Of venom and vengance - magic meets myth in a mafia setting

 If you haven't picked up Of Flame and Fury, you dont have to, in order to enjoy this noir YA novel, with a sprite infused mafia tale of revenge, myths and the eternal romantic quest of being seen! The former book is a fast and furious plunge into dragon racing, while this is a gang inspired romeo juliet slow burn!

Inna and Rylan are perfect foils, brought up in secrecy, on polar opposite spectrum, with Inna being sheltered and tested for leadership, after the death of her elder sister, whose death haunts her still..  And Rylan, the last heir of a famous line of alchemists, who has had to deal with treachery, loneliness and has sworn retribution on Inna's clan.. the tale kicks into high gear when Inna's thirst to find her sister's murderers aligns with Rylan's quest for the Pallo vault..

Together they encounter their worst fears, face their prejudices and learn to trust actions than history. The way Mikayla lays out their pasts and its subsequent influence on their current emotional and mental state, truly is a headliner for this novel! The novel magic system, treasure seeking for truth and the lair of the Serpent God, are all laud worthy and fascinating concepts!! I thoroughly relished Celesse, Fernando and Adelia as the supporting troupe whose misguided actions cause Inna to falter, question and ultimately find her true footing!

My heartfelt thank yous to Macmillian Children's Publishing Group amd Netgalley for the arc!!

#Julyreleases #mafiaslowburn #spritesandserpents #alchemicalwarfare

The Winged Game - sear soul searching and superb fantasy racing standalone!

 Ahh!! Sophie Kim - you've captured my curmudgeonly favorite attitude, with symphants and wyverns - all powerful yet puppies, drawn a parallel with the bonding of a certain Violet, and yet, I can't call the tone / attitude or the sizzling bickering / banter, anything other than a seductive slow burn - my heart and spirit are soaring!!. Teissa and Kion or Cho and Locke are locked in an eternal battle of one-upmanship which is absolutely mind blowingly and gorgeously laid out. Teissa is drawn to fighters, and chooses her Winged based on the blaze and relentless drive that she fuels with her RAGE, her humiliation and downfall because of something out of her control and its impact on her sense of self. On the flip side, we have Kion, her senior, idol and destroyer, battles with being bettered and understanding how his once stellar team is now down in the dumps.

When they reach an alliance and get papped, the obvious solution is pretend to date - with hillarious situations involving racy lingerie, adult lollipops and a whole PR stunt which seems to get scorchingly agonizing as the two find their balance and rhythm. 

Sophie does a phenomenal job with the magic system, I love learning as the story progresses, the various winged participants in the Carriwitchet, the semblance of the team, with the robbers, dozers and bailer - fantastically engaging! Add in heated rivalry, mistrust and impediments like swords and falling riders, and at the heart, a very grumpy and surly symphant senior, Cronus whose disposition and abuse at a previous handler proves Taissa's mettle to the belligerent rival team.

The fake dating ploy and the ensuing cauldron tags and comments were ludicrously enjoyable! and I'd be remiss if I did not pay due homage to the supporting characters, each with their back stories and their banding to prove their worth. What unfolds is a mystery with magical roots and bargains and a wild hunt culminating in the MOST fun climax I've had the pleasure of reading!!

My Winged, echelon formation thank yous to Netgalley, Del Rey and Sophie Kim by offering me this read!! It was stunning, spectacular sear and a brilliantly bickered out book!!!

#Junereleases #thewingedgame #carriwitchet #cauldron #cancelledcrone

Checking you out - STUNNING YA ode to fabtasy readers!!!

 Jennifer Chen!! You AMAZING, soulful, Queen of the Meet Cute, I mean, can you beat a kitten for cuteness?!?! Add in fantasy lovers, book trails, libraries and an absolute stunner of a scavenger hunt - you are left with hope, love abd a feeling if knowing what truly matters in your life story.. I Felt my way through this story, which hasn't happened in a looking time!

Lizzie and her cloistered group of varied genre readers, the stigma attached with delving into fantasy, the harsh repercussions of bad experiences - i give up, this could not be better any which way! Dylan ( who lives rent free as Die Lawn), with his dragon sweatshirt and Lizzie with the pastries,  book bouquets,  and of course, fostering the purr monsters - are delightful, naive and utterly un-put-downable characters!! 

The library note exchange was so well executed and the becoming the main character of your life story was also explored gainfully! And woven in is their exchange, rife, with the emotional intelligence and unconditional sustenance you absorb front delving headfirst into fantasy - ADORBS!!! 

Jennifer Chen automatically gained entrance into the auto buy club, CANNOT wait to see what she brings forth next!! I cannot bring myself to compare her with Lynn Painter,  she's in a league of her own!!

St Martin's Press  and Wednesday Books, along with Netgalley made my inner teenager rave with this offering!! 

#junereleases #meetcute #bookishloves #fantasyinspired 

Kingdom of Waves - Fantasy high stakes heist with powerplays

 If you love wandering in a rich, vivid magic system, love a downtrodden to powerful character arc, revel in the rebellion and rediscovery of magic, then the kingdom of waves is a perfect pick!!

Melissa de la Cruz weaves her maguc with Gin, Eban and Rollo, enmeshed in a political quagmire where Laconians are tyrannical subjucators of the lost Ophir, who were once mighty and powerful. Their magic tied to God's and relics which have long been lost. In a heist gone horribly wrong Eban and Gin discover themselves in possession of two such relics!

What follows is a desperate journey to rediscover their roots, face treachery, betrayal and, worst of all, your inner demons and worst versions of self , in order to ascend to power!

This book is the harbinger of the series and does justice in introducing the world, its players and norms very well. I cannot wait to see the storyline unfold and watch Ebans trial and discover his backstory!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Children's Publishing Group and Roaring Brook Press for this marvelous opportunity!

#Junereleases #kingdomofwaves #fantasyheist

Nantucket Fling: when a holiday romance becomes more..

 Nantucket Fling is a book that brings the fleeting yet thrilling holiday romance genre with an interwoven second chance, misunderstood parenthood and a gaggle of golden girls cheering our strong, opinionated and analytical FMC. The spice and stiryline complimented each other well amd the remarkable insecurities of Connor came yo life in this book. I loved the treatment of families, the nuance of childhood fallacies and the difficulty in communicating clearly to those closest for fear of holding them from their dreams- beautifully explored and enunciated..

All on all, it was thiroughly enjoyable beach read!

My gratitude to Netgalley and one More Chapter for inviting me to read the Arc!

Captive Traitor King

 I could NOT believe I got the ARC!!!

Avon and Harper Voyager, Netgalley and the absolutely incomparable Brigid Kemmerer - a million than-Ky yous for making this review possible.

I raced through the prequel with equal parts disbelief, bated breath and absolutely wicked sauciness!! This book brought the balance absolutely established the equilibrium between the triumvarate and plunged into the depths of their past, pleasure and, dare I say, laid the framework for their very explosive and exploratory showdown! Whilst the pacing of this book was slow, compared to its predecessor,  it brought the spice!!

I loved the balance between the king, the hunter and the princess and I absolutely cannot wait to see the princess become a dominatrix with her magic and her appetite! Clearly Ky is my pick, but I am also, anxiously, excitedly want to see Jory and Alex claim their royalty with panache and authority. 

All in all, this book was a good segue to see the Queen Heir Prisoner maybe next...

#captivetraitorking #novemberreleases #avonharpervoyager

When dealing with Dragons - Dragonbarncore YA Romcom

Do you love dragons? Are your YA FMCs feisty, strong characters who live life with their hearts on their sleeves and never begrudge sacrificing for the greater good? Do you love when the frat boy turns sensitive and stubborn? Do dragon racers versus dragon vets sound like a fun cross between fourth wing and just like the movies? Then grab this book with both hands, and hold on for dear life!!!

Dana Swift has crafted a whimsical, fantastic, emotional and absolutely perfect YA standalone!! From the get go, the pacing, the slow burn, the banter, the misunderstandings, the found family trope - AAAGGHH!! the BEST parts of my fantasy books enmeshed with an endearing first love blooming wistfully with faelings mystically lighting up a first kiss near the cliffs - it DOES NOT get BETTER than this!!

Be it Ferrin Walsh, the impulsive girl who doesn't mind keeping her secret ability to craft above her station, or James Murphy, the silver clad elitist racer who just craves affection, to Dr and Mrs Walsh and their family meetings with these two, all the deals, the twists and turns and OMG the sizzling banter, indecisions, angst, raging dragons and cream sweaters - it was an absolute THRILL to race through this book!

Charlotte Lobdell and Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick absolutely BROUGHT it!! the emoting, the frantic scenes and the slow burns were all soo well nuanced and enunciated, i listened to chapter 34 on REPEAT - thank you both for the joy this begat!! Whether it was the loft scenes or just the confession scenes, the slow deliberate and paused reading just enhanced the experience!

I cannot thank Macmillian Audio, St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley enough for providing the ARC, and Dana Swift has automatically become an auto-but author for me!! Fly high, my authoress, shield well and write fast!

#JuneReleases #DragonRomCom #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #rivalsxlovers #hefallsfirst #dragonbarncore #Macmillianaudio