Tag: book review

Mage Academy Monsters, Magic and Mistletoe, Oh My — The Alchemist and an Amaretto by Annette Marie {ARC Book Review}

Leave a comment

The Alchemist and an Amaretto by Annette MarieTitle: The Alchemist and an Amaretto (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #5)
Author: Annette Marie
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Release Date: October 11th, 2019
Standalone/Series: Series
Genre: New Adult – Urban Fantasy

CHECK IT OUT ON GOODREADS

My rating in stars: 5 stars
My rating in words: NEW ALL-TIME FAVORITE

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

As a guild bartender, I can handle pretty much anything—mages, sorcerers, witches, the occasional demon. But show me anything family-related and I’d rather run for the hills. It doesn’t even have to be my family.

So I have no idea why I thought spending the holidays with Aaron’s mom and pop was a good idea.

Meeting his famous parents is already terrifying enough, but I’ve got a bigger problem. Students of his family’s renowned mage academy are being attacked on the grounds—and somehow no one has seen a single assailant? Unexplained tracks litter the nearby woods, rumors of forbidden alchemy are circulating the campus…and Ezra has been acting strangely since we arrived.

Something deadly is brewing in the shadow of Sinclair Academy, and the longer we take to uncover it, the more dangerous it becomes. But no matter the risk, we’ll protect the students.

And Aaron’s parents too, I suppose. If we have to.

—

THE GUILD CODEX

Spellbound Series:
Three Mages and a Margarita (#1)
Dark Arts and a Daiquiri (#2)
Two Witches and a Whiskey (#3)
Demon Magic and a Martini (#4)
The Alchemist and an Amaretto (#5)
Druid Vices and a Vodka (#6)

Demonized Series:
Taming Demons for Beginners (#1)
Slaying Monsters for the Feeble (#2)

Continue reading →

In The Mood For Pen Pal Romance or Enemies-to-Lovers? — Dear Aaron and From Lukov With Love by Mariana Zapata {Mini Book Reviews}

4 Comments

Santos series by Mariana Zapata review

And the romance binge continues!

Though I’m usually a fantasy kind of girl, for the past few weeks I’ve been binging romance books like crazy. And in the midst of this romance binge, I discovered a new-to-me author called Mariana Zapata. An author who’s apparently known for her slow-burn romances. HELLO, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE? It only got better when I discovered one of her books featured a pen pal romance and another an enemies-to-lovers trope. I can’t help it, I am drawn to those tropes like crazy so obviously I immediately purchased them, listened to both of them on audiobook and had some thoughts, so please check out my mini reviews below!

Continue reading →

3 Romance Books For Your Summer Reading List – The Unhoneymooners, The Flatshare & The Bride Test {Mini Book Reviews}

26 Comments

3 romance books for your 2019 summer reading list

Hi everybody! Last month I was in a romance novel mood, so I binged on a few recent romance releases and what do you know, I liked them all and had enough feelings to write reviews again for the first time in forever. All of these felt very summery to me, like the perfect read whether you’re lying on the beach and enjoying the sun or keeping it cool and chilling at home in the AC!

Here we go, I present to you 3 mini book reviews:

Continue reading →

Blog Tour: If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann {ARC Review & Give-Away}

4 Comments

IfItMakesYouHappyTourBanner-2

Hi everyone, and welcome to my stop for the If It Makes You Happy Blog Tour!

As a huge fan of Claire Kann’s Let’s Talk About Love, I was beyond thrilled to have been chosen as a host for the Xpresso Reads Blog Tour for her new book If It Makes You Happy, and to receive an advance copy to read and review. So please check out my (spoiler-free) review below and if I managed to convince you, then please enter the international give-away to win a print copy of the book for yourself!

Note: Check out the other stops on this blog tour here.

Continue reading →

Blog Tour: Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen {ARC Review & Give-Away}

5 Comments

FakeItTillYouBreakItTourBanner

Hi everyone, and welcome to my stop for the Fake It Till You Break It Blog Tour!

As a huge supporter of the enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes, I fell in love with Fake It Till You Break iIt as soon as I heard about it. I needed to get my hands on it ASAP and luckily for me I was chosen as a host for the Xpresso Reads Blog Tour and received an advance copy to read and review.

So please check out my (spoiler-free) review below and if I managed to convince you, then please enter the international give-away to win a print copy of the book for yourself!

Note: Check out the other stops on this blog tour here.

Continue reading →

Blog Tour: Going Off Script by Jen Wilde {ARC Review & Give-Away}

5 Comments

GoingOffScriptTourBanner

Hi everyone, and welcome to my stop for the Going Off Script Blog Tour!

As a big fan of Jen Wilde’s previous novel, Queens of Geek, obviously Going Off Script has been on my TBR from the moment it has been announced. And I’ve been so lucky to have been chosen as a host for the Xpresso Reads Blog Tour and to receive an advance copy to read and review. So please check out my (spoiler-free) review below and if I managed to convince you, then please enter the international give-away to win a print copy of the book for yourself!

Note: Check out the other stops on this blog tour here.

Continue reading →

Laugh-Out-Loud Humor With Lots of Heart — Two Witches and a Whiskey by Annette Marie {ARC Review}

Leave a comment

GCS3 Two Witches and a Whiskey- AnnetteMarie GRTitle: Two Witches and a Whiskey (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #3)
Author: Annette Marie
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Release Date: February 8th, 2019
Standalone/Series: Series 06
Genre: New Adult – Urban Fantasy

CHECK IT OUT ON GOODREADS

My rating in stars: 4,5 stars
My rating in words: Loved it!

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

Three months ago, I landed a job as a bartender. But not at a bar—at a guild. Yeah, the magic kind.

I’m not a badass mage like my three smokin’ hot best friends. I’m not a sorcerer or an alchemist, or even a wussy witch. I’m just a human, slinging drinks like a pro and keeping my non-magical nose out of mythic business. Seriously, I know my limits.

So why am I currently standing in a black-magic ritual circle across from a fae lord?

Somewhere behind me, my three mage friends are battling for their lives. Somewhere near my feet is the rogue witch I just knocked out with a stolen spell. And I have about five seconds to convince this very angry sea god not to shmoosh me like a bug.

I’m pretty sure this wasn’t part of the job description.

—
Note: The three mages are definitely sexy, but this series isn’t a reverse harem. It’s 100% fun, sassy, fast-paced urban fantasy.

—
THE GUILD CODEX: SPELLBOUND
Three Mages and a Margarita (#1)
Dark Arts and a Daiquiri (#2)
Two Witches and a Whiskey (#3)
Demon Magic and a Martini (#4) Continue reading →

Sweet & Steamy Gender-Swapped Pretty Woman — The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang {Book Review}

5 Comments

The Kiss Quotient by Helen HoangTitle: The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 5th, 2018
Standalone/Series: Standalone
Genre: Adult – Contemporary – Romance

CHECK IT OUT ON GOODREADS

My rating in stars: 4 stars
My rating in words: Loved it!

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there’s not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases — a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice — with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan — from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he’s making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…
Continue reading →

More Humor, More Worldbuilding & More Intriguing Characters Equals More Fangirling From Me — Dark Arts and a Daiquiri by Annette Marie {ARC Book Review}

9 Comments

Dark Arts and a Daiquiri by Annette MarieTitle: Dark Arts and a Daiquiri (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #2)
Author: Annette Marie
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Release Date: November 16th, 2018
Standalone/Series: Series 
Genre: New Adult – Urban Fantasy

CHECK IT OUT ON GOODREADS

My rating in stars: 5 stars
My rating in words: Loved it, new all-time favorite!

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

When I found myself facing down the scariest black-magic felon in the city, practically daring him to abduct me, I had to wonder exactly how I ended up here.

It all started when I accidentally landed a job as a bartender—but not at a bar. At a guild, populated by mages, sorcerers, alchemists, witches, and psychics. Good thing this lame-o human is adaptable, right?

Then my favorite guild members—three sexy, powerful, and intermittently charming mages—asked for my help. Did they want access to my encyclopedic knowledge of cocktails? Oh no. They wanted to wrap me up in a pretty ribbon and plunk me in the crosshairs of a murderous rogue to lure him out of hiding.

So that’s what we did. And that’s why I’m here. About to be kidnapped. Oh, and our grand plan for safely capturing said murderous rogue? Yeah, that completely fell apart about two minutes ago.

Why did I agree to this again?

—
Note: The three mages are definitely sexy, but this series isn’t a reverse harem. It’s 100% fun, sassy, fast-paced urban fantasy.

Tori has no problem getting herself into trouble in every book in the Guild Codex series, but each one is a complete adventure—no cliffhanger endings.

Continue reading →

Blog Tour: Three Mages And A Margarita by Annette Marie {Book Review & Giveaway}

11 Comments

ThreeMagesAndAMargaritaTourBanner

Hi everyone, and welcome to my stop for the Three Mages And A Margarita Blog Tour!

I have been a huge Annette Marie fangirl ever since I picked up and fell head over heels in love with her Red Winter trilogy (check out my post on Ten Reasons Why Red Winter Is THE Hidden Gem YA Fantasy Series). I quickly devoured her other series: Steel and Stone and The Night Realm and loved them all just as much. Naturally, when I got accepted to be an Xpresso Blog Tour Host for Annette Marie’s newest fantasy book, I was ECSTATIC! Yes, give me all the Annette Marie books please, and I will gladly talk about them all!

So without further ado, please scroll down to see my review and thoughts on Three Mages And A Margarita, as well as the fun tour-wide giveaway!

Notes:
I received an advanced reading copy through Xpresso Book Tours. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Check out the other stops on this blog tour here.

Continue reading →