Month: February 2022 (Page 2 of 4)

BOOK REVIEW: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

February 17, 2022 / Jen / 6 Comments

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.

2) A person’s undoing

3) Joshua Templeman

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

Review:

I type my password: IHATEJOSHUA4EV@.

The Hating Game consumed my every waking thought. I’m a huge fan of enemies to lovers, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I loved this book, but it felt so much more then this is a favorite book. I felt as though I knew Lucy and Josh, as though they were a part of me. Their story had me clinging onto their every word and scene. My emotions were tied up in knots. And I couldn’t stop thinking about them long after I read that last page. The Hating Game is a must read for fans of enemies to lovers and adult romance!

“What are you imagining? Your expression is filthy.”
“Strangling you. Bare hands.” I can barely get the words out. I’m huskier than a phone- sex operator after a double shift.
“So that’s your kink.” His eyes are going dark.
“Only where you’re concerned.”
Both his eyebrows ratchet up, and he opens his mouth as his eyes go completely black, but he does not seem to be able to say a word.
It is wonderful.

Lucy Hutton and Josh Templeman worked at the same office. Their companies had merged and they were both assistants to the co-COs. They sat across from each other and hated the other passionately. The games they played and ways they tried to mess with the other every chance they got was addicting. They were a complete and utter HR nightmare. With a new position opening, Josh and Lucy found themselves competing for the same promotion. And in the process, both of their lives would never be the same.

“Shortcake.”
The sweet little word dissolves and I swallow.
“I’m not going to kill you. You’re so dramatic.” Then he presses his mouth lightly against mine.

Lucy Hutton was someone I adored. Her thoughts cracked me up and while she was a little eccentric, she was so relatable and loveable. Her attempts to mess with Josh in the best ways possible made me ridiculously happy! Yet when Josh would try and be nice to her, ugh, my heart hurt because I was begging for her not to freak out. Lucy made mistakes and I understood why. She was so lonely and friendless. I just wanted to give her a hug. Or shake some sense into her when she got Danny to go on a date with her. Yes he was kind and helpful to Lucy, but I wanted to shove him down to the ground and instead push Josh into her face and scream pick him!

His lips curve and I touch his face. The first smile Joshua’s ever had in my presence is pressed against my lips. I pull back in astonishment, and in one millisecond his face has defaulted back to grave and serious, albeit flushed.

Obsessed isn’t a huge enough word to describe my feelings towards Josh. He could be such an asshole and mean to Lucy, but at the same time he could also be kind, caring, compassionate and thoughtful *like the lemonade, sobs*. He seemed to have so much going on under the surface and I desperately wanted to know all of his thoughts. Especially since from the second chapter on, it seemed like Josh was jealous of Lucy’s niceness to other males, when all she gave him was hate. So I was here for ALL of the jealousy that would play out! But he was so much more then that. From each time he spoke up, to each time he called her shortcake, to each time he made marks in his planner, to every single kind thing he did, Josh made me fall in love with him that much deeper. The more of Josh we got to see, it was so easy to see that he truly was everything.

When I think about his teeth biting softly down on my bottom lip, I get a clenching flutter between my legs. When I think of his hand on the back of my thigh, I have to reach down and feel where his fingers spread. The hardness of his body? I can skip breathing for a bit. I wonder how I tasted to him. How I felt.

This book made me feel ALL the emotions! One moment I’d have tears in my eyes and my heart was in my throat, and the next I’d be laughing so hard I’d have tears in my eyes again. The Hating Game was emotional, heartfelt, seductive and so much fun! When you throw in their fighting and that they could be funny without even trying, this book became a favorite so easily. I swear I smiled from the first page to the last! Especially since their chemistry was electrifying. Any moment they touched felt explosive. And as more happened, this book could be so steamy and hot! Mix in some matchbox cars and smurfs and this is a story I’ll remember forever.

“Stop calling me Shortcake.” I try to roll onto my side but he presses the heels of his palms lightly against my shoulders. I stop breathing.
“Watching you pretend to hate that nickname is the best part of my day.”

From page one, I was obsessed. I loved Lucy’s voice and the moment Josh appeared, eeps I was a goner. If you love enemies to lovers, fabulous banter, emotional moments, and multi faceted characters, then you need this book in your life! The Hating Game became an instant favorite and I can’t wait to re-read this one down the road!

BOOK REVIEW: The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

February 16, 2022 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline—her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.

But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman—he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother.

As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.

In the vein of Naomi Novik’s New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Arden’s national bestseller The Bear and the Nightingale, this unforgettable debut— inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology—follows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant.

My hand curls around the hilt of my knife. “Would you let me destroy you, then?”
“It would be just as well,” Gáspár says miserably. “I should be struck dead, for wanting you the way I do.”

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I get excited when a close friend can’t recommend a book enough. We share quotes, pre-swoon, and just altogether talk about what might work or not work going forward, for me. These moments are when I get the most eager to try something new and step out of my narrow-minded little box, the moments when I want to take risks and find new favorites since I haven’t been in the reading game near as much in the last four years. Sometimes it pays off, and other times it falls flat. But here, with this book, it was one of the shakiest successes I’ve come around to in a while.

That’s not to say it wasn’t excellent-that’s the point. It was excellent. It was so excellent it physically hurt me to not five star it. But, with all the things, there is balance. I loved so many moments, but the others, the parts that pained my soul, they dragged me down to a darker place that is much harder to drag myself out of. And those are the moments that halted my enjoyment, that strangled my breathing not in the way I love, like with a slow burn romance coming to fruition, but with deep agonizing sadness that I couldn’t see past. Which is just so silly… but triggers are triggers for a reason, even if mine are very far different from others.

A bear is an enemy I can more easily understand, and fear or loathe accordingly. Even snoring, I can see all its teeth.

But again-balance. This was such a blatant display of walking the tightrope for me it’s almost comical. Imagine me, in my head, ‘Omg, they are going to kiss,’ ‘Oh he lOoOoOvEs HERRRR,’ ‘Oh, he will do anything for her’, then, slowly, ‘OMG, the kids. A child’s remnants. Their hair. A doll. Them weeping at their parents’ feet before certain death’ and so on and so forth and what have you, switching back and forth between utter revulsion and perverse delight. It’s a sick game to play, but I couldn’t be happier I tried.

If you don’t risk, you won’t get reward. This romance, this world-it was amazing. I don’t always comment on the world-building, but here we see it done so well, never leaving room for questions and always knowing right where someone or something is meant to be. And, honestly, I really enjoyed each and every character central to the story-good, bad, and ugly. They were made for a specific purpose, to further the plot, and they fit so seamlessly that I can’t imagine the story without them (not the prairie part as much, though-that really realllyy triggered me). Well…I mean…without the king or Nandor there would certainly be less gore, sadness, and violence. And without the evil men or women, there wouldn’t be carnage of families, children, or animals but…I mean, you get it.

All I’m saying is: Gaspar wouldn’t be a tortured soul, Evike wouldn’t be quite so quick to be vicious or petty, and there wouldn’t be room for someone to grow-say, an old enemy? The way the characters flesh out and grow into something more is what I love most about slow-burn and this type of adventure. Back in the day I LOATHED traveling stories (Ask Anna, it’s true). I avoided them AT ALL COSTS. But now, I have noticed that MANY of my favorites are traveling stories, much because they allow for that slow-burn to grow, to fester as the hero and heroine trudge through grueling elements and fight off many foes and sacrifice themselves over and over in their quest to get where they need to be.

I stare at the black outline of his body, light pooling on each crease in his dolman. I should only be thinking about his ax and his horrible missing eye. But instead I am wondering why he cares so much for his oath and so little for his crown. Why he seems to suggest that it’s easier to be a Woodsman than a prince. I curl onto one of the cowhides on the other side of the tent, closer to the fire, and sleep claims me before I can begin to wonder why I am thinking of him so much at all.

Look, I never said I was sane, okay? But who WANTS to be sane when such books as this exist. You have to be a little coocoo to like all the things that happen in fantasy, and I’m right there alongside everyone who does, because I couldn’t imagine my life without it. When I was younger I craved those moments where the hero would have to do something crazy to save the heroine or when horrible things happened and they had to be righted. I never KNEW that I was that way, not until I found Goodreads, and not until I started talking to other people who, like me, liked books that weren’t what people would expect you to like. No one would ever have looked at quiet, mousy me and said, ‘Yeah, she would LOVE this book because the main character is fighting the villain and is on the brink of death and the hero risks it all to save her and he, too, almost perishes. Yeah, she would LOVE that.’ So, I think what I’m saying is this: TWATW was crazy. Very much so. But I loved it, evil and all. Well. Maybe not the evil-but I loved what it made my darling hero do.

“You’ve killed any part of me that was a devout and loyal Woodsman,” he says. There is pain threaded through his voice; I imagine the Prinkepatrios fading from his mind, like a moon paring away in the black sky. His hand shifts from my breast, closing into a fist over my heart. “This is all that’s left now.”

And here we are- the slow-burn romance that owns my soul. There are no books like this. They are IMPOSSIBLE to find. I mean, they are out there…but when I crave them, when I NEED them, they elude me. And this was just the best possible surprise, picking this up and seeing how guarded Gaspar was. The BEST romances stem from those where the main characters are only fooling themselves, because that pivotal, heated, heart-wrenching moment when the two clash into each other due to ‘unrequited’ longing and days or weeks or months of pining secretly and fighting yourself or doubting what they mean to you…THOSE are the moments I LIVE AND BREAHTE AND DIE FOR, because that payoff is unreal. And this book…man. The stubbornness. It rules.

Perhaps I wanted to kiss him to prove how little I cared for my people, for my mother’s braid in my pocket, her life ended by some Woodsman at the behest of his father. Perhaps I wanted to forget that between here and Király Szek I am not pagan, not Yehuli, only some stupid girl with her hand in both pockets, finding comfort in cold, dead things. Maybe I wanted his touch to erase me.
Or perhaps I wanted the opposite: maybe I wanted his kiss to give me shape, to see how my body transfigured under his hands.

And lastly-Evike. Look, I LOVE Gaspar-he is my favorite character and he is wounded and tortured and had his own variation of a terrible life. WE KNOW THIS. He would do ANYTHING for Evike, and his whispered words and vehement actions that speak louder than what he tries to portray…he is a man I will never forget, and he is the sole reason I pushed past the sad or religious or otherwise horrendous moments, because he is a hero that is few and far between and his self-sacrificing soul will forever live in my heart. BUT-I DIGRESS-Evike. I kind of dogged her a little, off and on…and I couldn’t really pinpoint why. Then, it was like a wrecking ball-Evike is me.

I don’t know who I have been with him these past weeks, indulging every perverse instinct, killing fat, slumbering rabbits and openly professing to loathe my own people. My most spiteful self, and perhaps my truest.

The stubbornness. The repetitive downplaying of what I mean to someone. The petty barbs when someone hurts me. The way she views the world, skewed, but with vigor. The not letting a question go. The blatant disregard for her own safety just to help someone she loves, but also to not let go of a man she desires. I…can’t say I loved her-I didn’t. But I valued her. I identified with her. And I FELT her. And isn’t that the kicker, when we see ourselves in a character we don’t like? Guess I need to start looking in the mirror more, huh?

I don’t know when I have become something so burdened by other people’s hopes and loyalties and lives. It almost makes me weep to think of it, how many people will die or be thrown out if I choose wrong. My head bows over my bent knees, pain still crawling up my arm like a glut of blackflies.

So, with all that being said, I truly adored this book. Was it tough for my gooey soft center? Yes. Was it difficult at times to swallow? Yes. But, in the end, there was so much that took my breath away (positively) that I know in my heart this was an epic, unforgettable read. And that goes for 90% of the good, 10% for the bad. Meeting Gaspar and seeing his undying sense of good and his unwavering love and loyalty for Evike, even as he slowly fell for her despite his best efforts, was a balm to my soul, a song to my heart-and I will ALWAYS remember those moments and revisit them when I need to see what true, undying love looks like. It’s hard to remember that exists sometimes in this crazy world, so I can’t help but cherish these wonderfully addictive fantasy love stories.

****

This book was my greatest fear all wrapped up into one gory, monstrous, wondrous package. I want so terribly to give this a five…and perhaps, as I write my review in a moment, it will sway that way. But, right now the children, the animals, the religion…it keeps me from being able to click that fifth star, no matter how beautifully written.

It had the romance I pine, ache, and search for with each new book I try. It had the battles and the peril and the high stakes I lose sleep over. But, again, my triggers have a horrible habit of ruining my favorite type of stories. So I think that begs the question on my part…why are all my favorite books the ones that have horrible things that happen to innocent beings and people.

Well. I’ll sum it up. The romances are unparalleled. The action and peril are done the best here. So. A stalemate it is…because even though these books rip and tear at my soul, it swings both ways, the pendulum righting and wronging itself with each new page. And if I have to lose what I love to keep all the triggers away, it’s just not worth it.

So. A 4 it is…even though the beautiful enemies to lovers romance is a 100.

RTC

View all my reviews

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas

February 15, 2022 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
by Sarah J. Maas
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas launches her brand-new CRESCENT CITY series with House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.

Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. By day, she works for an antiquities dealer, selling barely legal magical artifacts, and by night, she parties with her friends, savoring every pleasure Lunathion—otherwise known as Crescent City— has to offer. But it all comes crumbling down when a ruthless murder shakes the very foundations of the city—and Bryce’s world.

Two years later, her job has become a dead end, and she now seeks only blissful oblivion in the city’s most notorious nightclubs. But when the murderer attacks again, Bryce finds herself dragged into the investigation and paired with an infamous Fallen angel whose own brutal past haunts his every step.

Hunt Athalar, personal assassin for the Archangels, wants nothing to do with Bryce Quinlan, despite being ordered to protect her. She stands for everything he once rebelled against and seems more interested in partying than solving the murder, no matter how close to home it might hit. But Hunt soon realizes there’s far more to Bryce than meets the eye—and that he’s going to have to find a way to work with her if they want to solve this case.

As Bryce and Hunt race to untangle the mystery, they have no way of knowing the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the darkest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir…

With unforgettable characters and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.

Lehabah drifted to her little couch. “Athie would talk to me about it.”
“Athie is a slave with little left to lose.”
“Don’t say such things, BB,” Lehabah hissed. “There is always something left to lose.”

I’ll admit it: I’m a total snob when it comes to Sarah J. Maas. That’s not to say I haven’t tried many times to immerse myself into her work. Newsflash: I have. It’s just hard for me, as the type of reader I am-deep down in my soul-to follow a lead who goes through not one, not two, but multiple romantic inquisitions. I’m sorry if some find this offensive (I don’t care, though), but not everyone enjoys getting their heart invested and then abruptly being flung onto a different flame where we are supposed to, again, invest our heart. Then…sometimes…have it torn out again.

I just am not that person, and I can’t/won’t/never will be. I like to have 1-2 love interests, up front (if it’s going to be a triangle), so all the cards are on the table for me to observe and to decide, on my own, who I like and who I want to root for. All these curveballs Maas throws? They just aren’t. My. Style.

Saying all this, of course, indicates I keep trying. The truth is, I swore this author off after the whole Tamlin/Rhys scenario. And have you SEEN the bloodshed over ships for this fandom? No thanks. I get my heart too into it, I become too Ride or Die, and my feelings get hurt, because people can say the meanest things… and they sting. Why bother? Well. Arielle seems to bother. Arielle bothered me a whole Hell of a lot.

Alas, here we are. My heart, as you can see, is wholly invested (again), two copies are on the way-one a special edition-andddd….I have a lot of trust, but, also, people are already worried if she’ll throw another male love interest in. Me? I am inclined to trust my Maas superfriend who has rarely (see: rarely. But she has led me astray before) taken me down a destructive path. And, truthfully, I know people like to speculate. Sure, why not. For one series, I was cracking up at the speculation after book one, cackling to myself about the idiots wanting the ‘bad guy’ to be the endgame love interest (effing really? Why?) And then I read book two…and I was the idiot. Never again. I will never be that fool again because it made me CRAZY. Also? That series can burn a fiery death and that author (who was manipulative as F*** on character development for the furtherment of her popularity among fans) is on my permanent do not read list. For-Ever.

She doesn’t even exist to me. Who? Jen, do you remember who that was?

Ha. Didn’t think so. We don’t know her.

But I digress. MY POINT WAS-Just because the fans’ hopes for certain love interests seem stupid at best, I’ve been taken on a stupider ride before. The thing is, though-I really really….trust this one. I have high hopes for it. Because the moment I met Hunt Athalar? I was done. Dead. I died. And I really haven’t stopped reading it since I started. I’m somewhere on my second immediate re-read, and I feel no less warm and fuzzy every single time he or Bryce are on the page. Or, better yet, when they are on the page together, bantering, supporting, fighting for one another.

(my personal favorite, period-)

Bryce whirled to face the elevator, that ponytail nearly whipping him in the face.
“Watch that thing,” Hunt snapped as the elevator finally emptied and they walked in. “You’ll take my eye out.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” Hunt’s turn to lift a brow. “What do you think I do with my spare time?”
“I don’t know. I assumed you cursed at the stars and brooded and plotted revenge on all your enemies.”

“This isn’t some crime-scene investigative drama, Quinlan. It’s not that easy.”
“No one likes a condescending asshole, Athalar.”

Hunt followed a step behind. Still shirtless.
“The soap is right there,” she said, pointing to the stack directly at his eye level. “And yet you took down a box from the highest shelf?”
She could have sworn color stained his cheeks. “I saw purple glitter.”
She blinked at him. “You thought it was a sex toy, didn’t you?” He said nothing.

And I think that’s the part that always bummed me out. Here was this author that had EVERYTHING I love in books: VERY likable female lead (well, okay, just Bryce…I didn’t like Feyre OR Aelin (Or whatever her name was??), personally), a guy that was new and interesting and I haven’t gotten to read about in a while because they’re always written poorly (See: Angel), a tense enemies to lovers (though I thought it was a bit light on the enemies tagline), a friendship between the leads that leads to mindblowing…er…chemistry, and, the belle of the ball-PERIL. I. Love. PERIL. And romantic peril at that? SIGN ME UP. Though, as I said, I could never read these books, because I couldn’t stand how many men this woman always wrote into existence. And then Arielle said-I think you’re wrong to not read this one. Angels. Enemies to lovers. Bryce. Hunt. DO IT. So, because it’s my girl I love more than anything in this world…I did.

She bit into the croissant. “Isn’t it exhausting to be an alphahole all the time? Do you guys have a handbook for it? Maybe secret support groups?”
“An alpha-what?”
“Alphahole. Possessive and aggressive.” She waved a hand at his bare torso. “You know—you males who rip your shirt off at the slightest provocation, who know how to kill people in twenty different ways, who have females falling over themselves to be with you; and when you finally bang one, you go full-on mating-frenzy with her, refusing to let another male look at or talk to her, deciding what and when she needs to eat, what she should wear, when she sees her friends—”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”

And, though I don’t know what the end result will be, I’m hooked. Despite my reservations and fragile heart, I’m hooked. And here it all comes down to this: This story was a trailblazer, a shooting star, and an absolute fucking delight. Bryce is someone I met and fell in love with almost immediately. Her loyalty. Her devotion. Her humanness. The mistakes and the fragility and the FIERCENESS. She is a girl I’d want to hang out with, and she is a girl that is fun to follow. And the way she holds someone accountable, but has the ability to look at the situation as someone else might have saw it, to work through that and forgive-to give all of herself? I love her. Absolutely adore her and am trash for her. And her relationship with Hunt? Amazing.

Bryce breathed, “If we summon a kristallos—”
“We don’t take that risk,” Hunt snarled. “We’ll figure out how to get the venom another way.”
“I can handle myself—”
“I can’t fucking handle myself, Quinlan. Not if you might be in danger.”

The complex layers that formed an alliance, then friendship, then love and trust…they captured my heart and made it hard to breathe. The subtlety of how deeply they felt for one another….it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. There’s a moment of emotional devastation that’s unparalleled to anything I’ve read in recent history, and it made my heart go crazy almost as much as actual strenuous and action sequences did/do. I can’t say what it is but…Hunt’s pain, his heartache, the dull ache of what could/is/will/can’t be, in a catastrophic and mind-numbing display of absolute torture-unreal. I LOVED IT. Though, I am a sick individual.

On that front: Man. The destruction in this book. The freaking….catastrophe of pain and hurt and world ending. Wow. I was trash for it. And let’s not belittle how she might have *mentioned* children but never said any die? Bravo because that shit is not cute and it does NOT add anything here. Merely mentioning they were running, etc.? Okay, I can deal. And I freaking APPRECIATE AND SEE YOU, MAAS. That’s not to say more isn’t coming, but, I was happy here. And the animal? (view spoiler) This is the type of writing I missed, that I have such a hard time finding. Not many authors *go there* for me. To that super dark moment that most people hate when one of the heroes gets hurt beyond comprehension but doesn’t give up, won’t leave someone behind, won’t stop fighting even though they have nothing left, etc. And I KNOW this is something she has always done but, alas, as I don’t read her books because *reasons* I miss out. And I’m okay with that, but now that I have found a book I truly am obsessed with…I hope she doesn’t screw the pooch. Lol. Literally.

Does she have the best writing style, adjectives, adverbs, names of characters, cheese level? No. Not all of it is my style. I don’t necessarily love the way she writes…but more what she writes. I can deal with her writing because she can lead me places not many authors can, and for that we are equals and I can hope and pray she keeps things going as they seem to be going *ahem* HUNT.

Speaking of the handsome devil [angel], I just…I love him? He was funny, sarcastic, witty, loyal AF, dedicated, and never once forgot his first love, but knew he was falling in love all the same. It was honestly beautiful to watch, and he is-quite frankly-Bryce’s equal. He would do anything for her. Anything; Just as she would for him. I am obsessed with that-how rare is it that not one, but two are self-sacrificing in a relationship. Both as friends and more. The way they risk their safety time and again to defend and honor one another, it’s groundbreaking to me and, in turn, cracked the tough exterior covering my heart where this author is concerned. The way he longed to be her friend, saw how loyal she was and just ached and yearned to have a friend like that-I might have become a ridiculous pile of goo. And the way he felt honored when they DID become friends, beaming with pride. It obliterated my crusty exterior, seriously.

“No, no, and no,” Bryce cut her off. “Jesiba is having me do a classified job, and Hunt was assigned to protect me.”
“Is being shirtless in your house part of that assignment?”
“You know how these Vanir males are. They live to show off their muscles.”
Hunt rolled his eyes as Juniper laughed.
“I’m shocked you’re even letting him stay here, B.”
“I didn’t really have a choice.”
“Hmmm.”
A thump of bare feet on the ground. “You know he’s listening, right? His feathers are probably so puffed up he won’t be able to fit through the door.”

And the steam level? I LOVE IT. Just that slow build, the relationship building felt so REAL, so palpable, which made it all the more addicting. And the way she leaves us yearning for more? I cannot. Literally. Not over the top (yet) and just enough to suck you in and hook you…I was a fan of what she did here and I am shocked there wasn’t more. And, honestly, pleasantly surprised .

It sucked. This stupid fucking world they lived in. It sucked, and it was full of awful people. And the good ones always paid for it.

And, finally (I think), the way betrayal was explored. That trust you put in friends. In your family. In the horrible little world you put yourself in…Maas excelled here. Both in fun shock (to me), and the ultimate betrayal of long-time friends. Of not knowing the truth and being spoon-fed lies but still persevering, seeking the light of truth that will help you get past your hurt. And then, ultimately, just deciding that, no matter the circumstance or consequences, you don’t care. All the people surrounding you who hurt you-some out of love, others just because- they love you and care for you and you love them and care for them. So damn it all and move on. This is the most important reason I love Bryce-and why she is so relatable to me.

Ruhn said to her, “I asked you to come. Not him.”
Bryce linked her arm through Athalar’s, the portrait they painted laughable: Bryce in her fancy work dress and heels, the angel in his black battle-suit.
“We’re joined at the hip now, unfortunately for you. Best, best friends.”
“The best,” Hunt echoed, his grin unfading.

I am not lying when I say that I could go on for days about everything to do with this book. Do I like paranormal normally, with shifters and animals and worlds mixed in all this? No. I hate them actually. And that’s the reason when, in September when this first came out, I started it and one page in I was like, yeah, no, peace out, when it began talking about a wolf friend. But, again, at Arielle’s urging, I tried it again and couldn’t be happier I did. This world, these characters, the utter FIGHT they have in them…it’s mesmerizing, and I found my perilous effed up world I have so been craving. Thank you to my friends for making me read something I never thought I’d like. And a big [preemptive] thanks to Maas for finally getting to the effing point and choosing a ‘worthy’ flawed dude that stole most of our hearts right off the bat. I cannot wait until the next book comes out. I am so excited, so ready, and am elated I get to read it together with some of my best friends.

Loyal unto death and beyond.

BOOK REVIEW: Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

February 14, 2022 / Chelsea / 4 Comments

Once Upon A Broken Heart (Once Upon A Broken Heart #2)
by Stephanie Garber
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval, the first book in a new series about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father’s curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well.

But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…

“I don’t think you and I have the same definition of hurt.”
“Be thankful for that, Little Fox.” Jacks gave her a smile that was all sharp edges. A drop of blood fell from the corner of his mouth, and something godforsaken washed over his expression. “Hurt is what made me.”

Damn this book. Damn this stupid book that I didn’t even care about. Was it the heroine? Was it the storyline? Was it the way the words flowed so beautifully upon opening up the story? Could it have been the absolutely gorgeous cover? Or was it simply that I felt at home, at peace, just happy when I read it? Or, the scariest question of all-Was it Jacks?

He looked like a bad decision some unfortunate person was about to make.

 And that’s the whole point-I truly cannot say why I ~~liked~~ loved this book so much. I was so blase about OUABH’s impending release, so meh, so whatever that I didn’t even know it was released until all the editions began pouring onto my doorstep. And isn’t that the kicker? I knew. Deep down my soul knew that I’d love this story. So, book hoarder that I am, I possess them all, naturally, before even having read the story and even believing I wouldn’t care one way or another for it. But, again, why? I still can’t even tell you.

“Heroes don’t get happy endings. They give them to other people.”

This book, to me, felt so different than the Caraval stories. It’s the same world, really honestly the same characters-so why was it so different? I think the thing is, it really wasn’t. Perhaps Garber has grown as a writer, maybe she simply wrote from a deeper perspective. I don’t quite understand how a writer can have all the same mannerisms, yet churn out a book that felt so wholly me when the others kind of failed to do so.

“She hates me,” Jacks said pleasantly. “So even if she likes you more, that’s not saying very much.”
“Are you certain about that?”

I loved Tella. I loved Scarlett. I adored Julian and Legend…And the stories were absolutely spellbinding, always wrapped in a haze of fairytale type enchantment. It was no joke when people said this felt somewhat like a fairytale-and I keep telling myself that was why I loved it so much. But if this was, in fact, a fairytale, it was certainly a demented version of one. And…there it is. I truly think that’s it: This was no fairytale . There was no happily ever after. It was my favorite kind of story, ripe with a sea of possibilities: Happily Never After.

She knew her story had the potential for infinite endings—and that belief hadn’t changed. There was a happy ending waiting for her.

Yeah, Evangeline will find it, sure. But the journey she took, the desperate attempts at creating love at first sight, at believing her one true love was within grasp at all times, the way she was so willing to love and trust and forgive and risk it all for both her kindness of heart and the idea of hope. Hope that someone else would do the same for her, hope that her one true love would be her knight in shining armor, hope that good would win over evil, always…I love that she didn’t just get that. I love that her journey is so rocky, deceptive, and convoluted. But, most of all, I loved the unpredictability-because there was literally not one moment (save, bad guys) that I could have predicted.

She just wanted someone to want her the way Jacks had wanted this girl. And she didn’t want it to be because of a spell or a curse. Evangeline wanted a real love powerful enough to break a spell.

Well…maybe I could have, but I’m not sure how. And, to be honest, part of that unpredictability comes from the hero (?What even is Jacks?) himself. I have never been anything but transparent when it comes to Jacks in the Caraval series: I truly do not remember a thing about him, but I remember enough I just didn’t care or get why anyone would root against Legend for Tella’s heart.

According to the myths, the Prince of Hearts was not capable of love because his heart had stopped beating long ago. Only one person could make it work again: his one true love. They said his kiss was fatal to all but her—his only weakness—and as he’d sought her, he’d left a trail of corpses.

Yeah, okay, bad boy with bad intentions and even badder actions who deserves good and sweet and adventurous girl-I get it, but come on. She loved Legend, end of story. BUT, that being said, this world? It was made for Jacks. And, truthfully, I loved Evangeline FOR Jacks. Remember that quote the Mockingjay, the one about her [Katniss] being fire and Gale being fire, as well, and Peeta was the dandelion in the wind? That’s Tella and Jacks-they just didn’t go. This book, while not wholly about Jacks himself, helped him to shine a little (duh, obviously). And, again, yeah I know-He is a main character therefore he doesn’t have anything else going on to really contend with, but this is also what I loved about Garber’s storytelling here….this book really didn’t throw Jacks all up in our face. Like…at all.

He was terrible. There was no other word to describe him—except maybe heartless or depraved or rotten. The way Jacks seemed to enjoy pain was absolutely staggering. The apple in his hand probably possessed more sympathy than he did. This was not the same young man who’d practically bled heartbreak all over the knave of his church. Something inside of him was broken.

Romances that aren’t really romances are my favorite kind-the tension, the unknowing protectiveness, mean pet names turning to something sweeter and kinder (Side note: This book is home to probably my favorite intimate little pet name I’ve heard in a while. I don’t know why, but Little Fox just really is my favorite thing ever. Every time I saw it, my heart just went berserk. Crazy. And, let’s be honest, if we’d have been stuck with him calling her ‘Pet’ the whole book, I might have raged. That, in tandem, is probably my least favorite pet name (and Woman. Who the eff wants to be called ‘Woman?’). No thanks. Hard pass), the jealousy. It all adds up to a million non-kisses and unplanned heroic acts and I am all here for it-and so was Garber because her book is riddled with so many tantalizingly sinful moments without even closely bordering smutty-barely restrained bites, caresses, touches, and-ahem-okay, I won’t say the last but *insert red face sweating emoji*.

“Do you stare at everyone like that, or just me?” Jacks looked up.

Evangeline reached out to Jacks in a moment of desperation, so they started out as tentative allies, turned untrusting partners, turned actual allies, to somewhat friends. The addition of Jacks only being able to kiss his one true love without it resulting in death? Umm…yes please. Bring the tension. I THRIVE on sexual tension. Bring on ALLL the tension. Who needs kisses when you can have…other things.

“I’m curious about a lot of things. I’m curious about you, but I don’t want you to bite me!”
The corner of Jacks’s mouth twitched. “I’ve already done that, Little Fox.”

Evangeline’s naive view of life and quest for her one true love, her selflessness and willingness to help those around her that she cares about is perfect for Jacks’s hard-nosed Fury self who is cynical, heart-broken, and cold as stone-she is the yin to his yang, she will slowly break down his long-built up barriers and crumble his resolve as he saves her time and again, as he continues to play games and use her in his quest for something Fate-ish and top secret and realizes she really does mean something to him. We saw so many wonderful moments where we got tiny fractures in his exterior, moments where we saw flares of vulnerability…and only more will come. I lived for these far and few between moments, losing sleep long into the night daydreaming and aching for more, all the while knowing that I was getting exactly what I love most, romance wise, yet still pining for so much more and knowing it will be a year before we get any gratification.

“I didn’t think you cared.”
“I don’t. But you still owe me one more kiss, and until I collect it, you’re mine, and I do not like to share.”

Some books have crazy endings, amazing epic awesome cliffhangers….and some have subtle ends, subtle chaos, but cliffhangers all the same. And, I’ll be honest, the books with subtle cliffhangers, such as this one? They are far more likely, in my opinion, to have an epic final book. An author can write a crazy end, and I get SO excited as they are my favorite thing ever, but I’m always willing to wait because I’m so nervous that the next book won’t be worth the wait, that it won’t hold up to those monumental final moments. But with endings like these, I can’t help but feel helpless, as if I’m drowning, because it’s as if I can’t breathe knowing I have to wait until literally next year to see what type of story Jacks and Evangeline are going to get. How (notice I did not say if) he will eventually crumble and break and (omg I HOPE) profess his love for her (Fates tend to get kind of obsessed, don’t they??), how he will protect her at any cost…I just, I can’t wait. I seriously cannot wait. It makes me ill to think how far away it is-but that’s my fault, isn’t it? Giving into the urge so quickly? So easily? Well, shame on me.

Hope is a difficult thing to kill, just a spark of it can start a fire.

Basically this review is a horrible non-review with very little in way of what I would normally write, but I had no direction because I have no clue what worked and why it hit me differently than the Caraval series did. I absolutely ADORED Caraval-I did-but there was just something so wholly satisfying about a non romance littered with a girl who dreamed of a fairy tale romance that I couldn’t help but to be dazzled. Easy romances are boring, period, and this was and will be anything but. The promise of something so much greater, grander, magnificent than just a normal romance might be what excites me most-the idea that Garber could literally take this story anywhere. But, perhaps the most promising of all, is the notion that Jacks will slowly lose his mind, will become jealous of any other person who seeks Evangeline. The idea that he will do anything to protect her, even though he says he wouldn’t and doesn’t care, that she is and will be a more guarded, less doe-eyed girl who only wants her happily ever after-its going to be a cacophony of chaos and heartbreak and destruction (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET THERE BE CHAOS AND HEARTBREAK)…it sounds like a pretty dark book to me. Now, if only I didn’t have to wait.

****

Guys…this one just got me good. I don’t even know why…it just resonated deep within me, and I’ll be honest when I say I never really cared for Jacks. Now, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. I picked this up expecting to simply tolerate it, and instead walked away enthralled, obsessed, and more than upset I didn’t get more from Jacks and Evangeline. No clue what to read next, but I’ve always been a sucker for fairytale type stories and this somewhat quenched that thirst-Nothing will really touch my mood now.

So, if it’s not obvious, I literally cannot wait to write this review.

REVIEW: The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black

February 11, 2022 / Jen / 6 Comments

The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3)
by Holly Black
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
A powerful curse forces the exiled Queen of Faerie to choose between ambition and humanity in this highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy from a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan's betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her twin sister, Taryn, whose life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict's bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity . . .

Review:

The Queen of Nothing was a breathtaking conclusion! With so much up in the air, the story felt as though it moved faster, so I wasn’t able to put this book down. Especially when pieces of the puzzle came together that I never even knew belonged to it in the first place. So while I guessed a few things right, like the ending, others took me by complete and utter surprise. If you’re a fan of fantasy, you definitely need this series in your life. Some of my favorite things were…..

It’s okay to want something that’s going to hurt, I remind myself. I move toward him, so we are close enough to touch.

Jude had come so far. I laughed, I cheered and I rooted for Jude every step of the way. She was capable of doing the unthinkable many times and proved why she was a heroine we could look up to and respect. I loved Jude with every fiber of my being!

“Mock me all you like. Whatever I imagined then, now it is I who would beg and grovel for a kind word from your lips.” His eyes are black with desire. “By you, I am forever undone.”

Then there was Cardan. He will forever have a place in my heart. Even if he tortured it a time or two…or more, he made it so happy. I loved the moments that showed how much he cared. I loved that he could be sweet. I was shocked when the words perfect left my mouth to describe him. Because that was exactly what he had become to me by the end of this trilogy.

“I never wanted to be your enemy,” I say. “But I didn’t want to be in your power, either.” With that, I take off through the snow. I do the one thing I told myself I would never do.

Relationships were pivotal in this story, and they all had their personal struggles. So I loved watching many push through hardships, heartache and get past where they were even comfortable. I loved even more watching them each find their way. So the fact that many relationships were mended by the end of this trilogy made me ecstatic. My heart was so happy, I didn’t expect as much as we were given. Especially the redemption arc of a certain character.

We stare at each other for long moments, breathing hard. His eyes are bright with something entirely different from anger.
I am in over my head. I am drowning.

The stakes kept getting higher and higher. I was so nervous for them and actually gasped out loud. I cried. And this story gave me the chills. With tricky riddles, life and death situations, and huge risks, this story felt larger then life. But there were also quieter moments that resonated with my soul. Every part of this story was a favorite to me.

“It’s you I love,” he says. “I spent much of my life guarding my heart. I guarded it so well that I could behave as though I didn’t have one at all. Even now, it is a shabby, worm-eaten, and scabrous thing. But it is yours.” He walks to the door to the royal chambers, as though to end the conversation. “You probably guessed as much,” he says. “But just in case you didn’t.”

With twists and turns, The Queen of Nothing held me in the palm of her hand. With a HEA for those we love and a HFN for others I’ve come to care for, I absolutely loved this book. Trust came to be. And caring did too. Two words that seemed to not exist between Jude and Cardan back in the beginning of their story. And those letters at the end?! Oh my. They were everything and ended their story beautifully!