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taliabasma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the mix of the magic world and reality but I did get frustrated with the lack of communication / both MLs failing to just properly talk
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
lvd92's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I am not sure how to rate it. Absolutely loved the back half, but the first third wrecked me.
The first 120 pages or so were very difficult for me to read because of the abuse by Emma's mother and the main characters' hostility and distrust towards one another. I wish I had looked up the content warnings before (if there are none, the book should come with them). I was honestly thinking of DNFing it, because I got so triggered. I am especially done with reading about abusive parents in romance novels. So so done.Another gripe - I am not sure though whether I believe Bastian did not realise sooner how important Emma was to him if he wrote her all those birthday cards and genuinely missed her.
That said, I am genuinely happy I stuck with it, because after the 1/3 mark, the story really took a much lighter turn. I loved the rest of the book. Loved the cast, the plot and the main characters. I also liked that it did not have theoverused, ridiculous, unbelievable, big gesture from the man. ...
Anyways, I would recommend the book, but caution about the abuse and heavy first 1/3 of the book.
The first 120 pages or so were very difficult for me to read because of the abuse by Emma's mother and the main characters' hostility and distrust towards one another. I wish I had looked up the content warnings before (if there are none, the book should come with them). I was honestly thinking of DNFing it, because I got so triggered. I am especially done with reading about abusive parents in romance novels. So so done.
That said, I am genuinely happy I stuck with it, because after the 1/3 mark, the story really took a much lighter turn. I loved the rest of the book. Loved the cast, the plot and the main characters. I also liked that it did not have the
Anyways, I would recommend the book, but caution about the abuse and heavy first 1/3 of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Minor: Bullying
callidoralblack's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Death of parent, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
theespressoedition's review against another edition
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Bullying
Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming
mishale1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Emma is a witch who has always felt inferior because of the way her mom treats her. She’s now in her late twenties and living in Chicago. She’s living an independent life, owning and running a bar with her two best friends.
She hasn’t seen Bastian in 7 years. He left town when they were engaged, without an explanation to her and without any contact over the years.
But now Bastian needs Emma to marry him. The reason is a good one. They’re very much in a situation where Emma almost has to marry Bastian. To say it’s a matter of life and death is fair.
Emma agrees to marry him but she wants them to keep their distance. This is largely to protect her own heart. She feels like her love for Bastian was unrequited when they were younger (yes, despite their engagement. There’s a reason.) and she’s much more protective of her heart now.
I liked Emma and Bastian. I was rooting for them. Emma’s mom is awful. She’s verbally abusive to her, so if that’s a trigger for you then you’ll want to know that in advance. I found myself kind of massively skimming the scene where Emma’s mom was talking to her. It certainly helps the reader to understand part of Emma’s thought processes but it’s the only part I did enjoy reading.
Overall, it was a quick, enjoyable read.
She hasn’t seen Bastian in 7 years. He left town when they were engaged, without an explanation to her and without any contact over the years.
But now Bastian needs Emma to marry him. The reason is a good one. They’re very much in a situation where Emma almost has to marry Bastian. To say it’s a matter of life and death is fair.
Emma agrees to marry him but she wants them to keep their distance. This is largely to protect her own heart. She feels like her love for Bastian was unrequited when they were younger (yes, despite their engagement. There’s a reason.) and she’s much more protective of her heart now.
I liked Emma and Bastian. I was rooting for them. Emma’s mom is awful. She’s verbally abusive to her, so if that’s a trigger for you then you’ll want to know that in advance. I found myself kind of massively skimming the scene where Emma’s mom was talking to her. It certainly helps the reader to understand part of Emma’s thought processes but it’s the only part I did enjoy reading.
Overall, it was a quick, enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
shadowmaster13's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
clockworkbee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
If you prefer your romance to be sex positive, this is not the book for you. There are sex scenes in it, but there are also discussions of body counts, judgement about being older for their sexual debut, and a lot of annoying tropes. Like “She’s a virgin but she gets off because he breathed on her nipples once and then started jackhammering her”. The sex scenes were also pretty cringey because the author uses clinical terms for genitalia. Reading clitoris five times in one paragraph just doesn’t do it for me.
That’s just my comments on the sex scenes. The rest of the book was equally cringey. I didn’t think the H was very nice to the h. I wanted to root for Emma, but she didn’t have much personality and she seems to let events happen to her versus her taking any action. We get told a lot that she’s sassy, but I never saw any evidence of that. The hero (I’ve already forgotten his name) was just a generic romance hero. The plot had more holes than Swiss cheese.
Also, the hero is supposed to be an archaeologist but it’s clear the author knows absolutely nothing about archaeology. I’m an archaeologist and I didn’t find anything about the hero being one believable. In one scene he tells Emma that he uses his powers to move artifacts into his colleagues test units. If you know anything about archaeology you’d that artifacts have little value If they aren’t discovered in their original context. A five minute google search could have told you that.
Anyway, it’s a hot mess. I don’t recommend.
That’s just my comments on the sex scenes. The rest of the book was equally cringey. I didn’t think the H was very nice to the h. I wanted to root for Emma, but she didn’t have much personality and she seems to let events happen to her versus her taking any action. We get told a lot that she’s sassy, but I never saw any evidence of that. The hero (I’ve already forgotten his name) was just a generic romance hero. The plot had more holes than Swiss cheese.
Also, the hero is supposed to be an archaeologist but it’s clear the author knows absolutely nothing about archaeology. I’m an archaeologist and I didn’t find anything about the hero being one believable. In one scene he tells Emma that he uses his powers to move artifacts into his colleagues test units. If you know anything about archaeology you’d that artifacts have little value If they aren’t discovered in their original context. A five minute google search could have told you that.
Anyway, it’s a hot mess. I don’t recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content and Terminal illness
katiemack's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Second-chance romances are hit-and-miss for me, but this one worked well (probably because of the magical elements involved). Both Bastian and Emma are well-intentioned but have some growing to do, and their growth arcs are full of depth. There are some annoying bits of miscommunication, but overall their relationship feels realistic (for, you know, one between two magical beings) and supportive (Bastian's takedown of Emma's mom is AWESOME). I also loved the cozy, witchy atmosphere of the book--I want to know more about the magical society in which Bastian and Emma grew up.
I'm not sure if this will end up being a series, but I'd love to read about Tia, Leah, and their respective love interests!
Second-chance romances are hit-and-miss for me, but this one worked well (probably because of the magical elements involved). Both Bastian and Emma are well-intentioned but have some growing to do, and their growth arcs are full of depth. There are some annoying bits of miscommunication, but overall their relationship feels realistic (for, you know, one between two magical beings) and supportive (Bastian's takedown of Emma's mom is AWESOME). I also loved the cozy, witchy atmosphere of the book--I want to know more about the magical society in which Bastian and Emma grew up.
I'm not sure if this will end up being a series, but I'd love to read about Tia, Leah, and their respective love interests!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Emotional abuse
jordanez's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
megs1328's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What began as a fun, witchy romcom turned into a surprisingly deep and satisfying trauma-resolving story.
Two childhood friends have always been contracted to marry, but when Emma turned 21 and they began planning their wedding, Bastian suddenly left with no word and Emma has moved on. She has built a new life far from home when he turns up again begging her to marry him to prevent his mother from dying as a result of the broken contract. There is no trust left between them, but she agrees on the basis of friendship only.
Emma and Bastian go from friends to enemies to friends to lovers, with a arranged marriage of convenience. I enjoyed their journey and was surprised at the twist which led to the third-act breakup, but was happy with the resolution. In the end the feelings and situations holding them back from truly becoming husband and wife are resolved and they get their HEA.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Two childhood friends have always been contracted to marry, but when Emma turned 21 and they began planning their wedding, Bastian suddenly left with no word and Emma has moved on. She has built a new life far from home when he turns up again begging her to marry him to prevent his mother from dying as a result of the broken contract. There is no trust left between them, but she agrees on the basis of friendship only.
Emma and Bastian go from friends to enemies to friends to lovers, with a arranged marriage of convenience. I enjoyed their journey and was surprised at the twist which led to the third-act breakup, but was happy with the resolution. In the end the feelings and situations holding them back from truly becoming husband and wife are resolved and they get their HEA.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Grief, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Death of parent