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Spoiler Free Review: Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra

Title: Meg & Jo

Author: Virginia Kantra

Pub. Date: December 3rd 2019

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 400 Pages

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🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

Inspired by Little Women, this is the story of the March Sisters…“Reliable Meg, Independent Jo, Stylish Amy, and Shy Beth” told in dual POV we follow Meg & Jo as the oldest of the bunch as they lead very different lives. Meg always wanted the husband, white picket fence, and kids while Jo dreamt of becoming a journalist in NYC. When we meet them they’ve got a lot on their respective plates & things aren’t quite what they had planned. Meg is struggling with married life all while managing her twins. Jo’s writing career is stagnant & instead she’s working in a restaurant kitchen by day & anonymously running a foodie blog by night. When their mother who is the rock in the family falls ill, the March sisters are drawn home. It’s been years since I’ve read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott but its remained a childhood favorite of mine. Character traits from the original cast can still be seen in this modern day story set between North Carolina and New York City. At its core this is a story about familial bonds and the unexpected twists & turns life can take.

Although we do get to meet all four March Sisters, the book is only told from the POV of Meg & Jo. They are the oldest of the bunch & look over the younger ones while managing their own lives…

Meg – Married with Twins, Meg has the picture perfect family set-up but not all is at it seems behind closed doors. Both Meg & her husband have sacrificed perhaps too much of their individuality to make their family unit work. I really admired seeing this couple work through their issues & persevere. Meg lovingly takes after her mother & providing a loving home is her #1 priority. Seeing her handle married with kids life while also trying to stay in touch with her siblings was something I could relate to. She is very much a juggler who sometimes forget to give herself a break which made me really connect with her.

Jo – Having left North Carolina for life in the Big Apple pursuing a writing degree, Jo has big dreams! Except life has a funny way of not always turning out exactly as you’ve planned. Still, Jo settles into NYC as a worker in a restaurants kitchen where her ears stay open for inspiration. By night she is an anonymous food blogger with some success. Things really get hot in the kitchen with an unexpected attraction between Jo & the very handsome black Chef with full sleeved tattoos. Things of course gets a bit complicated when she has to drop everything & head back home to tend to her sick mother.

I’ve come to the realization that I really enjoy stories centered around big families because of all the complexities added to the story. The March sisters all have very different personalities, ambitions, and pursuits but what I loved about them is how they embraced one another. There was a mutual understanding of everyone’s personal lives & how to come together for the head of their family. Marriage (the good & the bad) plays a big part in this story, content warning for separation. The bonds between Father/Daughter are also discussed with regards to the absence the sisters feel even while having their father in their lives. Although they are supporting characters, seeing the parents of the March sisters battle their own rough waters made this story come full circle. This was heartwarming & heartfelt in more ways than one. I will absolutely look out for more from this author in what I hope is the near future.

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WWW Wednesday 1/15/2020

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words and to participate all you have to do is answer the three W’s listed below. Once you’ve posted your WWW, drop a link to your post in Sam’s comments <3’s!

The questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

January has been very good to me & I’m really hoping this streak continues. Hot off the heels from #Smutathon I’ve already started to tackle my ARC spreadsheet while still picking books off my back-list (2020 Resolution). The ONLY real challenge to my reading time has been Netflix, Lé struggle! I walked away from a recent friends dinner with a small list of recommendations & I now live, breathe, speak Schitt’s Creek SMH…

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord –

“All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.” – Goodreads

This was just about all I had to read before requesting it on Edelweiss. I read 25% of this book today & had to pry myself away from my Kindle. It’s witty & addictive, I LOVE jumping into this story when I have time to cuddle up with it. Otherwise I TRULY struggle putting it down. EARLY PREDICTION: This may be 5 star worthy *fingers crossed*

SKYWARD (SKYWARD #1) by Brandon Sanderson –

Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul. -Goodreads

I’m about 20% into Skyward & have already grown fond of Spensa who is fierce & ambitious. When I picked this one up I had no idea this featured a close father/daughter relationship which I’m ALWAYS in search of in my books. Sanderson also happens to be one of the very few male authors who in my opinion writes female characters well. EARLY PREDICTION: This will probably be my first 5 star YA/Sci-Fi of the year *fingers crossed*

BEAUTIFUL DREAMER BY MELISSA BRAYDEN

This past weekend I finished reading Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden (Smutathon Wrap-up), a F/F Romance set in a beach side town I’d HIGHLY recommend to anyone who’d listen *heart eyes* I have a full review coming over the next few days & plans to make my way through Brayden’s backlist. Beautiful Dreamer is a small town romance with a cast of colorful characters you can’t help but get invested in 😉

DARK AND DEEPEST RED BY ANNA-MARIE McLEMORE

Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.

Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes.

With McLemore’s signature lush prose, Dark and Deepest Redpairs the forbidding magic of a fairy tale with a modern story of passion and betrayal.

-Goodreads

Having only read When the Moon Was Ours by McLemore in 2016, my backlist for this author is growing. Lyrical, lush, atmospheric, haunting are just a few of the words that describe this authors writing. I was very lucky to get approved on Edelweiss but could’ve sworn I had another week before publication date. Whelp! I was wrong (unless it was bumped up) & will absolutly be reading this next. EARLY PREDICTION: McLemore can do no wrong in my eyes, only the highest of hopes here for a new favorite.

At the time this post goes live I will probably be making my way through Grace & Frankie season 6 which premieres TODAYYYY!!! *clutches pearls* let’s hope my reading doesn’t take a complete hit this week…

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SMUTATHON WINTER 2020 READATHON WRAP-UP

What better way to start the New Year than with a little Smut? amiright? 🤗 #SMUTATHON is a Readathon hosted by RileyMarie & GingerReadsLainey where we read any & all things Romance/Smut. This round of #SMUTATHON ran from January 4th through January 11th 2020 & it was EVERYTHING I never knew I needed 🙌🏽 after having a mediocre reading year in 2018, this was a nice way to start 2020. This time around they included a Bingo Board with 9 challenges which I layered up on since reading 9 books in one week, personally would be very challenging.

The Loner’s Lady by Jesse Kane -✨ 3 STARS ✨ This was truly like nothing I’ve ever read before 🙈 a HUGE age gap romance where our female MC is 18 & traveling with her gay BFF to see his dad who he hasn’t told he’s gay. They pretend they’re dating each other because the 40+ year old dad is former military & quite intimidating. It wasn’t the age gap so much as how it all wrapped up that didn’t make this a winner for me. Also, the dad comes off as a bit primal #jussayin

The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz -✨ 5 STARS ✨ On the steam scale this one is a whole lot tamer than anything I read this week. It’s Gothic vibes were hella atmospheric, set in the 1960’s this one takes place in a all boys school. Our female MC gets into a car accident and ends up working as the new English teacher at the school. There’s a bit of mystery surrounding the school & its inhabitants I enjoyed unraveling. The whole English man look & accent also really worked for me ☺️ I’ve been recommended to read The Rose which is based on Greek Gods Mythology.

Grading Curves by Naima Simone – ✨ 4 STARS ✨ Naima Simone has made a true fan out of me! 🙌🏽 Good Lawd this steamy scenes had me all shades of red on my early morning train into work. The female MC walks into a tattoo parlor & ends up really hitting it off with the tattoo artist. Things get steamy & the next morning the male MC walks into the college classroom she’s teaching. My ONLY wish was that this was a smidge longer, the ending felt rushed. The writing however is legit off the meter steamy & sexy, LOVED IT!

The Kingmaker (All the King’s Men Duet #1) by Kennedy Ryan– ✨4.5 STARS✨ This author deserves all of the high praise they receive 🙌🏽 I got so much more than I expected from this story 💓This is a dual POV between our MC’s Lennix & Maxim who meet when Lennix is a underage activist protesting a pipeline that is being built on sacred Native American grounds. Maxim is the son of the man behind the pipeline however father & son share no common interests. We follow Lennix & Maxim through a span of time from teen years through Lennix’ 20’s & 30’s. I LOVE stories that span over time because we get to see growth in character & how life has shaped them in their adult lives. This book was BEAUTIFULLY written with a spotlight on such relevant hard hitting issues like the disappearance/murder of Native American women. The only reason I docked it half a star was because that ending was a bit left field & I’m still unsure how I feel about it but overall its’s a high quality read I’d recommend.

Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden – ✨ 5 STARS ✨ a F/F romance written for the stars! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book to pieces! a beachside dual POV story that left me wanting to leave the city & relocate in a small beach town where everyone wants to be your friend haha! We meet Elizabeth who is very friendly & outgoing, the town sweetheart who owns a odd job business she runs from her garage. Elizabeth is watching over Jill who has just experienced a life threatening car accident. She reaches out to Jill’s sister Devyn who is a BIG time real estate broker in Philadelphia in hopes she can get her to come out to Dreamer’s Bay. Devyn leaves Philly to be by Jill’s side & slowly starts to fall in love with Liz & the town she left behind after her High School graduation. Liz & Devyn are polar opposites but it’s their differences that make this romance work. Quirky, fun, heartwarming are just a few of the words that describe this read. Liz will forever be one of my favorite fictional characters 💓

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Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2020

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This weeks topic was a walk in the park cause I’m sure a lot of us have already started compiling & organizing our Goodreads shelves with 2020 titles. This will be the first year my list includes multiple genres & that’s because YA hasn’t been my primary focus. I still consume a fair amount of YA Fantasy however in an effort to continue reading what brings me joy in the new year, this list will be a mixed bag 😉

P.S. I sure did throw in 2 additional titles cause I just couldn’t stick to 10 #noregrets

The Girl and the Stars (Book of the Ice #1) by Mark Lawrence

Releasing on 4/30/2020 is the next adult Fantasy series by the King himself Mark Lawrence! That cover is EVERYTHING! Mark Lawrence is one of my auto-buy authors. I don’t need to know much about the book & prefer to go in on good faith. I read just the one line on Goodreads that gave me all the chills & solidified its place on this list…

“In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown.”

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Releasing on 3/3/2020 is Sara J. Maas 1st Adult Fantasy & for those of us who’ve read Maas YA Fantasy, the anticipation is pretty HIGH!

The story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.

This one can go either way, Maas can either really kill it in Urban Fantasy or leave much to be desired. Either way, I will be picking up a copy to see for myself.

Wild at Heart (Wild #2) by K.A. Tucker

More Calla & Jonah?!? ummm YES PLEASE! 3/3/2020 is going to be one EPIC release day <3’s! The Simple Wild (my spoiler free review) was one of my TOP favorite reads in 2019. I’ve been a K.A. Tucker fan for the past 4 years & there hasn’t been anything she’s written I haven’t enjoyed. Take me back to Alaska & I will unplug myself from reality for these 400 pages 😉

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

I came from a generation where little girls watched telenovelas with grandma & it was perfectly normal haha! I myself have some really fond memories in fact of watching Spanish stories with G’ma & so seeing this cover stopped me dead in my tracks. “Perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin & The Kiss Quotient” this Own Voices Contemporary Romance is exactly what I would LOVE to see more of in the bookish world *fingers crossed* this book will hit shelves on 7/7/2020.

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

6/16/2020 We head over to Fictional Key West to follow the lives of three women in the aftermath of a powerful hurricane. Set in the 1930’s this is one historical fiction stemming from the Cuban Revolution I am eager to read. I have copies of Next Year in Havana & When We Left Cuba I still haven’t read but are at the VERY top of my TBR for 2020.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

“He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me.

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find — her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.”

Ok so everything about this author screams READ ME! & I’ve collected a couple of their books but I think I’ve allowed myself to be creeped out into thinking the writing might be too scary. Whelp! I simply can’t pass this one up with THAT cover! Set in Mexico, this MC doesn’t exactly scream rescuer material & yet I’m so down to see the type of amateur sleuthing sure to ensue in this Mexican countryside house. Still…this one does creep me out a smidge & I will be reading during the day.

The Gilded Ones (Deathless #1) by Namina Forna

“The start of a bold and immersive West African-inspired, feminist fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice.”

Releasing on 5/26/2020, The Gilded Ones looks absolutely promising! This one features a female army all of which have powers like our MC training to defeat the empires biggest threat but nothing & no one is as they seem. Super curious seeing as I’m a HUGE fan of both Children of Blood and Bone & Black Panther to which this new series has been compared.

The City We Became by N.K Jemisin

Five New Yorkers must come together in order to defend their city in the first book of a stunning new series by Hugo award-winning and NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin.

Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She’s got five.

But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs beneath the earth, threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all.

This fellow New Yorker CANNOT wait for 3/26/2020! N.K. Jemisin is yet another author I am prioritizing this year.

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Mermaids and Pirates! oh my! legit two of my very favorite fictional beings. I know a few close friends have already reviewed their copies (I’ll be reading mine this month) & are giving it HIGH praise. After getting a taste of a underwater kingdom in Holly Blacks The Folk of the Air trilogy, I was left wanting more. I’m hoping this is the start of a new expansive underwater YA Fantasy, either way 4/4/2020 we take to the treacherous waters!

Undercover Bromance (Bromance Book Club #2) by Lyssa Kay Adams

The Bromance Book Club was a 2019 favorite for me & now we get more as we follow Braden mack & Liv Papandreas. This time around the club is not reading a regency romance, instead they’ll be reading a romantic suspense novel that ties in with this couples story. STOKED! I was blessed by the Book Gods with an early copy before its 3/10/2020 release date.

INCENDIARY (Hollow crown #1) by Zoraida Cordova

Zoraida Cordova is quickly becoming a favorite auto-buy author, she won me over with her Brooklyn Burjas series & now this cover has blown me away! this one follows a female MC who has the power to steal memories which set the King upon her & her people. Now a rebel, our MC is helping others escape the Kingdom. When her love interest gets captured she has to maintain control of her need for vengeance while she infiltrates the Kingdom. I’m ready for 4/28/2020! *Heart Eyes*

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Acevedo stole my heart with her raw narratives! This is one I CANNOT wait to get my hands on, 5/14/2020 cannot come soon enough. This time we follow two teens girls brought together by grief. One lives in the Dominican Republic & the other in NYC when they find out their father has passed away (ooooF! this will be triggering for me but if anyone can handle this with sensitivity it’s Acevedo) & that they’re sisters! Dual narrative POV’s, I’m pretty sure I’ll also be getting the audiobook to accompany my physical copy cause if ya didn’t know, Elizabeth Acevedo narrates her own books & she’s AMAZING! *STOKED*

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Spoiler Free Review: The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black

Title: The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3)

Author: Holly Black

Pub. Date: November 19th 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Pages: 300 Pages

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*Although this review is spoiler free for The Queen of Nothing, it will contain spoilers for The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2)

The high stakes conclusion to The Folk of the Air trilogy was the BEST way to end 2019! I read The Wicked King & The Queen of Nothing back to back & so I didn’t have to bear the painful cliffhanger many of my fellow bookworms experienced. This last installment had double the schemes & politics making for one hell of a ride! While I’ll still maintain that The Wicked King is my favorite of the three, this was a satisfactory ending to a beloved YA Fantasy. Jude is living in the mortal world with her sister Vivi after having been exiled by Cardan when last we saw her. She’s taking odd jobs given to her by another exiled member of Fae in order to keep up appearances of making a living. She’d pretty much given up all hope of returning to Fae & also was harboring a lot of anger for how dirty she was done in by Cardan. Hope is restored when her duplicitous twin sister Taryn shows up in the mortal world asking for Judes help in clearing her name. Returning to Fae comes with much risk but Jude is up to the task if only to get closer to Cardan.

From the minute Jude is back in Fae it’s non-stop twists & turns with very little time to catch your breath. To top off all of the plotting & scheming we get a curse that is now plaguing the land of Fae itself. You’d think Holly Black wouldn’t be able to pull it all off in 300 pages but the Queen has done it again! it may not be my absolute favorite in the series but I won’t sit her & lie, this is entertainment at it’s FINEST!!!!

If I had to choose one thing I loved above all else in this trilogy & the very reason for why it will go down as an all time favorite, it would be the complex father/daughter relationship we see play out. We know Maddoc is the General who killed Judes parents but his choice in taking the twins & raising themas his own is hard to wrap your head around. He is trained in the art of war & Jude in many ways is his protégé. The complexity of their relationship is always at the forefront especially when she makes moves that will directly affect him. Her relationship with Tarryn is also filled with challenges they are still trying to overcome till the very end. Overall I’d say the bonds & relationships Holly Black developed on these pages are what gets you invested as a reader because in their own way these characters are relatable. Measuring up to someones standards, sibling rivalry, and the complexities of humanity come in to play making for one unforgettable story.

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Spoiler Free Review: Kingdom Of Souls by Rena Barron

Title: Kingdom Of Souls (Kingdom Of Souls #1)

Author: Rena Barron

Pub. Date: September 19th 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Pages: 496

Format: eARC

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron is exactly the type of YA Fantasy I look forward to reading whenever I pick up a debut author. On the YA scale this definitely leans more towards darker & more mature, it will appeal to those who enjoy adult Fantasy. Inspired by the authors West African ancestors, the world in which Kingdom of Souls is set in is very expansive. The magic system & world building is detailed and complex, the characters are multi-faceted as are their deities. At the center of the story we have Arrah who is the daughter of a High Priestess & Witch Doctor. In this world you come into your magical abilities between the ages of 0-16. However, Arrah hasn’t seen not even a stirring of her magic and fears that this will make her an outcast.

“I’m sixteen, near grown by both kingdom & tribal standards. My time is running out. No daughter or son of any tribe has come into their gifts beyond my age. if it doesn’t happen this year, it won’t happen at all.”

The five tribes in this land were said to have been gifted their magic by Heka who is their God. We follow Arrah as she attends celebrations for those who are coming into their powers in hopes she too will blessed by Heka. Her entire family carries powerful magic within but it’s her mother Arti alone who cannot accept Arrah’s lack of magic. Their strained and toxic relationship plays out throughout this book in a way I’ve never seen written before. We see Arrah have a very different & nurturing relationship with her father who tries to get her to understand that magic is not the end all be all. In the midst of it all we learn of children that have gone missing and a Demon King who is rising. This all serves to give Arrah an intense sense of urgency. She sets out to find other more dangerous ways to obtain magic in order to defend & protect her people. This of course bears a steep price to pay, an unknown amount of years shed from your life in exchange for magic. Arrah is determined to do whatever it takes to stop children from going missing & the Demon King from from fully coming into power.

This year has seen many debut YA Fantasies hit the shelves with all sorts of original stories & diverse sets of characters. I LOVED that this world although fantastical, is West African inspired with a cast of all black main characters. I also have a very HIGH appreciation for authors who steer clear of info dumping & instead deliver complex world building in a way that says they trust their readers. I never got tired of the story or lost interest, the only thing I would’ve liked to have seen is an index of some sort to keep track of all the tribes in this world & the deities. I can easily see (or at least I hope) this being a ongoing series because of how rich the world building is. I also loved seeing how much support Arrah really had even when she thought she was alone. I did NOT see that last portion of the book coming! it left me reeling for days wondering where these characters will go from here. It did not surprise me one bit to hear Kingdom of Souls has been picked up by Warner Brothers studios (see here) & will be produced by Michael B. Jordan. I will definitely be picking up the next installment in this trilogy.

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Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Title: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Pub. Date: September 3rd 2019

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 391

Format: Physical Book

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one rare gem of a book! I can confidently say it’s my favorite read of the year & I doubt anything will top this. It’s also the book that gifted me a new auto-buy favorite author & a cast of characters that are truly memorable. Many have reviewed & gushed about just how amazing this story is, I’ve read eloquent reviews & watched countless booktubers sing its praises. The book that took the Bookish community by storm deserves all the love it continues to receive. The story of Evelyn Hugo born Evelyn Herrera to Cuban immigrants will lead you to believe you’re reading about a actual real life person and not a fictional character created by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Evelyn Hugo is a perfectly flawed Hollywood actress in her late 70’s who just wants to bare her truths and tell her story. She’s lived a very glamorous life and paid a heavy price to achieve true stardom. Now that all of her loved ones have passed away and she doesn’t have much to live, Evelyn wants the world to see her for who she really is. A bi-sexual Latinx woman who sacrificed major parts of her identity in exchange for fame, wealth, and power. After all, 1950’s Hollywood wasn’t a safe and accepting time for people in the LGBTQIAP+ community. Neither was it a thriving time for a Latinx woman trying to start their career in acting. Evelyn knew she was destined for more & ambitiously set out to become what she dreamed of.

“When you’re given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn’t give things, you take things. If you learn one thing from me, it should probably be that”

Evelyn Hugo seeks out Monique Grant, a bi-racial journalist who is stuck writing “puff pieces” for Vivant. Recently separated from her husband & on her way to divorce, Monique is feeling very underused at Vivant. When the invitation arrives from Evelyn Hugo explicitly requesting her, no one would’ve guessed it was for a ground breaking/career making opportunity. Evelyn Hugo wants to have her Biography written by Monique Grant but the reasons behind it will remain undisclosed until the right time. It is through these interview sessions between Evelyn & Monique that we get a first hand account of all the glam, first loves, secrets, lies and heart breaks. We learn of each of Evelyn’s husbands, all very different from one another. The role they played in Evelyns career & the real story behind what was printed on the covers of glossy magazines. There’s one part early on in their sessions that sticks out in my memory the most. Monique asks Evelyn whether she’s ready to come out as a gay woman to which Evelyn responds with such powerful & moving words…

“I’m bi-sexual. Don’t ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box, Monique. Don’t do that”

This truth is one she’s had to live privately & so delivering her most authentic self in her biography was key. We go on to learn what becomes of Evelyn once she leaves her first husband in Hell’s Kitchen & gets her first gig in a movie. We see her as a victim of domestic violence in her second marriage & how that affects her going forward. She takes full control of her life & gives the media/world the image they crave. Highly intelligent, Evelyn knew how to mold herself. She kept her real life very private & delivered the version that would get her the highly coveted roles. There was no such this as bad publicity & when she found herself in a negative light, it was only a matter of time before she rebounded into a better position.

“I’m not saying the gossip columnists printed what they knew to be a lie. I’m simply saying they were all too happy to believe the lie I was selling them. And of course, that’s the easiest lie to tell, one you know the other person desperately wants to be true”

This book truly had it all & has left such a lasting impression on me. I was deeply invested in Evelyn’s story and the small circle of loved ones she kept near and dear to her heart. I loved that this read as a historical fiction novel with glimpses into 1950’s Hollywood. We follow her career throughout the years, not just the behind the scenes takes as an actress but also politics & the LGBTQIAP+ community. As the story unfolds, we learn many shocking truths and ultimately discover the reasons for which Evelyn sought out Monique. I lost count of the times I felt raw emotion & stopped to highlight passages/quotes. Having read Daisy Jones & the Six earlier this year, my only hope is to continue to meet more complex realistic characters on the page I can grow attached to. I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like a TJR novel, such unique plots & story telling skills! There is absolutely no doubt in mind I will be following Taylor Jenkins Reid throughout her literary career.

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Spoiler Free Review: The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

Title: The Merciful crow (The Merciful Crow #1)

Author: Margaret Owen

Pub. Date: July 30h 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Henry Holt

Pages: 384

Format: eGalley

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLES | AMAZON

I honestly find it so hard to believe Margaret Owen is a debut author given how effortlessly woven this story truly is. I’ve been very particular with the YA Fantasy titles I’ve picked up this year because I don’t want to throw in the towel with this genre just yet. This book however, renewed my interest & has me pretty hyped up for the follow-up. The world this story takes place in is grim with a 500 year plague over the land. There’s a caste system in place that’s derived from the different species of birds: Phoenix, Peacock, Swan, Dove, Hawk, Crane, Owl, Vulture, Gull, Pigeon, Sparrow, and Crow. Each of these have a birthright with the exception of the Crow caste. Birthrights are gifts straight from the Gods; some of which are fire, glamour, blood, wind or hunting. Although the Crow caste doesn’t have a particular birthright, they do have the ability to manipulate bones which therefore grants them temporary power over any of the birthrights. The Crow caste is also the ONLY caste to have full immunity from the plague & are deemed the lowest of the low, cursed by the Gods. This being said, they are fully responsible to answer the call & deliver a merciful death whenever someone has been inflicted by the plague.

We meet Fie, her dad & crew of Crows as they are called to the royal castle to deliver mercy to the Prince and his body double/bodyguard. Things take an interesting turn when they arrive & learn Prince Jasimir has faked his as well as his bodyguard Tavins deaths. The Queen has been attempting to have Prince Jas killed now that she bore the king a son & would like to see him take the throne instead. The Crows make a deal with the Prince, an Oath that can’t be broken in exchange for safety out of the Queens way. The Crows are constantly under threat of violence while on the road & Fie wants to ensure their safety and protection if/when Prince Jasimir takes the throne. The journey begins to get the Prince & his Hawk bodyguard to allies who will help him overthrow the Queen.

If you’re a fan of outcasts & grim worlds with cutthroat royals, this may be just what you’re looking for. I found myself feeling very overprotective of the Crows & their travels in a world where they should’ve been revered or at the very least protected. I can understand some animosity to an extent felt from the loved ones of those hit by the plague whenever they see the Crows show up to deliver a merciful death. The alternative however, would be a very slow and painful death. Those they deliver mercy to are relieved when they show up & the Crows show a lot of respect to those they put to final rest. We get the story told from Fie’s POV as she travels with her Dad, Crows, Prince Jas and Tav. Margaret Owen did a FANTASTIC job of showing us the slow process of enlightenment being bestowed upon the Prince. Jas has many positive traits that will help make him a great leader which is why there are those willing to put their lives at risk to make sure he gets the throne. However, he is very stubborn & that can be irritating but both he & Fie have a lot to learn from each other as leaders. I enjoyed seeing our three main characters interact & evolve on their journey. Last but not least, this is one hella effortlessly diverse story! The kind that doesn’t try hard at all to show how inclusive it really is. In our cast we have a Pan MC, Gay MC, non-binary side character, as well as females in leadership roles. Hella atmospheric, you feel the desperation in the air brought on by the Sinners Plague. There’s also a love story that doesn’t take center stage to the plot which got major brownie points from this here reader. Lastly, I loved that it all doesn’t get tied up neatly for you by the last page yet it does deliver a satisfying conclusion with some hope for a better tomorrow. I will most definitely be pre-ordering the sequel & cannot wait to see how my Crows have been faring.

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review 🖤

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SPOILER FREE REVIEW: DAISY JONES & THE SIX BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID

Title:Daisy Jones & The Six

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Pub. Date: March 5th. 2019

Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Pages: 368

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I found myself like many others who really enjoyed this story, finding it hard to believe that this band wasn’t real. I satisfied my need for it to materialize by listening instead to the Spotify Playlist created by Taylor Jenkins Reid as inspiration while writing this treasure of a book. Set against the backdrop of the 60’s/70’s when sex, drugs, and Rock n’ Roll was a huge part of American culture, we get introduced to this fictional band. Told in interview format, we get the story of how this band came together and eventually how they came apart. How Daisy met the six bandmates & the music they went on to create while also getting bits & pieces of actual historical events taking place around this time period. I was immediately swept away by each of these characters lives, their wins & losses. We get what I believe to be one of the BEST EPIC love triangles in Fiction that left me all in my feels days after I’d read the last page. We also get not 1 but 3 feminist AF characters that will leave you feeling empowered every time they walk off the page. TJR explored some hard hitting themes like drug addiction, substance abuse & abortion relevant to this time period without actually glamorizing any of it. These bandmates are a family I got to intimately know, making this a story I was truly invested in from start to finish.

Content Warning: substance abuse, abortion, addiction, cheating

Whenever I think back to my experience with this book, the characters are what come to mind first. Wonderfully fleshed out, complex, raw, and unapologetic these characters feel authentic. Of course I have my favorites but they all brought their unique voice to the story. Daisy Jones is a character who from a very early age was left to her own devices by her parents & as a result prematurely discovered the L.A. night life. Known for her free spirited personality & strikingly beautiful blue eyes, Daisy quickly became sort of an icon. Daisy is a beautifully broken character you can’t help but love. There was no taming anyone could impose on Daisy who has a take it or leave it attitude. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Daisy Jones! as destructive as she could be at times, she still had a limit which made me appreciate her all the more. Billy Dunne who is the lead singer & star of the show (before Daisy came along) is a character I had a love/hate relationship with. Billy is used to getting his way & being the main attraction. This at times can get frustrating & we see power struggles at play between bandmates. What I loved about Billy however, was his love for Camila who is sort of the unofficial bandmate. Billy struggles with his demons (alcohol & women) & is far from perfect but he so desperately wants to be THAT guy for Camila, the one he thinks she deserves.

“Love is forgiveness and patience and faith and every once in a while, it’s a gut punch. That’s why it’s a dangerous thing, when you go loving the wrong person. When you love somebody who doesn’t deserve it. You have to be with someone that deserves your faith and you have to be deserving of someone else’s. It’s sacred”

Camila Martinez better known as the glue that keeps this band together is hands down my FAVORITE character in this book. A LATINX feminist who loves unconditionally & never gives up on those she loves. Camila is legit the definition of strength, she believes whole heartedly in the love she shares with Billy but she isn’t blind to the reality of their situation. Some of my favorite scenes featured Camila and every time I placed myself in her shoes my heart ached.

Karen is the one deeply understated character who had a ton of depth. Married to her musical career, she doesn’t see herself settling down to start a family anytime soon. Perhaps the most feminist character in this book, Karen is way ahead of her times making her role all the more important.

I truly loved everything about this cast of characters so much so that I can’t get them out of my head. I fell deeply in love with this story & each of its characters, returning for a re-read is inevitable!

My very first Taylor Jenkins Reid novel & I can honestly say I was left blown away! I read a physical copy & really enjoyed the interview format used to narrate this story however, some have found this to take away from their enjoyment of the story. I am currently listening to the audiobook version & HIGHLY reccomend to those who couldn’t get into this story in physical format. The full cast of characters production has brought this story to life in a whole new way & I am LOVING it! the writing brought the 60’s/70’s to life & I felt as if I was standing on the Sunset Strip watching a young Daisy find her way into bars/clubs. Lastly, the inclusion of the songs written by Billy & Daisy is BRILLIANT! not only are they well crafted songs but they ignite the raw emotion that was being felt between the characters stuck in this love triangle. I may have just found my new favorite author & will most definitely continue to read TJR published books as well as anything written in the future.

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SPOILER FREE GUSH REVIEW: THE SIMPLE WILD BY K.A.TUCKER

Title: The Simple Wild

Author: K.A. Tucker

Pub. Date: August 7th. 2018

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 388

🖤 ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review 🖤

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON

Whenever K.A. tucker writes a book I stop whatever I’m doing to read said book & gahhhh! I’m always left with a book hangover but it can’t be helped. I LOVED The Simple Wild & felt the relationships that formed all throughout the very depths of my soul. This is the story of Calla Fletcher who we meet in the process of losing her 9 to 5 office job. She lives at home with her mom and supportive Stepdad Simon while also running a lifestyle blog on the side with her best friend. One day she gets a call from a woman asking her to fly to Alaska to see her dad who is terminally ill. Calla feels so many things at once for the man who stayed behind when she was just 2 years old & her mother decided she wasn’t cut out for Alaskan life. Feelings of abandonment, detachment, and also a need to have her questions answered. Calla doesn’t know very much about Alaska other than the stories & descriptions her mother has shared, none have been very pleasant. She isn’t prepared for the change in lifestyle or the people who will become like a second family to her while she gets to know her estranged father.

“Life up here may be simple but it’s not easy, and it’s not for everyone. Water runs out; pipes freeze; engines won’t start; it’s dark for eighteen, nineteen hours a day, for months. Even longer in the far north. Up here it’s about having enough food to eat, and enough heat to stay alive through the winter. It’s about survival, and enjoying the company of the people that surround us. It’s not about whose house is the biggest, or who has the nicest clothes, or the most money. We support each other because we’re all in this together.”

We follow Calla as she settles into her dad Wren’s home, they’re strangers sharing a house for the bit of time she is visiting. I loved that Wren wasn’t written to be the type of dad who right off the bat wanted to justify his decision to stay behind while she was raised without him. He’s a quiet man full of regrets but he also understands that Calla flying to Alaska to see him is a big move on her behalf. While navigating the awkwardness around seeing her dad for the very first time, Calla also has to deal with the tall, rugged, unshaven yet handsome, proud Alaskan neighbor. Jonah has been her dad’s right hand man in a small yet profitable charter plane business. He loves everything about life in Alaska and in many ways is a younger version of Wren. Calla is a trendy city girl who has had a moderately easy life back home. Jonah sees Calla as attractive but he also has a ton of reasons (mostly Calla in his opinion being high maintenance) for which he’d never act on anything. This is definitely hate to love & I LIVED for every moment of this romance! 💓

*Content Warning: Death, Cancer, abandonment, grief

Calla, I feel was dealt a hard hand. Not only does she have to face her dad with all her feelings of abandonement but she’s also uprooted and very far from home in a state that isn’t accommodating to city lovers. She then meets Jonah who although she’s sexually attracted to, finds that he can’t stop giving her a hard time. Calla loves to dress in the latest fashion and trying out new hair/makeup products. I saw nothing wrong with trying to maintain some level of norm while being in a place that demands you shed your past life. I loved that Calla was the complete opposite of her mother, she didn’t allow her mother’s experience to taint her view of Alaska. She’s open minded & willing to put in the work. At her very core, I felt Calla had Alaska running through her blood 🖤

Jonah as rugged as they come, but he’s honestly all bark and no roar 😂 Jonah has a huge heart & he’s very vulnerable when it comes to those he loves. Wren is someone he views as a father figure and just wants to make sure he’s well taken care of. Jonah loves piloting planes and is the very definition of a space cowboy. He isn’t without purpose though, life isn Alaska is all about community & he loves to help out whenever/wherever he can. I was bothered a bit by how hard he got on Calla over her wanting to do her makeup/hair, it just shouldn’t have mattered & I’m glad that ultimately it didn’t. Besides that, it’s safe to say I swooned hard for this guy 💓

Wren aka Calla’s Dad a man of very few words who fell in love with Calla’s mother but knew deep down she’d never be happy living in Alaska. Respectful and regretful all at the same time, Wren knows he could’ve been a better dad. Seeing the subtle way he showed Calla that he was happy to have her there warmed my heart. Ultimately my heart went out to Wren who although it may appear he continued living after Calla’s mom left, really has just been holding onto them both from afar.

Calla’s Mom Perhaps my least favorite of all the characters. I can understand making mistakes in life & doing what’s in your best interest. I get it. When Calla’s mom decided life in Alaska wasn’t for her & she had to get back to life in Toronto, she got to take Calla with her. My biggest issue with Calla’s mom is that she continously harps on how miserable she was during her time there. This happened up until the very last minute of Calla packing to go to Alaska. Then she persistently called Calla in what felt like she was hoping Calla would feel the same way & hate it there too. Lastly, although I know this happens, I am never comfortable with it. Calla is clearly still emotionally attached to Wren & there’s mention of years past where she very much could’ve left Simon her current husband, for Wren. I feel this was emotional cheating 101 & Simon just didn’t deserve it.

Simon aka Stepdad SUPER SUPPORTIVE! is very well aware of the feelings that still linger between his wife & Calla’s dad yet that never changes how good of a stepdad he is to Calla. Simon is a Psychiatrist & listening to Calla comes as second nature. He is by all definition a real dad to her, Simon definitely deserved a better love than Calla’s mom but that’s just my opinion 🤷🏻‍♀️

K.A. Tucker’s characters always manage to linger in my thoughts way past the last page. It’s not just the MC & their love interest, it’s the way she brings in side characters you begin to think of as family. I LOVED all of the characters Calla met in Alaska and often wonder about their lives only to have to remind myself that they are fictional characters. Alaska really did come to life on the page and it just seems like Tucker really did her homework on the way of life all throughout the state. I enjoyed seeing the trips Jonah took on his small aircraft into the more rural parts of Alaska where medical help & supplies are needed. The Simple Wild will transport you into it’s cold atmospheric setting but I guarantee you won’t want to leave once you meet the hard-working & neighborly people who will treat you like family…