jaywhygeereads's reviews
655 reviews

The Witch Queen of Halloween by Kresley Cole

5.0

5.0 ⭐️/5

2.5 🌶️/5

 

If you are an IAD fan, RUN 🏃🏽‍♀️💨 don’t walk to get this book! I was so thrilled to hear that there was a new Immortals After Dark release and even more thrilled to receive an ARC. While reading the Witch Queen of Halloween I decided that I need to do a whole IAD reread, so that’s one thing I’m excited about getting into this year! 🤗🥰

 

If you haven’t read IAD, but love paranormal romance with demons and witches and Halloween, I recommend that you read this story. Rök, a hot smoke demon, and Poppy, a beautiful witch on a mission have a history and are stuck at a super haunted castle on Halloween night. You don’t need to read all of IAD to love this story, but will definitely enjoy this novella to its full potential if you have read all of IAD.

 

There is high sexual tension, forced proximity, flirty banter, slow reveal of Rök & Poppy’s history, a quest to break a curse, a collection of horror movie characters, and of course IAD easter eggs for fans of the series. Let the Accession commence! 🥳

 

Thank you so much to Kresley Cole for the ARC. My thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary. My obsession with IAD remains true.

 

TO BREAK A DARK CAGE by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

4.0

To Break a Dark Cage is the third book in the Iron Crystal Series and I am gonna say that I need book four immediately! 🤗 This is a connected series and each book ends on a cliffhanger and the next book picks up right where the previous book left off. I love the overall story of Gwen, Mordred, and the island of Avalon. 

 

Gwen and Mordred continue their dance of passion and love and hiding truths from each other, all while trying to fight the big bad in their own way. Although at times I got frustrated with their stubborn ways and unwillingness to fully trust one another, I love these two dummies in love. 🥰 

 

Highly recommend if you love fantasy romance with an Arthurian legend spin, learning of ones magical abilities, and a mix of humor, spice, and fun side characters. 

 

Thank you to Second Sky Books & Bookouture for the ARC. All thoughts opinions are my own, and my review is voluntary. 

 

 

 

Of Sword & Silver by January Bell

5.0

5⭐️/5

1🌶️/5

 

Yeah I loved this book - I didn’t want it to end. 😭  I stretched out reading the last 20% or so because I was enjoying myself so much.

 

This has gods and goddesses, fates, magic, magical beings, quest, found family road tripping, love and betrayal, tension and banter, enemies to lovers to…. lifting a curse, a silvered tongue thief with a heart of gold and a strong, quiet but deadly MMC.

 

Where is book 2? 😅  I’m gonna need it immediately, please. Recommend if you love fantasy romance, enemies with a strong sexual attraction towards each other, a magical quest, a strong capable FMC, and humor. Not too much in the spice department, because quest and all, and I was so invested in the quest I didn’t miss it (too much 😉). This book ends in a cliffhanger which is why we need book 2 as soon as possible. 🩵

 

Thank you to January Bell for the ARC. My thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary.

Berserker God by Ursa Dax

4.0

4.0 ⭐️ /5

2.5 🌶️/5

 

Beserker sky god goes mad for eons and is finally awakened! He found his “little star” and my heart melted every time Skall refers to Suvi as “little star” 🥹 

 

I loved the quiet arrogance we get from Skall while he struggles with his insecurity of his lost memories. Some habits and attitudes come to Skall as second nature and muscle memory but then Skall is left reeling because he has no idea who he is or how he got to this point in time. All he knows is Suvi is the person that is tethering him to reality. 

 

Suvi has been abducted twice; this second time by the beserker god with a snout who she cannot speak with (species language barrier and all that). One trope I love that I absolutely could never do in real life is abduction (obviously 😅) but I needed Suvi to buy into her feelings she had with Skall a lot sooner than she did. 

 

This is for you if you love alien romance with double peens, an obsessive yet adoring MMC, a fated mate situation, and language barriers. 

 

Thank you to Ursa Dax for the ARC. All thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary. 

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

4 ⭐️/5

3 🌶️/5

 

Great chemistry and friendship between Josephine, the number one fan turned caddie for Wells Whitaker, golf’s bad boy.

 

This is a rom-com with lots of angst, but man is the spice spicing! Do I know anything about golf other than what I learned from Wii? Absolutely not, but will I read about Wells and Josephine on the road to the Masters? Most definitely!

 

This is for you if you love a great friendship build-up between two people who are just so physically drawn to each other, there is heat emanating off the page. Tessa Bailey knows how to do some great in the moment naughty talk 🔥😈

 

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC. My thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary. 

Dance of Stars and Ashes by Nisha J. Tuli

4.5

4.5 ⭐️/5

2.5 🌶️/5

 

Dance of Stars and Ashes picks up right after the events of Heart of Night and Fire. I had such a great time reading this book, and let me just say I cannot wait until the next book in this series! 

 

We get:

✨Slow burn

✨Deception

✨Found family

✨Sacrifices 

✨Secrets 

✨Magic training 

✨Forgiveness 

✨New quest ahead 

✨Broken trust 

 

I love how Zarya is discovering her magical abilities and just staring to grow into her powers. She is cautious about trusting people in her life after so many truths have been revealed. It is so relatable to me how Zarya navigates between hurting and learning how to forgive even when you’re so angry at those who lied to you. 

 

One of my favorite aspects of this book is how horny Zarya is for the guys in her life. Even while struggling through her feelings, betrayal, and difficult situations Zee is going to take a moment to appreciate a good looking rakshasa. 

 

There is an amazing slow burn, adversaries to lovers between Zarya and Rabin. Get ready for the heat 🔥what’s hotter than a powerfully magical broody and mysterious love interest with gorgeous tattoos? (Trick question, because that’s my weakness). 

 

This is for you if you want a magical fantasy universe with a strong FMC who is coming into her own power and freedom. 

 

Thank you to Nisha J. Tuli for the ARC. My thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary. 

 

Intense Feelings by Nomi Palmer

fast-paced

4.0

4 ⭐️/5

2 🌶️/5

 

⚠️CAUTION: this book may cause a lot of INTENSE FEELINGS⚠️

 

I had no idea what to expect going into this read, and this was a wild ride! I’ll say the first 25% of the book I was kind of disoriented with all the character names and figuring out who was doing what. This is an ensemble cast in book form, described as a soap opera vibes. To me it was giving 90s Cruel Intentions movie mixed with all the Pennyroyal Green books (minus the historical element) plus Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. 

 

Somewhere between 40% and 50% all the individual characters and storylines came together and I couldn’t put this down. 

 

There are rival families, established founding families of the town,  mysterious new comers, someone gets shot, there is vengeance, there is history between enemies, enemies to lovers, paranormal, sacrifices for  love, mystery and murder. It is SO MUCH! 

 

If you want a multi-character storyline with everything I just described, this is for you. And steam, did I mention steam? There are several couples to track, so buckle up!  

 

Thank you to Sunny Babe PR for the ARC. All thoughts/opinions are my own, and my review is voluntary.

Valentine's Day With A Vampire by Tabitha Lovelace

fast-paced

4.0

4 ⭐️/5
3 🌶️/5

Vampire vs Vampire Hunter, what could go wrong? Fun forbidden romance quickie 🤗 

Attention all monster lovers! For this Valentine’s Day, if you are looking for a fun novella featuring a vampire hunter and a vampire who are naturally at odds but forced to work together to save the world from an apocalyptic battle, Valentine’s Day with a Vampire is the story for you. 

I love the film noir aspect - a leggy dame walks into my bar - and the forbidden romance between a human vampire hunter and her vampire mark is so steamy. I love a competent and kick butt FMC. I love a tall dark and fangy MMC.  This has humor and angst and spice. 

Thank you Tabitha Lovelace for the ARC. All thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein

lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

4.5 ⭐️ 

3.0 🌶️ 

 

Delightful and heartfelt. But don’t forget the steam 🔥

 

☀️Single pov 

☀️Grumpy/sunshine

☀️Fake dating 

☀️Banter 

☀️Kissing for paparazzi 

☀️Slow burn

☀️One bed 

☀️Grand gesture 

 

Gosh I loved this book. The banter between Mabel and Alfie was absolutely hilarious. I really felt the awkward moments, the silly moments, and the steamy moments between these two. It’s reading about two strangers meeting but it feels like they’ve known each other for their whole lives. I truly related to the insecurity of both characters, who are fighting to break out of the mold they’ve placed themselves in for so long. 

 

Definitely recommend if you like romcoms, fake relationship, adult characters (37 & 33), cheeky humor, social media and gossip, dirty talk, and the grandest of grand gestures.

 

ARC from NetGalley; all thoughts/opinions my own. My review is voluntary.

Dance with the Dragon Duke by S.L. Prater

5.0

5 ⭐️/5

2 🌶️/5

 

Sigh my heart is happy ♥️🤗 the entire Fae Trickster Series makes my whole heart happy. Dark and Tomorrow immediately embedded themselves into my heart and I’m gonna be sad to let them go. 🥲

 

Here’s what we get:

🧚‍♀️Dual POV 

🧚‍♀️Fake courtship and engagement  

🧚‍♀️Unseelie Dragon Duke

🧚‍♀️Seelie Fae Duchess on a mission and with a secret

🧚‍♀️Dragon hoards

🧚‍♀️Will kill for her

🧚‍♀️Mating bond 

🧚‍♀️Tail play

🧚‍♀️Returning characters from previous books

🧚‍♀️Disgruntled murderous family

🧚‍♀️Angst  

🧚‍♀️HEA 

 

Tomorrow needs to cement a claim for her duchy inheritance and she needs a duke to marry as part of the claim, so enter Dark the Dragon Duke and I am in love. 🥰 

 

Tomorrow’s a nervous talker and has a sweetness and vulnerability that endeared her to me immediately. I love how her history unfolded. She’s the daughter of a duke and his mistress so she’s grown up always feeling less than around the gentry, and the feeling of being on the outside looking in is too relatable. She’s the type of sunshine that ferocious things are drawn to, and maybe that’s another reason why I adored her so much 🥰

 

Dark has his own tragic backstory and is trying to escape his inner turmoil and guilt. He’s a big handsome dragon, gruff and intimidating on the outside but considerate and empathetic on the inside. He hoards treasure and has an affinity to lost souls, and I love his protective tendencies. He recognizes the mating bond first and then he has to figure out how to deal with feelings deeper than a bond and how to win Tomorrow’s heart. 

 

The characters from the previous Fae Trickster series are  interwoven in story, and it warms my soul to see them living their lives after their HEAs.

 

Recommend this book if you love cozy gaslamp fantasy romance, want a couple that has enough angst that you question if they’ll be able to be together, and you like romance with a spicy side. Tail play! 😅🐉

 

Thank you to SL Prater for the ARC. All thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary.