'The Prince of Mourning' by Jenn Bennett

5 magical stars!

Book Blurb:

"Belladonna by Adalyn Grace meets A Study in Drowning in this sizzling gothic romantasy that follows the forbidden romance between a young nurse and a mysterious young man imprisoned by a dangerous occultist.

After receiving a strange summons, eighteen-year-old nursing student Molly O’Rinn finds herself the private live-in nurse for a wealthy young man in his haunting Hudson Valley mansion. But after arriving at his secluded estate, Molly discovers that her handsome employer is not what he seems, and most surprising of all is what rests deep inside the mansion’s walls.

Perhaps not what, but who…

A young man about Molly’s age—at least in appearance—is a prisoner of the estate, locked behind magical barriers. Nin is royalty, the son of a legend. He is not human, not of this world…and not like anyone Molly has ever met.

Molly should stay away from him. But Nin is a terrifying yet strangely attractive being, and soon both Molly and Nin find themselves drawn to each other, sparked by a connection neither of them can deny. But as the two become entangled in a forbidden affair, outside forces start to press in.

Because Nin’s legendary father is looking for his son, and he’s not the only one.

To keep Molly safe, Nin must find a way back to his realm or suffer the consequences. Even if it means choosing his princely duty over love."


My Review:

I loved this gothic, atmospheric YA Romance! We follow nurse-in-training Molly O’Rinn as she navigates her way through an unexpected new assignment in upstate New York, surrounded by suspicious house staff, an eccentric wealthy patient, and a mysterious and handsome boy (Nin) whom the staff deny exists. Molly defies Nin's warnings for her safety and explores the sprawling estate, searching for all the truths that everyone keep hidden from her. The ghost of her friend and fellow nurse accompanies her and provides great comedic relief. As Molly and Nin's affection for each other grow, so do the suspicions of her eccentric patient, and in combination with outside forces from Nin's past, it becomes harder to spend time together and learn the truth.

Nin the Sorrowful, Prince of Mourning, is not of this world and it shows. He is such a gentleman and is protective without crossing lines, and he is a delight to read! I hope to see more of him and his world, and this book does leave the option open for additional books in a series, but it also does have a satisfying conclusion and no cliffhanger.

'The Prince of Mourning' releases on October 28th, perfect for the spooky season! 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.

'We're a Bad Idea, Right?' by K.L. Walther

5 risky stars

Book Blurb:

"The business of love gets messy when two best friends decide to fake a romantic relationship in this uproarious and swoony novel by the bestselling author of The Summer of Broken Rules.

Audrey Barbour has had enough of following the rules. Eighteen years of being the perfect daughter—exceptional grades, enviable college acceptances, tame dating history—and still, her parents don’t trust her enough to let her study her passion, glassblowing, on a prestigious fellowship.

So when her best friend Henry proposes an outrageous fake-dating scheme to win back his ex-girlfriend, it feels like the first step to shaking up her perfect life. And the second? That comes when Audrey’s parents go out of town, sparking a high-risk, high-reward solution to pay for her fellowship—renting out her family’s Connecticut mansion online. With the help of her new fake-boyfriend, it shouldn’t be hard to pull off… right?

But when her best intentions start to unravel, Audrey will have to reckon with who she is, what she wants, and what it really means to play life by her rules—all with her heart on the line."

My Review:

I love how author K.L. Walther's characters are always so clever and witty with each other, and so creative when brainstorming to break the rules. 'We're a Bad Idea, Right?' is no exception. Here we we follow Grace and James' cousin Audrey through her last few weeks of high school, including fake dating to drum up interest from an ex and a would-be partner, a lucrative scheme of renting out her property while her parents are out of town, and a great group of friends who help along the way.  

This is a companion novel to 'While We're Young,' though readers need not have read that book to enjoy this one. As always, the cameos of older Walther characters were incredibly enjoyable.

'We're a Bad Idea, Right?' releases March 3, 2026, pre-order a copy here!

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

'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!