theahappyhermit's reviews
251 reviews

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

šŸŒ¶ļø yes 

Op this was DELIGHTFUL. utterly delightful. 
Fairy romance with nothing new but also wildly unique in some ways. 

I kinda loved that the main character isnā€™t technically the main character, there are trials but sheā€™s helping the person do the trials. So like sheā€™s the main character but also is a side character? If that makes sense. 

The FMC finds herself trapped in the fairy realm underground as a servant to a young fae undergoing the immortality trials but all is not as it seems as revolution is on the rise to over throw the evil fae king.  

So nothing new but there are such unique spins to it all. 

Book two is gonna be GOOOD. 

All I will say is I really love women and girls helping girls. 

  • independent competent FMC 
  • Spying 
  • Trails 
  • Elemental Magic 
  • Blood magic (WHICH I HAVE BEEN CRAVING) 
  • Fem relationships 

This was so close to a five star but I really didnā€™t like the love interest like at all. I wanted too but I know why I didnā€™t and I wonā€™t say it in my review but I think the author tried to do something and almost did it too wellā€¦ if that makes senseā€¦ 
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

An Indiana jones movie but Vi is Harrison ford and X the hot damsel in destress. And I stand by that take. 

yarros is nothing if not consistent in her writing, character and relationships. 

Minor spoiler 
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How dare she give me a professor Xaden and make it NOT sexy. I will NEVER forgive this missed opportunity. NEVER. 
Amid Clouds and Bones by Ella Fields

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

šŸŒ¶ļøyes 

- Morally black love interest 
- Blonde/white haired love interest 
- Men with wings 
- Fairies not fae 
- Toxic romance 
- Selfish characters
- ā€œI can make her worseā€ vibes 
- Realms 

āœØstand-aloneāœØ

- took every bookish trope and PULLED AN UNO REVERSE 
like itā€™s everything that makes things popular but likeā€¦ upside down. 

Tā€™was a RIDE. itā€™s not predictable but also is in the best way. Idk. It was a wild time, not at all what I was expecting šŸ˜‚ 

Because some people think trope list are spoilers hereā€™s your warning for the ā€œspoilerā€ list 

- Fated mates gone  awry
- Love triangleā€¦ kinda? 
- Prophecy 

Also this has a delightfully sweet ending that I hadnā€™t totally seen coming from the main characters
A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught

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

5.0

ā€œWhy is it when you yield, I feel like the one who has been conquered?"

šŸŒ¶ļøyes 

This was hands down one of the best historical romances Iā€™ve ever read, from the writing which feels ā€¦ oldā€¦ but in the realistic way, to the history so well weaved and the ROMANCE?! Hello? Enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers to I donā€™t want to be your enemy please let me love you Iā€™m sorry. 

A rollercoaster I never wanted to get off of. I would have read another 500 pgs of them just living out their daily lives šŸ˜… 

I loved this book so much I bought a physical because I want to hold it, and smell it, and write in it, and reread it over and over again. 

Jenny a Scot is kidnapped by an army of Englishmen and held as a prisoner (treated fairly) but she gas heard the stories of The Wolf and knows she canā€™t trust them and outsmarts them at every turn. Sheā€™s so smart; reading her run CIRCLES around them was nothing short an utter delight. 

The Wolf? Duke Claymore?  IS A MAN. A MAN AMONG MEN. bark bark.  Jenny is a better woman than me because I would have folded INSTANTLY. lawd have mercy. He is a ruthless savage warrior who only wants to love someone softly. *cue my audible whimper* 

- captive x captor 
- Enemies to lovers 
- Arranged marriage 

Look this boarlines dark romance and it was written 36 years ago so imma let all my morals OUT THE WINDOW. I understand that some people will not like some of theā€¦ ways the age gap is presented ā€¦ I am however not one of those people. Royce my beloved Iā€™ll be your number one defender and I say that knowing my girl Jenny can, has and will stand up for herself with blades in hand. 

Anyways Siri play ā€œIā€™m on fireā€ by Bruce Springsteen because that will forever be their song. FIGHT ME I DARE YOU.
The Wayward Duke by Katrina Kendrick

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adventurous emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

šŸŒ¶ļøyes

I HAVE BEEN CRAVING AN ANGSTY historical romance and I just plucked this one off my pile with out looking into it and eppp I was served a DELICIOUSLY tension filled second chance romance. 

This book embodies šŸŽ¶ No one teaches you what to do
When a good man hurts you
And you know you hurt him too šŸŽµ

Our couple has been married for almost 9 years AND EIGHT OF THEM THEY HAVE BEEN ESTRANGED. ugh. The duke comes back because hes in-between houses not knowing his wife was staying in London and thus ensues a bargain to pretend to be a happy albeit strange couple for the sake of rumors while heā€™s in town for a few weeks. 

Now thatā€™s the basic plot 

The main plot is the duke is a code breaker doing work for the queen to catch a terrorist with the help of his genius wife. 

Thereā€™s action and spice and gooey romantic getting back together after grief broke them apart. 

- childhood friends to lovers 
- Healing through art 
- Spying 
- Spicy ā€œletā€™s not get caughtā€ moments 

This bad boy is under 300 pgs and honestly could become a comfort read. 

I will say I didnā€™t know this was a part of a series for there were a little moment where I was like ā€œwait whatā€ but shrugged and moved on 

Tw: childloss and depression in flashbacks
Heavenly Bodies by Imani Erriu

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adventurous 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

4.0

šŸŒ¶ļø yes 

We are dropped in the middle of our FMC being kidnapped by the enemy nation after a God (basically) kills her parents. The enemy nation offers an alliance to take on the big bad. It doesnā€™t hurt that the prince sheā€™s forced to work with a hot. 

  • celestial inspired world 
  • Shadow mommy 
  • Dream magic 
  • Reluctant allies 
  • Slow burn but with lots of flirting 
  • Prophecyā€™s 

I liked this book, just a strong like. Will read the next book but I didnā€™t have a WOW moment. The middle pacing and the climax with its fake out twists keep this book at a solid low 4 ā­ļø 

I was sent an arc but all thoughts and feelings are my own.  
Quicksilver by Callie Hart

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

 šŸŒ¶ļøyes 
šŸŽ§duet 

Our FMC is a metal worker who gets caught stealing from the Royal guard and is running but ends up getting caught and as she almost dies, she awakens the quicksilver, which is the element that is used to travel between realms and find out the fae are real. Forced to make a bargain, sheā€™s quickly brought into realm of war and magic. 

This is fae done well. The world building the plot the writing is so excellently done. I can see why it blew up so fast. The romance is a relative slow burn, with a dark, brooding, and scarred mmc with his own traumatic past. 

Thereā€™s magic realms, vampires, zombies, fun little twist character that really pulled through the whole story   That is exactly how I want the comic relief side character he didnā€™t feel out of place or silly, truly, I love carrion swift. 

- fae 
- Bargains 
- Metal magic 
- Shadow daddy 
- Battles 

And I also love that the story doesnā€™t end on a major cliffhanger. I feel like a lot of especially first books end on this massive cliffhanger that makes you want to pick up the second book, but this ending was still leaves You wanting to know what happens but doesnā€™t feel like Catastrophic and I really like that. One of my biggest pet peeves is when every single book ends on this massive cliffhanger and I really like that this one doesnā€™t but still allows movement into the second book. 


If you wished Acotar and empire of the vampire had a love child this will scratch that itch
The Silver Devil by Teresa Denys

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

3.75

šŸŒ¶ļø no which is interesting considering sex is a main plot point- itā€™s talked about, it happens just not on pageā€¦ 

  • Cinderella retelling 
  • Court/political intrigue
  • Dub con 

If curiosity killed the cat and I was turned into a feline I'd be dead in an instant.
I saw someone talking about this mysterious out print controversial (during its time) romance and just HAD to know.

ā€¦by our standards today its just a (in my opinion) tame dark romance that forgot the spice. 

The ended 40% was good & I do love me a morally black MMC tho
Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

šŸŒ¶ļøyes 

Wow. Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for that ending. Itā€™s been 30 some odd hours and my jaw is still on the floor.  Go in blind and just let that ending happen. 

Our FMC is part of an exiled nation going to land for the first in like 20 years. Accused of stealing and one explosion later sheā€™s accepted that sheā€™s never going back to land, she be happily if a bit bored in her safe upcoming marriage and rising the ranks of the guardā€¦ until the commander who accused her of stealing shows up (and gets jailed) because he needs to talk to her. 

She sees her ticket out to break him out and sneak away from exileā€¦. And yeah. Yeah. 

  • forced proximity 
  • Slow burn 
  • Missing past 
  • TWISTS SO MANY TWISTS. 

I really really loved the build to the relationship. I loved how they talked things through before getting physical. 

Acker. Ugh. šŸ˜© yas lawd Acker. Mmmm. Mmm. šŸ˜‹ yes. Him.  Mmmm. look if a man takes another manā€™s tooth for looking at his girl wrong Iā€™m not asking any questions other than what is his ring size. 

And thatā€™s all imma say on this book because I just feel like everything else should be āœØexperiencedāœØ i swear for uniqueness alone you will not be let down. It is so fast paced and addictive. 


Ugh.  Just read it so you can feel how I feel and we can all chat about it
The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao

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adventurous reflective 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

šŸŒ¶ļøyes 

ā­ļø4.5 

This book was a stunning fresh air. 

Our FMC is an immortal doing the work for her god on the mortal realm as a seductress when she returns home ready to ask for her freedom she is given a mission to free herself onlyā€¦ she might lose herself in the process. 

  • spy x mark 
  • Mentor x mentee (kinda) 
  • Gods 
  • Realms 
  • Hindu inspired 
  • Queer FMC
  • Sex positive / queer norm world 
  • a beautiful grip on the power of love 

This book also offers a very interesting thought experiment on the difference between faith and religion that held me gripped though the story and its magic system. 

I really appreciated how both our main characters refuse to change and give up things that cause tension in the relationship BUT also   acknowledge that it causes problems for them. 

Also. The MMC is a man with AMBITION and the means to obtain it. There was one part where something is revealed and my eyes went so WIDE. like ok powerful I see you. (I have a spoiler joke but Iā€™ll keep it to myself) 

Iā€™m excited and NERVOUS for the next book.

Cons- this was very close to a five star. I just wished there was a *tad* more to the climax and the resolution it felt just a smidge rushed like a hairs breath but i understand this is part one of two. 

This book was gifted to me but all thoughts and feelings are my own.