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This Spells Love

This Spells LoveTitle: This Spells Love
Author: Kate Robb
Genre: Magical Realism, Romance
Spice: 3 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 342
Reason Read: Book of the Month
Rating:

My Thoughts

I absolutely adored THIS SPELLS LOVE and zipped right through it because I couldn’t put it down. It hooked me right from the beginning and has left me thinking about the characters and their relationships. Robb’s execution of the friends-to-lovers trope was excellently written, producing a steamy fast-paced romance. The sexual tension between Gemma and Dax is amazing and leaves you wanting for more.

I adored everything about the story. I loved Gemma Wilde, her sister, kooky aunt, and her best friend Daxon McGuire. I loved the setting of Hamilton, Canada, just outside Toronto. The description of the people, shops, pubs, curling lanes, and the waterfront of Lake Ontario had me ready to book a plane ticket so I could experience it first hand. I also loved the lit bit of paranormal, in the form of a love-cleansing spell. It was fun to see it flip Gemma’s world on its head, causing her to figure out what was truly important to her.

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The Love Hypothesis

The Love HypothesisTitle: The Love Hypothesis
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance
Spice: 2.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 356
Reason Read: Book of the Month, Play Book Tag
Rating:

My Thoughts

I adored THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS so much! It was such a fun story. The fake-dating trope is one of my favorites and Hazelwood executed it so well. I felt so many emotions. The sexual tension was strong with this one and the banter between her characters was amazing. I was giddy during most of the book because I just loved Olive’s and Adam’s interactions.

I loved all the characters, even the ones I was meant to hate. They each had distinct personalities and were fun to get to know. I especially loved Holden, Adam’s best friend, and Olive’s best friends, Anh and Malcolm. I also adored the setting, especially the representation of women in STEM. I know there’s some controversy as to whether a relationship between a professor and a grad student would be allowed. Honestly, even if it weren’t allowed, I can suspend my belief because of how Hazelwood presented it.

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A River Enchanted

A River EnchantedTitle: A River Enchanted
Author: Rebecca Ross
Series: Elements of Cadence #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Spice: 1.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 480
Reason Read: Book of the Month
Rating:

Also in this series: A Fire Endless
My Thoughts

I absolutely adored everything about A RIVER ENCHANTED. As soon as I started to read the story of Cadence and its inhabitants, I was hooked. When I was reading, I didn’t want to put it down and I couldn’t stop thinking about it in between reads. I loved that the story was written from different POVs and that it wasn’t done chapter by chapter. The story was told from whoever’s POV told the story the best at that moment. I loved all the characters and especially the slow-burn romances. I wish there was more kissing, but I’m glad the story wasn’t sacrificed for the romance.

I adored the mythology. It was fascinating. The magical system with the spirits was fun to read about and experience. I also loved the Scottish / Gaelic feel and I think Ross could’ve pushed that aspect of the story a lot more.

Update: When I read this a second time so I could read A FIRE ENDLESS, I listened to the audiobook. The audiobook is definitely the way to read this series. I loved Ruth Urquhart’s narration. Her Scottish accent added so much to the story, so I changed my rating from 4.5 stars to 5 stars.

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The Magnolia Palace

The Magnolia PalaceTitle: The Magnolia Palace
Author: Fiona Davis
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 337
Reason Read: Book of the Month
Rating:

My Thoughts

I was hooked on THE MAGNOLIA PALACE from the get-go. I adored it from start to finish. When I’d put the book down, I’d keep thinking about it and I’d want to pick it right back up again. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I really loved the dual timeline. I thought it was the perfect vehicle for the story, especially with the mystery aspect of it. I was more invested in Lillian’s story than Veronica’s. I didn’t dislike Veronica or anything. I was just more interested in the 1919 time period than the 1966 one.

I had no idea that Henry Clay Frick, his daughter, and the Frick Collection were real as I read the story. I didn’t even know that Lillian was based on a model from the 1900’s. I loved reading the author’s note and finding out that Davis mixed non-fiction with fiction to create the magnificent story that is THE MAGNOLIA PALACE. I don’t know what historians or relatives of the Frick family and the model would think about the fiction, but I thought it made for a compelling read.

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The Winter Of The Witch

The Winter Of The WitchTitle: The Winter of the Witch
Author: Katherine Arden
Series: Winternight #3
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Spice: 1.5 / 5
Format: Kindle
Pages: 400
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:

Also in this series: The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower
My Thoughts

So many emotions while reading THE WINTER OF THE WITCH. So many. First, I take back what I said in my review of THE GIRL IN THE TOWER of finding someone else I hate more than Brother Konstantin Nikonovich. There is no other character I hate more in all of literature except for Professor Umbridge.

This story was beautiful and sad and intense and romantic and spiritual and ethereal all in one go. I’ve really learned to love the characters in this trilogy. I wish we got to visit some of the characters from The Bear and the Nightingale again, but I understand why Vasya stayed away. Instead I loved her brother and sister, Sasha and Olya, and the Grand Prince of Moscow, Dmitrii. I also loved little Marya and her propensity to act like Vasya. I loved Olya’s servant Varvara.

Then, of course, there’s the unseen characters. I adore Morozko and my only complaint about this trilogy would be that he wasn’t in the stories more. My favorite part of the story is when Morozko calls Vasya “beloved”–swoon. I love sweet Solovey, Vasya’s bay stallion. Pozhar was a force to be reckoned with and I enjoyed learning more about her and the other horses. I really loved the mythos of the chyerti; all they wanted to do was survive in a world of men and growing Christianity. I trusted them much more than the humans. Because of that, they quickly wormed their way into my heart.

I especially loved the fiction intermingled with the 14th century Russian history. I again adored the Russian setting. The language, buildings, scenery, clothes, food–they were a joy to read about. I also liked that the ending was left open enough that Arden can revisit this world again if she wants to.