdalen laundries was the most interesting part. I would have much rather just read a history text than whatever this was.

I don't normally give romance books 5 stars but everything about this book was absolutely perfect for me. I was not excited for Shane and Diana when they were announced as the couple for the second Campus Diaries installment, but I'm so glad I was so wrong. They might be my new favorite Briar Couple of all-time.

I have no notes for this book. I honestly loved it, even when it shattered me, I loved it. I honestly just want more Shane and Diana. That's my only note, give me more of this amazing couple!

Reread February 2025:
Rereading this book just confirmed it is my favorite Elle Kennedy/Briar book to date. Shane and Diana are my favorite couple and this book is still amazing! I listened to the audiobook this time while reading and the performances were perfect! I love this book so much!

Throne of Glass will forever be my Roman Empire series! These books tear me apart in the best and worst ways and I love the experience. I will reread this series every year.

The more I think about this book, the more I like about it, even with its flaws.

It's not the best book ever and was extremely hyped up. But it was a quick read and I enjoyed the plot of it.

I wish it hadn't gone back and forth between past and present the way it did, just because right when I would get interested in what was happening the time period would shift and we'd be somewhere else. It's a fine literature tool, just not my favorite way to read.

The descriptions of the marsh were always so detailed and beautiful it felt full, but the dialogue was always lacking. I felt Kya remained stunted (which was probably intentional) but I would have liked her voice to grow up with her. Whenever she spoke it felt like she was still a child trying to string together sentences she didn't really comprehend.

The last thing I want to say is that I wish the novel would have had a chapter or two more just to tell us the truth at the end. I love a good reveal and I would have loved to know the details of Chase's death and what actually happened.