The Bear and the Nightingale – Book Review

Title:- The Bea and the Nightingale

Author:- Katherine Arden

Date published:- January 10th 2017

No. of pages:- 430 pages

Genre:- Fantasy

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind–she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed–this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

This book has been in TBR list for a long time and when I got the hands on the all three books of the Winternight Trilogy.

This book overall is beautifully and poetically written. The book takes us to Russia in the 13th or 14th century setting with a fantasy setting as the background. The story follows a girl named Vasilisa who lives in the edge of the Russian wilderness and loves hearing the stories from her nurse about the frost demon who the everyone fears. Pytor, Vasilisa’s father goes to Moscow to look for a bride after the death of Vasilisa’s mother. When he brings the new bride and a new father, things in their small village starts changing. Vasilisa must protect her village and her family before it is late.

As I mentioned earlier, the story is well written and I could picture what Russia was like in the 13th and 14th century. I like how the author uses certain Russian words which I learned. Vasilisa is a very likable character and brave young girl. This book feels like an enchanting fairy tale story. I finished the first book and couldn’t wait to read the next one.

Overall this book worth 4 stars.

A note to everyone who trips and falls upon my Goodreads page. First, welcome. Let us read and discuss all the books together. I review books I’ve read, everything gets five stars, if I didn’t like it I don’t put it up.

Second, Goodreads is wondrous, but contacting me through my Goodreads DMs is a good way to ensure a long wait for a reply. Your best bet is Twitter or Instagram (arden_katherine) on both.

Happy reading.

Born in Texas, Katherine studied French and Russian at Middlebury College. She has lived abroad in France and in Moscow, among other places. She has also lived in Hawaii, where she wrote much of The Bear and the Nightingale. She currently lives in Vermont.

All Rhodes Lead Here – Book Review

Title:- All Rhodes Lead Here

Author:- Mariana Zapata

Date published:- April 1st 2021

No. of pages:- 608 pages

Genre:- Romance/Contemporary Fiction

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4.5/5

New York Times bestselling author and the Queen of Slow Burn Romance Mariana Zapata’s fan favorite All Rhodes Lead Here, a story about finding love when you least expect it—now with new exclusive content!

The people we lose take a part of us with them…but they leave a part of themselves with us too.

Aurora De La Torre, or Ora to her friends, knows moving back to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a place that was once home and is now full of bittersweet memories of her late mother, isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be.

But after breaking up with her longtime famous musician boyfriend, hiding out in a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. And checking out her landlord who lives across the driveway just might cure it, too.

Only Tobias Rhodes didn’t rent out the apartment to her, rather it was his teenage son, Amos. Fiercely protective of his family and distrusting of strangers, gruff and grumpy Rhodes initially keeps little miss sunshine Ora at a distance. But over days and weeks, long hikes and fireside chats, Aurora breaks down his walls and soon an unbreakable friendship blossoms into a once-in-a-lifetime love.

I did not expect this book to be really good and I was surprised that it was actually good and unputdownable!

Aurora De La Torre has broken up with her super famous boyfriend and returned to her childhood hometown, Pagasa Falls in Colorado where she has fond memories of her own mother who disappeared while she was hiking many years ago. Her main goal is to reset her life. Aurora meets the broody and handsome Tobias Rhodes and his son Amos. At first, Tobias didn’t really welcome Aurora. But as Aurora starts getting used to her new life in the small town, she and Tobias who is known as Rhodes also start to get along as well.

This is not really a typical romance novel–it was emotional, heartbreaking and a tear-jerker book. Not to mention the fact that Aurora wants to carry out all the hikes taken by her own mother and revisit those days. I also like the friendship Aurora has with everyone in the town, including how Rhodes always seem to be there for her whenever she gets into trouble. The story is a page turner, well written and there were both the funny parts as well as those emotional moments where you want to cry. Overall, the writing in general is great- quiet moving and touching. Not to mention, in this book, I like all the characters, my favorite of course is Rhodes!

The only issue I had with this book was I felt it was a bit too long, but that was the only negative thing I found in the book. Otherwise, this is an engaging and emotional roller-coaster ride and you certainly wouldn’t want to put this book down. Overall, the book worth 4.5 star rating!

Mariana is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Amazon best-selling author and reached #7 on Amazon’s Author Ranking in 2016. Her book The Wall of Winnipeg and Me was a #1 Amazon Overall Best Seller, and was chosen as a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award nominee and also included on Amazon’s Best Books of 2016 for Romance. Wait for It reached #2 on the Amazon Overall Best Seller list and stayed in the top 100 for six weeks; it was chosen as a 2017 Goodreads Choice Award nominee in the Romance category. Dear Aaron was a top 10 Amazon Overall Best Seller and stayed in the top 100 for six weeks. From Lukov with Love was a top 10 Amazon Overall Best Seller and a finalist in the romance category for the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards. Luna and the Lie became a #1 Amazon Overall Best Seller. The Best Thing was a top 10 Amazon Overall Best Seller and a 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards nominee in romance. Her latest novel, Hands Down, was also a top 10 Amazon Overall Best Seller.

Mariana Zapata began writing love stories soon after she learned how to spell. She probably shouldn’t admit that she started sneaking romance novels from her aunt’s bookshelves way before she was old enough to even understand what it meant when a man flipped up a woman’s skirt. (Don’t tell her mom.)

Mariana is a native Texan living in a small town in Colorado with her husband and two beloved (and emotionally manipulative) Great Danes, Dorian and Kaiser. When she’s not pretending to write, she’s reading. You can usually find her burning somewhat edible experiments in the kitchen or cracking jokes at the expense of her family members.

For upcoming teasers, samples, and all things new-release-related, join her mailing list here:

The Nurse’s Lie – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Nurse’s Lie

Author:- Daniel Hurst

Date published:- 1st August 2024

No. of pages:- 290 pages

Publisher:- Bookouture

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 3/5

Overall rating:- 3.5/5

Nurse. Mother. Wife. Killer…?

Only a few months ago, my life was simple. I spent most of my time caring for patients in brightly lit hospital wards. Then I’d pick up my son from kindergarten before cooking a meal for my husband. I’d drink in every precious moment with them. Now everything has changed…

I don’t recognise the woman I’ve become. I’m a liar. Nurses are supposed to save lives. Instead, I helped to take one.

I did it to protect my family. No one can find out what I’ve done because I’d lose everything: my marriage, my gorgeous baby boy – even my life.

Then one day I step through the front door to find a woman with long, blonde hair and perfect white teeth in my family home. My heart pounds in my chest. We used to work at the same hospital. She’s the only one who knows my biggest secret and my darkest lie.

It’s clear she’s back for revenge. But she’s underestimated me. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my loved ones safe.

It’s time to finish what I started.

It’s my life or hers…

From the number one bestselling author of The Doctor’s Wife, this intense, nail-biting psychological thriller will have you gasping in shock! Perfect for fans of T.M. Logan, Freida McFadden and John Marrs.

The Nurse’s Lie the second book of the Perfect Nurse series and follows the story after Darcy leaves Chicago and moves to Florida to start a new life.

In Florida, Darcy is a nurse to a man named Joe and her boss is Joe’s son Parker. Darcy is still suffering from amnesia and she has a notebook that will tell her some things written by her sister Pippa–never return back to Chicago and never turn on the news. One day, Darcy’s notebook goes missing and Darcy wondered why her sister was insistent that she never watches the news…until she actually watched the news. Meanwhile back in Chicago, Pip is trying to forget about the past about the fact that Darcy killed Laurence and that she helped Darcy to bury the body. Now Eden returns and asks Pip to tell the truth but Pip kills her. What is going to happen next?

I didn’t like this book as I thought I would. The first book is really interesting but the second book I felt like I was watching some unrealistic thriller show. However, the pacing was great and the story itself was a page turner. The story is told in the POVs of both Darcy and Pippa as they try to get away from whatever the crimes they have committed. The ending was a cliffhanger and quiet unexpected.

This book worth 3 stars overall–it wasn’t that great but if there is a third book of the series, I will be curious to read what is going to happen next.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Stepdaughter’s Lie – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Stepdaughter’s Lie

Author:- Teri Terry

Date published:- will be published on 29th July 2024

No. of pages:- 336 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 4.5/5

My life should be perfect. But my stepdaughter wants to destroy it all…


Standing in my bathroom, the luxurious marble tiles cool under my feet, I stare at the test in my trembling hand. The second line is unmistakable: I’m pregnant.

This is all my husband Theo and I have ever wanted, but I didn’t think it was possible. I should be excited, but all I can think about is telling my stepdaughter.

Because Ellie’s always hated me, ever since she realised it was no longer just her and Theo. Now she’s seventeen, beautiful and smart – smart enough to see through me. And if Ellie decided to uncover my secrets, it wouldn’t be just my marriage at stake… it would be my life.

But I’ve been so careful burying my past. There’s no way she could learn the truth. I know stress isn’t good for the baby, so I force myself to relax.

Until one day I find a packet of tablets tucked inside Ellie’s bag. My head spins – she’s made it clear she wants me gone but I never imagined she would try to harm my baby. I know I can’t tell Theo. She would only deny it to her beloved daddy, fluttering her lashes like she always does.

My beautiful home has become a prison, my husband feels like a stranger. But all I know is that this precious life inside me is more than I deserve – and there’s nothing I won’t do to protect it…

An absolutely gripping and page-turning psychological thriller that will keep you reading late into the night! Perfect for fans of Daniel Hurst, Shari Lapena and T.M. Logan.

The Stepdaughter-s Lie is a page turning psychological thriller that will keep you up all night.

Rowan is the stepmother of Ellie. Ellie couldn’t really stand Rowan and is determined to expose whatever secrets that Rowan seemed to be hiding. Rowan who is pregnant with Theo’s child didn’t want anyone to find a secret about herself that she has buried long time ago.

This is actually an easy read and I couldn’t really put this book down as I want to know what is going to happen in the end. The story is told in the POVs of both Ellie and Rowan so as a reader you know that both the characters are unreliable which makes the story more intriguing. The writing is really great and there were some twists and turns along the way. The ending was completely unexpected and a shocking ending.

If you are looking for a thriller that is a page turner, then check out The Stepdaughter’s Lie. Overall it’s worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion.

Teri has lived in France, Canada, Australia and England at more addresses than she can count, acquiring three degrees, a selection of passports and a silly name along the way. Past careers have included scientist, lawyer, optometrist, and, in England, various jobs in schools, libraries and an audiobook charity. The footpaths and canal ways of the Buckinghamshire Chilterns where she now lives inspired much of the setting of Slated. She hates broccoli, likes cats, and has finally worked out what she wants to do when she grows up.

Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/TeriTerryAuthor
Notes from the Slushpile: group blog on writing for children http://notesfromtheslushpile.blogspot…

Wild Love- Book Review

Title:- Wild Love

Author:- Elsie Silver

Date published:- April 9th 2024

No. of pages:- 402 pages

Genre:- Romance

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

She’s been driving him wild for years . . . the good kind of wild.

The kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.

Forbes may have labeled Ford Grant the World’s Hottest Billionaire, but all he cares about is escaping the press and opening a recording studio in gorgeous small town Rose Hill. Something that comes to a screeching halt when he ends up face-to-face with a young girl who claims he’s her biological father. Now, he spends his days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old, all while trying desperately to keep his hands the hell off his best friend’s sister, Rosie Belmont.

After living in the city, Rosie came blasting back into town like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic. And one wide-eyed, desperate plea for a job is all it takes for Ford to hire her. He vows to keep her at arm’s length. Tries to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her, verbal sparring is a type of foreplay―friction that soon turns to blistering heat.

Ford knows damn well he shouldn’t cross this line. But shouldn’t and can’t are two very different things.

And the only thing he truly can’t do is resist her.

This is the first time I am reading Elsie Silver’s books and I have to say, I am not disappointed.

Ford Grant is a billionaire and owns his music studio up in the countryside in Canada. Meanwhile, Rosalie returns back home from Vancouver after an incident at her office. Rosalie is the sister of Ford’s best friend West and ever since they have known each other Ford and Rosalie hated each other yet Ford was always there for Rosalie whenever she gets into trouble. Rosalie then starts working as Ford’s assistant but they realize that they have feelings for each other.

Like Done and Dusted, the story is written in Rosalie’s and Ford’s POV. It’s interesting that Ford has fathered a twelve-year-old girl named Cora who came looking for him. Cora is a likable character in the book although she acted more like a sixteen year old than a twelve-year-old. I also like the family dynamics in the book, and also I felt there is a strong chemistry between Rosalie and Ford in general. Again, the smut scenes were found much later in the book but overall I actually shipped for the country and really liked the book. The book was well written and you have a sense of feeling living in the countryside of Canada. Overall this book is worth 4.25 stars!

Canadian author who loves a good book boyfriend and the sassy heroines who bring them to their knees. Connoisseur of charged looks and lingering touches. Big fan of witty banter. Horse girl through and through. Fully convinced that it’s always wine o’clock somewhere.

Done and Dusted – Book Review

Title:- Done and Dusted

Author:- Lyla Sage

Date published:- June 6th 2023

No. of pages:- 356 pages

Genre:- Romance/Western/Contemporary

Rating:-

Plot:- 4.3/5

Writing:- 4.3/5

Overall rating:- 4.3/5

She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules.

For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.

Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.

Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?

Clementine “Emmy” Ryder is off limits for Luke Brooks. First, she is the sister of his best friend Gus. And Luke is a notorious womanizer and so there is no way he could win Emmy’s heart. Yet whenever he sees Emmy, he feels like he and Emmy are destine together. Meanwhile, Emmy left the small town of Meadowlark Wyoming to compete but an accident made her return back her hometown. Emmy cannot stand Luke but soon she finds herself falling in love with him.

This was actually a well written book. The story is told in Emmy’s and Luke’s POV and so we get to know the main character’s thoughts and feelings towards each other. The whole book felt like you were actually in the countryside that you are away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The characters are all likable and I cannot help but feel like I really like reading about cowboys! Of course there were smut scenes but nonetheless, I actually enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read the next two books of the series, featuring Emmy’s brothers Wes and Gus.

Oh also I like Emmy’s best friend Teddy and really like her relationship with her family and friends–it was all wholesome.

Overall this book is worth 4.35 stars.

Lyla Sage lives in the Wild West with her loyal companion, a sweet, old, blind rescue pitbull. She writes romance that feels like her favorite things: sunshine and big blue skies. She is also the author of Done and Dusted. When she’s not writing, she’s reading.

Instagram: @authorlylasage
TikTok: @authorlylasage
Threads: @authorlylasage

https://linktr.ee/authorlylasage 

Second Chance Romance – ARC Book Review

Title:- Second Chance Romance

Author:- Carol Mason

Date published:- will be published on July 22nd 2024

Publisher:- Bookouture

No. of pages:- 340 pages

Genre:- Romance

Rating:-

Writing:- 3/5

Plot:- 2/5

Overall rating:- 2.5/5

Hate at first sight. Love at long last?

Moira and Frank are the perfect enemies. At forty-two, newly single Moira’s life is a mess. And now – thanks to their barely-adult children supposedly falling in love – she’s been thrown together with the incredibly rich, incredibly attractive, incredibly arrogantFrank as they agree on a to split up their impulsive kids.

Moira and Frank just need to show how they’re too young to be so serious about a relationship. It’s a fool-proof plan. That is, until their frustrated kids decide to elope. To Greece. Without inviting their parents…

Chasing after them, Frank and Moira frantically search every cobbled street and sparkling beach. It would actually be the perfect setting for Moira to fall in love – if only she didn’t find her present company so irritating.

But days spent competing on jet skis and stubbornly sitting on separate taverna tables, followed by unexpected nights in steamy hot tubs, lead to an undeniable chemistry neither of them can ignore – as hard as they might try…

Will Moira and Frank find their love-drunk offspring in time to speak some sense into them and finally go their separate ways? Or has their unexpected trip brought them together for the second chance at love they didn’t even know they needed…?

A sizzling, hilarious, heartfelt enemies-to-lovers story that will make you both laugh out loud and swoon hard for this second chance at love… Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Catherine Walsh and Annabel Monaghan’s Nora Goes Off Script.

Moira and Frank hated each other at the first sight. Moira’s daughter Harriet is dating Frank’s son Aiden. Moira is having troubles with her own marriage while Frank is a successful author. When their children decided to elope, the two suddenly start working together to stop their children from marrying, even travelling all the way to Greece so they could stop their children’s wedding.

The plot itself is interesting but overall, I didn’t find this book really appealing as I thought it would be. Nearly each and everyone of the characters are all unlikable, particularly Frank who seemed to be really egoistic. The story kind of got a little boring and bland with no direction as to where the story is actually going in my opinion. The banter between Moira and Frank seemed childish at most. It wasn’t a great rom com novel but more like an over hyped romance book. However, the ending was a bit OK compared to the rest of the book.

I didn’t enjoy this book at all, even though I managed to finish the book really quick. Overall this book is worth 2.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

I am the Kindle #1 and Amazon Charts bestselling author of After You left, The Secrets of Married Women, The Last Time We Met, Send Me A Lover. and The Shadow Between Us. My brand new novel, LITTLE WHITE SECRETS, publishes May 1, 2020 but for the month of April it’s an Amazon First Reads pick, so if you have Amazon Prime you can download it free! (if not, it’s still on sale for $1.99 through April).

Please feel free to follow me on Amazon to be notified when I have a new release. https://amzn.to/2QrkK4W

Come friend me on Facebook or like my author page as I love interacting on there! https://www.facebook.com/CarolMasonAu…

I always enjoy getting comments about my books (especially lovely ones!), and am always willing to attend your book club or do a phone conference if you’d like to have me.

If you read my books and enjoy them, do consider taking a moment to leave a review on Amazon too. It can be very short if you want, but I cannot stress how important reviews are for authors.. If you have left a review already, then thanks so much!

Wishing you many happy hours of reading! Best wishes, from Carol.

The Orphanage by the Lake – Book Review

Title:- The Orphanage by the Lake

Author:- Daniel G. Miller

Date published:- February 26th 2024

No. of pages:- 300 pages

Genre:- Psychological thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

A MISSING GIRL

AN ORPHANAGE FULL OF SECRETS

Hazel wants a new life.

She’s thirty years old, single, and her private investigation business is months away from folding.

Her luck takes a turn when Madeline Hemsley, a mysterious socialite, pays Hazel a visit with an offer too enticing to resist. An orphan girl has disappeared from a children’s home—The Orphanage By The Lake, as the locals call it—and Madeline wants Hazel to find her.

At first glance, it appears to be a standard runaway case, but as Hazel plunges into the investigation, she finds signs of something more: unexplained blood stains, cryptic symbols, sinister figures shadowing her every move. The more she digs, the more she realizes that The Orphanage By The Lake holds terrifying secrets, and even worse…

…so does Madeline.

Hazel Cho is a struggling private investigator. One day, she gets the biggest case of her life–a woman named Madeline hires her to find what happened to her god daughter Mia. Mia is a gifted singer who is staying in St Agnes, a privileged orphanage in uptown New York but one day, she disappeared from the orphanage. The initial investigation was Mia could have possibly run away. Hazel, tasked with a deadline and searching for Mia discovers many dark secrets about St. Agnes Orphanage and someone doesn’t want her to find Mia.

This was an interesting read. I like the fact that the main protagonist is Korean-American instead of having a usual white American character. The story is fast paced, there were some twists and turns and overall it was well written. The story’s main focus was on police corruption, money which is the backdrop. I like how the author managed to keep the reader in suspense until the end. I also like the unique friendship between the roommates, Kenny and Hazel.

The ending was totally and completely unexpected and overall I actually enjoyed reading this book. I cannot wait to see what Hazel Cho’s next adventure is going to be. Overall worth 4 stars.

The Locked Door – Book Review

Title:- The Locked Door

Author:- Freida McFadden

Date published:- June 1st 2021

No. of pages:- 313 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

Some doors are locked for a reason…

While eleven-year-old Nora Davis was up in her bedroom doing homework, she had no idea her father was killing women in the basement.

Until the day the police arrived at their front door.

Decades later, Nora’s father is spending his life behind bars, and Nora is a successful surgeon with a quiet, solitary existence. Nobody knows her father was a notorious serial killer. And she intends to keep it that way.

Then Nora discovers one of her young female patients has been murdered. In the same unique and horrific manner that her father used to kill his victims.

Somebody knows who Nora is. Somebody wants her to take the fall for this unthinkable crime. But she’s not a killer like her father. The police can’t pin anything on her.

As long as they don’t look in her basement.

I have official become a Freida McFadden’s No. 1 fan. And any book by Freida McFadden is an auto buy for me.

Nora Davis is a successful surgeon. But she has a past. She was back then known as Nora Nierling. When she was eleven-years-old, her father had killing more than thirty women in the basement of their home. His signature is by chopping off the victims’ hands, thus earning him the nickname, Handyman. Her father is now serving life sentences while Nora changed her last name to begin her new life. But someone knows about her past and soon a woman, who was a patient of Nora Davis was found murdered in the similar fashion as her father did nearly twenty six years ago. But her father is in prison and Nora believes that someone knows about her past.

I liked the pacing of the story–the story was fast paced and unputdownable. However, I found the main character, Nora really annoying, conceited and selfish. Not to mention the fact that back when she was a kid, she had a tendency to hurt animals that her own mother was worried about her. I wondered how on earth did Nora end up being an evil kid to a person who is doing good deeds. Most of Freida’s books have annoying and unreliable female characters, which can be either good or bad for the story. In this case, it was somewhat OK.

The ending was completely twisted and unexpected. I did not really expected that ending. Of course, I like all those small twists and turns along the story until that unexpected twist came at the end. And the small cliffhanger in the end–that was really great.

This is really an addictive read, unputdownable and like all her books, you will wait up all night reading this one–worth 4 stars!

The Ex Vows – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Ex Vows

Author:- Jessica Joyce

Date published:- 18th July 2024

No. of pages;- 384 pages

Genre:- Romance

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 4.5/5

Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance from the USA Today bestselling author of You, with a View .

Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago. 

With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized. 

What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.

As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.

This is the second book I have read from Jessica Joyce and it was a privilege to receive this book as an ARC!

Georgia and Eli were an item. However, they parted their own ways when Eli moved to New York and Georgia remained in San Francisco. Now Eli had returned back to the California, to attend their friend, Adam’s wedding to Grace and they were assigned to arrange Adam’s wedding in Napa Valley. As they reluctantly try to work together, they couldn’t help but feel the chemistry between the two and soon, their love starts blossoming again. But the problem–Eli had resigned his job in New York and wanted to move back to California but Georgia is moving to Seattle for her promotion.

I feel this is better than her debut book, You with a View, which I enjoyed so much and which I couldn’t put the book down. There were some spicy scenes in the book and there were some funny parts in the book as well. I also like the diversity in the book as well. Not only that, I do like the chemistry between Georgia and Eli and really wanted them to be together. The descriptions of the places were felt like I was also there at the place, not to mention that while reading the book, I felt like I was a part of the story too. I also liked the ending really well.

Overall, if you haven’t read her second book, then try this one out–a funny romance novel that will give you a rollercoaster ride–worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.