Book Review | Rein Me In by Kayla Grosse

Title: Rein Me In
Author: Kayla Grosse
Genre: Adult Contemporary / Romance / Western
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2023
Publisher: Indie Published
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

“A small-town, late brother’s best friend, cowboy romance with a plus-size female main character.

BLAKE TANNER never thought she’d return to her hometown after her brother Reed died in a tragic accident. But when her mom gets injured, she comes home to help out on her family’s ranch. Now, only five years after her brother’s accident, she can’t hide from the grief, the people, or the guilt that she’s been running from.

GAVIN MONTGOMERY didn’t plan for his life to be this way. He didn’t ask to be stuck with a pile of debt, the responsibility of a failing family business, or a little brother with a drinking problem. But when his dad died nine months ago, Gavin had no choice but to step up and take care of his family, even if that involved hiding the truth from that they’re about to lose everything.

When Blake reluctantly agrees to attend a charity “date auction” at the local townie bar, she figures supporting the family of her late brother’s best friend is the right thing to do. Only Gavin is no longer the sweet young boy she remembers, and when he challenges her to ride the mechanical bull in front of the whole town, what choice does she have but to saddle up.

But getting back in the saddle might be a mistake. Because even if she’s an expert rider, there’s no way in hell she’s letting that cowboy hold the reins.

Will Blake and Gavin find a way to work through their grief and ride off into the sunset?

Or will they be over faster than an eight-second ride?” (Goodreads)

This was my first dive into cowboy romance and I’m not mad about it! It wasn’t a favorite but it was a good popcorn read that I finished in one day.

The book is told from two point-of-views and they come from Blake and Gavin. They are both dealing with their own issues that involve their family and through this they learn to rely on one another for help. I liked seeing them come together. Their first reactions of each other were very lusty, but they don’t give in for a long while. Blake isn’t much of a fan of him due to the stunt he pulled at the beginning of the book. They got off on the wrong foot. It was hilarious to see it pan out though!

They both have good relationships with their family for the most part. Gavin has a brother he doesn’t always get along with and I am hoping he gets his own book because I feel like it would be a good one.

I wouldn’t say there is much to the plot. It’s more simple and does wrap up quickly and well. Once you hit a certain point it becomes spicy for the rest of the book. I like a middle ground so that’s where this one lost me. I know others won’t have that same problem.

The narration was great and I really enjoyed their voices!

Overall, this was good and I am looking forward to the sequel.

WWW Wednesday | 5-1-24

Hello, My Lovely Bookworms!

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and is now hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

It consists of answering these three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Quick Life Update! : I have been MIA from the blog for the last week. My husband was on vacation last week and I just didn’t have time to get on and post or blog hop. He always throws my schedule off, haha. Since Friday I have been dealing with some reoccurring health issues so I have been resting. I should be back to usual posting starting today which is why I am writing this one up! I hope you all have been doing well.

My current audiobook is Powerless by Laura Roberts. I just started listening to it while writing this up, ha.

Other books I am working on are The Curse of Sins (The Curse of Saints #2) by Kate Dramis, The Stars are Dying by C.C. Peñaranda, and Love, Off the Record by Samantha Markum.

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• Drop, Cover, and Hold on by Jasmine Guillory 🎧 ⭐⭐
• Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne 🎧 ⭐⭐⭐

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WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT READ? ARE YOU LOVING IT? HAVE YOU READ OR WANT TO READ ANY THAT I HAVE LISTED? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!

Find me on Instagram / Goodreads / Twitter

Book Review | Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo

Title: Not Like Other Girls
Author: Meredith Adamo
Genre: YA Mystery / Thriller
Publication Date: April 30th, 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary earc to review!

“A girl risks everything to find her former best friend in this powerful debut mystery about trauma, girlhood, and what we deserve.

When Jo-Lynn Kirby’s former best friend—pretty, nice Maddie Price—comes to her claiming to be in trouble, Jo assumes it’s some kind of joke. After all, Jo has been an outcast ever since her nude photos were leaked—and since everyone decided she deserved it. There’s no way Maddie would actually come to her for help.

But then Maddie is gone.

Everyone is quick to write off Maddie as a runaway, but Jo can’t shake the feeling there’s more to the story. To find out the truth, Jo needs to get back in with the people who left her behind—and the only way back in is through Hudson Harper-Moore. An old fling of Jo’s with his own reasons for wanting to find Maddie, Hudson hatches a fake dating scheme to get Jo back into their clique. But being back on the inside means Jo must confront everything she’d rather forget: the boys who betrayed her, the whispers that she had it coming, and the secrets that tore her and Maddie apart. As Jo digs deeper into Maddie’s disappearance, she’s left to wonder who she’s really searching for: Maddie, or the girl she used to be.

Not Like Other Girls is a stunning debut that takes a hard look at how we treat young women and their trauma, through the lens of a missing girl and a girl trying to find herself again.” (Goodreads)

I was intrigued by this one from the beginning!

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Jo-Lynn. Before starting this one I didn’t realize that the main character had the same name as my daughter, only difference is that there is no hyphen. It was kind of hard to disassociate from the name, haha. Jo is in the middle of dealing with the fallout of her nude photos being shared throughout her school. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with this, but it is something that feels more common as almost every kid has a phone where as when I was in high school it wasn’t like that. I felt bad for her from the beginning and it was a shame that her friends basically left her to the way side.

There are a lot more plot points besides that one. Another big one is the missing school mate named Maddie. I love a good mystery and this one was no exception! It was hard to put down as I had to know what was going to happen. As a reader we only get glimpses and understanding at a slower rate, but it feeds on Jo understanding for herself what actually happened and really dealing with the emotions that have been left to be bottled up. It was really well done.

Overall, this was an enjoyable mystery with a really great message for teens. Those who like books by Courtney Summers will like this one.

Book Review | The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

Title: The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Author: Holly Jackson
Genre: YA Mystery / Thriller
Publication Date: April 2nd, 2024
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Lights. Camera. Lies.

18-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is gone, long presumed dead, and Bel wishes everyone would just move on.

But the case is dragged up from the past when the Price family agree to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. And then the impossible happens. Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again.

Rachel has an unbelievable story about what happened to her. Unbelievable, because Bel isn’t sure it’s real. If Rachel is lying, then where has she been all this time? And – could she be dangerous? With the cameras still rolling, Bel must uncover the truth about her mother, and find out why Rachel Price really came back from the dead . . .

From world-renowned author Holly Jackson comes a mind-blowing masterpiece about one girl’s search for the truth, and the terror in finding out who your family really is.” (Goodreads)

Even though I haven’t loved every book by Holly Jackson I still find myself drawn to read every book that she rights, haha.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Bel. She is 18-years-old and her family has decided to star in a documentary about her mother who has been missing for 16 years. The money is too good to pass up when her grandfather needs it for his medical issues. Things start to get weird when her mother shows up one day.

This was such a an intriguing plot! I can’t say I have read something like it and even though I had read the blurb previously I had forgot and then all of a sudden her mom showed up. It was kind of crazy. With her mom showing up it only brings up more things about the Price family that should have been forgotten, but Bel is on a mission to figure it all out. I don’t blame her for being curious. It would be odd to not see your mom for 16 years and it would make me question a lot, especially when things don’t add up. She has a lot of guts!

I wouldn’t say that there is much character development because it really is plot based. I didn’t mind this since it worked for the story. The only thing that could have helped from more character development would have been the relationship forming between Bel and someone else. I didn’t feel the chemistry between and the story would have been fine without that added plotline.

Overall, this was a really good mystery and had me guessing all the way up until the big reveal!

Book Review | Calling of Light (Shamanborn #3) by Lori M. Lee

Title: Calling of Light (Shamanborn #3)
Author: Lori M. Lee
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: April 16th, 2024
Publisher: Page Street YA
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary hard copy to review!

“Sirscha has returned to Evewyn, only to discover that everyone believes she killed the queen and that she’s the new king’s Shadow. These rumors have made people fear her, but it’s not the rumors that concern her―it’s finding out what the Soulless is going to do next so she can finally destroy him.

Everyone might believe she’s a monster, but Sirscha knows who the real evil is, and she refuses to let him destroy their world.

Full of the danger, intrigue, fierce friendship, and incredible world building of the first two books in the Shamanborn trilogy, this final installment will delight readers of this popular series.” (Goodreads)

I have been waiting for this conclusion for a while! I am happy that I was finally able to finish the series.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Sirscha. She has a lot of responsibility as the king’s Shadow and with people believing that she killed the queen stakes are high when it comes to trust. Not many are willing to risk it because of her power. They would rather see her gone. I thought that she was still a great character as she was in book 1 and 2. She had more development and learned that sometimes you have to let go even if it hurts and its not exactly what you want.

I was happy to see that her friendship with Saengo remained strong throughout. It was one of my favorite plotlines. It’s one of the only relationships that sticks out because there was never any romance in the book. I don’t think that was a bad thing because the plot didn’t need it and friendships are just as important!

Although I liked this book I wasn’t as intrigued by it. There were some lulls and I found myself not feeling as connected to the story as I had hoped.

Overall, this was a decent conclusion and I am happy I finally know how it all ended! Maybe the lapse in time is why I didn’t love it as much. Who knows!

Book Review | Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu

Title: Dragon Rider
Author: Taran Matharu
Genre: Adult Fantasy / Dragons
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary earc!

“Can an orphan captive learn the secrets of the Dragon Riders to stand up and avenge his people? Jai lives as a royal hostage in the Sabine Court—ever since his father Rohan, leader of the Steppefolk, led a failed rebellion and was executed by the very emperor Jai now serves. When the emperor’s son and heir is betrothed to Princess Erica of the neighboring Dansk Kingdom, she brings with her dragons. Endemic to the northern nation, these powerful beasts come in several forms, but mystery surrounds them. Only Dansk royalty know the secret to soulbonding with these dangerous beasts to draw on their power and strength. This marriage—and the alliance that forms—will change that forever. But conspirators lurk in the shadows, and soon the Sabine Court is in chaos. With his life in danger, Jai uses the opportunity to escape with the Dansk handmaiden, Frida, and a stolen hatchling. Hunted at every turn, he must learn to cultivate magic and become a soulbound warrior if he has any chance of finding safety, seizing his destiny…and seeking his revenge.” (Goodreads)

i was very much intrigued with wanting to read this book because of the word dragon. A lot of books have been popping up lately with them in it and I definitely love reading about them, even if they are not always the star of the show. This would be the case for this book.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Jai. He is an orphan captive who works for the royal family who killed his father in battle. This made for an interesting backstory and does add to the overall plot. He also has two brothers who are in service to the royals as well. I do enjoy a good sibling bond and was disappointed that it didn’t turn out the way I would have liked. Since the reader is told more about the sibling bond than it actually being shown besides one scene I just didn’t feel anything towards the situation that arises with them. I felt this way for a lot of the plot twists actually. One I saw coming from the beginning. Jai does care about those close to him and dislikes seeing all of the death caused by war and will try to do anything to stop it even if it means risking his own life.

There are a lot of characters playing roles in helping move the plot along and I thought they were fine, but some don’t last long in the book and so its hard to actual feel anything towards them. I am not really sure I understand the villain well. He seemed to just go full throttle on his plan without the reader even understanding why.

When it came to the dragons I was disappointed. They are very minor in the beginning of this series and if something has dragon in the title, especially followed by rider, I expected that. I am sure it will happen in book two, but it really threw off my expectations. What we got when it came to the dragons was fine, it kind of reminded me of Eragon in some ways. I do think that the book focuses more on politics which is fine because I liked reading about it.

The pacing was a miss for me. I struggled to get through the first 35% of the book. I kept putting it down to read something else and dreaded picking it back up to finish. The rest of the book moved a bit quicker, but there were still lulls and I think shortening the book would have made it easier on me to get through.

Overall, this was decent. I did struggle with it but as the book went on it got a bit better. I would potentially try the sequel, but I will wait to see.

Book Review | Broken Web (Shamanborn #2) by Lori M. Lee

Title: Broken Web (Shamanborn #2)
Author: Lori M. Lee
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: June 15th, 2021
Publisher: Page Street
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an arc to read and review!

“The sequel to the hotly-anticipated Forest of Souls, an epic and immersive tale of destiny and sisterhood. Perfect for fans of Susan Dennard, Sarah J. Maas, and Netflix’s The Witcher!

The Soulless has woken from his centuries-long imprisonment. Now, he lurks in the Dead Wood recovering his strength, while Sirscha and her allies journey east to the shaman empire of Nuvalyn. Everyone believes she is a soulguide—a savior—but Sirscha knows the truth. She’s a monster, a soulrender like the Soulless, and if anyone discovers the truth, she’ll be executed.

But there’s nothing Sirscha won’t risk to stop the shaman responsible for the rot that’s killing her best friend. While the Soulless is formidable, like all shamans, his magic must be channeled through a familiar. If Sirscha can discover what—or who—that is, she might be able to cut him off from his power.

With Queen Meilyr bent on destroying the magical kingdoms, Sirscha finds herself caught between a war brewing in the east and the Soulless waiting in the west. She should be trying to unite what peoples she can to face their common enemies, but instead, her hunt for clues about the Soulless leads to a grim discovery, forcing Sirscha to question who her enemies really are.” (Goodreads)

As someone who liked the first book but felt like it lacked something to really pull me in, this sequel did the trick! This sequel is filled with political intrigue, more lore, lots of action, and learning that good and evil isn’t always black and white. It packs a punch!

Sirscha is still coming to terms with her magical ability of soulrendering and not trying to lose control. Her friend, familiar, and basically a sister Saengo really tries to keep it in check and be the conscious she needs at times. Although their relationship has been left unaffected by the change of Saengo’s soul, it’s easy to understand why the Soulless would want to tear the bond between them. If she doesn’t have the good angel on her shoulder to keep her in check then what would happen to Sirscha? Manipulation is a powerful thing especially if it comes from someone who has been where you are and is “trying to help”. I do think that some of what was talked about when it comes to their friendship will definitely be tested in the third book. Sirscha doesn’t always listen to her gut though and some things tend to go wrong. I feel like this is just human nature as we want to believe that those around us truly want to help. It’s easy to understand her actions and why she makes the choices she does.

Since I’ve mentioned the Soulless I guess I’ll talk about him next, haha. Even though I am not one to be drawn to the “bad guy”, there is something about him that I find intriguing. I like that even though he is far away from Sirscha for most of the book he is still around her in her dreams. He adds a lot to the history of the empire. I’m still not entirely sure what his overall motive is but I like where the plot is going with him and I can’t wait to see what else he has up his sleeve.

Other characters from the first book are still present as well along with new faces too. I still like Theyen and really hope he survives because it would just be too sad of a day if he doesn’t.

Politics is a big topic in the book and because of that it is hard to decide who can really be trusted. There are some that are obviously trustworthy as they have kept Sirscha’s abilities a secret but there are still those that there isn’t enough information on or who have been acting quite suspicious. All of the mistrust does make for some shocking plot twists though!

Overall, I enjoyed the sequel. It had a lot of shocking moments that kept me intrigued throughout and it’s going to be hard to have to wait for the third book. There is just too much at stake and now I’ll just be speculating until then, haha.

WWW Wednesday | 4-17-24

Hello, My Lovely Bookworms!

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and is now hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

It consists of answering these three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

My current audiobook is Calling of Light (Shamanborn #3) by Lori M. Lee. It has been decent so far, but I am still a bit disappointed by the conclusion.

Other books I am working on are Effie Olsen’s Summer Special by Rochelle Bilow and The Stars Are Dying by Chloe C. Peñaranda.

• Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu (arc) ⭐⭐⭐
• Broken Web (Shamanborn #2) by Lori M. Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson 🎧 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT READ? ARE YOU LOVING IT? HAVE YOU READ OR WANT TO READ ANY THAT I HAVE LISTED? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!

Find me on Instagram / Goodreads / Twitter

Book Review | Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin

Title: Song of the Six Realms
Author: Judy I. Lin
Genre: YA Fantasy / Mythology / Romance
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary earc to review!

“Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.

With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.

But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.

The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.” (Goodreads)

I wanted to give this book a try after reading the author’s debut duology. It was good and I like how she weaves mythology.

The book is told from Xue’s perspective. I was very intrigued by her story from the beginning. She lost everything, including her last family member, and still didn’t let that get her down. She is a great musician and loves poetry. I enjoy reading stories with these present. It’s very different than the usual.

The problem with this story for me was that it started to drag eventually. It didn’t hold my attention because there wasn’t much going on. There would be bits here and there but nothing to grasp and hold onto. I just needed something more from the plot, especially with the romance.

Although I did enjoy the mythology and the overall idea of the story, the execution just missed the mark for me.

Top Ten Tuesday | Books That Make Me Want To Take A Vacation!

Hello Bookworms!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018.

Today’s prompt is Characters I’d Like to go on Vacation With, but I am going to do my own and will do Books That Make Me Want To Take A Vacation! The books I pick make me want to visit that specific type of setting in the real world at that time!

What Do You Think About These Books?

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