Review: Fated to the Cursed Captain by Dawn Darling

Fated to the Cursed Captain by Dawn Darling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A pirate themed Beauty and the Beast? I had to investigate further because I love both of those things! I adored Corynne's determination and pure love for her work with the stars. She got denied so many times to study her passion but she NEVER let that stop her from trying over and over again. And good for her for running away from August who would have trapped her in a future that would have tortured her. 

She also fought tooth and nail against Silas when he caged her on his boat. Corynne isn't a girl to mess with because she is a fighter! 

Silas is such a broody, ruthless pirate and I loved every second of it. He was no match against my girl Corynne but it was entertaining to see him try to resist the temptation. 

Loved the reveal of the curse and how it started. I would have enjoyed seeing more about what their lives looked like after but I'll let my imagination run wild with ideas on my own. Glad I took a chance to read this new to me author! 

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Review: Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances

Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I reread this for book club and still loved it just as much as the first read! Will definitely be grabbing all the books by Heather Frances!

Review from May 2026:

I can't express how much I LOVED this book!!! And it being a debut novel? Fantastic! Stormchaser romance genre is quickly become one of my favorites and I hope many more will be created so I can obsess over all of them! 

I loved this storyline of photographers racing after storms to get the perfect photo for a nature magazine. There's the risk of being near the storm but an artistic aspect of taking the perfect photo. The blend was amazing and I couldn't get enough of it! 

Sloane is such a lovable character. She's a bit too serious, but that's from years of taking care of her entire family her whole life. But to see and feel her love for storm season was beautiful. I felt her love so much i wanted to join her (and I have no photography talent nor any love for tornados...). 

Wes is such a risk taker, chaotic mess, but anyone can see he loves what he does and really gets in the zone when chasing storms. Wes and Sloane are such opposites, but their attraction is undeniable. Even in the beginning stages when they are bickering at each other, there are definitely under currents of attraction that EVERYONE can see except Sloane. 

I absolutely loved this book and I'm so glad I got to read it! I'll be grabbing a physical copy to own because I'm also obsessed over this cover! Will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this debut author!

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Review: The Love That Broke Us by Maya Hughes

The Love That Broke Us by Maya Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've missed Maya Hughes novels! So happy I got to read this early and experience all the angst and emotions that come packed in her stories! 

Lilah and Mason's story is a roller coaster of events, so be ready to go in the ride with them! I feel so much for both characters. Lilah is in this limbo of loneliness that no one can seem to get through to her. She has one year of being through miserableness before she can escape and start her future. Being with stepsisters who don't like her. An absent minded father who just focuses on work and not on any of his daughters. And a boy she thought she liked only for him to target her and make school just as unbearable as it is at home. 

Mason is a jerk, plain and simple. He has a sole tunnel vision and whatever he thinks or is told to think is the only thing he does without thought. He's in a tough spot to protect his little sister Zoe and his mother, he needs to perform perfectly for his mentally and physically abusive dad. Hockey is number one and if Mason strays, he gets punished. So when he decides Lilah is going to be his number one focus, a series of punishments come knocking on his door. 

Ryker, Lilahs friend, it's also a jerk. I really didn't like him. He is living is life and is Lilahs closest friend, but it seems he's only using her to get an advantage on things. Plus he 100% has a crush on Lilah and got so nasty when she was with Mason. A true friend would have her back and not always find ways to talk her away from who she was with. 

Zoe was my favorite person in this series. Such a sweetheart full of love and hours. I hope that doesn't get squashed from her the longer she loves with Mason's dad.

So glad I got to read this! Can't wait for the continuation after that tension filled ending! 

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Review: Total Shutdown by Ruth Stilling

Total Shutdown by Ruth Stilling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not gonna lie, the cover grabbed my attention and made me buy this book. Along with the blurb, but the cover is fantastic. 

And overall I enjoyed this book. It's a very quick read - finished it in one sitting. Collins is a feisty character who knows exactly what she wants and isn't (normally) afraid to tell anyone what's on her mind. Anyone that isn't Sawyer apparently. With him she's more on guard because she can tell things with him could get intense quickly and she's not ready for that. 

I also love her connection with Sawyer's son Ezra. 12 year olds are tricky to connect with and seeing her bond with him so quickly was great. Especially since Collins doesn't think she does well with kids. 

Sawyer stole the show for me. He's extremely intense and he fell first so hardcore for Collins. He knew what he wanted and could tell Collins felt the same even though she was hesitant. He didn't give up and was persistent with his communication with Collins. 

I did think the friend circle and the hockey world was a bit confusing. Im guessing because this is book 2 in a series and most would have met the rest of the characters it would click better, but as a new reader into this series with this book it was all a bit blurry and hard to keep up. 

Overall I thought it was a good story and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. 

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Review: Deathrider by Juliette Cross

Deathrider by Juliette Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book by far is my favorite in the series! I thought i loved Malina, but Anya has thrown herself into spot #1 and never left. I devoured this book and I'm quite sad it's already done. 

Anya is a fierce gladiator and seeing her use her magic was amazing. She has no fear and wields her magic with ease and familiarity. Her shadows haunt her daily but she's learned to accept the curse that comes with her magic. 

I love that she discovered that her sister was alive and made it her sole mission to find her after 4 years. She is fearless and so incredibly brave. Nothing was going to get in her way until she was reunited with her family. Seeing her develop feelings towards Alaric was so sweet since she had no clue what was happening, having never felt those feelings before. 

Alaric is fantastic. His secrets were pretty easily to figure out but i adored his fascination and commitment to Anya. Honestly the way he reacted at their first meeting, the reader knew he was done for. And Alaric was oh so happy to follow Anya to wherever she may lead him. 

The ending? The justice to Caesar? I legit cried because it was definitely the best choice to make. Actually this book had me crying a few times with all of the emotion that came bottling over with reunions and reliving past memories. 

I can't think of the last time I liked the LAST book the most, but it definitely happened here. I'm so glad I chose to reread book 1 and binge read through all 3 books to have everything fresh in my mind and be fully immersed into this world. I can't wait to add book 3 to the amazing edges on my shelves and see the trilogy in is entirety! 

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Review: Bloodsinger by Juliette Cross

Bloodsinger by Juliette Cross
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Finally got to dive into Lela's story! I really liked that she was paired with Trajan as I liked him a lot of Firebird. And I think Lela is definitely a fighter, once she embraced her magic. 

And for the most part I liked this book. Not nearly as much as book 1 though. This had a lot to do with the revolution and the politics which really bored me and had me start skimming more often than not. The connection between the characters wasnt nearly as strong as book 1 so that was a major part of why I felt blah about it. 

I'm glad I stuck through it to get to the end for the reveal about book 3 because I think I know the pairing and if so I'm really hoping that interaction will go off like fireworks! Very excited to see how this all ends. 

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Review: Firebird by Juliette Cross

Firebird by Juliette Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very glad I decided to reread this first novel in preparation for diving into books 2 and 3. Still loved it and glad I get to revisit again. 

My review from March 2025:

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review. 

I have been wanting to read this book for awhile now and I am so glad Edelweiss approved my request! 

I loved Malina. She has so much confidence and spunk. She knows she capable of taking care of herself because of her gift. But she also knows what she believes in and doesn't stray them. 

Julianus is intriguing. He knows his uncle is evil and has a long winded plan to overcome his rule. He's brutal and cunning. But the moment he lays eyes on Malina, he knows everything takes a back seat to his devotion to her. 

I love that this didn't end on a completely awful ending, yet more will be coming! It's refreshing to not be in agony when ending a book for once. 

I'm so glad I got to read this and can't wait for all of my special edition copies to get delivered!

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