Book Review: Don’t Fall For Your Brother’s Best Friend (Magnolia Ridge #2) by Logan Chance

Genre: Romance

Publication Date: July 2, 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Blurb:

They say there are lines you shouldn’t cross, but where’s the fun in that? Especially when it comes to falling for your brother’s best friend…

Picture I’ve got five brothers, and I’m the only girl. Standing out isn’t easy, especially with my big bro breathing down my neck. So, when I pitched my genius idea for jazzing up our family establishment, Atta Boy Brewery, you can bet he wasn’t on board. Maybe he thinks I’m too much of a risk, or maybe he’s just protecting his turf.

The best friend? Griffin Cole, the hotshot chef and my brother’s lifelong buddy. When I suggested turning a dusty storage room of the brewery into a party zone, I didn’t expect Griffin to have my back. Suddenly, we’re cooking up more than just great beer ideas together.

Late nights, shared laughs, and a dash of chemistry have us toeing the line between friendship and something a whole lot juicier.

But when we take that leap, it’s a game-changer.

It’s sizzling.

It’s wild.

And it’s totally off-limits.

Now Griffin’s torn: keep the relationship a secret, or take a shot at something that could turn our worlds upside down. And when family drama threatens to tear us apart, will we fight to save what we’ve cooked up?

Review

I have completely fallen for the Atwood family, no doubt about it!

In book 1 of the series, we saw Paxton find love with his childhood best friend, Hartford, in one of the funniest ways I’ve read to date. I absolutely adore childhood-best-friends-to-lovers stories and it was so perfect that I couldn’t wait to dive into more Atwood family books with this raucous crew.

Anya’s and Griffin’s book was a great follow up to Paxton’s and Hartford’s! Forbidden romance, especially of the Brother’s Best Friend variety, is one of my favorite tropes as well, so this series is just hitting all the right tropes for me!

I absolutely loved that Griffin fell first for Anya, dating back to 4 years before the story takes place. It just hits a bit differently for me when the guy falls first 🥰 I also totally understood his hesitation and the need for the secret relationship. I couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy!

Anya was a spunky but smart FMC who I enjoyed reading about. As the only girl in a family of six siblings, she definitely had to learn to speak up for herself and hold her own with those boys, which she did well. Without this personality trait of hers, I’m convinced this couple may not have made it together at all. I also loved seeing her defend Willow, her best friend, against herself when it came to her lackluster relationship, telling her that she deserved a lot more than her current situation. I can really see her bringing the future significant others of the Atwood boys into the fold, and I know I’m going to love her character more for it as each new person is introduced as a love interest.

Griffin was a total contradiction to me, and I loved every bit of him! He came from a rough home life, essentially morphing into a 7th Atwood sibling as a kid, and was ultimately the “fixer” of the bunch. He was level-headed when it came to others’ issues, always being one to step up and help, but he had rage boiling just below the surface when it came to himself. I loved watching him back up Anya and her dreams for the restaurant, help Tripp out in several situations/conversations, and be pretty much the only one that could calm down Callum at various times. I also loved how the “fixer” had such a quality dirty mouth.

I love how this series continues to evolve and we get to see more and more personalities pop up of the other siblings, making me absolutely CRAVE the rest of the series!! I also can’t wait to see what everyone’s unique quirk is. With Paxton we had the Jeep ducks, with Griffin we had the funny chef tees; looking forward to seeing what other little funnies will be thrown in the mix.

While out of all the Atwood siblings/Griffin I really love Paxton and his personality, I kinda think Tripp is going to ruin me. We’ll see!

Thank you to Logan Chance for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

About the Author

Logan Chance is a USA Today and Top 20 Amazon Bestselling Author with a quick wit and penchant for the simple things in life: Star Wars, music, and smart girls who love to read. He was nominated best debut author for the Goodreads Choice Awards in 2016. His works can be classified as Dramedies (Drama+Comedies), featuring a ton of laughs and many swoon worthy, heartfelt moments.

Want to check out what else Logan is working on? Hop on over to his social media accounts using the below.

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Book Review: Archlord of Exile by Kate Stevens

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Novella

Publication Date: January 15, 2024

Rating: 4 stars

NetGalley Blurb:

For thousands of years, the Sollirians abducted children from their homeworlds to fuel their magic. 

Inez would know. She was one of them.

Like other star-maids, she was tethered to an archlord, Rylec. Unlike other star-maids, she fell for him, and he helped her escape. 

Three years later, Inez can’t forget Rylec or the other star-maids she left behind. Unable to return to Earth, she’s spent her time smuggling others out on unsuspecting intergalactic cruise ships.

Then, a sudden knock on her door shatters her world – it’s Rylec, her former archlord. Her current husband, one pesky detail she tried her best to forget.

Exiled for helping Inez flee, Rylec is determined to bring her back to Sollir. Despite how much she’s craved his touch, Inez swore she’d never be a star-maid again.

But Rylec will risk everything to claim her once and for all…

Archlord of Exile is the first installment in the Star-Marked Mates of Sollir series. Each enemies-to-lovers romance features a wicked alien lord who can’t resist his star-marked mate. While each story has a standalone romance, the series includes an overarching plot and should be read in order for maximum enjoyment.

Review:

This was everything a fantasy romance involving aliens should be! 

What I liked:

✨ Even though this was a novella, the worldbuilding and political makeup of the Sollirian society was carefully thought out and explained. I can see how it is only going to bloom more going forward, but this was a great introduction into the world, especially given only a 103 page count!

✨ I loved the way the magic system worked, especially with the mate bond only making his powers stronger while his openness allowed her to use magic as a Earthling.

✨ I loved our MCs! Not only was Rylec just complete perfection, but Inez was also pretty legit.

Rylec was a smirking devil who fought for equality and sacrificed his “normal” for his wife and child. I mean….does it get better than that?!?!?!

Inez escaped and then started a smuggling business helping those who had her horrific past also escape. That’s the kind of badass women we like to see! Women 👏🏻 supporting 👏🏻 women 👏🏻 is 👏🏻 badass.

✨ I liked that the villain was a woman. While I liked nothing about her, It was refreshing to see this, especially with some of her torture tactics being of a sexual nature. I definitely don’t think I’ve seen this before, and I enjoyed being surprised.

✨ Ummmm…..I literally cannot wait until I can request Eliaz’s book. When this is the way this book ends:

Within the day, he’d have himself a star-wife. Within a week, she’d be with child. After the baby was born, Tertia would be his and Eliaz would be free. And his star-wife? He’d have no need for her anymore. The first Archlord of Tertia never lost.  

I know two things are bound to happen:

1.      He’s going to fall first, and it’s going to be HAAAAARRRRRDDDD

2.      She is going to be a little spitfire and I’m here for it!

What could have been better:

✨ Ok, what the hell was that battle scene? There wasn’t even a battle. I’m hoping in future books, if there is another villain to come along, that the final battle scenes are more climatic.

Thank you to NetGalley, 3AM Press, and Kate Stevens for the opportunity to read this book. The opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

Check out what else Kate is working on at her social media links below.

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Book Review: Vacancy by Linda Kage

Genre: Romance, Mystery, Paranormal

Publication Date: December 13, 2023

Rating: 3.5 stars

Booksirens Blurb:

How do you rent a room from a ghost without even knowing it?

This year was supposed to be different because Oaklynn had a plan.

Stop partying.

Stay away from guys.

Focus on classes.

Graduate!

All she needed to do was find a place to stay near campus, and she’d be set. But when she finds the perfect room to rent, it brings the mysterious Damien into her life.

Her friend tries to warn her that he’s dangerous. He has secrets and darkness in his eyes. But the only danger Oaklynn can tell that he poses is to her attention. He’s all she can think about. Except, he’s hiding something, and when the truth comes out that her new roommate was murdered… a decade ago… nothing will ever be the same again.

So yeah, this year will definitely be different.

Review:

What I liked:
👻 Linda Kage always writes great characters with interconnected stories, really completing a found family well. I seriously can’t wait for the rest in this series! I’ve already fallen so hard for the 7!

👻 The steam was A+!

👻 I like how Kage always writes strong FMCs. They are all completely different in personality and experiences, but there is something about them that makes them so strong, and I love seeing this representation.

👻 I liked how Damien fell so hard so fast for Oaklynn. As someone who sounded like he had a lot of trouble opening up in relationships, I loved watching him melt for her. From their first intimate encounters where he just longed for her embrace afterwards (a woman who was supposed to be a hookup only), I knew he was a goner for “Dimples”. That’s another thing, I love how vulnerable Kage writes her MMCs. She has no problem showing the deeply emotional roots of her MMCs even when they are total alphas, which is also refreshing to see.

👻 I loved the mystery! I love a good murder mystery/paranormal book, especially if there is tons of romance in it to keep that part of my brain happy.

What could have been better:

👻 I really didn’t like Oaklynn’s best friend, Jaylani. She was kind of a terrible person and really wasn’t there during the important parts of the book. I would be happy to never have her in another book in this series. Waverly and Raina, however? They BEST end up with two of these other men!

👻 I wish that the murder mystery had taken up more of the page count. I went into this expecting them to fall in love as they worked through the murder, and it was almost like the murder was an afterthought really just transpiring in the last 15% of the book. I wish there had been less back and forth on their mutual pining and more looking into the murder, especially given their majors in journalism and psychology.

3.5 Stars! I will happily and greedily be gobbling up the rest of this series!

Thank you to Booksirens and Linda Kage for this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Idriel’s Children by Hayley Reese Chow

Hi All!

I hope everyone’s week is going well!

This week I continued reading the Odriel’s Heirs series with the second full-length book “Idriel’s Children”. If you didn’t catch my post from last week, I was provided with ALL 3 FULL-LENGTH AND 2 NOVELLA-LENGTH books in this series, including an ARC of the third book “Time’s Orphan”, by the author Hayley Reese Chow!

I’ll be reviewing one book per week until the third book’s release date of February 8, giving you all my thoughts and feelings along the way!

Before we hop to my review for this second full-length book in the series, here are the links to my reviews of book 1 and book 1.5:

Odriel’s Heirs

Burning Shadows

Genre:  Young Adult, Fantasy

Publication Date: May 1, 2022

Goodreads Blurb:

Reaping darkness, the Shadow slicked steel with judgment and danced with death…

Sixteen-year-old Aza inherited the power of shadow to rid the land of evil as Odriel’s cold-blooded assassin. With her growing strength, Aza discovers the Shadow Plane—a realm of wraiths where screams haunt the winds, calling to her. Although her father forbids her from entering the dark realm, Aza can’t ignore the beckoning whispers.

When a dangerous new breed of monster attacks, Aza believes the Shadow Plane holds the answers they need to defeat them. With the unwanted help of a snarky cat and a cursed beast, Aza seeks out the monastic Wraith-Called for answers. But the deeper Aza delves into the dark realm, the further she drifts from the world she knows.

As Aza uncovers evils new and old, she must decide if the ends really do justify the means… and how many lives she’s willing to pay.

What I liked about the book:

1. The worldbuilding continued, letting us step into a whole other dimension: the Shadow Plane  – the space between the living and the dead. From creepy creatures to an alluring voice calling our FMC, it was hard to resist the pull to the Shadow Plane as a reader as well. So much mystery and so much darkness had me rooting for Aza to learn to control her time in the Shadow Plane so we too could see what it was all about. And when we did learn about it, as well as more history about the Heirs, I loved it!

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say, some of the scenes that happened in the Shadow Plane were my favorite scenes in the entire book.

2. I thought the characters in book 1 were good, but they had NOTHING on these new characters!

Aza, our FMC, was a supreme badass! She literally came out swinging and she was just really cool (as dumb as that sounds coming from a 30-year-old woman). She understands her mission as the Shadow Heir completely, being able to separate her emotions from her logic as easy as the crow flies.

The path of the Shadow Heir was dark for more reasons than one. Sometimes, you had to take a life to save one. It set them apart from the Dragon and Time Heirs, and it was one of the reasons the Dragon Heirs never accompanied them [Klaus and Aza] on these tasks. Odriel had forged the Shadows with a different metal.

She was adventurous and inquisitive, often going against the grain and doing things her father (the other Shadow Heir) told her not to for the sake of learning and growth. Because of this, we were introduced to some fantastic side characters and the Shadow Plane you all know I love from item 1 above.

I also loved how even though she was outwardly confident, she was well aware of her reputation and responsibilities as the Shadow Heir and she didn’t want to bring anyone down with her. If she had it her way, she would never involve anyone else unless the situation was dire, in an attempt to keep everyone safe from the issues at hand and herself.

You’re Odriel’s Assassin. You’re full of harm, whether you mean it or not.

—

Aza’s smile melted away. She missed that girl she had been. Back when the shadows were just a fun trick to make Makeo laugh. Now the shadows seemed to be all she was. Just darkness lined with good intentions…fleeing the dull ache of memories long gone and the echo of her mother’s voice reciting The Heir’s Way. And forever more, the Shadow Heir only danced with death.

Also, she was SUPER protective of those loyal to her, especially Makeo. Gods, the way she defended him and got totally pissed off when people judged him unfairly was just EVERYTHING! When the book opened and I thought it was posing Witt to be the Klaus in this story and then Makeo entered the story, I thought we were going to get a love triangle situation and I was shouting “IT BEST BE MAKEO!”.  

I hate to compare, but I liked her a lot more than Kaia from book 1. She was more outwardly confident and she had more edge to her. Now, I will caveat this with we know Kaia was stoned and bullied for her gifts growing up by her peers, whereas Aza grew up in the school her parents started, where their gifts were embraced. This is likely a HUGE factor in the personality difference between two badass women.

Makeo, our MMC and a Maldibor(!), was the perfect best friend and I was rooting for him to become the perfect book boyfriend the whole time! He was stable and comforting, strong and silent without being hard and cold. He was also super astute and knew her to a freaking T!

I loved these lines of his:

Makeo: “You’re as sharp as your knives, Aza.”

Aza: “Is that a bad thing?”

Makeo: “I’ll let you know when I catch the edge.”

—

Aza: “Sometimes I’m afraid the shadows have stained me.”

Makeo: “In the face of pain and fear, a heart will raise walls to protect itself. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good heart.”

Aza: “There’s a thin line between a walled heart and a stone one. You can’t know which one it is until you see inside.”

Makeo: *whispers in her ear* “I see you, Aza Thane. And I will remind you as many times as you need to hear it. You don’t have to be alone.”

OH.MY.GODS! I LOVE HIM.

Witt was the hilarious comedic relief and he did such a good job of it! He was hilarious and knew just enough to get himself into trouble. He was also the only outwardly optimistic one in the group, which gave it a lighter tone than if it were just the other three. Without him, I could legit see myself feeling this was a dismal read. I honestly didn’t think I would even like him at the start of the book, but he slowly grew on me and wriggled his way into my heart (not past Makeo, but that says more about Makeo than Witt).

Shad was his perfect, snarky self, with a few more war wounds and an extra side of surly given his elongated servitude. I totally called that this damn cat was going to be around for all these books and I love it! Will he ever be free??? I’m dying to see his reunion with Everard and how that plays out.

Dorinar was back and was just so helpful all over again. I loved that his “assistant”/unconfirmed girlfriend, Marloa did not let him get away with ANYTHING! She put him in his place and he allowed her to, only further proving she was more than just an assistant.

Of course, we got to see our MCs from book 1, but in their capacity as parents who can still throw down.

3. This book did a good job introducing us to some of the history in this world that I wanted from book 1.

I will note, because of the background set in book 1, this book didn’t seem like there was as much history I felt we were missing. I’ve made peace with the items we don’t know (yet?) and appreciated the ground we did gain as far as history went.

4. Like the other books in this series so far, the action is phenomenally written.

5. SO MANY GOOD LINES AGAIN!

Witt Corser had been a knot in her hair since they were kids, but his innkeeper father did a lot for Catalede. A usefulness that bought him approximately two minutes of civility.

And this is when I knew this girl was my kindred spirit!

—

            Worrying brings no answers.

True, but easier said than done.

—

“Draw your line in the sand, Keo, but don’t be surprised when it washes away.”

Deep

—

In this game, a coincidence was just a riddle she had yet to solve.

As a puzzle nerd, I love this!

—

“The difference between dead and alive is one day.”

Well that puts things into perspective!

—

“When in doubt, you’re already thinking twice as much as when you were certain.”

This is something I should definitely keep in mind daily.

—

“Control your mind first, and your body will follow.”

UGGGGGH the wisdom Chow gives is soooooo good. I should invest in a lot of sticky notes so I can post all of these near my work computer.

6. Like book 1, that cover is fantastic! I love the green, I love the skull, I love the knives. It’s all just REALLY doing it for me.

What could have been better:

1. I always want MORE with these stories! Seriously, Chow could right these as 500-600 page books and I would read them!

Final Thoughts:

Such a great installment to this series! My favorite so far!

Final Rating: 4.5 stars

Want to check out what else Hayley is working on? Hop on over to her social media accounts using the below.

Goodreads | Instagram | Website

While you’re at it, let’s be antisocial together!

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Of Beast and Burden by Kelsey Kicklighter

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Young Adult

Publication Date: May 10, 2022

Rating: 3.5 promising stars!

Favorite Quote:“I’ve always loved monstrous things, even when I wasn’t supposed to.”

NetGalley Blurb:
For fans of SARAH J. MAAS, ELISE KOVA, and HOLLY BLACK comes an exciting new fantasy-romance based on Celtic lore.

A fae girl with a human heart. A Seelie Queen with a penchant for stealing mortals. And an Unseelie King who must surrender his throne. On the coast of Georgia rests a small town where faeries still take changelings. Faye lost her mother to the Folk but has spent her whole life longing for a glimpse behind the veil.

When Faye finally finds her way in, she also discovers why the dark and alluring world of the Folk has always called to her: she’s half faerie, and heiress to the Dark Court’s throne.

When the rival court steals her best friend, Faye must claim the crown to save her. That means learning how to use her glamour so she can face three deadly trials and ensuring she doesn’t fall for the dark. brooding king she’s meant to replace…or the nymph-turned-knight teaching her to fight.

Review:
This debut novel by Kelsey Kicklighter has all the elements of a promising new series!

It had elements of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland, but it also had fae!

What I liked about the book:
1. Totally not relevant to the book in any way but the title, BUT I couldn’t help but get “Beast of Burden” by The Rolling Stones stuck in my head every time I picked up this book. That’s totally fine with me given it’s one of my favorite songs by them.

2. I liked that Faye wasn’t great at everything she did and she made mistakes often. She definitely had to go through learning how to fight, how to harness her magic, hell, even how to dance properly. She also just couldn’t shake those “Thank yous” that are super dangerous in the fae world. She definitely wasn’t a Mary Sue and that was refreshing.

I also felt that she started to come into her own in this book, but I hope there is a lot more progress on that front in the next. At the beginning of the book, she was only friends with a “wild-child” named Delia because “Delia gives me permission to be as reckless as I want to be.” When she wasn’t with Delia, she appeared to live a rather reserved life, taking no chances and thinking too much to actually act without Delia’s influence. However, after Ellie was taken, she acted and thought quickly, as well as made sacrifices. Throughout the story, we saw her embrace change, accept life beyond the veil, and start to come into her own. I want this progress to continue so she can evolve into the Queen we know she can be.

3. All of the other characters had a lot of promise!

Gage – I really liked Gage. He wasn’t the typical grumpy MMC, but he definitely had his underdog/dark side. He reminded me of a mix of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast and Li Shang from Mulan which is basically my ideal man. He was stupid sexy with his smirks, grunts, and ability to wield a sword, he checked all my boxes and I love him.

Kellan – Kellan was such a hopeless flirt who you couldn’t help but feel sorry for despite some of his decisions. It was fun to read his lines and his little sexy nicknames for Faye, but ultimately, he just couldn’t hold a candle to Gage for me.

Isla – I liked that Isla definitely stuck to her guns, whether that was about which court she wanted to belong to, wanting to obtain knighthood, or following the rules of the court she was loyal to. I found her a bit boring at times, but I can’t wait for her to come into her own. Maybe in the next book?

Ellie – I loved Ellie’s spirit! I have a feeling she is going to “find” a lot of interesting things to help bring down the Seelie Court.

Soliel – She was definitely Glinda the Good Witch, if Glinda was a sadist. Can’t wait to see the evil she unveils because I know her plan is still in motion!

4. I liked that this book is from the perspective that the “monstrous” Unseelie are just misunderstood and actually way better fae than the glimmering and polished, usually seen as the “good guys” Seelie.

5. I liked the twists around her parents, Gage’s involvement in getting the throne, and how the next ruler is crowned. It definitely gave this book full of typical fae elements its own edge that I really appreciated!

6. There were some pretty great lines in this book.

“Elation and fear, strange bedfellows.”– Interesting, and true.

“No. I am having emotions, and I am going to hide until they go away again.”– I feel so seen…

“You have to be the monster’s monster.” – Well, that’s dark and definitely going to come back around at some point.

“It’s been a considerably long time since you glared at me. I was starting to miss it.”– Just one of the beautiful lines out of Gage’s mouth.

“You should never tell a queen what she cannot do.” – YESSSSS! Own that title babe!

What didn’t do it for me:
1. My biggest problem with this book was the love triangle. Typically, when we see a love triangle, I feel there is a clear winner and a clear schmo. There is one person who we are more invested in and the writer definitely writes them better than the other. They’re hotter or smarter or better in bed. Something that makes them the end goal in the little competition. However, that was not the case in this story.

Gage and Isla are the two individuals in Faye’s love triangle, and while I am bias and love Gage, there is no clear winner. They are both great and Faye seems to have about the same level of feelings for them both, which is SUPER BOTHERSOME TO ME! Either push her together with Isla and make me burn with disagreement or push her together with Gage and make me want Isla to find another Queen more her speed! Do not leave me hanging like this though!

2. Despite the love triangle, I felt the romance was more told to us that experienced by us. There were a lot of references to “when we hung out the last few days, [insert thing] happened”. I don’t want to hear about [insert thing] in passing, I want to experience [insert thing].

Because of this, I felt irrationally upset about the things that were focused on in the book, while the romance aspect was rushed over. Honestly, this is a case where the book could have been longer to accommodate this and I would have gobbled up every damn word. Please don’t leave me out of [insert thing]. Insert all the things!!!

I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley, Independent Publishers Group, The Parliament House, and Kelsey Kicklighter in exchange for my honest review. Highly recommend you check it out!