Ten First Dates: Anthology

 Ten First Dates is a cute anthology of love, romance and it has a little bit of everything for everyone whether you like enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, young geniuses trying to discover what feelings are, second chance romances, fake love etc.

Warning: This anthology is for a limited time in ebook format. I do not know if the books are available separately, but feel free to look them up. All opinions are my own.

I am going to be honest out of the ten books, I only DNFed one and that was the one with the young genius who is experimenting on how emotions and feelings are part of relationships. Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame is not a bad story, it is just not a trope I can get behind regardless of who writes it or what it is about. Young geniuses who are robots are just not my thing, but if it is yours I would recommend looking it up.

Books I loved:

On the Rox by Kat Addams is adorable. It is not what I consider a rom-com because the only thing I found hilarious was this Aussie being terrified of a squirrel (yes, Jay, I am looking at you). And Rox is dealing with past domestic abuse from the men in her life that she had dated for things to be taken as funny. Do not worry the author does have a trigger warning at the beginning of her book. Honestly, it was more romantic than comedy, which is okay. I loved how the girls stuck together and the moment when jay gave himself permission it was *chef's kiss* 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Love, Lacey Donovan by Jill Brashear is too adorable. Bookish Lacey Donovan is convinced that nothing beats book boyfriends (I mean she isn't wrong) until she sees Beckett and that is when the fun begins because she is trying to not get her heart broken. Can she succeed?

It is adorable the banter between her and Beckett. I did not see some of the twists coming although one of them was an "oh hey wouldn't it be funny if..." moment. Beckett can be my book boyfriend any day. As per Lacey's review he would be a five book boyfriend bowtie. I am not sure what the fire hydrants imply so I won't attempt that. I cannot express enough how freaking adorable this book is and I would highly recommend reading this book if you are into bookish love. 5 out of 5 stars.

Loved You Once by Claudia Burgoa is an adorable second chance romance sort of. To be honest, I kind of wished the book was longer or had started sooner because we are left with so many questions at the end. I love second chance romances, but this one it started out with Hayes being all let me make amends to you and then suddenly they were a couple again. I wanted a little more grovelling or something especially with how he had ended things which he knows as he chastised himself over it repeatedly. The entire premise of the story is follow the will, save the town, but it ends before you even know if the town is saved. I'm hoping this is more than one book, so I am reserving judgment. 4 out of 5 stars.

Love Under Construction by M.C. Cerny is too fricking adorable. Hunter Hart works construction and he is trying to help renovate an old house for his friend Taylor Jane Bryant so she can do interior design and win a contest. He is dead set against it, but somehow found himself saying yes. Oh the friend to lovers romance was *chef's kiss* and I love how Hunter tries so hard to help Taylor especially with the whole owl episode and him needing to prove that he is a man. I won't say much because honestly this book is pure gold when it comes to comedy. I still giggle thinking about certain scenes. 5 out of 5 stars.

What I'm Looking For by Karen Grey is an adorable rom-com from the late eighties. Kate Bishop is trying to get a promotion from the investment firm that she works in while Will Talbot is a starving actor who reluctantly takes Kate's advice to go into commercials and tv shows. Of course, with that it means a tighter schedule for his beloved theatre and he might flip out because change is happening. Also, he might have had family issues with money as a child. 

I love how they are so different and yet the love they have for each other had me hugging my kindle. I love how the author used her own experiences in the movie industry during that time period in the book because it gave authenticity to the plot line. I laughed and I cried. I celebrated Kate's little victories and felt embarrassed with her during those awkward moments of stage fright and anxiety. I commiserated with Will when he thought he was going to be doing the entire project by himself and I also wanted to throttle both of them when they broke up because of things from their past getting in the way of their future happiness. 4.5 out of 5 stars

Mixed Signals by Mia Heintzman is cute. Julie and Nico are adorable together, but Julie already made assumptions about him based on one conversation she overheard about a net of broken hearts and is convinced she despises him which is too bad especially after she saw him in his truck during a traffic jam. And she might have had a shower fantasy about him when he stood in the rain trying to give her shirt back to her through the window. This book is so aptly named and I will not say much because it is one of those books that you need to read without any filters to appreciate what goes on in this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

Too Tempting by Bethany Lopez is a genius of a book and I did not see that twist or conflict coming. It was quite refreshing and disturbing the longer you tried to think about it so it is best not to think too much about it. Gabriel "Gabe" Lewis is a retired NFL player who has his own camp for kids to play football away from all the hustle and bustle. Zoey Zahn is an introverted writer who got the dates mixed up so she came to the camp a week early and she does not know that Gabe is that Gabe and keeps her own identity a secret. Will it tear them apart or draw them together? Honestly, I loved every word of this book and wanted to reread it as soon as I finished reading it because Gabe is such a sweetheart. Highly recommend, and the twist is not what you think it is. 5 out of 5 stars.

Some Call It Love by Sarah Peis is adorable and makes me feel like a horrible person. I am just saying if I was in Willa's shoes I would have stopped helping my drunk gambling father out of jail a long time ago. Oh Willa, the story was so much fun with your constant trying to bail your father out while trying to not get on Jameson's bad side. The back and forth between the two of them was 😍. 1000% recommend this book. It is too funny and adorable and honestly Willa and Jameson make the story. 5 out of 5 stars.

Moonshine and Magnolias by Abigail Sharpe is an adorable book that makes me wished I knew more about Gone with the Wind to get all the little Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the book (all I know is the line "frankly my dear I don't give a darn"). Wendy, I want to hug her because she has control issues and thinks everything needs to be done a certain way and trying to get her to bend is like trying to move a solid oak trunk with your bare hands. Rob is looking for a way to end the family curse that ends with nobody ever being able to have a fulfilling relationship (yikes). It is adorable how the treasure hunt brings depth to the world and I love how the peaches play an integral role in the story. It is so 😍. (5 out of 5 stars.)

Total accumulation of stars: 43 out of 45 stars. I am not including the one I DNFed as it does not have a star rating which is intentional because I want people to give it the benefit of the doubt if it is a trope they enjoy or are not sure they will enjoy.

Worth the Fight by Rachel Brownell

 I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. (honestly, I cannot remember whether I got it from signing up for a newsletter, a giveaway, or from another author. The only thing I know is that it is in the documents section of my Kindle where all the books that aren't paid for go, but I'm planning on rectifying that and buying any book from this author that I can).

Worth the Fight is worth the read. It is a cute, swoon-worthy, friends-to-lovers novel. It is a fresh of air after some of the books that I have read because I love how even when Liam and Cass agree that they are worth the risk to be together they still take it slow. There is sex in the book yes, but the author has enough class to go into enough details so you know what is happening but it is not a freaking play by play of what each movement the characters are doing. Honestly, I prefer the books where yes they have sex, but it is more of a "I'll show you the beginning and then fast forward to the aftermath" over the "let's go over every single detail and call my v card the petal of my sex or some other creepy thing that has me questioning the sanity of the author".

So, thank you, Rachel, for not doing the latter one. It is part of what made me want to continue to read/buy your books and kept me glued to my reader. So if you do pick up a copy make sure you have all the necessary tissues, snacks, water (or the beverages of your choice) and that no one can disturb you because you are not going to want to put this book down.

Liam is so *chef's kiss* and he has now set my standard up again for men because anyone who is willing to do half the things he does is worth hanging onto. Also, it was very obvious that they were going to be a thing from the very beginning of the book even if you did not read the blurb and I was totally talking to Cass like "Oh stop moaning you two are going to be together and you are going to like it". Also, sorry hon, but if any guy treats you like that on your wedding day is not worth a second of your time, a lick of your salt, or whatever saying fits your fancy. I was so glad when Cass realized that and she started sticking to her principles of this is what people should do and they didn't do this so I should not give them any more time, which is a lot easier said than done. I love how Liam was there for her every step of the way and all the little twists like just when you think you have all the pieces another one sneaks on in.

I love how each character has a unique personality, but they all fit so well into the group and I am extremely jealous and wished that I had friends like that.

Kevin is the more reasonable adult in the group trying to get them to not fight while his significant other Sasha is all about egging them on (I feel like we would make such great friends), Aaron is the giant lovable joking teddy bear and I want to give him a great big hug, Liam is the leader and he gets people to listen, Cass never said much about her role in the group except she was the tomboy but I think she is more the glue to the group, and then there is the one who should not be named (no that is not her name but she is not worthy of having her name sully these pages and giving her more attention than she deserves) who is the spoiled princess, the slut who loves calling other people sluts to makes herself feel better and always has to be the centre of attention and I will stop before I start getting nasty (shows how much I despise her because she put all of the characters through hell and has no remorse.

I finished this book in three hours and have no regrets. If you love the friends-to-lovers trope than you will love Worth the Fight.

500 out of 5 stars.

Stampede of Love by Erin Wright

 I received this copy by signing up for her newsletter (it's her gift to subscribers).

Stampede of Love: A Long Valley novel by Erin Wright is a tale about a bull rider named Rex who is determined to win the rodeo so he can get back on Bodacious the bull that nearly killed him two years ago (that is a special kind of crazy right there) and Kimber-not-Kimberly who meet at a bar and are totally drunk so they have a one night stand (or did they?).

Rex was on his way to the next rodeo when his truck broke down and he walked all the way back to Sawyer where as fate would have it Kimber's dad owns the mechanic shop. It is all gold from down there.

I laughed when I found out what Rex's real name and now I want to read the book because I have never heard of it. The relationship between Rex and Kimber was magical because I loved how yes they had sex, but it was not the entire premise of their relationship (yeah who else is exhausted with the whole oh we had sex so that is now all we can do in our relationship?) It was a breath of fresh air and I found myself enjoying this novella quite immensely because of it. Also, because Kimber was all oh he is a bull rider my heart is going to get broken and Rex is all I found home.

This book made me laugh and cry and sometimes together. I loved how the author did draw from her own experiences and put it in the book. It felt so real like if you went into town you would come across this wonderful cast of characters.

The only other thing I will say besides you should all sign up for her newsletter so you can all read this book is that I dread to know what the first two videos were like for bull riding catastrophes.

Let me put it this way, Rex's video was number three and he got his skull smashed in by the bull's skull and got stomped on like a child having a tantrum on a rag doll by Bodacious (so I guess you could see his drive to beat the bull). Anybody who can watch those videos must have an iron stomach because I would not be able to do that I would be peeking through my fingers like it is a horror movie. Why do they even exist? Is it so mother's can pull it up and be like "now watch child if you continue down this road this is all the things that could happen to you" or is it more of a humans are sadists and need to see other people suffer to thrive?

This book is adorable and I highly recommend this book.

500 out of 5 stars.

Haven Enduring (Book 2) by H.B. Reneau

 I am honoured to have received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Review might contain spoilers, read at your own discretion.

First off, thank you to the author for writing this book. I did not read the first book before I read this one, and it did not impair anything from my enjoying of this book. The author gives enough breadcrumbs that the reader can follow along even if like me they have not read the first book, which is the sign of excellent writing because I don't know about anybody else, but usually the second books that I read in series either have all the information dumped about what happened in the first book within the first few pages and you forget everything you were told after fifteen pages in or there is no information and you are left floundering trying to figure out what you missed. I was worried that Haven Enduring would be like that, but to my relief it was not. The information is spread out and feels like it is part of the second book. It felt so natural like it was new information even when it was in fact old that we should have known if we had read the first book (or maybe you did but it was a long time since you read it and wanted to dive into the world right away). It doesn't matter because this book will not make a fool of you except for maybe the ending, but we will get to that later.

I loved Danny, Kiera, and Cyrus as they felt the most natural characters to me who grew throughout the book. I love how Kiera tried so hard to save Danny by doing everything she could to keep everybody else at arms length before realizing that that strategy was not quite working for her and she tried to change and let people in to help her. I loved how Danny was in the past and he was trying so hard not to change the future enough because he didn't want Kiera to not exist (like awww 😗) and the things that Danny does had me rooting for him because he has a good heart, but he might have been paving the wrong path with his good intentions and quest for the truth and knowledge (like Faust guys, which had me falling in love with the book because why Faust might creep me out it is an intriguing concept and this Devil was not one to be trifled with 👿). Poor Cyrus, he tries so hard yet falls a little short, but I do love how he is willing to do whatever it takes to protect the ones he cares about even if he might have to give them some tough love (sorry Kiera). Honestly, I fell in love with all of the characters but those three resonated with me the most when reading the book.

I loved the world building and watching the places that the characters take for granted in the present being built in the future. I would love to know how long a person can survive in the world because I know they are technically dead and do not age, but they can die again, so how does all of it work? The magic system is on point and I loved how Kiera started to learn about different branches of it and how she wanted to learn healing pneumos so she could try and bring Danny back from wherever they go when they die.

My only issue with the book was the people in the Southern Shield and their obsession with the word "be". It had to be in every single sentence they spoke, and at first it was cute, but you would think after a while they would learn to expand their vocabulary? I used to work as a cashier, so I met all kinds of people and even those who did not speak English very well used "be" as much as those people from the Southern Shield did like it was starting to go from "oh, this is cute trying to demonstrate that they don't have a firm grasp on whatever language Kiera and her kind are speaking" to "this is becoming insulting and starting to feel like the characters have no intelligence left even though I know they do". I bet if anybody looked it up "be" would most likely be about fifty percent of the book or at least that is how it felt because it was in there a lot like I was shocked the two times Raina managed to not use "be" in one of her sentences (I was so proud of her, until the very next sentence had be in it all the time 😞).

Other than that I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a YA book with magic, political intrigue, betrayal, weird family dynamics, found families, and the dreaded cliffhanger ending.

Ah yes, I forgot, we were going to touch base on the ending (duh, duh, duh). It is a cliffhanger ending with very interesting plot twists at the ending that has me wishing there was a third book already so I could find out what happens.

499 out of 5 stars.

SilverBlood by Jamie Foley

I am so fortunate to be one of the people who got to be a beta reader for SilverBlood by Jamie Foley. That being said there will be two reviews for this book as the author did make changes to the book that I'm excited about. All spoilers are from the previous edition of this book.

First off, thank you so much to Jamie Foley for letting me beta read SilverBlood to say I was psyched about finding out there was a second book would be an understatement. I am all here for this series, and SilverBlood does not disappoint.

I fell in love with the characters all over again and Lysander 😍 (I am glad that the book had his POV because I fell in love with him). I am an absolute sucker for a man who will sacrifice himself for the woman he loves but feels he does not deserve because of his past. Oh man, the chemistry between Lysander and Brooke is *chef's kiss* I will reread the book over and over again just for the journey that their relationship went through.

I love how the book starts right after the aftermath of the siege on Brooke's treetop city (I decided not to embarrass myself by trying to spell the name of the city). And the characters dealt with it 👏 were they okay 👌? Not even by a long shot. 😂

Brooke -poor dear Brooke- had to deal with trying to lead her people after the devastation and she does it the only way she knows how. By trying to keep Lysander safe and agreeing to marry a man from another tribe *boo*. Honestly, I was chanting for the guy to die so that Brooke will realize her mistake and be with Lysander (yes, I am shameless, but when you meet him you will probably do the same thing. he is not likeable and yes, I am deliberately not saying who it is because I want you to read the book). Oh Lysander, he finds himself alive and in a strange place where Felix (bleed him 😏) left him to fend for himself but not before giving him something to defend himself. It does not go as planned *evil laughter followed by a cough* and Lysander gets captured. My heart broke when Lysander heard Brooke also known as the Jade Witch spoke into his head and he could hear again. Yes, be prepared to have all the feels with Lysander because he is too tricking cute.

Ryon and Kira have a bit of competition now with Brooke and Lysander but they will always have my heart and ugh, I love how we still got their POVs again in this book. I think I died happy when reading this book because the ending had me melting into a puddle.

Please buy this book and read the first one Emberhawk if you have not because the world building is phenomenal and the characters will give you all the feels. You will not regret it.

I will give another review when I have the physical copy and read all the changes put into the book.

I cannot wait to see what happens next. And hopefully Lysander and Brooke make it out okay in the trilogy 😰😧

50 out of 5 stars. (Subject to change depending on the new version).

Burning Shadows (Odriel's Heirs 1.5) by Hayley Reese Chow

I received a free copy Burning Shadows by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Warning: review will contain spoilers as this book is a novella that takes place after Odriel's Heirs and before Idriel's Children.

Thank you Hayley for writing this novella and for writing more of Klaus and Kaia 😘

If anybody has read my reviews, they will know by now how much I adore Klaus and Kaia and in case it is not obvious they are like my loves and I ship them so hard. I will ugly cry the day that they die and quite possibly riot 😭😏.

Klaus is *chef's kiss* because he does make a huge transformation throughout the series (but I guess having someone almost die will do that for you). He is so freaking adorable when it comes to Kaia and I melt whenever those two are together because the chemistry between them is perfection.  Klaus will do anything to keep Kaia safe even go alone on a scouting on a mission to a land full of barbarians because they want his love (and that kiss at the end is 🔥).

Kaia is an absolute sweetheart and I want to protect her as much as Klaus does because she has such a big heart and like Klaus will go to the end of the world for him. Which is why she finds herself going across to the barbarian filled land to search for Klaus who did not come back with the sun like he had promised. (You will have to read the book to find out the reason why, but I laughed upon reading the reason why even though it is not funny, but it makes sense when you know Klaus's background. 😂😏) Kaia still has this sweet innocent air to her even after all the things she was put through and the stitching scene reminded me so much of myself. I was laughing because I don't blame Kaia one bit for trying to prolong it. No matter how much love is between a couple I would be skeptic about an assassin stitching up your head.

The world building is incredible in this novella as it is just enough to get the readers to be like oh hey this is where we are while also giving the readers a chance to use their imagination. The barbarians freak me out because they wear the tally marks of their kills on their skin, so yeah, avoid the ones that have a lot and the ones that have very little because they will be the ones with the most to prove.

Gus deserves his own paragraph because that rage hound is so sweet and when he jumped into the river to go meet up with Kaia and Klaus I wanted to cry because poor Kaia was so worried that he wouldn't make it and Klaus had to hold her back. I just 😭

I love how it still talks about things like Mack's death instead of glossing over it like some novellas do because it is something that will still be fresh in their minds and something that will affect them. 

This novella makes me want to dive back into Odriel's Heirs again after reading it because it gives me all the feels.

Highly recommend this novella. Support indie authors.

500 out of 5 stars.

Idriel's Children by Hayley Reese Chow

 I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review contains spoilers and my attempt at being fun, so please read at your own discretion.

First off, thank you Hayley for writing this brilliant sequel to Odriel's Heirs.

Idriel's Children takes place 28 years after Odriel's Heirs (but the beauty is that it's okay if you have not read the first book. Although, I would highly recommend it.) and follows Klaus' and Kaia's youngest Aza, the next Shadow Heir. She hears a voice calling her in a world called the Shadow Plane and like any normal person would do decides to investigate, but her trips end up bringing danger back to the ones she loves (ooo 👀). The parents are called away to go battle what they think is the Lost (creepy corpses that are controlled by necromancers 😱). The children are told to stay at the school and continue teaching the classes (much to Aza's chagrin and Zephyr's, -probably spelled that wrong- her older brother and the next Dragon Heir, delight.)

The children are then visited by the Malbador (again probably spelled it wrong and I'm going to be evil and not tell you what they are. Read the book if you want to find out you are not getting all the secrets out of me 😉) who have trouble in their home. Aza realizes that this would be an excellent opportunity to get away and her older brother agrees to help for his own reasons (is it for love 😘 or glory 😏? Read the book to find out.) On the road, Aza decides to leave and strike out on her own for answers, but of course that does not go as planned. She finds herself accompanied by Makeo (her childhood friend and a Malbador), Witt (Zephyr's friend and he reminds me so much of another character, but you will have to read it and make your own conclusions, but food 😏) and Shad the poor person who is cursed into servitude by a magi who turned Shad into a cat (he's been a cat for a century guys, he is tired and just wants the world to stop going to hell. It's not too much to ask is it? 😾). She goes on an epic journey to the Tazgar Marsh with her fellow companions, but the things that are like the Lost, but not are following them and not everyone might make it to their destination... (intrigued yet (:-)? Well, then ignore the rest of this raving review and pick up a copy of this book and read it. Even if you don't find this intriguing that is too bad because you are missing out.)

What didn't I love about this book? The characters were flawed and had struggles to deal with while Aza tried to push everyone away because "the Shadow walks alone" and how the characters tried to prove her wrong by being there with her every step of the way. The creatures in the world were terrifying for the most part because damn the dolabora is 😱, but the rage hounds are *chef's kiss* (Gus 😭).

I started ugly crying when everyone kept telling Aza that her parents were dead and she tried so hard to prove them wrong (Kaia and Klaus are my loves and OTP for this series so yeah there was a lot of 😭 going on from me). 

Ugh, Keo he reminds me so much of Klaus and anyone who sticks by Aza even when she tries to push them away (and he almost died for her y'all) Keo deserves all the love and respect because damn Aza did not make it easy. 

The world building is perfection and I loved Aza's journey of being able to go through the Shadow Plane in a way that is not taxing and meeting her ancestor. It is absolute love.

I will not say more because you all should support indie authors because you will miss out on gems like this. (Also, I find myself unable to say more without giving away crucial plot points).

500 out of 5 stars.