Cleopatra - Tumultuous tale of the temptress queen

 Saara El-Arifi pens a mellifluous ode to the sweeping tale of Cleopatra - temptress, pharoah, witch and siren. Narrated in first person, the tale meanders, luxuriating in the Egyptian cities and finding truth, in the elusive politics that make an empress. In a city where the pharaoh is considered God-akin, Cleopatra contends with powerful siblings, her own scholarship of healing, despite not being blessed by Isis, her God Blessed, and the scheming machinations of a young Roman empire.

Throughout the tale, her ruminations and unapologetic frankness for her actions and behavior were brilliant in building the facade of ruthlessness while instilling the guilt of victory over siblings, how every action, every move she made was tied to a male - her living as her own true self made a mockery of by the populace who felt cowed in her confidence and strong sense of self.

Imbued with strong leadership skills and an innate facility to impress audiences, Cleopatra walks a lonely path, where she is scorned and her brilliance never finding the succor it requisites.

"You will never define me, and that is the purest form of freedom I can hope to find in this life I've been cursed to endure."  

My heartfelt thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley for providing me with the unique opportunity to peruse the arc! Looking forward to more feminist forward richness from Saara!

Order of Royals - Step into a wonderland of twisted fairytales

 Jude Deveraux's Blue Swan series is a genuine mash up between Alice in Wonderland and Grimm's Fairy tales, a worthy follow-up for fans of Once Upon a broken heart! This mesmerizing tale continues the story from Order of Swans, and moves to Tanek's son Mekos and Princess Aradella, the one who was to marry the odious Prince Nessa.. with reunions galore and more of the political puzzle that the Empyreans present, to solve, this tale moves fast and furious, blazing a trail of convoluted fairy tropes, misunderstandings and reversing plot lines at will! 

The ending reveal was simply masterful and gave the tale a true Matrix like gravitas! I cannot wait for the next book!!! 

The characters are genuine and try to do what's best but end up bungling long drawn out plans.. with themes from snow white, rose red, Robin hood, never [tinkerbell] and complicated family lines [ seriously, it is the most twisted family tree, by far], this book is a salve for lengthy tomes. With its breakneck pace, clueless characters, and mystifying worlds, it is a sanctum for falling back in love with fairy tales!!!

Sprinkle some stardust on yourself and settle down for a soar! My sincere thank yous to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for furnishing the arc!! I devoured it in a day!!! I had to re read Order of Swans again just because!! Do not miss this hitchhikers guide to fairy tales series!!!

The Once and Future Queen - Taut and terrific telling of the Knights of the Round Table

 I loved this broody new take on the Arthurian legend, complete with an emotionally battered heroine and the mercurially motivated Merlin!! What Blood of Hercules is to the Greek retelling, this series is to the Arthurian one - a modern and fresh feminist retelling of Guinevere. 

This is not a tale of world building or revisiting locales in an ancient time, the storyline moves with the mercurial Vera, who is thrust headfirst into ancient Camelot, and weaves her way through scandal, faking amnesia, finding a bestie and falling in love with Arthur. With sub plots entrenched in magical lore and the uncovering of secrets, so very many, layers of secrets - some benign and some turgidly malignant ones. 

Vera is absolutely delightful, thrown between the chaos and big feelings she left behind, and wanting to crave normalcy and fulfil her part in saving the kingdom - the artifices surrounding these events are suspenseful and intense. With the best intentions, Vera tries to fill the shoes of Guinevere and lull the Kingdom to a semblance of normalcy - what she doesn't anticipate is the mores and customs of the English Court and also, unexpected camaraderie and solace in forging a new path, something the Guinevere of old would have shirked from.

Add in a slew of delightful characters, from the fabulous Lancelot, brooding Gawain, perfect Percival, and mysterious Merlin - with each knight and character fitting into the story like fingers into a glove. The way Paula has infused her Arthurian retelling with reams of modernity in the form of gestures and inclusivity is nothing short of genius! The mix of modern-medieval magical mashup has you reeling with the punches and eager for more!

Thank you and high fives to Kensington Publishing and Erewhon Books as well as Netgalley for sharing the ARC! eagerly waiting for the next jousting session with Paula Lafferty!!!

Sense and Suitability - An Austentatious romcom

 If you love Regency romcoms, an unruly sibling owned dysfunctional household, protagonists whose live vicariously through their writings and a case of clear miscommunication, then Sense and Suitability is a marvelous pick for you!!

Fiona Hardingham and Christopher Ashman read alternate chapters and bring alive this odyssey like journey that Simon Ravencross and Emmaline Lockhart experience, with rigid societal norms and their suffusing affection for each other, its a veritable treasure trove of emotions and scenic nods to Austens best!

Pepper Basham does a mash up of Romancing Mister Bridgerton with reminiscences of Sense and Sensibility... you cannot but love Emmaline snd her endeavors at bringing Simon and his family a sense of stability and acceptance that they crave. And Simon, is a revelation, a hard on his luck Lord, governed by the capricious supervision of his Aunt... with wonderful support characters and lots of nods to Austenisms and Gothic novels, this book provides a fantastic segue for a rainy afternoon, paired with tea and biscuits!🫶

Lots of gratitude towards Netgalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan fiction audio for the provision of this audiobook, it was an enthralling experience!! One I would definitely care for an encore!💖 

Persephones Curse - witchy with splashes of melancholy

 If you're looking for an atmospheric book with Little Women vibes, then this one is for you... Katrina Leno pens a gothic tale set in a NY brownstone, brimming with scent of jasmine and wafting with the sadness that tinges separation from a dear one. The story follows the Farthing sisters, siblings descended in direct lineage from Persephone herself - with talents of writing, painting, singing and seeing ghosts. I fell in love with Clara, the youngest, instantly, and her character arc was my favorite! Henry, as the household ghost, was sweet and his connection with each sister was etched out in perfection.

The tale careens towards a sepulchral undercurrent when Winnie banishes Henry and tries various methods to call him back. The themes of depression, melancholy and broken heartedness permeate the tale and you can soak in their heaviness. I love a heavy tale in between my romcom binges to reset my head, and this tale resonated well with that requirement!

My heartfelt thank yous to St Martins Press and Wednesday books as well as Netgalley for furnishing this opportunity to review the Arc!

A lot to Unpack - Clean Christmas comedy caper

 If you love Hallmark movies with their simple rule, the protagonists must fall in love, forget reality, then this book provides the same feels! The book follows Liberty, a lovable, down on her luck, cousin's wedding dreading heroine. She lands a job requiring her to travel to exotic locales and wait. In the interim she experiences the worst bad dates increasing her 'ick' guard - rightfully so!

Finally she learns her mission is to replace contract her boss, Jordan, is carrying - add in some plot twists, a Mr Lovebyte and Typical touristy references from NYC, homages to Carrie Bradshaw, homey Italian restaurants and you feel like you are watching a wholesome Hallmark Christmas entertainer!!

I polished the book off in a day and it was a clean read, especially if you are looking for a facile romance - Happy reading!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this opportunity!

Aphrodite - Satirical, self absorbed and satisfying story of the Goddess of Love

 OMG!! If you loved the irreverence of Blood of Hercules, this is for all the fans of satirical Greek retellings! What a wry, witty and modern retelling of the Greek myths - Phoenicia Rogerson is absolutely masterful in her take-two of Greek legends. Aphrodite is absolutely marvelous - selfish, self serving and completely irreverent!! She is a femme fatale in the greatest way!! i cannot get enough!

The book does not follow a traditional rote but instead follows a journal like renditioning of the key events that shaped the world. I absolutely adore how Aphrodite is infused with teenage angst and uncertainty and Zeus - he's the brat who was raised and praised for being the King. Aphrodite navigates in a world, where her family is incarcerated, her best friend is chained to a rock, and she is forced to wed the unwanted son of Zeus. How she copes in this man's world and claws her way up to the head of Olympus forms the rest of the tale.

I drank in this tale as a famished reader, polishing it off in a couple of days. The tone and delivery of the legend, makes the reading so much more enjoyable.

My Olympian thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for this fabulous opportunity!

An Academic Affair - Modernist take on literary academia romcom

 If you read Old Love by Jeffrey Deaver - this is a modern, extended remake! An erudite, apropos and illuminating (see what I did there) look at the world of academia and the rigor involved in their engagement. Jodi McAlister is a revelation! She expounds the travails and unbridled ambitions that drive these scholars and the insidious political machinations that deter their advancement. The theme and atmosphere of the book is wonderfully reminiscent of the old book smell! I would recommend it for that alone!

A few of my favorite portions of the book include book references akin to the joys of reading Book Lovers and the ceasefires that the protagonists issue and promptly ignore as well as the dysfunctional family trope, belonging versus standing alone. Jodi does a fabulous job of giving each of these proponents their own chapters and the story propels with their infusion!

I would be remiss if I did not recount the sizzling chemistry between the lead pair - Never have I met as genteel a soul as Jonah Fisher, Sadie Shaw is a firecracker!! the chemistry and the teaching strategy that falls back on their natural rebuttals and intelligentia makes it soooo hot! But, I fell harder for Chess! The supporting characters in this tale have strong personalities and I do hope Jodie is considering a series which dives into the times and trysts of Chess (pleeeease, on my knees), Julia / Elias and Fiona / Satoshi.

Overall fans of Ali Hazelwood, Christina Lauren and old school Deaver short stories will worship this ode to modern academia and the literary subculture that thrives in the Uni-verse! 

A millions thank yous to Atria Books and Netgalley for furnishing the arc!

Not You Again - Sweeping, small community, time loop romcom

 You had me at time loops, but trapping an entire community and watching people morph when nothing is permanent?!?!?! THAT is an absolute cracker of an idea!! especially for a romcom with big feelings and star crossed (err... maybe eclipse crossed) protagonists. I inhaled this story in the span of a day - and that says it all!

Imagine starting each loop of the day in the worst moment of your life, and it resets to the same moment each day after - Adam is stuck in the moment when his wife tells him of her affair and Carly, in the funeral home in front of her dad's coffin... Through multiple loops and iterations, these two lost and lonely souls, gravitate towards a semblance of understanding and revel in the possibility of breaking the wormhole/ spell / alien invasion, what you will...

Erin brings to life the dysfunctional family dynamics and the contrast between Carly and Adam's upbringing - how, even too much of a good thing, can become poisonous and the polite secrets, kept with bets intentions, can fray the best bonds. I loved Carly! Her ADHD and her searing empathy can't help but bowl you over. Whilst, Adam's arc resonated with me, as he lamented the lack of parental support that is pivotal to chase after a dream...

Add in a community that has lost it, or trying to preserve its sanity by trying something weird and new each loop - the best part of each loop! kudos to Erin for going bananas in this endeavor, it rocked!!!

The ending is also perfection! Literally and scientifically speaking! This was my first introduction to Erin La Rosa's work and I have no doubt I am going to be picking up her other books shortly!

HUGE thank yous to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for furnishing the Arc! Waiting to read more from Erin La Rosa!!

Fallen City - Sepulchural, seductive spartan romance

 Brilliantly devastating book!!! Imagine a Spartan society that thrived on the spoils of war, and stolen godhood, where the gods are dormant and certain elite citizens are 'gifted' or blessed by the gods... A divisive society, where the magistrates hold court and the consul, the ultimate authority... With a Romeo Juliet romance between the heirs of Casperia and Matius, who each, apprentice under the High priestess and the Philosopher, thus providing a perfect platform to set the stage for an epic showdown of power versus the people.

Adrienne Young builds a backdrop of shady deals, political out-maneuvering and a generation yearning for change, while caught in the same vicious loops as their parents. The timelines is managed and nuanced well, in explaining the connections between the protagonists. The tale unspools at a leisurely pace, laying the loyalties, ties and affiliations of the various cast. The management of the political strife and the atmosphere in the lower city versus Isara and the history are all brilliant!!

Th book is part of a series and hence doesn't have a proper ending, but the unfurling of the intent towards duty or love, left me giddy! I cannot wait for the sequel and to learn the fates of this pair of star crossed lovers!

Many thank yous to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for furnishing the ARC. I see this as another bestseller from Adrienne Young!!! Kudos!!!

The House Saphir - moody, mercurial thriller

 If you like atmospheric reads, things that go bump in the night, magic and mayhem, then this gem by Marissa Meyer is definitely for you.. with a witchy con artist, a herbologist, wine maker count, a pair of cursed/blessed monster hunters, a sister who dreads her god gift and a venomous ancestral ghost intent on achieving immortality, you have the cornerstone to a fantastic tale!

This fairytale retelling of blubeard, the tale follows Armaund Saphir, his direct descendant and Mallory Fontaine, a con artist with a past grievance, who makes a living conducting ghost tours of Bastion Saphir, the original blueberry.

The storyline is fast paced and introduces a plethora of mystical creatures from Europe, specifically France, to encounter and conquer. These creatures offer tense moments and add to the Gothic lure of the tale.

The romance between Arnaund and Mallory is subdued and believable, while the ghosts in this book, add requisite humoresque charm to the suspenseful story.

All in all this is a delightful read to usher in the 'ber' months - witchfully beguiling, thrill-a-minute and tenuous in its unfolding!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Children's Publishing group for this unexpected treasure to add to my book trove!