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Category: New adult

Book review: Secret of royals

| Gifted | YA fantasy |

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Secret Royals was an amazing sequel to the kingdom of another world, it was so heartfelt and emotional. It added many new layers to the story, as we are introduced to new characters and even to new worlds. The story starts off 23 years after the ending of book 1. I was curious to know what happened with Kiara and Derek. Did she choose her heart or her obligations to her realm?

At the very beginning I was heartbroken and found myself hungrily turning pages in order to understand what had occurred. I really enjoyed how the story was told in multiple points of views and also in different timelines. As we are introduced to Nicole and Richard, I found myself addicted to their story.

Nicole is super independent and brave (I would be scared to go into an underground secret poker game! one of my favorite scenes of her!). She possesses a secret skill, that has dangerous people wanting her.

In comes handsome Richard, and I was immediately swooning! He is determined to find the girl from his visions, and when he does, we witness this beautiful slow burn romance between these two characters develop. I could FEEL the static between them. I loved how this book mixed this medieval setting from Elias with the modern technology from Earth, and I found adorable how Richard was learning about her world. It is noticeable how much work and planning the author put into the story, everything is linked, every passage has a purpose and a meaning behind it. I cannot wait to see the ultimate connection of everything.

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Gisela’s Passion

| Gifted | NA retelling |

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I went into the novel knowing it was retelling of a Slavic folk tale most known as the French ballet Giselle, and thus it is a tragic-romantic tale of a ballerina and a nobleman. Gisela has a fierce passion for dance, and the stage is the only place where her body and soul feel complete and free. I enjoyed the authors description of her feelings combined with her love for dance, which are full of magic and grace, and in our minds we can visualize her dancing in moments of pure sublime beauty, almost unaware to boundaries of space and time.

She is involved in a love triangle, one of my guilty-pleasure tropes, between a man who she considers only a friend, and a disguised nobleman that shows up to her village during the time of her preparation for her big dance performance.

Both men are presented in unique manner; one noble, handsome and futile, aspiring to learn about life outside his palace; and the other peasant poor and ignorant, who only attends to his needs and feelings. The characters deeply believe in legends of dragons and ghosts, which makes the story filled with these magical moments.

The drama unravels itself throughout the story, as the romance between the ballerina and the nobleman Vincent blooms in parallel to the envious peasant Hilarion. By trying to prove her talent to her family and people from the village it shows a good representation of the woman’s way of life in previous times; always destined only for family and nothing else. This ballerina tale is a beautiful and tragic retelling that brought me to a world of fantasy, love, magic and drama

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: The White Owl, by B. D. Connor

| Gifted | fantasy |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I was overjoyed by all the Scotland vibes that the story gives out, which made me miss the time I lived in Dundee – Scotland. The kilts, clans and their lairds, their dialogues, everything really made me nostalgic of Scottish culture… The plot is completely character driven, which I found great. The story switches between the different point of views from the various characters, which allows us to connect to each of them.

It is definitely an Adult or New Adult fantasy, my favorite genre, since it has more mature topics. I often went back to the map at the beginning of the book to locate all the places that were mentioned, although the writing on the map is really small which made it a bit difficult.

I love how the magic is weaved into the story and how everything is linked in the end. I also enjoyed how real the characters were, which made them more relatable. There are heartfelt moments and fun action-packed scenes which kept my eyes glued to the page! The ending is satisfying and at the same time leaves room for the author to explore a future novel for which I await eagerly.

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Birth of the Fae, by D. Orsino

| Gifted | fantasy |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Birth of the fae is such a mesmerizing and fairytale-like read. The writing is descriptive and eloquent. In the beginning of the novel I could really feel the angels anguish and betrayal as they are cast out of heaven. It is such an emotional read, I could clearly picture every scene in my mind and I suffered alongside Xi and Jarvok as they wept. 

The story has some religious backbone to it, even connecting events to Moses and the red sea. I love how we come to learn how Dryads, Merfolk, Pixies and all these fairytale creatures came to be and we follow Xi, who becomes queen Aurora, and how she creates the Court of Light. 

“No one knew the nature of this star streaking in the sky, but they felt the anguish. The ache and determination were obvious. The yearning to return home was the same for all of them.”

I love the entire concept of the two factions of angels, the Virtues and Power Angels, and both were beautiful in their own way. Not only do we have a fairy-tale like written story, but the book itself is also absolutely stunning, I love the elegant look of the hardcover and all the extra little perks it has like the map, and the chapter titles which are all gorgeous! The book is short and left me longing for more, I am already excited for the upcoming novels in the series!

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Terra Nova, by M. T. G.

| Gifted | NA fantasy |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

If you enjoy dark vampire books that take place in medieval settings with lots of plot twists this book is for you. During the beginning of the novel it was a bit hard to grasp the entire variety of characters and the world building, but after that I couldn’t put the book down and everything became much clearer. The story follows two parallel worlds, one overtaken by vampires, and the other Earth as we know it. I love the entire concept of the portal between these worlds and once Evangeline and Cynthia get across I couldn’t stop reading.

The novel is dark and intense, which I absolutely love! I would recommend it for a New Adult genre.

“I think you are pretty. Mother says not all regular humans are pretty like you. I am happy you came. I hope I don’t eat you.”

The characters were all amazingly done, I loved Evangeline, Raffael, Eros, Ehvan… The fact that the story is told in multiple point of views allowed us to connect to each of them. The plot is masterfully put together, throwing plot twists after plot twist towards us in a way that the novel became very action packed and it reads super fast paced. One of my favorite elements was the angst and hatred between Evangeline and Eros in the beginning and how this transforms throughout the novel. Terra Nova was heartbreaking and emotional, there are many unexpected turn of events. I will definitely keep an eye out for more upcoming novels from this author!

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: The Glass boxes in which we live, by B. Sylvie

| Gifted | romance |

Rating: 4 out of 5.

A beautiful and emotional romance, very relevant and updated with recent world issues and which really brings out important elements of family, race and cultural diversity. The story is told in alternating timelines between the present and the past, which gives us a deeper insight to the backstory of the two main characters.

I like Alienor’s point of views the most, I was able to relate to her even though there is a big age difference between us, I went through similar experiences in my life (not only the fact I am also divorced) while moving around between America and Europe throughout my life.  I found it hilarious her comments of the cultural differences and difficulties she encountered. Alienor has these two kids, Alex & Ben, that were funny and adorable. I really admire Alienor’s character, being a single (recently divorced) mom of two moving to a different country alone with her children takes a lot of courage, and you can see that she puts her family first always. 

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I love the romance between her and Wesley, and how these two are so different yet their dialogues were so captivating. Wesley is able to make his way into my heart, just by the way he loves her family. I was rooting the entire time for these two to end up together.

My favorite quote: ” YOU have all the colors of love. You have the colors of our love” 

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Masked, by S. Cross

| Gifted | YA fantasy |

Rating: 5 out of 5.

One of the things I love most about reading is getting completely emotionally attached to the characters. Masked delivers an amazing cast of characters, I was hooked. This book kept me reading into the late hours, crying and screaming and feeling everything as if it was all happening to me. Young Addalynne saves this mysterious boy who appears from the forbidden kingdom of Incarnadine. 

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With his memory forgotten after the incident, Addy guards the secret of his origin, with fear of what could happen to him. We witness their love grow throughout the years, these two are inseparable. Their love is so fiece, so passionate, I found myself longing for this intense love.

So many obstacles are thrown at these two, the hardships they must endure to try to be together is heartbreaking. The story feels like a darker fantasy, with mentions of physical abuse, rape and death. At the same time their romance is refreshing and makes the reader hope and root for these two throughout the story. The side characters are also amazing, I love Addys sister and her brother. I am enchanted and thrilled by the mystery behind the kingdom of Incarnadine and await eagerly for the sequel

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Disenchanted, by B. Sugalski

| Gifted | Dark fantasy |

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Disenchanted is a story that will draw you in from the first page. It starts with Princess Lilac, who sets out on a perilous journey in pursuit of an enchantress. There is a sense of mystery and intrigue immediately, which compels you to continue reading. At the beginning it feels like it is heading towards the well known plot: princess sets out on journey, meets a stranger, and the romance flows, however I soon found out I was wrong.

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Enter Garin: mysterious, eluding, and sexy! I rooted for them to get together right from the start! I loved him as a character, and I couldn’t get enough of the dialogue between him and Lilac. There was a constant smile on my face whenever those two got in a heated discussion! The world the story is set in is broad, but you get enough details and pieces of information to get a good sense of the world, and I was able to form a coherent image in my mind, which made the story much more richer

Overall I really enjoyed Disenchanted, and I can highly recommend it if you love dark fantasy with some explosive romance in it! I will keep an eye out for the upcoming sequel!

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: The Straight Crimes, by M. Juhl

| Gifted | romance suspense |

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This novel reads like a romance suspense, and it follows the life of Harper and Nik; 2 teenagers that as soon as Harper arrived in town they immediately fall in love, high school sweethearts. Now the twist to this novel is the society, which has as a way of life homosexual relationships. Therefore, the straight romance between Nik and Harper opposes the norm.

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This was a very enlightening read, where the author brings to the surface this alternate reality in a way that we can place ourselves in someone else’s shoes, to better understand and comprehend their experience. This novel has touched me deeply, it is such an eye-opener. I could feel immensely the love between the two characters and all the difficulties they had to endure, and most importantly I was able to visualize the pressure from society and understand their struggle to fight just to be together.

The plot is amplified with crime and suspense all alongside the romance, where society fights to destroy their love at all costs, thus the amazing title: The Straight Crimes. It is a fast-paced book, where you will find yourself rooting for these two lovers who must go against society to fight for their love. The story has a bitter-sweet realistic touch. I was heartbroken at certain moments, which portray masterfully a devastating emotional effect. I really congratulate the author for this brilliant heartbreaking work. Love is love.

You can check out more about the book and the author here.

Book review: Winterly, by Jeanine Croft

| Gifted | gothic romance |

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I was hesitant at first due to the sheer size of this novel, but the pages will fly in your hands, trust me. The writing is eloquent and beautiful and takes you into the Victorian Era. A gothic romance that will pull you in! I love Emma’s character. She is a clever woman with witty remarks, determined to uncover the truth. I love her friendship with her sister, they bicker and laugh together, and are very protective of each other.

“I see you are trying to make out my character,” he said.
“Yes, but it is hard to do so in the dark.”
“Some things are best done in the dark, Miss Rose.”
“That is just what a wicked monk would say.”

Once they meet Lord Winterly and his family, they are both fascinated by them. The dialogues are amazing, specially between Emma and Lord Winterly. Emma senses something dark within the Winterly family, but like calls to like and she can’t seem to pull away from them. Lord Winterly is seductive, charming, dark and mysterious. Their romance is amazingly done and I was rooting for them from the start. I am in love with how Jeanine Croft writes and absolutely need to check out more books from this author!

You can check out more about the book and the author here.