Lisa

This was paranormal romance with a Stranger Things meets after school special kind of feel. The mystery at the core of the plot kept me interested and compelled me to finish the book. I think this would rate higher for younger readers because it really is an interesting premise, I just personally had issues with some of the writing choices.

Most of the book is in Riley's point of view, a few times in Asher's, and then 70% of the way through you get a chapter from a third character's perspective (and then a fourth). I think had we gotten chapters from everyone more frequently it would have worked really well, but new perspectives 70% of the way into the book was jarring.

There are a lot of very specific pop culture references that I think will quickly become outdated.

Overall the tone of the book feels young. I kept forgetting that some of these people are in college which made the sex scenes (despite everyone being of age) uncomfortable.

And without spoiling anything, the mechanics of the paranormal part of the story were so basic that when something supernatural happened at the climax of the plot, I found it unbelievable.

I think I would have loved this in high school but it's not something I'm planning on recommending or rereading.

Feel good, fake relationship romcom, with some light romantic suspense.

Helen and Gabriel are charming and witty and I really enjoyed not only their character growth, but that of those around them. This book is a cozy, easy read and should be satisfying for fans of the previous two books in the series.

Probably could be read as a standalone but I don't think you'd get as much out of it without the connection to previously introduced characters.

Quick, easy read. Romantic suspense/MC. Part of an extended universe but I didn't feel like I missed anything reading it as a standalone.

The content of this one could potentially be more triggering than previous books in the series, so if that's a concern for you, look into it.

I appreciated the ability to give Rachel and Mason's relationship tension without having them break up.

There are a lot more pop culture references in this one that really pin this series to a very specific time period. Some of which already feel dated despite it being released in the last few years. Not a complaint necessarily, but its going to feel out of touch for future readers.

Still a very strong series, and in a world of 700+ pages fantasy novels (that I also love) it's really nice to have a quicker 250 page read that still feels like the complete package.

(3.5 Stars)

I enjoyed reading this but don't think it matches the quality of previous books in the series.

Things felt very wrapped up at the end of Girl Blue, so it makes sense that this one is more of a shift from Rachel and Mason to the (now adult) “kids”. You get almost equal Jeremy/Misty/Christy perspectives. It's adds something fresh to the series, but at 248 pages it comes at the expense of character depth. I feel like we barely spent time with any one. Characters just endlessly circle around the same talking points, Rachel's NFP almost seems like an afterthought, and Mason is boiled down to existing solely for Rachel's emotional support and to occasionally flash a badge. Josh's absence is explained away in one line and never really brought up again.

Two things were very jarring for me and that was the time jump and all the discussion about the pandemic. You go from Rachel and Mason wanting to get married in two weeks to several years later, still unmarried. You don't really get any information on those missing years aside from how things were affected by the pandemic. This is probably a personal nitpick of mine, but I don't need this much realism in my books. I lived it. I don't need to hear over and over about how things were cancelled and stalled. It didn't add anything to the book for me.

The actual mystery was intriguing but felt unfinished for me too. There's no explanation of how certain things happened and only the most basic motive of why.

Overall I think this book is doing too much in too short an amount of pages. It feels like the series peaked and is now on a down swing. Even just from a writing standpoint, this needed another pass from an editor. Multiple examples of missing words and punctuation. I'm on the fence about continuing the series (assuming there's more coming), but for sure my excitement has died down.

After multiple rereads, this book remains one of my absolute favorites. Magic, romance, mystery, suspense, history, science, found family...the list is endless.

It's just as compelling now as it was the first time I read it, and the ending of book one still leaves me excited for book two. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a paranormal romance, but especially to those with an additional interest in history or science.

This was captivating. There are so many different layers to the mystery but it's still satisfyingly tied up at the end. Rich with details and borderline cinematic in some scenes.

It has romance, mystery, a little sci-fi, and strong themes of love and family.

I loved it. 10/10.

Romance, adventure, treasure, murder, and mystery all in a lush historical setting. If you're still chasing the high from The Mummy (1999), this may be for you. It's a bit of a slow start but by the end you'll need to remind yourself to breathe.

Slow burn romance.
A mystery that gets deeper the more it gets untangled.
And an ending that will make you wish you had book two.

Do yourself a favor and look up the beautiful portraits from the special edition.

A satisfying conclusion to a dark and immersive fantasy duology filled with old magic, evils, and those who find the strength to overcome them.

A brilliant end. It's not often that I'm so engrossed in a story that I'm not trying to figure out where it's going, but it happened with this.

My only complaint is I wish I had reread the first before moving to this one.

Cozy, feel good, friends-to-lovers romance that centers around identifying and demanding the love and acceptance you deserve.

Online gaming is part of the plot but it's definitely approachable for readers who aren't familiar with that. There's gaming references throughout but it's much more focused on the relationships between the characters.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet, slow burn romance. Also for people who daydream of having the perfect comeback in an argument because this book is full of those kind of satisfying moments.

Enjoyable billionaire romance with a few little twists at the end.

This felt different from her other books, but not in a bad way. The build-up of the relationship is just refreshingly uncomplicated. There is tension and conflict, but overall reading about these two falling for each other is nice.

Fun and easy to read. The wedding sabotage plot is intriguing and the romance was steamy, sweet, and full of banter.

I'd recommend reading book one before this or you'll miss out on some context.

Quick, easy why choose romance with light suspense. A smaller cast of characters than I usually expect from a Tessa Bailey book but the ones you have are charming and fun. Plenty of banter and jokes, triple the amount of dirty talk, and overall a tidy plot.

You're dropped right into it all and the pace pretty quick. Happestance lacks some of the emotional depth you can find in Tessa's other novels but it's still a solidly fun read. I've followed this since it was just a joke on tik tok and the whole process has been a delight.

A skillfully written dark fantasy filled with magic, secrets, romance, and horror. The characters are developed, the world around them is vivid, and the plot is delightfully well thought out. I found myself surprised by a twist that, in hindsight, I had been picking up on throughout the read and those are the best kind for me.

It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger but there's a sense of resolution. I would immediately start the second book if it was possible, I enjoyed the first that much.

This book is a warm cozy blanket for my brain. As someone who likes to read fake dating, it's almost always unrealistic but this didn't feel forced. Cute banter, a little insta-love despite the rocky start, and some deep feelings towards the end.

This can be read as a standalone but as someone who started with this one, I wish I would have read Part of Your World first.

Additionally, I don't generally enjoy books with letters between the characters but it was minimal in this. More like little love notes getting passed back and forth. So if that's stopping you (like it almost did for me) then give it a try!

I wasn't sure military college with dragons was my thing but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Fantasy, slow burn, enemies to lovers, all the fun things.

It's not perfect. Some of the pacing feels rushed and occasionally the writing feels a bit clunky for me. Definitely room for more world building. And the enemies part of the enemies to lovers isn't super convincing but none of those were deal breakers for me. It's a good time.

Reminds me of the divergent series.

I anticipated a lot of this feeling similar to Hazelwood's previous books and in some ways they do.

The daily grind of a woman in a male dominated field trying to reach her goals while being underestimated and overqualified is very familiar to previous books, but there's enough that's unique about the plot that keeps it from being repetitive for me.

If you're looking for the typical fake dating plot line this might not be it for you, but if you enjoyed Hazelwood's previous books you'll undoubtedly like this one.

Part dark romance with some light suspense.

I don't know that I found anyone particularly likeable, but I did find myself unable to stop reading.

I doubt I'll be continuing with the series, but it was enjoyable enough for someone who likes tension, cons, and a protector trope romance.

Check trigger warnings if you have any.

It's a youthful wartime romance wrapped in magic.

My only issue with it (and the reason I initially wasn't going to finish) is the letter writing is used to tell large chunks of the world's history. The history itself is fine and important to the plot, it just felt lazy to have one character write it out to another character.

I'd still recommend it though. The writing is beautiful and the end will make you wish you had the next book in your hands already.

If the first book could be boiled down to world building and dread, then this book is a big shift forward.

The themes are still dark, but you get the sense that Alex has hit rock bottom and is pushing towards something better. She allows herself to hope, and this really softens how bleak everything gets. This really picks up right where the first book left off, and you don't have to wait long for more action.

The audiobook was mostly great, I just didn't enjoy the few chapters from the male narrator as much, and wish Lauren Fortgang could have read those as well.

Would recommend. Will continue to read.

I knew I'd probably love it because Tessa Bailey rarely disappoints, but I didn't realize just how much I'd love her usual romance and banter paid with the suspense of a murder mystery. Super fun. Highly recommend.

I was so invested in this book that I sometimes forgot to breathe.
Fantasy romance, Greek mythology, magic, mystery, and adventure. World building and exposition that's informative and clear but feels very natural.

I honestly really enjoyed this book. It was a fun read and a very solid entry to the romantic suspense genre. I would have easily rated it four stars except for one thing:

This book needs more editing.

The pacing is great. There's a heavier focus on the romance than the plot which I'm also fine with, but the book is filled with obvious typos, grammatical errors, and in some cases words missing entirely. I didn't mind much in the first half of the book but in the second half its happens to the point of being distracting.

This book works fine as a standalone.

Cozy, Magical, Fake Dating, Forced Proximity

A cute paranormal romcom that gave me grown up Halloween town vibes. The setting is steeped in magic, but at its core, it's a story of finding your own path and learning to set boundaries with your dysfunctional family.

It was fun to read. There's a lot of pop culture references (which always throws me off) and all the conflict is tied up a little too neatly at the end, but I'd still recommend reading it. Maybe with some hot chocolate and a delicious cookie.

I'd recommend this for anyone who likes ACOTAR, TOG, and From Blood and Ash.

Like other reviews state, there are a lot of similarities to the books above, but I liked those books for a reason. The plot and characters in this one are different enough that it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.

Roehrich does a great job of pacing the story and hinting at what's ahead while still leaving enough mystery that you're surprised when you get there.

I'm excited to see where this series goes.