ARC Review - Ash & Feather by S. M. Gaither

Thank you so much S. M. Gaither for sending me this ARC!

Title: Ash & Feather

Author: S. M. Gaither

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Flame & Sparrow #2

Pages: 580

Synopsis:

From the Ashes, a Goddess Must Rise…

After proving herself through a series of harrowing trials, Karys has found a home among the gods, alongside the Marr of Fire. Her new divine family and magic have allowed her to ascend from the rebellious, dangerous life she once led—yet the ghosts of past mistakes and betrayals linger. 

Her once sworn enemy, Dravyn, understands the pain of lingering ghosts better than most. Haunted by the memories of the family he lost—and by the lives he took in retribution—the God of Fire now has one plan: Protecting the ones he has left at whatever the cost.

But the shadow of war is spreading across the realms. A war that will force both Karys and Dravyn to confront past demons. And when those demons collide, the resulting fires might burn everything to ash…

Forcing something new to rise if they want any hope of a future.

Review & thoughts:

Ash & Feather is the second book in a Fantasy Romance duology and while I loved the first book this one simply swept me away, I just finished reading and still have tears in my eyes at how perfect this ending was and I don’t want to say goodbye to Karys and Dravyn, I love their story and can’t wait for this author’s next books. 

Ash & Feather begins right where Flame & Sparrow ended and I was immediately drawn again into this fascinating world the author created. The world building and magic system were so unique and interesting and I’m so happy we got to explore more of it. The plot was perfectly paced with so much action because the stakes were even higher here but also all the amazing scenes between my favorite characters and of course Karys and Dravyn. It was incredible to see how much Karys has grown from the beginning of her story and how much she continued to grow in this book, she became truly confident and badass and I loved her as the FMC. Dravyn… I love him so much, he is the perfect MMC with how much he loved and supported Karys, their relationship was so beautiful and I loved all their scenes together, they became a true power couple here and I already miss them and hope we will get to see them again soon, they are one of my favorite bookish couples. 

Ash & Feather is the perfect conclusion to this incredible duology, I loved every single page and already know I will reread Karys and Dravyn’s story many times because I can’t say goodbye to these two. I definitely recommend this duology to everyone and can’t wait for more books from S. M. Gaither.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - The Devil in Disguise by Mel Reilly

Thank you so much Mel Reilly for sending me this ARC!

Title: The Devil in Disguise

Author: Mel Reilly

Genre: Dark Romance

Series: Mad Men #1

Pages: 269

Synopsis:

Kylo

She was just supposed to be another mission.

Ever since my life turned into a living hell, the only constant name in my ear is Amaris Santos. She needs to pay for what her family has done, an eye for an eye and all. When she loses her memory it turns into the perfect chance to swoop in and break her.


Amaris

I hope I’m not making a big mistake.

I’m walking around with only half of my memories, feeling like half of a person and putting the small bit of trust I have in a familiar stranger who offers to help me out. The mysterious guy with midnight eyes and a wicked smirk only confuses me more than my amnesia. I give him the power to burn my world down, I just hope he never lights the match. What will happen when I get my memory back? If I ever do. Will he still be my savior?

Review & thoughts:

The Devil in Disguise is the first book in a Dark Romance trilogy and OMG I’m already obsessed with this series! This book has so many of my favorite tropes and was written so well, I already can’t wait for the next book from this author. 

After Amaris’s family killed his mother, all Kylo ever wanted was to get his revenge on her. But when Amaris loses her memories in an accident and Kylo pretends to be a family friend to keep her close and eventually destroy her life, these two enemies definitely don’t expect the sizzling attraction between them to turn into actual feelings for each other and when all their secrets come to light they will need to decide if they are willing to let go of the past and fight for their future together. 

The Devil in Disguise had me hooked from the first page and with the interesting and fast paced plot I finished the book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. Amaris and Kyle were amazing main characters, she was so strong and even after losing her memories she didn’t put up with anyone’s shit and her banter with Kylo was everything, I laughed out loud so many times. They were a true enemies to lovers who literally wanted to kill each other and I loved their slow burn romance, while Kylo seemed like a real asshole in the beginning he truly fell first and harder and I loved them as a couple, they were amazing together and the spicy scenes were *chief’s kiss* and made me blush a few times. I hope we will get to see them again, they quickly became one of my favorite bookish couples. 

The Devil in Disguise is an amazing dark romance book with everything I love in this genre and I definitely recommend it to everyone. The next book can’t come soon enough!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - The Body in the Backyard by Lucy Score

Thank you so much Hambright PR for sending me this ARC!

Title: The Body in the Backyard

Author: Lucy Score

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Fantasy Romance

Series: Riley Thorn #4

Pages: 368

Synopsis:

Her self-absorbed news anchor ex-husband careening back into her life was not on this amateur psychic detective’s bingo card.

Not only does Griffin Gentry show up unexpectedly at Riley Thorn’s door—the real shock is that he’s begging her for help. Riley’s hot private investigator boyfriend Nick Santiago refusing to take the job is…well, less of a surprise.Too bad for Nick that his octogenarian business partner overrules him and takes the lead on Griffin’s case. But when a dead body makes it clear someone really is out to get Riley’s ex, the mile-long suspect list means all hands on deck at Santiago Investigations. Even the wrinkly, retired ones.It’s only a matter of time before Griffin brings the danger directly to their doorstep. And with Riley and Nick busy interviewing suspects, that leaves their elderly roommates to wreak havoc in the surveillance department. Can Riley block out the chaos to focus her psychic visions long enough to narrow down the list of suspects? Or will Griffin Gentry’s bad karma be the downfall of them all?

Review & thoughts:

The Body in the Backyard is the fourth book in the Riley Thorn series from Lucy Score. This series is the perfect mix of romantic comedy and romantic suspense with amazing characters, interesting plot and beautiful romance and I really loved it! 

Riley Thorn is back and this time she needs to find out who is trying to kill her ex husband and while she and Nick, her PI boyfriend, think it will be the easiest money they ever made, everything gets more complicated when a body is found in her ex husband’s backyard. I missed Riley, Nick and all their crazy friends and their antics and it was amazing to see everyone again. This books had everything I came to expect from this author: an interesting plot with enough suspense to keep me hooked, laugh out loud moments (Riley’s ex husband was hilarious and her friends made my laugh so many times) and so many amazing characters that I can’t choose my favorite because I loved them all. Riley and Nick are finally secure in their relationship and I loved reading about their cute moments together and their banter was perfect, these two went through a lot but are perfect for each other and I can’t wait to see them again, which I hope will be soon. 

The Body in the Backyard is a great continuation to this amazing series and I definitely recommend all Riley Thorn books to everyone. The next book can’t come soon enough!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Illusion of Stars by Sarah Marie Page

Thank you so much Sarah Marie Page for sending me this ARC!

Title: Illusion of Stars

Author: Sarah Marie Page

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Enmity of Hearts Duet #1

Pages: 431

Synopsis:

SHE'S STEALING MORE THAN SECRETS.

As the royal physician of a tiny, windswept island, Isabel spends her days trying to keep the queen from dying and the mad king from streaking naked down the halls. But when her best friend is found murdered on the beaches, her world is ripped apart. Desperate for answers, she discovers a stash of letters that reveal a terrifying truth: the neighboring kingdom of Volgaard possesses a kingdom-shattering weapon and is poised to conquer everything in its path.

Seeking vengeance, Isabel infiltrates the enemy. Her mission? Woo Erik Lothgarson, the general’s steamy, illusion-magic wielding son, and steal the dangerous weapon. She can bring Volgaard to its knees—if she isn’t caught. 

But as Isabel dances along the knife edge of deception, the lines between truth and fiction blur, and she must wrestle her quest for vengeance against her undeniable attraction to the enemy.

Review & thoughts:

Illusion of Stars is a Fantasy Romance book and the debut novel from Sarah Marie Page and OMG I’m obsessed with the world this author created and all the characters, I already can’t wait for book 2! 

All Isabel dreams about is becoming the royal physician, but when her friend is murdered and the suspects are the general from enemy country and his handsome son, Erik, Isabela is tasked with seducing Erik and getting information out of him. But it proves to be more difficult than she expected, especially when instead of flirting she keeps bantering with the irritating general’s son and the more time she spends with him and his friends the more she realizes everything she heard about them might have been wrong and her growing feelings for Erik complicate everything even more. 

I can’t believe it’s this author debut book, it’s so well written with fascinating world building and interesting and perfectly paced plot, I was hooked since the first page and read the whole book in one sitting. I loved Isabel as the main character, she was a bit annoying in the beginning but grew a lot in this book and I can’t wait to see what will happen to her next. Erik was an amazing MMC, I loved how vulnerable he was with Isabel at times and his and Isabel’s slow burn enemies to lovers romance was everything, their attraction was off the charts and I loved all their scenes, the banter, their conversation, the cute scenes all were incredible and I just loved these 2 together and can’t wait to see them again especially after THAT ending, I’m still not well and need the next book ASAP. 

Illusion of Stars is a really great fantasy romance book and an amazing debut with everything I love in this genre, I loved it and definitely recommend it to everyone. The next book can’t come soon enough!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - A Heart of Desire and Deceit by Elayna R. Gallea

Thank you so much Elayna R. Gallea for sending me this ARC!

Title: A Heart of Desire and Deceit

Author: Elayna R. Gallea

Genre: Dark Romance, Romantic Comedy, Fantasy Romance

Series: The Choosing Chronicles #2

Pages: 428

Synopsis:

How does one pick up the pieces of their life after it has been obliterated by the person they mistakingly trusted?

Ryker Waterborn’s heart is broken, and his wife is a killer. Their marriage is a sham, built on a foundation of murder, lies, and deceit. They’re broken. Destroyed. Yet, even after hearing her confession, Ryker cannot leave Brynleigh in the Pit.

In an act of foolish love, he makes a deal to set Brynleigh free. All she has to do is go back to her Maker and find evidence that Jelisette de la Point is a traitor.

That’s easier said than done, but Brynleigh is left with no choice. She can either accept the deal or rot behind bars. Worse than all that is her relationship with Ryker.

Once, she thought they’d get a happy ending. Now, an ocean divides them.

She broke the rules and fell in love, but is love powerful enough to save them?

Review & thoughts:

A Heart of Desire and Deceit is the second book in a Fantasy Romance series and the conclusion to Brynleigh and Ryker’s story. I loved the first part of their story and had to start this one ASAP and it definitely didn’t disappoint, I think I loved it even more and am obsessed with this series!

A Heart of Desire and Deceit begins right where the first book ended with that heartbreaking cliffhanger and had me hooked since the first page. Here the stakes were higher, the plot was fast paced with a lot of action and plot twists and the romance was everything I hoped for and more. I loved Brynleigh and Ryker’s relationship and slow burn romance in the first book but here there are finally no more secrets between them and it was amazing to see them try to find their way back to each other and fully accept each other, I just loved all their scenes so much, they were perfect together. Brynleigh was still the morally grey vampire I came to love in book 1 but it was amazing to see how much she changed since the beginning of this story, she is more trusting and learns to depend on other people and the way she was with Ryker was beautiful to watch. Ryker was just a perfect book boyfriend, despite his understandable anger I loved how he continued to support Brynleigh and was ready to fight for their happily ever after, he and Brynleigh are definitely one of my favorite bookish couples, I already miss them and hope we will get to see them again in this author’s next books. 

A Heart of Desire and Deceit was the perfect conclusion to Brynleigh and Ryker’s story. It has everything I love in the fantasy romance genre, I absolutely love this series and these characters and already can’t wait for more books from this author!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Say Yes to the Death by Madison Score

Thank you so much Hambright PR for sending me this ARC!

Title: Say Yes to the Death

Author: Madison Score

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense

Series: Claire Hartley Accidental Mystery #2

Pages: 556

Synopsis:

After putting her would-be-murderer behind bars, Claire Hartley is determined to get back to planning elaborate marriage proposals and exploring her undefined relationship with grumpy filmmaker Luke. If she could just kick her new sleepwalking habit, everything would be perfect.

Unfortunately, perfect isn’t in the cards for Claire when her archnemesis slaps her with a lawsuit, someone from her past comes knocking, and she becomes the target of mysterious threats that feel oddly familiar. Is the West Haven Widowmaker pulling strings from prison or is it a new sinister bad guy?

When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, it’s time for Claire and her rescue corgi, Rosie, to take investigative matters into their own hands…er, paws.

Can she figure out who is behind the escalating threats before it’s too late?

Review & thoughts:

Say Yes to the Death is the second book in Claire Hartley Accidental Mystery series which is a great mix of Romantic Suspense and Romantic Comedy. I loved the first book in this series and this one was equally amazing, I already can’t wait for the next part of Claire’s story! 

After narrowly escaping with her life after being targeted by a serial killer, Claire’s bad luck doesn’t get better with her nemesis filing a lawsuit against her and someone threatening her life again. Add to it her boyfriend keeping secrets from her yet again and her biological dad making appearance after 20 years, Claire’s life gets more chaotic than ever when she tries to grow her business, avoid the reporters and keep her personal life and relationships in check all the while trying to stay alive. 

I had so much fun reading this book, I thought the first one was amazing but this one was even better. Madison created a story with the perfect amount of funny moments and banter between the characters but also enough suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat, the plot was interesting and perfectly paced and despite the book being quite long, I wasn’t bored for a single moment. Claire definitely was the star of this book, she is really strong, intelligent, funny and never gives up, but she also isn’t perfect and makes many mistakes which makes her quite real and relatable, it was amazing to learn even more about her and her family here. I like the couple in crisis trope and it was written really well here, Claire and Luke were amazing together but had some problems they needed to work out and I liked seeing them trying to communicate better and resolve their issues, I love them as a couple and can’t wait to see more of them. There were also so many amazing side characters, they were all well written and three dimensional and I hope some of them will get their own stories someday or maybe more spotlight in next books in this series.

Say Yes to the Death is a great second book in this amazing series, I loved it and definitely recommend this series to everyone. I can’t wait for book 3!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Shadow & Storms by Helen Scheuerer

Thank you so much The Nerd Fam for sending me this ARC!

Title: Shadow & Storms

Author: Helen Scheuerer

Genre: Romantic Fantasy

Series: Legends of Thezmarr #4

Pages: 420

Synopsis:

“She was ready to shed blood, ready to take back what was hers.”

The time has come to make one last stand against the forces of cursed men and monsters. But Thea’s enemies are only getting stronger. With allies divided and an outnumbered army, she must race against her own fate to secure the future of the midrealms – or die trying.

A prophecy is looming, and Thea’s life is in the balance. Does she have the power to cheat death itself?

Love and loyalty will be tested. Bonds will fracture forever. But all must fight for a better world.

In the final war for survival, will Thea and Wilder emerge victorious? Or will the shadows consume them at last?

Review & thoughts:

Shadow and Storms in the fourth and last book in the Legends of Thezmarr Romantic Fantasy series. It has badass characters, beautiful romance, great found family and so much action with crazy plot twists, I absolutely loved it and am obsessed with this whole series. 

After that cliffhanger at the end of book 3 I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Shadow & Storms and it definitely didn’t disappoint. There was so much action from the very first page I couldn’t put the book down, the plot was perfectly paced and interesting, it made this book a true page-turner. I absolutely love this amazing world and magic system this author created and always love coming back to it and reading about Thea, Wilder and their found family, one of the strongest points of this series are definitely the characters and their development and there are so many great characters here, I loved reading about all of them. Thea and Wilder have definitely come a long way from who they were when this series began and they are incredible here, they are both so strong and their romance was so beautiful, I loved seeing them together and the way they always supported each other. After everything they went through it was amazing to see them on their last fight for their happily ever after and I’m not going to spoil anything but let me just say I loved the conclusion of their story and think it was the perfect ending for them. I also loved all their friends and it was amazing to see all the familiar faces, I loved the banter and cute scenes and the way they all count count on each other, the found family trope was written perfectly here. 

Shadow and Storms is the perfect conclusion to Thea and Wilder’s story, I loved it and already can’t wait for more books from this author. If you’re new to this series, I definitely recommend it because it’s amazing and has everything I love in this genre, and if you’ve already read the previous books, I’m sure you’re going to love this epic finale as much as I did!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5