steamy

Review: Good Spirits (Ghosted #1) by B.K. Borison

~ megs14malloy

Good Spirits (Ghosted, #1)Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Good Spirits was my 1st-ever Holiday Romance novel, and I feel like it has sort of ushered me into a new era as a person who can cherish lighter reads. Who even am I?!

No one was murdered. There was no blood or gore, no haunting imagery or unsettling atmosphere, but still, I had so much fun reading it. Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air.

This story follows Harriet York and Nolan Callahan. Harriet is a people-pleaser, who tries hard to always do what is expected of her, and who has a complicated relationship with her family.

Nolan is a Ghost of Christmas Past…

Nolan’s latest assignment is Harriet, but after he meets her, he can’t understand why. She’s not his typical work assignment at all. He’s used to haunting terrible people, who need to come to certain realizations about their lives. We all remember Ebenezer Scrooge, and Harriet is no Scrooge.

As Nolan and Harriet spend time together, and get to know one another, Harriet has Nolan seeing things in a whole new light. They end up examining Harriet’s past together and through snippets of her life discover there are threads that bind them together.

I loved this. The concept, the characters, and an ending that made me feel unexpected things; it’s all a win in my book. It’s not perfect. For example, there were some repetition issues in the spicy bits, but there’s only so many ways you can describe…that.

I would have loved even more Christmas vibes as well, but yeah, I’m not mad about my 1st-Holiday Romance experience at all. Additionally, this is only my 2nd-Borison read, and I definitely need more.

The audiobook features dual narration and was amazing. I definitely recommend that format.

I know this is supposed to be some sort of series, and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next!

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Review: The Sugar Plum Rebellion by Megan Astraus

~ megs14malloy

The Sugar Plum Rebellion: An Enemies to Lovers Nutcracker Christmas RomanceThe Sugar Plum Rebellion: An Enemies to Lovers Nutcracker Christmas Romance by Megan Astraus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up **

💕💚💕💚💕💚💕💚💕💚💕

Let’s start this review out with a confession, shall we. As some of you may be aware, I’m not a big Romance Reader. I do read some, but I’m by no means well versed in the genre. For those unaware, I’m a Horror and Dark Fiction girlie, so this would seem way outside my comfort zone.

In fact, as far as Holiday Romances go, I had never read one before. I started my journey in Holiday Romances on December 8th of this year, when I decided to participate in a Holiday Romance Readathon. I committed and threw myself in all the way; as I do.

Prior to the Readathon, I checked out a bunch of books from my library, bought a few paperbacks and checked out what Netgalley had to offer.

Upon seeing this cover, that I have since learned the author, Megan Astraus, designed herself, I knew I had to have it. The ballerina, the snowglobe, the cracked glass, the PINK!

As if the cover alone wasn’t enough to sell me though, then I read the synopsis.

This story follows Clara Winters, the adopted daughter of a ballet icon, who is now an up-and-coming ballet dancer in her own right, who has just secured the Sugar Plum Fairy lead in her studio’s production of The Nutcracker.

This role is especially important to Clara, because now that she’s in her late 20s, it may be her last chance to be scouted to a premier ballet company in New York City. Which has always been her dream, right?

In fact, her Dad has pulled some strings, and confirmed scouts will be in the audience on their opening night performance, set for Christmas Eve.

Disaster strikes when Clara’s partner, the man to play the Cavalier, who will pair her in the iconic art of the Grand Pas de Deux, suffers an injury and will be unable to perform.

With under a month to go until the Christmas Eve performance, pickings are slim for someone with the classical training to perform the role. Thus, they must think outside the box.

Enter stage left, Trevor Williams, a tattooed, recovering addict, from the County Arts Program that share a building with Clara’s company. He has motivations of his own that lead him to agree to take on the role.

The pairing should be doomed for failure, but their forced proximity leads to a lot of alone time, late night rehearsals and feelings neither one of them expected.

Even with their chemistry bubbling over and their new-found trust, will the two be able to pull off the most important performance of their lives?

The Sugar Plum Rebellion is a delightful and delicious Holiday Romance debut. I had so much fun with this book. I read it so quickly. I couldn’t put it down and stayed up way past my bedtime to see it through.

I laughed out loud. I kicked my feet, squeeled and swooned. I may also have shed a tear, or two, I won’t lie about that. Clara and Trevor now live rent free in my brain.

This is essentially the movie Step Up for Romance-reading adults, which is something I never knew I needed, but now can’t believe I lived without.

I love the MC, Clara. We get the entire story from her perspective, which was refreshing, and I really vibed with her sense of humor and just the way she relayed to the Reader all that was happening.

She’s actually quite a complex character, and I liked unpacking with her a lot of the insecurities she had been holding so close to her heart for almost her entire life.

As someone who great up in dance, though my sister was the ballerina, I am always drawn to stories that incorporate dancers in some way. There’s so much of it here too. It’s not just this character is a dancer. We actually get to see the behind the scenes of her corps.

We see rehearsals and all the drama that goes into the days leading up to a performance. There was so much pressure on Clara to be perfect. She was seen as the leader, and though she took that seriously, it was overwhelming.

I loved how Astraus displayed the building of this partnership between Clara and Trevor. In a dance partnership like this, you aren’t necessarily picking your partner. It may not even be someone you know well, as was the case here, which means a lot of hard work connecting.

You’re often cast in a role, and whoever is cast in the role opposite you is who you’ll have to work with and bond with to an incredible level. They have to build up a deep sense of trust within the partnership. Particularly, if complex lifts, etc., are incorporated into a routine.

I feel like Astraus did a great job of building up that trust between the two MCs. It felt like a real working relationship. Even though in a fictional setting, with a TON of chemistry and some off the charts steam, it still felt true to life.

Astraus also delivered so well on the tension between the two of them. I was living for their back-and-forths. As well-developed as Clara was as a character, I feel like Trevor was equally well done.

I became so invested in the both of them and just loved going along for the ride of their partnership, both inside and outside of the studio. As I mentioned above, I don’t read a ton of Romance, but for me, this is one I am going to champion for a long time to come. I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for Romance to make you swoon this Holiday Season!

I’m looking forward to more from Megan Astraus!!!

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Review: Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

~ megs14malloy

Well, ActuallyWell, Actually by Mazey Eddings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eva Kitt is the host of a sarcasm-heavy, internet-based chat show called Sausage Talk, where she interviews B-List celebs while noshing on hot dogs.

While she once dreamed of a serious career in journalism, that’s not how it worked out. She’s here now and she’s trying to do her best, even though it seems like the world may sometimes be against her career advancement.

Riley Cooper is the guy who broke her heart in college. Not just broke it, shattered it and danced on the pieces. He’s also a beloved social media personality, where he hosts a show on deconstructing toxic masculinity.

After a few too many cocktails, Eva watches one of his annoyingly-successful vids, and is disgusted he gets away with peddling lies. Thus, she makes her own scathing review of Riley’s work and character; as you do. She doesn’t have that many followers on her accounts. No one is going to see it, or take it seriously.

IT GOES VIRAL…and she said some things!!

Eva finds herself raked over the coals by her bosses, but then she’s given an opportunity to redeem herself. All she has to do is reach out to Riley and interview him on her show.

Eva would rather do anything, seriously ANYTHING, but that, but with her career on the line, she’s forced into the interview, where she finds Riley as handsome and devilishly-charming as before.

When he suggests that she allow him to take her on a series of six dates to make up for the past, all of which will be followed via social media, she begrudgingly accepts. It has nothing to do with him. She’s thinking of her career here…

As the dates progress, the two begin to relate to one another in unexpected ways. Did Eva have it wrong? Is the boy that broke her heart, suddenly the man that she needs to heal it?

Y’all, Mazey Eddings is a go-to Romance author for me, and this novel is the perfect example of why. I was immediately pulled in by the humor, banter and quick, yet thorough, character development.

The set-up is so fun. I enjoy stories involving celebrities of any kind, and Rylie was definitely giving off those celeb status vibes. I also loved the concept of the 6-dates for him to redeem himself to her. Each date was unique and helped to progress their relationship.

Eva was giving off major Bobbi Althoff vibes. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but it was seriously all I could think of. She did get a little frustrating at times, Riley was definitely the star of the show for me, but I did feel like Eva’s character showed some real growth over the course of the story.

I like how Eddings always has characters that are going through some fairly serious, and common, real-life issues. I like watching people work through challenges like that, and to see them open up and receive help from others in regards to those issues.

That’s life, right? It always gives the stories a bit more of a believable feel to me. No one is perfect, no one’s life is perfect, and I like the see the messy day-to-day things pulled through into my fiction. Maybe it helps me feel not so alone, IDK.

This is also super steamy. So we have the serious life stuff, but we also have some wild, toe-curling, giggling and swooning bedroom stuff. That’s a nice mix.

I would recommend this to any Romance Reader, particularly if you have read from Eddings in the past and enjoyed. There’s so much to love within this story.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. Eddings has crush another one! Well done!

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Review: Only in Your Dreams (Oakwood Bay #1) by Ellie K. Wilde

~ megs14malloy

Only in Your Dreams: A Novel (Oakwood Bay, #1)Only in Your Dreams: A Novel by Ellie K. Wilde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Don’t be fooled by this cutesy cover, Only in Your Dreams is hot, hot, hot, and lucky me, it’s just my kind of spice!

In this book, we are following Melody Woods and Zac Porter. Melody has just returned to her hometown of Oakwood Bay, after a decade away, following a painful breakup.

She’s moved in with her twin brother, Parker, and is trying to process everything. In an effort to encourage her out of her funk, Parker has been pushing her to take his spot on an upcoming camping trip with his friends.

To be fair, some of them used to be Melody’s friends, including Zac, Parker’s best friend, and the boy who broke her heart 10-years ago. Whatever. She’s so disconnected with all things Oakwood Bay at this point.

Parker’s best friend, Zac, a college football coach, is reeling Melody is back in town. He messed things up with her 10-years ago, and has never truly forgiven himself for it.

When she shows up at the campsite in Parker’s place, he can hardly believe it. Maybe this is his chance to win her back?

But with Melody focused on getting back on her feet and returning to the city, and with Zac stressing over his team’s lack of wins, will he be able to put the proper time into winning back Melody’s affections?

Adding complication to the matter, they have to keep any sort of relationship they have a total secret from Melody’s brother, Parker, who Zac knows would flip his top if he thought they were getting involved.

There were so many aspects of this that I absolutely adored. I loved the small town feel and all the characters that we got to meet over the course of the story. I’m excited to find out what other characters we’re going to follow in this series of companion novels. There’s so many options!

The chemistry between Melody and Zac was off the charts. I loved the banter, and getting both perspectives, to know what they were thinking along the way, was so fun. I know Wilde will be delivering more of that in the next books.

I’ve never actually read a Sports Romance before. Football is my sport and apparently, this is the Romance I didn’t know I needed; following a College Football Coach?

Yes, please!!!

I really appreciated that too. That we were following the coaching staff, as opposed to the players. There’s nothing wrong, of course, with following the players, it’s just when you think of a coaching staff, and the men and women in those positions, they are usually people who are of a certain age, or maturity level.

Zac is DEFINITELY young for a head coach, but it’s a smaller school and he’s a local guy, so that does make sense. Zac did have a maturity level about him though that was respectable. Particularly, in regards to how focused he was on making Melody know how special, and loved, she was.

This does explore some emotional abuse and gaslighting from Melody’s previous relationship, and I felt that was handled fairly well. She was definitely on a journey, and I liked that it took her some time to process it all, as opposed to just hanging out with another guy and being over it.

Overall, I had an absolute blast with this one. Look, we all have our things. Romance, particularly Steamy Romance is very subjective. We all have our likes, dislikes, turn-ons and offs, and yeah, let’s be honest, kinks.

Read this if you are into Alpha Male Energy: protective, yet supportive, tats, and aggressive dirty talk. Don’t read if you don’t like these things, cause there’s a lot of them.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I have a copy of the next book, Only Between Us, and I’m hoping to pick it up soon!

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Review: Fan Service by Rosie Danan

~ megs14malloy

Fan ServiceFan Service by Rosie Danan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Fan Service is a light Paranormal Contemporary Romance novel from Rosie Danan. I really enjoyed Danan’s last novel, Do Your Worst, so was excited to check this one out.

In this story, we’re following Alex Lawson and Devin Ashwood through alternating perspectives.

Devin is an actor who starred in a CW-style werewolf television series, The Arcane Files. Alex is the girl who created and moderated the largest fan forum for the show.

We find out early on that the two actually met at a Con years before the start of our novel. Unfortunately, for Alex, the old adage ‘never meet your heroes’ turned out to be true. She overheard Devin making nasty comments about her and the costume she made; crushing for a teen.

Even years later, even as she’s internet famous for knowing everything there is to know about TAF, Alex holds a secret-disdain for its most famous star, Devin freaking-Ashwood.

Ever since the show went off the air, Devin has found his life in a steadily downward spiral. The morning he wakes up naked in the woods with the no memory of the night before though, that may be rock bottom.

The recollections he does have, not to mention the witness reports, are disturbing. Like claws, fangs and howling. Certainly, the full moon was a coincidence, but maybe it’s not. Is Devin literally turning into a werewolf?

Desperate for answers, Devin seeks out the one person who seems to know all there is to know about werewolves, at least the ones portrayed in The Arcane Files, the moderator of the popular fan forum.

Thus, Alex and Devin’s paths cross again. This time they’re on more equal ground though, and in fact, Alex may have the advantage. Devin doesn’t remember her, and she can play this any way she wants.

Ultimately, Devin pleading for help, makes Alex an offer she can’t refuse and the two begin working together to figure this thing out. Before you know it, walls are coming down and an animal attraction is growing strong.

Fan Service is a great read. I enjoyed a lot of aspects of the story. It’s an understandable romance, with a ton of solid character work, but it was a little too drawn out for my tastes, I have to admit.

While I enjoyed learning about both of our main characters, I feel like I almost learned too much about them. Hahaha, is that even a thing?

IDK, but it is the feeling I walked away with.

I’m not sure what specifically I would have cut out of it, but yeahhh, I just feel like all the details started to weigh the story down a bit. It sucked some of the fun out of it for me.

Nevertheless, it had a lot of positives, not least of which was the lovely conclusion. I also thought the steamy bits were great; definitely my kind of kink, and I appreciated the work the author put into Alex and Devin.

Trust, they were FULLY developed.

The more I think about it, the more I think I should round this rating up — LOL. Don’t be surprised if you see that little tick up at some point in the future.

I did love the banter between the two and Devin’s thoughts, in particular, cracked me up. It was definitely a slower build, but also still full of enjoyable content.

I would definitely recommend this one to Readers who enjoy some steam and werewolves. Also, solid fandom vibes for those, like myself, who love that type of thing in a story.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m definitely excited to keep picking up more from this author!

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Review: The Witch Collector (Witch Walker #1) by Charissa Weaks

~ megs14malloy

The Witch Collector (Witch Walker, #1)The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

8-years ago, Raina Bloodgood, lost her sister when the Witch Collector came to their village and took her to deliver to the Frost King, with whom she has lived ever since.

Raina has been left plotting revenge against the individuals who tore apart her family. Now with the Harvest Moon approaching, Raina is ready to exact that revenge.

Unfortunately, events do not go as planned and Raina ends up more alone than ever after a new threat burns her village to the ground.

Now she’s left to team up with the one person she was dead-set on ending, Alexus Thibault, the Witch Collector. As it turns out, Alexus may be her best chance of, well, surviving, but also, of being reunited with her sister.

Thrust into new battles she never expected, Raina also finds her heart veering in directions she never expected, like straight towards Alexus. Has her villain become her hero?

Okay. I see you, Charissa Weaks. You have my attention and I’m willing to continue with the Witch Walker series to see what else you have in store for us.

For me personally, this wasn’t the most solid start to a series. I felt like the pacing was a little off, causing my attention to wax and wane. Also, I have lingering questions. However, I’m still intrigued enough to continue.

I feel like it’s possibly one of those cases where the further you get, the more deeply invested you become. I did enjoy the initial world-building, as well as the characters, and I’m interested in learning more about those aspects.

If I want to do it though, I need to move stat, otherwise, I can easily see myself forgetting a lot of these details. Each day that passes, more info is slipping out of my brain. I need to get this 2nd-book ASAP.

I think though, if the 2nd-book is rated the same for me, I may quit while I’m ahead. There are so many great series out there, I don’t want to waste too much time with one that would end up being just mediocre for me.

With this being said, I am going to go in with a positive mindset though, because I do feel like the more time I spend with these characters, the more I am going to grow to care about them. Onward and upward!!

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Review: Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson

~ megs14malloy

Under Loch and KeyUnder Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Keyanna MacKay was raised in the United States by her single-Scottish father. Her Dad was tight-lipped and didn’t share a lot about his past, family, or where he came from.

One of his final wishes before passing was for Key to bring him home, to the country he left decades before. Thus, with this wish weighing heavy on her heart, Key decides she must make it happen, no matter the cost.

Her only real info is the name of the area in Scotland he is from, as well as her estranged Grandmother’s name; a Grandmother she’s never met.

Even though she’s scared and it may blow up in her face, Key is still determined to find out where her Dad came from and return him there. Maybe it will help fill the void in her heart he’s left behind. Unmoored by his passing, this could be exactly what Key needs to help her move forward.

What she doesn’t expect is the run-in she has on her very first day with the handsome, Lachlan Greer, who stops Key from tumbling down the slippery rocks of a loch-side cliff.

Lachlan has answers of his own he’s searching for, and Key may be just that, the ‘key’ to finding them. That’ll only be possible though if the two can stop fighting long enough to work together.

The longer the pair spend together, the more buried secrets come to light and that’s when the real magic happens.

I’ve read a lot of cryptid-focused stories in my life, but certainly nothing like this. I’m in all new territory here and I had such a fun time taking it all in.

While I can recognize that this isn’t a perfect book, and for more experienced Romance Readers, maybe it’s not great, IDK. For me though, I gotta give props to Lana Ferguson for creating likable characters, a unique plot, as well as hard-hitting, emotional moments.

I loved both of the MCs, particularly Key and the journey she was on to find a sense of place after the passing of her father. That hit me hard and I respected the hell out of the risks she took in making that trip. It was a big deal.

I was also surprised and pleased by the direction the romance went in. I’m not sure if all of this author’s works are a bit fantastical like this one, but I’m definitely interested in picking up more. This was just so cute.

Admittedly, the steamy bits weren’t 100% to my tastes, but I was willing to overlook some moments that made me cringe due to all the moments that made me swoon. The banter between Key and Lachlan made it worth it.

I also liked that the author included a bit of a mystery that the two have to work together to solve. I thought that was a nice touch, instead of focusing solely on romance.

Additionally, I adored the setting and the side characters. The audiobook featured dual narration that was a perfect match for how I pictured Key and Lachlan. I absolutely recommend that format.

Overall, I found this to be a pleasant surprise. It’s much more than just a gorgeous cover.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m excited to pick up more from Lana Ferguson!

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Review: Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #1) by Laura Thalassa

~ megs14malloy

Pestilence (The Four Horsemen, #1)Pestilence by Laura Thalassa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Recently, I read Kaylie Smith’s popular dark-Romantasy novel, Phantasma, which I consider my first ‘real’ Romantasy experience.

I had so, so much fun reading it that I thought I had entered my Romantasy era, so I rushed out, and as you do, ended up purchasing like 16-books within that genre, including this ENTIRE series.

Pestilence was the first book I decided to pick up after that little **cough, cough** haul, and now I feel like I’m over my Romantasy era. I’m sort of kidding, but also, am I?

This book was interesting and for the most part, it kept me engaged, but it also began to feel quite repetitive over the course of the story.

This was published in 2018 and I’m sure for long-time Romantasy Lovers, this is old hat, and maybe the substance and style have evolved over the years. There wasn’t anything wrong with this really, it just failed to ever truly capture my full heart, although I will admit to being quite entertained.

I liked that the romance takes places in an apocalyptic setting, as that was certainly something I hadn’t read before, and I also liked how Pestilence wasn’t quite of our world.

Sara, as the MC, was likable as well. I liked her pluck and attitude. It was enjoyable being in her head, because she had a dry delivery and way of looking at the world, often snarky, which I personally enjoy.

A smaller gripe would be, Pestilence is sort of a long name to use to refer to someone all the time. I was constantly wishing she would just give him a nickname. My vote was for Pest, but the name thing didn’t ultimately get addressed until way too far into the story.

With this being said, I did enjoy how this concluded. I was confused the whole time how the author was gonna wrap it up, but she did succeed in that regard, and I’m intrigued enough to definitely continue on with the series.

Even though it’s slightly ridiculous, I’m still somehow enamored by it. Thalassa obviously knows what she’s doing, as she succeeded in making a fan out of me.

Bring on War, I’m ready for him!!!

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Review: Phantasma (Wicked Games #1) by Kaylie Smith

~ megs14malloy

Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

What the!? Am I a Romantasy Girlie now?!?!

I am shocked, awed and quite pleased at how compelling I found Phantasma to be. I just read it to see what all the hype was about, and you know what, I get it.

This is my first real foray into the Romantasy genre, which seems to have taken the world by storm. I’m not a huge Romance Reader overall, but I do dip my toe into the pool every now and again. I feel like the other elements of this, though, are what made it a true winner for me.

By that I am referring to the creative competition and wicked gothic atmosphere. Atmosphere is my number one want out of any story and I feel like Smith nailed that here.

If you aren’t aware, this story is set in a sort of alternative New Orleans where paranormal creatures and occurrences aren’t outside of the realm of possibility.

We follow our MC, Ophelia Grimm, after the unexpected death of her mother, a necromancer whose magic she’s now inherited. Ophelia is left with her younger sister, Genevieve, as her only family. They reside in the Grimm family home, which they discover they are close to losing due to their mother’s unresolved debts.

Genevieve believes she has the solution to their problems as she enters a traveling competition known as Phantasma. The grand prize is a wish granted; she could wish for enough money to settle their debts.

The kicker is that most contestants don’t make it out alive. By the time Ophelia discovers Genevieve’s plans, it’s too late. Her sister has already entered the game. Now Ophelia must get in as well and find her sister before it’s too late.

Phantasma is a cursed manor where the contestants must reside while they compete. Think Paranormal Big Brother. Ophelia is allowed in, but will she be able to make it out?

Phantasma is made up of nine levels, each containing its own unique challenge in which the contestants compete. If Ophelia is to have a hope of finding her sister she must successfully complete each level, but dangers lay in wait around every turn of the haunted hallways.

When a charming stranger, Blackwell, assures Ophelia he can help and guide her through the levels, she knows she shouldn’t trust him, but what other choice does she have?

As a being tied within Phantasma, Blackwell should know its ins-and-outs better than anyone. She’s willing to take the risk in order to save Genevieve, and the burning attraction doesn’t hurt matters either. As the two grow closer, Ophelia has to fight to remain focused on her task. Blackwell is quite the distraction.

I found Smith’s writing so easy to read. I would find myself getting swept away into the story every time I picked it up. It was so easy to picture everything she was describing.

I loved how quickly we got to the meat of the story, with Ophelia entering Phantasma fairly quickly. I had so much fun following her journey through the competition and felt the danger increase with each passing level.

The fact that the contestants all lived together and entered each level together made for a lot of dramatic interactions amongst them. It did have a Hunger Games sort of vibe in that, in order to win, you needed others to lose.

I would say the competition, and the setting of the competition, were probably my favorite things about this novel. I did find all of that so fascinating, but I did also enjoy both Ophelia and Blackwell as characters.

There’s obviously some insta-attraction between the two, but I liked how it did take some time to build up trust. It was enjoyable to watch them learn to work together; that didn’t happen instantaneously. There was also some light pining and a bit of back and forth that kept me glued to the pages.

In the end, I would say I fell for them, the idea of them, and what they could provide for one another. The steamy bits were just an added bonus.

I’m so glad that I stepped outside my comfort zone for this one. I’m looking forward to the 2nd-book, and to continue on in my new Romantasy Girl era!

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Review: Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura

~ megs14malloy

Raiders of the Lost HeartRaiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, this Adult Romance was way more ewww than awww for me. As in, complete cringefest.

I am sooooo glad it’s over!!!

Let’s start with what I liked. The cover is adorable. It immediately made me what to pick this one up. I love the colors and how cute both of the characters look. It’s also giving strong adventure vibes.

I also enjoyed the very beginning of this story. I appreciated how quickly it kicked off. The author didn’t waste any time with filler stuff. We’re immediately swept away with Corrie as she’s pulled into an expedition in Mexico.

Also, I do tend to really enjoy the academic rivals-to-lovers trope and it seemed obvious that’s where this was going, which I was excited to see play out.

Very sadly, this is where my likes end. I won’t give you the full list of dislikes. I’m not here to be salty looking to turn anyone off from giving this book a shot, but I do like to keep it real with my personal reading experiences in my reviews.

After the successful set-up, nothing really happens. I was waiting for something to happen, something more than pointless bickering between our mains. Then they started hooking up and I WISHED WITH ALL MY HEART we could go back to nothing happening.

The steamy bits are soooo not to my tastes. I was legit yelling, ewwwwwww, at my audiobook and I’m not even joking. I wish I was. Descriptors like ‘lapping’ — just don’t and I def don’t want to hear about smooth, VEINY skin.

Before y’all come at me, it wasn’t just the steamy bits though, although that was huge part of it. I also hated both of the main characters.

Corrie was so annoying and I was beyond sick of hearing about how hot her body was and what horrible problems that caused for her. Her stunningly jaw-dropping double-Ds and taut ass had plagued her her whole life. Poor thing.

Ford was a jerk, who would fly off the handle over nothing and I detested the way they interacted with one another, both when they were fighting and then when they were all over each other. It was completely cringe. There’s honestly not a better way to describe it.

Uneventful, lackluster, boring, icky and disappointing. Clearly, not a new favorite, but alas, I am moving on and will wrap this up with the same thing I say every time I write a not so positive review:

Just because this didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. There’s a Reader for every book and book for every Reader. If this sounds good to you, check it out. If you love it, please come back and tell me how wrong I am!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I never give up on an author after one try, so would consider picking up more from Segura.

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