BOOK REVIEW: Unbound by Shadows by Avalon Griffin

June 4, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

Unbound by Shadows by Avalon Griffin
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Transported to another world, tempted by a dangerous passion.

Selene has never been one to make a fuss. She doesn’t mind it when the barista gets her order wrong, someone cuts her off in traffic, or she has to drop everything to mediate her family’s latest crisis. But when she goes through a portal to the matriarchal dimension of Aurelia, she discovers that being nice doesn’t always pay. Especially when she meets a demon whose smoldering gaze makes her wonder why she ever craved a life so ordinary.

Samael is a vengeance demon with a drive to punish wrongs. Kidnapped from the Underworld and brought to Aurelia as a boy, his demonic tendencies make him an outcast in a realm he can’t escape. When he becomes Selene’s guardian on a quest for a stone that could send her home, he plots to sacrifice her and steal it for himself. But as they travel together, their attraction grows. Until one day, they each must choose between finding escape and surrendering to temptation.

Unbound by Shadows is a standalone novel, the first in an interconnected fated-mates series that blends paranormal romance and fantasy in a setting rooted in urban mythology. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Ruby Dixon, and Kresley Cole.

Review:

With adventure, love and deceit laced throughout the pages, I never wanted to stop listening to Unbound by Shadows! This forced proximity, paranormal romance was so much fun! It had multiple dimensions, a brooding demon, and a wayward human. So if you’re looking for a new story to get devour, definitely add this one to your tbr!

A demon—a huge, fearsome creature straight from the Underworld—was trembling under her touch. Holding her body against his as if he would die without it.

Watching Selene’s resilience in a brand new world, had me cheering her on! She felt so bogged down and controlled in her old life, so I loved that she was starting anew. She was smart, endearing, and it was entertaining seeing everything unfurl through her eyes while she was in the Realm of Aurelia. But my favorite moments with Selene were when she was with Sam. I loved that she was able to find her voice, and true love too.

He felt a pull—deep and instinctual. A sudden overwhelming need to indulge her. To please and satisfy. To be the male, the only male, that could give her what she desired. It was disturbing… but undeniable.

We got this story from both of their povs, and I loved listening to all of Sam’s thoughts. He was a shadow demon who enjoyed reading erotica, so of course I loved him right away! He was protective, broody, deadly, and also could be oh so sweet. While his haunting past formed him into the demon he was now, he still had growing to do too. Right along with Selene!

“Remember your anger, sweet one! There is nothing more powerful than a female’s fury. Feel it, use it!”

With steamy kisses that go astray, perilous moments, found family, and a wonderful ending, Unbound by Shadows was a paranormal that you can get lost in. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did such a fabulous job making this story come alive! She made the world completely disappear around me! Also, I absolutely adored some of the characters we met, like Eldridge and Brunie. They were my favorites! They brought out sides of Sam that I was clambering to see, and there were so many memorable moments with them! And while this story ends in a happily for now, you can tell there are still more adventures for both Sam and Selene to go on together. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Introvert by Cookie O’Gorman

May 28, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

Introvert by Cookie O'Gorman
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Introvert (in-troh-vurt): Someone who is quiet, shy, and/or thoughtful. For reference, see Aurora Kent.

Seventeen-year-old Aurora Kent likes being alone. For the most part. With her fear of crowds, anxiety issues, and inexperience, she's never really left home.

Until now.

Aurora loves playing violin…and surprises everyone when she agrees to go on tour with a band for two months.

She surprises herself more by kissing a rockstar.

Felix Cordova. Mysterious, cocky, gorgeous—and strangely familiar. When Felix asks her to be his girlfriend for 10 seconds, she agrees. But Aurora never expected a video of their kiss to go viral.

Now she's in a fake relationship with the one guy who makes her heart sing.

Stuck on a bus with five hot musicians, playing sold-out shows, Aurora should be living the dream. But as fake dating leads to sharing a bunk, late-night talks, and heartfelt confessions, Aurora finds herself falling hard.

Which is a problem because, real or fake, summer romances never last—right?

This book features two opposites with the most delicious slow burn, one heart-melting grand gesture, so many soul-stirring kisses and answers the question:

What happens when a shy girl falls for a rockstar?

Review:

Introvert was an adorable fake dating story that you definitely need in your life! I couldn’t stop smiling, it was so easy to fall in love, and I cried all the happy tears. Plus the found family was everything! Introvert was all the stars and I can’t recommend it enough!

“You seem a little tense,” he said.
I barely heard him.
When I kiss girls…
Girls plural. As if I needed the reminder that I wasn’t special.

Aurora was going on tour with a band for two months, and it started off with a bang! While helping a bandmate out, by pretending to be his girlfriend, their kiss went viral. As they shared a tour bus and performed on stage together, it was so much fun to watch everything unfold! Especially since they were asked to keep up the pretense of their fake relationship. With lines blurred and the unknowns of what’s real and fake, this book was so binge worthy! I had to know what would happen next!

Taylor took a step back. “Brace yourself, Aurora.”
I tilted my head. “For what?”
“Fame and everything that comes with it.”
“But I’m nobody,” I said with a laugh.
“If you say so.”

I was so proud of Aurora! Her introverted self took so many huge steps, even with her nerves getting the best of her at times. It wasn’t a smooth process, but I loved cheering her on every step of the way! From stage fright, to her first kiss, to even making a new friend with London, Aurora was someone you will adore and love! And I wanted to push her right into Felix’s arms!

“People want something to root for.”
I shook my head. “And that would be what?”
“True love,” she said as if it should be obvious. “You and Felix. The shy girl and the rockstar.”

Fleix captivated me so effortlessly. He was filling in for his brother’s bandmate, who had an injury, and he fit the part so perfectly. While he came across as bold and sure, I loved that he was also kind, thoughtful and caring. And when we learned about his past, I just wanted to hug him. But one of the things I loved the most about Felix was the way he could make us swoon and sigh out loud. It was impossible not to fall in love with Felix, right along with Aurora!

The world faded until there was nothing but us.

Together, Felix and Aurora were so sweet! Their banter was adorable, their moments together were smile inducing, and they induced butterflies! But there were also some deeper issues for both of them to tackle, so I cried some tears on their journey. But with grand gestures and happy endings, this book will leave you smiling! Introvert was a famous, forced proximity, fake dating story that easily landed on my favorites list! If you’re looking for the perfect beach read, or a story that will make you oh so happy happy, this is your book!

“How do you do that?” I asked.
“Do what?”
“Make me feel better with nothing but your voice.”

PS This book can definitely be read as a standalone! And I think Introvert is a great starting point to step into Cookie’s books. Aurora is the daughter of a character from Adorkable, which was Cookie’s first book. So we got to see people from other books that will make any Cookie fan oh so happy! But if you’re wanting to pick up one of Cookie’s newer books, I can’t recommend starting here enough! It’ll make you want to go back and binge them all!

BOOK REVIEW: Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli

May 19, 2025 / Jen / 1 Comment

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell, but after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. Teetering on the edge of burnout, Tris is stunned when she’s picked to attend WMC's corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. It’s a chance to revive her stalled career and compete for a coveted spot in an executive training program—plus, three weeks in paradise! The only downside? Rafe is her co-attendee.

Tris plans to avoid Rafe entirely, but when she arrives in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. Sure, it’s not all torture. Rafe is a smoldering ten—okay fine, an eleven—but after years of competition, they can barely stand being in the same time zone. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along?

Review:

Not Safe for Work was a fabulous enemies to lovers forced proximity romance! With heavier relatable themes laced through this story, I devoured this one! The slow burn was drawn out beautifully, the characters were easy to adore, and the location made me want to be laying on a beach somewhere. It was so much fun watching them make each other laugh as they knocked down the walls that separated them. It wasn’t an easy process, but I was completely invested in Trishara and Rafe! I listened to the audiobook and it swept me away. The narrators did such a fabulous job of making me lost within this story. So if you’re looking for a romance that you could binge in a sitting or would be the perfect beach read, this is your book!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

May 14, 2025 / Jen / 1 Comment

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the twentieth century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad . . . depending on who’s telling it.

Review:

Great Big Beautiful Life was an emotional story that wove the past and the present. With mysteries and secrets abound, I enjoyed trying to figure out where I was being led. Yet I personally struggled, because I was never able to connect to any of the characters. Even though the grumpy sunshine and rivals to lovers tropes were done so well!

It’s important that I play this cool.
Fact: I have never played it cool in my life.

Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson were up against each other. They were both given the opportunity of a lifetime to write the biography of Margaret Ives. Right away, I liked Alice. She was funny and I adored her random thoughts and conversations. I loved how she messed with Hayden, while at the same time I loved learning his habits….like his obsession with that back corner booth. Hayden was such a grumpy, quiet soul. But he could be nice when he wanted to haha. And as they kept running into each other, I enjoyed watching a friendship start to form and turn into more.

“Alice?” he calls over the top of it.
“Hmm?”
“She lies to me too,” he says. “For whatever it’s worth, Margaret Ives isn’t telling me the truth.”

Margaret started her story back with her great-grandfather. We watched history unfold, and it was fascinating. We learned the stories of those before her and how it shaped the world she stepped into. We saw how the media painted them however they wanted, and the truth was damned. It was suffocating at times. And through it all, there was so much guilt, struggle, broken hearts, and not ever thinking you were enough mixed in with love.

“For the one you love? Anything. You unmake the world and build a new one. You do anything to give them what they need.”

The way we slid from the past to the present was seamlessly done. And my interest was intrigued as the book unfolded. But through it all, I never could find that connection to Margaret, Alice or Hayden. I’m one of those that desperately needs that connection to characters for a book to be enjoyable. So while this book closed with a wonderful happily ever after, I don’t think I’ll be picking up another book by Emily Henry. I dnfed Happy Place, because it pulled me down into a depression. And this one felt lackluster to me since I missed that connection. Here’s hoping you enjoyed this one so much more than I did!

BOOK REVIEW: A Simple Twist of Fate by April Asher

May 13, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

A Simple Twist of Fate by April Asher
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
A witch and a shifter get a second chance at love in this new paranormal romantic comedy from USA Today Bestselling author April Asher.

At the bright-eyed age of eighteen, witch Harlow “Harry” Pierce attended her first Fates Festival Finding Ceremony certain the Blue Willow Wisp would lead her to her Fated match, her cougar shifter boyfriend, Jaxon Atwood. But Fate had other plans, guiding her best friend to him instead. With a broken heart, all her belongings, and a vow to never return, Harry did the only thing a heartsick witch could do. Run.

Thirteen years later, she returns to her magical hometown―with her half-human, half-shifter goddaughter in tow―hoping that not only would the town work its magic on the troubled teenager, but that the local Alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack could help Grace identify―and control―her fiery abilities.

Jaxon Atwood was a shifter of few words and even less patience… until his mother retired as Alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack and left the running of things to him. It’s a headache he didn’t need, and one that brought the witch who’d ripped his heart from his chest knocking on his door.

Ever since the disappearance of the town’s Fate Witch over a decade ago, Fates Haven’s magic has been slowly going haywire. There hasn’t been a Fated Match made in thirteen years, putting the town in serious jeopardy of losing its title of Highest Fated Mates Percentage in the World. But now, something is stirring in Fates Haven, Colorado, and it smells like the past, tastes like change, and looks like A SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE.

Review:

A Simple Twist of Fate was an adorable, second chance, paranormal romance. With found family that will warm your heart, characters that feel like home, and a storyline that was all the fun, this book was so easy to enjoy!

Harlow Pierce possessed the ability to knock his feet out from under him without even trying, and it was clear that in her time away from Fates Haven— and him— that skill had grown more potent.

I liked and clicked with Harlow Pierce, aka Harry, right away. She had the biggest heart ever, and I loved how her thoughts like 9pm being after her bedtime were so relatable. After thirteen years she found herself returning to her small hometown to help her goddaughter, Grace. And there was no avoiding her ex, Jaxon Atwood. I loved that we also got this story from his point of view! He was a shifter who easily had me in his clutches with just a few words. Sigh.

Fuck Fate. Make your own.

With a fun and flirty vibe and moments that will have you giggling, this small town romance was so effortless to love! There was a hilarious and meddling Aunt, old best friends that had Harry’s back, and tension that was delicious. The steam was perfect, and I loved the mystery about what was going on with everyone’s magic. The ending will have you smiling for our couple, and I love that other characters stories were left open so we can revisit this world. I have all my fingers crossed that we’ll be back in Fates Haven. I loved this world!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*