Samia

Thank you netgalley for the e-ARC!

STOPPPPP I love urban fantasy paranormal supernatural vibes!!

This is a super vibes review: I just really loved the characters and the cool music intertwined world that Bliss and Pisces live in - it’s very moody and edgy and romantic. There’s a bit of a murder mystery here and way more questions than answers ( but in a really good way) I feel like I’m hooked and I need to know what’s going on in the next book cuz this cliffhanger was CRAZY and I feel like we’ve only JUST started to scratch the surface of this storyline.

I would have loved to see more spice but I have a feeling now that it’s being saved for the next book (one can hope).

Awesome book for people who like crescent city, urban romance fantasy, and fun vibes with a little suspense and mystery!

This was SUCH a great novel! Not just because of the romance which was awesome but honestly because how relatable Reema is to me and how she touches upon all the issues modern say southeast Asian women face with their families ago it marriage and children and the shame that comes with “failing” at it. It really resonated with me and I felt such a deep connection to the storyline. Super awesome read!

w this was actually a pretty great thriller/lowkey dark comedy ??? It felt like inception but with murderers. We have Gwen aka Marin whose dad was a serial killer. She was with him when he did most of these killings and he “created” her to carry on his work- but does she ? When she starts getting body parts sent ringer house she goes down a crazy trip to figure out who knows who she is (because she was 9 when she was disappeared into the ether) and this pushes her beliefs about herself and who she is, as well as who the people in her life are. It’s giving serious trauma vibes but I find her humor hilarious while she’s uncovering who is killing people she knows. It’s funny, dark, and inquisitive and I kept reading on and on to discover I had no idea who was a villain in this story and who was not. Highly recommend if you’re into thrillers but need something slightly humorous. Definitely if you like grady Hendrix you’ll like this book!

Thanks to netgally for this arc !

Excuse me I LOVEEEEE THIS ONE!! Kai is literally like UGHHH he just does it for me !!! I loved the dynamic of this couple and how different they are and the forbidden love aspect. I also love the story of how they both learn about pride - Kai by accepting he will fail sometimes and it’s okay to have help and Isabella by putting hers aside and believing in herself. I really liked that she’s broke and works at a bar but then OF COURSE she’s a hotel heiress (🤣) but I’m totally here for it. The story was really hopeful and sexy and gorgeous and I ate it up. I’m really obsessed with them and can’t wait for the next couples story 😏😏😏😏

Really liked this one I think second chance romances are hard to do because the breakup and get back together has to be resolved in a way that feels authentic which Huang does by having a longer timeline. I liked that both characters has to really become more introspective and discover what they lost and wanted. Good amount of spice too. I took a star off because the brother storyline was a bit weak I feel like that could have been played up better and I also wanted more flashbacks of their past so I could understand them more. Overall great and can’t wait for the next one !

SCREAMING BECAUSE THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD I ACTUALLY TEARED UP. See this is why representation is so important in books because the way I related to Sonya and some of the things her trauma led her to was insane. I think the beginning of the book started out a little confusing for me personally but then I got so LOCKED in and couldn't put it down. Not only is this a romance, but its so much more. I love how the author explores how different personality types form and how someone who seems cold and standoffish and someone who seems to be super happy can literally still be the same person, struggling with expectations from themselves and others. The way expressing feelings was so nicely explored and how both Adrian and Sonya really had to work on themselves in order to be with each other, yet they understood each other long before they truly understood themselves. I found this. story to have the perfect amount of spice, banter, and an amazing HEA. Literally one of my faves now!

Hellooooo since when am I into billionaire romances? Since Ana Huang laid it out for me HELLOOOOO.

Literally I loved this book, the forced proximity marriage was actually pretty fun - Dante and Vivian are bosses in their own right, but don't realize that the loneliness they feel in their life is something the other one is going to cure...

Firstly, I loved the representation of asian culture in this, it was really relatable to me and I was able to understand very well why it was that Vivian was the way she was around her parents and always trying to be so obedient- its really what we're taught and harder to walk away from than you'd think. Secondly, this couple gave me all the power couple vibes, you could tell that opening up to each other came as a surprise, especially for Dante and I was burning to the book hoping for their HEA because I felt for them so much.

CAN'T WAIT. to devour the rest of the books!!

I’ll give this a 2.5 it was honestly my least fave Emily Henry book and I have several reasons why.

Let’s start with the characters: While I understand that Hayden and Alice were supposed to kind of be cute opposites of each other (reserved and potentially broody versus super peppy) I felt like their characters weren’t really fleshed out as much as I would like. I couldn’t really get myself to relate for or fall for them. Their chemistry also felt a little sudden and weird and I don’t know if it would have helped to have Hayden’s POV or just something there to round them out - it felt like something was missing.

Margaret was probably the most interesting character up until the end and I won’t ruin it but I felt like her big reveal was so… mid. Like really? She did all this and waste two people’s jobs and careers ? Really selfish and stupid if you ask me.

The problems both characters face and their development felt short I feel like EH is usually so good at making the story about not just the love but the growth and it just fell short for me on this one.

Hope the next one is more to my liking but this wasn’t for me.

eeeep I am so into soccer romances because of this one ! Asher and Scarlett are almost enemies at the start of this book because they have their own goals and pasts to contend with- but the attraction between them is eventually undeniable and that’s what fuels their relationship spark. What I really loved about this book was that even after one main characters get together and things get spicy, there’s still a really storyline to contend with. There is Asher’s goals to be at the top of his team and win a World Cup, but having to figure out why he’s so reckless becomes something that helps him grow. Scarlett’s fear of being on stage, of letting go of who she was when she was younger so she can blossom into who she is now - these still carry on as our couple learns to grow together. It made the story much more realistic and romantic in my opinion.

One start off just because I felt like there were some things that could have been fleshed out more - I would have loved to dive into Asher’s reckless streak more or maybe he went to therapy or something and explore Scarlett’s past a bit more too (how was she as a ballerina before).

Overall though I really loved it

3.5 stars!

This was a really nice palette cleansing sort of light hearted HEA sports romance! I really liked a cute love story and the unique way these two characters got together because initially she wasn’t into him at all which threw me off (in a good way). Some of the writing was tedious (how many times can you use masculine as an adjective to describe someone before it gets annoying?) but I overall needed a nice easy light hearted book to read!

This book had me feeling unhinged—in the best way. The hook is brutally clever: malevolent “antimemes,” predators you can’t remember, ideas that eat memory, identity, and reality itself. That’s the frontline Marie Quinn walks every day as director of the Antimemetics Division: a war you can’t record, can’t recall, and might already be losing. The novel leans hard into that paradox. Scenes slide out of reach, notes go blank, and the act of thinking about the threat is exactly what lets it touch you. I kept catching myself flipping back pages like, “Did I miss something…or did something miss me?”

Told mostly through Marie’s perspective, it’s a tight blend of sci-fi horror and paranoid puzzle box. She’s a fascinating lead—brilliant, stubborn, and quietly haunted—tasked with building protocols for an enemy you can’t even prove exists. The book makes thought itself feel dangerous: every memo is a weapon, every redaction a shield. The tension doesn’t come from jump scares; it comes from watching competent people try to out-maneuver an absence that keeps deleting the rules as they go. I loved how the narrative form mirrors the threat: chapters that click into place a beat late, reveals that feel like remembering a dream, and a handful of “wait—how long have we known this?” moments that are chef’s-kiss disorienting.

Beyond the mind games, it’s surprisingly humane. It asks what identity means if your memories can be edited, what leadership costs when you’re the last line of defense against something no one else can perceive, and how far you go to protect a world that won’t remember you did. It’s exciting, confusing, and addicting in the best way—my brain felt rewired mid-chapter. The ending landed a little sad for me, but it’s honest for a universe where forgetting is the ultimate camouflage and victory doesn’t always look like recognition.

If you crave smart, high-concept sci-fi horror that makes your neurons spark—and you like the terrifying question “How do you fight what you can never remember?”—this absolutely delivers. I would devour a part two yesterday.

Right when I needed a gorgeous, action-packed, fantasy romance this fell into my lap and it did NOT disappoint.

Omgggg I am still reeling from how good this book was. Thais and Thatcher are twins with a godly secret who wind up competing to attain godhood (or die basically) and while they must hide the secret of the God who sired them they also must navigate a battlefield of trials that tests their strengths in order for the ultimate goal - kill the one who violated their mother.

But all is not what it seems in the world of the Gods and Thais finds herself seeing the humanity in her own mentor Xül, and possibly more?

I don’t want to give anything away but I will say that the storyline here is awesome - I love trials mixed with power struggles and political intrigue so I really was into this. The romance is also pretty good - it’s not a huge part of the story but it’s beautifully integrated and I can’t wait to get more of it in the next book if we’re lucky enough.

The ending had me FLOORED. I actually didn’t read these authors first two books before this one so I know a lot of people were freaking out over the ending because it ties into the first two books so I’m running to those now.

Overall this was awesome and a wonderful surprise after the book slump I’ve been in for the fantasy romance genre.

Loveeee!!!

This was a cute book! I liked the storyline of an independent female character and not both people being super successful and all the other things. You can tell the. author really put in the love for her culture into her story and of family. I think parts of it were a little choppy - as in the editing was a bit abrupt which made me confused sometimes but overall it was a cute book. I wouldn't read it again though and wasn't super attached to it i mainly finished it because i needed a palette cleanser book.

This was SUCH a cute book! I liked how simple and sweet the storyline is and the banter was very entertaining. Sierra has a traumatic past in the figure skating world in which she was injured to a point of almost return, her partner abandoning her, and her fear controlling her life. That is, until she meets the most unlikely of allies, a hockey player named Dylan that is more than meets the eye. Dylan has his own past and through each other they learn love and mutual respect and how to open up and be vulnerable with someone else. This only makes them stronger and I think this was such a cozy romance read. This is also my first ever sports related romance and... I'm not mad at it I loved it. Can't wait to check out more books from Bal Khabra!!

Thanks so much to @berkleypub @berkleyromance or @acebookspub for the free book!

Honestly… this was a mixed bag for me. It’s technically horror, but by the end it leaned more toward dark romance than actual scares.

The story jumps between three timelines — 1908, 1934, and 1998 — and the 1908 timeline was by far my favorite. It follows Minerva’s great-grandmother Alba in Mexico, and it’s moody, witchy, and atmospheric in the best way. The 1934 timeline, which focuses on Beatrice Tremblay (an obscure horror writer), didn’t really grab me. Honestly, it could’ve been condensed into a single page.

The 1998 timeline had potential — Minerva’s doing her PhD research and uncovering family secrets — but the characters just fell flat for me. Minerva herself feels dull and detached, almost procedural in how she moves through the story. She has one friend, but even that relationship never feels fully developed. Some plot points also happen really suddenly, and there’s this moment where it seems like one character might be evil… but then it turns out to be a red herring or just never mentioned again. It made the pacing feel a little awkward and uneven.

Overall, I’d give it around 2.5 stars — maybe 3 if I’m being generous — mostly for the 1908 sections and the ending. The atmosphere is there, but the emotional pull isn’t. Still, I’m intrigued enough to read more of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s work, because her ideas are always creative and unexpected.

4.5 Review.

So if I got by vibes only, Wild Reverence was a 5/5 for me. I loveee the dramatic writing, the angst of forbidden love, the complications of being a woman (and a goddess at that) in power, where politics is the only way to survive. I loved the magic system and how as powerful as the gods are, however immortal they will be, they are not necessarily safe from being exploited. The storyline is very dramatic and the set up for the characters begins from when they are children, which I liked because we as the reader see the adult conversations ensuing amongst the gods and leaders, through the lens of a child who comes to find the real meaning of these conversations as they get older.

I took off .5 stars because I wanted a bit more romance and the storyline to dive into that a little more, some of it felt rushed and while this is Rebecca Ross's first "adult" fantasy book, it's really not that much different from Divine Rivals in terms of spice and adult content. I think the fight scenes were pretty good and definitely more gory. The other thing I would have liked to see more of is an explanation or dive into the gods/goddesses' powers, especially as alliances shift and powers transfer- can some powers work together? What are the limits? Those sorts of things that would have been cool to see more of in the battles and interactions that required magic.

Overall I ate this up in like 4 days and really enjoyed. I look forward to more books by her where she explores more adult themes.

Did I read over a 1,000 pages in a week?

Yes.

No regrets.

Alchemised is truly a very dark and serious book about the repercussions of war and of the carnage that really ensures. Although there is a love story in it it is twisted and broken by wartime survival and guilt and high stress. A lot of adult content is in this book (there's a list of trigger warnings).

But I really enjoyed it because it truly explores the realities of war and how the heroes are not always the victors and their stories are not as glorious as it may seem.

This story surrounds a healer in the war who is considered unimportant because she does not fight in the war- but she does patch up and try to save thousands of people and is a cornerstone to the survival of her side. Even though she is a foreigner she is passionate about her new homeland and strives to try to save everyone she loves at the expense of herself because she just wants to be loved the way she loves and she will do anything to save those she cares about - as we will come to see.

I won't add any spoilers but i will say this book was really heavy and left me feeling more hollow than satisfied with the ending which made me love it more (oddly enough) because it felt more realistic than most other dark fantasy books can be.

Would def re-read it maybe slower this time lol.

This book was alright- it was very slow for me in the beginning and I didn't honestly understand the plotline for a while. I did find the second half of the book more interesting, the mirror world concept is very cool but i think i would have liked more information on the world and how it came to be - i also felt like some of the parts of the book were disjointed so even though i found it alright i dont think i would read again or anything. i didnt hate it but i didnt love it it just wasnt for me.

Darrow will do literally anything but be a father.

okay so I did love this but not as much as Manacled. I think the initial storyline was unique but I wish there had been more of draco in it or his POV? Hermione was a bit too whiny for me in this one (i know i know shes going thru stuff but like shes sobbing all the time thats stressful). overall tho i did read this like a psycho for the last week and cant wait to read the first two as well.

I absolutely loved this book. Doris Steele is a 17-year-old pregnant girl in rural Georgia who had to drop out of school to care for her sick mother and essentially her whole family. She's never had any real choices for herself, but she makes do with what little she can find and her natural way with words—she's always writing down her thoughts and observations. Her voice is incredibly funny; she's so blunt in her internal monologue and almost childlike in some ways, with the fear of God and religion so deeply ingrained in her that she's completely unsettled by anything that doesn't conform to her upbringing.

This all changes during a secret trip to Atlanta with her former English teacher, Mrs. Lucas, who is originally from there. Mrs. Lucas is almost like a mother to Doris—someone she can confide in and trust because Mrs. Lucas sees Doris for her potential as more than just a homemaker, wife, or daughter. She sees her for who she truly is. Atlanta represents everything Doris's life could have been—educated college men and women, the choice of whether or not to be pregnant, the freedom to love whom you want—all set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, a transformative era in itself. Doris is thrust right into the middle of it when Mrs. Lucas takes her to Atlanta to help her get an abortion from one of her friends. This opens Doris's eyes to what queerness is, what loving or caring for a woman could mean, and exposes her to an entirely new world.

She encounters a mix of historical figures (both real and fictional) who shape her thinking as she tries to figure out what she truly wants for herself, beyond what she's grown up with in the rural South. All around her, change is happening with the movement—young people versus old—and we also see how even though the queer Black community exists, they face discrimination from their own people because they don't "live right." It's a multilayered discrimination that Black queer people endure.

I found this book deeply moving. The main character is incredibly witty and funny, and I felt so proud watching her figure out what kind of woman she wants to be through her internal thoughts as she narrates this transformative weekend in Atlanta. The city really highlights the contrast between how the world was modernizing for certain Black people while others were just getting by in small towns where change hadn't even begun to arrive.

I couldn't put it down. Not only did I love Doris, but I felt this offered such an important perspective on the era, centering around the choice—or lack thereof—that women, especially Black women, have always faced and continue to face today. I learned so much and was able to trace many elements in the book back to real historical events, which made reading this a truly enriching experience. 5/5 stars from me.

Wowowowowowow, the final saga of The Alliance book series...and it was spectacular! In book one we had a lot of set up of our amazing cast, their motivations, their hopes, and what they want out of the endeavors they are facing. And when the pressure hits, who are they really? Book two really solidifies alliances and enemies, diving deeper into the Alliance world and what our squad is going to do to clear Teo's name for the alleged murder of his whole family. Corvus's motives are better understood which humanized him to me since we got to see at the end of the day he isn't an evil genius, he's a broken human being. I really loved the deeper interplay of the characters today with some crazy action packed fight scenes and the TENSION between Haven and Ocean really had me going crazy (in the best way). I also felt like although we are in a scifi world, this novel is so much more about facing the type of person you were, who you are now, and who you want to be and we see almost all of our characters go through some form of "moving" forward, whether its in their careers or from the Alliance or from their own pasts. I loved loved loved it and this world and I really wish there was another book in the series because I could follow this cast forever.

WTF - this was like weirdly not what I thought it would be but oddly I was obsessed with it. We got witches and magic and demons and some serious gas lighting which is wild to me. I really liked the plot line but wished there was more detail on the types of magic and the history of the magical creatures. Overall thought this was an addicting unique read!

Really like this book. It comes off as a bit YA in the begging but I think that works for the mail character Emeline who is known as a Defective (like a defective human). The world building could be a bit better I have so many more questions about how this society came to be and really what does distinguish and Elite from a Defective- which emeline also questions as we see her thrown into this whirlwind of a Mate selection process, a rebellion, and so much more than what meets the eye. The story definitely has some good dystopia vibes with a crazy ending with so much information that I was like “WHHAAAAAA”. So I’m excited to follow this author for the second book!

Thanks for the arc to netgalley

What a brilliant and heart wrenching book that sucks you in until you suddenly realize you're on the last page and you wish you hadn't read it before the second one comes out. My heart literally feels like its been torn from my chest and I am so in love with Maris and Luca and so devastated at what fate has brought them.

This story begins in almost the middle of the end and we find ourselves traveling back and forth form the past to the present as Maris and Luca recount the story of who they were and who they became now and a love that surpassed all expectations that neither of them expected in their life. While at the center of it this is a tragic love story that we may not know the end to, it is more so a fantastic fantasy novel set in the vibes of ancient Rome, where the Gods are revered but also not trusted by many. We haven't met any of these Gods and the story of how some people of Isara got their magic is a dark one. But there is a lot more at play than just the Gods, there is war and a fight between the upper and lower class, along with this intertwining tragedy of love from the two people who seem to be fated to be on opposite sides forever.

I literally could not put this down and became so enthralled by the writing and the world that I feel utterly empty after finishing this and it's not even OUT yet and now I have to wait for who knows how long for the next one??

immediately go get this- even if you don't read anything "romantic" because honestly its so beautiful anyone who loves some good old war and political turmoil will also love this.

🌶️: 1/5

❤️: Infinity/5

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC