'The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe' by Hannah Moskowitz

4 stars

Book Blurb:

"Ivy K. Harlowe is a lot of things.

She’s my best friend.

She’s the center of attention.

She is, without fail, the hottest girl in the room. Anytime. Anyplace.

She has freckles and dimples and bright green eyes, and with someone else’s energy she’d be adorable. But there is nothing cute about Ivy. She is ice and hot metal and electricity.

She is the girl who every lesbian wants, but she has never been with the same person twice. She’s one-of-a-kind but also predictable, so I will always be Andie, her best friend, never Andie, her girlfriend.

Then she meets Dot, and Ivy does something even I would have never guessed—she sees Dot another day. And another. And another.

Now my world is slowly going up in smoke, and no matter what I do, the flames grow higher. She lit that match without knowing who or what it would burn.

Ivy K. Harlowe is a lot of things.

But falling in love wasn’t supposed to be one of them…unless it was with me.”

Review:

 'The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe' features an all-queer cast and incredibly tasteful disability and mental illness rep, and is the perfect New Adult read for every introvert (or somewhat quiet extrovert) with a loud and flashy extrovert best friend.  This story is all about Ivy, beautiful and desirable Ivy, with her one-night stands and her new maybe-relationship with Dot, and the family issues she hides from almost everyone - narrated by Andie.  

Best friends since childhood, Andie loves that she is the only person allowed to see the real Ivy, to know the family drama and all the complicated things that make up Ivy, rather than the fake show Ivy puts on for everyone else.  She's even in love with Ivy and firmly believes that once Ivy gets certain things out of her system and is ready to settle down, it'll be Ivy + Andie forever.  Reader, if you've had a loud and flashy extrovert best friend, you may see where this is headed.  You may very well know how Andie feels at certain parts throughout this book.  This is well-written, relatable content (even if you did not have a crush on that extravert bestie.)

'The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe' will be available on June 1, 2021

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

'Temper the Flame' by Jade Church

 

Book Blurb:

"A curse. A betrayal. A love that could break her.  

When Ivy is taken to a compound outside of London to meet with a group of angels, she thinks she's going mad. Faced with the truth of powers she never knew she had and a world much bigger than she realised, her life couldn't be more complicated. Or so she thought. When Devlin crashes into her life, Ivy must decide what is more important: finding the love, passion and adventure she'd never allowed herself to dream about, or protecting her heart. She could have everything she never knew she wanted... if she only dared to let someone in. Caring makes us vulnerable, but when everything Ivy believes is pushed to the limit, who will be by her side to see her through the dark?"

Review:

A solid entry in the New Adult Paranormal Romance genre, 'Temper the Flame' sets a fast pace as a feisty psychic gets wrapped up in the hidden world of fallen angels and their goal to prevent Earth from being destroyed by the same angel-gone-bad who cast them out of Heaven. Buckle up for this one!  

'Temper the Flame' will be available on June 20, 2021.

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

‘Shattered Souls’ (Flames of Time #3) by Erica Lucke Dean

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

 “Don’t miss the explosive conclusion to the Flames of Time trilogy.

Ava Flynn walked through flames to erase the past and bring her little brother, Josh, back from the dead. But the reboot doesn’t come without strings. While navigating her new reality, Ava must avoid Maddox... without fracturing the timeline. If she fails, she may never find Laith again.

With her own heart at stake, Ava scours time for the key to unraveling the curse binding her soul to both Laith’s and Maddox’s. One brother is the love of her life. And the other... Not even death will stop him from keeping them apart.

As Ava’s present collides with the brothers’ pasts, she discovers that breaking the curse might have unintended consequences. And this time, her soul isn’t the only one on the line.”

Review:

Such an amazing conclusion to this trilogy!  ‘Shattered Souls’ will shatter your heart and then put it back together again, in the best way.

I loved being back in Ava’s world, following as her story re-set to the beginning, to when readers first met her.  She retains the memories of what happened before she walked through flames to re-set her timeline but no other characters do, not even her time-traveling soul mates.  Having knowledge of the future could be an advantage, but it only gets her so far, since she makes different choices and has a different goal than before.  Watching these differences play out is one of the things I enjoyed most about this trilogy’s conclusion.

My absolute favorite thing about this book is that it is partially narrated by Laith.  Author Erica Lucke Dean chose perfectly which scenes to share Laith’s thoughts and feelings with readers.

The careful planning and attention to detail that went into crafting the story of these soul mates is clear for readers to see.  I love how creative Dean got with the curse, the timelines, and the characters, throughout the entire series, and how beautifully everything comes together in its conclusion.  At long last, the details of the curse are all laid out and explained to Ava, and it is worth the wait.

I enjoyed ‘Shattered Souls’ so much that I read it through once, then re-read certain key scenes and character interactions.  After re-reading ‘Splintered Souls’ and ‘Shattered Souls’ to refresh my memory before diving into the trilogy’s conclusion, I am happy to say that everything checks out; the time-travel math adds up perfectly, and Ava got the perfect ending she deserved after all she’s been through.

As usual, Erica Lucke Dean’s writing flows wonderfully.  In the days since I finished this book, I’ve missed both her writing style and these characters.  I can’t believe the Flames of Time series is over and I will definitely be re-reading this trilogy in the future.

‘Shattered Souls’ will be available on May 18, 2021.

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

‘The Summer of Broken Rules’ by K. L. Walther

5 killer stars!

Book Blurb:

“Meredith Fox has been going to Martha's Vineyard for the summer as long as she can remember. But this summer is the first one back since the death of Meredith's sister. It will all be overwhelming, but even more since the entire extended family will be together for her cousin's big wedding.

Unfortunately, Meredith's longtime boyfriend unexpectedly dumped her two weeks before the wedding, leaving her dateless. Luckily, she has the perfect distraction. Her family has a tradition of playing the ultimate game of Assassin every summer, and this year it will take place during the week of wedding festivities.

But her target just happens to be a very cute groomsman. She's determined to not let herself get distracted, not let herself be lost in another doomed relationship. But as the week progresses, she can't help falling for him, which may cost her not only the game, but also her heart.

Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Katie Cotugno, this is a story of loss, romance, and the time it takes to become who you really want to be.”

Review:

‘The Summer of Broken Rules’ has so much to offer, I hope this review can do it justice.  It is brilliantly written with witty banter, clever dialog, a fully fleshed-out whirlwind new romance, and so much more.  Author K. L. Walther creates the perfect storm in which Meredith and Wit become tangled up in each other’s lives and it’s so easy to root for them as they fall for each other.  Walther expertly entwines the detailed threads of young love, self-discovery, large family gatherings, and a wide-spread game of Assassin, with all the best parts of a summer vacation.

I love being inside Meredith’s head – love her narrating through memories of prior summers, the loving moments between sisters including snarky moments, her feelings towards her family, friends, and her crush on Wit.

This book is also a wonderful illustration of how loved ones who’ve passed away too soon are “always with us.”  There are numerous ways in which Meredith feels her sister Claire’s presence, both on her own and with the help of family and friends pointing it out to her.  This is a truly lovely way to share the story of a main character who is still reeling from losing her sister, but is starting to find her way back to joy – with the memory of her sister by her side helping her find happiness, rather than despite her recent loss.

This book handles grief over a loved one spectacularly well without taking anything away from the light-hearted, comedic, or romantic aspects of this book.  Meredith’s older sister, Claire, had passed away approximately a year and a half before this story begins, and so while we don’t see Meredith and her family process fresh, brand-new grief, we do follow how they’re doing after some aspects of life have gone “back to normal.”  Grief does not go away overnight, and this book handles that beautifully.

Claire is in Meredith’s every memory of the island they’ve spent all their summer vacations on.  Claire is in her thoughts in every chapter of this book, and is discussed between characters many times throughout.  Meredith discovers that Claire is, indeed, still with her in most things she does on the island.

Claire was the reigning champion of the family’s massive summer game of Assassin played each year.  This year’s game is dedicated to Claire and will be played to honor her memory during a busy week of festivities leading up to a cousin’s wedding.  By strategizing and taking a more active role than usual, Meredith finds greater enjoyment in the game and feels closer to her sister.

‘The Summer of Broken Rules’ brought back wonderful memories of summer moments, and can do the same for you!  We follow Meredith through many scenes on hikes, at the beach, a pond, a nearby town, driving over sand in Jeep-type vehicles – there’s a scene for every reader to connect with and fondly remember our own joys under the sun.

While the scenery is a wonderful jog down memory lane, the fully fleshed-out characters and plotline are even more amazing.  The attention paid to the little details, such as side characters with their own goals and relationships, help bring the summer atmosphere to life.

‘The Summer of Broken Rules’ will be available on May 4, 2021.

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