amanda_reads13's reviews
447 reviews

Anna agrees to pretend to be married to Liam to help him get his inheritance. 

As outrageous and unrealistic as this plot is, it was hilarious. I laughed through so much of this book. The contrast between free spirit Anna and buttoned up Liam, was really entertaining. I've seen this described as a cross between Succession and Pretty Woman, and that's a pretty accurate representation. 

Anna and Liam are super cute together. I loved how Anna helped Liam prioritize himself and realize that his dreams and wants are important. His family was horrible; they were egotistical, abusive, greedy, pretentious snobs. His father got what was coming to him. 

I'm really glad that the authors wrote in that the brothers were in therapy. The way that their father treated them messed them up so horribly.

There's no way that a family with this much money would not have run a full background check on one of their children's spouses, especially one they've never met. It doesn't make sense that Liam wouldn't have thought about this. You could not pull one over a family with this much money and this many resources.

Tropes: fake dating, opposites attract 

I made it about half way, but it's just so bad I couldn't force myself to finish it. The woman in this book is dumb and makes terrible choices. I'm all for dark romance, but the men in this book are just plain horrible people and disgusting. They are not anti-heroes you root for. 

After being dumped by her fiance for his best friend (Petra), Daphne left without friends, without family, and no place to live. She turns to the only person who can understand - Petra's ex Miles.


Tropes: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Fake Dating, Forced Proximity (Roommates), Opposites Attract, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn

Aly is obsessed with a masked man who makes thirst traps on social media. What she doesn't know is that he is as equally obsessed with her. 

This was surprisingly hilarious considering it is a dark romance. Josh and Aly's banter was top notch and their chemistry was fire. I loved the first half of the book, but the second half kind of lost me. It felt a bit like two seperate books... Stalker vs mafia/murder storyline. 

Josh kept me hooked throughout this book, his inner monologues had me cackling. He has a tragic past (mass murderer father) that he likes to keep secret, so he hides away behind a computer and a mask. He is absolutely unhinged, but melts for Aly. His interactions with Fred (the cat) are surprisingly sweet. 

These two are absolutely obsessed with one another, and would literally kill for each other. 

Tropes: stalker, dark, masked man

Mason has fallen for the one woman he can't have, Peyton. Peyton, his friend's sister, has suffered a devastating loss and is trying to survive as a young single mother. 

This was an emotional rollercoaster. It is vastly different from Say You Swear (that tore out my heart), but it is still a really good story. This is a very slow paced romance full of angst and trauma. Both Mason and Peyton grow and change so much throughout this story as they learn who they want to be as individuals and as a couple. We get to see them both in the past and the present, so we get to see how their relationship grows and how their love develops. 

Peyton grew up in a broken home, her father left her with an emotionally abusive mother. Her one escape was Deaton, the boy down the street. After running away from home and learning she was pregnant, tragedy strikes as Deaton is killed in a car accident. Now thrust into a life as very young single mother, she fights to keep her head above water. She was absolutely broken by her loss, but her friend banded together to support her in every way, especially Mason. Regarding Mason, her actions and decisions left me so frustrated at times. She was absolutely terrified of losing yet another person she loves, so she pushed Mason away. I wish she would have communicated her feelings, but given how young and traumatized she was, it is understandable that she would want to just escape and retreat into herself. I liked seeing her growth as she realized that her choices were not making anything easier, but denying her love was destroying her and Mason. 

Mason won me over. He is absolutely devoted to Payton, even more so her son, Deaton. The bond and love Mason develops with Deaton is heartbreakingly beautiful. Their relationship stole the show in this book. We see a much softer side of Mason when he is around Peyton and Deaton. We see Mason mature and grow so much throughout the story. He becomes someone that Peyton and Deaton can lean on and rely on. That said, he was dragged through hell and back throughout this book. Peyton was giving major whiplash, she kept giving him false hope only to break him over and over. My heart broke for him. 

I actually think that Chase has been redeemed in this book. I never actually thought that he had feelings or was trying to pursue Peyton. I think he feels genuinely guilty for his actions and is trying to make the effort to be a good friend. 

A few things that I didn't love were the lack of communication, some cringy moments (like his nickname for her), the lack of an epilogue (ugh wtf!?), and the fact that they were SO young! I wish they had been slightly older. Also, I think it was quite repetitive. I think that my expectations were very high after Say You Swear. 

Tropes:  𝘏𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴t, 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯t, 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯/𝘖𝘧𝘧-𝘓𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴, 𝘖𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦nd, 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯, right person/wrong time

We pick up after the events at the end of book 2. Milla has been captured and taken to Hightower and Nico is scheming to get her out. 

There was a lot going on in this book. I think my sentiments from the first book still apply here. I didn't really care about the characters and what happened to them. I think this is because they felt very underdeveloped and quite lackluster.  

Also, this stems from over-complicating the plot, which continually pulled me out of the world as I tried to figure out what was going on. Too much, thats what was going on. We get Milla's experience in the tower, Nico's prison break scheme where he

gives up his shadow to create a portal

, family drama including

Nanna's almost dying, the train being destroyed, her brother possibly backstabbing her, Vanya possibly backstabbing her

, the attack on the house of blood, all sorts of Felix craziness, Nico almost recklessly dying 1000x, and the list goes on...

I think the idea and world had so much potential had they just edited down the story a bit and focused more on building the world, characters, and magical system. It has a very interest premise, but falls victim to trying to do too much. 

I though this was supposed to be a duolology, but the ending signifies more to come. In my opinion,   do not get a satisfying ending, there is too much left open. Will they find her mother? What will happen on the continent? Will Order escape?  

We follow Frankie journey before, during, and after her service as a nurse in the Vietnam war. 

Kristen Hannah manages to capture the spirit of an entire generation in this novel. This is a beautifully written story filled with devastating truths and complex characters. I love how Hannah managed honour these forgotten women while still unveiling the horrible truth of the war. 

Vietnam war vets experienced things that no others before them had. They were shunned when they returned home, especially the women. Coupled with the lack understanding of mental health and PTSD, this lead to an epidemic depression drug/alcoholism, and suicide amongst the vets. 

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. There are part of this book that will make you so mad - the unethical war tactics, the white saviour complex, and the horrific treatment of the veterans, especially the women. There are parts that will make you cry - the loss of so many lives, the struggles Frankie goes through to be seen, heard, and healed, and the betrayals. There are parts that will fill your heart - the beautiful friendships, women supporting women, and that ending.

The entire ending was such a therapeutic release after so much pain and sadness. Her parents finally recognizing her service and Jamie being alive! This filled my heart with so much joy!

The characters in this book are strong, yet flawed. In the end, Frankie has grown and evolved to the point where she is almost unrecognizable from the woman she was at the start of the book. She grows from a woman who endured so much pain and heartache that she wants to take her own life to a woman who is able to use that pain to help and save other women. 

The friendships in this book are so beautifully written. These three women from such different backgrounds and worlds are thrown together in in the midst of war. Their bond is unbreakable. They see each other through every step in life and show up for each other. 

Milla, who has lived a sheltered life as a heiress, is married off to Nico to help pay off the family debts. 

So, being completely honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this book. At first I felt like the world building and magical system was not well explained and I was very confused about the structure of society. It was eventually explained, but I felt like that should have been explained earlier. I think that really took away from being able to immerse myself into this world. I kept being pulled out trying to figure things out. 

That said, I did enjoy the overall plot of the book. I thought that Milla and Nico had good chemistry. I liked that we got dual POVs. 

I feel like the characters were severely underdeveloped. I hate how Milla just cowers to her brothers demands and let's them control her, but dealing with Nico, she is so strong and hardheaded. Nico is a pretty smart guy, but is somehow completely blindsided when he was set up by the inspector. 

I knew early on that

Milla was going have magic and be a part of chaos. It just made logical sense to me. I am interested in how her powers will develop and lead to changes in  the structure of their society.

Tropes: marriage of convenience, magical society, revenge, found family

Ali's life is in a spiral. Her deadbeat husband told her he wanted a divorce on the 1-year anniversary of her mother's passing and she's just been trying to survive in the year since. She ends up meeting Ethan and is incredibly attracted to him, little does she know he is actually her her best friend's brother and he doesn't live in town.

This is a really cute and funny romance about your heart healing and letting people in. What was meant to be a summer romance flips these two lives upside down. The chemistry between them is undeniable, there is no doubt that they are each others person. 

Ali is used to having to do everything by herself and barely keeping your head above water. Her husband has never been particularly helpful, especially now that they're separated.  She never stands up for herself. She takes care of the house and the children all by herself and she's convinced herself she's content with just living by his schedule and his rules. 

Ethan hates going back to his childhood town and has built a happy and fulfilling life away. He tries to spend as little time there as possible, but a surprise from his parents means he's stuck there for most of the summer. 

Ali and Ethan have such an adorable connection. They seem to be each other as perfect match and know exactly what the other one needs. Ethan treats and supports Ali in the way she deserves to be. He helps her build back up her confidence and take control of her life. Ali helps Ethan find his place back in his childhood hometown. 

I love the interactions between Ethan and the children. It is just so heartwarming to see this man completely embrace Ali's family. I love the way his family just takes Ali and her children under there wings. 

Her ex husband is an asshole...

Tropes: best friend's brother, single mother, summer romance turned more, found family

After two people are found murdered in a small town, a unknown "wild man" becomes the prime suspect. 

This had everything I could have wanted: romance, suspense, and twist and turns. This was a rollercoaster of emotions: it was sweet, heartbreaking, thrilling, and uplifting. You need to suspend reality for a bit with this plot as it is pretty far fetched, but very intriguing. 

Though I generally don't enjoy 3rd person POV, I kind of liked it within this story. We start our with 4 POVs - Jak a child abandoned in the wilderness, Lucas a "wild man" living alone in the bush, Harper a wilderness guide, and Mark a police officer investigating two murders. We jump between the past and present, which gives us a better understanding of Jak's experience and trauma,

These characters are definitely reminiscent of those in Archer's Voice. We have a very naive and inexperienced MMC and a strong willed FMC who continues to show up for the MMC. 

Jak,

who we come to find out is the same person as Lucas,

has lived alone in the wilderness since he was 8 years old. His story is one of suffering, survival, isolation, strength, and bravery. We also see a tremendous amount of growth in his willingness to assimilate back into society once he is "discovered". I feel like in reality he would have been more resistant and had a more difficult time adjusting to living in town than what was shown in then book. 

Harper was a wildlife guide and worked part time at a group home. She lost her parents at a very young age and was bounced around the foster care system. Harper is very intrigued by Jak and very drawn to him. She keeps going back to him despite the risk of the unknown. 

I liked the addition of Mark and Laurie and how all four characters helped each other heal from their past trauma. 

I figured out a few of the twist quickly, but two I didn't see coming!

I figured out that Lucas and Jak were the same person and that he was a part of some kind of social experiment. I still can't believe that Harper was the fourth child and that Jak had saved her life by helping her on the ledge and she had essentially saved his by giving him the knife. 

I didn't guess at the Dr. being the one who was running the experiments . I thought that tipped it a bit into the side of not being believable. I think had it just been the one crazy dude and the four kids, I could have bought into the reality of it more. 

Tropes: found family, inexperienced MMC, Suspenseful Romance