Review: Marina in the Middle (The House on Sunrise Lagoon #2)

Title: Marina in the Middle (The House on Sunrise Lagoon #2)
Author: Nicole Melleby
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary, LGBTQ
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 9, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

The second book in Nicole Melleby’s Sunrise Lagoon series follows Marina, the middle child, in a beautiful, heartfelt exploration of what it means to be brave and how a big family means you never need to be lonely.

If you want to get to know Marina Ali-O’Connor, you need to know three things:

One, despite her name, Marina is secretly afraid of the ocean.

Two, she wanted to be one of the Oldest Siblings, but is stuck smack dab in the middle.

Three, she’s pretty certain she’s the Extra Ali-O’Connor kid, the forgotten one.

When Boom, a budding filmmaker exactly Marina’s age, moves in across the lagoon, she decides that Marina’s quest to become someone’s favorite Ali-O’Connor would make a perfect documentary. So they get to work, coming up with ways to calm Marina’s anxiety. But when each plan goes a little bit wrong, Marina begins to wonder if she’ll ever feel like she belongs or if she’ll always be lost in the middle.

Review:

Marina is the middle child in the Ali-O’Conner family. She’s suddenly become scared of the water and boats, which is a problem since her family lives on Sunrise Lagoon and her mom has a boat repair business. Marina feels like the forgotten sibling. Her two older sisters look like her mom and they like boats just like her too. Her mama gave birth to her two younger sisters, which bonded them together. Marina wants to be someone’s favourite person in the family. Her new friend Boom suggests that Marina spend time with each family member to see if they would pick Marina as their favourite. Marina tests each of her family members, but she ends up in some dangerous situations. 

This was a great story in the House on Sunrise Lagoon series. Like the first book, this one was about one of the sisters who doesn’t feel like she belongs in the family. They have some complex dynamics, since two of the girls are adopted and three are biological daughters of their moms. I love the well developed characters in this series. The third book, which is about Harbor, the oldest sister in the family, was just published this week!

Marina in the Middle is a great middle grade summer story!

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book!

Other books in the series:

Have you read Marina in the Middle? What did you think of it?

Happy Pub Day – May 7

Happy Pub Day to these authors!

The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon

The Things We Miss by Leah Stecher

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau

Queens of Themiscyra by Hannah Lynn

Halfway to Harbor by Nicole Melleby

Love at First Knight by Megan Clawson

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

Thank you Candlewick, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, Simon and Schuster Canada, Tor Publishing Group, Atria, Sourcebooks Landmark, Algonquin Young Readers, HarperCollins Canada, and Minotaur Books for providing copies of these books!

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: Red Kingdom (Fairy Tale Retellings #2)

Title: Red Kingdom (Fairy Tale Retellings #2)
Author: Rachel L. Demeter
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Source: Author
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 10, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

Little Red Riding Hood reimagined with a dark and realistic twist.

Princess Blanchette’s world shatters when the Black Wolf tears apart her castle and everything she holds dear. All she clings to is the vow she made to her grandmother on her deathbed.

Hailed as the people’s champion, Sir Rowan Dietrich liberates the capital in a quest for vengeance. He takes Winslowe Castle with an army at his back and his wolf, Smoke, at his side. 

United by a shared cause and powerful attraction, Rowan and Blanchette embark on a journey of self-discovery and redemption—a path filled with loss, transformation, and ultimately, the healing power of love.

Can Norland’s resplendent princess, with her captivating beauty and spirit, tame the fabled Black Wolf? 

Inspired by the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Red Kingdom is a passionate, slow-burn historical romance about the enduring quest for love and the longing for a world at harmony.

Review:

When the Black Wolf of Norland invades the palace and kills most of the royal family, Princess Blanchette thinks it will be the end of her life too. Her parents, brother, and grandmother were brutally murdered by the Black Wolf’s soldiers. Rowan Dietrich, the soldier known as the Black Wolf, never intended to torture Blanchette with the deaths of her family members. He wanted revenge on the King, who he used to work for before he turned on Rowan. Rowan and Blanchette discover they share a lot of the same trauma in their pasts, with losing the people they loved most. This brings them together in a slow burn romance with unexpected twists along the way.

Red Kingdom is a dark retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Though it isn’t exactly like the fairytale, there were some references to the story, such as the red cape that Blanchette wore that her grandmother made for her. This story was quite dark and bloody with unexpected twists. I couldn’t help but gasp at some of the reveals in the story. It was so hard to put down this book, despite many heartbreaking scenes.

Red Kingdom is a cleverly plotted dark romance!

Thank you Rachel L. Demeter and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign. 

Content warnings: death, parental death, child death, suicide, murder, blood, rape, animal death

Other books in the series:

  • Beauty of the Beast

Have you read Red Kingdom? What did you think of it?

Review: Sam Makes a Splash (The House on Sunrise Lagoon #1)

Title: Sam Makes a Splash (The House on Sunrise Lagoon #1)
Author: Nicole Melleby
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 9, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

From acclaimed author Nicole Melleby comes a cheerful, uplifting story of family and belonging, the first in new series perfect for fans of the Vanderbeekers and the Penderwicks.

If you want to get to know eleven-year-old Samantha Ali-O’Connor, you need to know three things:

One, she isn’t the only one of her siblings who is adopted, but she is the only one whose name isn’t inspired by the ocean.

Two, she and Harbor always compete with each other to be the best Oldest Sibling—and just about everything else.

And three, she is determined to prove she’s a real Ali-O’Connor by taking over the family business, repairing and chartering boats.

Except there’s a Capital-P Problem: Her mothers have been Serious Whispering about selling the business before summer’s end! Sam needs to come up with a plan, quick, before Harbor finds out. And before Sam loses her chance to inherit the business and be an Ali-O’Connor forever. 

Review:

Eleven-year-old Samantha Ali-O’Conner doesn’t feel like she belongs in her family. She’s one of two adopted siblings, but all of the other kids have names that are related to the ocean. She’s always competing with her sister Harbor, who is four months older than her and also has one of her mom’s boats named after her. Samantha thinks that the one way she could really belong in the family is to take over her mom’s boat repair business when she’s older. However, that may not be possible when she overhears her moms talking about closing the business. Samantha needs to come up with a plan to save her family’s legacy so she can finally belong.

This was such a great middle grade novel. I loved the character development. There were eight members of the Ali-O’Conner family, as well as many neighbours in the story, but they all felt like distinct, real people. Samantha’s story was relatable. Every child feels like they don’t belong somewhere at some point in their life, just like Samantha felt in her family. 

Samantha Makes a Splash is a great middle grade story!

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book!

Other books in the series:

  • Marina in the Middle (The House on Sunrise Lagoon #2)
  • Halfway to Harbor (The House on Sunrise Lagoon #3)

Have you read Sam Makes a Splash? What did you think of it?

Review: Bride

Title: Bride
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again…

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Review:

Vampyre Misery Lark has spent most of her life living away from her powerful father, in the human world. When her best friend goes missing, she only has one clue to go on: the name L.E. Moreland written in her diary. Her father tells Misery that she must marry the Werewolf Alpha, Lowe Moreland, as part of a Were/Vampyre alliance, and Misery agrees since he must be connected to her best friend’s disappearance. However, Misery must move into the enemy’s territory, where she’s viewed as a threat. Lowe doesn’t trust her so he tracks every move she makes, until she can prove that she’s only there to find her best friend. Lowe and Misery must work together to figure out what’s happening in their territories, until their undeniable attraction gets in the way.

This is my first Ali Hazelwood book and I loved it! I really enjoyed the mystery of what happened to Misery’s best friend that went along with the romance. I was surprised at the twists that subplot took. The romance got pretty spicy towards the end. There was the possibility for a sequel at the end of the story, so I’d love to see two other characters explored in another book!

Bride is a great paranormal romance!

Content warnings: death of parent (off page), poisoning, parental abandonment

Have you read Bride? What did you think of it?

Review: Losing My Breath

Title: Losing My Breath
Author: J. Rose Black
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Author
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 8, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

A Marine never says die. 
Neither does his princess.

Battle lines are drawn when sheltered debutante Meridian Daly moves across the hall from grumpy former special forces Marine Callan Brand. Situated a bit closer than advertised to ‘crime alley’, Meridian’s neighbor finds himself grudgingly guarding the pampered princess out of habit. But with her sharp wit and killer curves, he can’t help but surrender to temptation…

When their relationship evolves from casual courtship to something more, Callan finds that Meridian’s already discovered his closely-guarded secret. But can he let go of his pride, and tell her the whole truth of who he is and what he’s done—in the name of honor and country?

As Callan’s scars start to reveal themselves, his life spirals beyond the careful control that’s helped him survive—and kept those he cares about safe. 

From him.

But this tough-in-a-tiara princess won’t back down, even in Callan’s darkest hours. And Meridian just might prove to be more tenacious than a never-say-die Marine!

Review:

Callan Brand is a former special forces Marine who works in cyber security now. Meridian Daly moves in across the hall from him, and he instantly feels the need to protect her. Callan saves Meridian, but he’s scared to open up to her about his deepest secrets. He must learn to open himself up to love to find his happily ever after. 

This was such a great romance. It is told from Callan’s point of view, which was unique for a romance. I’ve never read a romance that was only from the male POV in a heterosexual romance. Callan had PTSD so he had an unreliable perspective because he was in denial about his condition. Callan and Meridian were a great grumpy/sunshine pair in this spicy romance!

Losing My Breath is a great spicy romance!

Thank you J. Rose Black and Bookinfluencers for providing a copy of this book for a sponsored campaign. 

Content warnings: PTSD, sexual assault, parental death (off page), parental abandonment, pregnancy, pregnancy complications

This is a sponsored post.

Have you read Losing My Breath? What did you think of it?

Review: The Emperor and the Endless Palace

Title: The Emperor and the Endless Palace
Author: Justinian Huang
Genre: Romance, LGBTQ, Historical Fiction
Publisher: MIRA
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: March 26, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

“What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?”

In the year 4 BCE, an ambitious courtier is called upon to seduce the young emperor—but quickly discovers they are both ruled by blood, sex and intrigue.

In 1740, a lonely innkeeper agrees to help a mysterious visitor procure a rare medicine, only to unleash an otherworldly terror instead.

And in present-day Los Angeles, a college student meets a beautiful stranger and cannot shake the feeling they’ve met before.

Across these seemingly unrelated timelines woven together only by the twists and turns of fate, two men are reborn, lifetime after lifetime. Within the treacherous walls of an ancient palace and the boundless forests of the Asian wilderness to the heart-pounding cement floors of underground rave scenes, our lovers are inexplicably drawn to each other, constantly tested by the worlds around them.

As their many lives intertwine, they begin to realize the power of their undying love—a power that transcends time itself…but one that might consume them both.

An unpredictable roller coaster of a debut novel, The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a genre-bending romantasy that challenges everything we think we know about true love.

Review:

In 4 BCE, a commoner moves to the Endless Palace to seduce the Emperor, which begins a love affair that lasts centuries. In 1740, an innkeeper agrees to help a visitor and his ill grandmother but unleashes a powerful trickster. In the present day a college student meets a beautiful stranger who takes him on a journey across the world to find his true self. Each of these POVs is a reincarnation of the one before as these lovers keep finding each other.

This was a thrilling queer romance that spanned millennia. Each POV had the same set of characters but they weren’t always arranged in the same way. I really enjoyed each of the storylines. Many of the chapters ended on a thrilling cliffhanger, so I had to keep reading to get to the next POV. There were some surprising twists at the end that I didn’t see coming. This story also shows how queer romance is universal throughout time, not a modern idea like some people think.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a beautiful romance!

Thank you Frenzy Books for providing a physical copy of this book!

Content warnings: death, blood

Have you read The Emperor and the Endless Palace? What did you think of it?

Review: Four Good Liars

Title: Four Good Liars
Author: Sarah Wishart
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

The unputdownable, explosive new YA thriller from the bestselling, award-winning author of The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder, perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Cynthia Murphy and Holly Jackson.

Layla. Kai. Liam. Fliss.

Terrified big sister. Troubled surfer. Insecure genius. Pampered princess.

They have nothing in common, except they were all on the school bus that morning. The morning of the crash. The morning they discovered the dead driver’s holdall, containing one million pounds – and a gun.

All of them have secrets, and all of them need that money. But someone dangerous is hunting it down, and drawing closer every minute. If Layla, Kai, Liam and Fliss want to survive, they’ll need to stick together. But can four good liars really trust one another? Or are some truths just too powerful to stay buried…?

Review:

Kai, Layla, Liam, and Fliss go to the same school, but other than that they have nothing in common. One day when they’re on the school bus, the driver crashes and goes over a cliff. The four of them escape the bus with the driver’s holdall bag, which holds one million pounds. Each of the teens has their own reasons for wanting to split the money, so they decide to keep it a secret from the police so they can keep it for themselves. However, someone knows they have the money. They’re being followed and receive threatening messages. They must decide if they’ll keep the money and their secrets or if they’ll finally tell the truth. 

This was a great suspenseful thriller. The chapters were short and fast-paced. The way that the kids were being followed was really creepy. I was surprised at the reveal of who was behind it all. It was a great twist ending. 

Four Good Liars is a great thriller!

Thank you Frenzy Books for sending me a copy of this book. 

Content warnings: death, car accident, cancer, parental abandonment, heart attack, gun violence

Have you read Four Good Liars? What did you think of it?