Asia

3/5

I'm disappointed. I loved the previous books but this one wasn't for me. All those machines and inventions Stephen made were too complicated and unnecessary and the clues to find a will were all wild and unconnected for me.

And I missed the rest of the Wynchesters. In previous books, they were still present throughout, as here they only appeared at the beginning and end.

And then we have gifts that Stephen made for all the siblings. For Tommy and Philippa, Marjorie and Adrian, Jacob and eventually, for Chloe, Faircliff, and little Dorian.

What about Graham and Kuni? Are they not part of the family? (It's always my favourites that are ignored)

All in all, I expected something else. I like Elizabeth but I was hoping for a better adventure for her. I didn't like the third act breakup or how it was handled. I mean we didn't see her change her mind. She regretted it on the journey back... And nothing. The next time we see her she'd suddenly changed her mind already and it was jarring. Show us how she feels lonely in Winchester house! That it doesn't feel like home anymore because Stephen isn't there! That she wants to move in with him!

Instead, we got her already in Stephen's house without all the emotions. It wasn't a well written part.

And I wasn't a fan of the insta lust they had. At least in the previous books in the series it felt more organic and natural. Here, it was jarring.

I can't wait to read Jacob's book and I hope it will be better.

4/5

Murder mystery in the tiny village in England. I didn't think I'd love it but I did! It was so charming and nice and I wanted to live there, murders or no murders. The book was so cozy and charming it was a pleasure to read.

Georgie was no-nonsense heroine who wanted (or did she?) to solve yet the murder, and so she wrote to the famous private detective requesting his help. But it was his secretary who was sent instead.

Sebastian was an overexcited, charming puppy, who only wanted to think about food and women. But it was only a facade, and as Georgie started to elarn, there was a vulnerable, serious guy underneath. I wasn't sure about Sebastian at first, golden retrievers aren't my favourite type of characters, but Sebastian was so charming and irrestistible, I fell for him (like Georgie!). The more time she spent with him, the more we got to know him and I enjoyed him in the story.

Georgie and Sebastian were a cute couple and I was rooting for them. I also loved Arthur, the journalist friend, helping out with the investigation. And I really enjoyed the plot and characters. Even Murder Tourists - sorry, Detective Divotees - were such a great addition to the book, it was nice to see them helping the heroes. Also, I want Egg the beagle too!

The book was charming, cozy, and delightful, and I loved it. 1930s isn't my favourite time period, and the book felt very vintage though - but I enjoyed the book and the characters. Made want to move to English village, specifically, Buncombe-upon-Wolly.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Tropes:

- black cat and golden retriever

- murder mystery

- cozy English village

- opposites attract

- slow burn

- forced proximity

- partners in crime

- reverse grumpy and sunshine

3.5/5

That was cute though Rage pissed me off every time he kissed Hannah when she tried to stop him. No means no!! It doesn't mean try harder!

Natalie pissed me off too. She didn't deserve Hannah at all.

There were too many povs throughout the book that took me away from the story. I think I would like them more if I read the previous books lol but I loved Wallflowers as they were, not sure if I wanna read about them more. I tried reading Again The Magic Twice and I couldn't do it.

2,5/5

It wasn't horrible but it was boring and felt unfinished, good thing it was so short.

Liam's bet was supposed to be important but I didn't feel any urgency from his to win it. Also we don't know how the bet came to be: were they all drunk or something? He threw the deeds for his favourite place of Earth and yet still he was just fine losing it? His brothers apparently sabotaged his efforts but we're never met them so idk if they dicks just because or was there something more sinister going on.

I hated that Holly never told Liam about her being a leprechaun. He deserved to know, damnit. He deserved to know what she was, what her magic was, even if she was going to lose it, he deserved to know. I hated that she lied to him and didn't seem to care whether or not he should know. Even when she said she accepted their bond he still asked what did she meant and she just brushed him off.

You don't do that. Tell him, damnit.

The whole book felt rushed and unfinished. The story was cute but was expecting more - I didn't really care about the characters because the whole book felt incomplete. I couldn't connect with Holly being afraid of te bond - why would she? She hated that magic, It felt more like a curse and when she suddenly got an option to accept a soulmate bond to get rid of the magic she ran??? Make it make sense.

It didn't feel like there were any stakes. It's was just rushed and the plot and characters were very superficial. We don't know anything about Liam's brothers or what Holly's father did that he was considered the worst?? I've no idea. It was all empty underneath. All surface, no filling.

Thank you, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

2/5

I was going to give it 3 stars, but that PUBLIC proposal on LIVE TV took me out and not in a good way. I HATE public proposals, WHY do they have to always be there?? Especially since Elu HATES publicity, it was so out of character for him to do???? Hate it, hate it, hate it.

And OW drama was just weird. It's like the ex-wife was a real antagonist in the first 40%, being bitchy for no reason only to stop??? Out of nowhere??? So stupid.

And seeing as I haven't read the previous books in the series I was so lost about who each character was. There were way too many background characters I didn't give a fuck about, and it was hard to keep track of. It's not a good book to read as a standalone because there are too many characters that don't do anything and have no purpose to be in that story, but they're still there and I don't know them. And it was just so boring to read about them.

/5

This was incredible. I love this book. I was hesitant at first because I don't read paranormal romance often, but I trusted Becs and I'm so glad I did.

This was such a wholesome, cozy, heartwarming romance. Nolan and Harriet were both very interesting, rounded characters with jagged edges. Nolan was tired of being a ghost, long given up the idea of moving on. Harriet, a people pleaser, who just wanted to make everyone happy, forgot how to fight for her own happiness. Together, a perfect match who pushed the other to be a better version of themselves, individually, and together.

Harriet gave Nolan hope again, while Nolan made Harriet realize she's enough and worthy of love. I loved their bickering and flirting and everything. I loved the trips into the past, the bond that grew between them, the adventures they had together. They both taught the other to live. I loved that.

While I'm disappointed that Harriet gave her sister a chance - I think she'd be better off without any of her toxic family around - I loved the book. I loved how both Harriet and Nolan grew, and they both helped each other. I love how in love they were with each other and how they decided to give each other a chance even knowing the risk.

And the spice? Very hot, I loved it! And I loved how everything came together at the end, all the clue and references finally made sense.

This was definitely one of my favourite 2025 reads. I can't wait for more from the author and the series! After all, there's a Reaper on the loose!

Tropes:

- paranormal

- Christmas

- grumpy and sunshine

- Ghost of Christmas Past

- retelling

- candy canes

- cozy and wholesome

- opposites attract

- he's a ghost but she's haunting him

- soulmates

4.75/5

Tessa, Tessa, Tessa... You write a man with a filthy mouth who would do everything to provide for his girfl, even die for her, move heaven and the earth and expect me not to fall in love with him?

“You love her?” “I exist for her”

Jesus, talk about simp. He's there begging on his knees, crawling to be with her and humbling himself before her and loving every single moment. Because he's hers. WHERE ARE MEN LIKE THAT IN REAL LIFE?

Chloe was absolutely fantastic too, I loved her. She learned so much and gained independence and I loved to see it. And she loved Sig so much that she had to make the tough decisions for both of them.This book was absolutely fantastic and amazing.

The only critique I have is two-fold:

1) why didn't they just marry in Vegas, I've been thinking about this the whole time. That way it wouldn't be them the media would paint the villains, but their parents who stand in the way of true love.

2) I wish we saw their domestic bliss for longer than a short epilogue.

This book was fantastic. Pierre was a great addition, and the baseball/hockey players' game was amazing. I've been imagining “No, I don't dance” from High School Musical 2 during this chapter, lol, with Corrigan as Ryan and Skylar as Chad, hell-bent on being against him and his charms lmao. I can't wait for their book now!

Sig and Chloe were absolutely fantastic and I loved this book.

4.25/5

I enjoyed this book very much. Scheming brought them together and I loved it.

Ari and Russel were adorable together and I loved them working together to bring their bosses back together. And I loved Torrence and Seth together too, they were amazing together! I loved the scheming and partnering.

And I loved at the end where Torrence and Seth tried to get them together although I was convinced that they knew what was going on lmao.

I loved this book very much!

That was nice, I enjoyed it.

3/5

That book was mostly boring. I didn't care about either character except for Hazel, she was precious.

The jokes weren't funny to me at all, the story was meh although certainly not the worst. The ending just pissed me off. So he didn't tell her he pulled out as her manager, she found out from other people, ignored him and it was all done at 96%?? And the next chapter takes place a month later and they're suddenly okay? I hated that. Show, not tell. I hate when authors tell and not show.

Also the epilogue was so bad. Why almost every author thinks that being married and being a mother is a woman's happy ending - especially that nothing in the book indicated it? Sure, Fee loved Hazel and she was already a mother figure. And she loved Meyers. But nowhere in the book was it said that she wants to be his wife or give birth to his child. That was his fantasy, not hers, one he didn't even tell her. Seriously the whole epilogue is out of character, out of place, and completely unnecessary.

4.25/5

I loved this book although so many crucial moments were written from Arthur's point of view. I would have loved to hear from Lydia instead.

Every time they were intimate, it was from Arthur's point of view, every single big and small thing was from his point of view. And when Davis proposed, it cut off and went straight to Arthur again, how he felt about this etc.

This is one scene I would have loved to see Lydia's feelings - we never see what happened next. Did she tell him she's married to his brother instead? Did she tell him she's in love with Arthur? Did Jasper? How did she feel about it? A few weeks earlier she would have said yes, but what was her thought process now??? And later? Everyone acted like that never happened even though it must have been extremely awkward for all of them. Just... The book missed this because I feel like it hasn't been resolved.

Other than that, I loved the book so much, it was amazing. I loved Lydia and Arthur and the epilogue was so cute too. I love the fake dating trope and it was done excellently!

4,25/5

This was adorable. I really enjoyed this book. It might have been slightly too long in same places but I loved it.

I'm not a fan of public love confessions or anything like that so reading about Lucie telling everyone her dreams on a radio show as weird for me, I was waiting for the to hang up. But that's what I would have done. And later when Aiden and Lucie finally talked at the very end - I wouldn't have come to the radio station in the first place, but it felt very in character for both Lucie and Aiden.

I loved them. Both characters were amazing. Maya was a little mastermind. My favourite moment was when she said she hadn't found anyone who would compare to Aragorn. Same, kiddo. Absolutely same here.

I like how observant Aiden was and THE NOTE IN HIS GLOVE COMPARTMENT! The picnic! I loved that so much!

I'm glad that Lucie found him and they both finally accepted what was happening. It took Aidan longer (I hate third act breakups, why did it have to be here too) but they got there in the end.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for providing me the ARC for my honest opinion.

4/5

That was fun. Nothing groundbreaking but I wasn't bored so that's a plus. The characters were interesting enough that they made the book enjoyable.

2/5

I was honestly expecting him to know who she was. The entire thing about FMC being related to someone famous was unnecessary for me because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the entire time. The smut was dry lol.

ALSO, nobody proofread this book, I'm sure, because at the beginning her sister was called Serena a pop star, and by the end, her name changed to Sabrina. Just... it's 24 pages of mediocre smut. The least the author could do is keep the damn name.

3,75/5

That was cute. A little too fluffy than what I expected for a mafia romance. It was my second mafia romance and I was expecting something more unhinged but it was still fun.

I have to admit: the synopsis didn't encourage me to read it. What did was someone on reddit describing the plot as “a mafia man asks his pretend wife to act like a complete idiot to fool his men” which is a much better way to market the book IMO.

Also ngl, I had trouble getting into the book as a Pole. See, I read the author's note about the Russian words, and “Malysh” sounds like Polish “Małysz” who is one of the (still) most popular Polish athletes (even though he's retired) so when I read it in the note all I could see is Adam małysz during ski jumping competition and a Polish commentator screaming “Fly, Adam, Fly!”

But I digress.

Regarding the author's note however, it's a complete bullshit because while I appreciated the thought, after reading it I think the author made a complete mistake. She defined “kukolka” and “milaya” which have been used once each, and “piroski” which have been used maybe twice or thrice.

But do you know what wor was missing from the mini dictionary? Pakhan.

Do you know how many times it has been used? 50. 50 times and there was no definition.

Apparently it means a crime boss. I had to google it.

All in all, the book was fun, I loved Nina pretending to be a complete imbecile and everyone buying that. BUT despite the supposed danger they were in, it felt like low stakes. I didn't feel like the danger was that bad, maybe because of the fluffy vibes??

PLUS The whole bookstakes place in a span of a few months. The author didn't convey it well: it felt like a few days at most. Seriously, the pacing of this book was unreal and not in a good way. Also the fact that they got married after 2 days was... No.

I also disliked how her intimacy issues got resolved at the very end, it was rushed and felt like his dick cured her fear. Seriously, that's not how it works and I disliked it too.

I'm going to leave this review with my favourite scene:

“Got it, kotik”
I close my eyes and shake my head. “You do not call a Russian pakhan “kitten”, Nina. I have an image to uphold here.”
She narrows her eyes at me, schools her features to embody seriousness, and touches my nose with her finger.
“My deadly kotik. Better?”

4/5

I really enjoyed it. Both Grace and Luke were fascinating and I loved their relationship - I wanted to punch Luke for what he said as well. I'd prefer a little more grovel, since he was antagonizing Grace in the present too, but it was still a great story. I loved how sneaky Denton was too.

I enjoyed their fights and arguments and their banter later on. Luke has such a dirty mouth too, I enjoyed it. The scene in solarium was definitely my favourite, although the scene in the library was hot too.

I liked the story - I haven't read the previous one in the series but it works perfectly well as a standalone since I didn't have to read the previous book to understand this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lark Maitland for the ARC for my honest review (as late as it is).

4/5 Very kinky, very spicy, very good.

I'm not into Santa, but that was hot and I enjoyed it. The kinks were great although I wish the book was longer!

4.75/5

This book was so good???

I missed Evie and Trystan. They are amazing. And the plot of this book was fantastic. Now the only thing I hate is that we have to wait for the third book at least another year when I want to find out the ending now. And now I learned that there's a 4th book too???

I loved Gideon although I wish this book only had Evie and The Villain's povs. I think while Gideon and Becky were amazing, their povs weren't that necessary (perhaps not counting the epilogue which was very interesting and now I have QUESTIONS).

I hope everything ends well on the third book - and that Evie and Trystan will have their happy ending.

4.75/5

I really enjoyed it.

I was surprised Tamsyn was the FMC at first but I loved her as the time went on. Bowen I loved since the beginning and I was so excited to read his book!

And time travel! It might not be my favourite trope but this book made me like it, ngl.

I loved how Bowen and Tamsyn stuck together and we're a team, instead of being resentful toward each other as I feared. I love how they had each other's back through it all.

I hate the love/lust athe first sight so I was annoyed that this book had it but I guess it kind of helped that they were mostly chatting and messaging each other for the first year instead after meeting instead of meeting each other? Idk, it helped I guess.

Bowen's grandmother was amazing and I loved her and how she helped them in the end. Annie was fantastic and she was definitely my favourite. I loved all the shenanigans Bowen and Tam got themselves into!

What I didn't like is how the Declan stuff just got resolved at the end “just because”. I hoped they would help him, but I hoped we would get a real solution to his problems - otherwise what was it all for? Bowen was still traumatised and for nothing?? Come on, Erin could have done better instead of bringing him back for a happy ending.

3.75/5

Wow, I can't believe this was the last book in the series. I mean I get it, with what happened to Belissama - but I'm still disappointed. Since the first book I was hoping for Gareth and Linden story, his character development and their reconciliation. I mean even in the 3rd book he was still hopelessly in love with her, and I enjoyed his growth. And I loved Linden in the first book and I was hoping for the second chance romance between those two. So I'm disappointed we won't get it.

Now for Dasha and Ivy... I don't get how Ivy could get Dasha back so quickly with no hesitation, after how much she didn't want to in the previous book. It was too quick for me and Sasha didn't grovel enough - her grovel was mostly off page which I didn't like.

And while I understand that this story needed to be written from Dasha's point of view, I hoped to get Ivy's perspective instead, since the previous book. So that's probably why my rating is lower as well.

All in all I enjoyed this book. It wasn't my favourite in the series (and I can't believe it's the last book - I mean what about Gareth??? And the entire town, I'm gonna miss it!) but it wasn't bad.

3.75/5

That was a cute story, I enjoyed it. Didn't love it (especially by the end), but I enjoyed it.

The characters were interesting, especially Róisín. She was a little tornado and I loved her. Niall was great too and I felt so sorry for him regarding his backstory!

I was a little annoyed with Cordelia by the end though. The third act breakup was so unnecessary and I knew it was coming - I knew as soon as the main couple got together by 60% mark. I mean seriously, it's like authors can't write happy couples at all. I would have preferred the domestcity and them figuring out the long-distance instead of the drama we've got.

The ex fiancee was so bad, I'm glad that Niall finally told her off!

I enjoyed the story. the setting was incredible and now I want to be one of the tourists and go to Ireland!

4,25/5

Such a wholesome Christams romance!

I love Martha Waters's books and when she announced the contemporary Christmas romance, I had faith she could do it with no problem and I'd love it - and I was right. The characters were loveable, the plot was fantastic, I truly enjoyed this book. SOmething about books set in England warms my heart and I loved this one.

Both characters are great, and I enjoyed getting to know them and I was rooting for them the whole time - though I wish we got an epilogue to see how things are going on a couple of months later. Because of the lack of the epilogue if felt like happy for now instead of a happy ending - I'd love to see what else is in store for them. Did Charlotte move to London at the end and expanded her business there? She could technically work from anywhere. Are they doing long-distance instead? How are things going on on that front? Did Graham join the non-profit like he wanted? What's happening with the house? I feel like there are too many questions unanswered, so unless Martha is going to write a sequel, the epilogue should be here.

That's why I couldn't rate this higher. It feels like an open ending, hopeful but open. I don't know; I would love to have all the questions answered.

The book was amazing though and I'll be reading more of Martha Waters should she write anything else.

Thank you to NetGalley, headline, and Martha Waters for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2,75/5

As much as I like Beauty and the Beats retelling, this was not it. The references were too obvious (I mean, really, her name was Bellamy and his nickname was Beast? And she wasn't allowed to go to the west wing? Please be more original). I like it when the references are subtle and tasteful, Those just smacked me in the head with a pan. I mean I'm actually surprised that Bellamy didn't compare this setting to Beauty and the Beast tbh.

The characters were interesting to the point. I lost all interest around the 90% mark when he sent her away, And then SHE had to go back to get back with him? Fuck that. He should have been the one to grovel, she didn't do anything wring in that scene.

Also, those best friends? The worst friends ever. First, they come in uninvited, then kick her out of her own room to have sex in HER bed - and instead of apologizing they laugh at her, and then, instead of allowing her to move on and support her they just push her to be with the guy that pushed her away? No, fuck them. If they were my friends I'd drop them so fast for not respecting my boundaries. Come on, she deserved better. And I didn't even like her that much!

The AI was just weird. it's not Jarvis! Stop trying to make him like Jarvis! It took me out of the story so fast in the beginning I had a hard time to actually get into the story.

3,75/5

I quite enjoyed it, although I wish it was written better.

I liked both Penelope and Phillipe, they were interesting characters - especially Phillipe's backstory with the Reign of Terror, which I've never seen in the regency romance before. But the relationship was lacking something, I didn't immediately cheer for them.

With Phillippe calling Penelope “a dear child” at the Fayre it seemed weird to me that he would be suddenly so in love with her - especially considering such an age gap between them. And the first half of the book was quite boring tbh, there were too many descriptions for me and not enough plot going forward - and at the end it was too rushed. I wished we saw more of stolen moments between Penelope and Philippe during the house party, as well as more chapters from Philippe's point of view. I wished for his pov especially after his uncle told Penelope the story of Phillipe and his father - I wondered what Phillipe thought and felt during that time, and perhaps that he could confide in Penelope?

So while the book was interesting and the plot was intriguing, the writing and execution could be better. I expected more tbh.