April

That ending came out of nowhere - didn't see it coming at all. Lots of political intrigue and solid action. Can't wait to get to the fourth book!

Also.... who the freak is Zarrah's father?! And why is Petra so obsessed with him?!

A really solid second book — lots of adventure and action, and the close calls felt earned rather than plot-convenient, which made the tension land. The ending left me a little unfulfilled, but I think that's just the nature of a parallel duology structure rather than a flaw in the book itself. Happy with it overall - great characters with believable flaws and a world that mostly held together.

A really solid read that I flew through pretty quickly. The characters were well fleshed out and the story kept me engaged, although I felt like the author was telling me what happened vs showing me. The bridge itself never fully came alive for me visually - I still can’t quite picture it which is a bit of a miss since it’s the centerpiece for this book. Nothing too surprising plot-wise, but an enjoyable ride!

Felt really like a filler book - most of the good suspense is left unresolved (waiting for the next installment). Harper pissed me off in the end, though. So impulsive, she genuinely aggravated me the last 10%. I get that it’s for the plot, though, but still. I definitely want to know what happens in the next book, but I hope I hope that what irritated me at the end of this one is resolved quickly.

Pretty good but never quite grabbed me the way I wanted. The chemistry between the FMC and MMC felt forced sometimes and I was a bit bored with them more often than not. The whole “rivals little sister” thing never really paid off - the brother was barely a presence and a half up of plot threads just … went nowhere? Not my favorite of Elsie Silver’s, but it was readable. Honestly more excited about whatever’s coming for Parker tbh.

The plot felt a bit cluttered and confusing at the end, but overall a good read!

Sooo repetitive and overly descriptive without providing any actual content. I couldn’t take another “darkest desire” before calling it.

Also, what kind of fbi agent doesn’t question ANYTHING going on at home? Didn’t search for cameras?? At all? Ok.

The promise of finding out who the MMCs were aren’t enough for me to push through 😫

Definitely a good start to the series. I loved the mystery and tension, and of course the classic Catherine Cowles twist! Dex was a smidge too perfect, in my opinion but that could just be me. I felt like we didn’t get to really know him very well compared to Brae, which of course makes sense given the plot.

This was an good start to a series (duology?), even if some parts were predictable (and I slumped pretty significantly mid-book … like my reading pace halved). I say predictable, but only because of Riftborne and Duskborne. If I hadn’t read those first, I would have not connected any dots at all. That being said, I do agree with everyone else’s sentiments that reading those two books before this one is a wise choice.

Thatcher being Aether was definitely something I figured out very early on in the book (I’m talking like 13% in and I had it figured out). It didn’t feel like this was supposed to be a big secret with the hints the authors were dropping, but the ending kinda seemed like it was supposed to be a big reveal? Either way, the reveal wasn’t surprising.

Thais having this strong willed personality throughout the entire book and then just … flatlining at the very end didn’t make much sense to me. Her entire character arc made me think that when this happened, she’d be even *stronger*, not become weak and despondent. I hope it doesn’t take long into the second book for her to get that back.

Also, fuck Nyvora. Genuinely can’t wait until she gets hers.

Another great book in the series. Immediately buying #4!

I need the next book, immediately.

The last 10% of this book pushed my 2.5 rating to a 3 and is the only reason why I want to read the second book.

I felt like there was way too much emphasis on her (desire? lust? high school-like crush?) for the MMC - who I intensely dislike, btw.

Honestly, I’m reading the second book because I want to learn more about Aether.

I found myself quite annoyed and rolling my eyes at Kristen for most of the book. The ending redeemed it for me in the end, but honestly my favorite characters were the love interests and Sloane. I’ll most likely read the second book just for her.

This one was cute. Not my favorite by this author, but it was a nice, quick read.

I felt like this was “just ok”. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it, either. I felt like the characters didn’t really have a ton of chemistry, and they were both whiny.

I also realized that I much prefer duet narration, so that may have played into it.

I struggled to finish this one. I think the overall plot was OK, but I just didn’t really connect with the characters. The last 20% was good, and because of that I will most likely read the second book when it releases (maybe 🤷🏽‍♀️).

I really enjoyed Teddy and Henrik's slow-burn romance. Both of their personalities just worked, and the communication and love Dr. Emily Rath puts into her books did not disappoint here. I also really liked Korro's character and was glad that she wasn't the entire focus of the book. I would have liked a bit more of interaction with Teddy's family since their importance was a main character driver, especially towards the end.

Amazing books. Definitely one of my top reads of the year. 

This book will forever have a special place in my heart. Just.... no words except that I should have read it sooner. Incredible.

This is a great beginning to a new fantasy series. There were some parts that were more or less predictable, but they didn't detract from the story at all. This first book had one of my favorite character types: a strong bada** FMC that can literally do everything herself. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

A very typical Catherine Cowles book, small town romance and mystery! Very predictable, but I eat up her books every single time without hesitation. 

I liked Audacity better, but overall it was a good read. I think this one fell just a bit for me with the MMC and their chemistry. I didn't feel the same chemistry between Bren and Mals as I did with Gabe and Athena. I also felt that the first book had more in depth and meaningful conversations between the two characters and while I get that that doesn't really match the style of the MMC in Duplicity, their relationship felt more surface level and forced. I'll definitely read the next one in the series, though. 

I feel like there were some plot holes that were kind of abandoned. 

OMG I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK 5+++++ STARS!!!!!!


Okay, end excessive exclamation marks. But in all seriousness. I LOVED THIS BOOK. It's extremely well written and the imagery that Taylor uses to describe scenes and feelings makes me feel as if I'm in the book. When you start to read, and you can actually picture the city and everything surrounding it then you just know it's going to be well written.


SQUEE!

What to say about this book?

First of all it was definitely not your typical romance book. It was non-stop action throughout the whole thing which I love. There is never a dull moment and random fillers (at least I thought so), many twists and turns AGHHH I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON! The way that the romance between Akiva and Karou blossomed combined with all the drama and mystery had me literally salivating as I turned the pages.

Okay so I wasn't literally salivating.... actually I wasn't even turning pages... I have a nook BUT YOU GET THE POINT.

And Akiva swoon

I give up... this isn't even a proper review. Absolutely one of my favorites.

3.5 Stars

I have to admit, I was getting kind of frustrated throughout the book... I was waiting for something, anything to happen aside from Eva being jealous and jumping to conclusions. It almost got to a point where I was just reading the book to finish the damn thing. The ending was an unexpected twist SpoilerI'm definitely glad that Day didn't go with a stereotypical “stalker goes after female main character, she gets hurt and male main character finally sees what we knew all along and that GASP they actually love each other!!”.


Overall, I will always be addicted to my sappy and cliché romance novels. Crossfire is still a pleasant read and I will be sure to buy #3 when it comes out.