Murder in the Bowery (Gaslight Mystery #20)

Murder in the Bowery

Victoria Thompson

4/5

Victoria Thompson never fails to amaze me with the depth and breadth of her writing. I learn something new with every book I read- though I am sure to fact check it because I know that historical fiction is no place to form historical standpoints. In this one, she takes us into the bowery and introduces us to the concept of "slumming". She also gave a feature to the newsies protest, something that I think was very popularized by the musical so it was super interesting to see it in this setting and get perspectives from the everyday (albeit fictionalized) citizen. 

I cannot stress enough how much I love Frank and Sarah together. I completely understand that it takes so many books to get to anything between them, but it was done in a way that only strengthened their relationship. Every element of this universe comes together to form such a comprehensive story. Maybe everything isn't totally realistic on its own, but it's all so creatively woven into something that could happen. 

The only problem I had this one was with the predictability. I saw it coming and it didn't shock me, felt a bit recycled. I think that's fair, private detectives and cops won't investigate cases that are all super original. I just have an incredibly high standard for the mysteries in this series and I expect a lot. It was still an entertaining read though and I cannot recommend the series strongly enough.

Book Review: The Faceless Mage (Legends of Abreia #1)

The Faceless Mage

Kenley Davidson

5/5

I really liked this book! It's kind of hit and miss with the fantasy romances on Kindle Unlimited, but this one had some really fun and original concepts. Leisa owes a debt to her king, to pay it off she agrees to disguise herself as the princess to investigate the legitimacy of a marriage proposal. When she gets to this foreign court, she realizes it's a much more dangerous game than she anticipated. 

Then there's the Raven, a bodyguard assigned to her by the king. He has no choice in the matter, he's been bound by magic to obey the king's every command. He doesn't have a lot of independent thinking because when he feels strong emotions, the king can feel them through their bond. Even still, he finds himself wondering about the princess who lies about who she is and switches between what is expected of her and something much stronger. 

Plots with shapeshifting like this get me every time- I love it when someone's power is giving them an identity crisis it's such a great way to develop a character. Mirror mages are original and I can't wait to see how her powers develop in the future. I also like the Raven's true identity, it adds a whole additional level of intrigue. I know that's a little overdone, but I fall for it every time. 

All in all, I would totally recommend reading this. It's interesting and it's short so you can stay super interested the entire time. I can't wait till the sequel is released because I'm losing my mind in anticipation.  

Book Review: A Countess Below Stairs

A Countess Below Stairs

Eva Ibbotson

3/5

I found this book pretty interesting, I liked how it was a nice blend of aristocracy and the strife and tragedy of World War I. Anna was a countess but when the Russian Revolution struck, she lost everything. She decided to work as a housemaid to make her own money and her own way in the world. She is employed by an earl's household in preparation for his return from the hospital after suffering severe war wounds. 

I didn't like the weird vibes that this book adopted at certain points. Like when Anna decided that because she wasn't the victim of unwanted advances it was cause she was ugly, and no one really told her to stop doing that. There also wasn't a lot of conversation between her and the earl and it felt a little weird how things progressed between them. 

I did think it was a fun twist to make Myrtle a eugenicist. That's a much easier way to make someone so totally hated from a modern perspective. I always find it difficult when there's another woman involved because I don't want to pit women against each other for a man, but she was a total villain that you could just despise the entire time. 

It was good, it just had a lot of content for something that ended exactly the way I thought it would. Then there were a lot of characters that were left open-ended. Like I really liked Tom and his values and would love to see where his life went. But as a standalone it held my interest and kind of satisfied me at the end.

Book Review: Beauty in Darkness (Royal Hearts #1)

Beauty in Darkness

Elizabeth Briggs

2/5

Not really a mood for me because it felt like there was absolutely no integral struggle. There was a darkness and an inner villain and like grief which was holding people back, but it really didn't influence the plot as much as I would like it too. Princess Rose decided to marry the king, though it was a really gaslighted choice that wasn't really a choice on her part at all. The king is cold but can't deny their instant attraction, as per usual. He's weighed down by his wife's loss but he's eager to end the war with a simple marriage.

Again, it was all so easy. The king literally strolled right into the palace and peace negotiations took two minutes. No diplomacy, no peace talks, no depth to any of it. The ultimate plot reveal was weak, the conflict wasn't even that significant. I was disappointed after two hundred pages of only really being mildly entertained. 

I don't think it's totally hopeless and I can see where the initial plot concepts fizzled out a little. I don't think I would read the next book in the series but there's definitely room for the author to grow and expand on her ideas.

Book Review: A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone #1)

 

 A Touch of Darkness

Scarlett St. Clair

3/5

I saw this book on TikTok and someone had it labeled as a good read for the "I hate everyone but you" cliche. I honestly didn't even read the description before downloading it because I was like if TikTok recommended it and it's on Kindle Unlimited what do I have to lose. I had no idea that it was a modern day type Hades and Persephone and that was a pretty fun surprise. 

The world was fun but a bit excessive at points. I don't know how to explain it, but it felt as though the author was trying a bit too hard to explain how everything was just slightly different from the real world (basically everything had different names and was related to the gods). It was an interesting twist that I hadn't really seen before- the idea of Hades showing up to someone's apartment in sweatpants was particularly well-placed. It had serious urban fantasy vibes like everything you would expect from something of that genre. 

I also appreciated the twist on the six months deal. It framed it in a way that nothing was being forced and it wasn't as creepy as the original story. The author just chose to ignore Persephone's relation to Zeus and Hades and I think we would all prefer to ignore those genetics anyways. There should be a little less reliance on the sex scenes, the characters really should talk out their problems a bit more. All in all though it has potential and the universe could go to great places.

Book Review: A Winter's Promise (The Mirror Visitor #1)

A Winter's Promise 

Christelle Dabos

4/5

Ok the world-building in this book? Absolutely amazing. The main character? She's so weird and quirky in an unobtrusive way. Ophelia is a reader, when she picks up an object she can delve into its history and read the emotions of the people who have held it before her. She can also travel through mirrors, a fun little side trick. But more importantly, she's really awkward. She drops things because of a mirror mishap when she was younger, she has a scarf that has a literal life of its own, and her glasses change color with her mood. She is soft-spoken but strong-willed and she's basically everything you could ask for in a heroine. 

In this book, she has rejected one too many arranged marriages and found herself forced into the position of a diplomatic arranged marriage with another clan. I'm a little confused on how marrying her cousin isn't incest since they're all descended from the same woman, but you know I guess there was a brief explanation. I love a good Forced Marriage Scenario, and a lot of things about this one are starting to check off the boxes. The only reason it lost a star is because they had so little interaction before she was sure that he was in love with her. The characters on their own are good but I don't know what was going on with that when they literally barely talked. 

Again though, Ophelia is such an amazing protagonist and I can't wait to read more about her. I want so much more from her romance with Thorn too, they have the potential to be truly great I just need them to talk to each other more. A lot is obviously happening and the Pole is a lot more treacherous than her previous world, but she has the strength to make it through. I'm really so excited to see where it all goes though. 

Book Review: Thief (Scarred Mage of Roseward #1)

 

Thief

Sylvia Mercedes

3/5

I appreciated the originality of this retelling. There were a lot of fun elements that were touched briefly that could end up being really cool and interesting in the next books in the series. Nelle was a professional thief, but she tried to leave that life behind for honest work. It catches up with her and she finds herself entangled with Soran Silveri, an imprisoned mage, where she has to successfully rob him or lose everything she loves. 

Again, cool concepts. I like the way that magic is like written out, but I wish we had seen more of it. My biggest problem with this book is that it was over 300 pages and absolutely nothing was resolved. It felt much more like a novella than a full-length novel and that was kind of annoying. I would like to see more happening, like either choose the development of magic or the development of the relationship but here I didn't feel like enough was happening.

I liked it well enough but I don't know if it's worth reading the second book before the third book comes out. I also don't know how the third book will possibly resolve anything considering how little was completed here. So overall, it was okay but leaves you wanting more without actually having cliffhangers.

Book Review: Mr. Darcy's Grieving Wife

 

Mr. Darcy's Grieving Wife

Rose Fairbanks

3/5

Another variation because I have absolutely nothing better to do. In this one, Elizabeth's father dies before any of his daughters are secure in marriage. Elizabeth is nearly forced into marrying Mr. Collins before Darcy learns of the situation and offers a marriage of convenience that could suit them both. 

I liked the premise more than I liked the ultimate ending. I think that these variations too often lose the strength of both Darcy and Elizabeth's character. The conflict towards the end felt obligatory and non-important in the grand scheme of things. The grief didn't have the resolution that you would expect from a book with grief in the title. I wanted more drama, this was decent it just wasn't what I feel it could have been. 

All in all it was a quick and entertaining read. I would prefer it to be more dramatic with more of the traditional misunderstandings, but it was okay.  

Book Review: To Carve a Fae Heart (The Fair Isle Trilogy #1)

To Carve a Fae Heart

Tessonja Odette

2/5

I read a lot of this genre and I have a lot of patience for protagonists being stupid. I just couldn't handle it here though. Evelyn and her sister are chosen to be the human diplomats to the fae courts, secured every hundred years through marriage. She's mad about it, she's determined that she won't be misused or abused and that her fate will ultimately remain her own.

When a character makes the most unfounded accusations at the start of a book, you'd hope that she would realize that maybe she isn't as smart or educated as she thought she was. That's the whole reason I read books, for character growth. Evelyn is stupid from start to finish, with a weak romance thrown in as an attempt to justify her stupid actions. I know that I have the benefit of omniscience when I'm reading, but she had to know how bad some of these choices were and yet she continued. I'm fine with characters making bad choices, I'm not fine when they do it over and over. 

It was interesting enough to keep me reading till the end but not to make me want to read the sequels all that much. To each their own but I just couldn't handle anyone's personality.

Book Review: Tempting Hades: A Greek God Romance

Tempting Hades

Emma Hamm

4/5

I've had problems with Emma Hamm in the past, where she starts books and they're pretty interesting but then they kind of lose me towards the end. This book was good all the way through, a rewrite of Greek history that I can really get behind. The story of Persephone and Hades is up for constant debate- was it a romance or just a twisted power move? I think that this book very succinctly puts it forward as a case of an overbearing mother rather than an abusive pairing. 

I will say that I was confused by the whole subplot of the man trying to worship Persephone and get the real story. He is trading his life for it but I don't see a real purpose for it, like the story is very obviously misconstrued and misunderstood by the people but it's not like he's spreading this to everyone. He died really just so he'd know the truth. To each their own I guess. 

I like the idea of the balance between Persephone and Hades, that they were facing such innate loneliness that nothing but their cohesive powers could fill. The family dynamics of the gods are weird and people really just ignore all the incest and stuff but like I'm always down for a story about fate. I wish we had seen more about the depth of Persephone's powers though, everyone kept saying how strong and monstrous she was but other than the line on Menthe there wasn't much happening there. 

Overall though it was a fun and fast read. I liked it and would recommend it to anyone who likes Greek mythology or romance.

Book Review: Prince of Never (Black Blood Fae #1)

 

Prince of Never

Juno Heart

2/5

Lara lives a pretty normal and kind of bleak life. She works as a waitress to support her singing lessons. She lives with her aunt and her cousin, her mom died when she was a teenager and she never knew her dad. One night when walking home, she is forcefully transported to another dimension with all the magic that her mother used to create in her video games. 

All in all, a fairly straight forward plot. Lara realizes that her voice is magic, that her song can compel people especially Prince Ever. She meets Ever as soon as she enters this alternate dimension and he's immediately very rude to her. He's the typical brooding royal who thinks himself above fraternizing with a human and also knows himself to be cursed. As the book goes on, they both discover things about the curse and the worlds they live in and become less horrible to each other. 

I just really did not like the ending. It was so rushed, all of the conflicts that had been built through the novel felt like instantly solved. Then another conflict was rushed in to give content for the next book. I also feel like I wasn't really satisfied by the explanation of her mother's role in the whole conflict or with her parentage in general. I have no idea why she had magic, there was no explanation for that. There were just a lot of things that weren't satisfied by the conclusion. 

I don't think I'll continue on in the series because I wasn't really impressed by the direction that its going. This book wasn't boring enough to DNF but it really just didn't have the kind of detail that I was looking for.

Book Review: A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic)

A Deal with the Elf King

Elise Kova

4/5

I really read this book on the day it came out even though I read the description and immediately thought that it sounded like a thousand books I've read before. It had its moments though and despite the fact that it was similar to other books, it was a super enjoyable read. It's marketed as a mix of Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone. 

Luella grew up thinking that she would be a healer, she went to school for it and didn't exhibit any signs of the magic which would mark her as the Human Queen. But when time begins to run out for that person to be identified, she finds out that she had been lied to and her destiny completely shifted. That was a little sketch cause it felt like it should have created more resonating trust issues or something but kind of just went away. Regardless, she accepts her difficult position with grace and doesn't let herself get put down by the angry man who is now her husband or his belligerent court. 

I think that this has the obvious and direct undertones of Beauty and the Beast and Hades and all, but it had some super endearing qualities. I really appreciated that she didn't go down the he's a thousand years old and has had 15 brides type thing. Kova kind of made him a dork, he was just as awkward as she was about a lot of stuff. I don't think that you could really live the life that he had lived and not be super socially awkward despite the strengths of his power. It was refreshing in that respect, that he wasn't super overconfident and mean all the time. 

The ending felt like it was out of a pamphlet about Stockholm Syndrome and kind of felt forced to me. I respect it, but it was a lot. Overall though it was a very fun and quick read and I would definitely recommend it to fans of her other books or of cute fluffy fantasy-romances.

Book Review: With My Whole Heart Forever

 

With My Whole Heart Forever

Wendi Sotis

3/5

Instead of meeting Mr. Darcy first, Elizabeth meets a recently traumatized Georgiana. Mr. Bingley never let Netherfield so the two had to meet under different circumstances. That was fun, but the whole conflict part of the story kind of dragged. I love these retellings because of how clever they are when manipulating the idea of pride and prejudice, the biggest and most obvious roadblocks in Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship. There weren't any central misunderstandings here, there was a villain and a resolution. 

Not to say that books without key villains aren't important. I like it when there's someone who is easy to hate because it makes the other characters easy to love. But for this story it was piled on a little too thick and too often. There were like three schemes by Wickham that were described extensively and just kept going and going. It was a weird angle to take when none of his plans actually came to fruition. 

Not bad, an interesting and more original take, but without the drama and misunderstandings I'm looking for. Mr. Darcy isn't as great if he doesn't start off a jerk who realizes the errors of his ways and works to better himself. I know it's cliche to keep looking for that but that's the joy of Jane Austen.

 

Book Review: When Duty Calls

 

When Duty Calls

Belen Paccagnella

3/5

I'm back on Kindle Unlimited AKA back on these Pride and Prejudice rewrites. This is a FMS, when Elizabeth is trying to escape from her angry mother after rejecting Mr. Collins' proposal, she runs into Mr. Darcy. They're caught in one of those unfortunately misconstrued positions that makes marriage the only option to save Elizabeth's reputation. 

The thing that annoyed me here was that though they were both making major sacrifices, Elizabeth is the one who complained the whole time. I feel like Darcy's character and his pride were generally lost as he tried to appease Elizabeth. She got so angry and so rude, understandable in her circumstances but still felt like it was dealt with in an uncharacteristic manner. 

I did like the way the events of the book reflected the events of the original without being direct. I love these rewrites because they're like the theory of parallel universes, if one thing had gone a little bit differently how would the rest of the world changed? I think it must be so difficult to hold to the original characterization but this one did a fairly decent job. 

Not the best variation that I've read, but it was pretty good considering its length. It had its ups and downs but I don't regret reading it. 

Book Review: The Jewels of Halstead Manor (Ladies of Devon #1)

 

The Jewels of Halstead Manor

Kasey Stockton

3/5

Giulia has recently lost her father and the life that she knew. When presented the opportunity to meet the uncle that she had never met before, she jumps on it as a chance to gain a measure of family back. Her arrival isn't what she anticipated when she saves a man from bleeding out on the road and receives her uncle's scorn when she finds out he never wanted to meet her. She negotiates a way to remain in the house until she can find alternative employment. 

I liked the book, I though it was an interesting mystery and that the characters were genuine. I didn't like how often I was told about how amazing or terrible the characters were rather than witnessing the actions for myself. Giulia traveled the world her entire life but she seems to have retained none of the intrigue that she could have gained from such an interesting life. She also insinuates that she worked a lot as a child and as her father's assistant yet she doesn't really display this work ethic throughout the book. Same with Nick's philandering, they keep saying he was worse three years ago but we don't really see evidence of this and we don't get a great explanation on it. 

The romance was decent but I'm kind of sketched out by them being cousins. Like, they explained that they were ten times removed or something and what else can you expect from the nobility in the 1800s. I don't really understand how genealogy works and I understand that everyone is related to some extent but having the same last name and presenting themselves initially as cousins freaked me out. 

It was pretty good overall, just a little forgettable. If you have Kindle Unlimited and want a decent Historical Romance then this one fits the bill. It's not anything extraordinary though.