Month: June 2024

Review: Love at First Knight

Title: Love at First Knight
Author: Megan Clawson
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Avon
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: April 25, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

A second royal rom com from the author who had readers falling hard for royal guards, coming Spring 2024.

She’s no damsel in distress, and he’s certainly not wearing shining armour. But one knight can change everything…

Daisy Hastings has always thought she was born in the wrong era. So when she bags a summer job at the Tower of London helping to run their Knight school, it feels like a step in the right direction.

Theodore ‘Teddy’ Fairfax is a loose cannon. A disgraced distant relative of the royal family, he’s tall, dark and now (begrudgingly) helping with the Tower of London’s summer programme – and there’s nowhere he’d like to be less.

When Teddy’s oath to be an obstruction almost gets Daisy fired, she declares war. But as the two cross swords, they start to discover they both need a little rescuing…

And that maybe, just maybe, love can bloom, even on a battlefield…

Review:

Daisy Hastings loves LARPing with her family, wearing costumes and acting out fantasy stories. When she gets a job at a knight camp at the Tower of London, it seems like the perfect job for her. She’s partnered up with Viscount Teddy Fairfax, the King’s nephew who’s always in the tabloids. Teddy is always doing things to get Daisy in trouble at work, but she can’t seem to stay away from him. Daisy must try to keep her job without being distracted by the Royal who she’s falling for. 

I really liked Daisy and her family who dressed up and did role playing together. They had characters and storylines they always followed. It sounded so fun! Teddy and Daisy didn’t get along from the moment they met. They went from hate to love really quick. I would have liked to see more of their romantic time together after they started to fall for each other.

Love at First Knight is a cute rom com!

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

Have you read Love at First Knight? What did you think of it?

Review: The Return of Ellie Black

Title: The Return of Ellie Black
Author: Emiko Jean
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Tandem Collective Global
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 7, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but Ellie’s reappearance leaves Chelsey with more questions than answers.

“I stayed up late into the night turning the pages until I learned the truth of what happened to Ellie—and gasped when Jean delivered a truly jaw-dropping twist.” —Jessica Knoll, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women

It’s been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since she’s been searching: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. But happy endings are rare in Chelsey’s line of work.

Then a glimmer: local teenager Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years earlier, has been found alive in the woods of Washington State.

But something is not right with Ellie. She won’t say where she’s been, or who she’s protecting, and it’s up to Chelsey to find the answers. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened to Ellie: for herself, and for the memory of her sister, but mostly for the next girl who could be taken—and who, unlike Ellie, might never return.

The debut thriller from New York Times bestselling author Emiko Jean, The Return of Ellie Black is both a feminist tour de force about the embers of hope that burn in the aftermath of tragedy and a twisty page-turner that will shock and surprise you right up until the final page.

Review:

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister disappeared and was declared dead, when they were teens, and since then she’s been looking for missing girls. Teenage Ellie Black, who disappeared two years ago, is found wandering in the woods. Chelsey questions Ellie about where she’s been, but Ellie won’t give any answers. Chelsey worries that other girls could be connected to Ellie’s disappearance so it’s crucial that she find out where she was kept as soon as possible.

This was a great fast paced mystery. It alternated between the current story in third person, and flashbacks from Ellie’s perspective where she was held captive. A lot of things that happened when Ellie was held captive were disturbing, but implied rather than described in detail. I guessed one person who was involved, but I was surprised at the whole explanation at the end. 

The Return of Ellie Black is a great thriller!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and Tandem Collective Global for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death, divorce, cancer, rape, kidnapping

Have you read The Return of Ellie Black? What did you think of it?

Review: A Girl Named Harper

Title: A Girl Named Harper
Author: Kara Jefferies
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: 6 Dogs Publishing
Source: Author
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 15, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the fast-paced world of auto sales, Harper Atwood has always had to fight twice as hard to prove herself. As a woman navigating the male-dominated industry, she’s determined to overcome her dysfunctional past and the fear of judgment that has haunted her since childhood. Fresh out of a tumultuous marriage, Harper focuses on building a new life and career.

But fate has other plans when Harper discovers a stranger named Gabe in her apartment, a chance encounter that soon unravels into a twist of destiny. Little does she know, Gabe is not just a random face – he’s her new co-worker. Charming, outgoing, and adored by everyone, Gabe is the polar opposite of Harper, who guards her privacy with fierce determination, trusting only her cousin and one close friend.

In this compelling romance novel, join Harper on her journey of self-discovery and healing as she grapples with her past, navigates the complexities of workplace relationships, and discovers that, sometimes, the heart knows what the mind refuses to admit. Will Harper finally let go of her fears and open herself up to the possibility of love, or will the shadows of her past continue to dictate her future?

Review:

Harper Atwood has had to overcome a tough childhood and a troubled marriage to become the woman she is today. When she moves into her first apartment on her own, she’s rescued by Gabe after falling asleep in her car. This unusual meet cute is disrupted when Harper gets mad at Gabe for staying in her apartment. Then she starts a new job at a car dealership, and discovers Gabe works there too. Harper can’t escape him, as they keep ending up in the same places. Gabe wants to be with Harper, but she’s reluctant to let anyone inside her life. Harper must overcome her fears to open herself up to a potential love story with Gabe.

This story was so fast paced. It was a quick read, at under 200 pages. The romance felt like a whirlwind. A lot of this book was emotional, when Harper talked about her struggles throughout her childhood. There were also a couple of spicy scenes. I liked that the epilogue showed Harper and Gabe many years in the future, so we can see how their lives turned out. 

A Girl Named Harper is an emotional romance. 

Thank you Kara Jefferies and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign. 

Content warnings: alcoholism (off page), abuse (off page), infidelity (off page)

Have you read A Girl Named Harper? What did you think of it?

Review: Punk Rock Karaoke

Title: Punk Rock Karaoke
Author: Bianca Xunise
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 23, 2024
Rating: ★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

A debut young adult graphic novel from Ignatz Award-winning and nationally syndicated cartoonist, Bianca Xunise.

When life gives you guitars, smash them!
School is out for summer and Ariel Grace Jones is determined to make it one for the books! Together with their bestie bandmates, Michele and Gael, Ariel believes they’re destined to break into the music industry and out of Chicago’s Southside by singing lead in their garage punk band, Baby Hares.

But before Baby Hares can officially get into the groove, the realities of post grad life start to weigh on this crew of misfits. Ari begins to worry that it’s time to pull the plug on their dreams of making it big.
Just when all hope feels lost, a fellow punk and local icon takes an interest in their talent. It seems like he might be the only one Ariel can rely on as frustrations between bandmates reach at an all-time high.

Punk Rock Karaoke is a coming-of-age tale that draws upon the explosive joy of the underground scene, while raising questions about authenticity, the importance of community and what it means to succeed on your own terms.

Review:

Ariel Grace Jones has a band with her best friends Michelle and Gael. It’s finally summer and she wants to break into Chicago’s music industry with her band Baby Hares. When April meets her local music idol, Clyde McLaren, she falls in love with him and thinks he will help her with her music career. However, Ariel will only succeed if she can truly be herself and believe in her own worth. 

This was a fun graphic novel! Most of the characters came from diverse backgrounds and gender identities. I liked that when each character was introduced there was a brief bio including their pronouns. This story showed how easy it is now, and has been throughout history, for cis white singers to steal the music or art of people of colour or queer people. Unfortunately many famous singers have stolen music in this way, but this graphic novel showed how Ariel was able to save her music.

Punk Rock Karaoke is a great graphic novel!

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for providing a digital copy of this book!

Have you read Punk Rock Karaoke? What did you think of it?

Review: When You Were Mine

Title: When You Were Mine
Author: Rebecca Serle
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 18, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer and In Five Years comes an intensely romantic modern recounting of the greatest love story ever told—narrated by the girl Romeo was supposed to love.

What’s in a name, Shakespeare? I’ll tell everything.

Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her—and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit wild…and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t even stand a chance.

Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet’s instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob’s heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends.

Review:

Rosaline Caplet knows she’s destined to be with Rob Montag, her best friend and next door neighbour. When they go on a date at the beginning of their senior year, Rose is certain her life is falling into place. Then, Rose’s cousin Juliet Caplet moves back to town. As soon as Juliet gets ahold of Rob, he ditches Rose to be with Juliet. Rose is devastated at the loss of her best friend and potential boyfriend. However, rumors of Juliet’s instability and suicide attempts make Rose worry about Rob’s life. Rose has to come to terms with the fact that her future isn’t going the way she planned.

Romeo and Juliet is one of my favourite plays, so I was excited to read this adaptation. This retelling of Romeo and Juliet focuses on a character who isn’t actually in the play. Rosaline was the girl who Romeo was in love with before Juliet. This story was set in contemporary California, but most of the main plot points of Romeo and Juliet were the same. I really liked seeing Rosaline’s perspective on Romeo and Juliet’s whirlwind romance.

When You Were Mine is a great Romeo and Juliet retelling. 

Content warnings: infidelity (off page), suicide, car accident (off page)

Have you read When You Were Mine? What did you think of it?

Review: Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth #1)

Title: Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth #1)
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Fairy Loot Box
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 20, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

Enemies-to-lovers doesn’t get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli’s latest romantic fantasy.

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can’t help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch…is falling in love.

Review:

Rune Winters is a witch in a world where witches are illegal. Rune gave up her grandmother to the Blood Guard at her grandmother’s request so Rune could be saved. She became the Crimson Moth, rescuing witches who have been captured for execution. Meanwhile, a Captain of the Blood Guard, Gideon Sharpe, is trying to hunt the Crimson Moth. When he finds out the Crimson Moth has been using ships owned by Rune to smuggle witches out of the country, he decides to court Rune so he can figure out if she’s the Crimson Moth. Rune also wants to get close to Gideon to learn information about where the captured witches are being held. The closer they get to each other, the more their feelings develop into real love, so they must decide if they will love the enemy or continue with what they believe in. 

This was such a great enemies to lovers story! It had a vivid setting with lots of magic. There was a lot of feminine rage, and the witch magic was feminine since they used their own blood to cast their spells. The ending had a tragedy and it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger so I don’t know what’s going to happen next!

Heartless Hunter is a great YA fantasy romance!

Content warnings: blood, death of parents (off page), suicide (off page), torture, murder

Have you read Heartless Hunter? What did you think of it?

Review: The Paris Apartment

Title: The Paris Apartment
Author: Lucy Foley
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 22, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide…

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.

Review:

Jess is running away from her job and looking to start over. She asks her half-brother, Ben, if she can come stay with him in Paris. He agrees, but when she shows up at his apartment, Ben isn’t there. It isn’t like him to disappear without a trace, so Jess starts digging into his life to figure out where he went. There’s a strange group of people living in his apartment building who all knew Ben but they all seem to be hiding something. Everyone is a suspect as Jess investigates everyone’s past and connection to each other to find her brother.

I listened to the audiobook of this book and I really enjoy it. It was told through multiple POVs, with each POV being read by a different actor. I love it when audiobooks have a full cast. It was so easy to follow the story, and I flew through it. I found all the characters to be unlikeable, and they all had good motives to kill Ben, so I couldn’t guess who was behind his disappearance.

The Paris Apartment is a great thriller!

Content warnings: death of parent (off page), death in childbirth (off page), blackmail, murder, drugging

Have you read The Paris Apartment? What did you think of it?

Review: Never Trust a Gemini (Never Trust a Gemini #1)

Title: Never Trust a Gemini (Never Trust a Gemini #1)
Author: Freja Nicole Woolf
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ, Romance
Publisher: Walker Books US
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 9, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cat Phillips has her head in the stars, but her romantic fantasies may ruin her shot at real-life love in this sweet and funny lesbian story.

It’s Libra Season, and Cat Phillips is ready to run headfirst into love. The only problem is that her crush is on her best friend, Alison Bridgewater, who is more interested in chatting with boys. Maybe Cat should take this as a sign to get over Alison, even if that means dating the musically challenged Jamie Owusu. After all, a new boyfriend is the best cleanse, at least according to Cat’s friends. Unfortunately, having a boyfriend is a lot harder than Cat expected. And then Morgan Delaney swoops in with her green glasses, enigmatic smile, and talent for teasing Cat in ways that make her feel überlicious. But Morgan is a Gemini, and there’s no way that’s in Cat’s horoscope. Will Cat finally get the girl of her dreams? Or is there a chance there’s more to life than Alison Bridgewater? The stars align for the cast of this energetic romp full of comedic misunderstandings and sparkling language.

Review:

Fourteen-year-old Cat Phillips follows her horoscope exactly, so when she finds out that this Libra season is for falling in love, she’s ready. Cat has had a crush on her best friend Allison for a long time, and she’s finally ready to reveal it. When she goes to tell Allison, she finds Allison with a boy, who’s her new boyfriend. Cat takes that as a sign that it’s time to get over her crush and start dating a boy too. Dating a boy isn’t what Cat expected though, and she’s suddenly interested in Morgan, the new girl at school. However, Morgan is a Gemini and Cat can’t date a Gemini. Cat must figure out if she should try to date Allison again or if she can open her heart to Morgan.

This was such a fun book! It reminded me of the Georgia Nicholson books that I loved when I was a kid. Cat was like a younger Georgia. There was a lot of bullying between girls, including homophobic comments. However, that was resolved in such a sweet way at the end. I’m so excited that there’s a sequel to this book that’s going to be published this fall!

Never Trust a Gemini is a fun queer YA romance!

Thank you Candlewick Press and Walker Books US for sending me a copy of this book!

Content warnings: homophobia, fire

Have you read Never Trust a Gemini? What did you think of it?