Book Review: Once Upon a Broken Heart #1

 

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Quote: "It wasn't that long ago that I saw you in my church, willing to promise me almost anything to make the pain stop. Was that a lie? Or have you already forgotten the way heartbreak rips apart the soul piece by piece, how it turns you into a masochist, making you long for the thing that just eviscerated you until there's nothing left of you to be destroyed?"

Blurb: For as long as she can remember, Evangaline Fox has believed in happily ever after. Until she learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, and her dreams are shattered. 

Desperate to stop the wedding, and heal wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing. 

But after Evangeline's first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game - and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy.

Book Review: Icebreaker

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Quote: "We have both read enough romance novels and watched enough bad romance movies to know we love a she's mine type of man"

Blurb: Anastasia Allen has worked her entire life for a shot at Team USA. It looks like everything is going according to plan when she gets a full scholarship to the University of California at Maple Hills and lands a place on their competitive figure skating team.

Nothing will stand in her way, not even the captain of the hockey team, Nate Hawkins. 

Nate's focus as captain is on keeping his team on the ice. Which is tricky when a facilities mishap means they are forced to share a rink with the figure skating team- including Anastasia, who clearly can't stand him. 

But when Anastasia's skating partner faces an uncertain future, she may have to look too Nate to take her shot.

Sparks fly, but Anastasia isn't worried... because she could never like a hockey player, right?

Book Review: Turtles all the way down

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

Quote: "Most adults are just hollowed out. You watch them try to fill themselves up with booze or money or God or fame or whatever they worship, and it all rots them from the inside until nothing is left but the money or booze or God they thought would save them."

Blurb: Sixteen-Year-Old-Aza is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend and a good student. She's also trying to track down fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, who has vanished without a trace. Alongside her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, Aza sets off in pursuit of the truth- and a $100,000 reward.

The trail leads them to Pickett's son, Davis, a sometime friend of Aza's who might have the clues they need. But as her compulsive thought spirals take an ever-tighter grip on her mind, Aza finds herself struggling to keep her investigation- and her life- from falling apart.

Book Review: Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Quote: "He's devastating. Everything about him is stunning and sharp and stealing my breath away. But it's the way he's looking at me that suddenly makes swallowing seem like a struggle, breathing seem like a chore. I've never been looked at like it's a privilege to be in my presence,, an honor to hold my gaze, a gift to get a glimpse of me. Not until I met him." 

Blurb: The Elites have possessed powers for decades, gifted to them by the Plague, while those born Ordinary are just that, banished from the kingdom of Ilya and shunned from society.

No one knows this better than Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary posing as a Psychic to blend in with the Elites. When she unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya's princes, Kai Azer, she's thrown into the Purging Trials, a brutal competition showcasing the Elite's powers. 

If the Trials and the opponents within them don't kill her, the prince she's fighting feelings for will if he discovers what Paedyn is... completely Ordinary. 

Book Review: King of Greed (Kings of Sin #3)

King of Greed by Ana Huang

Quote: "I want to know what makes you laugh, what makes you cry, what your dreams look like when you sleep and what keeps you up when you can't. I'll spend however many lifetimes I need to rediscover those parts of you, because you're it for me. In every iteration of every life. Things may have changed since we got married, but you and me? We were always meant for forever."

Blurb: Powerful, brilliant and ambitious, Dominic Davenport clawed his way up from nothing to become the King of Wall Street. He has everything- a beautiful home, a beautiful wife, and more money than he could spend in a lifetime, But no matter how much he accumulates, he's never satisfied. In his endless quest for more, he drives away the only person who saw him as enough. It isn't until she is gone that he realizes there may be more to life than riches and glory... but by then, it may be too late. 

Kind, intelligent, and thoughtful, Alessandra Davenport has played the role of trophy wife for years. She stood by her husband while he built an empire, but now that they've reached the top, she realizes he's no longer the man she fell for. When it becomes clear that she'll always come second to his work, she finally takes charge of her life and puts herself first- even if it means leaving the only man she's ever loved. But what she didn't count on was his refusal to let her go... or for him to fight for their marriage, no matter what it takes. 

Book Review: Archer's Voice

Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

Quote: "When a thunder-storm comes, I had told him, I'll think of you, not anything other than you. And I always did. Always."

Blurb: I wanted to lose myself in the small town of Pelion, Maine. To forget everything I had left behind. The sound of rain. The blood. The coldness of a gun against my skin. For six months, each breath has been a reminder that I survived- and my dad didn't. I'm almost safe again. But the moment I meet Archer Hale, my entire world tilts on its axis... and never rights itself again. 

Until I trespass into his strange, silent, and isolated world, Archer communicated with no one. Yet in his whiskey-colored eyes, something intangible happens between us. There's so much more to him than just his beauty, his presence, or the way his hands communicate with me. On me. But this town is mired in secrets and betrayals, and Archer is the explosive center of it all. So much passion. And so much hurt. But it's in Archer's silence that we just might find what we need to heal... and to live. 

Book Review: Crooked Kingdom (Book II of Six of Crows Duology)

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Quote: "They don't know who we are. Not really. They don't know what we've done, what we've managed together. So let's go show them they picked the wrong damn fight."

Blurb: Kaz Brekker and his crew pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're fighting for their lives. Double crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies and hope.

As old rivals and new enemies descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of jurda parem- a dangerous substance capable of altering the very fabric of Grisha magic- Kaz's cunning and his team's fragile loyalty are tested to their limit. 

A war will be waged within the city's dark and twisting streets- a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the future of magic and the fate of the world. 

My Personal Views: Now, now before you come onto me about why I gave this book a 4 star when I gave the first book- Six of Crows- five stars. Well, let me tell you it is not at all because I found the storyline a bit crappy or predictable (Heck, it was anything but predictable) or I didn't like the characters or anything, it is not at all because of any of these reasons yet I still have a pretty good reason for it. 

I really don't know how to tell you this reason without a spoiler hence, I will give a BIG SPOILER WARNING here. One of the crows dies. Yes, you read it right. One of the crows dies. 

BIG SPOILER WARNING ENDS

And how much disappointing to read it was- I can not tell this to you enough. Major disappointment of the Grishaverse. Now, I am not one of those people who would be put-off because of this in a book but I just felt like it was not necessary there, not at all. I get that sometimes you need to throw your readers off and challenge them with the storylines but I don't know, man, it was just disappointing to read. 

Leigh Bardugo is an excellent writer, she is just fabulous however nah, this was- to simply put it- a major turn off for me in the Grishaverse. If I knew this would be happening in the second book, I would have NEVER picked it up to read. 

Anyways, moving on, the plot was fine. As you must have got it from my- Six of Crows review, I have become a fan of the crows so each scene with the crows was so good. The chemistry between the ships was amazing, the badasses were being just that- badasses. And each character is just so cool. 

The crows made me crack each time with their wits, sometimes they made me feel like smacking them on the face and sometimes shout "SO COOL" on top of my lungs to them and sometimes (especially in this book) made me cry my eyes out. 

I don't know what is going to happen to the crows in the future, if they will get a third book or not but if they do get a third book, I am sure I would be picking it up to read only after doing all my research about it because I can't have my heartbroken by the Grishaverse a second time. 

Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Book Review: Six of Crows

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Quote: "He needed to tell her... what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn't pull himself together into some semblance of a man for her. That without meaning to, he'd begun to lean on her, to look for her, to need her near." 

Blurb: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price —and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone.

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

My Personal Views: Brilliant writing, captivating plot, amazing characters. I don't think any praise in the world can explain my fascination and love for this book. Oh. My. God. I feel like screaming about this book on top of my lungs and recommend it to every person that I know. All the praises that I have heard about this one are not enough.

READ THIS BOOK, KID. READ. THIS. GODDAMN. BOOK. You will thank me later.

Coming to the amazing plot and the well-written story line, it was just awesome and so badass. Heck, even each and every character was so badass. I am so in love with each crow, especially Kaz. He is morally grey but cool. 

Love, love, and love all the ships in the Book. Kaz & Inej, Matthias & Nina and Jesper & Wylan. They are so adorable together and each couple has these power scenes together. I love it!

The scenes, the dialogues, the writing, the plot, everything is so thoroughly planned, that it is so shocking to see how can a human write and have this super amazing imagination?? Hats off to Leigh Bardugo, truly. She has created this world and these awesomely-cool characters that I have become a fan, heck, I think every person who has read Six of Crows has become a fan.

The slow burn between Kaz & Inej, the enemies-to-lovers trope between Nina & Matthias, the funny romance between Jesper & Wylan is so cute. And ohmygod the ANGST!!! So amazing.

The Grishaverse is everything and nothing like how I imagined. 

Now, onto the second book of the series! <3

Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Book Review: God of Malice

God of Malice by Rina Kent

Quote: "You'll pray to every deity on earth, but I'll be your custom-made merciless god. I might not process emotions normally, but if you hurt what's mine, I'll be the one to spit on your fucking grave."

Blurb: I caught the attention of a monster. I didn't ask for it. Didn't even see it coming. But the moment I do, it's too late.

Killian Carson is a predator wrapped in sophisticated charm. He's cold-blooded, manipulative, and savage. The worst part is that no one sees his devil side.

I do.

And that will cost me everything. I run, but the thing about monsters? They always chase. 

My Personal Views: After I finished reading this book, all I could ask myself was- what the fuck was that? And not in a good way really. 

Let me tell you, with all the praises I had heard, I expected a lot more from Rina Kent's book, but unfortunately, for me, it feels like Rina Kent is quite overrated. I mean, alright, I knew what kind of book it was and I had heard that her MMC's are always quite dark or morally dark, per say. But I really didn't expected what I got from Killian Carson.

I will try to wrap this up without any spoilers, like I almost always do.

When I picked this book up, I kind of knew what I was going into and after reading Haunting Adeline, (which I kind of liked) I thought I would have no problem liking this book as well. I knew that Killian is going to be a sociopath however what I didn't knew and was not at all prepared for was him having these serial killer vibes or urges. 

And let me tell you, having finished watching Dahmer on Netflix just a day before, I was not at all happy with diving into this book with a male main character, who kind of reminds me of that serial killer. I would not at all recommend watching this series before reading this book.

Anyways, if we even keep that whole serial killer vibes of his to the side, another thing that I did not appreciated of Mr. Killian Carson, is how he did not respected our female main character, Glyndon King's feelings. In one of the chapter's where we got to read Killian's point of view, he even calls her expressing her feelings and being angry with him "a tantrum". A fucking tantrum.

Now, you might have noticed my dislike for Killian from my above rambling. But, I did not end up liking Glyndon King, our FMC either. Look, I love a strong FMC in a book and sometimes I even like soft FMC but a female main character who is as dumb as her? No. No. 

I found Glyndon King to be a bit dumb and a bit weak. Bro, I don't think Killian has done one good thing for her in the whole book except for punching some bad guys. And the book is almost 450 pages long. But this girl still ends up falling for the serial killer dude??? Girl, no.

The only thing I liked in the whole book was Remi and he doesn't even have that many scenes. 

I thought about reading some other Rina Kent book even though I quite didn't like her this one, but after reading all the reviews, I don't think I am going to try one. 

Ratings: ⭐⭐/ 5

Book Review: Better than the Movies

 Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Quote: "I fell in love with teasing you in the second grade, when I first discovered that I could turn your cheeks pink with just a word. Then I fell in love with you."

Blurb: Liz Buxbaum has always known Wes Bennett was not boyfriend material. You would think that her next-door neighbor would be a prime candidate for her romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only proven himself to be a pain in the butt, ever since they were little. Wes was the kid who put a frog in her Barbie Dreamhouse, the monster who hid a law gnome's severed head in her little homemade neighborhood book exchange. 

Flash forward ten years from the Great Gnome Decapitation. Its Liz's senior year, a time meant to be rife with milestones perfect for any big screen, and she needs Wes's help. See, Liz's forever crush, Michael, has just moved back to town, and- horribly, annoyingly- he's hitting it off with Wes. Meaning that if Liz wants Michael to finally notice her, and hopefully be her prom date, she needs Wes. He's her in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz her magical prom moment, she's shocked to discover that she actually likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow close, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love- and rethink her own perception of what Happily Ever After should really look like. 

My Personal Views: If you are someone who absolutely loves rom-com movies like, 10 things I hate about you, when Harry met Sally, 500 Days of Summer, How to lose a guy in 10 days, etc. like myself, then this is the perfect book for you. 

This book CARRIED the enemies-to-lovers trope. You know that trope where the female lead thinks that the male lead hates her and she hates him too but in truth, the male lead has been in love with her all his life. If you LOVE that trope, then this book IS FOR YOU!

I can not explain it enough how good this book was, but throughout the whole book while reading I was smiling goofily that probably I might have made a fool of myself whenever I had been reading it in public. However, my favorite part in the whole book was WES BENNETT.

Oh, my adorable golden retriever energy, Wessy Boy <3

He is my favorite character in the whole book of course. I mean, how can one not fall in love with Wes?? That man is the goal, ladies. 

The book was great but what I think personally, would have made this book just perfect would probably if we would have gotten Wes's point of view as well instead of only Liz's. We do get some of his point of view in the 'Better than the Prom' book however, it just wasn't enough for me, I feel. Also, I don't know if you have read it or not (I personally would think you're an idiot if you have not read it yet), but we got to see jealous Wes!!??? Man is so dreamy. 

This book is very wholesome, trust me. Sorry for all the fangirling over Wes Bennett, but he is pretty impressive. 

We also have this book's sequel coming out next year, for which I cannot wait enough. Would be getting my hands on that book as soon as it releases for real. Also, I have a feeling that we would be getting a movie of this book pretty soon, I don't know why.

Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5

Book Review: Brutal Prince

Brutal Prince by Sophie Lark

Quote: "In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."

Blurb: The Griffins and the Gallos have been battling for control of Chicago's underworld for generations. 

Their bitter rivalry reignites when Aida, the youngest and wildest Gallo sibling, crashes a party at the Griffin mansion, accidentally setting fire to the library. 

To stave off all-out war, her father arranges a marriage with Callum Griffin, eldest son and heir. 

Cold, ambitious, and brutal, Callum is determined to tame his headstrong bride. Aida is more than capable of giving as good as she gets- starting with poisoning Callum on their wedding night. 

In their struggle for dominance, who will break first?

My Personal Views: This book was just... wow. I mean, the book had great characters, my favorite being Aida Gallos of course. She is straight-up a firecracker. She made me cackle a laugh so many times, I mean that girl was so real. On the other hand, Callum Griffin was this cold and someone who always has a stick up his ass kind of a guy. Both polar opposite but, they made it work somehow. Where Aida is a fun girl, Callum is a strict man. I mean, dude was a politician, what else did you expect? 

Now that was a first for me to be honest, the main guy being a politician. I have read so many books where the main guy is either a businessman, car racer, student, etc. etc. but this is the first time I have read when the main male character is a politician. That was different. 

Something that I totally loved was their bickering and banter. That was good. Some scenes were spicy as hell, not going to lie. The plot and story was great. The side character were pretty good. 

One thing that I did find that did not worked out for me was their chemistry and I am not talking about their physical chemistry no, I felt the romantic chemistry was a bit missing. I think the author could have done a better job in that segment, in showing us a little bit more of their romantic chemistry. Because I feel, they had too much physical chemistry that kind of overshadowed their romantic one. I honestly feel the author could have done MUCH BETTER job in that. 

One more disappointment for me was when I found out that Nero and Nessa don't have another book and they have different books with someone else. I mean, WHAT??? I was rooting for them alright? I thought they would be paired together and we will get another book for them or something because I thought they would be perfect together. But they don't have book together? I was so disappointed. Of course, the author knows better, and if I give their books a chance, I might even like who they end up with. But... nah. They should have gotten together. In my world, they already are. 

Anyways, coming to our two main characters, they were perfect for each other. Oh yes, I also liked the pictures thingy that the author had in the book in different scenes. It really made me imagine their scenes better. Also, all the love to Callum for his sarcasm, it was always on point.      

Coming to the other books of our dear author, Sophie Lark, I might try Nessa's book which is the second part of the series called, Stolen Heir but I don't think it is going to happen anytime soon. 

Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐/ 5