Author: baltimorebibliophile

Title: Payback’s a Witch (The Witches of Thistle Grove #1)

Author: Lana Harper

Publisher: Berkley

Publication date: October 5th, 2021

340 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The L Word in this fresh, sizzling rom-com by Lana Harper.

Emmy Harlow is a witch but not a very powerful one—in part because she hasn’t been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove in years. Her self-imposed exile has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams.

But when a spellcasting tournament that her family serves as arbiters for approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She’s determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago.

On her first night home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov—an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts—who is fresh off a bad breakup . . . with Gareth Blackmoore. Talia had let herself be charmed, only to discover that Gareth was also seeing Linden—unbeknownst to either of them. And now she and Linden want revenge. Only one question stands: Is Emmy in?

But most concerning of all: Why can’t she stop thinking about the terrifyingly competent, devastatingly gorgeous, wickedly charming Talia Avramov?

Review

“Her pale eyes glittered like something out of a Billie Eilish song”

Lana Harper, Payback’s a Witch

I heard some mixed reviews coming in when this book was released, and there were an unusual amount of similar looking/seeming books releasing at the same time (which makes sense because Halloween, duh). But I frankly read all of those similar books and Payback’s a Witch was definitely my favorite of the bunch. It involves witching families in a specific, magical town, a traditional competition, an ex-boyfriend problem, and a sapphic romance.

I liked the world created in Thistle Grove, and the families/magic. Each has some mystery attached and have their own powers but Emmy, our MC, gave it all up to live in the non-magic world after being hurt by her ex, Gareth Blackmoore. She is adamant about returning after she fulfills her duty in the competition, but will the beautiful Talia have an impact on that plan? Read on to see…

Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the magical contemporary romance. There was a hint of steam and spice at one point during the book and I truly love reading sapphic romances, especially after recently coming to terms with my own sexuality.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Getting Clean With Stevie Green

Author: Swan Huntley

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication date: February 1st, 2022

304 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

At thirty-seven, Stevie Green has had it with binge drinking and sleeping with strange men. She’s confused about her sexuality and her purpose in life. When her mother asks her to return to her hometown of La Jolla to help her move into a new house, she’s desperate enough to say yes. The move goes so well that Stevie decides to start her own decluttering business. She stops drinking. She hires her formerly estranged sister, Bonnie, to be her business partner. She rekindles a romance with her high school sweetheart, Brad. Things are better than ever—except for the complicated past that Stevie can’t seem to outrun.

Who was responsible for the high school scandal that caused her life to take a nosedive twenty years earlier? Why is she so secretive about the circumstances of her father’s death? Why are her feelings for her ex-friend, Chris, so mystifying? If she’s done drinking, then why can’t she seem to declutter the mini wine bottles from her car?

A winsome, fast-paced read, Getting Clean With Stevie Green is about coming to terms with who you are, resolving the pain of your past, and accepting the truth of your life in all its messy glory. 

Review

I’m going to be honest, I’m not entirely sure what the point or plot of this book was. It wasn’t bad, but I finished it and had completely neutral feelings towards it. I didn’t have a good time, but it wasn’t a bad time? I just feel like I was missing something, either in the exposition or in the ending. It certainly is not a typical romance, so don’t go into this book expecting a romance because it’s more a conversation on alcoholism, secrets, and coming to grips with your sexuality.

Stevie Green spent 15 years of her life drunk, on drugs, working dead end jobs, and moving around after her life blew up in high school and her plans were destroyed, until one day she awakens and has the realization that she doesn’t want to live this way anymore. So she moves home to her mom’s house, opens a de-cluttering business, and tries to put the past behind her. But when her estranged sister, estranged ex-best friend and lover, and ex boyfriend all show up at the same time – Stevie is in for an interesting time while she tries to stay sober.

I think this book needed to be about 50 pages longer. It took so very long to get to the point where Stevie knows the “secret” everyone is keeping from her and she decides she understands her sexuality, and then all of a sudden it’s over. It was a jarring way to end the book and I didn’t love it. I also think there were far too many POVs in this story, I generally love extra POVs but when a side characters only gets two chapters you start to wonder what that really is accomplishing for the story.

Overall, it was okay.

Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Neon Gods (Dark Olympus #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Publication date: June 1st, 2021

380 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

He was supposed to be a myth.
But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell… he was, quite simply, mine.

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth… a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…

A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.

Review

“You’ve ruined me, Persephone. Forgive the fuck out of me if I want to return the favor.”

Katee Robert, Neon Gods

It isn’t often I want to immediately reread a book the minute after I read the last sentence but this was one of those times. Neon Gods takes the Greek myths and classics and puts a modern spin – the “gods” are socialites in the American city of Olympus. You’ll recognize the names and personalities, but it is definitely more modern romance than historical. Neon Gods is the Hades and Persephone retelling, and it is hot, hot, hot. Immediate warning, there is a lot of open scenes and detailed descriptions of spice in this book – specifically in a voyeuristic environment if you catch my drift. If that’s not your jam, read with caution.

I however, am obsessed with the world Katee Robert has created. I struggle with books inspired by traditional Greek mythology, but mostly because they stick within that same environment. The modernization of this world really spoke to me and I raced through this book like I had nothing better to do (spoiler: I did, I was “working”). The spicy scenes were muy caliente and were exactly what I loved to read in romance books. Hades and Persephone were similar enough to their namesakes (even knowing they aren’t their “real” names), and the plot of Persephone turning to Hades to avoid a political marriage with Zeus, only to become the city’s fallen princess is intriguing and engrossing.

I loved reading this one and I’m really looking forward to the next one, Electric Idol.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: The Proposal (The Wedding Date #2)

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Publisher: Berkley

Publication date: October 30th, 2018

325 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

The author of The Wedding Date serves up a novel about what happens when a public proposal doesn’t turn into a happy ending, thanks to a woman who knows exactly how to make one on her own…

When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn’t come as a surprise–or happen in front of 45,000 people.

When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part–they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans…

At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He’s even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik’s social media blows up–in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes…

Review

“Good God, sometimes it felt like all of society was complicit in trying to make life harder for women.”

Jasmine Guillory, The Proposal

Back with another Guillory review! The Proposal follows Carlos from The Wedding Date, Drew’s best friend. Carlos is at a baseball game when the poor woman a few rows ahead of him gets a surprise proposal – that she rejects. Carlos swoops in to save the woman from the cameras looking to make the story bigger. Nik definitely needs the saving from rejecting her actor hook up of 5 months in public, much to his dismay. Dinner afterwards grows into other dinners and hang outs until the two, who had no plan on being in a relationship, blur the lines they set forth.

Okay, Carlos and Nik were just as compelling as Alexa and Drew. Nik is strong and independent, and continues the theme of black FMC’s and when she meets Alexa there is a great moment as they relate to each other. There were times I wanted to shake the two of them for not seeing their relationship was moving further than they had originally planned and just to give it up already. But it led to a very satisfying ending so I was very pleased with the second installment of this series.

Another win in my book for Guillory.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: The Wedding Date (The Wedding Date #1)

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Publisher: Berkley

Publication date: January 30th, 2018

317 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A groomsman and his last-minute guest are about to discover if a fake date can go the distance in a fun and flirty debut novel.

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn’t normally do. But there’s something about Drew Nichols that’s too hard to resist.

On the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend…

After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she’s the mayor’s chief of staff. Too bad they can’t stop thinking about the other…

They’re just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century–or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want…

Review

“Just because their standards are low does not mean that we should lower ours.”

Jasmine Guillory, The Wedding Date

This was my first Jasmine Guillory book and it was frankly amazing. Starting off with Drew and Alexa getting stuck in an elevator together. They started as strangers but left as wedding dates, which turned out to be a great idea and they both had a good time. Unfortunately, they can’t stop thinking about each other.

These two were so well matched, and I loved the conversation around interracial relationships and being a black woman at social events – especially white dominated ones. Alexa really held her own and shined through the pages and I am utterly obsessed with her. Frankly, I want her confidence and career aspirations! It’s great when characters feel so real they could walk off the page, flawed but in a very real way. And Drew was no slouch either, he was a great hero and his grand gesture was so incredibly sweet.

I’m looking forward to continuing on this series and reading more of Jasmine Guillory.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Blood Scion (Blood Scion #1)

Author: Deborah Falaye

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication date: March 8th, 2022

432 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

This is what they deserve. They wanted me to be a monster. I will be the worst monster they ever created.

Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.

Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.

Sloane rises through the ranks and gains strength but, in doing so, risks something greater: losing herself entirely, and becoming the very monster that she ahbors.

Following one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, this deeply felt and emotionally charged debut from Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and Daughter of Smoke and Bone that will utterly thrill and capture readers.

Review

Run, don’t walk, to your closest book store or library and get this book – do it now! #BloodScion is a gripping tale of how far one girl will go to rid herself of the oppressors and bring a nation to it’s knees.

Sloane is a Scion, descendant of the Yoruba gods and hiding her magic from the Lucis overlords. She’s conscripted as a child solder into the army in order to hunt and kill other Yorubans or Scions. Sloane must do whatever it takes to keep her secret, and her life.

I’m absolutely obsessed with this book, it’s cover, and now the author @deborahfalaye. I read through this action packed story of courage, perseverance, resilience, and bravery. Blood Scion is not only a story about African child soldiers, but about how women are treated as well.

Blood Scion is the easiest 5 stars I’ve given to a book all year. Please read the trigger warnings before picking it up, DM me for more information.

**Thank you to @turnthepagetours and @harperteen for an copy in exchange for an honest review**

Happy reading, folks!

Goodreads

Purchase

Author Bio:

Deborah Falaye is a Nigerian Canadian young adult author. She grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, where she spent her time devouring African Literature, pestering her grandma for folktales, and tricking her grandfather into watching Passions every night. When she’s not writing about fierce Black girls with bad-ass magic, she can be found obsessing over all things reality TV. Deborah currently lives in Toronto with her husband and their partner-in-crime yorkie, Major. Blood Scion is her first novel.

Author Links:

Goodreads

Twitter

Instagram

Title: All of Us Villains (All of Us Villains #1)

Author: Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication date: November 9th, 2021

400 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.

Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.

The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world–one thought long depleted.

This year, thanks to a salacious tell-all book, the seven champions are thrust into worldwide spotlight, granting each of them new information, new means to win, and most importantly: a choice – accept their fate or rewrite their story.

But this is a story that must be penned in blood.

Review

All of Us Villains is like a magical Hunger Games, where a group of teenagers fight each other to the death for rights to a special kind of magic in Ilvernath. The problem this year? The once secretive tournament has now been published in a tell all memoir and has brought a lot of attention to this year’s tournament. Told in 4 POV’s, readers get a peek into some of the challengers as they begin the tournament and try to win.

The magic in this world is pretty interesting, you can craft spells and save them in rings for use when needed. The families involved in the tournament are very interesting as well, but I would have wanted more information into the family histories. This is also a YA version of Payback’s a Witch – but with more families and more dangerous of a tournament. I think there were likely too many families for this story but at least only 4 of them were really given page time.

However, when compared to the Hunger Games this book falls flat on the aspect of ~why~ the teenagers need to fight to the death. This is not a dystopian, there is no tyrannical regime. There is a lack of background given to explain where this tournament originated and why it is to the death. This question really took me out of the story because I generally need to understand the reason why this drastic of an event is occurring.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book even after those concerns. The plot was very compelling and I’m glad there is a sequel without trying to put all of it in one book. I will definitely be finishing this series.

Thank you to Tor Teen and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Daughter

Author: Kate McLaughlin

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication date: March 8th, 2022

336 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Scarlet’s life is pretty average. Overly protective mom. Great friends. Cute boy she’s interested in. And a father she’s never known – until she does.

When the FBI show up at Scarlet’s door, she is shocked to learn her father is infamous serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. And now, he’s dying and will only give the names and locations of his remaining victims to the one person, the daughter he hasn’t seen since she was a baby.

Scarlet’s mother has tried to protect her from Lake’s horrifying legacy, but there’s no way they can escape the media firestorm that erupts when they come out of hiding. Or the people who blame Scarlet for her father’s choices. When trying to do the right thing puts her life in danger, Scarlet is faced with a choice – go back into hiding or make the world see her as more than a monster’s daughter.

Kate McLaughlin’s Daughter is a novel about trying right deadly choices that were never yours to begin with.

Review

Daughter is a gripping story about the family of a serial killer and the aftermath of his conviction and life in the spotlight. Scarlet is a normal teenaged girl living in Connecticut with an overprotective mother until the FBI show up at her house and tell her she is the daughter of prolific serial killer Jeff Lake, and Scarlet isn’t her real name. Turns out, her mother took her into hiding after her husband was convicted of murdering 14 young women and burying them in their backyard. Now, the FBI needs her help because Lake is dying of cancer, and says he will only give the names and locations of his other kills to his daughter.

As a huge fan of Criminal Minds, this book was immediately up my alley and I am obsessed with it. I read this in one day and I barely put it down. There isn’t a lot of action per se, it isn’t a true thriller or mystery in that aspect with a lot of twists and turns and creepy scenes, but it is just plain interesting if you’re into true crime. I just wanted to know more and keep seeing Scarlet go toe to toe with a psychopath like her father.

McLaughlin is able to put in a lot of emotionality and guilt and triumph into this story – it’s not just about Scarlet but also her mother finding herself again and being able to finally relax and not worry about being found. It’s about growth and being unapologetically yourself, even in the face of great diversity from societal expectations.

I absolutely loved this book and if you spend your time watching crime shows on cable, listening to true crime podcasts, or watching serial killer documentaries – Daughter is the perfect book for you.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Kamila Knows Best

Author: Farah Heron

Publisher: Forever

Publication date: March 8th, 2022

368 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Kamila Hussain’s life might not be perfect, but, whew, it’s close. She lives a life of comfort, filled with her elaborate Bollywood movie parties, a dog with more Instagram followers than most reality stars, a job she loves, and an endless array of friends who clearly need her help finding love. In fact, Kamila is so busy with her friends’ love lives, she’s hardly given any thought to her own . . .

Fortunately, Kamila has Rohan Nasser. A longtime friend of the family, he’s hugely successful, with the deliciously lean, firm body of a rock climber. Only lately, Kamila’s “harmless flirting” with Rohan is making her insides do a little bhangra dance.

But between planning the local shelter’s puppy prom, throwing a huge work event, and proving to everyone that she’s got it all figured out, Kamila isn’t letting herself get distracted—until her secret nemesis returns to town with an eye for Rohan. Suddenly, it seems like the more Kamila tries to plan, the more things are starting to unravel—and her perfectly ordered life is about to be turned upside down.

Review

I really enjoyed Accidentally Engaged so I was very interested in Heron’s next read – however, it was a letdown and I had a hard time getting through it. Kamila is an an accountant working for her father, who is getting older and having some minor health issues. Kamila is obsessed with her father’s health and happiness and she doesn’t know how to say no in her personal or professional life. She loves to matchmake with her friends and meddle in their lives. Rohan is her father’s business partner and close family friend, and also the only person her father will speak to about his health issues.

I mostly liked the background characters of the book, pretty much everyone but Kamila and Rohan, and at times her father. Other than that, this book didn’t hit any positives for me. Kamila is fake, petty, judgmental, self-centered, and manipulative. Rohan is secretly pining for her but is also fairly insulting towards her during 2 major blow up fights. Kamila holds a grudge against another family friend and is actively rude to her. I honestly couldn’t find anything redeeming about either character.

I understand this is a retelling of Emma, which I have not read and know nothing about. But If this is similar to Emma, I know it is not for me. The book got a little bit better when Kamila realized her feelings for Rohan, but it fell right back down when the conflict was introduced. It’s a strong no for me – but if Emma is a story you like, then this may be a book for you.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: The Suite Spot

Author: Trish Doller

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication date: March 8th, 2022

288 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Trish Doller’s The Suite Spot is a charming romance novel about taking a chance on a new life and a new love.

Rachel Beck has hit a brick wall. She’s a single mom, still living at home and trying to keep a dying relationship alive. Aside from her daughter, the one bright light in Rachel’s life is her job as the night reservations manager at a luxury hotel in Miami Beach—until the night she is fired for something she didn’t do.

On impulse, Rachel inquires about a management position at a brewery hotel on an island in Lake Erie called Kelleys Island. When she’s offered the job, Rachel packs up her daughter and makes the cross country move.

What she finds on Kelleys Island is Mason, a handsome, moody man who knows everything about brewing beer and nothing about running a hotel. Especially one that’s barely more than foundation and studs. It’s not the job Rachel was looking for, but Mason offers her a chance to help build a hotel—and rebuild her own life—from the ground up.

Review

The Suite Spot is another win from Trish Doller for me after loving Float Plan last year. Rachel loses her job after being sexually harassed by a wealthy client, and with a young daughter she is the single parent too, she has no idea what to do next. When the opportunity comes to move to Ohio from Florida to manage a new luxury property with cabins and a brewery, Rachel decides to take a chance and get a fresh start. But when she arrives, she find the owner, Mason, and a very much no built yet property…

In love with Mason and Rachel and Maisie, I never wanted this book to end. Trish Doller has a way of writing romances that makes it feel like a warm hug. Definitely more of a slow burn romance but it makes sense in the context of the partners. There are a lot of emotions and history built into the story AND it features beer, which is one of my favorite things ever so this was a story built for me. Frankly I want the Limestone to be real so I can stay there myself.

There are a few scenes that are more open and then fade to black, but this is not a smutty romance. It is just sweet, lovely, and heartwarming. I read it at work but I almost wish I had read it while at home with a blanket and a cup of tea because that environment fits it so much for.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!