Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Published by Red Tower Books on November 7, 2023

Pages: 624

“Violence, remember it’s only the body that’s fragile. You are unbreakable.”

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Oh second book syndrome… While I am very much enjoying this series, my biggest gripe is that this book could’ve been split into two. Why does every fantasy these days have to be 800+ pages? Maybe Sarah J Maas is to blame for that. 

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Love on the Brain

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Published by Little Brown Books on August 23, 2022

Pages: 368

“I love you, I think, and you are my home.”

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I ate up my first Ali Hazelwood book with stars in my eyes and giddiness in my feet so how could I not reach for another? She writes genius characters (and I mean in the literal sense of their IQs) that do brilliant things (again, literally – if they were real they’d be so much smarter than me) and hopelessly pine after each other. And I’ll enjoy it each and every time.

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Hook, Line, and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters, #2)

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Published by Avon on March 1, 2022

Pages: 368

“Hannah had a playlist consisting of 308 love songs and not one of them could describe this moment accurately. Not even close.”

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I fell trap into the sequel-that’s-no-so-sequel because after reading It Happened One Summer, I couldn’t get enough of this little fishing town and the characters. Okay – I immediately missed Piper and Brandon. That’s the problem with these contemporaries that you can absorb in a matter of hours – they’re over too quick.

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It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters, #1)

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

Published by Avon on August 19, 2021

Pages: 397

Trying to figure out what to do when no one is watching. And wondering if maybe that’s the stuff that actually matters.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

In my fierce attempt to hit my reading goal for 2023, I read a lot of contemporaries that are best suited near a body of water like a pool. And this one definitely falls under that umbrella, but I really enjoyed reading this.

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There’s Something about Merry (Mistletoe Romance, #2)

There’s Something about Merry by Codi Hall

Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on September 6, 2022

Pages: 416

Just because a dream isn’t elaborate doesn’t mean it isn’t extraordinary.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

This is a Hallmark Christmas movie put to paper, but for me it wasn’t as entertaining. Maybe next Christmas season I’ll do a better job of picking a festive read.

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Love, Theoretically

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Published by Little Brown Books on June 13, 2023

Pages: 389

Rating: 5 out of 5.

“Bold of you to assume that the real me is my best hand.”
“Foolish of you to think it isn’t.” 

Oh my god. This is the perfect contemporary. Like the perfect contemporary. Maybe one of my favorite contemporaries to ever contemporary. I devoured this book and couldn’t sleep until I finished it and was sad when it was over. Chefs kiss, no notes. I need more Ali Hazelwood in my life.

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Wildfire (Maple Hills, #2)

Wildfire by Hannah Grace

Published by Atria Books on October 3, 2023

Pages: 400

“I’m watching you go in so you don’t have to watch me leave.” 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

So if you read my review for Icebreaker, you’ll note that I called it a standalone but here I am writing a review for a book that is technically a sequel. Before you call me a liar, I don’t think this really is a sequel but really a spin-off in the same universe/town. Also, I think that this book proves how much care Hannah Grace gives to the side characters for one of them to get their own book and it be just as entertaining.

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Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Published by Red Tower Books on April 5, 2023

Pages: 528

“The right way isn’t the only way.” 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

One of the latest books in a string of many fantasies that has not only taken BookTok by storm, but many of my friends’ lives by storm as well. After a little peer pressure and a comparison or two or ACOTAR, I finally caved and picked up Fourth Wing. I haven’t been this on trend in years.

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