#BookSirens arc

[kkecreads]

Road to Evil by Melinda Woodhall

Road to Evil by Melinda Woodhall

Published: September 28, 2022 Creative Magnolia Pages: 276 Genre: Crime Fiction KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily. Melinda Woodhall is the author of the new Veronica Lee Thriller series, as well as the page-turning Mercy Harbor Thriller series. In addition to writing romantic thrillers and police procedurals, Melinda also…

[pagesandpothos]

Whisper Wells by Ali Woods

Whisper Wells is the first in an upcoming series called "Legends of the Whisper Woods" by Ali Woods. It's a romantasy debut novel set in a world that feels contemporary (cars and cellphones exist) but beings of all kinds (witches, vampires, dragons, centaurs...) are real. Some magical beings have integrated into human society, but many live secluded within a vast woodland known as Whisper Woods. The two main characters are Caelan and Tor. Caelan is part-Shifter (but mostly human) and lives in a homestead on the edge of Whisper Wells, a small town that borders Whisper Woods. Tor is Fae and lives in the large city of Loqueaur. Caelan and Tor meet on a dating app and develop a meaningful friendship until a disappearance brings the two together on a journey into Whisper Woods.

The story is light and reminds me a little of the cozy fantasy books I've read. There is that mystery but nothing is too dark and the stakes are low overall. The spice level, however, is high! Caelan and Tor are smitten with each other from the beginning and the story mostly focuses on their developing relationship as they adventure through the various perils of Whisper Woods.

The story is also filled with a host of really great characters. Tor and Caelean are, of course, fantastic, but they also encounter a lot of other fun characters during their journey. Towards the end of the book, there is even some potential setup of Book Two with two of the supporting characters!

Whisper Wells is perfect for any m/m romance fans who are looking for a lighter, fluffier story with a quest-style plot and great characters. The book is enjoyable, smutty, and funny. The main relationship is charming and has a lot of depth and emotion along with the spice. The ending is satisfying and the setup for future books left me excited to read all upcoming additions to the series. I'm especially hoping for a future book about Seff!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tropes/Tags: Achillean, queer, romance, romantasy, spicy, Fae, Werewolves/Shifters, Fated Mates, jealousy, protectiveness, found family

If you liked this I think you will like Whisper Wells: I think fans of Lily Mayne's "Monstrous" series will enjoy this. It reminded me a little of Soul Eater but with a cozy fantasy background instead of a sci-fi dystopia background.

Whisper Wells will be available on Kindle Unlimited on April 3, 2024 and is currently available for pre-order!

This book was made available to me in advance thanks to BookSirens! I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for this review. The above are my honest feelings on the provided book.

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: The Unlikely Heir by Jax Calder

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Publication Date: August 24, 2023

Synopsis:

What happens when the Prince of Wales falls in love with the Prime Minister? My boring life working in an insurance call center in sunny California just took an unexpected turn. Thanks to my misbehaving relatives, I’ve leapt from obscurity to royalty as the new heir to the British throne. But my welcome in England is about as warm as the weather. I arrive to discover a country horrified at the thought of an American version of Prince Charming and ready to revolt against the monarchy. I vow to my grandmother, the Queen, that I will do everything possible to help her save the crown. Unfortunately, royal life isn’t easy. From bewildering traditions, traitorous friends, and malevolent swans, the only thing I’m succeeding in is providing entertainment for the tabloids and social media trolls. And then the broodingly handsome Prime Minister, Oliver Hartwell, bursts into my life. With his meteoric rise from poverty to the most powerful man in the country, Oliver understands my current plight. Innocent messages of support turn into late-night chats—and unexpected feelings. But there’s one major problem. The royal family must remain politically neutral at all times. So how can I keep my promise to save the monarchy when I’m falling in love with the Prime Minister? A forbidden romance filled with humor and drama featuring a bumbling Prince of Wales and a stern yet dashing Prime Minister, with a love that could transform a nation.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes below the cut.

My Review:

I picked this up because the cover and synopsis were cute and because I desperately needed something to fill the void left after finishing the new Red White & Royal Blue movie. And this was absolutely perfect. This a deliciously swoony slow-burn romance, with Callum, unlikely American heir to the British throne, and Oliver, Prime Minister of the UK, sloooooowly falling in love over nightly text messages that evolve into phone calls that evolve into video calls and then more. I loved Callum, with his bumbling but cheerful approach to life, his random facts and obsessions, and always seeing the magic in the small things and trying to make people's days brighter with every conversation. He was so genuine and likeable and good. He occasionally reminded me of a golden retriever lol. I also loved Oliver, with his passion to improve the lives of the common people and his witty comebacks and political savvy. He was so serious all the time - it was nice to see Callum making him laugh and relax. Would this absolutely bonkers political scenario ever happen in real life? Hell no. Did I care? Absolutely not. It worked because the heart of the story is Callum and Oliver falling in love. I was 100% there for them falling for one another and in some sense the political trappings of the story were secondary to that. Yes it was amusing, and it certainly caused plenty of conflict and provided the forbidden relationship angle, but I'm not going to nitpick historical or political details. Why would I? I loved this too much. I flew through it in a day and did absolutely nothing else I had planned to because I couldn't tear myself away from it. To be fair, when presented with an epistolary novel, especially a slow-burn in the form of text messages, I'm almost guaranteed to like it. There have been a few notable exceptions, but only a few. Callum and Oliver, however, are the heart of this novel and their personalities and interactions are what drew me in and kept me hooked. This is absolutely a new favorite and I will be checking out the author's other works asap. *Thanks to Booksirens and NetGalley for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

“You need to cut your toenails,” I say because, you know, that’s an appropriate thing to say to the prime minister. “I’ve been wondering why my socks are suddenly getting holes in them,” he says.

---

“There is no magic to be found in the EU agricultural trade negotiations, trust me,” I say.

---

Herbert’s my usual go-to person for dress etiquette, but I’m not sure if even he would know how to dress when you’re meeting the prime minister for a suspiciously vague mission.

---

Maybe that’s what the prime minister actually is. School principal to the entire nation.

---

I never knew a kiss could feel like the truth.

[rebeccastiltskin]

These Deadly Words by Nicole Heydenburg

Book review of 'These Deadly Words' by Nicole Heydenburg. ARC received for free from @booksirens.

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four young adults are stuck in a snowstorm and find sanctuary in a cabin in the woods. Nicole Heydenburg has managed to add an interesting development to the classic horror film set up which was intriguing. Four people (Leah, Vincent, Noah, and Ava) get stranded in a snowstorm and stumble upon…

[pipperoni32-blog]

Castle Ever Dark

by Sara Knightly / 4 stars

I was slow at reading this one, content to just read a chapter or two at a time, but when I look back on it, it was one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Building on the events of the first book, Ivy begins her life in the castle. It's not what she imagined. She's given a large, empty room, filled with unused beds and empty cobwebs. She's restricted to a bland diet, which she learns later that she's expected to earn more palatable food through her research and behavior.

Working with Dr. Ply is difficult. Ivy isn't allowed to ask questions, and any hint that her opinion differs from Dr. Ply's is intolerable. Ivy must learn quickly how to appease him, while also finding out more about the transposers and the mysterious laun they work with.

Ivy is shocked to learn that York is one of the transposers - he's the best one they've seen in awhile. But he's different from the York she knew in Windermere, and Ivy is determined to bring her friend back. When a girl is found mysteriously in the tree garden with no memories besides her name (Ember), Ivy brings her back to the castle.

Soon it becomes a race for Ivy to learn the darker secrets of the castle, especially as Ember's memories begin to come back.

While the fate of the transposers was a little anticlimactic, the promise of the next book was more than enough to keep me interested! I fully intend to follow Ivy and her friends to the end of their story.

I received an ARC through BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[melreadingdanmei]

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[jonathanpongratz]

My Book was Featured on Book Sirens!

Hey Readers, Guess what? Out of nowhere my new book The Ruins was chosen to be part of a featured bundle for BookSirens! I think I made a good impression! If you’d like to get your hands on an ARC copy of these great new books, click on the image above or right here. Not an ARC reader? No worries! You can still get a copy of my new book from the details below. Happy Reading!   Blurb: Tyler…

[inkandpaperqwerty]

My book was featured in an Apocalyptic ARC bundle! If you're looking for an exciting book to read for free, please take a look at this bundle and consider reading my book and leaving a review. Thanks so much!

[overflowingshelf]

ARC Review: Nature of the Crime by Cara Devlin

Nature of the Crime Cara Devlin Publisher: First Cup Press Publication Date: January 20, 2024 Series or Standalone: Bow Street Duchess Mystery #6 Links: Amazon – Goodreads – StoryGraph Rating: MY REVIEW CW: Murder; kidnapping; sexism; references to trafficking Nature of the Crime was another FANTASTIC entry in the Bow Street Duchess Mystery series, and I loved every second of reading it.…

[authorbertslechner]

My collection of occult cosmic horror stories is featured in BookSirens Short Stories ARCs bundle! Click the link below to grab a free advanced reading copy of The Roots Grow Into the Earth and all these other awesome looking collections!

[tigerpetalpress]

Review: The Lost Son

The Lost Son by Aidan Lucid ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3 out of 5. I found this book as an ARC on BookSirens and was interested enough to check it out. Lucid also has other books published, though I don’t plan on reading those. Read: July 28 – July 31, 2023 Book contains: blood & battle, manipulation Writing was Okay, But the Book Wasn’t for Me Henry’s mundane life takes a turn the moment he discovers a…

[darkandspicybookreviews]

[curiosityboughtthebook]

Got this over on @booksirens 💀 Gonna dive in soon... My first arc from booksirens as well! #booksirens #theshapesofwrath #melissayi #arcs #bookish #curiosityboughtthebook #bookstagrammer #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CozWm3fL_V7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[pipperoni32-blog]

Jerk

by DL Hammons / 5 Stars / A Taggart McGill mystery

Cassie and Taggart are adapting to college life. Taggart is thriving, associating more with his professors, branching out and spending time with Cassie's orientation group. Meanwhile, Cassie is struggling with her studies, and worried that Taggart is out growing her, seeming unbothered when they spend days apart.

When they find a body hanging in Taggart's apartment, Jim, the leader of Cassie's orientation group, Taggart isn't quick to believe that its the suicide it appears to be. When this event triggers more suicides, he's even more sure that someone is responsible. Someone that seems to be targeting their group.

Along the way, we find out more about Taggart's sister. The understanding and approach to mental health disorders and suicide clusters was wonderfully done.

While the start was a bit slow, focusing more on their college life (and a possible rift between our two!) I was quickly drawn in, and so thrilled to have another Taggart McGill mystery.

We're left with a teaser ending, when another lost family member reaches out to Taggart, which is a perfect leaping point for the next novel. I can't wait for that one to be here!

I received an ARC through BookSirens, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

[melreadingdanmei]

I wouldn't have put it quite like that, but it's definitely a mood!

[ashereadsstuff]

It's that typical post most blogs have that says stuff like "About Me."

A random, opinionated reader who believes others would be interested in their thoughts. You can find me on Goodreads, AO3, and the Storygraph if you care about some of the things I read and want to read. But I spend most of my time on Goodreads and The Storygraph. I also read almost anything, so feel free to recommend something in the "ask me" area. I also read ARCs (Advanced Readers Copy) on here, and I'll make a post specifying if I am reading an arc. Posts I make here will be published on Goodreads and The Storygraph.

I also like fanfiction and book binding, so when I make a typeset, I'll post about it and find a way to share it on here. Of course, all the type sets are free, and if I see anyone commissioning and charging for them, they will be taken down immediately.

AO3

Goodreads

The Storygraph

My Blog Where I review everything

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Recently Finished:

CU Hockey By: Eden Finely and James Saxon

Currently Reading:

Please Fear Me By: Jennifer Love Fake Boyfriend Series By: Saxon James

Up Next:

The Shutouts By: Gabrielle Korn

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