When a woman who'd rather do anything than read meets a swoon-worthy bookworm, sparks fly, making for one hot-summer fling in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay's new rom-com.

For Samantha Gale, a summer on Martha's Vineyard at her family's tiny cottage was supposed to be about resurrecting her career as a chef, until she's tasked with chaperoning her half-brother, Tyler. The teenage brainiac is spending his summer at the local library in a robotics competition, and there's no place Sam, who's dyslexic, likes less than the library. And because the universe hates her, the library's interim director turns out to be the hot-reader guy whose book she accidentally destroyed on the ferry ride to the island.

Bennett Reynolds is on a quest to find his father, whose identity he's never known. He's taken the temporary job on the island to research the summer his mother spent there when she got pregnant with him. Ben tells himself he isn't interested in a relationship right now. Yet as soon as Sam knocks his book into the ocean, he can't stop thinking about her.

An irresistible attraction blossoms when Ben inspires Sam to create the cookbook she's always dreamed about and she jumps all in on helping him find his father, and soon they realize their summer fling may heat up into a happily ever after.

REVIEW

Summer Reading was a cute, light-hearted summer romance novel that I admittedly left a little late in the year to read (October 🤭). But honestly, aside from one scene at a beach, this book doesn't especially give off summer vibes so I'd say you could happily read it whenever you please.

The story follows main character Samantha who struggles through life with dyslexia. This was a very unique and thought-provoking aspect of the book. I'd honestly never given much thought to what that must be like but the author did a really superb job of showing just what a daily struggle that would be. Not being able to read a menu, instructions, the back of a food packet... When people ask Sam about reading, particularly novels, her coping mechanism is usually to just pretend to dislike reading and that she would rather watch the movie.

Sam was a pretty cool character and aside from the romance I really enjoyed her personal story with her family, her half-brother, her career worries, etc, and I just generally enjoyed her as a character. She was funny and her banter was on point.

For our male love interest, we have librarian Ben who's pretty instantly taken with Sam. During their meet-cute, she accidentally destroyed the book he was reading which led to a conversation about reading. Initially, she went with her usual white lies about movies being better but as their relationship develops, Ben learns the real reason behind her aversion to reading and I'm soooo glad this aspect wasn't dragged out too long.

In conclusion, Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay is a sweet and heartwarming "summer" romance with a unique focus on dyslexia. It's a pleasant way to pass the time for any romance lover.

3 stars ★★★

ARC received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

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Gripping and action-packed, Crowns is perfect for fans of thick plots with aching romance. This is a compelling first volume to a deliciously twisting trilogy that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

The Return of a Lost Heir…
The kingdom of Mercia has been at war with the Shadow King and his dark army for ten years. To escape the seer’s vision of her capture, Mercia’s heir to the throne, Princess Norah Andell, is secreted away by her father to keep her safe. But when he dies in battle, so too dies the knowledge of where she’s hidden. She’s lost to the world—until three years later, when she’s found with no memory of who she is or the kingdom that now rests on her shoulders.

A Conflicted Duty…
Loyal and fearless commander of the Mercian army, Alexander Rhemus, has protected the realm against the threat of the Shadow King, awaiting Norah’s return. Not only does she hold the fate of the kingdom, but also his heart. However, when she’s found, he discovers she has no memory of him, or what was once between them. With war still looming, Norah is expected to wed and secure an alliance—one Mercia desperately needs to stand against the Shadow King. Now, with Mercia’s future at stake, Alexander finds himself torn between his duty and his heart.

A Twisted Fate…
Norah is thrust into a world she doesn’t know, in a role she’s unprepared for, to save a kingdom she doesn’t remember. Under the hardship of winter and a dark enemy against them, Mercia is on the verge of breaking. As things start to unravel, the Shadow King draws Norah down a path of twisted fate—and it could cost her everything.

Praise for North Queen:

"The political intrigue of Outlander or Game of Thrones with the magic and thrills of A Court of Thorns and Roses."
- US REVIEW

REVIEW

Queen o' the Norrrrth.

This was buckets of fun. Incidentally, I read it right after finishing Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros which is currently popping off absolutely everywhere on Booktok and Booktube, but I personally had a much better time with THIS book.

In "North Queen," Nicola Tyche takes readers on a pretty wild ride. I thought I knew where this book was going in the first quarter and was happily on board with the general set-up, then whoopsie! Not so fast!

To give you a spoiler-free flavour of what it's about, or at least how it starts... Our protagonist, Nora, wakes in the Wild woods with no memory of how she got there or who she is. Also, there's a fox looking at her weirdly. Very shortly after, she's discovered by someone who seems to know her as Nora, the lost princess of Mercia, who's been missing for 3 years after being secreted away by her father the King. She's brought back to the castle and thrust immediately into a world of expectations, pressures, and prophecies - of which she is a central figure.

I really liked Nora as the main character. She is 25. She's spirited, strong and determined. She's not bad with a blade but still maintains the qualities you'd expect of someone raised as a princess.

I loved the plot too, though it's quite an angsty read that occasionally hurt my feelings. I'm not complaining, though. A nice gut punch in the feels never hurt anyone! Or rather, it did, but they probably liked it. 😈

For some reason, I'm also a sucker for a memory-loss plotline. You just never know who to trust or who knows more than they're saying. I mean, where the heck has she been? Three years is a long time!

I won't say much more about the plot because going in blind means you'll know exactly as much as Nora - nothing.

To sum up here: If you like a medieval-style fantasy setting, a strong heroine, romantic tension, plot twists, warring kingdoms and prophecies, then definitely check this one out. It's on Kindle Unlimited and book two comes out next week! What have you got to lose?

4 stars ★★★★

ARC received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

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French Holiday by Sarah Ready

One (crumbling) French castle. Two enemies-at-first-sight. The holiday of a lifetime.

Merry DeLuca has a problem—a big problem. Her sister just married her best friend and the only man she’s ever loved. Her life is rapidly spiraling down the drain and she doesn’t have an escape plan.

So when Merry is offered a three-month holiday living in a romantic castle in the French countryside she leaps at the chance. Merry knows her French holiday will fix everything—there will be mouthwatering pastries, delicious (meaningless) flirtations, and languid strolls through vineyards at sunset. Her holiday will be perfect.

At least, Merry believes that until she arrives and finds Noah Wright—the best man at her sister’s wedding and the worst man she’s ever known—staying in her castle.

Famous travel documentarian by day and arrogant devil by night, Noah refuses to leave the castle. Which means that Merry and Noah are stuck together in France, in a crumbling castle, in a holiday where nothing goes right. Not for Merry and not for Noah.

So they strike a truce—they’ll live as cohabitating friends for three-months, and then they’ll amicably part ways, never to see each other again.

But the thing about friendship? Sometimes secrets are uncovered. Mysteries revealed. Hearts laid bare. And friendship can start to feel a lot like caring. A lot like love. It can even make you wish that the holiday never has to end.

********

Review:

Exactly what a romantic comedy should be, French Holiday by Sarah Ready was a true delight.

Enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, one bed trope, gumpy/sunshine...am I talking your language yet?

Well, "enemies" might be a touch too strong of a descriptor for the simmering animosity between our two main characters, Merry and Noah, but friends they are not.

As per the blurb, the story begins with Merry's younger sister walking down the aisle with Leo, the man Merry has been secretly in love with for the last 4 years.

Not. Good.

And it doesn't help that his surly best friend, Noah, has noticed her pining and longing looks and has told her she needs to "get over it".

Freaking. Rude.

Well, she's going to get over it because she's moving to France! So there! Well, for the summer, at least. After all, she can't be expected to stick around and watch the man she loves in the honeymoon phase with her own sister. But luckily, her godmother offers her the chance to get away. She's bought a chateau in France that needs checking up on and so it would kill two birds with one stone to have Merry go there for a few months.

Couple of problems though.

1. The chateau is in crumbling disarray, basically inhabitable.

2. Noah has been told he can stay there too! (He's a somewhat famous travel documentarian).

From here, what follows was an absolutely delightful rom-com with a lot of charm, romance and French flair. We have a few slightly over-the-top comedy moments with a lively lobster, but this book also had quite a lot of depth, introspection and character growth as well.

It even kinda sorta had a bit of a mystery to it, too!

And I guess if we're being really technical about the tropes, this is an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, which is quite the journey to go through with our two main characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. I found it to have the perfect balance of heart and heat and I really enjoyed the French setting.

I listened to the audiobook which had fabulous narration by Kelly Navarro.

Thank you to Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for providing the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've also posted a quick Booktok review (link below).

https://www.tiktok.com/@lynseyisreading/video/7226448542880075035

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Synopsis:

Goodreads Choice Award

Nominee for Best Fantasy (2022)

A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family--and a new love--changes the course of her life.

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and...Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he's concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn't know she was looking for...

Review:

This was a very cosy and quaint witchy tale featuring a grumpy/sunshine, slow-burn romance.

Our main character is called Mika Moon who I'm totally casting as Simone Ashley for the great movie in my mind.

And then the love interest was grumpy librarian, Jamie, who has a Northern Irish accent so if you can read this without picturing Jamie Dornan… then you're a better woman than I. 😜

Now in this world that the author has created, witches are advised not to congregate together because their magic will “build up” and that could draw attention of the unsuspecting population of non-witchy folk.

Naturally, then, Mika is really surprised to find out that there are three young witches living together in the same house who are not only unknown to her coven’s leader, but who also have had precisely no training whatsoever. A very dangerous combination.

And this is, of course, where Mika comes in.

Now, I did really enjoy the characters in this book. It was quite an eclectic bunch and they were all really quite charming. The storyline, however, was a little bit too tame for my personal taste. It was more of a cosy fantasy vibe whereas I tend to prefer action, explosions, chases etc., and if there's going to be magic there should be MAGIC, you know? This was more like… let’s make a magical potion or a cup of magical tea, that kind of magic.

For the romance element, the slow burn was good but its culmination didn't burn very brightly if you know what I mean.

This book did manage to make me cry at one point, however, so it's not like the storyline didn't affect me at all. it’s simply that, overall, this was just a little bit too cosy and quaint for my particular tastes.

I settled on three stars but I still do really recommend this book because it was very sweet and might be just the sort of feel-good cosy fantasy vibes with a dash of romance that someone is looking for.

3 stars ★★★

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World Ender meets Ender of Worlds...

A thousand years ago, Dianna gave up her life in the deserts of Eoria to save her dying sister. She called upon anyone who would listen, not expecting a monster far worse than any nightmare to answer. Now she does what Kaden asks, even if that means securing an ancient relic from the very creatures that hunt her.

A King thought long dead and long forgotten.

In the old world his name was Samkiel. In the new world it is Liam, but one title remains true throughout time. He is the World Ender, a myth to his enemies, a savior and King to those loyal to him. After the Gods War, he locked himself away, hiding from the world. He denied his crown and responsibilities, leaving the very ones who needed him most to deal with the fallout of the death of their homeworld. Now an attack on those he holds dear sends him back to the one realm he never wished to visit again and into the sights of an enemy he thought imprisoned eons ago. Now enemies older than time must put aside their differences and work together in hopes of saving both their world and every realm in between.

Review:

Never before have I read such an intense enemies-to-lovers tale. The gulf between the two main characters - Diana and Liam - was so extreme, so vast, with such unforgivable things they'd each done to the other between them like seemingly immovable boulders, that I don't know how the author managed to so convincingly bring them together.

And bring them together she did! In a sizzling "I'd die for you" kind of way.

I really enjoyed this book. Although it has a good few recognisable tropes I feel like the storytelling and structure of the story was very unique. I also loved the world-building. Or should that be worlds? Love a bit of Sci-Fi mixed in with my fantasy!

Diana was also an incredibly interesting character. She was about as morally grey as they come (and how nice is it for it to be the girl for once?) but I loved her journey. Liam also had quite a transformation throughout the book. He's a good guy, but he's completely shut off his emotions and that's not a good thing for anyone concerned.

The only thing that slightly marred my experience was the ending. It was just a little too mushy-monologue-y for my liking after all the badassery. Certainly not enough to put me off reaching for the next book, however, as there's clearly going to be more to this story and I'm looking forward to it.

4 stars ★★★★

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Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Review:

Preamble

It's getting to the point with the series and, indeed, with this author, that when you scroll BookTok or Bookstagram for more than 5 minutes you're guaranteed to see someone grinning away, holding up their copy, having just fallen victim to its charms. You lovingly roll your eyes at them because of course. Of course, you loved it. Of course, it's your new favourite thing you've ever read. "We've got another one!" we collectively cry.

It was strange for me, however, to see the surge in popularity in recent times. Particularly on BookTok. Because I first read this back in 2017 - and loved it, of course. Obsessed over it, even. But it was an entirely solitary endeavour as it just wasn't "a thing" back then.

But then I get a TikTok account and suddenly it's everywhere! That amazing book series from 5 years ago and I'm like, oh cool! I read that too! And then people start talking to me about it and I quickly realise I can't remember a single damn thing about it other than the most MAJOR of plot points. Character names? Never heard of them. Under the mountain, what now?

Which leads me to now: My first re-read to see if it lives up to its current hype and my own fond memories.

****

Sarah J. Maas has in recent times confirmed that this first instalment in the ACOTAR series is based on Beauty and the Beast. I have to say this is so obvious when you know but I didn't actually realise it on my first read-through. 🙈

The story follows Feyre, a young girl from a formerly well-off family that's fallen on very hard times and it's been left to Feyre, the youngest member, to make sure they survive. She hunts for her two sisters and her father otherwise they wouldn't eat. She's had to teach herself everything she knows because she was the only one to step up to the plate.

You'll have very conflicted feelings towards Feyre's family in this book because Feyre, as the narrator, clearly loves them, but to the outside observer, they're infuriatingly useless and entitled. A very annoying combination.

The book opens with Feyre accidentally killing a member of the Fey while out hunting. An action that triggers an ancient Fey curse that forces her to relinquish her life in the human realm, as miserable as it was, and spend the rest of her life in the Fey realm away from everything and everyone she's ever known or loved.

Hopefully, that's enough of a lure to get you intrigued to read this book if you're one of the 3 people that have yet to do so.

So why does everyone love this series? Well as fabulous as this first book is, I think people's true obsession only fully sets in when they get to the second and third books because there's quite a big development that happens that is the key to all that follows. That's not to say this isn't a great book in its own right, because it is. It's fully fleshed out and has a great story arc and world set-up and breadcrumbs dropped here there and everywhere for what's to come.

However, I have to say it was a VERY different experience reading it the second time knowing what I know. Ignorance was bliss the first time and you'll never be able to read this first book the same way again once you know.

Because if you know, you know.

I hope the level of fangirling this series engenders hasn't put anyone off because I know that can happens sometimes with super popular books. Having watched seasoned readers, brand new readers, readers but not of this genre, readers and many more fall prey to its allure, I feel confident in saying that nearly everyone ought to give it a go because it hits waaaaaaay more than it misses.

Hope you enjoy it if you do decide to give it a try, and I envy you that first read-through feeling that I'll never get again!

5 Stars ★★★★★

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Some secrets carry the weight of the world.

Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.

Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.

She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.

In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.

Review

I wanted to love this, I really did. I think what's happened is it's suffered very badly in comparison to a brilliant series in the Sci-Fi genre, the Firebird Chronicles by T A White, that I started reading last month. In fact, I probably picked this up because it sounded similar and I was jonesing for more. But it just didn't quiiiiite match up to that one for me.

The story follows human earthling Rose as she escapes from the nasty aliens who abducted her and seeks refuge with some nicer aliens. She has a sidekick in the form of an artificial intelligence "thinking engine", Sazo, that she talks to via an earpiece. Sazo helped her escape the bad aliens so she feels grateful and loyal to him/it, but she's also a bit scared of his ability to kill without a qualm. There's also the small problem of thinking engines being outlawed 200 years ago.

This setup and worldbuilding I did like. Though I found Sazo quite creepy. He wasn't the type of sidekick that steals the show with how cute and lovable he is. He was more like the sinister voice in Rose's ear that keeps threatening to kill people. That did improve over the course of the book but it never got to the point where I didn't think everyone would be safer if someone just... accidentally switched him off. And I don't think I was supposed to think that.

I should say, I did listen to this on audiobook so it could be the narrator's voice for Sazo that added to the creepy. The narrator was brilliant, but she definitely affected a strange and unsettling voice for Sazo to convey his inhumanness.

What let this book down massively for me was the romance. It just didn't connect to my heartbox, ya know? And this book is actually, unbeknownst to me either before or during reading, a Sci-Fi romance... As in, a love story that's all wrapped up with a HEA and the next book in the series is about a different couple... Honestly, you could NOT tell this book was supposed to be a romance! I just assumed it was going to be a Sci-Fi adventure space opera series with a focus on the action and the war between alien races, with a romance subplot that was perhaps going to grow and get more convincing over time. But at the end of the book, they started romantic speeching at each other, you know how they do when they're wrapping things up, and I was like...what is happening? I headed over to GoodReads and sure enough, the next book is not about Rose and Dav.

I'm not 100% sure if I'll continue with this series. The books are included for "free" on the audible plus catalogue and the narrator was good, and I guess there's always a chance I'll connect more with the next pairing so I'm not ruling it out entirely. We'll see. Until then... Onto my next read!

3.5 Stars ★★★1/2

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