G. Bianco, 2019
Bestselling author Lyssa Kay Adams returns to the world of the Bromance Book Club, this time featuring a marriage of convenience romance. Starring one of the fandom’s favorite characters, The Russian, Isn’t It Bromantic? showcases the best of Adams storytelling skills and further shows how brilliant this series is. Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared, she escaped danger the only way she knew how: She married her childhood friend, Vladimir, and moved to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville. Vlad, aka the Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance—both on and off the page. The bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love—and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves the Loners. But just when things finally look promising, Elena’s past life intrudes and their happily ever after is cast into doubt. Holy goodness gracious was this book effing amazing! Just when I thought this series couldn't get any better, it got better. Believe me when I say that I loved this book so much that it might be a contender for my favorite book of 2021! There was not a single thing I didn’t love about this book: the characters (both old and new) were so complex and added so much to the plot; the plot itself highlighted the best of what a romcom has to offer yet felt refreshing and modern; and both the steamy moments and the funny moments were golden in terms of their placement in the story. Readers also get the little snippets of “book within a book” like Bromance Book Club had which adds even more depth to this story. The parallels drawn between Vlad and Elena’s story and Promise Me (the book Vlad is writing) shows how masterful a writer Adams is. This book is seriously addictive (I think I binge-read it in like 6 hours) and I am itching to see if and how Adams will continue with this series because I don’t think I could bear it if this series were to end. If you haven’t read this book series yet then I really don’t know what you're waiting for because you are sorely missing out!
0 Comments
Katie McGarry has written many best-selling YA books, but in her new book, A Stormy and Sultry Sea, readers are brought into an adult fantasy world with Faeries, witches, and demons. Set to be released on October 13th, the second book in the Witches of the Island Series shares what’s in store for the characters we met in book one. A witch and a Fae aren’t supposed to fall in love, nonetheless be soulmates… New witch and midwife Cassie Strega helped a human mother through the tumultuous birth of the queen of the demons, and now Cassie and the baby have been kidnapped by one of the four demon princes fighting each other to lay claim to their new queen. Cassie hopes she can appeal to the human side of the child in order to save humanity, but as the child feeds upon her soul, Cassie must also battle the four demon-prince-uncles who intend for the infant to fulfill her dark destiny. The love of Cassie’s life, the sultry Fae warrior and heir to the Fae kingdom, Orion, is still searching for the Fae queen he’s been tasked to find, but he is also desperate to save Cassie from his archenemies. He is torn between his heart and his duty, but if he doesn’t save Cassie by Beltane, the blood bond that connects Cassie to Orion will forever be severed and she will be marked as an enemy to the Fae—one he is sworn by oath to kill. Fate was cruel when it linked Cassie and Orion together. Their attraction to each other is undeniable, their love assured, but these fated lovers are doomed by a curse that threatens to keep them apart. Every touch during every shared dream, every kiss during every cherished moment together is driving them closer to what will either be a victory of humanity or an end no mortal will be able to survive. Will love, in the end, truly conquer all or will it destroy them all? I was really hoping to like this book but unfortunately theist, like the first book in the series, it just fell a little flat for me. The characters in this book are great, but it’s the plot that I found lacking. This book seems to want to mesh fantasy and romance like other popular series like ACOTAR but the fantasy world-building is a bit too confusing to feel super invested in the story and the romance gets dragged out a bit too much and isn’t heavy enough to make up for the lack of world development. The main ideas and plot points are great but it’s the execution of it that has me on the fence about this book. The ending is engaging enough to make me want to read the next and final book in the series, but that’s about it. I think this series is worth taking a look into, but if you’re a die-hard fantasy fan who values intricate stories and characters, you might be disappointed. Nevertheless, I still look forward to see what will happen next for these characters. *I recieved an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. Lynette Noni brings readers back to the world of The Prison Healer with the second book in the series, The Gilded Cage, which comes out on October 12th. We pick up where we left off in Kiva’s story, but the plot only thickens in this spell-binding and captivating story. Kiva Meridan is a survivor. She survived not only Zalindov prison, but also the deadly Trial by Ordeal. Now Kiva’s purpose goes beyond survival to vengeance. For the past ten years, her only goal was to reunite with her family and destroy the people responsible for ruining their lives. But now that she has escaped Zalindov, her mission has become more complicated than ever. As Kiva settles into her new life in the capital, she discovers she wasn’t the only one who suffered while she was in Zalindov—her siblings and their beliefs have changed too. Soon it’s not just her enemies she’s keeping secrets from, but her own family as well. Outside the city walls, tensions are brewing from the rebels, along with whispers of a growing threat from the northern kingdoms. Kiva’s allegiances are more important than ever, but she’s beginning to question where they truly lie. To survive this time, she’ll have to navigate a complicated web of lies before both sides of the battle turn against her and she loses everything. For those of you asking whether this book is just as good as its prequel, The Prison Healer, the answer is HELL YES!! It’s so easy to fall back into the Kiva’s world and see what is going on with these characters after the events in Book 1. Without being too spoiler-y, the plot is engaging and it makes this book severely binge-worthy. On top of that, the cast of characters and the development of the main characters is fantastically done and it makes me SO EXCITED for Book 3 to come out (which better be as soon as freaking possible)!!! Basically, if you haven’t checked out this series yet then I don’t know what you’re waiting for! This book is a fantasy lover’s dream and should be on everyone’s TBRs! *I received an ARC from Clarion Teen via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Even though it’s coming out on October 12th, Tracy Ardeen’s new YA novel So, This Is Christmas has me ready for the holidays and all of the joy that comes along with the most wonderful time of the year! So what happens during the holidays in a town called Christmas when unexpected guests arrive? Only a little bit of holiday mischief... When Finley Brown returned to her hometown of Christmas, Oklahoma, from boarding school, she expected to find it just as she left it. Christmas hasn't changed much in her sixteen years. But instead she returns to find that her best friend is dating her ex-boyfriend, her parents have separated, and her archnemesis got a job working at her grandmother's inn. And she certainly didn't expect to find the boy she may or may not have tricked into believing that Christmas was an idyllic holiday paradise on her grandmother's doorstep. It's up to Finley to make sure he gets the Christmas he was promised. This is Finley's Christmas. It's about home and family and friends and finding her place, and along the way she also finds the best Christmas present of all: love. This book is like a Hallmark movie in book form (which isn’t surprising considering the author has literally written multiple screenplays for Hallmark) and it’s the perfect read to get you ready for the holiday season! With the holiday activities described in the book and the cozy romances in the air, it’s really not hard to fall in love with this book. Not only is this YA romcom adorable, but I really enjoyed all of the subplots of the story that intermixed with the main plot, all of which is amazingly (and sarcastically) narrated by Finley. Plus, I’m a sucker for a small-town story and this book makes me want to visit Christmas, Oklahoma and experience the town for myself! This is the perfect book to get you in the mood for the holidays (even if it’s only October lol)! Make sure to add this to your holiday TBRs! *I received an ARC from Penguin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion. |
AuthorHi! My name is Elisa and my bookshelf is quite literally overflowing! Join me in my journey of reading as many books as humanly possible! Archives
February 2023
Categories |