Sasha Fountain
I enjoyed Jose and Jonas' story. Jose had a rough start in life when he lost his parents. Jonas is a gentle giant who decides being in the closet is safer when part of his family does not accept him, and he is beaten up by boys at school. Both men cross paths at a clinic where they work as nurses and have an instant connection and chemistry. I like that Jose was able to help Jonas develop the confidence to be out and proud. They had some hiccups to overcome, but they got their HEA.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
As an omega dragon from a noble family, a seer matched Lake at a young age to an alpha dragon. Lake was content with his match and looked forward to a happy life with Norbert. When Norbert died in a freak diving accident, Lake's heartstone was broken and thrown into the ocean with his former betrothed's body. It was an ancient tradition that the court imposed on Lake. Then Lake was locked in a tower, and he began to fade away with grief for his betrothed and the loss of his heartstone. Lake's brother Skye is a seer who arranges his escape to the human realm. Lake meets with a rescue team at a human bar to be taken to a haven. The seer in that community has had luck matching dragons to new heartstones. At the bar, Lake is saved from a human by Boone from the rescue team. Boone and Lake are drawn to each other, and Lake feels safe and cared for by the alpha Boone.
Boone and his team are used to saving omegas. Boone and his twin Durango were born into a large family of dragons who work as bodyguards. Boone and his twin were dropped into the human realm with their heartstones intact, but they had to find each other because they were dropped separately. They were lucky to find each other and to meet Cain. Cain is a seer who created a haven for dragons and other shifters in the human realm. Boone expected this mission to be a typical rescue, but he is drawn to Lake. It turns out that they are destined mates, but their future is uncertain if Lake does not bond with a new heartstone. If I keep going, I'll spoil the whole book, lol.
I loved Lake and Boone's connection throughout the book. Reno and Durango were so interesting, and I hope we get books about them finding their mates. I want to explore the community a bit more, but I get that Lake and Boone were the book's main focus. I would love to get Cain's backstory and see how his haven began. Overall this was another fantastic Minerva Howe book. I love the new take on dragons with the heartstones.
I'm looking forward to the next book.
Thanks, GRR, for providing me with a copy of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
This was a sweet low-angst friends-to-lovers story. Nolan and Ellis are bandmates and best friends who grow closer after Ellis experiences a traumatic event. As the story progresses, they want more from the relationship, and they fear what will happen if they take the next step and whether they will lose what they both share. Their relationship was portrayed realistically, and I loved seeing their relationship develop as the story progressed. I did not enjoy Perry's reaction and aftermath of that situation but it was a small part of the story. Overall I loved this sweet and slightly steamy friends-to-lovers romance. 4.5 stars.
Thank you to GRR for a copy of this book for my honest review.
I really liked this passionate read. Brianna has had a tough life, but she is determined to make it on her own by working hard. She gets her chance when she fills in for the CEO'S secretary. Trent is captivated by his mousey secretary, and he can't figure out why. When Brianna is attacked, it brings out his protective side, and things escalate from there. The story has a bit of instalove, and it goes by so quickly we don't get much development of their romance. The time jumps were a bit frustrating. I did not expect the cliffhanger and was really shocked by it. Overall I give the book four stars.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was cute and sweet, with a good dose of steam. AJ is a Hollywood actor looking for a break from his actor persona, while Diego is an LA caterer trying to get away from a scandal in Hollywood and feeling unfilled in life. They both end up at Diego's family cabin, and they end up stranded together after a snowstorm together, and after a rocky start, they end up falling for each other. AJ is a bit of a brat, and as the story continues, we understand that it is due to his traumatic relationship with Graham, an ex-boyfriend who has also decided to ruin Diego's life. AJ and Diego have great chemistry, and it's nice to see how their relationship develops. Diego was extremely patient with AJ despite the occasional bouts of bratty behavior. The ending was good, but I wish there was more story between their reunion and the epilogue.
Thanks to GRR for providing me with a copy of this book for my honest review.
This book is about Rayne, an omega witch, and Zander, an alpha dragon, who are fated mates. The general storyline line was okay, but the writing felt a bit juvenile, with a lot of exposition included in the story. I realize that this is the first book in a series, but there were a lot of unanswered questions when I finished the book. It was a quick read, but I'm not sure if I want to continue the series.
Thank you to GRR for providing me with a copy of this book for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book despite a few grammatical errors. Theo is recently divorced, while Ash has just gotten out of a long-term relationship that ended badly. Theo is a bit lost after the divorce because he coming to terms with his bisexuality, and the first person he tells is Ash, who is his younger brother's best friend. Ash is gay and has had a crush on Theo since childhood, and he is a bit floored by Theo's confession. They have both decided to go back to their hometown to regroup and get ready for the next stage of their life. Ash wants to help Theo get comfortable with dating after his divorce and set him up with guys to date despite the fact that he likes Theo. They become roommates because they are both staying at the inn that Theo's parents own. Their relationship evolves throughout the book, and they fall for each other and have a satisfying HEA.
Thank you to GRR for providing me with a copy of this book for my honest review.
I liked this story. The journey that Lola took throughout the book was interesting. I'm Afro-Latina and many of my cousins struggle with Spanish like Lola so her story felt familiar. I didn't appreciate how Lola's parents treated her after they found out that she got a C in Spanish. I did expect a negative response because of the way she reacted to receiving the grade. Her extended family made the story vastly more interesting with their antics. Over the course of her summer in Mexico Lola finds herself learning about love, belonging, and the magic around us all.
Thank you to Turn the Page Tours and Kokila for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This rom-com is centered around Zora, a Black and filipina bookstore owner in Washington, D.C. Zora is fully focused on nurturing her bookstore instead of search for love and starting a family like her grandmother wants her to. To her surprise two men walk into her life and change her outlook on love. Lawrence Michaels is her favorite author who she has put on a pedestal due to her love of his books. Reid Hughes is his best friend who does not give Zora a good first impression at Lawrence's book event at Zora's store. i don't want to give any spoilers but I had a side-eye for Lawrence since the beginning of the book and I actually suspected the conclusion that Zora comes to about the best friends relationship.
This story gave drama and spice. Some of the spicy scenes are great and others are cringe and embarrassing. The differences between those scenes really showed who out of the two men in the love triangle was a better person. Some of the side characters are fully fleshed out like her best friend and her grandmother who were the best hype women and overall supportive of Zora throughout the book. There are a few twists and turns but we get a great HEA.
Thank you to Hear Our Voices Tours and HTP Books for an ARC copy of this book for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. We see that Dean has unresolved issues with his family that helped me understand his opinion on family matters. I liked seeing Dean and Amira fall over each other and how they balanced each other out. I loved reading about this little family and I'm sad to let them go.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a fantastic m/m romance with Godric and Tanner. Godric is a bear shifter who is allergic to nuts, and he finds his mate in Tanner, a squirrel shifter who has a very popular restaurant that deals mainly in nut-based products. I like how they handled Godric's allergy because I also have nut allergies. This is a sweet story I loved it, and I highly recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story is my introduction to this series, and I really enjoyed it. Everett's redemption arc was satisfying, and I loved the romance aspect of the book. Everett spent a lot of time proving to his cousin and the crew of the Dark Wing that he was a changed man, which I appreciated.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
On Mar León-de la Rosa's 16th birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship.
When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the Harvest Moon or never see him again. The task is impossible–Mar refuses to make a bargain, and there's no way their magic is any match for el Diablo. Then, Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate – and the captain's son; and Dami, a genderfluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption – or it could mean certain death.
The MC is Mar, a transmasculine non-binary pirate who is a crew member on their father's pirate ship. I enjoyed that there was no transphobia or homophobia in the book, and Mar was treated with dignity throughout the book. The writing was amazing, and once I started reading, I tore through the book in a couple of days. Overall I enjoyed this book a lot, and I rated it 5 stars.
Thank you to Random House Children's and Turn the Page Tours for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Portrait of a Duchess is the sequel to Scarlett Peckham's Society of Sirens series. I haven't read the first book in the series, so I did not what to expect when I began this book. I loved how the book pushed the framework of a typically historical romance by featuring an interracial relationship, bisexuality, and rebellion against societal restrictions on women's agency and accepted cultural norms. I enjoyed most of the book, but there were moments in the book that were a bit uneven. Cornelia's hyper-independence got a bit annoying at times because she waffled a lot, and it took a majority of the book for her to finally come to terms that she could depend on Rafe. I did enjoy the aspect of found family within the book, which was at its peak when the ensemble cast was together. I liked the flashback moments the most because the history between Cornelia and Rafe is touching. The use of miscommunication as the main conflict in the book was disappointing and is in stark contrast to the characterization of the FMC and MMC. They were able to communicate just fine with the other characters but together they were totally inept. Overall I rated the book a 4 stars because I enjoyed most of the romantic elements of the book.
This ARC was provided by Avon Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Small-town romance with brother's best friend. The chemistry between these Elise and Saint is unreal. I loved how when they met, there were instant sparks. I also liked the secondary characters, and I hope they get their HEAs.
If you enjoy small-town romance with spice and a HEA, I recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a really enjoyable shifter romance from Minerva Howe. It was interesting to delve into the story of a new kind of shifter, and Minerva's descriptions of them were very vivid. I do wish there were more instances of Max and Quint in their shifted forms throughout the story. The instalove in the story is cute and it is why many of Minerva's books are comfort reads for me. The confrontation with Max's father was a bit anticlimactic. Quint's brothers were awesome characters, and I can't wait for them to get their HEA.
Thank you to Hear Our Voices Tours for providing me with this ebook!
5/5. I loved this book! It was a powerful story of love and activism in the civil rights era. We get to see the characters experience some of the tumultuous events during that time. The book has some historical inaccuracies, but that did not deter my enjoyment of the book. Anita and Jason were both likable MCs, and I found myself rooting for them throughout the book. The way they come together and realize that their difference in ideals is not a deterrent to their love is well written. I also enjoyed the inclusion of some historical images and links to historical speeches. It is a must-read!
Monarch Rising by Harper Glenn
4 Stars
Monarch Rising is set in a dystopian future, where a rebellion overthrew the rich and prominent. Jo lives in the Ashes, the poverty-stricken land on the outskirts of New Georgia. She has one chance to make it out of the Ashes through the Line Up, where a select few are chosen to go live in New Georgia. Those chosen escape a life of hunger and poverty. What awaits Jo is a boy trained to break hearts and crush souls.
There are quite a few triggers that I wish had content warnings at the beginning of the book, but overall I enjoyed the book. Both Jo and Cove have experienced fear and desperation in different forms. While Jo's stems from hunger and poverty, Cove's stems from the emotional and physical abuse he has experienced.
Thank you to Harper Glenn and @hearourvoicestours for sending me the copy for review.
This book lays down the framework for forming habits and shares insightful strategies for building good and breaking bad habits. Reading this book helped me approach habits I'm trying to adopt or break from different angles. Atomic Habits is about shifting your dreams and wishful thinking into knowing exactly where you want to be and planning to get there. My key takeaway was changing our thoughts about attaining our goals to focusing on the system instead. We need to have an actionable framework on how we can move toward our goals; otherwise, we will never reach them. We must develop daily habits that allow us to achieve them. Our level of commitment to the process will determine our level of progress. Associating our habits with our identity is a great way to focus on how to transform our beliefs.
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”
Overall, this is a quite simple collection of thoughts and perspectives, and there is nothing wrong with simplicity. I really enjoyed the bonus poems that are included in the audiobook. This was my first attempt at listening to an audiobook so at times it was tough to concentrate because MHN's voice is very calming. Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC of this book.
Thank you to Europe Comics and NetGalley for a free copy of this graphic novel for my honest review.
I thought this would be an interesting read because it focused on a female killer but it was lackluster. I wish it was a bit longer so the main characters could be fully fleshed out. The mob element was very underwhelming and the twist at the end did not improve the story. I really liked the art style which is why I gave it 3 stars.
B'onca is a teen mom struggling to provide for her infant daughter. Her beloved neighborhood is being affected by gentrification which has caused a huge rent increase. Her uninvolved and immature baby daddy is killed and she is left at odds with his family for custody of her daughter. With the threat of losing her home and her daughter she makes some risky choices and she must decide if the risk is worth the consequences. She is at risk of losing everything that she is working so hard to protect.
The author really conveyed how difficult it is to pursue your dreams when you are trapped in a cycle of poverty and the odds are stacked against you. Every decision that B'onca made was for her and daughter's survival. Watching her on downward spiral and wondering whether she would sink any further kept me interested in the book. The reason this read is 4 stars is because the book was slow to start and it took me a awhile to get into the book because of that. Overall, this novel shed light on social issues that are often overlooked.
Thank you so much to Hear Our Voices Tours for providing me with this ARC.
