BOOKS | Review: Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

Name: Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1)

Author: Lyla Sage

Publisher: Quercus

Date published: June 2023

Genre: Fiction, adult, romance, contemporary, small town, cowboys

Pages: 340

Rating: 4/5

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?

- From Goodreads.

This was such a fun and comforting book. It was very easy to read, had some great humourous moments and some really emotional ones too, it almost had me tearing up at one point!

The setting of Meadowlark was wonderful, it felt very real, I could picture it so clearly and you could really feel the strong sense of community there. The description of the nature and the landscape of the area were especially lovely.

The characters were great, Emmy was very likeable and it was wonderful to see her slowly recover from her riding accident and find the confidence to get back on a horse. I think I would even have liked for the book to spend more time on that part of her story, but it was still heartwarming. I also don't remember ever reading a main character with ADHD, at least not explicitly on page, and I liked that Emmy got to talk about her diagnosis, how it made her feel and how it was affecting her, and that the love interest Luke listened to her and made her feel safe and comfortable and calm and like she could talk about anything with him.

Luke was a great love interest, I liked that he was so surprised by his feelings for Emmy but was not afraid to be honest about them. I also liked that although he had his troubles in the past and had made mistakes, he was trying to do better and become a better person.

I think one of the only things that frustrated me was Emmy's oldest brother's behaviour, I know the protective older brother is a pretty classic romance trope, but it felt pretty old-fashioned the way it was done and some of the moments with him were difficult to read.

Overall though this was a very enjoyable book and I will definitely be continuing in the series. I am looking forward especially to learning more about Wes, Emmy's other brother, as he seemed very sweet and thoughtful. I would recommend this if you're looking for a fun cowboy romance!

BOOKS | Review: Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis

Name: Wooing the Witch Queen (Queens of Villainy #1)

Author: Stephanie Burgis

Publisher: Tor Bramble

Date published: February 2025

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, witches, cosy

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5

Queen Saskia is the wicked sorceress everyone fears. After successfully wrestling the throne from her evil uncle, she only wants one thing: to keep her people safe from the empire next door. For that, she needs to spend more time in her laboratory experimenting with her spells. She definitely doesn’t have time to bring order to her chaotic library of magic.
When a mysterious dark wizard arrives at her castle, Saskia hires him as her new librarian on the spot. “Fabian” is sweet and a little nerdy, and his requests seem a little strange – what in the name of Divine Elva is a fountain pen? – but he’s getting the job done. And if he writes her flirtatious poetry and his innocent touch makes her skin singe, well…
Little does Saskia know that the "wizard" she’s falling for is actually an Imperial archduke in disguise, with no magical training whatsoever. On the run, with perilous secrets on his trail and a fast growing yearning for the wicked sorceress, he's in danger from her enemies and her newfound allies, too. When his identity is finally revealed, will their love save or doom each other? 

- From Goodreads.

This was just such a delightful book. The writing was perfect for the genre, with a humourous narrative voice that was really fun to read. The world building was just the right amount of detailed, with some fascinating backstory about the world, not too much that it would have bogged us down in exposition, but still enough to leave me curious enough to learn more about the world in future books in the series.

The characters were just brilliant, from the main characters right down to the crow companions that lived with Saskia in her castle, I loved everyone.

The romance between Saskia and Felix was truly wonderful. The build up of both their feelings and attraction growing for each other was done perfectly and you could really feel the tension between them. I really liked the dynamic of Saskia being the more confident, dominant and fearsome character, while Felix was more nervous, quiet and gentle. I think they really complimented each other and brought out the best in each other. 

Overall this was just a lovely romance that I sped through quickly as I enjoyed it so much. I will definitely continue to read more from Stephanie Burgis and continue on with this series.

BOOKS | Review: A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience by Stephanie Burgis

Name: A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience (The Unexpected Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven #1)

Author: Stephanie Burgis

Publisher: Five Fathoms Press

Date published: August 2024

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, vampires, historical

Pages: 72

Rating: 4/5

Margaret Dunhaven may have been forced into marriage with the sinister vampire lord of Shadowcroft Manor in order to fulfill a family obligation, but she's not about to stay trapped there for long. The beastly man doesn't even have any decent tea leaves in his kitchen!
However, when she realizes that she's not the only one who's been forced into this marital union, it's time to join forces with her unwanted new husband. If they can combine her scholarly skills with his ancient history, then, working together, they might just manage to reclaim her inheritance, break his curse, and find their freedom.
...Just so long as they don't fall in love along the way.

- From Goodreads.

This was very delightful and fun to read. The narration had a great, entertaining voice and the world was explained quickly in an understandable way which was good considering it was such a short story.

The author also did a good job of introducing us to the characters and giving us a good picture of who they were in a short amount of time. Margaret and Lord Riven were both very loveable characters and the romance that developed between them was very charming.

The only fault I did find with the story was that it could have been just a little longer to immerse us in the world a little bit more and to give us a bit more time to see the characters getting to know each other, I think just a little more could have been added while still staying within the constraints of a novella and it would have been perfect.

I would definitely recommend this if you love a fun vampire fantasy romance and want something quick to read, and if you like books like the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett and Elise Kova's Married to Magic series, I think you'd like this too. I'll certainly be going on to read more from Stephanie Burgis, and I will be curious to see what her longer books are like.

BOOKS | Review: The Dark Mirror by Samantha Shannon

Name: The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season series #5)

Author: Samantha Shannon

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Date published: February 2025

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, dystopian  

Pages: 576

Rating: 5/5

This review contains minor spoilers.

Paige Mahoney is outside the Republic of Scion for the first time in more than a decade - but she has no idea how she got to the free world. Half a year has been wiped from her memory.
As she makes her way back to the revolution, her journey takes her to Venice, where she learns a dangerous secret - one that could change the face of the war between humans and immortals. Before she can return to London, she must help the Domino Programme unravel the sinister Operation Ventriloquist.
And it soon becomes clear that the one person who could recover her memories - Arcturus Mesarthim - might also hold the key to saving Italy. 

- From Goodreads.

This was an incredibly thrilling new installment in The Bone Season series. I was very nervous but excited to find out what would happen next and it definitely did not let me down with all the action and unexpected reveals! There really were so many plot twists I did not expect, and answers that I had not predicted at all, but plenty happened that left a lot of questions to be answered for the last two books. I can't believe we're moving towards the end of the series but I am looking forward to seeing how the different threads wrap up!

The world-building was still brilliant in this book, it was exciting to see more of the world and learn what it was like outside Scion. Samantha Shannon is amazing at detail and really immersing you in the setting. It is still such a fascinating concept for a dystopian story and it's always fascinating to see what will happen with Scion next.

Samantha Shannon is also always brilliant at characters. Paige is still such a wonderful character to follow and it's always incredible how she has to face so many scary and terrible things and manages to be brave and keep going through it all. The rest of the Seven Seals are all very interesting characters too and it was exciting (and surprising) to be reunited with so many previously seen characters in this book when in the last book we got to meet a lot of new characters. Cade is a very fascinating character, even if he can be quite terrible! So I'm curious if we'll see any more of him. I think one of my favourites in the series is definitely Jaxon though, you can never quite tell what he's up to and what he has up his sleeve, but it's always fun trying to understand him and his motivations, even when Paige is furious with him!

There's so much to think about and theorise with this book, so it will certainly be on my mind until the next book comes out. I'm attached to a lot of the characters so of course I am anxious to see what will be in store for them, but I will be intrigued to have more answers for all the mysteries still unresolved! This really was another great book in a very epic and page-turning adventure and I am always impressed with how Samantha Shannon creates it all.

BOOKS | Review: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Name: Starling House

Author: Alix. E. Harrow

Publisher: Tor

Date published: October 2023 

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, horror, gothic

Pages: 308

Rating: 5/5

Nobody in the town of Eden, Kentucky is old enough to remember the building of Starling House, but the stories have been passed down through the generations like good china. The hairdresser says it was the beginning of Eden’s bad luck - the river water they can’t drink, the coal dust they can’t breathe, the cemetery that fills too fast.
Opal has spent her life collecting stories about the house. One night, she meets its reclusive heir, Arthur Starling, and receives an invitation she can't refuse. But there are secrets and stories buried beneath Starling House, clamoring to escape and wreak havoc on the town. And even they might not be the biggest threat...

- Goodreads.

This had a perfect sinister atmosphere, the setting really felt like a living, dangerous thing. The house was a character itself and I loved how you could feel its personality without it actually speaking and you could see why the characters became attached to it and it became attached to them.

The mystery was very intriguing and I was excited the whole way through to uncover all the answers and surprises. I thought it was very well written and everything was revealed in a compelling way.

Opal and Arthur were wonderful main characters, I loved them both pretty much immediately and really wanted a happy ending for both of them. Opal had been through so much and had to make some tough choices but she never gave up on her determination to look after her brother and I loved that she still managed to be fierce and passionate, despite what she was going through. Arthur had been through a lot too, and had lost hope in some ways, but was also still determined to do what he needed to do, no matter what he had to sacrifice himself, and he did everything he could for Opal, not wanting her to suffer. It was just perfectly done how they came to care for each other and wanted to help each other, and how being together made them realise they could want things for themselves and not just other people.

I adored the writing style, the voices of the characters really had distinct personalities and I loved the addition of footnotes and illustrations, it made the story even more immersive.

I would definitely recommend this if you like Holly Black and the way she creates stories that feel like modern dark fairy tales. I would also recommend if you like gothic fantasies about sentient houses and curses, like Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek.

BOOKS | Review: The High Lord by Trudi Canavan

Name: The High Lord (The Black Magician trilogy #3)

Author: Trudi Canavan 

Publisher: Orbit

Date published: Originally 2004, Illumicrate edition 2023

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, adventure

Pages: 647

Rating: 3/5

This review contains moderate spoilers.

In the city of Imardin, where those who wield magic wield power, a young street-girl, adopted by the Magician's Guild, finds herself at the centre of a terrible plot that may destroy the entire world...
Sonea has learned much at the magicians' guild and the other novices now treat her with a grudging respect. But she cannot forget what she witnessed in the High Lord's underground room - or his warning that the realm's ancient enemy is growing in power once more. As Sonea learns more, she begins to doubt her guildmaster's word. Could the truth really be as terrifying as Akkarin claims, or is he trying to trick her into assisting in some unspeakably dark scheme?

- From Goodreads.

The story was very exciting, I was not sure what was going to happen and just had to keep reading, I couldn't predict anything!

The scenes where they were hunting the enemy in the city and had to make their way through all the different areas, using the tunnels and hidden passageways was very fun and thrilling to read.

I was happy that we got more of Tayend and Dannyl together, but it was a little disappointing we did not get to see more of their developing relationship, or more moments of them together, to see their romantic moments.

I was left feeling dissatisfied by the ending, although the final showdown did have great drama to it, it could have felt a little more epic and I was not happy about the deaths at the end. Of course with it being fantasy and everyone in such danger, I did expect some death, and there were some deaths I could accept (although sadly of course since I was attached to and invested in a lot of the characters), there was one in particular I don't think was the right choice. It did not give a satisfying conclusion to the character's story arc and I felt like there had not been enough leading up to it. I also felt it was not a very satisfying ending for Sonya, who I really loved, I wanted more of how she was feeling and what she was going through at the end, and it felt strangely distanced from her in the last couple of chapters, given that she had been such an important main character throughout the series and we had seen a lot of the story through her thoughts and feelings previously. I am glad she got her wish of things becoming more equal in the city by the end and better treatment for the poorer classes, and a less elitist guild and university, but I think there could have been better ways to reach that ending.

I was excited and thrilled the whole time I was reading, there was some great action, and development in characters (I enjoyed learning more about Akkarin and his backstory and seeing how his and Sonea's relationship changed over time) but the end unfortunately didn't really have the impact and closure I was hoping for.

BOOKS | Review: The Novice by Trudi Canavan

Name: The Novice (The Black Magician trilogy #2)

Author: Trudi Canavan 

Publisher: Orbit

Date published: Originally 2004, Illumicrate edition 2023

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy, adventure

Pages: 581

Rating: 5/5

This review contains minor spoilers.

Imardin is a city of dark intrigues and deadly politics, where those who wield magic wield power. Into this established order has blundered a young street-girl with extraordinary magical gifts. Adopted by the Magicians' Guild, her life is changed forever - but for better or for worse?
Sonea knew that she'd face a tough time training within the Magicians' Guild but she little realised the level of animosity she would face from her fellow novices. The sons and daughters of the most powerful families in the realm, her classmates seem determined to see her fail - at whatever cost. But in accepting the protection of the guild's high lord, Sonea may have embraced an even bleaker fate. For High Lord Akkarin harbours a secret that is far darker than his magician's robes.

- Goodreads.

This book had a very exciting storyline, I got more and more invested as the story went on as the mysteries were all very intriguing and I found the last few chapters especially thrilling! I can't wait to read the next book and find out what happens.

The descriptions were all very well written, I could always picture each scene easily and what was happening in each one was clear. The descriptions of the scenery were always lovely, and especially interesting as we got to travel to different countries in this book through one of the perspectives and it was fun to see what the other places in the world were like and how they differed from the setting of the first book.

I was not sure I would enjoy both perspectives but I found both really compelling. Dannyl's travels and discoveries were fascinating to read about and I thought the way he discovered new things about himself and realised the effects of what had happened to him at the Guild in the past was all very well done and I really felt the emotions he was going through. I also really loved Tayend who he travelled with, he was such a sweet character and the relationship that slowly began to develop between them was wonderful. I hope we will seem more of them together in the next book.

Sonea's perspective was also interestig to read as she figured out how to navigate life in the guild and deal with the judgement from everone there, especially Regin who was well written to be absolutely awful! I definitely admired Sonea for taking everything that was done to her and learning to be stronger and not giving up. I am looking forward to seeing more of her journey in the third book.

The mysterious High Lord was also very compelling in this book and it was exciting to see more of him and learn a little bit more about him, and to see the mystery deepen as even more questions about him were raised. I will also be curious to see what the dynamic between him and Sonea is like in the next book and how it changes.

Obviously I really enjoyed this book and am very excited to continue onto the next one! I was nervous it might not live up to the first one and I might not love it as much, but it did not let me down and it was definitely just as good!