 4 stars
Love, Rekindled: A Second-Chance Romance Collection by the 1001 Dark Nights is out now—and it's worth a read. In this romance novella collection are five different stories from some of the best authors in the game, all dealing with one of my absolute FAVORITE tropes: second-chance romance. Most of them are with characters familiar to those authors' readers from their established worlds and etc., which is extra fun if you're interested in either revisiting your author's favorite worlds OR you'd like to try your hand at a new-to-you author. (I know that stuff above is very market-y, but truly I think collections like this are a great soft sell for authors to meet new readers—it's how I get introduced to new series, because a novella is a lot less stakes than an entire novel!) In this collection: Slayed by Darkness by Alexandra Ivy Evermore by Corinne Michaels The Close-up by Kennedy Ryan Rafe by Sawyer Bennett Rough Rhythm by Tessa Bailey I requested Love, Rekindled because I am a huge fan of both Kennedy Ryan and Tessa Bailey. So let's be real, most of my thoughts here are for those two novellas in particular because I DID run right to their stories first (listen, we all do it!). Kennedy Ryan's second-chance romance with Takira and Naz had my heart, y'all, with its sweet high-school flame start and its steamy adult ending. These characters exist in a cross-section of Ryan's basketball players universe and her Reel universe, so I loved all of the references and to see these characters get their sweet happy ending. Tessa Bailey's romance was, like all Bailey stories, SMOKIN' hot. I honestly don't want to talk about this one too much because I had the best time going into it blind, but here's a little teaser quote to get you interested... "If another man called you his plaything, Lita, I would gut him." (Tell me you don't want to read that!!) As someone who hasn't read any of Alexandra Ivy, Corinne Michaels, or Sawyer Bennett before—and all of their worlds were new to me—I'll confess that I enjoyed them but don't have too much to say specifically about their individual stories. I did get intrigued though by their worlds, so those three authors have joined my growing TBR pile to try out their series soon! Thank you so much to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
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 2 stars
What the actual heck was this. I liked it enough to finish reading it—hence the 2 stars and not a 1 star rating—but it was lowkey a mess. The Courting of Bristol Yeats is a hotly anticipated romantic fantasy release that received a TON of hype this year. It has it all right there in the pitch: a beloved YA author writes an adult romantic portal fantasy involving hot fae, intriguing portal door magic, and an approachable female main character. That flytrap of a pitch caught me, and caught me GOOD. I eat those kinds of stories UP. It's been several weeks since I've read this novel, so let's ignore the stereotypical "here's what this book is about" portion of the review because listen, the blurb is right there in the book's description and the details are already fuzzing for me so we're better off getting right to the point. I have no gentle way of saying this, so pardon my bluntness but... Was this novel edited or peer reviewed? Was it written on such a tight deadline that it didn't receive a logic pass? I know, super harsh. But I'm sorry... this book honestly made such little sense that I questioned whether I was even reading the novel properly or not, or if it was a me problem. (Let's be honest, call me out if it's a me problem.) It started out very strong. I liked Bristol, I enjoyed the story setup, and the logic flow from chapter to chapter made sense and felt like the dozens of novels in its type that I've read and loved before. But then, we got into the main plot arc. Without going into explicit spoilers, I can't really footnote these opinions properly, but in summary here's what kind of issues I had with this novel: 1. The "action" of this story happened almost exclusively off-page. As in, there WAS exciting, action-driven content happening in this world. But it seemed to happen in-between our chapters? And was almost always recapped via description and dialogue after the fact. 2. Because the majority of the action was off-page, this meant that 80% of this novel felt like filler / montage content that seemed to go nowhere and exist purely for the vibes. Bristol feeling things, Tyghan (the fae king love interest) feeling things, people talking about things, etc. It was a frustrating edging experience where I WANTED us to DO things and instead we lived in the micro-scenes of minutiae in between content. 3. The timeline of this novel... was not fact-checked. I'm not a detailed reader, this kind of thing usually doesn't even make my radar. But Bristol enters the faerie world and is essentially given a 3-month timeline, and that timeline is VERY important to the plot. But then we get recap moments that explain "days are passing" over and over and over again and the math... doesn't math. There aren't that many weeks inside of 3 months, no matter how you slice it (and there's no time-y stuff happening, this is a linear timeline). Some of the chapters illuminate that WEEKS are passing off page, and on the page it's many days passing... so much time flowing by without us actually experiencing much more than dialogue and internal musings, and again, it's all supposedly within a 3-month window? I'm calling B.S., it was so distracting that I found myself irritatedly tallying timelines while reading. 4. The love story had some logic-based issues. Mainly, that it was trying for a slow burn... and it was succeeding... but then a moment happens and WHAM BAM!!! All the sudden our well-done romantasy slow burn novel turned into the epitome of instalove and it honestly ruined the characterizations of both main characters in different ways. I truly, truly can't express how dramatic that shift was—and how QUICK it happened—on the page. Follow that shift with a kind of squicky/Oedipal flashback sequence right after it and it truly gave this novel a "Before the Incident" and "After the Incident" energy that I did not appreciate at all. 5. And then, beyond all of this, we also had more than 8 different POVs throughout this 500 page novel, but their inclusions to the story didn't enhance the narrative at all—it just muddied the already muddy waters. 80% of this novel was a relatively even split-POV between the two leads, Bristol and Tyghan. But then we continued to have these interjections of POVs that all felt like the same voice, but were dramatically different people, and all of them gave us more plot details that were told to us, not shown to us, in increasingly irritating ways that seemed like narrative cop-outs to action scenes that should have occurred with Bristol herself. 6. My last and final quibble, in this rant review to end all rant reviews, is the fact that ending of this fantasy novel is literally insane. The last 10% worked like many novels in this romantasy category. So many reveals! So many twists! Much drama! Angst! The need for an Intense Romantic Climax! And all that was fine, it was actually kind of interesting for me, which was a new feeling after 300 pages of confusing irritation. But then...the last 3 pages? Was actually unhinged and so out-of-pocket for both this novel's scenario AND for honestly any novel, ever. I can truly say that's not something I've ever considered to be "cliffhanger appropriate". I closed the novel and immediately said "wtf" over and over again, so take of that what you will. (Nothing against the WHAT of what happened, but the WHY and WHEN was insane.) Anyways, if you made it this far, we're besties now because this is essentially a transcript of the phone call rant I made to my friends after finishing this. My recommendation is: try other novels instead unless you're really, REALLY interested in this story/author and the above issues don't bother you.  3.5 stars
I love visiting Kristen Ashley Land. It's a special place where the people have heart, good times are had, romance is king, and drama fuels the fun. This second romp in the Avenging Angels universe was no exception! Please stop HERE if you have not read the first book in the series, Avenging Angel. This series of interconnected standalones is best read in order. My review of Avenging Angels here. Back in the Saddle is the second story in this spinoff series from Kristen Ashley's popular Rock Chick books—which are some of my favorite romance books EVER, I highly recommend them if you're into highly dramatic, very over-the-top stories. This series takes place in Phoenix, and the main narrative hook is a Charlie's Angels concept of younger women in their thirties who right the world's wrongs while having a good time and falling in love with hot men. What's not to like?? Truly, the vibes of this series are fantastic. As someone who rereads at least two Rock Chick books every single year, my expectations for this second-generation spin-off series were through the roof. And they delivered! Avenging Angels was the romance of Raye and Cap, and it was precious. Drama, hijinks, the whole nine yards. Now we're here, with Back in the Saddle, and it's Jessie and Eric's story. Eric Turner had his introduction in the Rock Chick books—a former FBI agent who left the scene because his partner betrayed him by being a crook, Eric's had a rough go. Add in some personal life drama and he's been ready for his happily ever after for QUITE some time. Enter Jessie Wylde, the Avenging Angel who is a mixologist by day, and worried older sister by night. She's looking for her brother as he struggles with his mental illness and is on the run, and she's desperate to find him. Eric's been about Jessie since he saw her months ago, so when she needs the backup, he wades in and makes his intentions knownnnn. It's time for another adventure in KA Land... Strap in! Okay, so on to the good stuff: This installment gave me all the warm fuzzy favorites that I associate with Kristen Ashley books. Namely, that we're here for a good time and not for a literary deep dive. I say "Kristen Ashley Land" when I talk about her books because it's like Disneyland—it has its own ecosystem with its own mannerisms, rules, sense of time/place, and culture. These books don't feel current or even grounded in our universe—they're grounded in location (here, it's Phoenix) but the time period feels like its own bubble of the past and present together and the characters all act in a very particular way that doesn't feel like Reality but isn't necessarily a fantasy. It's a vibe, and I know it's a very particular one that clashes with more people than it meshes with. I'm a mesher, but you reading this might be a clasher (and that's okay). KA isn't for everyone. That being said—being in the zone in a KA book is an endorphin high like little others I've experienced in books. So I was flying high on my drug of choice once more: these stories. Eric and Jessie were very emotionally stable and wonderful characters to follow and I enjoyed their sweet romance very much. Maybe some less good stuff: Okay. So it pains me to admit this, but Back in the Saddle was not my most favorite book in the KA universe. But hold up, because I know sometimes a 3.5 star rating is seen negatively by a lot of people and I don't mean to knock this book down at ALL. It's just, we wanted different things here. I'm a person who needsssss that angst. That drama. That I-don't-know-how-they'll-make-it-past-that-hang-up push and pull in romance. That oh-baby level of steam based on extenuating circumstances and tropes like forced proximity and instant attraction fueled with angsty vibes. And Jessie and Eric's story? Was all fluff. They didn't have drama, because they were reasonable adults who loved each other and communicated. Different strokes for different folks, I know, but for me? I wanted Eric and Jessie to go through it before their happily ever after and they didn't. Couple the lack of relationship drama with a serious lack in DRAMA drama (again, reasonable adults with reasonable boundaries means everyone was too on the same page for us to get TO the drama stage) means that I was craving a drama fix that I didn't necessarily get. However, all of my quibbles here are because I'm a drama-loving, extremely over-the-top romance reader. So my fellow readers, if you like something softer and more emotionally balanced, take those signs as a positive! Regardless, I am LOCKED IN to the concepts that were teased in this book for a future Harlow story and a future Luna story. Those seem... dramatic...!!! Many thanks to the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review.  4 stars
A bit long, but what a tale. Enter the woods, dark and deep, but watch out for the one who lurks in the shadows... And make sure the beacons are always lit. Don't go into Mockbeggar woods, they say. There's something in there that's not quite right. On the outskirts of a small English town, the Gonne family has stood apart for generations. The Gonnes keep odd customs and they take care of the abandoned Small Angels church down the road. They light beacons every night on the four corners of their property. And they hold vigil over the Mockbeggar woods. Lucia Gonne grew up as the youngest of four sisters on the Gonne family farm at the edge of the woods. The woods call to her in strange ways, and she finds herself constantly in trouble with her family as she breaks and bends their strict rules. Lucia doesn't understand what all the fuss is about—the woods like her, she's one of them, and her friend in the trees understands her when no one else does. Decades later, Chloe is preparing for her upcoming wedding at Small Angels, the abandoned church in her fiance's small English town. Everyone is shocked that she's getting married on that property, but no one will quite tell her why. No one meets her gaze, no one wants to talk about it, and when Chloe starts her wedding preparations at Small Angels, she feels something...off. As Lucia's timeline entwines with Chloe's, the tale of Mockbeggar woods and its secrets come into the light. For the first time, the townspeople and the Gonne family will need to talk about the secrets they've held for decades--and realize that the thing they thought had ended forever one fateful night might just be awakening again. What a glorious gothic tale for the fall season. I read this curled up in a blanket with a warm cup of tea, and that's my official recommendation for new readers. This book screams to be read in the autumn. Small Angels is a modern take on the ghost story, and one of those speculative, almost gothic tales that bridge the gap between mystery, horror, speculative, and literary. It's a multi-layered cake best left viewed as a whole and not quartered down into genre parts. I love these kinds of stories. I thought Small Angels was fabulous. My only critique is that it was too long—maybe not by much, but enough that I definitely had a hard time both getting into the story and maintaining my momentum in the middle portion. A tighter introduction with a streamlined middle would have easily catapulted this tale from a 4 star recommendation to a 5 star favorite novel without losing any of the punchy portions that made this story sing. In particular, I thought the storytelling element was superb. Telling ghost tales and fairytales around a fireplace, whispering about past legends... that kind of atmosphere is what Small Angels is about. And it nails this energy. It's one of those storylines that feels like its own tale from the fireside, fleshed out into a full novel with side characters and modern-day quests. Come for the small town, creepy elements. Stay for the storytelling core and the sense of triumph over evil.  4.5 stars
What a neat concept for a horror (speculative?) novel centered on the deep, dark woods. Come for the split-timeline horror pitch—stay for the creeping tension and seriously trippy finale. Concept: ★★★★★ Pacing: ★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★ The Dark Between the Trees is a novel I've put off reading for quite a long time. I'm not completely sure why, but the core idea is that I thought I knew what this novel was about. Let's clear that assumption right away: I did not. This is one of those nebulous stories that sounds really vague and predictable from the synopsis. A group of people disappeared into a supposedly haunted woods in the long-ago past. Today, a group of people head into that same woods to see if they can discover what happened to that lost group. Dun dun dun, it's about to get dark real fast. (And we don't think that present-day timeline group of people are going to have a good time.) On the surface, that IS what this novel is about. Two timelines, two groups of people, two ventures into the deep dark with unexpected trials awaiting them. But let me be both vague and yet, hopefully, more interesting—this novel takes us to some interesting places. I found myself captivated by the tension and anxiously eager to see where this plot was heading. It's a taut, bare-bones plot with a great sense of ominous atmosphere. And its ending is truly quite cool—can't say it's something I've read before and it's very unique in its particular level of execution (or at least, it was new to this reader). Is it a mystery/thriller? A horror novel? An unexpectedly speculative/magical adventure? All of the above? ...Yes and no. This hybrid beast is all of the above, and I think that's partially why the ratings for The Dark Between the Trees are so lukewarm. It's not enough of a mystery, not enough of a horror, not enough of a resolution. It just is. It's a lingering, half-formed, folkloric kind of thing. If you like weird little tales of the dark woods, check this one out with an open mind. It's pretty cool.  4 stars
It’s always a good day when I read a new KA book! Two friends who have orbited around each other for decades finally break the seal on the tension—will their friendship and romance remain, or will they burn up in the launch? Characters: ★★★★ Plot: ★★★ Pacing: ★★★★ Writing style: It's a KA book, so keep this in mind as her writing style is Very Dramatic and you either love it or hate it. (I love it!) Embracing the Change is the 6th book in the River Rain series, and unlike the 5th book, Fighting the Pull, this one is definitely a series continuation and should NOT be read as a standalone. Nora Ellington is a New York socialite enjoying her life as a divorcee with her adult children orbiting around her and her wonderful friend/family group filling her life with fun and drama. Her life is full, and she is happy. Part of the reason Nora's life is both of those things is Jamie Oakley. Jamie Oakley is a billionaire who's been happily married twice before and had both of those marriages end in tragedy. He's comforted his pain with his adult children, their successes, and the fact that his friend/family group is rich in love. He's happy, his life is full, and he's comfortable. Part of the reason Jamie's life is all of those things is Nora Ellington. Everyone in the River Rain family/friends dynamic knows about Jamie and Nora. They've been best friends and dating-without-dating for years. Their lives orbit each other and they're happiest when they're together. But neither one of them will break that final seal—you can't put the jack back in the box, after all, and both of them are too scared of losing what they have to try for something more. So they wind and wind that jack in the box tighter. And tighter. But then Jamie kisses Nora. PING, goes the jack in the box. Now Jamie and Nora have to deal with decades of history, deep-seated love, and reconciling with both of their problems before their foundations crumble under the strain of the "will they, won't they" cascading down around them. Ahhhhhh, it's ALWAYS good to be back in the saddle with a KA romance. These novels have something addictive in them, folks, and long-time mutuals of mine know that I can't be stopped—if it's KA, I'm there, and I'm not leaving until I've devoured it all (and likely more than once). The River Rain series is one that I was late to the party for, which I know is shocking based on what I just said. But I missed it when it was first released—I'd been making my way through KA's backlist and knew I'd get to this series eventually. Now I'm here, albeit with half of the playbook as I started with Fighting the Pull, and I'm having such an emotional time. This series is different for her and yet exactly the same. The main difference is the sheer depth of the family/friend dynamics—this isn't like the Rock Chicks with one continuous line of friends getting their moment in the sun. This series is an entire blended family of multiple generations, friends, family, and others all mushing together into each book for a myriad of different set ups. It's dense! Which makes it kind of complicated, if I'm honest, and very hard for a newer reader to get into it and have a good time without making a detailed map of the family/friend tree. However, the core of this story is the same as all KA--the romance is top-tier, the love is strong, and the sense of community and family prevailing over all gives me the warm fuzzies, every time. Nora and Jamie's story has some bumps in the road. But not too many, and it's not that hard of a journey. They're adults, after all, and they don't have time for each other's B.S.! (A take that I loved and hated, as a person who lovesss her angst but agrees that sometimes it's not needed.) Don't miss this latest installment. And if you're new to River Rain, start at the beginning with After the Climb!  4.5 stars
It feels so surreal to be talking about this third and final book in the one-of-a-kind Frozen Fate trilogy. These characters and this truly bonkers/dark/wonderful/epic storyline have held me in a GRIP all year! And we're finally here... at the end. Do NOT continue reading this unless you've read the first two books in this trilogy or are okay with lots of spoilers for the previous books. It's literally impossible to discuss anything without spoiling massive cliffhangers in books 1 & 2. Consider this your warning!! Curious about this series? Check out my reviews... My review of Hills of Shivers and Shadows. My review of Cage of Ice and Echoes. Okay, the newbies gone? Let's dive in. Heart of Frost and Scars starts exactly where the previous book left off--Frankie, our survivor and main female protagonist, has escaped the hellscape of HOSS with her lovers, Kodiak and Leo, and all three of them have been forcibly reunited with Frankie's husband, Monty, who has been on a rampage looking for his missing wife. They've been through fresh hells, all four of them, and now it's time to assess their next move(s). Denver, Frankie's abductor and Kodiak and Leo's abuser, is dead courtesy of Frankie. But Denver's legacy lives on... At the end of book two, we discovered that there's another person out there stalking Frankie and willing to do depraved things to have her. In typical Denver fashion, this posthumous information is delivered with much drama and no answers, leaving Monty, Kodiak, Leo, and Frankie all in the lurch and afraid of an unseen target. So naturally, they all move to Monty's heavily fortified and secured island. Yes, you heard that right—Frankie, her two new lovers Kodiak and Leo, and Frankie's husband, Monty, all in one unhappy pile on Monty's property. What could go wrong?? Oh, and did I mention that the Strakh men all recently discovered that they're all related?? Yes, so we've got Monty, Frankie's husband and Leo's uncle / Kodiak's half-brother. Kodiak discovers that while he's the same age as Leo, he's actually Leo's uncle as he was fathered by Rurik Strakh—Denver and Monty's father. And Denver was Leo's father. Making Monty Leo's uncle. (And they're all in love with Frankie. And they're all traumatized beyond belief but unwilling to remove themselves from the ring of Frankie's suitors.) Listen, I told people in my very first review of this series that this was a Credence for another, darker audience. And I meant it. And that's it, that's the setup—the rest is what this third novel is about, and it's best to go into it blind for best effect. My general, non-spoiler thoughts for Heart of Frost and Scars are.... 1. Pam Godwin is a masterclass in angsty, real-world, painful scenarios. She takes these characters to the very brink of reality and then gives them impossible choices. As a reader who's been around the block, I find this level of adrenaline-soaked decision making to be very...fresh. We go there, folks, and we confront the worst corners with eyes wide open. It's dark, it's extremely trigger-filled—but it's raw. There's an intensity to this writing and these concepts that I appreciate. 2. That arc of incorporating Frankie's husband into this new dynamic??? So rich. Rich with tension, angst, drama, and healing. Monty's a possessive bastard who had a monogamous marriage until a shattering abduction and now... there's other men? and they're newly discovered relatives? His raw reactions to that setup were fascinating to me and, honestly, my favorite part of this particular installment. 3. This entire series hinges on secrets and surprises, with the stakes rising with each chapter. With that, I was nervous for this third book. Would the final pay-off be worth it? Would the romance(s) break apart or mesh? How could we resolve this extreme plot? Without getting into spoilers, I think it did and it didn't. Did I love reading it? Yes. Was it a great story? Yes. Did I feel... fully satisfied, fully complete with the arcs, pacing, final reveal, and time spent with the build up? ...Not completely. But similarly to the first book, I wonder if this one needs to be sat on for some time before fully actualizing into a favorite read. Don't get me wrong—I still loved it. But there were some threads, some arcs, and some pacing moments that I didn't completely love. Truly, one of the most unique and interesting romance series currently on the market. All the kudos to Pam for making this a reality—and I am SO looking forward to more. Dun dun dun...!  5 stars
Obsessed with this. There is nothing I love more than a hybrid-genre, convoluted, and dramatic mess mixed with the occult and dark academia. Evocation is a dash of polyamory, a dash of messy rich people, a heavy dusting of the occult, a moderate dumping of modern-day Boston, and a clash of speculative mixed with academia mixed with paranormal fantasy vibes. Concept: ★★★ Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★★ Vibes: ★★★★★ As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, he is content as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society. But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered. Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good… This book has oddly low ratings, considering it's a new favorite read for me. I think it's a mix of a few issues. The first and largest one being that this novel is not too much of any one thing. The dark academia folks coming from The Secret History aren't finding enough literary descent into madness. The occult baddies are not finding enough buzzwords and practical plot developments to make this feel like a dark tapestry of occult happenings. And the people who like strictly fantasy, or horror, or speculative, are confronted with this hybridized version of all three concepts wrapped up in a package that feels very... contemporary fiction vibes with its modern-day dramas and emotional politics between late 20-somethings in Boston. I like it all, folks, so this series opener was a smash hit for me. The exes drama? On point. The slow-build poly negotiations? Exquisite. The culture clash of old-world occult with talk of cell phones and Boston apartment costs? I love that duality. Evocation will be a slow-burn hit for those who like to read a little bit of everything. I hope it finds its audience, as I NEED the author to keep going and write us more about these characters and their world. I'm obsessed. Very much looking forward to where ST Gibson takes us with this series, especially as we move beyond the opening act of relationship-dynamic excavation and move on to the good stuff in the demonic plot and the (hopefully) good ending for all of our favs on the page.  5 stars
A new favorite book!! Like a continued conversation of C.S. Lewis' Narnia but with some much-needed modern updates and encapsulating the most important bit: the joy of portal fantasy. Concept: ★★★★ Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★ Plot: ★★★★ As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived. Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy. Sometimes, there are stories that come out of nowhere and knock you back on your feet in pure joy. The Lost Story was one of those tales for me. I went into this novel with little to no expectations—it was my Book of the Month book club pick, and seemed like the best of the lot in a lackluster selection pool. So it was to my pleasant surprise that I found myself captivated by this fairytale of childhood escapades colliding with adult dreams. If you were a Narnia kid, you've got to give this novel a try. (And, if you weren't a Narnia person for the religious reasons, rest assured that this story is a safe space for you too as religion is not a factor in this remake.) The Lost Story is about two adult men coming together again after decades of separation and separate grief periods following a mysterious lost period of their childhood. It's also about an adult woman looking for her long-lost sister, who she never knew but has always mourned. And it's about "finding" in all of its forms. Finding your way, finding love, finding home, finding what was once lost. Like all the best fairytales, this story isn't that deep yet hits all of the deep notes. We're not excavating Christianity like C.S. Lewis, and we're not trying to take any moral stance on anything. But we are coming to the meaning of love, and acceptance, and overcoming childhood traumas to discover inner peace. I think it's best to go into this novel with little more than that as preparation—part of the magic is in the joy of experiencing this story for what it is. However, please note there are some trigger warnings: childhood abuse, parental abuse of father to child (not sexual), trauma from those experiences affecting the child as an adult, confronting your abuser, homophobia.  4.5 stars
Honestly, this is a huge growth leap for Hazelwood emotionally and narratively. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am reinvigorated from my Reylo fatigue and excited for future Hazelwood books. Concept: not a silly rom-com Plot/Pacing: ★★★★ 1/2 Romance: ★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★★ Kind of bummed to see the lower reviews for this story, not gonna lie folks. I thought this was Hazelwood's strongest emotional narrative that she's traditionally published and marks a new turning point for her writing. The niche that Hazelwood has comfortably inhabited for several years now is an expected one: she was a Reylo fanfiction writer (Star Wars fandom, Kylo Ren + Rey) who seriously loved Adam Driver and wrote funny / witty romantic comedies starring an Adam Driver-variant hulking dude with brooding silent issues falling in love with a tiny anxious girlie in STEM. The blueprint worked, the books are hilarious, and it made her a romance reader household name. Not in Love is a departure from this blueprint. (I found this tidbit extremely exciting.) It's still a woman in STEM, and it's still a tall dude. But here are the differences: physically, they're actually unique people and the woman is normal proportions and quite tall (stated as 6 feet tall in moderate heels). The male love interest is not silent or broody—he's driven, communicative, and the emotionally mature pilot of this romance. And most important to me, this narrative is emotionally complex and extremely nuanced. Rue, our female protagonist, has some pretty serious childhood trauma that has affected her to this day. She's also very clearly spectrum-coded, or at least to me. With her trauma and her autistic aloofness cocooning her in a blanket of perceived coldness, Rue's had an interesting go of relationships all her life. She has rules, she follows them, and the only true constants in her life are her best friend and her boss. Eli is a confident businessman who owns a company with his friends. They're in investments, they buy out other companies and make them succeed under their leadership. When his company acquires Rue's STEM corporate company in a gentle takeover, Eli is taken aback to realize that Rue, the woman he'd just met the night before in a failed hook-up, is one of his new employees. He's shook, as the brief contact with her the night before was electric and he was hoping to pursue it. But now it's complicated. Eli and Rue are quick to discover that their chemistry cannot be denied—no matter the stakes. And as the two of them spiral deeper and deeper into obsession, they realize that their pasts are each others for the discovery...if only they can get over their hang-ups to reach for it. Not in Love is, well, NOT a rom-com. It's a catharsis. Something that will either deeply resonate with you or deeply turn you off, depending on your personal triggers and your ability to step into the shoes of these two flawed characters. Rue's autistic-coded aloofness reads as extremely cold, and she's blatantly unapologetic about it in a way that I can see being off-putting to prior Hazelwood readers looking for the "cute quirky" variant of the spectrum girlie. And Eli's brand of sexual obsession and soft dominance is also a little different from the previous Hazelwood leads, in a way I personally found refreshing but others might not. Given this departure from Hazelwood's comfort zones, I'm very excited to see where she goes next. Don't sleep on this one if you're looking for a deeper emotional read! |
Amy Imogene ReadsJust someone looking for her own door into Wonderland. Categories
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January 2025
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All reviews posted are my own and do not reflect the opinions of any other individual or entity. When applicable, reviewed titles sent to me by the publisher are noted at the bottom of each review.
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