emilyreadthatbook's reviews
834 reviews

Interception by Emily Louise

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Ice Cold Rival by Nikki Hall

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Kenzie and Reece both want to change their reputations.

After transferring schools to be near her hockey player boyfriend, now ex, Kenzie is left without a support system when he spreads lies about her. Now that she is out of her long-term relationship, she is ready to shed her “good girl” image and people-pleasing ways.

Reece is seen as a carefree playboy at school and a puppet for his wealthy family, but he is determined to prove himself. Hoping to become team captain in his senior year, he and Kenzie agree to fake date, each hoping it will help them reshape how others see them.

Nikki Hall once again delivers an engaging college sports romance, filled with warm, charismatic, and quirky characters. The fictional Teagan University in Texas provides a rich backdrop for a variety of stories.

Reece, a familiar character from previous books, is given a deeper exploration of his background and motivations. His character growth stood out because he realizes early on that he is unhappy with his current path and makes intentional changes to reach his goals. Similarly, Kenzie embarks on her own journey to assert herself, refusing to be a doormat for her family and those around her. Their growing confidence throughout the book had me cheering them on.

The story unfolds over a short timeline with minimal focus on hockey as a game and instead emphasizes team dynamics and interpersonal relationships. This may be because only part of the season takes place within the book. I expect the final book in the series will wrap up the season. While I appreciate that the author avoids excessive technical details, I would have liked to see more gameplay on the page. At times, hockey feels like a background element that is mainly referenced when players are absent due to practice or games. Although I am not an avid hockey fan, I enjoy the structure it brings to a romance story.

I am excitedly awaiting the final book in this series and to learn more of Mase’s story. 

I am grateful to have received this free ARC from Nikki Hall, which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily share my review.

Riftborne by Parker Lennox

hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an interesting concept. An outcast orphan from a rebellion twenty years prior is an undiscovered, powerful wielder forced to join the military force that once shunned her. Some parts felt similar to other fantasy stories, while others felt fresh and unique. The magic system is intriguing, with each person having a specific focus.

However, the romance and chemistry between the FMC and MMC felt a little lacking, especially given the buildup and emphasis in the description. I also grew tired of the FMC constantly wallowing in her outcast status and struggling to control her power. It came across as whiny and repetitive, weighing the story down.

Books with multiple authors sometimes feel unbalanced to me. With a single author, there is a distinct voice throughout the book. While I found this story interesting, I struggled to fully immerse myself in it and often lost focus.

Regardless, I still plan to complete the series. The story is engaging—I just wish the writing felt more cohesive.

Watch Us Shine by Marisa de los Santos

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I’ve been reading Marisa de los Santos books for years. I read my first one after picking it up because I liked the cover. I devoured it and immediately went looking for more. This led me to discover the first book I had read, was actually the second in a series. Even after reading the first book, the second always held a special place in my heart. This is book four of that series following Cornelia Brown and her loved ones as they make their way through life. 

In this book, Cornelia is supporting her parents after her mother was in an accident and recovering in a rehabilitation center. She is also running away from home after a traumatizing event makes her question herself as a parent. This story gives us the background of Cornelia’s mother, Ellie Brown, and some greater insight into Cornelia’s sister Ollie.

While this was an interesting story, it was my favorite. Let’s be honest, I prefer the ones with a little more romantic love. This was focused on familial love. The descriptions of landscapes, food, and all the different ways Cornelia is viewed as weird, made this a nice read. Marisa de los Santos has a way to painting the scene where you feel like you are in the room with the characters. The energy may be awkward and uncomfortable but the charcuterie board is described in a way, you fully would be diving into it alongside the others.

Both Ellie and Ollie have been difficult characters to feel warm and fuzzy about. Ollie is just so uncaring when it comes to her family, it makes her hard to want to read more about. This book shows a different side of her and we are able to understand her character a bit more. Ellie, though always described as a caring mother, has had a streak of being just a little bit cold and removed. Her kids joke about how she would never keep their artwork when they were kids. It seems like an odd mixture. This story gives us more of Ellie’s family history and all the work it took to make her into the odd mixture of a parent we see in other books.

Overall, I missed the Teo and Cornelia dynamic and the lightheartedness of the previous books. Even with the more difficult topics, I felt like they had a better balance with a good amount of silly family moments. This book was a little heavy with the familial history and it felt overly dramatic at times. What it really needed was more interactions with the golden retriever brothers. Who doesn’t love Toby and Cam?!

The Inn on Harmony Island by Anne-Marie Meyer

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Quicksilver by Callie Hart

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Wild Side by Elsie Silver

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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? No

4.25

Elsie Silver consistently brings us stories that are warm and cozy with some fun spice. This is book 3 of a 4 book series of dads on a bowling team in a small town in Canada. The events taking place in each book are happening along the same timeline, but with each book, you get a different perspective and insight to the impacts on the different characters. 

In this book, Tabatha is picking up the pieces after her sister dies, including taking care of her sister’s young son. When there is a question about legal guardianship of the little boy, the only obvious solution is to marry Rhys, her sister’s secretive gruff landlord/neighbor. 

This book gives good trope. The primary ones we see are:
- Enemies to lovers
- Marriage of convince
- Forced Proximity 

This book has some great banter and some superb steam that builds into a nice spice. The friends are wonderful and supportive (I want a friend group this diverse and tight-knit). I really enjoyed seeing Tabatha and Rhys create a support system for Milo and in doing so, building a relationship with each other. It was fun to see Ford, Rosie, West, and Skylar again and understanding the timeline of the books and where they overlap. The author really wove hints in throughout the series to the point where I am going to have to go back to the beginning and read them straight through once book 4 comes out to see what I missed in the earlier books.

An Elsie Silver book is a guaranteed good time. I can’t wait to see what she brings us next!

Slap Shot by Chelsea Curto

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Chelsea Curto keeps the good times rolling with this one. I’m always impressed with books that are a good time, while also tackling heavier subjects. This book covers Hudson working through his grief after the death of his mother and Madeline raising her deaf daughter as a single mother. When these two come together, the support is bonkers. Both are loving and empathetic. Reading about their relationship feels like a warm hug. Sometimes kids in books are a little saccharine, but Lucy’s character toes the line but never fully crosses over it.

One of my favorite parts of Chelsea Curto’s books are the friendships exhibited in them. The hockey guys have a friendship where they show up as they are however they are needed. It’s really fun to read. Not to mention their hijinks and book clubs. The women though. I love this strong group of women who go to bat for each other and are able to be their unapologetic selves. 

I look forward to reading future books in this series and seeing where the stories take us.  

Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This is my first read by Nisha J Tuli and is absolutely not my last. Not Safe for Work was a delightful read and a HR nightmare. It balanced on a fine line between lighthearted rom-com and the everyday struggles of a woman of color in STEM, without getting too far to one side or the other. I read a note from the author about how some of the struggles the FMC faces are taken from her own experiences, which makes them all the more frustrating that these types of abhorrent behaviors exist in the workplace and not just in fiction.
 
Trishara has hit a point in her career where she is no longer attempting to be the star performer. As one of the few women of color, let alone women in her company, time and time again, she has been passed up for promotions and recognition. Only for other subpar performers (predominantly men with some relation to the company’s leadership), are given both recognition and promotions ahead of her. When both she and her primary rival, Rafe, her boss’s son, are selected to attend a three week leadership retreat in Hawaii, she hopes she will finally get the recognition she deserves. 

Rafe is… hot. He is also protective, supportive, and full of surprises. When Trishara and Rafe arrive in Hawaii, they find out there was an mistake with the reservation and instead of two rooms, they have been reserved a suite… together… with one bed. Without another option available at the resort, they opt to make it work.

Initial reaction, this would never happen for a work function, and if it did, another solution would be provided. It does make for some good tension though. This book really highlights the struggles of being a woman in STEM, let alone a woman of color, in a company rife with nepotism, bigotry, and sexism. These harder topics are balanced out with a healthy amount of banter and, oh the spicy spice. Trishara also has a backbone. She does not just accept bad behavior and is an HR dream with her documentation of these instances and calling it out in the moment.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I plan to read more from this author and hope she continues to explore rom-coms, along with her celebrated fantasy books. Honestly, I would read other genres by this author. The dialogue is smart, the characters are engaging and relatable, and the storyline is entertaining.

I am thankful to have gotten this ARC for free from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Lia is a princess whose people are forced to send two young women to race through a maze. During this race, they are chased by men attempting to kill them before they can enter the goddess’s temple. Lia has made up her mind to be one of those chosen to participate. To prepare, she has trained for a year with a local battalion, learning all she can to win the race. On selection day, however, her plans are foiled when the other woman chosen is her beloved but untrained sister.

This story is actually much more robust and continues beyond the events described in the book’s description. Because of this, I was clueless about what would happen next. At 66% through the book, I still wasn’t sure where the story was going. There are dreams and hints along the way, but not much explanation or resolution. There are soooo many loose plot threads. We’ll have to see how they are handled in book 2.

Character wise, I enjoyed the FMC, Lia. I appreciated that she wasn’t perfect at everything. She trained for the race knowing it was the only way she would survive, yet she was still not as experienced as she could be. I love an imperfect FMC.
The MMC, Jason, is a deliciously morally grey cupcake of a guy. Cloaked in mystery, Jason manages to show up for Lia time and time again. He not only helps her out of some scrapes but also aids her in committing a few crimes.

This was an interesting story, one in which I'd like to see certain plot points wrapped up and some questions answered (what's up with the red dirt?!). I can see myself continuing with this series.