As I read some last year, but took a break for “maternity leave”, I have many reviews to catch up on. Because of that, and until I can catch up, I decided to start a bulk review post–hence, “Captivating Catch-Up”. The reviews will be quick, to-the-point, but also give my complete, honest opinion.
This first batch is a group of some of the ARCs that I got last year and failed to review.
The Nature of Witches Published by Sourcebooks Fire by Rachel Griffin
on June 1, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Witches, Romance, YA
Pages: 367
Source: Netgalley
Format: ARC, eBook
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Goodreads
Also by this author: Wild is the Witch
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ISBN: 1728229421
Rating:
For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.
In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It's wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.
In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she's the only one who can make a difference.
In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she's terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.
In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves... before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.
Practical Magic meets Twister in this debut contemporary fantasy standalone about heartbreaking power, the terror of our collapsing atmosphere, and the ways we unknowingly change our fate.
In the same vein I’d spoken in before, YA has been a little bit of a struggle for me. So maybe that’s why I didn’t LOVE this one.
With that said, there were many solid aspects to this story. My favorite? The main character, Clara. She’s written well; she’s interesting, she has growth throughout the story, and (most importantly) she doesn’t annoy me to no end.
Even though I’ve been in a YA rut lately, because of my love for witchy stories, this one resonated with me and I’m glad to have read it.
The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday by Kiley Dunbar
Series: Borrow a Bookshop #1
on May 5, 2021
Genres: Books About Books, Contemporary, Holiday, Christmas, Romance, Women's Fiction, Chick-Lit
Pages: 298
Source: Netgalley
Format: ARC, eBook
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Also by this author: Summer at the Highland Coral Beach, Matchmaking at Port Willow, Christmas at the Borrow a Bookshop
Find the Book: Amazon | Goodreads
ISBN: 1800325177
Rating:
The Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Caf invites literature lovers to run their very own bookshop ... for a fortnight.Spend your days talking books with customers in your own charming bookshop and serving up delicious cream teas in the cosy caf.Bookworms, what are you waiting for Your holiday is going to be LIT(erary).Apply The Borrow-a-Bookshop Bookshop Caf, Down-a-long, Clove Lore, Devon.Jude Crawley should be on top of the world. She's just graduated as a mature student, so can finally go public about her relationship with Philosophy professor, Mack.Until she sees Mack kissing another girl, and her dreams crumble. And worse, their dream holiday - running a tiny bookshop in the harbour village of Clove Lore for two weeks - is non-refundable.Throwing caution to the winds, Jude heads down to Devon, eager to immerse herself in literature and heal her broken heart.But there's one problem - six foot tall, brooding (but gorgeous) Elliot, who's also reserved the bookshop holiday for two weeks...As Jude and Elliot put their differences aside to run the bookshop, it seems that Jude might be falling in love with more than just words. Until she discovers what Elliot is running from - and why he's hiding out in Clove Lore.Can Jude find her own happy ending in a tiny, tumbledown bookshop Or is she about to find out that her bookish holiday might have an unexpected twist in the tale...The perfect cosy, romantic read for any bookworm! Fans of Jenny Colgan, Cressida McLaughlin and Philippa Ashley will love this feelgood romcom.Readers can't get enough of Kiley Dunbar's gorgeously uplifting, romantic perfect feel-good book...I was left with that warm and fuzzy feeling.' ***** Reader Review'Kiley Dunbar is a wonderful author! She knows how to spin a tale in a way that'll break your heart but make you stay for the happily-ever-after
I keep coming back to Kiley Dunbar’s books. Like a lot. There’s something just so pure about them, I think. I love the relaxed, cozy feeling that they evoke.
This first in a series, was amazing because, as with most books I love, I appreciate the escapism. And who wouldn’t love the idea of a bookshop that you could run yourself for a holiday?!
The cast of characters were charming, funny, and familial. Just the right amount of romance and friendships. Love this author and the stories she writes.
Divine Rivals Published by Wednesday Books by Rebecca Ross
Series: Letters of Enchantment #1
on April 4, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Historical
Pages: 357
Source: Netgalley
Format: ARC, eBook
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest
Also by this author: Sisters of Sword and Song
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ISBN: 1250857430
Rating:
When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.
Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
A YA that I actually liked–except for the YA part. Maybe it’s useless at this point? I don’t know.
So this was a book club pick and I was actually really eager to read it given all the hype surrounding it. It’s one of those that I don’t think I’ve heard a negative word about.
So this story completely sucked me in from the first page. I’ll admit right off the bat, I’m a HUGE Rebecca Ross fangirl. I haven’t read all of her books, to be honest. But the ones I have, I feel like she can do no wrong.
With Divine Rivals, I really loved Iris and Roman’s whole romance. It’s so sweet and just the kind that I love to read about progressing. Also the female friendships that develop–oh my, goodness. It’s that whole found-family vibe.
The magical realism was just the cherry on top. It was what made the story for me. Magical realism is one of my favorite genres. And it was tied in perfectly with the concept of gods/goddesses/magical typewriters.
As I previously said, it was just the YA aspect that was difficult for me. There were times the characters would act in a way that just SCREAMED youthful–and then I remembered that they are, indeed, quite young.
I can’t wait to read Ruthless Vows. Going to start it any day now!
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me Published by Avon by Mariana Zapata
on July 4, 2023
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Sports
Pages: 469
Source: Netgalley
Format: ARC, eBook
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ISBN: 0063325853
Rating:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mariana Zapata’s most beloved book, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me—now with new exclusive content!
Vanessa Mazur refuses to feel bad for quitting—she knows she’s doing the right thing. The thankless job of personal assistant to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans for her life, and none of them include washing extra-large underwear one more day for a man who could never find it in him to tell her good morning, congratulate her on a job well done, or wish her a happy birthday—even when she was spending it working for him.
The legendary “Wall of Winnipeg” may be adored by thousands, but after two years Van has had enough.
But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door begging her to come back, she’s beyond shocked. Mr. Walled-Off Emotions is actually letting his guard down for once. And she’s even more dumbstruck when he explains that her job description is about to become even more outrageous: something that takes the “personal” in personal assistant to a whole new level.
What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?
This book, I actually read years ago and kind of forgot that I did. Okay, but to be fair, it was during my period of reading a lot so, it kind of just gotten lumped in and forgotten with a lot of other books.
But this time around, I actually started to remember it after a few chapters and was pretty excited to read it again with fresh eyes.
Typically, I don’t do the slow-burn thing. I appreciate a quick, scorching (not the same as spicy) romance where the couple just seems to get it from the start. But this book’s characters were so amazing that watching them realize their feelings for each other was tons of fun.
Mariana Zapata is known for her lengthier books and slow-burn love. And I get why she’s so popular. The ride this book took me on, even after reading it already, was so incredibly enjoyable.
Aiden was the perfect grumpy to Vanessa’s lovely sunshine. I was hooked from the start with this one!
Twice upon a Time: Selected Stories, 1898–1939 Published by University of Toronto Press by L.M. Montgomery, Benjamin Lefebvre
on May 27, 2022
Genres: Short Stories
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
Format: ARC, eBook
Also by this author: Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon , Emily Climbs , The Golden Road , Emily's Quest, The Blue Castle, Pat of Silver Bush , Mistress Pat , A Tangled Web, Magic for Marigold, Jane of Lantern Hill
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ISBN: 148754412X
Rating:
Although L.M. Montgomery (1874–1942) is best remembered for the twenty-two book-length works of fiction that she published in her lifetime, from Anne of Green Gables (1908) to Anne of Ingleside (1939), she also contributed some five hundred short stories and serials to a wide range of North American and British periodicals from 1895 to 1940. While most of these stories demonstrate her ability to produce material that would fit the mainstream periodical fiction market as it evolved across almost half a century, many of them also contain early incarnations of characters, storylines, conversations, and settings that she would rework for inclusion in her novels and collections of linked short stories.
In Twice upon a Time, the third volume in The L.M. Montgomery Library, Benjamin Lefebvre collects and discusses over two dozen stories from across Montgomery’s career as a short fiction writer, many of them available in book form for the first time. The volume offers a rare glimpse into Montgomery’s creative process in adapting her periodical work for her books, which continue to fascinate readers all over the world.
I saved this one for last because–it’s L. M. Montgomery and I simply just love her.
Montgomery, mostly known for her Anne books, was also a master at the short story. I have several of her works already and so I knew, going in, that I would enjoy this book.
These stories showcase a lot of Montgomery’s more famous work given that some of them were “recycled” into her popular books. So while none of these stories served as “new material”, I thoroughly enjoyed reading them in their original form and the commentary from Lefebvre.
Divine Rivals is one I’ve been wanting to read but haven’t had the chance yet. The YA part is what makes me think I might not love it as some others do. Not that YA can’t be good but I’ve been moving away from it these past few years.
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The Wall of Winnipeg and Me sounds fun. I’m gonna look into that one.
Rolé @ Hooked By That Book recently posted…Review: If the Duke Dares – by Darcy Burke
The first book is one I DNFed. It just wasn’t working for me, I was bored. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me is one I just won last month and can’t wait to read! Great reviews!
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