'Thrown for a Loop' by Sarina Bowen

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"Fans suspect that the bad boy of hockey has a few skeletons in his closet. They have no idea he also has a sparkly bodysuit… #toepick!

When they met at figure skating camp ten years ago, Chase Merritt was a scrappy hockey player from the wrong part of town, and Zoe Carson was the up-and-coming ice princess. They fell in love faster than you can say triple toe loop, until Zoe makes a fateful error that ends up costing Chase dearly.

Almost a decade later, their fortunes are reversed. Chase is the MVP of the New York Legends hockey team, while Zoe—their new skating coach—has years’ worth of personal and professional bruises. It’s hard to face him again—all six feet and two hundred pounds of muscle and swagger.

And anger. Chase is in hot water with management, and refusing to work with Coach Zoe no matter how badly he needs to shore up his stride—and his image. Until a journalist digs up an old video of Zoe and Chase performing a skating program, and the internet goes wild.

Management seizes on the opportunity for a P.R. redemption, ordering Zoe and Chase to reprise their flashy routine.

Skating with him again—to a love song, of course—is pure agony. But it’s also Zoe’s only chance to unpack the truth of what really happened that night ten years ago. And to at least find forgiveness, if she can’t win back his heart."


My Review:

Fantastic and swoon-worthy Adult Rom-Com for every fan of figure skating, ice hockey and 'The Cutting Edge' movie from 1992!

I really enjoyed both the dual POV and the dual timelines. We get to see Zoe and Chase in present day and their memories of their magical summer together, nearly 10 years prior. In both timelines, their witty banter and chemistry is off the charts and a joy to read.

'Thrown for a Loop' releases on November 4th, grab a copy here!

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'A Queen's Match' by Katharine McGee - A Queens Duet #2

5 royal stars!

Book Blurb:

"In the sequel to A Queen's Game, broken hearts and secret loves lead three princesses to their final marriage matches, and their rightful places in the history books--from the New York Times bestselling author of the American Royals series.

As Queen Victoria tries to match her grandchildren with powerful marriages across Europe, matters of the court and matters of the heart collide for three princesses as they close in on the end of their marriage seasons.

Exiled French princess Helene d'Orleans had no choice but to break it off with Prince Eddy--but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a broken heart. And now her parents have their sights on another prince for her...but his heart is already taken.

The queen finally understands that her beloved granddaughter Alix of Hesse isn't interested in a match with Prince Eddy...but the Queen does not approve of Alix's true love. So where does that leave her?

And May of Teck? She's just looking for a crown. So with Eddy back on the marriage market, she's biding her time, letting his heartbreak settle, before she makes her move.

Set in the last glittering decade of the monarchies, A Queen's Match is the thrilling conclusion to the story that began in A Queen's Game."


My Review:

This clever Historical Fiction duet, based on real people and events, was so very well done! Even if you don't know what actually happened in real life, this series is an amazing YA read! It's about three princesses and several princes and has all the humor, romance, cunning, and schemes that Katharine McGee readers have long enjoyed.

In this 'Queen's Duet,' Queen Victoria of England tries to play matchmaker for her many grandchildren, spread throughout the thrones of Europe. Her favorite granddaughter, Alix of Hesse, rejects the proposed match to the future king of England, Prince Eddy. Prince Eddy, meanwhile, has fallen in love with a French princess, whose family is banished from France. And May of Teck schemes in the background, determine to secure a crown for herself at any cost.

I love how the author tied everything up, to align with real-life events, while also granting readers a satisfying conclusion to the spin she put on all the characters.

Highly recommended YA reading!  Grab your copies:

A Queens Duet #1 -  'A Queen's Game' by Katharine McGee 

A Queens Duet #2 - 'A Queen's Match' by Katharine McGee

#AQueensMatch #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

The Mirror Chronicles by Rachel Huffmire

The Mirror Chronicles by Rachel Huffmire is a compelling trilogy, with a novella, that cleverly re-imagines several fairy tales into one cohesive and thrilling time travel adventure.  Start with 'Snow White's' tale, dive right into 'Sleeping Beauty' reimagined, conclude the trilogy with a fabulous take on 'The Snow Queen,' and finish with a 'Cinderella' novella.

Highly recommended reading for fairy tale fans and all YA readers!

The entire Mirror Chronicles series is available on Amazon and is part of the Kindle Unlimited program. Grab a copy here!

Snow White's tale - 'Shattered Snow' by Rachel Huffmire - Mirror Chronicles #1

"Time travel is illegal… But only if you get caught.

Keltson Grammar is a vigilante hacker who doesn’t mind breaking a few laws. Hiding behind mirrors, he rescues unfortunate souls in the past and leads them to happier endings. However, a single misstep could send a time-traveling huntsman on his trail. If he finds Keltson, history will be reset to its original dismal fate and Keltson’s future will be permanently behind bars.

Lilia Vaschenko is a Russian Mechanic surrounded by cinderblock towers, ladders she cannot climb, and a glass ceiling that holds her down like a casket. She'll do anything to escape—even work for the world's most wanted renegade.

Margaretha is a young German countess who wants nothing more than to forge her own path in life. But when she discovers a mysterious mirror in the woods that transforms her world into shadows and ice, her future shatters. Will she ever find who she was truly meant to be?"

'Sleeping Beauty' reimagined - 'Spinning Briar' by Rachel Huffmire - Mirror Chronicles #2

'The Snow Queen' - 'Saving Winter' by Rachel Huffmire - Mirror Chronicles #3

'Cinderella' re-telling - ' Sculpting Fables' by Rachel Huffmire - Mirror Chronicles novella

'Fake Skating' by Lynn Painter

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies Lynn Painter comes a heartfelt and banter-filled rom-com about childhood sweethearts whose icy reunion in their hockey-loving hometown unexpectedly thaws when they fake a romantic relationship.

Growing up, Dani couldn’t help but follow around the adorable son of her mom’s best friend. Funny, kind of nerdy, and a little soft, Alec was always down to hang with Dani when they were little. From play dates on the playground to sneaking into movie theaters, Dani and Alec were inseparable. Until Dani moved away. Alec promised they’d stay in touch—except, they didn’t.

Flash forward and Dani is back in Minnesota for her senior year, she and her mom living with her grandfather. Dealing with the fallout of her parents’ devastating divorce, Dani wouldn’t mind a nerd-out with the cozy and comforting Alec (and maybe a chance to confront him on his MIA status for all these years). But teenage Alec is nothing like the kid Dani remembers. He’s a hockey star in a town where hockey players are worshiped as gods. Dani’s place as his shadow has been taken up by drooling female fans…and he loves it.

Dani is resolved to ice out her former best friend until an unlikely series of events brings them together—and forces them to fake being a couple. Once forced together, the former childhood sweethearts begin to reconnect, unearth complicated family secrets, and face their true feelings towards each other…including the real reason Alec has been pushing Dani away all these years."


My Review:

Another wonderful Young Adult book from author Lynn Painter, full of witty banter and a sweet clean romance between these childhood-best-friends to high school sweethearts. There's small town 'hockey is life' and there's the jealous boy next door, and there's family drama, and so very many curse words out of these athletes. I love the duel POV, with both Dani and Alec narrating and sharing their feelings with readers.

 Releasing on September 30th - grab a copy here!

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'Right Where We Belong' by Farrah Penn

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"Past and present collide in this swoony romance when a girl searching for a sense of belonging may have found it in an unexpected—and undeniably charming—visitor from the nineteenth century.

Delaney Carmichael's final year of boarding school at Ivernia is not off to a great start. Losing her father has left her feeling completely unmoored—both emotionally and in terms of what she wants to do with her future. So when Delaney discovers that Ivernia—the one stable place in her life—is on the brink of shuttering its doors, it feels like the last straw. If life is measured in what she has to lose, then does anything matter?

Desperate for a solution, Delaney makes a wish—for a way to save Ivernia. The universe's response? Enter Lord William Cromwell of Dunbry, a tall, handsome, and woefully out-of-place-boy from nineteenth-century London. At first, Delaney thinks this charming English heartthrob might somehow be the answer to her problems, but when disastrous consequences begin to unfold at an alarming rate, she realizes that if she can't return William to where and when he belongs, the present could unravel completely. Much to Delaney's dismay, the only person capable of helping her is her brother's infuriating best friend, Sumner, a boy who seems dead-set on getting under her skin. With time quickly running out, can the two set things straight before the past begins messing with the present in irreversible ways?"


My Review:

This is a beautiful Young Adult coming of age story with a delightful time travel element where our narrating main character finds her place. Tender, emotional scenes of grief are portrayed very well. There is a clean YA romance sub plot and it is very sweet, and it does not overpower the story. Highly recommended!

Releases October 28th - pre-order a copy!

#RightWhereWeBelong #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'Red as Royal Blood' by Elizabeth Hart

5 royal stars!

Book Blurb:

"The Inheritance Games gets the royal treatment in this paperback original thriller that combines courtly intrigue, succession drama, and romance.

Ruby has never found a puzzle she couldn’t solve. Even though she’s destined to spend the rest of her life as a servant to the royal family, her mind itches for a true challenge. But no puzzle could prepare her for the king’s decision to name Ruby as the next heir to the throne just before his death.

Thrown into the viper’s nest of court, Ruby is forced to contend with a kingdom in crisis, the dead king’s angry wife, and the three entitled and annoyingly handsome princes. Then, as if being newly crowned queen wasn’t enough, she discovers a note left by the king that claims he was murdered . . . and that she might be next.

Unsure of who she can trust, Ruby makes uneasy alliances with each of the princes as she tries to solve the king’s murder. But with the clock winding down, she will face her most difficult challenge finding the truth before the killer comes for her."


My Review:

'Red as Royal Blood' was so well-written, and the mystery so full of twists, that it lived rent-free in my mind overnight after reading, and I dived back in for a re-read immediately the next day. The slow-burn sweet romance played out exceptionally well, and it was so much fun to read everything again while knowing the ending.

Ruby, our narrating main character, is so likeable and clever, and easy to root for. Everyone is shocked when the King suddenly dies and it's revealed that a kitchen maid with no family history was made heir. The eldest living Prince seems full of rage and suspects there is more to Ruby's identity or relationship with the late King. His charming younger brother has been her secret friend and chess partner, and is baffled by this turn of events. The youngest Prince seems out-of-sorts and in a daze. Their mother alternates between ignoring Ruby and throwing daggers at her with her eyes. And the court advisors throw one thing after another at her. And yet, Ruby unravels the mystery of the King's murder and manages to keep her head.

'Read as Royal Blood' releases on November 18th - pre-order your copy here!

#RedasRoyalBlood #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

'House of Hearts' by Skyla Arndt

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"Solving her best friend's murder means infiltrating a secret society, resisting a forbidden love, and running from a vengeful ghost in this sophomore novel by the author of Together We Rot.

Violet Harper knows her best friend was murdered. Even if everyone else has labeled her death a “freak accident,” Vi is sure she’d been trying to tell her something right before she died. Cryptic messages about her friend’s elite boarding school, her whirlwind romance, and the mysterious secret society she was entangled in all point to a more sinister fate.

So, Violet does what no one else seems willing to do: She transfers to the same fancy school to dig into the society’s murky history and find out what really happened to her friend. She knows the truth might not be pretty, but what she doesn’t bargain for is the handsome boy at the center of it all—Calvin Lockwell, the brother of her prime suspect and descendant of the school’s founder. He’s obnoxious and privileged, and Violet can’t deny their haunting attraction. It soon becomes clear his family is hiding a dark secret that may not be of this world, and suddenly Violet’s following her friend’s doomed footsteps down the rabbit hole. Even as details emerge of a deadly curse plaguing the school, she can’t escape her true feelings for Calvin. But loving him may be the last thing she ever does."


My Review:

I loved following narrating main character Violet to a beautiful gothic boarding school for her senior year. Her quest to discover the truth about her best friend's murder leads her to join the elite school's secret society and to get close to the siblings of her friend's boyfriend. Navigating through school secrets, a family curse, and a haunted, elaborate labyrinth, Violet finds more than she bargained for. Readers will be captivated and charmed.

Releasing on September 2nd - pre-order a copy! 

#HouseofHearts #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

Cover Reveal: 'Next Level Love' by Shameez Patel

'Playing Flirty' Book Blurb:

"A board game designer is forced to work alongside her nemesis in this charming and geeky rivals-to-lovers romcom perfect for fans of Olivia Dade and Jen DeLuca.

For Rose Marie Jones, risks are a hard no–except for Game Night. For one precious evening a week, Rose can forget about her demanding boss and her lackluster sex life and focus on beating the pants off her friends. But none of them brings out her hyper-competitive side quite like William Ashdern.

Her best friend’s half-brother, William is the paragon of a sexy nerd. The tall, dorky, and handsome game designer is Rose’s playing nemesis. But when Rose decides to enter a contest with the board game she’s secretly invented, there’s only one person who can help her win.

Now what has always been a game between Rose and William is getting a lot more serious. And after spending her entire life trying not to lose, Rose might finally be ready risk it all–and play to win."


'Playing Flirty'  Review:

Absolutely loved this slow-burn Adult Rom-Com, full of gaming and geek culture and a silent, broody love interest. 'Playing Flirty' is all about found family and shenanigans, while also about discovering who you are, and unlearning some of the bad stuff from childhood. Highly recommended!

‘A First Time for Everything’ by K.L. Walther

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer of Broken Rules comes a fun new coming-of-age romance full of dating disasters, powerful firsts, and the importance of family.

Madeline has always been extremely close to her family, so she is shocked when her older brother gets engaged without including them (or even giving them a heads up!). Mads has never been the biggest fan of his fiancée, Katie, so in order to remain one happy family, she is determined to bond with Katie before the big day, which includes reluctantly agreeing to be a bridesmaid.

During a late-night bridesmaids-only game of "Truth or Dare" Mads is cornered into revealing she has never been kissed or even been on a date, which spurs the other girls to unite on a quest to find Mads the perfect plus-one for the wedding. Next thing she knows she’s navigating a series of disastrous dates that include some major misunderstandings and mishaps.

All of a sudden Mads finds her heart tugged in different directions: to Connor, the boy next door who knows her best. To Marco Álvarez, the former classmate who knows how to push all her buttons. And to some of the new suitors who surprisingly aren’t all bad.

As the wedding draws nearer, Mads has to figure out who she wants most as a forever dance partner, while also making sure her brother isn't making the biggest mistake of his life."


My Review:

Loved this one! Author K.L. Walther continues to absolutely knock it out of the park with every new release! 

I was fully invested in Madeline’s dating journey and the year leading up to Austin and Katie's wedding. This was such a great coming-of-age story, as Mad wades through first dates with new people, and bridesmaid shenanigans with a group of ladies a little older than her. I also really liked how close she is with her parents and brother, and how supportive the family is of one another. Her perfect friendship with the boy-next-door, and the witty banter with an acquaintance who suddenly seems to be everywhere, are charming and a joy to read.  

Was delighted to see cameos from across the KLW Universe! Mer and Wit get speaking roles, and several other beloved characters are mentioned.

Releasing on June 3rd - pre-order a copy!  

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. 

'Steel & Spellfire' by Laura E. Weymouth

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"A devastatingly gifted mage with clandestine romantic connections to a Royal Guard joins the court social season in an attempt to undo past wrongs, only to fall under suspicion when a creature with powers shockingly like her own begins slaughtering her fellow debutantes.

Pandora Small has two ruling objectives: first, to keep the prodigious extent of her power secret, in a world where mages are feared and governed by suffocating laws. Second, to find her wealthy and noble-born patron, a shadowy figure bound to Pandora by magic, who stole her childhood and grew her power until she became a weapon rather than a girl. To that end, she’s posing as an Ingenue, a privileged and petted young woman of strictly limited abilities, who is allowed access to the royal court’s social season in order to find a husband and patron to control her magic.

But on Pandora’s arrival at court, Kit Beacon, one of the most promising members of the Royal Guard, inadvertently learns the true scope of her power. Privately sympathetic towards mages and the difficulties they face, Beacon decides to keep Pandora’s secret. But when someone or something with powers terribly like Pandora’s own begins slaughtering her fellow Ingenues, Beacon’s resolve to keep what he knows about her private is put to the test.

Tasked with protecting all the girls in the palace, not just one, Beacon will have to decide whether Pandora is a suspect or an ally, while to win his trust, Pandora will have to let him know more of her still—the worst of who she is and what she’s done. Because only unity between them during the social whirlwind to come will enable Pan to find her patron and Beacon the killer, and ensure they both see justice meted out."

My Review:

This fabulous YA Fantasy read combines lush world building, a unique and interesting magic system, and a sweet slow-burn YA romance between our two narrating characters, Pandora and Beacon. With well-developed supporting characters who add to the already-present humor and witty banter, this was a captivating and fun read. There's also a thriller/mystery aspect, with Pandora (and readers) not knowing who her powerful and malicious patron is, and it was fun to guess (even when my guesses were wrong).

Releasing on July 22nd - pre-order a copy!

#SteelAndSpitfire #NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.