The Raven and the Dove, by Kaitlyn Davis | ARC Book Review

Hello friends! Welcome back to the ol’ blog. Today I have my advanced readers copy (ARC) book review of

The Raven and the Dove, by Kaitlyn Davis.

A huge Thank You to Netgalley, for allowing me to read The Raven and the Dove in exchange for an honest review.
This in no way has impacted my review. 

Trigger Warning: Blood, Blood mention, Torture, Torture mention.

Four fates collide in this avian-inspired, epic fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo!

A princess longing to be free…

On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana Aethionus knows she should be focused on winning her perfect mate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky waiting at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Upon fleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.

A bastard aching to belong…

Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus, including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he orders his studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbidden magic, just like him.

Fate brought them together, now destiny will tear them apart…

Unknown to the world above, on the foggy sea ten thousand feet below, a young king fights a forgotten war. He believes Lyana is the queen prophesied to save the world, and with the help of his favored spy, hidden deep in the highest ranks of the dove royal house, he will stop at nothing to have her.

Three shocking betrayals. Two star-crossed lovers. One unforgettable journey. If you like fierce heroines, brooding heroes, forbidden romance, and action-packed magical adventures with twists you’ll never see coming, don’t miss The Raven and the Dove!

Release Date: March 9, 2020.

The Raven and the Dove has a strong prologue. The prologue didn’t even begin to warn me of the entirety of chaos that makes up The Raven and the Dove. It’s a great way to start the story–if only it wasn’t completely misleading.

Hide Me, by Lexi Scott | {ARC} Book Review #384

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Hide Me by Lexi Scott, from Entangled Publishing LLC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacts my review.

Sometimes it’s easier to run…

Ripped apart by guilt and grief, nineteen-year-old Whit Conrad grabs her stuff and runs from her super-conservative home and family in Pennsylvania and hauls ass for sunny California. All she wants is escape. Now she has a craptastic apartment, a job at a tattoo parlour, and even a friend-who’s-mostly-benefits. Then she meets a sexy, inked, surfer-dude who has the potential of capsizing everything…

Deo Beckett is adrift. Underemployed and over-boozing, Deo knows he should be doing something more with his life. Being something more. All it takes is a pin-up hottie with a smart mouth—and a bruised soul—to force Deo to start looking below the surface. To wonder if there’s more to life than being a beach bum. Now he’s falling for Whit…and hard.

But Whit ran from home for a reason, and she’ll go to any lengths to keep Deo from learning the truth…

*previously released under Lengths in 2012

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Publication Date: July 07, 2015.

Hide Me proved to be a book that I wasn’t expecting at all. I had this preconceived idea of what Hide Me was about and when that proved not to be the case I was very happy.

Hide Me has two differing points of view that for the most part alternate with every chapter. The first point of view we read from is Deo who seemed to be the guy that everyone knew and was friends with, but let very few people in. Whit we soon learn is very secretive and protective of her past and guards it fiercely. We also learn that Whit is extremely grumpy in the morning; according to Deo. 

Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden | {ARC} Book Review #382

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden, from Open Road Integrated Media, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warning: Homophobia

When Liza Winthrop first lays eyes on Annie Kenyon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she knows there’s something special between them. Soon, their close friendship develops into a deep and intimate romance. Neither imagined that falling in love could be so wonderful, but as Liza and Annie’s newfound sexuality sparks conflict in both their families and at their schools, they discover it will take more than love for their relationship to succeed.

One of the first books to positively portray a lesbian relationship, Annie on My Mind is a groundbreaking classic of the genre. The subject of a First Amendment lawsuit over banned books and one of School Library Journal’s “One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century,” Nancy Garden’s iconic novel is an important story for anyone discovering who they’re meant to be.

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Publication Date: September 05, 2017.

Within Annie on My Mind we meet, Liza, whose story we get to read. Within said story we get to see quite an ordeal, which I will get to later… Annie on My Mind is a story were the main character Liza tells the story of falling in love for the first time, and a few other things happen as well. 

Save the Date, by Morgan Matson | {ARC} Book Review #362

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for allowing me to read Save the Date by Morgan Matson, in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.

The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.

There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.

There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.

Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.

Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

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Publication Date: June 05, 2018.

I was so excited to read Save the Date. I’ve read two previous works of Morgan Matson before and I enjoyed those novels, so when there was a chance to read Save the Date, I took a leap and requested this novel. I’m so glad I took that leap!

Black Dawn, by Mallory McCartney | {ARC} Book Review (SPOILERS) #361

Thank you to Clean Reads Publishing, via Netgalley for allowing me to read Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney in exchange for an honest review.

This review contains spoilers. 

Trigger Warning:
Blood, Blood Mention,
War, & Torture

The end of an Empire, The rise of a Queen

Emory Fae enjoys leading a quiet, normal life. That is until two mysterious, and handsome soldiers show up at her apartment, and the life she knew is instantly whisked away. Memphis Carter and Brokk Foster come from the magical and war ridden world of Kiero, and upon Emory’s arrival she will discover she is the long lost heir to the Royal Line and is thrown into the Black Dawn Rebellion with a dynamic role to ignite the rebels and reclaim her throne.

With both men being darkly woven in her past Emory uncovers hidden secrets, a power held long dormant, and will soon realize there are worse things than supernatural humans, love, loss, betrayal, and a Mad King.

Some things are better left in the shadows.

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Publication Date: February 14, 2017.

The cover is the first thing that drew me into checking out what the book was about. I’m drawn to dark and pretty book covers! I soon found out that Black Dawn was a YA Fantasy and hand to get my hands on a copy. I’m quite happy that I was approved an ARC for Black Dawn, especially so since I believed that Black Dawn is a Fae novel.

Dragon Redeemer, by Amy Bearce | {ARC} Book Review #353

A huge thank you to Curiosity Quills Press for allowing me to read Dragon Redeemer, by Amy Bearce in exchange for an honest review. 

Dragon Redeemer is the third book in the WORLD OF ALUVIA trilogy.

Four years have passed since a fairy swarm released the voice of prophecy in Nell Brennan. In that painful moment, a skilled warrior became a reluctant leader and defender of Aluvia’s magic. Now a new enemy threatens their still-fragile lands, one Nell feels powerless to stop even with help from the voice within her.

A mysterious dark alchemist from the Ice-Locked Lands is rising to power on the strength of his sword arm and an ice-breathing dragon obedient to his command. He promises unlimited magic to his followers and death to those who defy him. If he takes over the ports, his corrupt elixirs will disrupt the delicate balance of peace between Aluvia’s people and all magical creatures.

The voice of prophecy sends Nell and her friends to their enemy’s treacherous domain to find a sword of legend. Only the sword’s magic can prevent a return to a world of dying fairies and caged merfolk. But Nell’s up against the toughest foe she’s ever faced. In order to defeat him, she must master the unimaginable power of the sword―and the unwanted magic inside herself.

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Two things appealed to me when I first heard of Dragon Redeemer. The first: it was the third and final book in the World of Aluvia series. Second, Nell, who we don’t really see much of in the first two books, finally had her own stance in the story. 

Stay Sweet, by Siobhan Vivian | {ARC} Book Review #345

A huge Thank You to Simon & Schuster Canada, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian in exchange for an honest review. 

A summer read about first love, feminism, and ice cream.

Summer in Sand Lake isn’t complete without a trip to Meade Creamery—the local ice cream stand founded in 1944 by Molly Meade who started making ice cream to cheer up her lovesick girlfriends while all the boys were away at war. Since then, the stand has been owned and managed exclusively by local girls, who inevitably become the best of friends. Seventeen-year-old Amelia and her best friend Cate have worked at the stand every summer for the past three years, and Amelia is “Head Girl” at the stand this summer. When Molly passes away before Amelia even has her first day in charge, Amelia isn’t sure that the stand can go on. That is, until Molly’s grandnephew Grady arrives and asks Amelia to stay on to help continue the business…but Grady’s got some changes in mind…

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Publication Date: April 24, 2018.

My thoughts on Stay Sweet prior to sitting down and reading the book are that even though the premise for Stay Sweet is interesting, I wanted to keep my expectations low. I thought that Stay Sweet would be a story overflowing with fluff. Kind of like a dreamy summer read. Instead, Stay Sweet was more down-to-earth, more realistic. Amelia has graduated high school, and this summer, she’ll be working at the Meade Creamery before she’s off to college.

Molly Meade dying was something that I don’t think ever crossed Amelia’s mind. However, when Molly is found dead, Amelia’s world seems to come down around her. From then on, the book has it’s high’s and lows.

Rock & Release, by Riley Edgewood | {ARC} Book Review #337

A huge Thank you to Victory Editing for allowing me to read
Rock & Release by Riley Edgewood
in exchange for an honest review.

She wants something easy. What she needs might be something else…

Cassidy Evans is looking for an escape over her college summer break. And when one night with a few too many martinis leads her to sexy guitarist, Gage Logan, she may have found exactly what she needs.

He’s sweet and hot, and in the bedroom he’s enough to make Cassidy forget her own name. Multiple times. But as her heart opens to Gage, feelings she’s been trying to avoid slip through, too. Regret over her rocky relationship with her parents. Pain from her brother’s recent death. Guilt over a fallout with her best friend… As much as she craves Gage, she can’t unlock her heart the way she feels he deserves.

Enter Luca James, international rock star and lead singer for Gold Rush Standard. Cassidy can’t stand his music. She can’t stand his arrogance. And, when he sets his sights on more than the drinks she serves him, she especially can’t stand how she’s drawn to his no-strings-attached flirting.

Soon Cassidy will have to make a choice: ignore her heart and go after the carefree life she covets, or stand strong to face a bittersweet reality.

Either way, she risks losing everything she truly wants.

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Publication Date: January 02, 2015.

I was hesitant, for years, about reading this book. I was excited, and then I was anxious, and then I was intimidated by Rock & Release. I was excited because Rock & Release is a New Adult novel,

Crazy Over You, by Wendy Sparrow | ARC Book Review #281

A huge Thank You to Entangled Publishing LLC., via Netgalley, for allowing my to read Crazy Over You in exchange for an honest review. 

She’s on the sheriff’s most wanted list.

Waking up with a naked woman holding a knife at his throat is just about the last thing Sheriff Travis Flynn expected. And the brother she’s looking for? A murderer. And dead. Probably. But the real shock comes when she insists she’s not a Lycan.

LeAnn Wilcox isn’t looking for love…especially not from some wolf in sheriff’s clothing. She operates on the other side of the law. Once she finds her brother-alive-she’ll get out of the pack’s territory and go back to her regular, normal, non-furry life of changing jobs and her name whenever her past closes in.

The cool, logical Sheriff has finally met his match, but LeAnn’s life is at stake if she won’t claim her place in the pack, especially once his control over the pack is challenged and her brother’s fate is questioned.

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Crazy Over You is the third book in the Taiming the Pack series by Wendy Sparrow.

Trust, by Kylie Scott [ARC]|Book Review #229

I received Trust, by Kylie Scott from Kylie Scott via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen-year-old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.

While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.

An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.

Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.

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Trigger Warning: Gun Violence, Gun Violence resulting in Death, Blood, and Explicit Sex Scenes.