Review: For The Love Of The Gods by Rory L. Scott

For the Love of the Gods is a forced marriage of convenience, fantasy romance novel, the first in a series about the gods navigating love and politics in a modern setting. The plot will continue through the trilogy, but each book is a standalone romance.

Hades and Pluto. Husband and Wife.

The Underworld is inevitable. No matter your status as a human, everyone ends up there eventually. For two millennium, souls would pray for safe passage from House Hades or House Pluto. But when an unexpected birth forces the houses into competition, the already tense relationship between Lady Hades and Lord Pluto will come to a head.

Dominic wants revenge. Rose wants solace from Dominic's prying eyes and thinly veiled contempt. When marriage between their two houses is the only option to keep the Upperworld from turning their decades-old anger toward them, they are forced together. The longer they spend in each other's presence, the more unlikely achieving those goals become. As lies between the two of them and between the humans and gods themselves unravel, only one of them comes out victorious.

Review

For the Love of Gods is a great book for anyone wanting a modern Greek/Roman retelling romance. Not only was it easy to follow and entertaining, I was committed to this world and how it worked. It felt like one of those fantasy drama series with interconnecting plots and such a rich history. High stakes politics. Main characters who might want to kill each other. Succession for the throne. There is so much good stuff here.

The author did a great job twisting the mythology into her own and crafting such interesting characters. And the romance was incredible! Even days later, I’m finding myself thinking about Dominic and Rose. I really loved those two. And I’m sad that there is only one book in their POV, and the next books are in another.

Dominic and Rose had this explosive chemistry, and the banter was absolutely amazing. In the beginning, they hate each other, which makes the perfect set up for their marriage of convenience. They were enemies just long enough until they became lovers.

Final Thoughts

With For the Love of Gods comes an exciting and unique twist on Roman and Greek gods in our modern world. Not only are the characters great, but the romance is equally great which makes this book one of my favorites this year. I couldn’t put it down. I devoured this book, and am looking forward to the next installments in the series.

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Review: Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains

Summary

It’s a Wonderful Life meets Groundhog Day in USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains’ new novel, as a woman dangerously close to losing it all receives an unexpected Christmas gift that prompts a surprising journey of self-discovery . . . and another chance at happiness.

What if you could have one more day with someone you lost?

Diana Merriman, a physical therapist, is probably the only person in the small town of Snow Haven, North Carolina, who isn’t looking forward to Christmas. It’s been three weeks since her fiancé Linus was critically injured when a car hit him as he biked home from the toy store he owns and manages. Watching him open his eyes is the only gift she wants, but she can’t help losing a little more hope every day.

But an unexpected visit from a friendly neighbor and finding a snow globe of Snow Haven—a gift Linus had hidden in the closet—the night before Christmas Eve changes things in ways Diana never would have imagined. Because on Christmas Eve Diana wakes up to find that it’s not—Christmas Eve, that is. Instead, it’s somehow December 4 all over again, the day Linus got hurt, and as mystified as Diana is, she immediately starts a plan to save her partner from his fate. 

Nothing is that simple, of course. Instead of a single repeat of that day, Diana finds herself in an endless loop of December 4, experiencing every possible variation of events. Along the way, she uncovers startling truths about herself, her relationship, and even her career that illustrate the ways she’s retreated from her life—and in the face of life’s slights and outright blows, from her deepest feelings. Suddenly hope is second only to joy as Diana opens her heart to the people she loves in every way she can.

Review

There’s something special about this book that brought out another side of Annie that I really enjoyed. A departure from what we are used to, Through the Snow Globe dabbles in the women’s fiction genre and I’m all for it. I’ll admit, I was nervous at first for how I would receive this new experience but it turned out to be a wonderful read.

Any books with a Christmas element always grab my attention. I feel it circling in the air definitely gives it a sweet vibe. The plot had a creative evolution leading to the transformation of one of the characters who at first, I wasn’t very fond of. Not anything bad but she had an amazing guy that she didn’t appreciate to the extent he deserved which drove me crazy. What I loved was how things happen and people are put in her path for a reason. The experiences that happened in that loop and what she had to do and learn, truly redeemed herself. Now, I will say that the loop takes some time unraveling where the book is going but it’ll all come together for a unique but good read. 

Overall, her leap into this new genre was a good one. I hope she ventures more into this genre. So, if you are a fan like me, don’t go into this expecting what we’re used to. This is a good difference and just be open to experiencing a new experience.

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Review: Come With Me by Erin Flanagan

Come With Me by Erin Flanagan is a narrative of reconnected friendship of two women, hidden motives, and growing fear. What seemed to be the perfect opportunity, turned out to be the biggest nightmare.

Gwen Maner, recently lost her husband. Trying to pick up the pieces along with now being a single mother, she decided to move in with her mother until things become more stable. In moving forward, she decided to reconnect with an old acquaintance, Nicola Kimmel, who more than generously gave her the opportunity needed to start her next chapter.

As they get to know each other more, Gwen finds herself in a situation where Nicola seems to take control over every decision involving her life. At first, Nicola’s altruism was welcomed because it made her life easier but doubts crept in as her friend's behavior became increasingly controlling. Beneath Nicola's charming exterior, an uneasy growing suspicion that not everything is as it seems began to surface.

As strange things started to happen, Gwen began to feel uneasy and unsettled. When a tragedy close to home happened, it opened her mind to the possibility that all with Nicola wasn’t what she seemed. When Gwen starts to put the missing pieces together, she finds herself in a situation that literally becomes life or death.

Come With Me was an unexpected thriller that delivered a satisfying blend of suspense, engaging characters and a plot that grabs your attention. The slow build of tension with the unexpected plot twists keeps you anticipating what’s going to happen next.

I loved the contrast of the psychological depth of the characters. Gwen was likable and relatable but Nicola, you couldn’t figure her out. I had a love-hate relationship with her. As much as I hated her, I found her really fascinating. With the alternating povs spanning over time, you learn so much about her past. As manipulative and cunning as she was, you want to feel sorry for her because of her childhood but then it contrasts with the actions she chose to do which she absolutely deserves to be hated. Not to give anything away but there are a couple lines in the end that reveal something major about her that is so shocking. You might have to reread it to be sure you read it correctly. She ends up not being who we think she is. The psychological grip to the plot she brings was definitely a rollercoaster.

Overall, this was an interesting psychological thriller. This was a subtle, slow build that you will appreciate the more you read. That plot simmered until it boiled with a surprising end. This was my first read from this author and I will definitely be looking out to read her other books.

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Review: The Trade by KI Stephens

About the Book

JADE Jennings is tired of her day-to-day life—from the boring, senseless boys at Dayton U to the repetitive beats her editor assigns. She's looking for excitement, novelty, a good story to sink her teeth into, and a boy she can write home about.

She's a driven and ambitious journalist, and she has an innate love for the game of football. She's also the younger sister to an NFL superstar, which means she's not interested in the aimless, student-athletes at her school.

But maybe, for entertainment purposes, she could spend just one night trying them on for size.

THEO Westman-Cooke, aka "West," has one goal in this life: to be drafted into the NFL. But his coach doesn't support an early declaration, his grades (and scholarship) are slipping, and he only has one more year to make his college career count for something.

Oh, wait.

There is one other thing that West might want—a chance to spend the night with his favorite red-headed cheerleader. When the opportunity suddenly strikes, it's nearly impossible to pass up the perfect trade.

In just a few months, Dayton U's football team is hosting their annual spring banquet. The catch? Players must go home with another teammate's date. To the rest of the team, it's a simple, secret trade. But for Jade and West, it's the night that everything changed.

Review

Three books in and I’m starting to realize that Ki Stephens will never have a book that completely blows me away. Like with Spring Tide and Fault Line, The Trade left me feeling confused. Because I think I liked the book, but it’s a very neutral liking to it. I don’t have this strong hatred for it, and I enjoyed parts of it.

For example, I liked the characters. West wasn’t some stereotypical jock, and that’s something quickly introduced to readers within his first chapter. I didn’t necessarily love that he was the one who had issues communicating but in the concept of the story, I think it worked. And the miscommunication didn’t bother me. I do think he was more developed than Jade. Readers are constantly told she’s so funny and sarcastic, but there is really any moment for her to shine. I did enjoy her reporter arc, and I found that to be a little bit more interesting to read than her romance with West. But she wasn’t a bad character. I liked reading in her POV.

Final Thoughts

The Trade has interesting ingredients, but I personally felt like they hadn’t been mixed well. It had likable characters, but at times their special qualities were told rather than shown.

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Review: The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

Summary

The New York Times bestselling YA author of the beloved Gallagher Girls series bursts onto the adult scene with a fast-paced, hilarious road trip rom-com about a woman with amnesia who discovers she’s the identical twin sister of a rogue spy… and must team up with a rugged, grumpy operative to stay alive.

It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:

1. She has a splitting headache.

2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah…

3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there’s only one explanation: obviously. . . she’s a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear. Which is easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught.

Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they’re lying their way across Europe—dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…

Review

To me, the best way to describe The Blonde Identity was fun. Like no strings attached with a rush of fun. This book reminded me of a rom-com starring two of Hollywood’s biggest action and comedic actors. It has a high budget with twists and turns, and is universally loved. I had a great time reading this one.

Back in middle school, I used to be obsessed with Ally Carter’s books. I haven’t read them in around ten years, but the rumors are true. No one writes an action rom-com like Ally Carter. I was willingly strapped into my seat experiencing all the twists and turns unfolding. It’s engaging, and I really fell in love with the main characters. I won’t give anything away but all the tropes for a spy romance are there, and it’s beautifully done. Yes, it tends to be cliché at times, but the book doesn’t take itself too seriously and welcomes all the fun.

Final Thoughts

The Blonde Identity is adventurous and lots of fun. The romance is entertaining, and the sparks are there. It’s an addicting journey.

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Review: Girl Country: And Other Stories by Jacqueline Vogtman

Debut novel, Girl Country by Jacqueline Vogtman, takes readers on an emotional journey through 11 short stories exploring the inner struggles of young girls and women, past, present and future. The stories span multiple genres and characters exploring identity, relationships and the search for belonging.

The pace of the book was interesting. My experience, I felt that you got enough to process, take a breath and reflect. Some stories left me invested wanting to know more and others just left me to accept as is. Some of the stories, the weight of the narrative was felt. I appreciated the balance of sensitivity and compassion for those moments giving them a redemptive quality to find hope out of despair.

Overall, this was an interesting read giving you a mixed bag of genres to dive into. One of them didn’t catch my attention as the rest but I enjoyed the experience of the book outside of that as a whole.

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