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.**

Review: Twixt by Diane J. Reed

From the author's website:

About the Book

Everyone in Ophir Creek, Idaho knows the wild legend of Corvine O’Dannan, a mysterious Irish woman with “fairy powers” who came to town during the gold rush to find her fortune, only to be betrayed by her lover and meet a tragic end.

Fast forward to the twenty-first century, and her descendent Rose doesn’t have time for such nonsense! After a crash-and-burn marriage, she’s returned to her hometown to renovate her father’s gold-panning business and to start over. But everything changes on her 30th birthday when her friend talks her into doing a love spell. Unbeknownst to them, they conjure the spirit of the very same man who once tormented Rose’s ancestor. Why? Because Rose was Corvine O’Dannan in a past life—and her really bad habit of attracting Mr. Wrong still haunts her, and now jeopardizes her very life.

What Rose doesn’t realize is that along with this dark curse comes an extraordinary blessing–in the form of a soul guardian named Chance Murphy who’s been protecting her for centuries. But this time around, the evil spirit that plagues Rose has stolen Chance’s body. So the only way that Chance can reach her is late at night in her dreams, when he appears as a magical raven who escorts her to an enchanted island off the coast of Ireland. There, Chance becomes a man again, and he shows Rose how to heal her past through the fairies’ special brand of magic. But will Rose finally be able to forge a new future and make the man of her dreams become real? Only if she can once again believe…

My Review: 

Twixt is one of the most magical and spellbinding stories I've ever read! The writing is brilliant and flows so beautifully through the pages as you're carried along this mystical adventure. I love how the story mostly takes place in the present while also being heavily rooted in the past. I feel it would be very fitting to describe it as a tale of both hardship and romance that transcends time. I am in awe of how it's all intertwined so seamlessly. The story starts with a prelude that takes place in Ireland and focuses on Ailis O'Dannan and her young daughter Corvine. After a tragic event Corvine travels to Boston. She meets Rory there who sweet talks her into heading to Idaho Territory with him, convinced she would lead them to gold. Fast forward to the present and we have Rose, a descendant of Corvine, who has to battle not only with her own heart, but also with foes from the past that have come back for more. I don't want to give too much away, but Rose is seriously stronger than she knows. How much she loves her daughter is so touching and I really felt for her as she battled with what was best for Crystal. I'd also like to say that the imagery in this book was amazing. I felt like I could truly see the shop and the island and Rook Ridge. I of course can't say how much I liked this book without including something about the gripping romance. A time transcending bond full of encouragement and faith... Just beautiful! I'd recommend this book for fans of Sarah Addison Allen, Alice Hoffman, and just a beautiful romance in general.

Author's website: https://dianejreed.com/

Review: My Forever Cowboy by Diane J. Reed

Book description via the author's website: 

Just when you least expect it, love finds you forever…Avery Smart doesn’t believe in “forever cowboys.” Especially after her father died young in a tragic rodeo accident, and she watched all her girlfriends get their hearts broken by love ’em and leave ’em types in Stetsons and spurs. But when she returns to her hometown of Bandits Hollow, Colorado to take pictures of cowboys for her lucrative photography business, a new light is shed on the darkroom of her heart by Grant Hollow. He’s one professional bull rider who not only intends to stick around for the right woman–he’s determined to lasso her heart for good.

My Forever Cowboy is a prequel novella in the My Cowboy Series of contemporary western romances set in the Rocky Mountains.

My review: 

My Forever Cowboy is such a fun read. It may be short, but it's powerful. The characters were amazing and I even got to see a few familiar faces from previous slightly interconnecting stories from this author. The two main characters, Avery and Grant, have great chemistry and it was very entertaining watching Avery try to fight their connection. I do love the way they met... talk about a meet cute lol! I am definitely a sucker for a good cowboy romance and was totally blown away by the way the story could read as a contemporary cowboy romance, yet still have that ethereal beautiful mystical feeling weaved throughout, that I have come to love and expect from Reed's books. It's also got lots of fun, flirty, and silly bits to leave you smiling a mile wide. Literally everything I look for in a book and somehow packed within just around a hundred pages. I highly recommend My Forever Cowboy!  

** I received this book from the author. I voluntarily chose to write this honest review.**

Check out the author's website for more information on her books: https://dianejreed.com/ 

Review: Wilder Girls by Rory Power

First of all the cover is amazing! As soon as I saw it I needed to know more about this book. Wilder Girls instantly had me wrapped up in this new strange world, in which these girls are quarantined on an island and all have wild and crazy things happening to their bodies, also known as the Tox. The main three characters are very interesting especially since I still felt as if I still wasn't quite sure about who some of them truly were by the end of the story. I really like the writing style and the dual points of view. The atmosphere is perfectly creepy and a little tense leaving you with a sense of urgency to find out what will happen to these girls. I've heard it described as a female version of Lord of the Flies and find this to be a pretty accurate description. The ending was a bit disappointing only because it was rather open ended and there's no mention of a second book so far. The tone was fitting, but with so many things left in the balance still and so many questions left unanswered I am definitely hoping there will be a sequel. Overall Wilder Girls is a serious page-turner! * I won an advanced copy of this book through bookishfirst. This is my honest and voluntary review. **

Review: Lander Ridge by Diane J. Reed

Book description from the author's website: 

For the cutthroat cowboy who wins at everything, losing his heart to the only woman who can reach his soul is the greatest risk of all…

Lander Iron Feather’s fierce business strategies have made him one of the richest ranchers in the West, dominating all that he touches. But when the beautiful former model Nicky Box returns to Bandits Hollow to reform the Wilson Ranch School for Wayward Boys and Girls, suddenly Lander is forced to face the terrible abuse he suffered there as a teen. Lander’s seething hatred for the school’s wealthy owner is largely responsible for fueling his business success, yet now he has the chance to combine forces with Nicky to turn the place around for the sake of the school’s orphans. But doing so means opening his heart—to the kids, to the wounds inside himself, and most of all, to Nicky. When the school is confronted with a shocking closure, Lander must dig deep inside to redefine what “winning”, and the magic of falling in love, really means. 

My review:

Lander Ridge is stunning, magical, and compelling. I absolutely love Diane J. Reed's writing style. As with her previous books, Lander Ridge instantly transported me into the story with the almost tangible scenes. There is one word in particular that seems to come to mind... mystical. It's just this overwhelming sense of magic and wonder that flows throughout the entire story. It's like I'm there and can feel the chills when I hear the owl's call, or the amazement when something beautiful and haunting happens. The characters are some of my all-time reading favorites. I was super excited to get to know Lander better in this book after getting glimpses of him in the previous two. It was also fun to catch up with Dillion, Barrett, and their ladies a bit as well. Getting back to Lander though, he is such a tortured soul who is more than just a bit rough around the edges, but with a secretly kind and longing heart. *SWOON!* I love how easily the author seems to be able to weave together the past and make the characters destiny seem so amazingly intertwined. I can definitely tell she believes in soulmates and it shines through in her writing. The witty banter is probably my favorite part and actually had me smiling while I read. My husband wanted to know what I was smiling so big about lol. Although there are definitely some heart wrenching moments as well that had me very emotional. I was entranced from the first page to the last. I highly recommend Lander Ridge!

P.S. I loved reading the author's note at the end of the book about the sacred trees. So cool! Make sure if you read Lander Ridge to check that part out too.

** I received this book from the author. I voluntarily chose to write this honest review.**

Review: Barefoot Beach by Debbie Mason

Description from the author's website: 

From the USA Today bestselling author of the Harmony Harbor series comes a beautiful summer romance that will keep you reading until the sun goes down!

Can a summer of love make up for a lifetime of secrets?

Wedding fever has taken over Harmony Harbor this summer, and the local matchmakers have set their sights on Theia Lawson, a former navy pilot who’s in town for a stay at Greystone Manor. And while Theia’s got her reasons to put this small town behind her as fast as she can, there’s a certain tall, dark, and irresistible man that she can’t seem to get off her mind.

Firefighter Marco DiRossi wants to beat the matchmakers at their own game so he conspires with Theia to pretend they’ve already fallen in love. It’s only for the summer. What could go wrong? Yet as the beach season draws to a close, Marco and Theia find their pretend relationship has led to a very real attraction. But when a secret from the past is revealed, jeopardizing everything they hold dear, can this unlikely couple find their way to a happily-ever-after?

My review: 

I absolutely loved Barefoot Beach! There were plenty of funny moments as well as a lots of mystery and suspense. My favorite element of course is the romance. I loved how much fun Theia and Marco had together! The fact that it starts out as him getting on her nerves, then turns into a fake relationship, then they start to want more is just so enjoyable. Not to mention Marco is definitely swoon worthy! It adds even more to his appeal that he likes Theia for her strengths, determination, and exactly who she is, not just her looks. They have great chemistry together and I really like their witty banter. I have read all of the books in this series and enjoyed every last one, so it's no surprise that I loved this one just as much, and was happy to get to catch up with old friends from the previous books as well. I cannot wait to see what's going to happen in the next book, although I believe it is going to be the last of the series and I will be sad to see it end. I've really come to look forward to reading about and rooting for both the Gallaghers and the DiRossi's. I hope that they all get their happily ever after. Highly recommended!

** I received an advanced copy of this book. I willingly chose to write this honest review. **

Review: To Best the Boys by Mary Weber

Book Description

Perfect for fans of The Scorpio Races and Caraval, To Best the Boys is a new fantasy novel from the beloved and bestselling author of the Storm Siren trilogy, Mary Weber.

“To Best the Boys is an addicting read.” —JODI MEADOWS, New York Times bestselling author of The Incarnate Trilogy and coauthor of My Lady Jane

The task is simple:

Don a disguise.

Survive the labyrinth.

Best the boys.

In a thrilling new fantasy from the bestselling author of the Storm Siren Trilogy, one girl makes a stand against society and enters a world made exclusively for boys.

Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port have received a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. The poorer residents look to see if their names are on the list. The wealthier look to see how likely their sons are to survive. And Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.

In the province of Caldon, where women train in wifely duties and men pursue collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition.

With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone is ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the deadly maze.

Welcome to the labyrinth.

“Atmospheric, romantic, inspiring.” —KRISTEN CICCARELLI, internationally bestselling author of The Last Namsara

My Review: 

Captivating and maybe, just maybe, the best Mary Weber book yet! I have read four other books by Mary Weber. I've read her Storm Siren Trilogy and The Evaporation of Sofi Snow. I have noticed that I sometimes have a hard time at the beginning of her books, but usually that doesn't take too long to change and then I am hooked. To Best the Boys definitely followed this trend. I was a bit concerned I wouldn't be able to get lost in the story the way I love to do, but man by the time the characters made it to the labyrinth I could barely read fast enough. I just had to know what was going to happen! It's seriously hard to even find the words to describe my thoughts on this one. It's absolutely unique but with small reminiscences of some of my other favorite stories such as Hunger Games and Maze Runner. Maybe even a bit of Mulan! I mean Rhen did disguise herself as a boy and showed that she was capable and smart. I loved that it promoted Girl Power without being hateful, preachy, or one-sided. Rhen and Seleni are super close yet are two very different girls who see their ideal roles very differently, but neither look down on the other or think the other should change. That's what I'm talking about! Romance does come into play as a well. Which makes me one happy girl. I have to admit I love how Lute respects Rhen, knows exactly who she is, and likes that about her. He's major boyfriend goals. I seriously loved To Best the Boys! If you like YA fantasy with romance then I think that you will too! 

**  I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.  **