Review: Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Born of Blood and Ash

Jennifer L. Armentrout

(Flesh and Fire #4)

Publication Date: August 13, 2024

Hardcover, 770 pages, Blue Box Press

Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Goodreads

 

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the thrilling conclusion to her beloved Flesh and Fire series…

 

The line between love and obsession has never been wider.

 

While Sera is finally free of Kolis and back with those she loves, not everything is calm. Memories of all she’s endured still haunt her, but Sera finally has hope for a future with the other half of her heart and soul. Nyktos desires, loves, and accepts every part of her—even the monstrous bits she still battles.

 

More than ever, Sera and Ash have everything under the realms to fight for, and Nyktos has no doubt Sera is fit to be the Queen of the Gods. But she must find that faith within herself if they hope to convince the other Courts to support them against Kolis and make Iliseeum and the mortal realm better, safer places for all.

 

But as Sera begins to piece together the importance of her bloodline and the true meaning behind the foreboding prophecy, it becomes clear that everything that has happened and is yet to come is much bigger than Kolis and his dark obsessions.

 

They cannot help but wonder exactly how much influence the Fates have had and what their ultimate goal is. What Sera does know for sure is that they can trust very few—including her.

 

A battle between the gods is brewing, and heartbreaking losses are imminent with the true Primal of Death strengthening. With a family of the heart willing to battle by their side, can Sera and Nyktos stop Kolis before he destroys the realms, or will it all disappear in a fiery inferno of blood and ash?

 

And the line between justice and vengeance has never been so thin.

My Review

Spoiler warning: This is the 4th book in a spinoff series. There won't be any major spoilers if you're familiar with the FBAA world, but there might be a few.

This one managed to surprise me. Not because I don't normally like JLA's books (I actually love them and own too many), but because I'm more of a Kieran/Poppy/Cas girly than a Sera/Nyktos girly. I've historically had a tougher time with the Flesh & Fire books simply because my main trio isn't involved. But honestly Born of Blood and Ash was great! All of the storylines for both series have really started forming and coming together.

  Sera has just become a baby primal in this one and is dealing with some traumatic events from previous books. But she's being her badass self through it all. I found her reluctance to talk to others relatable. Nyktos/Ash was also badass. He was sweet too. And all the side characters always make me smile. And yes, that includes Callum. The other three major villains aren't smile worthy though. Kolis is a very bad primal. He needs a timeout. 🤭

 Everything in this last book just flowed so smoothly with only a bit of a rush in the last 100 pages. I was certainly never bored despite it being a 720-page brick. I do recommend finding a recap somewhere though if you haven't done a reread lately. Like the Visions of Flesh and Blood chapters. Recaps definitely helped me appreciate the story more.

 Overall, I'm gonna miss baby Reaver and Jadis. And all the messiness Attes manages to find his way into. I can't believe there are only two more planned books left in this main series. It hurts. I may not survive when it officially ends.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: A Fate Inked in Blood

A Fate Inked in Blood

Danielle L. Jensen

(Saga of the Unfated #1)

Publication Date: February 27, 2024

Hardcover, 432 pages, Del Rey

Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Goodreads

 

A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.

Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.

My Review

Do you miss shows like Vikings or The Last Kingdom? Are you craving magical worldbuilding with battle axes, shields, and mischievous gods? Then pick up A Fate Inked in Blood.

A Fate Inked in Blood starts out a bit slow, as it's setting up the main character, Freya's, bleak life as a fishmonger's wife. And boy, is it depressing. But the story picks up pretty quickly when the jarl come to mess things up and expose all of Freya's secrets. And of course, that's when she meets Bjorn, the fire axe wielding son of the jarl.

 Freya is a complicated character. She wants to be a warrior, but she's forced into terrible positions by the men around her due to her loyal nature and desire to protect her undeserving family members. Bjorn, meanwhile, is secretive, but suave. He's got that Hawke/Rhysand personality, but he's a tad more patient; he waits to see how things work out before acting on anything. It was quite frustrating when you are constantly hoping he'll come in and save Freya from all of the terrible situations she's put in. But, he just bides his time. His power is pretty cool, though. I want a fire axe. Freya's shield power is cool too, but it's still a bit of a mystery how her power plays into the king-making prophecy, though I do have some theories for book two.

The side characters in this story don't have a ton of dimension to really make them stand out. Snorri is the corrupt jarl. Ylva is the evil, jealous stepmother type. And Geir is the worthless brother. Everyone else is barely in the story enough to really care about them, which is fine. It's a fantasy romance story, so that makes sense.

As for the worldbuilding itself, while Jensen used existing Norse gods and concepts, like Thor, Loki, and Valhalla, I think it could've been relatively easy for her to not use them at all and create her own god system. I would have preferred that, honestly. It was a little jarring seeing Thor mentioned midway through the story. I do love the idea of having people blessed with powers given to them by the gods, though. It's really interesting to learn about the different abilities. And the action that results from those powers is intense too. I hope it gets even more ramped up in the sequel.

All in all, if you like books like Adrienne Young's Sky in the Deep, Jennifer L. Armentrout's Fall of Ruin and Wrath or From Blood and Ash, or Tricia Levenseller's Warrior of the Wild, then A Fate Inked in Blood is the book for you. There's a solid hate to semi-friends to lovers storyline mixed with forbidden lovers and a very chaotic ending. I'm super excited to see what happens next.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: Calamity by Constance Fay

Calamity

Constance Fay

(Uncharted Hearts #1)

Publication Date: November 14, 2023

Paperback, 320 pages, Bramble

Genres: Adult, Sci-Fi, Romance

Goodreads

Bramble's inaugural debut is equal parts steamy interstellar romance and sci-fi adventure, perfect for fans of Firefly and Ilona Andrews.

 

She’s got a ramshackle spaceship, a misfit crew, and a big problem with its sexy newest member…

 

Temperance Reed, banished from the wealthy and dangerous Fifteen Families, just wants to keep her crew together after their feckless captain ran off with the intern. But she’s drowning in debt and revolutionary new engine technology is about to make her beloved ship obsolete.

 

Enter Arcadio Escajeda. Second child of the terrifying Escajeda Family, he’s the thorn in Temper’s side as they’re sent off on a scouting mission on the backwater desert planet of Herschel 2. They throw sparks every time they meet but Temper’s suspicions of his ulterior motives only serve to fuel the flames between them.

 

Despite volcanic eruptions, secret cultists, and deadly galactic fighters, the greatest threat on this mission may be to Temper’s heart.

My Review

Constance Fay's Calamity is a good book for fans of Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman's Starbound trilogy as well as some of the cheesier Sy-Fy space television shows that are addicting but ridiculous at the same time. Unfortunately, Calamity for me was a bit of a miss, but I could see some people having fun with it, especially for readers who like lighter romances with a decent amount of worldbuilding.

So the main character, Temperance Reed, has been kicked out of her rich family and is now the captain of a ship. Her and her crew take on an odd job involving another rich family, and one of the sons of said family, Arcadio, tags along for the trip. Temperance's personality wasn't super mature. Her inner dialogue and even conversations with other characters just weren't funny. The banter was really juvenile, in my opinion. And I feel like that's what the story and the romance was leaning on: being a light-hearted, funny, space romance. Honestly, it was just kind of weird and awkward. Arcadio also never really got a chance to move beyond "hot solder" designation. The supposedly "romantic" and "sexy" scenes did not hit.

The action for this story was decent. The conflict between the main characters and the cult group and another evil rich family was intriguing, but it didn't make up for the lackluster chemistry between the two leads. There was no real tension between the two; it was a bit insta-lovey/lusty. With some cheesiness thrown in. Some of the descriptions towards the end were also a little hard to follow. The writing got a little clunky.

Overall, Calamity didn't hit like I thought it would. I expected worldbuilding on the scale of The Expanse with a romance story similar to ACOTAR or FBAA, as this is published by a sci-fi/fantasy romance imprint. I think my expectations were too high. However, don't let that stop you from reading it. It could be a nice palette cleanser between heavier romantasy stories.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

Lex Croucher

Publication Date: November 28, 2023

Hardcover, 416 pages, Wednesday Books

Genres: YA, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

Goodreads

Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.

 

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

 

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

 

 Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher's Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

My Review

If you're missing the fun of BBC's Merlin show or want a book similar to Alexis Hall's writing style, then Gwen & Art Are Not in Love might just be for you. It has some hilarious and disaster characters, along with some crazy situations with a bunch of young people just trying to find love. It's a lighthearted historical fiction comedy with romance and sword fighting thrown in.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love follows two POV characters, Gwen, the current king's daughter, and Arthur, a descendant of King Arthur with none of his capabilities. Against their wishes, the two are engaged, even though Gwen likes a certain female knight and Arthur is very into men. So, they agree to make each others' lives easier and keep their secrets. What's entertaining after that is watching them become enemies to allies to sort-of friends. Both characters are complete messes.

I will say that in addition to the two protagonists, the other side characters, such as Bridget Leclair, the knight, and Arthur's friend, Sid, all are pretty flushed out characters. Bridget reminds me of Brienne of Tarth in personality, not appearance, which was very fun to read. However, I don't think the members of the royal family truly got a lot of development. I would've liked to have seen more, especially from Gabriel, Gwen's brother, and the king and queen. They felt a bit like afterthoughts at times.

Now, though I did enjoy this book, it took some time to get into. I think I had to get about 15% into the story before I truly immersed myself into the world, especially since I thought this was going to be an actual King Arthur retelling, just with gay characters, and instead it ended up having very little relevance to King Arthur at all. Honestly, that whole plot point could have been taken out. But anyway, I guess I should have read the description more closely. The plot overall, is very fun, though. Gwen and Art are trying to figure themselves out while fitting in some romance, and it's a wild ride. But the ending. I was not expecting the action that happened. Just when you think you're in a fluffy historical fiction book, BAM! Everything goes crazy! My eyes were glued to my Kindle.

All in all, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is simply a cute, entertaining read. It will give you all the feels and make you wish to live in an age of knights and princesses. Just don't go into it thinking you're getting the actual tale of King Arthur, and you'll be all set for a quick, cheery read.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: The Fall of the Orc by Finley Fenn

The Fall of the Orc

Finley Fenn

(Orc Forged #2)

Publication Date: October 20, 2023

Kindle, 323 pages

Genres: Adult, MM, Romance, Fantasy

Goodreads

The orc broke him in battle. Now he’s aiming for his heart…

 

In a world of warring orcs and men, Lieutenant Aulis Gerrard can’t afford to lose one more battle. But when he faces off against the biggest, most brutal berserker in the orcs’ war-band, he knows he’s met his doom…

 

Until the deadly orc drops his axe. Draws Gerrard close. And orders him… to run.

 

In the heat of the moment, caught in the orc’s inexplicable thrall, Gerrard obeys — but the fallout costs him his rank, his position, and his pride. With little left to lose, he decides to hunt down the brazen brute in the forest, and demand a rematch.

 

But the orc doesn’t want just a rematch. He wants to court the pretty human lieutenant. To convert him. To conquer him…

 

But Gerrard would never yield to high treason with an orc… right? Even if the devious devil offers up gifts, sweaty sparring-matches, and sweet surrender in the dark. Because fraternizing with a fearsome, fallen enemy might destroy everything Gerrard has left… and leave his heart shattered, too.

My Review

The Fall of the Orc is the second book in Finley Fenn's Orc Forged series, which is a spinoff/prequel to the Orc Sworn series. You don't have to read the other series' books to enjoy this one, though. I know I've had a great time picking and choosing which Orc books to read based on my interests and mood.

For this installment, we have Gerrard, the POV character and a lieutenant in the human army fighting against the orcs. He's kind of broken whenever the book first starts, which was really fascinating to see play out. And, at first, you think he'll be a baby cinnamon roll, but he gets to have his major badass moments. And his orc love interest—because of course there has to be an orc love interest in an orc series—is Olarr, an enemy orc keeping secrets. Honestly, I liked Olarr, but he didn't have as much personality as I feel the other orcs in the series portrayed. He was still fun, but I wanted more. I always want more with Fenn's books, so that reaction is consistent.

The way the story played out, with the two characters meeting on the battlefield, was awesome! We love a good enemies-to-lovers arc here! But, things moved pretty fast after that. I wanted a bit more tension than I got. I know that's not typically this author's style, I just think, in this particular story line, it would've worked well. Not to say the whole book wasn't a fun time, it totally was! There were lots of spicy and kinky moments and sword swinging of all kinds. *Wink* I simply love me some major angst and tension buildup. I also didn't understand why Olarr couldn't have attempted some of the tasks Gerrard ended up taking on. It was a little confusing to me.

All in all, I was really excited for this book once I learned of Olarr and Gerrard's existence in the previous Orc Forged installment, but I think world events also played a factor in my enjoyment, through no fault of the book besides the things mentioned here. So, I do plan to come back to it one day and reread with a fresh state of mind. I love Finley's Orc world, and I'm excited to see whose story is next.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the author. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot

Enchanted to Meet You

Meg Cabot

(Witches of West Harbor #1)

Publication Date: September 5, 2023

Paperback, 368 pages, Avon

Genres: Adult, Paranormal Romance

Goodreads

A witchy rom-com from New York Times bestseller Meg Cabot about a plus size witch who must team up with a handsome stranger to help protect her village from an otherworldly force—but will she be able to protect her heart?

 

It’s Magic When You Meet Your Match In her teenage years, lovelorn Jessica Gold cast a spell that went disastrously wrong, and brought her all the wrong kind of attention—as well as a lifetime ban from the World Council of Witches.

 

So no one is more surprised than Jess when, fifteen years later, tall, handsome WCW member Derrick Winters shows up in her quaint little village of West Harbor and claims that Jess is the Chosen One.

 

She’s the Chosen One Not chosen by West Harbor’s snobby elite to style them for the town’s tricentennial ball—though Jess owns the chicest clothing boutique in town. And not chosen finally to be on the WCW, either—not that Jess would have said yes, anyway, since she’s done with any organization that tries to dictate what makes a “true” witch. No, Jess has been chosen to help save West Harbor itself...

 

As Summer Ends, Her Power Grows But just when Jess is beginning to think that she and Derrick might have a certain magic of their own—and not of the supernatural variety—Jess learns he may not be who she thought he was. And suddenly Jess finds herself having to trust Derrick and work with him to combat the sinister force battling to bring down West Harbor, or use her gift as she always to keep herself, and her heart, safe. Can she work her magic in time?

My Review

Another witchy, paranormal book from Meg Cabot. This one is likely for fans of Erin Sterling's The Ex Hex or Sungu Mandanna's The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

While I am a huge fan of Meg Cabot's YA paranormal books, like the Mediator series, 1-800-Where-R-You books, and Jinx, this new adult book, Enchanted to Meet You, didn't quite hit the same for multiple reasons, though I think some people will still enjoy the story. I simply had some issues with it.

One of the smaller nitpicks I had is the main character's name. Why did Meg give Jessica the same name as Jessica from the 1-800 series? I find that a little odd. But that isn't really a big deal. The biggest and most obvious problem is one that I feel like many people will have an issue with: the love spell. 

 So the main character, Jessica, is a witch, and she uses a love spell on a boy in high school. This is shown through flashback chapters. The relationship between the boy and Jessica does get physical at some points; therefore, a big ick factor comes to play. I'm surprised Meg would write a main character who would do something like that. Suze and the other Jess would never! I had to knock two stars off for that early on, and I almost DNF-ed the entire book, but I thought I'd continue it because it's a quick read and I'm doing it for review purposes. Now, about 33% through the story, it's shown that Jessica wasn't as awful as previously thought. BUT, she still did the love spell with the intention to make a guy love her AND thought it had worked. So, still icky. Meg really should've made the full situation clearer up front. Yes, doing so would take away from a small bit of tension, but I think she's possibly going to lose some readers because of that plotline and the way it's laid out in the beginning.

Once that major revelation came to light, I actually enjoyed the book more. It started being a fun, paranormal rom-com instead of a lighter episode of Law & Order: SVU. Though Jessica isn't the most unique character, she's still charming and witty. And Derrick is the mysterious male lead with pretty crazy secrets. I honestly wasn't a fan of his big secret, however. It threw off the whole cozy, small-town vibe of the story and made it into something way bigger in scale. That was a bummer, in my opinion .

Overall, this story was kind of a mess. It was quick and easy to read once I got into it, but the main red flag of the book took a lot of enjoyment out of it and made it a chore to get through when I first started reading. The middle was a good time, but things just kind of fell off towards the very end. It was very anticlimactic. I guess I'm disappointed in this one.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Early ARC Review: Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Fall of Ruin and Wrath

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publication Date: September 12, 2023

Hardcover, 432 pages, Bramble

Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance. LGBTQ+

Goodreads

 

Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is now ruled by a guardian―royalty who feed on mortal pleasure.

 

Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows her talents are of great value to the power-hungry of the world, so she lives hidden as a courtesan of the Baron of Archwood. In exchange for his protection, she grants him information.

 

When her intuition leads her to save a traveling prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning―and promise. Today he’ll bring her joy. One day he'll be her doom.

 

When the Baron takes an interest in the traveling prince and the prince takes an interest in Calista, she becomes the prince’s temporary companion. But the city simmers with rebellion, and with knights and monsters at her city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, intuition may not be enough to keep her safe.

 

Calista must choose: follow her intuition to safety or follow her heart to her downfall.

My Review

Are you ready to dive into a new JLA adult romantasy series? Honestly, I don't think you're ready. I for sure wasn't. Fall of Ruin and Wrath has very steamy scenes, a powerful love interest, and a cast of characters who are all keeping a lot of secrets.

First off, I devoured this book in a single day, if that tells you anything. JLA's stories are like candy. You can just keep eating and eating until you realize the bag is empty and the overwhelming sadness hits when you realize you still want more. I'm super glad JLA is a writing fiend, because I couldn't wait 1.5-2 years for a sequel. Nope. Not after that crazy cliffhanger.

The main character of the story, Calista, a.k.a. Lis, is somewhat of a seer/mind reader, though she describes her powers as intuition. Lis used to be an orphan living on the street, but now she's the advisor to a local baron. Lis is also, seemingly, bi-sexual. There's no outright label put on sexuality in this book, but let's just say it's pretty obvious. Because boy oh boy, JLA! I did not think you'd go there. So much naughtiness all around. *Fans self.* The spice is real, y'all. Our other main character, and resident JLA sexy main squeeze, is Thorne. Lis meets Thorne in a situation that is the total opposite of meet cute. Let's call it a "meet ugly" for funsies. This meet ugly had me flipping pages so fast. It was a fantastic time. The meet ugly and the ending are the two sections I will definitely be rereading when it comes time for book two to release. I wholeheartedly give all the stars to those scenes!

 Now, the worldbuilding in this series is different from anything JLA has done before. It's not a straight-up fantasy or a modern-day Earth with secret paranormal beings lurking around. It almost seems like a historical fantasy at first, but nope. That's not what it is. I won't spoil anything, but it'll be interesting to see how all of the Hyhborn (angel/incubus beings) plays out for the setup of this world. There's definitely no predicting where JLA will take things. While the setting of Fall of Ruin and Wrath is unique writing-wise, it does have similarities to JLA's Dark Elements/Harbinger world in terms of the angel/demons story arc. Though, like I mentioned, it's more of an incubus/angel combo than a prince-of-hell and archangel Michael thing; however, Thorne is technically royalty, so he does have that in common with a couple of JLA's leading men. A big plus for any JLA fan and/or romantasy reader.

My only nitpick with this book is that it's a very slow build. Similar to the first Blood and Ash book, but slower. You can tell that some major craziness is going to go down in book two, but in Fall of Ruin and Wrath, not a lot happens outside of the beginning, when our two main characters first meet, and the ending, when all sh*t hits the fan—a signature JLA move. There's just a lot of politicking, court conversations, and, yes, spicy scenes, that slow down some of the buildup throughout the middle. But like I said, I read the whole book in basically a single sitting, which means that the slow build didn't really slow me down very much at all.

Overall, this book does have some major From Blood and Ash vibes based on that insane cliffhanger ending, but it stands on its own with a totally different, less stabby protagonist and a main squeeze with a more stoic personality, in contrast to Hawke's roguish charm. I think, if you enjoy series like Laura Thalassa's The Bargainer, Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter, or even Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City, you'll want to pick this one up. It's got the alphahole guy, the bada$$ female MC (though it's more of a mental bada$$ery than a physical one), the immortal beings plotline, and the hidden powers trope to keep romantasy readers thoroughly entertained, especially since Lis and Thorne's story seems like the beginning to what is going to be a wild and steamy ride.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Crown of Gilded Bones

Jennifer L. Armentrout

(Blood and Ash #3)

Publication Date: April 20, 2021

Paperback, 659 pages, Blue Box Press

Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Goodreads

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book three in her Blood and Ash series…

She's been the victim and the survivor…

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior…

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate…

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen…

My Review

Okay, so I've been sitting on my review of this book for a while, because, when I initially read TCOGB, I had mixed feelings. Now, as time has gone by, I'm starting to feel a lot like I did when I read the first book, From Blood and Ash. So, all that being said, please note that there will be spoilers in this review for the first two books in the series.

Like with FBAA, I wasn't super happy with the first 65% of TCOGB. In fact, the reason FBAA engrossed me so much was the last 30% when $hit started to hit the fan and major cliffhangers were introduced. However, the first half of FBAA is slow-paced and a little info-dumpy and not a whole lot happens that hasn't been done before. TCOGB followed that same pattern only with a lot more info-dumping and a lot of repetitive jokes. I was initially scared that my love for the series was fading (which would suck considering I have multiple special editions of the series on the way and a ton of fan art). But that last 30% reminded me why I love this series so much. And like with FBAA's ending, I just can't stop thinking about what comes next for Poppy, Cas, and Kieran.

Alright, now that I"ve gotten my overall feelings summed up, let's get to the nitty-gritty of this review/rant. And to start with, I'm going to talk about the characters, because there was one who got on my nerves. Casteel. While I loved him in A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (my favorite book in the series so far), he seriously irked me in this book. The major reason involved his need to threaten anyone who so much as questioned Poppy, including his own freakin' parents! Which, honestly, I think I'd question Poppy too! None of these people truly know her! Every single time Cas bulled up to go after his parents, I wanted to smack him. I understand being protective of your significant other, but he just couldn't stop and be a rational person. He kept being an aggressive jerk, so throughout 80% of TCOGB I hated him. Towards the very end, I was feeling a little more "Oh, my poor baby" towards him, but he still has a ways to go before I feel as attached to him as I did in book two. And another thing, he was inappropriately horny. He literally wanted to have sex after he just saw something very traumatic happen to a child. It was weird. Plus, in my opinion, none of the sex scenes in this book were that great. While I like a good sex scene, it felt like we'd seen these ones all before EXCEPT for one that happened towards the beginning of the book that involved a certain character I won't spoil details for, but that JLA didn't go through with! Grr... Tired of the baiting involved with that particular relationship. Either make it happen or quit dropping hints about it, JLA! It's driving me bananas! I want the joining so bad!

Now, for the exact reasons I couldn't stand Cas throughout this book, are the reasons I absolutely loved the plot developments that happened towards the end of TCOGB. I was so ready for Poppy to step out of Cas's shadow and become whatever the heck she is. (It's not super clear because of the info-dumping. I'll reread everything later to understand it all better.) Also towards the end, we get more of the gang back together going on adventures. That's what I wanted. Not the boring and repetitive court conversations about how Poppy is so special and so amazing and all the wolven adore her. NO! I wanted Poppy, Casteel, Kieran, etc., making sarcastic comments and fighting monsters. And when it happened, it was glorious!

Like I mentioned though, some of the jokes did get repetitive, even the ones that came from my favorite character, Kieran. The "I have a question" and Casteel's stabby jokes were overdone after AKOFAF. One or two, fine. Ten or more, not fine. Those  jokes, plus the first 10% to 65% of the book being info-dumpy and full of long, boring-a$$ history-lesson conversations made this a difficult book to get through until that wonderful ending came along. Though I will say Kieran was the redeeming quality of the first half of the book. He made every scene 10x better just by being there. EXCEPT when he made the dumb "I have a question" jokes. I will say that I think the pacing issue with the first chunk of the book had a lot to do with the major events that happened at the very beginning. In my opinion, if some of the HUGE plot developments that happened in the first few chapters happened, say, 30% into TCOGB instead of within that initial 10%, some of that boring, history-lesson-esque pacing would have been broken up with action and intrigue.

Despite how much I did enjoy the ending, there were some things I didn't like about it. The major one was the retconning. A certain character's name was retconned in a way that just didn't feel natural, as well as her relationship to another character was tweaked. It was odd. I don't know if JLA originally planned events to come to light that way, but I honestly doubt it. It totally read like she was simply trying to fix a mistake she made when she wrote book two. Yikes.

All in all, I just can't gush about this book like I could about AKOFAF. While I am dying to know what happens to Poppy and her team, I wasn't as thrilled while I was in the process of reading it. I do plan on re-reading the series again before book four releases, so maybe that will help me appreciate TCOGB more than I did during my first read-through. That's exactly what happened when I re-read FBAA earlier this year. I will warn you, that there is no way a person can read each book as they release without re-reading the preceding installments, unless you want to have no idea what's happening. It's just a lot of info to try and remember over months and months of time.

So unfortunately, yes, this book is not my favorite in the series by a long shot, but oh boy, did that ending give me major Game of Thrones vibes. I am totally ready to see events play out in the next installment. And I'm ready to see the fictional love of my life, Mr. Kieran Contou, be the sarcastic, mama's boy, wolven bada$$ I know he can be.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Review: The Bromance Book Club

The Bromance Book Club

Lyssa Kay Adams

(Bromance Book Club #1)

Publication Date: November 5, 2019

Paperback, 352 pages, Inkyard Press

Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Goodreads

The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

My Review

I kept hearing about this book. It’s been everywhere. There’s so much hype. And while it was a fun concept with good characters, it unfortunately didn’t live up to the hype. Mostly because of the ending, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Gavin, the professional baseball player, and Thea, a stay-at-home mom, are the main couple of this first installment in the Bromance Book Club series. They’re on the verge of divorce, and their twin daughters are caught in the middle. Unfortunately, these characters didn’t communicate as much as I wanted them to. Their interactions were always very surface level for two people who are trying to work out their marriage. I know Thea was resistant to the idea of Gavin and her getting back together, but she never really talked to Gavin about her issues. And, like Gavin, she DOES have issues. She lied to her partner for years about their sex life. YEARS. I don’t understand why that wasn’t made a bigger deal of than the author made it. Everyone kind of laughed it off and blamed Gavin for not paying attention, but she LIED TO HIM. Yeesh.

Thea is a decent female lead, despite her lie. She’s very protective of Gavin and her family, but it did take way too long for her to face her fears. And Gavin, while he tried so hard, seemed to leave things unsaid by the end of the book. Overall, the ending was just wrapped up too quickly. It was kind of corny in a rom-com way, and it just wasn’t satisfactory for a couple that has so many issues to work out.

Basically, the beginning of the book only focused on Gavin’s flaws instead of both characters’ flaws. It really bothered me. Yes, The Bromance Book Club was cute and emotional at times (mostly because of the daughters and family unit), but more communication was needed overall. I understand romance books aren’t always the best at displaying healthy relationships in a realistic way, but it just needed more. So yes, the book club idea is super intriguing, but it didn’t play as big of a role as I was lead to believe. Additionally, the excerpt from the novel Gavin is reading just interrupted the main storyline. Nothing was really added by including them that exposition couldn’t solve.

Overall, The Bromance Book Club provides a unique concept, but the cliché and mediocre ending left more to be desired. A true bummer, in my opinion, though I did read the entire thing in the span of 24 hours. Maybe I’ll read book two. Maybe not. I’m leaning more towards not.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.