Tuesday, April 29, 2025

A most unlikely lady - Darcy Macguire does it again

 Darcy McGuire kicks off another tale from her 'Deadly damsels' series, following the proteges of Lady Phillippa, Lady Winterbourne, under the aegis of Queen Victoria, herself - a sort of Queen's Lady, if you please. Think Bridgerton meets Charlies Angels - these sparkling, intelligent unconventional heroines, stifled by rigid patriarchal rules, train in hand to hand combat, weaponry and self defense - and why you ask... Why, all in an attempt to bring justice to the scoundrels' in the House of Lords, who are often let off with by the peerage with slaps on their wrists. 

They are often abetted by their counterparts - the dashing heroes, of course, under the Prime Minister, hunting the same villains! How these two factums clash, sizzle and burn forms the basis of the novel. Add in dimensions of equality, crimes against voiceless victims and a brace of adventure, horse riding and a lot of interspersed spicy moments make this a fascinating read.

This book in particular deals with Ivy, a lady who has suffered under the whims of a callous parent and a hapless sibling - our elf-like, petite wallflower, who captures the heart and soul of the Commisioner and Duke, Edward Worthington. Both Ivy and Edward have broken spirits, and are often held back by their own cages from living to their fullest.  Ivy is currently embracing her role as a protector for the children in an orphamage, where a nightly intruder invites inspection from the commissioner. Add in some human trafficking, beauty and the beast vibes, this makes an excellent read for any Victorian fan, albeit some of the swearing may be more modern, considering the period in question. This gripe aside, this is a fast paced, easy adventure mystery with oodles of spice!

Sunday, April 20, 2025

The Wish Switch - Lynn Painter for the littles

 Lynn Painter's latest offering for middle schoolers strikes gold with few tweaks to her formula - disgruntled heroine, changing friendships, feelings of loneliness, new found friendships and s sprinkling of magic.


Lynn deals with the magic of hope, elves and wishes with the same magic wand that she weaves her relationship and romance with. Being a YA book, I was able to complete it in a couple of hours and it left me feeling happy and content.


The premise is exquisitely young and fresh, and creates an enemies to friends adventure with a riot of laughs, miscommunication and magical experiences!! It was a cute, breezy and fun read... 


Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Readers for the opportunity to read the ARC!

Saturday, April 19, 2025

The Floating World - scifi and Celestial

Where do I begin?? This was a fantastic departure from The Girl who fell beneath the Sea. This first part of a duology, weaves in mines of mithril with Celestial maidens to create an elysian floating world. Axie Oh's supporting cast once again bring such vivid hues to the storytelling, with Yurhee and Jaeil, being my top favorites.
The story marries powerful yet powerless themes for both main characters who have each suffered loss and are broken in their own way.. Ren, a troupe performer, is on the hunt of a cure for her demon-attacked uncle.. and Sunho, is a mercenary seeking his brother.. with slow burn tension simmering throughout and a crescendo of an ending, this book is exciting and unputdownable!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Feiwel and Friends for sharing the ARC!!

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Last Night was Fun

The simmering tension of The Hating Game meets the wholesome exchange of Mr Wrong Number in this wonderful romcom from Holly Michelle.
Vying for a promotion against a bitter rival as the only female data analyst for a professional baseball team, Emmy finds solace in the text-flirting relationship that started as a wrong number exchange—unaware that the man she’s texting is the one she’s fighting for the promotion.
L
Emmy Jameson is the only female data analyst for a professional baseball, she strives to be one of the boys. Her nemesis, Gabe Olson, challenges, overrides and dutifully tests her patience. Their love story begins with an innocuous text of 'Last night was fun'..

The main character interactions are sizzling, emphatic and resonate deeply for dysfunctional family tropes. The finding understanding in the eyes of your enemy trope is beautifully nuanced and masterfully scripted.

This was an overnight read for me, and that speaks volumes to the hooks and main character energy!!! Holly has become an auto buy author for me!!! Loved this book 🪩✨️🔥

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the ARC

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Starlight Heir - Mystical, magical and magnificent

 Suraya Saab is a fiesty heroine - she discovers her star magic or akasha in an encounter with a crone... Each geberation, a starkeeper is born with powerful magic that keeps the god of death, Fero at bay using power from Saru, the god of Light.. Her growth in understanding the magic and the concepts of the gods and star keepers kept me glued to the story. There is spice in the tale, which, for me, detracted from the main tale rather than augment it... 

Sura gets invited to the Palace in search for the bride to the new King of Oryndhr - Saved, and falls instead for his roguish brother, Roshan. The politics of the Kingdom with the various houses, the rebels who are unhoused -the Dahaka, and the Scavs, a legion of drug addled mercenaries, serves a major plot line in the story... I felt the houses interplay at court could have been explored more as well..


The book is the first of all series and ends on an almost HEA. The principles of magic stemming from emotions and the discussions of belief and atheism held much promise..

I, Medusa - greek tragedy at its best!

 This was a spectacular and spell binding rendition of Medusa. Ayana weaves a tale of a curious child born to power hungry parents who are a...