Review: Cupid's Match by Lauren Palphreyman

Cupid's Match by Lauren Palphreyman

Book description via Bookishfirst: 

For teen Lila Black, Cupid isn’t a myth—he’s her perfect match.

When teen Lila Black arrives at Cupid's Matchmaking Service intent on stopping them from spamming her, her world is turned inside out when she learns not only that cupids exist, but that she’s been matched with the infamous god of love, Cupid. The only catch? Lila's cupid guide, Cal, informs her she can't actually fall for Cupid; if she does, it will summon the goddess Venus, and it won't be pretty. As Cupid and Lila try to resist each other's magnetic pull, they discover an ancient group of cupids, the Arrows, are after them and determined to stop their match. Only by working together and surrendering to the power of myths can Lila and her cupids defeat the Arrows and put an end of Venus, once and for all.

My Review:

Cupid's Match is such a fun and captivating read. From the very beginning I was hooked and needed to find out what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed all of the characters and really liked how they all were unique and brought something special to the story. Cupid being a bit of a bad boy was a fun twist. There was lots of witty banter, which I love. I seriously couldn't make up my mind if I wanted him or his brother Cal to get the girl though; even at the end.

Cupid's Match has a lot of great humor and plenty of action with a forbidden romance, a spunky heroine, and a hint of a possible love triangle. I definitely need to read more about these characters! Although the story felt complete enough on it's own, I'd still love for there to be a sequel.

** I received a copy of this book through bookishfirst. This is my voluntary and honest review.**

Review: The Trouble with Christmas by Amy Andrews

Book Description via the author's website:

All Suzanne St. Michelle wants is an over-the-top, eggnog-induced holiday with her best friend in Credence, Colorado. But when her hoity-toity parents insist she come home for Christmas in New York, she blurts out that her sexy landlord is actually her boyfriend and she can’t leave him—Joshy loves Christmas. The more twinkle lights the better.

Rancher Joshua Grady does not love Christmas. Or company, or chatty women. Unfortunately for him, the chattiest woman ever has rented the cottage on his ranch, invited her rich, art-scene parents, and now insists he play “fake rancher boyfriend” in a production of the Hokiest Christmas Ever. And somehow…she gets him to agree.

My review: 

I loved The Trouble with Christmas. It has been quite a while since I have read a book so fast, but I just could not get enough! I had a pretty strong feeling I was going to really enjoy this one since it includes some of my favorite things. Grumpy handsome rancher... check, Christmas time... check, hero and heroine who drive each other nuts... check, fake relationship... big fat check. Lucky for me it was even better than I had anticipated. Not to mention I absolutely loved Suzanne. From the very moment she started babbling and saying things even she had no clue why, I knew she was my kind of girl. It definitely made for some really funny moments and had me smiling and laughing out loud through most of the book. Joshua Grady never stood a chance! Ah, but the broody rancher also found a special place in my heart. I like that his backstory adds some depth to the story and makes his decisions to try to keep his distance more sympathetic than upsetting. He still managed to be a fun character despite his past tragedies and I have to admit picturing him all macho and serious in a tacky Christmas sweater still makes me giggle. It's almost like the perfect Hallmark movie except with steamy parts and cursing. Although I did not enjoy the overuse of cursing God's name, I decided not to deduct any stars because of how much I absolutely loved everything else. Just be forewarned if that type of thing bothers you. I also have to say before my review is over that the ending was just perfect! It gave me all the feels. I definitely highly recommend The Trouble with Christmas for the Christmas romance and fake relationship fans out there.

** I received an advanced digital copy thanks to Entangled Publishing via Netgalley. This is my voluntary and honest review.**

Review: Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

Blurb via bookishfirst.com:

Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world, giving everyone―even the lowborn―a chance to test into the governing class of dragonriders.

Now they are both rising stars in the new regime, despite backgrounds that couldn't be more different. Annie's lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, while Lee's aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training have made them rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet.

But everything changes when survivors from the old regime surface, bent on reclaiming the city.

With war on the horizon and his relationship with Annie changing fast, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he's come to believe in. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves . . . or step up to be the champion her city needs.

From debut author Rosaria Munda comes a gripping adventure that calls into question which matters most: the family you were born into, or the one you've chosen.

My review:  What an amazing story! I absolutely loved Fireborne. I loved the characters and the plot. The intertwining of the past and the present was done so brilliantly. I felt so torn with the choices the characters faced. It was so unfair the things that they had experienced at such young ages and their limited choices now under the new regime as well. Yet despite the obstacles and hypocrisy of their world I still felt like it was a story of triumph and enjoyed rooting for both Lee and Annie. The relationship that these two shared, both in the past and future, was very touching. Fireborne also touches on several subjects including class, loyalty, power, politics, and more. There were just so many amazing things about this story that I could go on and on; yet I don't want to give away too much and spoil it. If you love YA fantasy with a dash of romance and dragons then I highly recommend you give Fireborne a try! ** I received an advanced copy of this book through Bookishfirst. This is my voluntary review and all thoughts expressed here are my own.**