crystal_dark's reviews
272 reviews

Lamps And Lies: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Aladdin by Laura Greenwood

lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

I really enjoyed reading this gender-swapped Retelling of Aladdin about Alyeesah and Prince Enver. The Genie was a fun character as well and I enjoyed seeing how everything worked out. The epilogue for their story was really nice and I am looking forward to reading the next book and what happened for Helena.

Series Character and Story Connections

Briar Rose's story is in Spindles And Spells: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Sleeping Beauty (Book 02)

Princess Snow's story is in Mirrors And Magic: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Snow White (Book 07)

Fatin & Helena's story will be in Feathers Of Fate : A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Goose Girl (Book 09)

Lady Guinevere, her friend Lancelot, & her betrothed all appear in The Almost Queen: A Legend Retelling Of Guinevere and Lancelot (Book 10) and The Rightful King: A Legend Retelling Of King Arthur (Book 11)

Rescued by the Mountain Man by Lilah Hart

lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

I enjoyed getting to read Justin & Piper's story in this fun instalove story set in Rosewood Ridge, Tennesse . This was the final book in this set of books but I am looking forward to the next series Rosewood Ridge Rescue.

Rosewood Ridge Riders
Prequel is Taken by the Mountain Man: Cooper & Lynlee
Protected by the Mountain Man: Dylan & Delaney
Challenged by the Mountain Man: Nate & Terra
Saved by the Mountain Man: Colin & Violet
Charmed by the Mountain Man: Topher & Everly
Loved by the the Mountain Man: Brendon & Ashland
⛰️ Rescued by the Mountain Man: Justin & Piper.

I received a free advanced reader copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Rosewood Ridge Mavericks Complete Collection by Lilah Hart

lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

I read each book in this series individually before the set was released.

Prequel is Feuding with the Mountain Man: An Age Gap Forced Proximity Romance: Zack & Ashlynn
This is the prequel to Lilah Hart's newest series of instalove mountain men books and takes place in Rosewood Ridge. The main couple in this book is Zack & Ashlynn and it sets things up for the rest of the series. I look forward to reading more from this series.

Stuck with the Mountain Man: Travis & Sierra
This was the first official book in the Rosewood Ridge Mavericks series of instalove mountain man books and is centered around Travis & Sierra. I really enjoyed reading their story and look forward to reading more about Montana in the next book Tangling with the Mountain Man.

Tangling with the Mountain Man: Rowe & Montana
This is the second book in the Rosewood Ridge Mavericks series and is about Ashlynn's friend named Montana who is a message therapist and a friend of Zack's named Rowe. Each story in this series can be read on it's own even if they do have ties to previous stories. I look forward to reading more from this series as well as other books from this author.

Bonding with the Mountain Man: Julian & Gwendolyn
This is the third book set at the Rosewood Ridge Retreat Center and is about Julian & Gwendolyn getting together. I liked how after they meet Gwendolyn comes out of her shell and is able to stand up for herself. Each story in this series can be read on it's own even if they do have ties to previous stories. I look forward to reading more from this series as well as other books from this author.

Obsessed with the Mountain Man: Luke & Ally
This is the fourth book in the series of standalone instalove romances that take place in Rosewood Ridge and it focuses on how Luke (Country Singer) & Ally (Journalist) get together. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this series and author.

Escaping with the Mountain Man: Derek & Sadie
This is the fifth book in the series of standalone instalove romances set in Rosewood Ridge and is about Derek and a runaway bride named Sadie. I really enjoyed reading their story and thought that the epilogue was fun as well. I look forward to reading the next book about Makenna.

Reuniting with the Mountain Man: Jesse & Makenna
This is the sixth book in the series of standalone instalove romances set in Rosewood Ridge and is a fun second chance romance involving Jesse & Makenna reuniting after being apart for seven years. I enjoyed getting to know both of them in this story and am looking forward to reading the spin off series Rosewood Ridge Riders that is briefly hinted at in this story.

I received a free advanced reader copy of each book individually and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A Wallflower's Midsummer Night's Caper by Alina K. Field

emotional lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was my first book by Alina K. Field and I really enjoyed it. It was full of fun and interesting characters as well as an enjoyable story that drew me into it's world. I liked both Nancy and Simon and seeing her scheme against him with the help of some of her family while he was trying to figure out exactly what he did to anger her. I am also adding a few of this authors other books to my TBR list that are about some of the other members of the Lovelace family since I would like to read more about them.

Convincing the Countess: George & Sophie Halverton's Story
The Impetuous Heiress: Fitz & Mary's Story

The author also mentioned being in the early stages of a story about Lady Chilcombe as well as a possible story Lady Neda Loughton that I look forward to hearing more about in the future.

I received a free advanced reader copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Naga Scavenger's Precious Mate by Robin O'Connor

adventurous emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was another great addition to this series and I was so glad to finally read it after how the previous book left off with such a dramatic introduction of Zeidon. I loved getting to know Zeidon and how caring he was with Farah and all the injured animals he took care of. Srazz and Buzz were such cute characters as well! I look forward to reading the next book in this series and seeing Min-Ji & Corin finally get a story.

Serpents of Serant Series
The Naga Hunter's Lost Mate: Charlie & Mox
The Naga Outcast's Unwanted Mate: Vera & Zathar
The Naga Brute's Warrior Mate: Kalani & Iave
The Naga Warlord's Virgin Mate: Naomi & Krashe
The Naga Maverick's Determined Mate: Cosima & Zsekhet
The Naga Scavenger's Precious Mate: Farah & Zeidon
Book 06 will be about Min-Ji & Corin

I received a free advanced reader copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Huntsmen And Hoods: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Red Riding Hood by Laura Greenwood

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this Retelling Of Red Riding Hood and thought it was a good addition to this series of standalone fairy tale retellings. This book has some great characters and I liked the reference that Red makes about Goldilocks inspiring her to become a Huntsman. I look forward to reading more from this series.

Series Character and Story Connections

Huntsman Theo and the Princess he is betrothed to are in Lilies Of Loss: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Frog Prince (Book 04)

Zerrin (Red's Roommate) is in Glints Of Gold: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Rumpelstiltskin (Book 06)

Loved by the Mountain Man by Lilah Hart

lighthearted

4.25

I enjoyed this addition to this series and enjoyed getting to read Brendon & Ashland's story, especially after the references to Ashland in the previous book in this series of standalone stories set in Rosewood Ridge, Tennessee. I look forward to reading the next book about Brendon's neighbor Justin.

Rosewood Ridge Riders
Prequel is Taken by the Mountain Man: Cooper & Lynlee
Protected by the Mountain Man: Dylan & Delaney
Challenged by the Mountain Man: Nate & Terra
Saved by the Mountain Man: Colin & Violet
Charmed by the Mountain Man: Topher & Everly
⛰️ Loved by the the Mountain Man: Brendon & Ashland
Rescued by the Mountain Man: Justin & Piper.

I received a free advanced reader copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Lilies Of Loss: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Frog Prince by Laura Greenwood

lighthearted mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

This was a fun Retelling of The Frog Prince and I enjoyed getting to know Marigold better after having read the previous three books in this series, although it isn't necessary to read them as each book can be read on their own. I also liked the Huntsman Theo that is introduced in this story. I look forward to reading more from this series and seeing more about these characters as well as the characters we haven't met yet.

Series Character and Story Connections
Rapunzel and Gavin's story are in Tower Of Thorns: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Rapunzel (Book 01)

Briar Rose's story is in Spindles And Spells: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Sleeping Beauty (Book 02)

Ella's story is in Pumpkins And Proms: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Cinderella (Book 03)

Red's story will be in Huntsmen And Hoods: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Red Riding Hood (Book 05)

Helena and Wilhelm's story will be in Feathers Of Fate : A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Goose Girl (Book 09)

Pumpkins And Proms: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Cinderella (Grimm Academy Book #03) by Laura Greenwood

lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was a fun Retelling Of Cinderella and a great addition to the Grimm Academy Series. Each story can be enjoyed on it's own but are more enjoyable when you read more of the series since some of the characters show up in multiple books.

Series Character and Story Connections for Pumpkins And Proms: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Cinderella (Book 03)

Rapunzel and Gavin's story are in Tower Of Thorns: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Rapunzel (Book 01)

Briar Rose's story is in Spindles And Spells: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Sleeping Beauty (Book 02)

Marigold's story will be in Lilies Of Loss: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Frog Prince (Book 04)

Red's story will be in Huntsmen And Hoods: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Red Riding Hood (Book 05)

Prince Enver will be in Lamps And Lies: A Fairy Tale Retelling Of Aladdin (Book 08) = A Gender-Flipped Aladdin

Helena and Wilhelm's story will be in Feathers Of Fate : A Fairy Tale Retelling Of The Goose Girl (Book 09)

Florian's Cousins will be in The Winter Ball (Book 18)

Trapped by Neverland by Megan Charlie

adventurous emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was the first book I have read by Megan Charlie and it was a really good Retelling of Peter Pan with a villainous Peter Pan and a heroic Captain James Hook. I enjoyed all the characters in this story. Wendy seemed like a strong and intelligent character and I liked her sheerie faeries as well. Captain James Hook and his crew on the Jolly Roger were all also fun to get to know, including the cat Mirai. I look forward to looking into more by this author in the future.

The Redacted Series
Bound by Twilight: A Gender-Swapped Jack and the Beanstalk Retelling (Prequel)
Trapped by Neverland (Bonus Prequel)
Erased: The Real Sleeping Beauty Account
Replaced: the REAL Beauty and the Beast Account (Coming Soon)

This book is also part of the series of standalone fantasy novellas Of Seas and Tides
Trapped By Pirates: An Angelic Epic Fantasy Romance
Trapped by Magic: An Enemies to Lovers Fake Engagement Romance
Trapped by Neverland
Trapped By Claws
Trapped by Vengeance: An Enemies to Lovers Villain Romance

I received a free advanced reader copy of this book via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.