It took me a while to warm up to this book, for reasons that are all personal preference, but there was a point about... 40% in? Where I had to pause and go, "Oh, that's good..."
The personal preference things: I'm not a huge first person reader already, but this has a very old fashioned, wordy first person style. Like everything is elaborated on in depth. We get the main character's take on EVERYTHING, and for me, the style was not something I really preferred, though I can see someone who craves a more classic style being really into it.
The other thing is that the main character is kind of judgy, and she does learn to at least not judge as much by first impressions, but it's like the text goes out of the way to elaborate how judgy she is and it made me mildly irritated at her for the first several chapters until she got busy with her own problems.
Also, I did appreciate that while this is a clean romance, kisses are properly handled, in that we actually get kisses and we're allowed to FEEL something about them. There's some reasonably built up chemistry/attraction/passion between the leads.
Magic was also well handled and there are some clever fairy tale logic uses of it.
"Trust no one here, for we are all thieves, witches, and liars in our own right."Helpless on the outskirts of the land Romí, the impoverished village of Casenga turns to the dreaded Witch of the Wood for aid when their crops fail. Her help comes at a steep price, forcing all of Casenga into a plot of secrecy and fear.Daniela, the daughter of a poor but respectable family, strives to live peacefully in this delicate balance, while caring for her parents and siblings to the best of her ability... until one day, a mistake is uncovered, and her world is…
This is a fun, fast-paced buddy comedy/urban fantasy mash up that feels a bit like a throwback. The magical system is fun and the phoenix nature of the lead (well, one of the leads) causes some original scenarios where dying really is the best option.
When Secret Service Agent Rick McCoy punches his partner's murderer in the face after arresting him, he fears his dream of getting promoted to the President's personal detail is over. His boss has a different transfer in mind and partners him with the agency's top agent in the super secret Paranormal Investigations Division - an immortal phoenix cursed to human form. The problem is that Rick doesn't believe in the paranormal, immortals, phoenixes, or curses. Phoenix Dante Brand was cursed centuries ago to human form for daring to think himself more beautiful than a fae. Finding his purpose in stopping…
This book is tropey, but in a good way. You get a lot of details that make you feel like you're in a Star Wars universe or SciFi Video Game. A lot of different worlds to visit. There's also a very fun forbidden romance. Fun, fast paced, and while it ends with a lot of open-ended details, leading into sequels, overall satisfying.
*** Winner of the Debut and Young Adult 2024 Realm Awards***
For fans of Skyward and The Lunar Chronicles, Suspended in the Stars is The Greatest Showman meets Star Wars in a fast-paced and swoony, no spice YA Science Fantasy space adventure.
A GIRL IN HIDING. A BOY ON THE RUN. THE FATE OF THE GALAXY BETWEEN THEM.
When Talie Zarna is forced to hide rogue soldier, Renner Cartha, her life isn't the only thing threatened. Living as the famed Soaring Staress on the circus spaceship Midway masks her true identity, but Renner's very presence threatens to draw unwanted attention.…
His secret identity is her big scoop—if she can just avoid falling for him.
When superhero, Glint's, aka Henry Nichols's, powers go on the fritz after a supervillain attack, he finds himself rethinking his priorities. Years of devotion to public service have left him with little for himself, and with forty swiftly approaching, he finds himself longing for his youth on his grandfather's farm. An incognito vacation is just what he needs.
Former reporter Lara Landis lost her career and her only long-term relationship all in one humiliating blow. Broke and rudderless, she retreats to her parents' small town grocery store to try and make one last career rally, but how is she going to get a big scoop living in the middle of nowhere? When a poorly disguised superhero lands in her neighborhood, insisting that he's just a normal guy, she can't help but smell a story.
As their chance encounters turn into a begrudging friendship, Lara is surprised to find a caring, sincere human beneath Henry's press-conference-ready exterior. When the truth comes out, though, her big story could turn into his worst nightmare. Author Note: A Superhero for Christmas is set in the same world as the Supervillain Rehabilitation Project series but is a standalone story that can be read on its own. If you enjoy the story, please check out the other tales in this universe.
I suggest starting with either Blind Date with a Supervillain or Reformed.
