Review: Until the Stars Fall by Vanessa Rasanen

Until the Stars Fall by Vanessa Rasanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I dove into this book knowing that a book box subscription is going to be making a pretty SE and I'm so glad I did because I loved it!  I didn't expect it to be a standalone, especially since it's a fantasy and those are almost never a standalone, but it was wrapped up so nicely at the end of this book!

I adore Lieke and she is so relatable.  Pining over one brother her whole life because of that tight friendship she had with him, the knowledge that he was there for her during her darkest time.  But that kind of love doesn't always mean he is the right person for her future.  Also Lieke overcame so many awful situations brought upon her by family and she grew so much stronger because of it.  Especially if she ends up with a fae, she needed to go through that brutality, but I still felt for her during those three years. 

Connor is quite comical to me.  He's this tough, macho man who leads an army, stands between his father's fists and his brother, but yet when it comes to dealing with Lieke, he almost cowers in the corner.  He can't fess up to emotional things and refuses to listen to his instincts when it comes to her, yet he's a fierce warrior.  Goes to show how love can cripple any strong man. 

I'm really glad I got this ebook and decided to take a dive into it, I hope the book box does an amazing job with the cover and art work!

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Review: Body Check by Elle Kennedy

Body Check: A Spicy Hockey Rom-Com by Elle Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Hockey romance is always great to dive into and I really enjoyed this one! I loved that it was Brody insistent that he wanted to see and be with Hayden. His persistence was so great and I loved every time it was his viewpoint because he was so enamored with Hayden! And he never gave up, showing he was 100% committed to his feelings for her. 

The situation in the background about the team and the owner was a good plot but my focus was purely on Brody and Haydens story because they were adorable and intense.

Hayden was too stubborn for too long in my mind and you could tell she wanted to give into her urges and would eventually cave with just the smallest nudge. I loved watching the pull and tug game and the way these two fell for each other.  So glad I got the chance to read this novel! 

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Review: Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Omg. Omg!!!! So much happened in this book. In this duology really!!!!! The surprises never stopped. Inez's life never calmed down for a second. How that woman survived the heartache she had to go through? I'll never know. She seemed too understanding during all the reveals and maybe because she had to be but I'm sure she was haunted by some of these events for years to come. 

Whit. Ugh he annoyed me like I thought he would and then he made my teary eyed. He's a complicated man and I was so emotional watching him this whole series. 

I loved this series so much. There are still moments here and there but there was adventure, emotion, archeology, betrayal (So. Much. Betrayal!), and love. I can see myself rereading this in my future to take my time and find the little details I missed. I'm so glad I waited to binge read and I'm so glad I loved this series! 

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Review: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So much happened in this book, my brain is still trying to wrap itself around everything. Inez is such a strong character but she is left in the dark too much and has become a pawn in so many schemes. Seriously I don't know how she has the will to keep going after finding out everyone around her is just lying and using her left and right. She is so sweet and naive but fierce and passionate and all of those things meld together makes for a horrible disaster.  She's very bold too, and I love her spirit so much!

And the betrayal of her own flesh and blood? I understand her revenge 100% and would be right there with her. 

Whit is going to tick me off, I already know. Hopefully he's not yet another person to betray Inez. I could see her going on a spree of revenge if that were to happen. 

I'm so glad I waited to read this book once I had the ending novel to dive into, because that ending was brutal and I need to see how this all ends! 

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Review: Athica Lane by Brynne Asher

Athica Lane by Brynne Asher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paige and Cam's story completely sucked me in! I loved every interaction between these two and the intensity was off the charts. Seeing small Paige being Cam down a peg or two was amazing because she did not let him get away with his grumpiness. And seeing both of them interact with Cara and Jordy was just so sweet and cute. 

Both of their families are...a lot. Way more than I could handle. But it seems like they thrive in chaos so it works for them. 

The mystery part of this book was crazy and I felt so sorry for Paige.  She really wants to find the good in people and she is just the sweetest person ever. 

I really loved so much of this book and I'm so glad I decided to read it randomly! Will definitely be looking into this authors other novels!

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Review: The Director by Renee Rose

The Director by Renee Rose
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a quick read. I was a bit confused on how the book started not knowing there was a prolog in another book but I picked up the story pretty quickly and enjoyed reading about these two characters. Ravil may look tough on the outside but he melts so much for Lucy, it's adorable. 

I loved how take charge Lucy was, immediately learning Russian when she realized everyone was speaking it. She was not going to be a damsel in distress, that's for sure! 

This was a nice buffer book in between series for me and I'm glad I jumped into it

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Review: Rainfall by Alison Rhymes

Rainfall by Alison Rhymes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I went in knowing this was a sports romance, but didn't realize cheating was involved, which is a huge touchy subject for me.  But I was shockingly able to get through this whole book and didn't have a melt down so I got that going for me. 

Overall I liked this story.  I don't agree with a lot of choices that were made and I have no idea how Isla was able to trust Cillian again.  I'm still fresh in my heartbreak, but the thought of trusting the same person who broke your heart just doesn't sit with me.  

I loved Sadie.  I loved Willa.  I loved all of the characters except for Cillian.  So I'm glad I pushed through and read through the hard parts for me.  It was definitely hard but I survived it so I can add that accomplishment for myself. 

I liked the writing and the characters so I may be intrigued to read more by this author and especially the ones in this series.

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Review: What Did You Do? by Jeneane O'Riley

What Did You Do? by Jeneane O'Riley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay.... I liked most of this book but then again I was annoyed with it? I'm glad we got a ton of background information about a lot of the characters, Caly especially. But even until the last chapter more was being revealed and I get having layers, but at a point it needs to stop. I'm almost confused and by the end of book 2 I should not be confused anymore. 

Also Mandex and Eli? That whole mess? Caly needs to figure out who she likes now and pick one because she's just messing around with both of their feelings at this point and it's angering me how pitiful these "tough" men are acting around her. 

Spoilers will be listed below now. Please do not read if you don't want to be spoiled. 

How can Caly be human and still keep her sisters powers? For all of these years? It doesn't fade? And how could she be able to hide her true feelings at the age of 8 if she knew everything the queen did to her family? I knew the queen killed her mom and sister. 

I also knew Mandex didn't really die. But why did she have his Shadows for awhile and then they disappeared? Especially is she human?

I really wanted her to kill Eli. I loved that she killed the queen which I'm surprised Eli hasn't gotten angrier about that yet. And I know he says he was ignorant about how mothers doings but as we have all discovered, just because one thing was said doesn't mean it's true. 

So yeah, I wish I had the whole series on my hands to see what happens next and if book 3 redeems this series for me. By the time book 3 comes out, will I evergreen want to read it to find out what happens when Caly meets her father Zef? Which guy will she ends up with? I bet that won't be discovered until the last book, #4, and will I be patient enough for that? I have no idea. 

I will say, even with my conflicted feelings, I was entranced by majority of the book. I just need to start getting answers instead of more questions soon. Glad I got the chance to read this sequel. 

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Review: How Does It Feel? by Jeneane O'Riley

How Does It Feel? by Jeneane O'Riley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been all over the place and I have a friend who adores it, so I dived in with higher expectation of liking it.  And overall I really did enjoy it!!  The beginning was a bit rough, but once Mendax started to show feelings in his otherwise non-feeling life toward Callie I was digging it.  

Callie is such an interesting character.  She lives in her own little world before going into Fae and she truly enjoys what she does it seems like.  She is so dedicated to go to Mexico for the butterflies, but she is still giving it her all at her current job because she is still passionate about what she is doing. 

Mendax... He truly didn't care at all about Callie at the beginning.  I'm not sure I met a MMC who despised the love interest at the beginning, usually they are at least a little bit intrigued.  But I legit think he wanted her dead and that was very interesting for me. 

But that twist?  Callie giving Mendax a false name and already being part of the Fae world in a small aspect?  Knowing Eli?  Having the ability to trick Mendax?  I knew something was going to be a twist because Callie was so attuned to animals and that is not a normal reaction humans have, but to find out how she was actually involved was amazing!  I'm hoping book two will have more scenes with Mendax and how he will get Callie back, because I want these two to be end game.  I don't want Eli to end up with Callie, I think that would make me meh because the attraction her and Mendax have is scorching!

Very glad I decided to read this book and I'm glad I have book two to dive into!  Sad it's a 4 book series so I'm sure I will go through another cliffhanger, but I'm definitely committed to this series to see how it all ends!

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Review: Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from the author and Edelweiss.  This is my honest review. 

Brynne Weaver did it again!  She took a subject and some very different trigger situations and somehow made me love her story!  I was blown away from Butcher and Blackbird and Leather and Lark took me to that level once again.  I love how Lark is so dedicated to the ones she loves, to the fact that she will sacrifice her happiness to make sure everyone in her life will be happy instead.  She has almost checked herself out of her own life to ensure everyone around her is happy and healthy.  

But once Lachlan discovered how Lark was and he made sure she took care of herself???? OMG I fell so hard for Lachlan.  He's definitely the Kane brother I want!  He did such sweet things for Lark and acts like he's too tough and rough, but I just can't handle how much he took care of Lark and the thoughtful things he did for her!!

So, yes, I 100% loved this book and I am so excited to see what the next Kane brother will do on his adventure for love.  But I'll probably secretly be looking out for Lachlan in his book, not gonna lie haha.  Can't wait to add this to my physical collection when it gets released!

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Review: Floored by Karla Sorensen

Floored by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yay for free books to get me into reading new authors!  This book was really great, though, for knowing nothing about the author or series.  And for it being the third book in the series, I definitely wasn't lost or confused. 

Lia is such a strong woman.  First just going to England by yourself to pursue a passion is amazing and then to put herself out there, find out she's pregnant, and then make altering life decisions while being an another country?  Sounds terrifying to me but Lia did it with a lot of adult decisions.  And the way she was with Jude?  That she had so many feelings for him but ultimately had to make the best decision for herself and her child?  She really grew up in the small time she was in England, that's for sure!

Jude had such a intense life with his family and seeing him struggle with his past when Lia comes busting into his future was really real to see.  I'm glad he knew that Lia was it for him and he needed to get his shit figured out because otherwise he would have gotten lost and hid himself away in his house with no one but Rebecca around.  

So yeah, this was a great book and I'm glad I dived into it.  Not gonna lie, Isabel's story sounds really intriguing and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up going to get it soon just to see how all of that goes down haha. 

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Review: Secret Puck by Recebba Jenshak

Secret Puck by Rebecca Jenshak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great, quick read! I loved the friendship between Heath and Ginny and how that bloomed into something more between them. I did get asked when they wanted to keep their relationship a secret from Adam - just be adults and tell the people in your life honestly. But otherwise it was sweet and quick and nice!

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Review: What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge

What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hmmm, I ended up finishing this book rather than DNFing, which I was a bit inclined to do, but I DID finish it!  But sadly I didn't connect with this story as much as I wanted to. 

The amount of love and adoration Lia has for the gods is....admirable, but it was so repetitious throughout this book.  Like obnoxiously so.  I'm sure it was because she was trying to convince herself of the love she felt, but it was just overly done for my taste. I did like the fact that she got so many gods and saints to gift her their powers, which in my mind makes her Queen over anyone else with how often she got "blessed" by the higher ups.  But then she didn't become queen?  Why wouldn't they decree her that since she passed so many tests?

Her love for Ruven seemed forced and not necessarily true?  Like they were the only ones that could talk to each other (at least for Ruven) and so of course he's going to fall in love with Lia.  And Lia could only be her true self with Ruven because he was dead and couldn't do much about her wavering faith, so she fell in love with him.  Plus Ruven has been alone for 500 years, so of course he's going to latch on to the one person he can communicate with.  So yeah, that romance was weird and unnecessary to the story, for me anyway. 

I dunno, this book was okay, and I'm glad it's a standalone, but I'm just not quite sure why I couldn't click with it.  I wanted to give up a few times.  I was glad the Queen died but also think the prime minister should have died too, along with a few other characters that were seriously too judgmental for their own good and acted like royalty themselves.  So I'm glad I read it to know how I feel, but it's definitely not going to be a book I collect. 

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Review: Poisonous Kiss by Jagger Cole

Poisonous Kiss by Jagger Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from the author and Valentine PR.  This is my honest review. 

Honestly, I have no idea what Jagger puts in his books, but I legit devoured this book in one sitting.  I consumed it so much and am a bit sad it's all over already!  

Gabriel and Fumi are two characters you just didn't see coming to fall in love with each other, to be frank.  They are so different on the outside that I'm not surprised when everyone around them was shocked to hear their announcement.  But inside?  These two are meant for each other and I loved watching their cat and mouse play for the first half of the book!  It was so suspenseful and got my heart racing so much!

I also loved how quick minded both characters are.  Fumi especially because everyone misjudged her thinking she was shy and quiet, but that girl can come back with amazing comebacks to things people say around her and really get other people whipping their heads around with shock.  Seriously, it was fantastic seeing her show up all of these ignorant people around her to show them who she REALLY is!

And Gabriel is so intriguing.  He can really turn on the charm when needed but then you see him in his TRUE element and you realize you probably don't know Gabriel at all!  I would love to have him on my side, but definitely don't want to meet him in a dark alley. 

I cannot express how much I absolutely loved this book and I am so excited from more from Jagger.  One day I want to reread all of the books he's written but he's spitting out books faster than I can keep up with.  One day though!

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