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lollylovesbooks's reviews
673 reviews
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
A truly beautiful cosy sapphic fantasy with a strong romance plot.
Marigold has always felt out of place in her home and community - more interested in nature than balls. So it makes sense when she learns that she is a witch, and moves to her grandmother's house to learn how to use her magic. But that magic also comes with responsibilities, including protecting her new home from a rogue witch who has cursed her family never to know love.
I really can't talk about this book without using the word beautiful. The writing is in third person present tense (single point of view), which gives it a very lyrical feel. The whole setup is very cosy, with plenty of cottage slice-of-life moments intermingled with the wider plot.
The magic itself is really interesting - the idea of honey magic and ash magic being opposites but both necessary in their own way. And the magic being both dependent on and responsible for nature was a great concept.
The other characters in the book are fun. Marigold's family are a definite mixed bunch, but their heart is clearly in the right place. Then on the island she reconnects with her childhood friend August, which introduces Marigold to his friend Lottie. The love interest of a witch being a complete magic sceptic is always a great dynamic, and it worked really well here.
I can't not mention that this book is extremely feminist and I am here for it! So many of the lessons Marigold learns as part of her witch training are about supporting women whatever path they choose to take in life.
I'd wholeheartedly recommend this to lovers of cosy fantasy romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy. All thoughts are my own.
Marigold has always felt out of place in her home and community - more interested in nature than balls. So it makes sense when she learns that she is a witch, and moves to her grandmother's house to learn how to use her magic. But that magic also comes with responsibilities, including protecting her new home from a rogue witch who has cursed her family never to know love.
I really can't talk about this book without using the word beautiful. The writing is in third person present tense (single point of view), which gives it a very lyrical feel. The whole setup is very cosy, with plenty of cottage slice-of-life moments intermingled with the wider plot.
The magic itself is really interesting - the idea of honey magic and ash magic being opposites but both necessary in their own way. And the magic being both dependent on and responsible for nature was a great concept.
The other characters in the book are fun. Marigold's family are a definite mixed bunch, but their heart is clearly in the right place. Then on the island she reconnects with her childhood friend August, which introduces Marigold to his friend Lottie. The love interest of a witch being a complete magic sceptic is always a great dynamic, and it worked really well here.
I can't not mention that this book is extremely feminist and I am here for it! So many of the lessons Marigold learns as part of her witch training are about supporting women whatever path they choose to take in life.
I'd wholeheartedly recommend this to lovers of cosy fantasy romance.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy. All thoughts are my own.
Lavash at First Sight by Taleen Voskuni
Expect to want to eat all the food!
Nazeli (known as Ellie to her American friends) loves a high-stress job, but after being dumped by her not-quite-boyfriend she agrees to go with her parents to a food packaging conference. There she meets Vanya, another Armenian women who she's instantly intrigued by.
I enjoyed reading about Armenian culture - there was lots about the food, but also some bits of history and other cultural references. It's a part of the world I know very little about so this was great.
Although this is described as a romance, for me it was a story about Nazeli that happened to include a romance plot. Things that played a bigger role than the romance included her parents' rivalry, her ridiculous workplace, and the bizarre competition setup. The single point of view really supported this feel.
This is a closed-door book - other than kissing there is nothing more than a reference of what Nazeli and Vanya get up to physically. I wish I'd known this going in, as it felt a little disjointed with where the story left off and joined back in.
To stick with the food theme, this book very much had all the ingredients that I like. For my personal taste the balance and presentation wasn't quite as appetising as expected. But everyone's taste is different.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
Nazeli (known as Ellie to her American friends) loves a high-stress job, but after being dumped by her not-quite-boyfriend she agrees to go with her parents to a food packaging conference. There she meets Vanya, another Armenian women who she's instantly intrigued by.
I enjoyed reading about Armenian culture - there was lots about the food, but also some bits of history and other cultural references. It's a part of the world I know very little about so this was great.
Although this is described as a romance, for me it was a story about Nazeli that happened to include a romance plot. Things that played a bigger role than the romance included her parents' rivalry, her ridiculous workplace, and the bizarre competition setup. The single point of view really supported this feel.
This is a closed-door book - other than kissing there is nothing more than a reference of what Nazeli and Vanya get up to physically. I wish I'd known this going in, as it felt a little disjointed with where the story left off and joined back in.
To stick with the food theme, this book very much had all the ingredients that I like. For my personal taste the balance and presentation wasn't quite as appetising as expected. But everyone's taste is different.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.
Nothing against the book at all - just not in the right place for it right now.
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
This was so cute and cosy. Loved the inclusivity - main character has hearing aids, love interest is non-binary, main character has sapphire nanas. Great magic too. Glad I read it.
Hit it and Quit it : A Small Town Baseball Romance by Kelly Reynolds
A baseball romance that delivers on spice and feelings.
Clarke has been cheated on by her fiancée, and takes it as a sign to finally move away from her overbearing parents and the town she's always lived in. She moves to a small town with a new baseball franchise team to take on a role working their social media. Meanwhile Soren is hoping for the chance to reset with a new team and focus on his career, following yet another media scandal. Just a shame his cute new neighbour is also a new colleague...
These two have instant chemistry, right from the hilarious and (literally) steamy first time they meet. And that chemistry grows as the story progresses and they get to know each other more. I loved how their feelings built over time as they got to know each other more.
The supporting cast of characters are great - it's definitely setting up to be a fun series with the rest of the team. Any decent team sports romance will always have an element of found family amongst the players, but I adored Clarke's found family as she got the confidence to make new friends that she could be herself with.
Clarke's journey to find herself was great to read. Starting out as someone who was only known for being the daughter of rich people, and growing to a place of having work, hobbies, friends and love. And swear words. Can't forget the freedom of swearing!
There is a lot of secondary queer rep in this story, and it was included very naturally. Soren's nibling, like the rest of his family, is amazing.
I'll admit that I had been expecting more full-on spice scenes, but that's very much my expectations rather than a fault with the book. There was a wide variety of steaminess happening, but also quite a few times where it was just the build up, or references to things having happened.
Also it's possible I'd have got more out of this book if I liked coffee...
All in all I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys sports romances - particularly if you're looking for a change from all the hockey ones!
Thank you to the author for the free review copy. All thoughts are my own.
Clarke has been cheated on by her fiancée, and takes it as a sign to finally move away from her overbearing parents and the town she's always lived in. She moves to a small town with a new baseball franchise team to take on a role working their social media. Meanwhile Soren is hoping for the chance to reset with a new team and focus on his career, following yet another media scandal. Just a shame his cute new neighbour is also a new colleague...
These two have instant chemistry, right from the hilarious and (literally) steamy first time they meet. And that chemistry grows as the story progresses and they get to know each other more. I loved how their feelings built over time as they got to know each other more.
The supporting cast of characters are great - it's definitely setting up to be a fun series with the rest of the team. Any decent team sports romance will always have an element of found family amongst the players, but I adored Clarke's found family as she got the confidence to make new friends that she could be herself with.
Clarke's journey to find herself was great to read. Starting out as someone who was only known for being the daughter of rich people, and growing to a place of having work, hobbies, friends and love. And swear words. Can't forget the freedom of swearing!
There is a lot of secondary queer rep in this story, and it was included very naturally. Soren's nibling, like the rest of his family, is amazing.
I'll admit that I had been expecting more full-on spice scenes, but that's very much my expectations rather than a fault with the book. There was a wide variety of steaminess happening, but also quite a few times where it was just the build up, or references to things having happened.
Also it's possible I'd have got more out of this book if I liked coffee...
All in all I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys sports romances - particularly if you're looking for a change from all the hockey ones!
Thank you to the author for the free review copy. All thoughts are my own.
Play by Nikki Markham
While this can absolutely be read as a standalone, I was glad I'd read Impact first because it gave me more insight into the side characters.
Loved Harper and Bree - both as separate characters and together as a couple. Their communication was fantastic.
Super super hot and a great time.
I'd have loved if Harper had done some formal research or training on BDSM, because being a domme with no real knowledge doesn't seem the best idea.
Loved Harper and Bree - both as separate characters and together as a couple. Their communication was fantastic.
Super super hot and a great time.
Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs
The overall storyline wasn't my favourite, but I enjoyed it well enough.
There were some great Mercy and Adam moments in this book that I loved (nudge).
Enjoyed seeing more of Zee and Tad too.
There were some great Mercy and Adam moments in this book that I loved (nudge).
Enjoyed seeing more of Zee and Tad too.
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
This has been on pause for a while now.
Turning Back by Katia Rose
5.0
A journey of sapphic self-discovery.
Trish is struggling with her confidence and sense of self. She's a highly successful cook and manager at her family's café, but sees herself as being in the shadow of her sisters' successes. Kennedy is a hotshot estate agent from the city. She's more than a little burned out, and visiting her friend is the perfect excuse for a few weeks at a slower pace.
When the two first meet things seem to go from bad to worse. No matter what happens, they seem to keep annoying each other. That is when sparks aren't flying. Except Trish is straight, right?
This is the second book in the Three Rivers series but can be read as a standalone (although I highly recommend Passing Through as well). Trish features in book 1 and is Emily's sister. Kennedy is referenced in book 1 as Kim's best friend.
In terms of steam factor this is a slow burner, but the payoff is definitely worth it. Special shout out to the mutual self-appreciation scene!
This book is just as much about Trish and Kennedy finding themselves as it is about them finding each other. After finishing this I joked to a friend that my review would be "Katia, I was nearly in tears, how dare you??". The raw intensity of some feelings really resonated with me.
For Kennedy there's dealing with her toxic family, as well as feeling out of place. For Trish there's how she feels about being plus size and her confidence struggles. There's also Trish's thoughts and realisations about her sexuality, including heartbreaking recollections of times her thoughts were invalidated by others.
Is sister's girlfriend's best friend a trope? I don't know. But either way I would absolutely recommend this book!
Thank you to the author for the free review copy. All thoughts are my own.
Trish is struggling with her confidence and sense of self. She's a highly successful cook and manager at her family's café, but sees herself as being in the shadow of her sisters' successes. Kennedy is a hotshot estate agent from the city. She's more than a little burned out, and visiting her friend is the perfect excuse for a few weeks at a slower pace.
When the two first meet things seem to go from bad to worse. No matter what happens, they seem to keep annoying each other. That is when sparks aren't flying. Except Trish is straight, right?
This is the second book in the Three Rivers series but can be read as a standalone (although I highly recommend Passing Through as well). Trish features in book 1 and is Emily's sister. Kennedy is referenced in book 1 as Kim's best friend.
In terms of steam factor this is a slow burner, but the payoff is definitely worth it. Special shout out to the mutual self-appreciation scene!
This book is just as much about Trish and Kennedy finding themselves as it is about them finding each other. After finishing this I joked to a friend that my review would be "Katia, I was nearly in tears, how dare you??". The raw intensity of some feelings really resonated with me.
For Kennedy there's dealing with her toxic family, as well as feeling out of place. For Trish there's how she feels about being plus size and her confidence struggles. There's also Trish's thoughts and realisations about her sexuality, including heartbreaking recollections of times her thoughts were invalidated by others.
Is sister's girlfriend's best friend a trope? I don't know. But either way I would absolutely recommend this book!
Thank you to the author for the free review copy. All thoughts are my own.