Review: Nightshade: An Enemies to Lovers, Dark Academic Romance (Sorrowsong University) by Autumn Woods

About the Book

*Book one of a duet*

When Ophelia Winters accepts a scholarship at a prestigious Scottish university to prove that her parents' death was the fault of Cain Green, an American aviation tycoon, her plan is simple. Keep her grades up and her head down; the last thing she wants is to wind up in a mafia war or step on the toes of royalty.

Her plan gets off to a rocky start when the mysterious man that almost kills her on her first day turns out to be Cain's eldest son. As far as she’s concerned, Alex Corbeau-Green is a younger version of his billionaire father. A monster hiding beneath a beautiful facade.

Loneliness has been Ophelia’s only dependable companion for years, but when anonymous threats and mysterious occurrences start to haunt her time at Sorrowsong, she wonders if she really can survive there on her own.

Between being paired together for a project and ending up as each other’s alibi for a murder, avoiding Alex becomes increasingly impossible. She begins to fall for the soft heart that hides beneath his hard exterior.

Tormented by a malicious stalker and growing closer to Alex, Ophelia’s desperation for revenge wavers for the first time. Can she really bring herself to pull the trigger on Cain now that she knows the family it’ll split into two?

__________

Dark Academic Romance - Hate to Love - Slow Burn - University Setting - Murder and Mystery

This work is dark in places and contains several triggers throughout. Please heed the warnings before reading.

Review

I must give credit when due, and Autumn Woods deserves high praise for how atmospheric this felt. Nightshade felt how a dark academic story should feel. It’s very clear that she took her time establishing Sorrowsong University and wanted it to be this dark and mysterious place. I give her all the kudos for that.

She also had a strong setup for the story. Ophelia’s parents are killed in a plane crash, and she’s determined to figure out what happened to them—so determined that she’s willing to attend a university that she promised she’d never attend and do dangerous snooping. I unfortunately was not as keen on Ophelia had I had hoped. I sympathized with her and wanted her to find justice for her parents; however, she felt a little boring. She does have a decent back and front with the MMC—Alex, who has a tragic backstory as well. Though, he didn’t click for me either.

Alex’s father heads the company that produced the planes that Ophelia’s parents tragically died in. When she meets him, she’s oblivious to who he is. That felt a little odd, concerning that he is a public person. Anyway, she quickly learned his true identity and tried to stay away from him. That can only can only go on for so long. I enjoyed the lead-up to their relationship more than them being in a relationship. The book started to drag once they did eventually get together.

Final Thoughts

Nightshade has pretty words and amazing descriptions; however, it losing its steam in the middle. It felt as if the book took a pause for the romance, and then everything felt rushed at the end.

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Review: Anathema by Keri Lake

About the Book

From the author of Nocticadia comes a spellbinding gothic dark fantasy about a shunned woman who is forced beyond the mortal realm's forbidden boundary, into a terrifying world of cursed souls and grotesque creatures.

Only the banished know what lies beyond the woods ...

There are whispers about what lurks in Witch Knell—the forest where sinners go to die. The villagers call it The Eating Woods because what’s taken is never given back. Only those who’ve lost their senses would dare to go near it.

Or the banished.

Maevyth Bronwick knows better than to breach the misty labyrinth of trees, but a tragic turn of events compels her beyond the archway of bones, to a boundary no mortal has crossed before. One that cloaks a dark and fantastical world that’s as dangerous as it is alluring.

It’s there that he dwells, the cursed lord of Eidolon. The one tasked to keep her hidden from the magehood that seeks to crucify her in the name of an arcane prophesy. Zevander Rydainn, known to his prey as The Scorpion, is the coldest, most calculated assassin in all of Aethyria and he’d sooner toss his feisty ward to a pack of vicious fyredrakes than keep her safe.

If only he could.

Maevyth’s blood is the key to breaking his despised curse and vanquishing the slumbering evil in Witch Knell. Unfortunately for Lord Rydainn, fate has other plans for the irresistible little enchantress. And his growing obsession with her threatens to destroy everything.

Including himself.

Anathema is a full-length, gothic dark fantasy, the first book in The Eating Woods duology. Perfect for readers who enjoy a plot-heavy and atmospheric story with a unique magic system, a slow-burn romance and a touch of horror.

Review

Anathema was my first fantasy of the year, and it was a solid four stars. It put me in the fantasy mood, and I’m locked in to read the next installment. Straight from the beginning, Lake managed to capture my attention. The plot is unique, thrilling, and well-thought-out.

As for the characters—wow. Maevyth was incredible. She’s such a kind, compassionate, strong, resilient individual who has been dealt with awful cards. In the beginning, the only person that she had was her sister—Aleysia. And she’ll do anything to make sure that she is safe. The romance is super slow-burn, and they don’t meet until almost the middle half of the book. Maevyth and Aleysia’s relationship made up for the lack of romance. Sibling bonds are a major theme within the book.

Zevander—the brooding and tortured MMC— and his siblings’ relationship was one of my favorites as well. His sister—Rykaia—was a breakout character, and I’d love for Lake to dive more into her psyche. Zevander and his siblings have such a tortured and heartrending past. His behaviors are heavily influenced by the tragically, and it’s clear that Rykaia is still coping with what happened.

As mentioned previously, this is a severely slow burn. Zevander and Maevyth cross paths by fate, and instantly notice that something is different about each other. There’s an immediate hatred for each other—which is completely understandable for how they met. They are forced to be in close contact with each other. It’s difficult for them both; however, neither gives up nor do they let the other one win. I enjoyed their back and front, and their eventual coupling.

Final Thoughts

Anathema was a thrilling fantasy that captured my attention from the first page. From the world-building to the lore to the romance, everything was so rich. There was never a second when I was bored. Lake did not waste a single page and kicked off the series with a bang.

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Review: Just Like That by Lena Hendrix

About the Book

He’s my sister’s ex, a stubborn jerk, and completely off-limits.

Getting a man to give up custody of a son he didn’t know existed should have been easy. Trouble is, nothing with JP King is ever easy.

Suave, grumpy billionaires aren’t supposed to have strong hands or filthy mouths, and I never expected our snippy banter to be so much fun.

JP regards me as something he scraped off the bottom of his dress shoe, but when this reluctant single dad looks at my nephew, there’s a softness there he struggles to keep hidden.

He may be gruff and uptight, but something simmers beneath his controlled, polished exterior. Sure, I’m wild and reckless, but when we’re forced together as guardians, everything changes.

His cold and calculated exterior melts into hushed conversations and lingering stares. The more we fight, the harder we fall.

I’m scatterbrained, unconventional, and everything he’s been missing. The closer we get, the less we understand why we were ever at odds.

. . . until just like that our lives are turned upside down.

Review

Was it intelligent to continue The Kings series after it depended heavily on lore from the previous series and books? Probably not, however, I had unsupported confidence that I was going to enjoy this story. Out of the incredibly huge cast of characters, JP seemed interesting to me, and I was intrigued to see where his story went.

The gist of the story is that Hazel is now the guardian of her nephew after her sister passed away months prior. They arrive in Outtatowner in search of JP, who Hazel’s sister revealed in a letter is her son’s father. JP is completely blindsided by the revelation that he has a son, and at first denies the allegation. He’s dealing with the outcome of what happened last book and trying to save the family business. However, after spending time with Hazel and Teddy, he quickly grows to love and accept them in his life.

JP is very cold and buttoned up whereas Hazel is free-spirited. It’s an opposite attracts situation that is mostly done well. Their relationship progresses quickly. And funny enough they never have a conversation about them being together with Teddy, they just are and he accepts it. Anyway, they build a nice foundation of trust.  JP begins to open up more and not work at much. And Hazel, well, deep sigh. Once again, there is no issue with how Hendrix writes her female main characters. Hazel feels like a supporting character in the King’s story. She isn’t sidelined by the mystery unlike with Veda from Just Between Us, she just doesn’t get much that doesn’t involve the romance. She loves traveling, her nephew, and is a social media influencer.  She lost her sister, but the story doesn’t give us anything else. Readers deserve to know Hazel on a deeper level. I have so many unanswered questions. What happened with her social media career? What about her being a carrier for the ovarian cancer gene (the type of cancer that killed her sister)? What about the bus?

Truthfully, I’ll say that Hendrix found a good balance between the mystery and the story with this one. For the majority of the most, I was interested in the mystery and ready to learn other Kings' family secrets. Oh boy, was I naïve. At the eighty-five percent mark, the story took a turn for the worse. The author threw in an unredeemable twist that felt like a slap in my face. It once again proved that Hendrix does not favor her female characters.

Sidenote: I do wish that there was a character list at the start of the book that told the birthing order of the siblings and who is married to who. It’s exhausting trying to keep up with so many characters, and a reference sheet would have alleviated some of that exhaustion.

Final Thoughts

After reading, Just Like That, I can end my journey of trying to enjoy this series. I do not believe it is for me. Plot-wise—it did not allow for the emotional impact of the story to settle. It felt rushed, and character development was lost along the way. There is no denying that Hendrix can write a mostly entertaining romance. Although JP and Hazel were not the best couple, they did have several highlights that I did enjoy. It is a misfortune that the author continues to sideline her female main characters and jeopardize another to fulfill an unexciting and annoying plot twist. For a story littered with so many characters and mysteries, a last-minute plot twist was not necessary. I found myself asking who asked for this and left me wondering what it added to the story. I kept coming up with blanks. Not everything needs to be surrounded by mystery. The author had cleaned up the mystery better in this one as opposed to the last, and I’m sure there was some other direction that could have been taken to conclude this one. The author had explored that route before the twist had happened, and in the context of this world, it worked. Finally, the “villain’s” story ends in the most anti-climactic way and causes the main resolution to feel cheap and lazy.  

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Review: Beyond the Bell by Ana Kirk Shaw

About the Book

My boss is the stiff, surly, suited city bureaucrat… and I’m the new teacher of his nightmares.

I’m desperate for a fresh start at a new school. Lucky for me, Oliver Flores, the infuriatingly hot principal of PS 2, is desperate for a new teacher.

He’s forced to hire the Sweaty Albeit Beautiful Trash Siren he found amongst the dumpsters (I had a morning, okay?). I’m forced to take the job.

He’s all label makers and lists. I’m all creativity and chaos.

He needs to loosen up. I need to tighten up.

He demands control. I need freedom.

For right now, I have no choice but to follow my boss’s every explicit directive and not make any waves. No drama llamas. Because he needs his promotion. And I need to keep this job.

But what happens when Mr. Flores’s orders go from “send me your lesson plans” to “see me after school”? What happens when they go from “take it out” to “let me in”?

For the sake of both of our jobs, we’ll need to keep this a secret. It’s a terrible idea…

…but I might just love it when Oliver orders me around.

Review

Beyond the Bell was a strong debut by Ana Kirk Shaw. I’m excited to see how this story goes. The author kept her word that this was similar to ABC’s Abbott Elementary and did her spin on it. I’m confident that any fan of the award-winning television series would enjoy this story. There’s a strong cast of supporting characters. She gives them a decent amount of screen time, and I’m sure as the story progresses, they will be given more.

While reading, it was very clear that Ana is a teacher. That specifically bled through with the characterization of Georgia and her internal dialogue and how she reacted to things. She had such a deep love for what was right and a strong commitment to her students. I loved that about her. Yes, she tended to be a little chaotic. Towards the middle of the book, Oliver comments that Georgia’s chaotic creativity went well with his organization. I read that sentence and found that a perfect way to describe Oliver and Georgia, and their relationship. Their relationship was an A plus.

Final Thoughts

Beyond the Bell was a great start to the Lessons in Love series. Ana Kirk Shaw captured an amazing romance in an educational setting that was not only entertaining but also heartfelt.

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Review: Just Between Us by Lena Hendrix

About the Book

Royal King is pure mischief wrapped in a cocky smirk and a heated stare.

Five minutes in his small town and I knew he was going to be nothing but trouble. He’s an arrogant, tattooed playboy with a secret, and I’m the woman tasked with quietly cleaning up his family’s mess.

I never dreamed he could be the mysterious stranger behind my hidden, late-night messages.

It doesn’t matter what he says or how hard he tries to get under my skin. I won’t break. Not for him. Not for anyone. But when our secrets are exposed, all bets are off.

He knows the rules—just a little fun exploration. Nothing more. But one lesson leads to another . . . and another . . . and soon I realize that he’s set out to break every rule I’ve ever put into place.

I refuse to find myself melting under his gaze or swooning at the way he makes the noise around us quieter.

I can handle men like him.

Everything will be fine as long as we can keep this just between us.

Review

There were some good things about Just Between Us that I thoroughly enjoyed. Royal King quickly became a standout for me, and I adore him. He was a top-tier MMC, and I appreciated that the author gave him layers. He wasn’t just the golden retriever to Veda’s black cat. Unfortunately, the author loses a bit of credit when it comes to Veda. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed her. She had some great moments within the story. However, her character is overshadowed by the mystery.

I had read two books within Lena Hendrix’s The Sullivan Family series which is interconnected into this one. I knew of the feud between the Sullivan and King family, and from the book that I had read, I knew that it was going to be resolved. I had not read the first two books within this series and was taken about the mystery of Royal’s mom. That mystery was heavy plot-wise within this story. I was intrigued by it; however, I think Veda took a backseat. There were hints about her childhood and life before coming to the town that should have been explored more.

Final Thoughts

Veda and Royal were a great couple. They had some amazing moments; however, there was not enough of them. Their relationship and Veda were sacrificed because of the mystery. There was a lot going on. Although the mystery was intriguing, since I had not read all the books, I would have preferred it to overshadow the main characters. If I had fully completed both series, I might have enjoyed this one more and enjoyed the large supporting characters.

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Review: Dead Rinker by Ruth Stilling

About the Book

She can’t stand me.

She also thinks she’s got me all worked out.

My Princess is determined to stay as far away from me as possible. Eighteen months ago, she wanted me, but now she’s convinced I’m bad news.

The thing is, an attraction like ours doesn’t just fade, and my need for her has only grown stronger no matter how many times she offers me a scowl instead of her beautiful smile.

We’ve been playing a game of cat and mouse since the day she wore my jersey, and fortunately for her, I love the chase. I love to watch the way her body reacts to mine. I’d fall to my knees in front of her if I didn’t think she’d kick me while I’m down and unearth painful memories from my past that I’ve worked to keep hidden for so long.

I’m not the only one with secrets and a hurtful past, though. The walls she’s built around her are so high that I doubt anyone can see the real Kate. But I can; I see it all. I know what makes my girl tick and what she truly wants from life. I was just waiting for a chance to prove it.

And now that it’s here, I’m going all in to make Kate Violet Monroe fall in love with me.

Review

Dead Rinker was my first book of the year, and unfortunately, it wasn’t a pleasant experience that I had hoped it would be.

Kate and JJ could have been together earlier; however, miscommunication kept them apart for over a year, and that miscommunication caused them to hate one another. It doesn’t help that they are in the same friend group and are required to be in the same space often. This forces them to learn to tolerate each other, and of course, since this is a romance book, that becomes something more.

Their romance didn’t personally do anything for me. The entire book catered to JJ, and Kate wasn’t treated fairly. Most decisions were made for her—something that she had struggled with in the past because of her abusive parents. JJ pressured her into a relationship, and she wasn’t given any options regarding her pregnancy. It appeared like she was required to have this baby. She wasn’t presented with options, and the author didn’t allow a moment for the main character to gather her feelings about the situation especially when readers are told that she never wanted kids. Her doctor even knew she did not want kids. Lastly, I would have loved some explanation for why JJ called her Princess because that seemed random.  

Final Thoughts

I’ll probably forget that I had read this in a month or two. As of right now, this book left me feeling upset regarding the treatment of the FMC.

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