Source: eARC from Publisher

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Aug 27

{Review+Giveaway} Mind Games by Shana Silver

Mind Games is a dystopian sci-fi thriller by author Shana Silver. I don’t read a ton of science fiction and I haven’t read a good dystopian in a long while, so I was pretty excited to dive into Mind Games. While I did figure out some aspects of the mystery, I still really enjoyed this novel. It is the first time I have seen swoon reads go in this direction, and I have to say I am really excited to see them branch out from contemporary romances. (though you know I do love a good contemporary romance. But sometimes it is fun to mix things up). Mind Games is a fun ride of a story that fans of sci-fi, dystopians and mysteries and thrillers will all enjoy. In Mind Games we meet our main character, Arden. Arden and her friends attend a school geared towards science and technology (STEM school) and with the skills that Arden learned at school she becomes a pretty great hacker. But she is no ordinary… Read more »

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Aug 07

{Review+Giveaway} Announcing Trouble by @AmyDominy @EntangledTeen

Announcing Trouble is a young adult sports romance by author Amy Dominy. Announcing Trouble is such a cute read, and it is perfect for these hot summer months. It will put a smile on your face and it will make you laugh and even swoon. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and it made me excited to read more from Amy Dominy. In Announcing Trouble we meet Garrett and Josie, our two main characters. Josie is a used to be fan of baseball, but she blames baseball for many bad things in her past, so now she is bitter towards the game. Garrett is bitter as well, because he was on his way to becoming the next big player, or at least a high school star, when an injury took him off the field. They enter each other’s lives in the sports broadcasting booth. Garrett because he wants to stay as close as possible to the sport that he loves, and Josie because she just can’t help herself. Josie cracked me… Read more »

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Jul 12

{Review+Giveaway} Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton

Dragonslayer is the first book in the epic fantasy series of the same name by author Duncan Hamilton. I have been so into fantasies lately and I have always been intrigued by and love books that feature dragons, so I knew this was going to be right up my alley. The cover of this book drew me in immediately, and it kind of reminded me of the Eragon series. Though I will say, Dragonslayer is more adult and is more on the epic fantasy scale. I am super excited to read the next book in this series. The world was confusing for me at times, but that can sometimes be the case in Epic fantasy, and Duncan Hamilton does include a world map, which really helps when I am trying to place things for context. Dragonslayer is the story of Guillot dal Villevauvais, also known as Gill. Once Gill rescues Solene, the story really started to take off for me. Solene was more interesting to me than Gill because… Read more »

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Jul 03

{Review+Giveaway} Bad Breed by Kat Ross @katrossauthor

Bad Breed is the third book in the Gaslamp Gothic series by author Kat Ross. The gaslamp Gothic series, was previously known as the Dominion Mystery series, which includes The Daemoniac and The Thirteenth Gate. I love Kat Ross’ books. Her writing is always so on point and engaging, which these days is one of the most important aspects I look for when I picking what books I want to read. And I think Bad Breed might be my favorite Kat Ross novel yet! I am such a big fan of reimaginings, and lately I have been loving darker reads, so a dark reimagining of Beauty and the Beast is right up my alley! I loved this book! Though Bad Breed is the third book in the Gaslamp Gothic series, it can be read as a standalone, so if you really don’t want to, you do not have to reads the first two books. However, I really enjoyed both The Daemoniac and The Thirteenth Gate, so if you love a… Read more »

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Jun 11

{Review+Giveaway} Rules We’re Meant to Break by Natalie Williamson

Rules We’re Meant to Break is young adult contemporary romance by Natalie Williamson. This might sound kind of weird, but I was immediately drawn into this book because of it’s cover. It is not a traditionally beautiful young adult cover, but it made me think that I would relate to the main character, Amber. I loved how neat and orderly everything was. That plus the reference to rules, and I knew this was going to be a really cute read that would make me smile. And it totally was. Rules We’re Meant to Break is an adorable romance full of heart. You might think Amber, who is our main character, has these rules set out for herself, but no. Initially, these rules were put in place for Amber to survive her mother’s long string of boyfriends. I loved Amber’s love of dogs, and animals in general. I really, really loved Buffy her dog, and Amber’s obsession with the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but sadly, I didn’t connect with Amber… Read more »

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Apr 10

{Review+Giveaway} Smoke and Key by @KelseyJSutton @EntangledTeen

Smoke and Key is a young adult paranormal by author Kelsey Sutton. First off, I have to just point out how crazy beautiful the cover is. I was immediately drawn in because of it, but then the mysterious summary really hooked me. I had to know what Smoke and Key was all about. And talk about starting the book off with a bang. The first chapter was completely creepy and spooky and set the stage for a haunting and mysterious story that I simply could not put down. Smoke and Key was fascinating and something wholly different than I was expecting. If you are a fan of gothic style mysteries, I think you will absolutely love this novel. In Smoke and Key we start out with Key finding her way into the Under. The Under is a world where some individuals find themselves after death. It is named the under because it is literally the ground underneath their graves, and the only way to enter it is to fall into… Read more »

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Apr 08

{Release Day Review+Giveaway} The Boyfriend Bid by @JodieAndrefski @EntangledTeen

The Boyfriend Bid is a young adult contemporary romance by author Jodie Andrefski. The Boyfriend Bid was a really cute romance story from Engalanged Teen’s Crush line. I am always happy to pick up a new book by their crush imprint because I always know what I can trust to get out of the story. I always know it is going to be a super cute romance, with great characters and a healthy dose of heart, mostly done in a high school setting. And The Boyfriend Bid delivered on all of those elements. There was one aspect of the story that bothered me but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. In the Boyfriend Bid we meet our two main characters, Sarah and Chance. Chance is the school’s new guy and Sarah starts off pretty closed off to him. At first Sarah was a bit offputting to me because she was so, soo guarded, but watching Chance knock down her walls one brick at a time was… Read more »

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Mar 29

{ARC Review} Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan

Wicked Saints is the first book in the dark fantasy series, called the Something Dark and Holy series by author Emily A. Duncan. I am all about dark fantasy, so I was super excited to dive into a new world. And even better if it is the first book to a new series. Wicked Saints has a lot of things that I really enjoy in a book. I really liked that the magic system was intertwined with politics and religion. I loved the russian inspired setting. That is a setting that I don’t read about too much in the young adult fantasy realm, but it is a fascinating landscape. I had a few pacing issues with the story, but I am still interested to see where this series will go from here. Wicked Saints is the story of a holy war between Kalyazin and Tranavia that has been going on for centuries. At the root of this holy war is magic. More specifically, the ability to talk to the gods… Read more »

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Mar 05

{Release Day Review} THE DRAGON OF NEW ORLEANS by GENEVIEVE JACK

The Dragon of New Orleans is the first in the adult fantasy series, The Treasure of Paragon, by author Genevieve Jack. I enjoyed this book, and I think I will likely continue on with the series, but it didn’t blow me away like I was hoping it would. It is no secret that I love fantasy books, and I have been very into dragon tropes for the past 6 months or so. The Dragon of New Orleans was a good book and there were many things that I really enjoyed about it, but it was not my favorite dragon related story in the romance department. But first, let’s start with the elements of the story that I really enjoyed. I loved that the world building in the novel. I thought Raven’s abilities, and bloodlines were really interesting, and Paragon was very cool. Both are something I look forward to exploring and learning more about in the next installment. I loved some of the secondary characters, as well as the curse… Read more »

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Feb 25

{ARC Review} Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Four Dead queens is a young adult fantasy novel by debut author Astrid scholte. Four Dead Queens is a stand-alone novel that I really enjoyed. It is told in such an interesting way. The Novel switches between several different perspectives, which include each of the four queens of Quadara, our main character Keralie, and a few other characters scattered throughout. Quadara is an interesting world, made up of four very different quadrants, Toria, Ludia, Archia, and Eonia, each ruled by a queen. But don’t think of the quadrants as different kingdoms, because all of the four Queens rule from a single central castle, and they seem to make decisions as a single counsel. I thought this was an especially interesting political setup. But we don’t dwell on the political set up too much, because most of the story centers around Keralie, who sees a memory of murder, and sets out on a quest to solve the murder of the four queens. I loved Keralie. She is from the Toria, which… Read more »