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samsweebooknook's reviews
91 reviews
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
4.0
When young witch Vivienne Jones finds herself heartbroken after splitting up with her boyfriend Rhys, she decided to drown her sorrows and ends up half jokingly putting a curse on him with the help of her cousin Gywn. When Rhys arrives back to town 9 years later, Vivi realizes her little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all. Her curse triggers a series of events that cause damage and danger to the town and those in it, so Vivi and Rhys find themselves flung together to try and find a way to break the curse and save the town while trying to ignore the chemistry between them.
I really enjoyed this one - it had everything I wanted from a book at the moment. A super easy read with witches, ghosts, a curse, a haunted house and lots of magic, all wrapped around a second chance romance. This gave me major Sabrina the Teenage Witch/ Charmed vibes and I am here for that kind of nostalgia! When a book opens with the line, "Never mix vodka and witchcraft", I know it's going to be right up my street! A fun, easy, romcom that's perfect for Spooky season!
I really enjoyed this one - it had everything I wanted from a book at the moment. A super easy read with witches, ghosts, a curse, a haunted house and lots of magic, all wrapped around a second chance romance. This gave me major Sabrina the Teenage Witch/ Charmed vibes and I am here for that kind of nostalgia! When a book opens with the line, "Never mix vodka and witchcraft", I know it's going to be right up my street! A fun, easy, romcom that's perfect for Spooky season!
Snowflakes Over Primrose Woods by Jill Steeples
3.0
This is the second book in the Primrose Woods series however it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. Following the lives of Abbey & Sam, Lizzie, Luke and Rhi - it's a small town feel good, festive read. I hadn't read the first one and it definitely didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. The characters were all very likable and I'd like to go back and read the first one now to see how the story initially panned out.
This felt like a hug in a book - I read it in two sittings! The type of story you should curl up on the couch with a warm drink under a blanket and enjoy! A sweet, heartwarming easy read that would be perfect for the Christmas season!
Thanks to @netgalley @bookandtonic and @jill.steeples for this gifted arc. As always this is an honest review.
This felt like a hug in a book - I read it in two sittings! The type of story you should curl up on the couch with a warm drink under a blanket and enjoy! A sweet, heartwarming easy read that would be perfect for the Christmas season!
Thanks to @netgalley @bookandtonic and @jill.steeples for this gifted arc. As always this is an honest review.
A Death Most Monumental by J.D. Kirk
4.5
After being in a bit of a reading slump the past few weeks, I decided to turn to a comfort series of mine - the DCI Logan books by JD Kirk.
I call it a comfort series but that's not because it's light and fluffy (they are definitely not words I'd use to describe this book ๐). If you've seen my previous reviews on books in this series you'll know they're set around the Highlands of Scotland where I'm from, so they're a comfort read with all the mentions of home! That and the fact I've grown to love all the characters on DCI Logan's team. It's like sitting down with an old friend.
The growth of the characters, the relationship developments, the sense of family throughout the team, the dark witty humour are all things that have made this series special for me, and this book has all those in abundance. Not to mention the fact it's set particularly close to my home village. I love that the author is local to the area - the humour around the parking at Glenfinnan made me laugh out. Many's a time I've given out about the way the cars are abandoned while people run out to snap the 'Harry Potter train' going by ๐๐
My favourite in the series so far!
I call it a comfort series but that's not because it's light and fluffy (they are definitely not words I'd use to describe this book ๐). If you've seen my previous reviews on books in this series you'll know they're set around the Highlands of Scotland where I'm from, so they're a comfort read with all the mentions of home! That and the fact I've grown to love all the characters on DCI Logan's team. It's like sitting down with an old friend.
The growth of the characters, the relationship developments, the sense of family throughout the team, the dark witty humour are all things that have made this series special for me, and this book has all those in abundance. Not to mention the fact it's set particularly close to my home village. I love that the author is local to the area - the humour around the parking at Glenfinnan made me laugh out. Many's a time I've given out about the way the cars are abandoned while people run out to snap the 'Harry Potter train' going by ๐๐
My favourite in the series so far!
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
5.0
This is the story of four witches who were all once part of Her Majesty's Royal Coven, a secret coven sworn to protect the crown and country from dark forces. Now adults, Helena, Niamh, Elle & Leonie are all on very different paths but an apocalyptic prophecy sees them having to come together to protect the sisterhood and their country.
I love witchy stories so when I seen Sarah's (@travelseatsreads) review of this one I knew I had to pick it up. Thankfully it didn't disappoint - I absolutely loved it!
The lack of major plot developments in the first half is balanced by the development of characters relationships and the world building that's necessary for it being the first in a trilogy of fantasy books. Having said that, even from the start I was fully immersed!
So many social and cultural issues were tackled within the story (feminism, race, LGBT rights, misogyny, sexism to name a few) but never in a way that it felt out of place or forced.
That ending though!! I'll 100% be ordering the second book when it comes out next year to find out what happens!
A really fun, enthralling witchy story with powerful and important messages at its core.
I love witchy stories so when I seen Sarah's (@travelseatsreads) review of this one I knew I had to pick it up. Thankfully it didn't disappoint - I absolutely loved it!
The lack of major plot developments in the first half is balanced by the development of characters relationships and the world building that's necessary for it being the first in a trilogy of fantasy books. Having said that, even from the start I was fully immersed!
So many social and cultural issues were tackled within the story (feminism, race, LGBT rights, misogyny, sexism to name a few) but never in a way that it felt out of place or forced.
That ending though!! I'll 100% be ordering the second book when it comes out next year to find out what happens!
A really fun, enthralling witchy story with powerful and important messages at its core.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
4.0
This book needs absolutely no introduction. I'm so late to the party reading this one but was always put off by two things 1) the length of it (it looks a lot longer than most contemporary romance books I've read so I was worried it wouldn't hold my attention) and 2) the hype.
Well the 468 pages absolutely flew by and I would have happily sat and read 468 pages more ๐ Suffice to say it lived up to the hype!
Aaron is up there with my favourite book boyfriends - everytime he called her by her full name I swooned ๐ I adored Lina who is such a strong and driven character but with a really soft and vulnerable side that shines through. I loved the fun banter the two of them had and the slow burn of her realising how she really felt about him was just ๐.
A couple of cringey moments in the sex scenes (I'm realising I'm quite particular about sex talk in books ๐) but nothing I couldn't overlook!
Well the 468 pages absolutely flew by and I would have happily sat and read 468 pages more ๐ Suffice to say it lived up to the hype!
Aaron is up there with my favourite book boyfriends - everytime he called her by her full name I swooned ๐ I adored Lina who is such a strong and driven character but with a really soft and vulnerable side that shines through. I loved the fun banter the two of them had and the slow burn of her realising how she really felt about him was just ๐.
A couple of cringey moments in the sex scenes (I'm realising I'm quite particular about sex talk in books ๐) but nothing I couldn't overlook!
Breaking by Amanda Cassidy
5.0
On holiday in Florida, Dr Mirren Fitzpatrick faces every parents worst nightmare when her 8 year old adopted daughter goes missing at the beach.
A tense and rivetting read falling somewhere between psychological thriller and crime fiction that had me hooked from the start. There's so much going on within this story with plenty of twists to keep you guessing.
I loved Cassidys writing style, switching between characters and into different time frames so naturally. The characters were really well developed, particularly Mirren and Detective Rolle. I'm not normally a fan of an unreliable narrator but I really enjoyed Mirrens point of view which is a testament to Cassidys writing.
Irish female authors are absolutely dominating at the moment and this is another perfect example of why. A fantastic debut and I already can't wait to see what comes next from this author.
A tense and rivetting read falling somewhere between psychological thriller and crime fiction that had me hooked from the start. There's so much going on within this story with plenty of twists to keep you guessing.
I loved Cassidys writing style, switching between characters and into different time frames so naturally. The characters were really well developed, particularly Mirren and Detective Rolle. I'm not normally a fan of an unreliable narrator but I really enjoyed Mirrens point of view which is a testament to Cassidys writing.
Irish female authors are absolutely dominating at the moment and this is another perfect example of why. A fantastic debut and I already can't wait to see what comes next from this author.
My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
3.0
Keeping it brief this time - this book is pure, unapologetic smut and I was here for it! It didn't pretend to be anything it wasn't and I just took it for what it was. A funny, steamy (๐ฅต), extremely easy to read romance that I read in one sitting! Some of the language that the main character used irked me and the sex scenes were quite cringey, but like I said I just overlooked a lot of it and went with it. It's absolutely not one that will give you all the feels and have you swooning over the romance for days after, but it's definitely one that will keep you amused and give you plenty to talk about!
Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
3.5
"Turns out that reading nothing but true crime isnโt exactly conducive to modern datingโand one woman is going to have to learn how to give love a chance when sheโs used to suspecting the worst".
This story followed Phoebe as she set about packing up her father's house after his death. Phoebe isn't your typical romance leading lady. She's awkward and quirky - to the point that she could be taken as being quite rude. But I ended up really feeling for her as her layers were slowly peeled back while she dealt with the grief of loosing her dad and the insecurities she has about relationships and letting people in.
As a fan of these types of documentaries, I really enjoyed all the true crime references. However I do think the author missed a trick in not allowing the plot to develop in a way that had Phoebe discovering or solving a true crime mystery of her own! I did feel like I was waiting for that little something extra that gave more weight to the title and the constant mention of her interests in this subject. Having said that I can see that the true crime references were just part of her quirky personality and allowed a way for her to keep her defense mechanisms up when it came to relationships with others.
This was quite a divisive one in our buddy read last week but I fell on the side of enjoying it. While it followed a standard romcom arc, it felt that the author was trying to give it a little something more with the undertone of childhood trauma, grief, dysfunctional families. Even with those themes it was still a light read. A heartwarming, contemporary take on the romance genre.
A solid 3.5 stars
This story followed Phoebe as she set about packing up her father's house after his death. Phoebe isn't your typical romance leading lady. She's awkward and quirky - to the point that she could be taken as being quite rude. But I ended up really feeling for her as her layers were slowly peeled back while she dealt with the grief of loosing her dad and the insecurities she has about relationships and letting people in.
As a fan of these types of documentaries, I really enjoyed all the true crime references. However I do think the author missed a trick in not allowing the plot to develop in a way that had Phoebe discovering or solving a true crime mystery of her own! I did feel like I was waiting for that little something extra that gave more weight to the title and the constant mention of her interests in this subject. Having said that I can see that the true crime references were just part of her quirky personality and allowed a way for her to keep her defense mechanisms up when it came to relationships with others.
This was quite a divisive one in our buddy read last week but I fell on the side of enjoying it. While it followed a standard romcom arc, it felt that the author was trying to give it a little something more with the undertone of childhood trauma, grief, dysfunctional families. Even with those themes it was still a light read. A heartwarming, contemporary take on the romance genre.
A solid 3.5 stars
You & I, Rewritten by Chip Pons
4.0
A romance novel at its core, but one with many more layers than your usual romcom. This was romance, family saga and contemporary fiction all rolled into one.
You can tell Pons has poured his heart and soul into this book (with him drawing inspiration from his own life in parts). Turning the tables on the standard romance formula, the traditional final act conflict exists outside of Will and Graham's relationship. While I normally enjoy a bit of drama, it was refreshing to see such a healthy dynamic in the relationship of the main characters. They were open with each other, had great communication and were a constant support to one another. It felt like a beautiful and tender glimpse into the authors own relationship (you know you're about to get a great romance story when the authors dedication has you swooning!).
As a book lover, I really enjoyed the references to Wills work, and I loved the relationship between Will and Klair - she's the best friend we all need!
This was a heartwarming story of hope, healing, love, family and friendship. A fab debut and I look forward to what Chip comes out with next!
You can tell Pons has poured his heart and soul into this book (with him drawing inspiration from his own life in parts). Turning the tables on the standard romance formula, the traditional final act conflict exists outside of Will and Graham's relationship. While I normally enjoy a bit of drama, it was refreshing to see such a healthy dynamic in the relationship of the main characters. They were open with each other, had great communication and were a constant support to one another. It felt like a beautiful and tender glimpse into the authors own relationship (you know you're about to get a great romance story when the authors dedication has you swooning!).
As a book lover, I really enjoyed the references to Wills work, and I loved the relationship between Will and Klair - she's the best friend we all need!
This was a heartwarming story of hope, healing, love, family and friendship. A fab debut and I look forward to what Chip comes out with next!
Exes and O's by Amy Lea
5.0
Romance bookstagrammer and hopeless romantic Tara Chen has been through her fair share of heartbreak, and dreams of finding her own happy ever after. As a fan of the trope in the books she reads, Tara (with the help of her new roommate Trevor) decides to revisit her exes in the hope of a second chance romance of her own.
Amy Lea has fast become an auto-buy author for me and one of my favourites in the romance genre! This is book two in the series and while they can be read as standalones, I do think you appreciate them more reading them in order. I loved that we got little updates on Crystal and Scott in this one.
While I can't imagine anything worse than contacting any of my own exes ๐คฃ, it suited Tara's story so much. The characters were so authentic and genuine - I think most of us can relate to Tara in one way or another and I loved that even though she sometimes came off as a bit too intense with exes in the past, she always remained unapologetically herself.
Funny, romantic & wholesome, with the perfect amount of spice (satisfying the build up of the slow burn without being cringey), this was a genuinely heartwarming read!
Amy Lea has fast become an auto-buy author for me and one of my favourites in the romance genre! This is book two in the series and while they can be read as standalones, I do think you appreciate them more reading them in order. I loved that we got little updates on Crystal and Scott in this one.
While I can't imagine anything worse than contacting any of my own exes ๐คฃ, it suited Tara's story so much. The characters were so authentic and genuine - I think most of us can relate to Tara in one way or another and I loved that even though she sometimes came off as a bit too intense with exes in the past, she always remained unapologetically herself.
Funny, romantic & wholesome, with the perfect amount of spice (satisfying the build up of the slow burn without being cringey), this was a genuinely heartwarming read!