Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results.

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project—a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia—Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school—archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it’s her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas…devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?

Review

Love on the Brain felt like an Ali Hazelwood book in a bad way. What I mean is that most of the criticisms that I have seen regarding the author are validated within this story. The main character is a small, quirky, colorful, STEM woman who has a strong dislike for her big, dark, and moody counterpart. However, unbeknownst, he secretly likes her and is unable to voice that. And oh no, now they are forced to work together. Nothing about this story felt original. Although this story might have been written prior, the new releases are much stronger.

This one lacked depth, and unfortunately, the love story couldn’t save it. The supporting characters felt more exciting than the main characters. I didn’t care for Bee’s voice and Levi felt uninteresting. There was a real missed opportunity with withholding his POV. I think that would have given him depth.

This should not be categorized as an enemies-to-lovers. The entire tension of their romance heavily depends on several miscommunications. And neither of them are enemies.

Final Analysis

Love on the Brain might be the weakest book within Ali Hazelwood’s catalog. The main characters and their romance are quickly overshadowed by far more interesting characters. This book was plagued with awful miscommunication between the leads and the same formulaic structure that Hazelwood is often criticized for.

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Review: The Dawn of the Cursed Queen by Amber V. Nicole

About the Book

Ask her, boy. Ask her what she begged the stars for and what lives now. Ask her what she ripped from the very heavens. And then ask her if she cares. The old blood runs through her veins.

Nismera and her legions rule the realms as Samkiel's power fills the sky. With him gone, she strives to solidify her spot on the throne, no matter the cost.

Dianna struggles beneath the weight of half-truths, lies, and deceptions. After overcoming what she thought was her hardest battle, she soon learns she is at risk of losing everything.

Samkiel strives to heal, but he has more on his plate than ever before. The Hand is dismantled, the realms are in turmoil, and the one person he can trust keeps him at arm's length. Can the two work out their differences, or will they both fall to the blade of the Goddess of War?

The one true king returns, but is it the king or queen who shall rule them all?

Review

I was blown away by this installment. It by far is my favorite, and I need a release date for the fourth book as soon as possible. Truthfully, all the books have been highly rated by me. And from the looks of it—I don’t see that changing. Amber V. Nicole has crafted an entertaining and intriguing series, and I’m obsessed. This is easily my favorite fantasy series.

One issue that I had with the first two books was that at times the mechanics of the world felt confusing.  The world is huge, and with the third book, it felt much bigger. This makes sense since the stakes have significantly grown as the story progresses. I appreciated that the author took the time to write a catchy summary at the start of this book. That was helpful. However, I still struggled with how the world works. There were a few things that I didn’t quite understand. I kept waiting for that ‘ah-ha” moment that never came. That most likely could be a me issue.

Regardless, I still loved this book. Dianna and Samkiel felt fully realized in this one. And don’t even get me started on their romance. A million stars across the board. Both went through intensive character and relationship growth in this one. They truly are the stars of this series with a great supporting cast. I loved all the new additions to the story. They worked well and brought something new to the story.   

Final Thoughts

Everything got bigger with The Dawn of the Cursed Queen. The characters. The romance. The action. The drama. Everything! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time—holding my breath as I read. This is a roller-coaster and despite the emotional damage that it might cause, I can’t recommend the series enough. Dianna and Samkiel are astonishing characters who leave a huge lasting impact.

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Review: My Dearest Mackenzie by Rachel Blaufeld

My Dearest Mackenzie was not your typical second chance romance. Being that I’m obsessed with them, this had a different vibe that grew on me. With that being said, this slow burn romance hit differently considering the circumstances of the characters and what brought them into each other’s lives. The maturity and the realistic perspective of their life experiences brought an authenticity to them that made them relatable and interesting.

The heart of the book had me fascinated. An undiscovered love story destined to be told brought Frankie Burns into Mackenzie Miller’s life. Determined to figure out what happened between her grandfather and his grandmother, she bursts into life with a determined fire, an unwillingness to accept no for an answer, making this her mission to conquer and potentially unlock her happily ever after. 

While Mackenzie was not on board at first with this revelation and all that is to follow, as the story unfolds, opening up the past to his beloved grandmother unknowingly held the key to what was missing in his life. What neither of them knew was even though their grandparents were forced to live a life apart, their fate was destined as their story was yet to be told. 

Overall, the book was a nice read. The dual perspectives of the plot had my thoughts feeling more excited for one than the other. The unraveling of the story behind their grandparents really captured my interest. I found that part of the plot where I wanted to read more. Individually, Frankie and Mackenzie, I loved their characters. Their initial interactions and as they got to know each other was fun and engaging to read but then as their relationship blossomed, it was just ok for me. I wanted something more for them. I feel like they were both broken and the fire between them was just dimly lit for me. I’m not talking physically but emotionally I just need more because they were definitely meant for each other but that aspect of them didn’t grab me like I wanted to. Despite that, it wrapped up nicely giving them a well deserved HEA. 

This was my first read with this author and I look forward to reading what she has coming out in the future.

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Review: One Wrong Move (The Connovan Chronicles Book 3) by Olivia Hayle

About the Book

The woman I love has always been off-limits. She was my best friend’s fiancée… and now my new roommate.

I thought I was used to pain. Harper dated my best friend for years, and I was going to be the best man at their wedding. Until she blows up the engagement and shows up in London with a new job.

Being friends never worked for me. That’s why I moved away. But here I am, unable to resist her again. And when I see the tiny, unsafe apartment she’s renting? I insist she move into my giant Kensington townhouse. Roommates. Should be fine.

Or not. Because I find Harper’s "thirty things by thirty" list and decide to help her fulfill it. Showing her around London, taking her on trips, sleeping in the same bed… helping her explore things her ex was never interested in.

But it doesn’t matter how close we get, because Harper is newly single, unimpressed by my wealth, and doesn’t know I’m love with her. One wrong move and I might ruin this relationship forever.

Review

Olivia Hayes was a new author to me, and I decided to give her a chance in the middle of a series. I hadn’t known what to expect. It did not take long for me to want to go back and read all her books. Nate and Harper were perfect. I have no notes. I loved this book. 

It is impossible to read this book and not get obsessed with Nate and Harper. They were incredible characters. Nate had been in love with Harper for years; however, she had been in a relationship with his best friend Dean. He even moved to London because he was dealing with a lot of feelings about the situation. Nate’s feelings were unknown to Harper, and after ending things she moved to London, where she ran into Nate. Nate was so willing to help her. Yes, he was in love with her, but also because he wanted to make her happy and he understood her. 

I appreciated how Harper didn’t instantly fall in love with Nate. I loved seeing her naturally fall in love with him, and also stand her ground. The situation with Dean did impact her and although it did make things complicated at a point, I like that she didn’t change who she was. She came to London for herself. And she stayed true to that. 

Final Thoughts

One Wrong Move is a great book with complex characters and a beautiful romance. The romance developed gradually and despite Nate already being in love with Harper, he never pushed her. 

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Review: Abandoned at Birth: Searching for the Arms That Once Held Me by Janet Sherlund

To be honest, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional impact that this book would have on me. I’ve often wondered the emotional weight adoptees carry and through her poignant memoir, Abandoned at Birth, Janet Sherlund recounts her emotional journey and life navigating the exploration of her deep rooted need for belonging, discovering her identity and finding her roots.

The book explores what led to her adoption and chronicles her life navigating the dual worlds of her adopted family and struggling with the urge to find herself by locating her biological family. Her feelings of rejection, loss and grief in pursuit of finding her identity, belonging and connecting with her biological family was courageous. Her story highlighted the pain and struggles many adoptees often feel and will resonate and give insight to others who have shared or may be on a similar path.

This book became more than what I initially thought when I first started reading. It gives a voice to an experience that often remains silent. Her vulnerability makes this heartwarming and draws the deepest empathy and compassion for adoptees as a whole. This truly captures the effects of adoption, not only for the adoptees but potentially both families. This would be a great read for those on a similar journey to encourage and give comfort knowing you aren’t alone.

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Review: Damned and Beautiful by Monica Lu

About the Book

GRIEF IS A POWERFUL THING - but love conquers all.

A friends-to-lovers romance

A man who’s love and compassion was only reserved for a select few, Ezra West was cold-shouldered, skeletons hanging in his closet from his dark past that continues to lurk over his life even over half a decade later. With the painful reminder in the form of his six-year-old, Marguerite he soon comes to realize her unhappiness and the fact he barely knew his daughter. In an effort to fix their relationship, he decides a change in scenery is what they need, even if it means going back to the hell he ran away from.

The plan was not to become acquainted with his daughter's English teacher. The plan was not to enjoy her company, to relish her smiles, find pleasure in watching her beautiful dark skin radiate against the light. and as terrified as he was, he couldn't stay away.

And that temptation was Iridessa Zola.

The woman knew pining over her student’s father was probably against some regulation. that finding excuses to see his face around the small town of Haven Harbour was probably creepy. All signs pointed to pursuing him being a bad idea. But the man with his green eyes and rose hand tattoo was too irresistible. and no matter how hard he tried to push her away, she only pulled harder. She wanted him - even if it possibly meant breaking both their hearts in the end.

Review

It was clear early on that Monica Lu put a lot of love into this book.  As a debut, it’s a gripping, emotional story. I enjoyed Iridessa as the main character. I loved her POV, her personality, and her relationship with her friends and siblings. I especially loved her relationship with her students and Maggie. It was all sweet. I wish there had been more scenes of her teaching because it was clear that she had a passion for it and had built up a connection with her high school students. 

I loved her and Ezra together. They had a beautiful slow burn that worked for them. I was never frustrated with how long it took them to get together because it made sense for the story. 

As for Ezra, he was unlikeable at the beginning. He had spent years working and trying to make his daughter’s life better than what he had. The problem is he barely knew his young daughter and never took the time to hang out with her. I appreciated that he saw the problem and immediately acted. That bumped him up in my favor. However, an issue I had with him was that he was always quick to throw money at situations. I don’t think he quite learned that money can’t solve everything.

A major theme within this book is grief. Both Ezra and Iridessa had lost people close to them, and their loss shaped them and their future actions. Monica Lu committed to that theme, and it worked mostly. There were a few things that didn’t land as much as the others. 

Final Thoughts 

Damned and Beautiful was a solid debut novel. It did suffer from a lot of grammar errors and story beats that didn’t quite land. However, those are things that can be fixed. I’m interested to see what else Monica Lu writes. I hope her future books contain as much love as this one. 

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