I am so thrilled to be part of this blog tour hosted by TBR and Beyond for The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes because I fell in love with the series when I read The Inheritance Games in the beginning of the year and The Final Gambit is a wonderful conclusion to the series!! Here’s the link to the tour schedule to support all of the amazing post by fellow bloggers!
Synopsis: Avery’s fortune, life, and loves are on the line in the game that everyone will be talking about.To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in HawthorneHouse. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting Avery through it allis the Hawthorne brothers. Her life is intertwined with theirs. She knows their secrets, and they know her.But as the clock ticks down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help—and whose presence inHawthorne House could change everything. It soon becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorne brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.Secrets upon secrets. Riddles upon riddles.In this game, there are hearts and lives at stake—and there is nothing more Hawthorne than winning.
The Final Gambit(The Inheritance Games #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
February is my birthday month and Black History Month so I feel very happy, content and excited right now! I hope February treats you kindly and that you manage to reach your goals, whatever they may be!
I am back with a review for my latest 5-star book. The book had been on my radar, because 1) That cover!!! 2) the synopsis made me go “gimme gimme gimme” and 3) the representation!!!
Title: Tokyo Ever After
Author: Emiko Jean
Synopsis: Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity… and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.
In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.
Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after? (Goodreads)
5 stars: Persephone – Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring. Persephone is my favourite goddess because she is full of contradictions – she represents both strength as queen of the underworld and a softness as a floral maiden. She teaches me how it’s okay to be both. If Persephone appears, that means that the book was one of the best books I’ve ever read, that it holds a particular place in my heart and that it is now part of my favourite books ever.
Athena– Goddess of wisdom, poetry, art, and the strategic side of war. I will feature the goddess whenever there is a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Colour) because they are a symbol of resilience, strength and wisdom to me. I also want to put forth African folkore, myths and gods and since Athena is the goddess of poetry and art I thought it was fitting.
I had a 24hour readathon on the last sunday of June and I finally picked up One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston which was one of my most ancitipates releases of 2021! I am happy to say that it lived up to my expectations! 🥰
I hope you’re all doing well! As promised, here is my review for the amazing book that is Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury! If you missed my author interview, you can find it here!
Title: Blood Like Magic
Author: Liselle Sambury
Summary: A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass in order to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic. Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.
Content Warnings: Whipping scene within the context of slavery, gun/police violence, discussion of and character with an eating disorder, blood/gore/violence, death, substance abuse/addiction, mentions of child neglect.
Hello lovelies! I am back with a review of a book that changed my life. Nothing more, nothing less!
Title: Always Only You(Bergman Brothers #2)
Author: Chloe Lise
Synopsis: Always Only You is an opposites-attract, forbidden love sports romance about a nerdy, late-blooming hockey star, and his tough cookie coworker who keeps both her soft side and her autism diagnosis* to herself. Complete with a meddling secretary, tantric yoga torture, and a scorching slow burn, this standalone is the second in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.
*This is an #OwnVoices story for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author.
5 stars: Persephone – Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring. Persephone is my favourite goddess because she is full of contradictions – she represents both strength as queen of the underworld and a softness as a floral maiden. She teaches me how it’s okay to be both. If Persephone appears, that means that the book was one of the best books I’ve ever read, that it holds a particular place in my heart and that it is now part of my favourite books ever.
You know that feeling when you finish a book and feel broken but whole at the same time? Where you feel like you’ve stepped inside a dream and once it’s over you have to go back into your real life, deal with things and you fell very very sad about it? Well this was me after finishing this gem of a book. I cannot stress how in love with it I am; more accurately, I love this book as much as Frankie and Ren love each other, that means: a lot.
I read the first book in the Bergman Brothers series which was recommended to me by a lovely friend but she especially recommended this one to me. I absolutely adored the first one but this one made me swoon. I felt like I was going to faint because I just had too many mushy, “omg they’re so cute I can’t” feelings.
I absolutely love the grump/ sunshine trope and there’s nothing better than pining in romance (in my humble and completely biased opinion) and this book delivers . I like the fact that Frankie (aka the heroine) was the grump and that Ren (male interest) was the sunshine. It was a nice change! It also helps that Ren loved her grumpy self and didn’t expect her to smile constantly, he really valued when that happened. He loved everything about her, the good and the bad and treated her wonderfully. He worshipped the ground she walked on, which should be the standard. Every cute moment they shared were the death of me and the intimate scenes they had were hot but they didn’t simply have sex (which is you know, pretty cool; good for them!) but they made love and it was beautiful. I wish I could list every moment that made me go *swoon* but the list would be never-ending; I will just say that I loved the not so ironic use of terms of endearment.
But most importantly I loved (and I mean “loved’ as in my “heart hurt”) the representation and how accurate it was. Frankie is on the autism spectrum and she has rheumatoid arthritis which requires her to walk with a cane. And that didn’t take away or make her less than capable. I loved how she embraced it because these things didn’t define her; they just made her who she is. The most beautiful part was seeing her learning to love herself and letting others love her the way she deserved.
There were a lot of talks about disability with other characters which I think were very clever and honest. One moment that brought me to tears is when Frankie talked with another character who is also on the autism spectrum. Seeing autistic women understanding and helping each other was really what did it for me. I’m also on the spectrum and seeing myself represented in such a validating and beautiful way was indescribable. I felt seen and loved. I am on the process of getting diagnosed and this book gave me the extra confidence to actually get things in motion and not anxiously waiting for things to happen. It reminded me that being in the spectrum is a wonderful and special thing and to celebrate everything that I am.
Then there were the little things that raised my expectations in a romantic partner ever higher which are really the bare minimum but which I value I guess? Ren’s patience, love and care were UGH. So good. So good. I want that, please and thank you. He was very honest and loving and soft. He’s also a redhead, an athlete and a Shakespeare nerd??? This is the man of my dreams. Honestly, the quotes about Shakespeare which were used in a brilliant way and at the perfect time took me out and I will never recover. They also briefly mentioned Kierkegaard and Jane Austen. Could this book have gotten any better? (No, it was perfection).
Always Only You is one of the best romance novels ever written. I cannot explain how seeing a woman on the spectrum with a disability being loved for who she is meant to me. Thank you Chloe Liese!
Today we gather because I finally managed to write a review for The Hating Game by Sally Thorne also known as “the best enemies to lovers romance”. There, I said it.
Title: The Hating Game
Author: Sally Thorne
Synopsis: Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome. 2) A person’s undoing 3) Joshua Templeman
Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual. Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. There’s the Staring Game. The Mirror Game. The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking. If Lucy wins this game, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she’s got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth-shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got Joshua Templeman all wrong. Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game. (Goodreads)
5 stars: Persephone – Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring. Persephone is my favourite goddess because she is full of contradictions – she represents both strength as queen of the underworld and a softness as a floral maiden. She teaches me how it’s okay to be both. If Persephone appears, that means that the book was one of the best books I’ve ever read, that it holds a particular place in my heart and that it is now part of my favourite books ever.
Pheme: The goddess of fame, gossip and renown – This goddess will be invoked when a book has received a lot of attention and is praised by critics and the book community. She will be featured whether the book lived up to my expectations or not.
One of the best enemies to lovers romances I have ever read.
I love the enemies to lovers trope and I have to say this is one of the best books I have read with the trope. This is enemies to lovers perfection. Both aspects of the enemies and lovers part were well written and it made for great character development and plot. It felt like I was slowly peeling different layers to discover the subtle, intimate, soft and cute moments. I still don’t know how the author dealt with the trope so well. I am in awe.
Lucy was a great main character. I loved being inside her head. She is incredibly funny in that sarcastic self-deprecating kind of way. And her repartee is impeccable. I found myself laughing out loud from her banter with Josh. And I mean out loud. I also loved seeing Lucy’s growth; how she learned to stand up for herself in every aspect. The scene she stood up to a certain character and said “Anthony, it’s been real” was iconic.
This book worked because Lucy and Josh’s chemistry was off the charts. I mean I needed to take a break after reading about their first kiss in the elevator. From their stares to their steamy scenes I was hooked and enthralled. Every single one of their interactions was mesmerizing and I could just see the love between them. There really is a thin line between love and hate.
“I have a theory. Hating someone feels disturbingly similar to being in love with them. I’ve had a lot of time to compare love and hate, and these are my observations. Love and hate are visceral. Your stomach twists at the thought of that person. The heart in your chest beats heavy and bright, nearly visible through your flesh and clothes. Your appetite and sleep are schredded. Every interaction spikes your blood with adrenaline, and you’re in the brink of fight or flight. Your body is barely under your control. You’re consumed, and it scares you. Both love and hate are mirror versions of the same game – and you háve to win. Why? Your heart and your ego. Trust me, I should know.”
I adored (yes, adored) seeing her play games with Josh. I was LIVING for their games. It made us see the “enemies” aspect of the book so well and it was even better when they were rivals. But as the story went along it was nice to see their dynamic change and the truth about their feelings unraveling. From the nicknames “SHORTCAKE”, to the intimate gestures and the little revelations along the way. What really made this book amazing is the little details like the specific colour Robin’s egg blue, the colour of her red lipstick called Flamethrower and so many others which made me get lost in the story completely. Josh was one of the best romantic leads and the fact that he loved lucy from day one killed me. I love him. I liked every single line and if I had another copy of this book, there would be highlighter and tabs almost on every single page. These two shared an intimacy that is so rare and I soaked up every single moment. The last chapter killed me. Enemies to lovers perfection I tell you. This chaotic review doesn’t do the book justice.
Welcome to my first review of the year! The last book I read in 2020 was House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas and it was actually the best book I read that year; no lies. I’m still kind of in a book hangover because of it. I thought it would only be fitting to share my review of this wonderful book even though there are already a thousand ones out there. I hope you enjoy!
Title: House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
Author: Sarah J Maas
Synopsis:
Bound by blood. Tempted by desire. Unleashed by destiny.
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths. Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach. As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it. With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love. (Goodreads)
5 stars: Persephone – Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring. Persephone is my favourite goddess because she is full of contradictions – she represents both strength as queen of the underworld and a softness as a floral maiden. She teaches me how it’s okay to be both. If Persephone appears, that means that the book was one of the best books I’ve ever read, that it holds a particular place in my heart and that it is now part of my favourite books ever.
Pheme: The goddess of fame, gossip and renown – This goddess will be invoked when a book has received a lot of attention and is praised by critics and the book community. She will be featured whether the book lived up to my expectations or not.
Where does one begin??
I think this book is part of my top 3 all-time favourite books ever. You know how annoying it is when someone asks you what your favorite book is and you can’t answer because there are too many? Well I have found the solution because I would confidently reply with “Crescent City”. This book was a rollercoaster and it was particularly intense because I read it under a short period of time (2 days and a half). I had seen raving reviews about it throughout the year and I knew I would like it but I ended LOVING IT. In the sense that I fell in love and my heart physically hurts from it. Whenever I loo at the book on my shelf I feel like crying. I’m hurting.
This book is a little different from Maas’ other books because it is no longer young adult and we could tell by the writing style! I was surprised at how sexy it was! And the characters curse a lot more and make some questionable life choices but I really liked that. It was believable and a nice change from how the characters in YA behave because of the age difference.
I think that this book is a masterpiece because of the way everything just falls into place and clicks. This book is exactly 800 pages long but somehow every single word counts. It felt like a detective sorry because the author just left so many clues and so many things made sense when everything was revealed and explained. I repeat everything MADE SENSE. I cannot tell you the amount of time I have read books when the big, shocking reveal didn’t make sense. At all. The last two hundred pages were magnificent and I might never recover. My heart still beats quickly when I think about it. There are also so so so many beautiful and inspiring quotes that resonated with me. I all want to cry about them. I think my heart has never dropped so hard than when I read the words “light it up”. I want it to be tattooed on me. Everywhere. (Kidding…unless?)
I loved the focus this book on love. Of any kind. The kind of love for someone that is your mirror but also friendship, how deeply you can connect with someone that is your soulmate and also hiding a secret to protect a sibling. Or sacrificing your life to save a friend, giving up your own peace and chance at eternity to fulfill a promise. Man, I loved every single moment. I loved how pure these types of love were. The author also explores death in a thorough and raw manner and I felt like I myself had lost a loved one. She paints the characters so vividly and profoundly that every single one of them had a voice. Every single one. And there were many! Let it be known that Bryce Quinlan is who I inspire to be. She knows who she is, she knows her wort and she knows that it is not defined by the fact that she likes partying and being sexually active. She’s loving, brave, caring and strong and I can only wish to be as amazing as she is.
The world-building is impeccable. How can someone come up with something like this?? Through the old wars, past and present rebellions and explanations of how the system works, I could see clearly Crescent City. It could have been confusing; it should have been confusing even because there were so many elements and characters thrown at the reader but Maas managed to paint it all perfectly. I loved all the glimpses of history we got and I loved reading about the Drop; it was fascinating. Now I don’t know if this is the history and classic literature major in me speaking but I saw so many references to old Greece and the Roman Empire and I LOVED IT. I think this added something to the story and gave it that “myth” aura. Also can we talk about the fact that there is technology in this?? HECK YES to phones, hacking and video chats. It was so refreshing!!
Basically this is one of the best books ever written in the history of books and I will never recover. I am Sarah J Maas trash. She ruined every other book for me.
Did you read it? Is it on your TBR? Let me know in the comments!
Anotherbookworm 