Danita Reads

Paradox

Cash & Colcord #2

by Douglas Preston & Aletheia Preston

coming April 21, 2026

(3 / 5)

I want to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the free audiobook of Paradox. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

I was excited to read this book since I really enjoyed the first book in the series, Extinction, but I ended up being a bit underwhelmed. Paradox is following some of the same main characters from Extinction, but I thought the feel of this book was very different and didn’t appeal to me as much. Even the characters felt different from how they previously were, and almost all the characters were unlikable. The plot didn’t tie in too much to what happened in the first book, though there are enough references that might be confusing if you haven’t read it. Through this book there were so many characters and storylines that I started to lose track of what was going on, then my mind would wander and I’d lose interest. It also seemed to focus heavily on police procedure, with suspect interviews, investigation, autopsies, and even some legal proceedings, more than I would have preferred. The plot went into some directions I wasn’t expecting, with alien conspiracies and a lot of ties to religion and Catholicism. Some things that happened toward the end just felt weird and not explained well. As far as the crimes, I thought I knew for sure who was behind everything, but I ended up being surprised. I guess you could say it at least wasn’t predictable.

I read the audiobook version of the book, and I really liked the narrator. Characters had different voices and some even had accents. I thought the pacing was great too.

Second Chance Duet

by Ana Holguin

Narrated by Jacqueline Sol

(4 / 5)

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Forever, and NetGalley for providing a free review audiobook of Second Chance Duet! All opinions are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this one! I thought both Celia and Oliver were relatable characters in their own ways. They were both very driven, leading to a rivalry between them when they were in college. The book has a dual timeline, so we are able to follow their story in the present as well as get perspective about their history and rivalry from the past. The present timeline was definitely my favorite, and I loved seeing the walls between Celia and Oliver come down as they finally got to know each other better. Even though there was a lot of friction between them at times, I liked that it didn’t feel mean or unjustified. Oliver had issues communicating so often came across in ways he probably didn’t intend to… I couldn’t really blame Celia for feeling the way she did about him. It was nice to see how much Oliver improved over time. He was actually quite sweet once Celia got to know the real him. A lot of Celia’s story is about her struggle trying to break into a tough industry composing music. I liked learning about Celia’s Latina heritage (with some basic Spanish mixed in here and there) plus her strong bond with her family. I absolutely loved the romance that developed and was glad that it didn’t feel rushed. The theme with the characters composing music for a TV show was fun too!

I was lucky enough to receive the audiobook copy of this book. While the narrator wasn’t quite as expressive as some narrators I’ve listened to, I still think she did a good job. The various characters had different voices, and she really captured Oliver’s quiet nature. A couple times the audio quality seemed reduced, but most of it sounded fine.

March 13, 2026 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fiction Romance 0

The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake

by Mara Rutherford

coming April 14, 2026

(3 / 5)

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of this book! All opinions are completely my own.

I’m so conflicted about this book… I enjoyed the first 75-80% of it and considered it a pretty solid 4 star read. But as I got closer to the end, I started to get frustrated with the direction things were going. The premise of demons appearing whenever something was created was unique, and I was curious to learn more about it. But at times I ended up feeling a bit confused by it and how it all came to be. The romance had tension and I was liking it, but then it started to feel like it was just moving way too fast, with Aurelie and Des acting in ways that didn’t seem to line up with what we knew of their characters previously. Honestly, I started to question what they saw in each other beyond a physical attraction. And speaking of out of character, there’s so much emphasis about Aurelie being really smart, yet sometimes she was frustratingly oblivious. There’s a pretty big reveal toward the end, which I had figured out long before that, and I found it hard to believe that Aurelie didn’t. Meanwhile, I had other questions that I was hoping to finally see explained, but they never were. I know this is the start of a series, so I’m not surprised that it leaves off with a bit of a cliffhanger and things still left to explore, but I was left underwhelmed enough with the ending that I’m not sure if I’ll continue on. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a bad book that I had a hard time finishing or anything like that. I guess it just didn’t quite go in the direction I was hoping it would.

March 8, 2026 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Escape Game

by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

coming April 7, 2026

(5 / 5)

I want to thank Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of The Escape Game! All opinions are completely my own.

The Escape Game was one of my most anticipated reads for 2026, so I was beyond excited to receive an ARC copy of the book. Marissa Meyer has been a favorite author of mine, and this book just sounded so interesting… escape rooms, reality TV, and a murder mystery? Plus a gorgeous cover? Yes please!

I went into this book with high expectations, and I’m happy to say that it did not disappoint. The writing kept me hooked, engaged, and constantly wanting to read more to see what would happen next. It was fast-paced, exciting, and just fun to read. A lot of the characters were quirky, and I felt like I could relate to each of the main characters in one way or another. The plot felt like it had good depth to it. I loved the idea of an escape room themed reality show, and it’s the type of thing I’d love to watch. It really had an escape room feel to it with great descriptions. Usually I didn’t have enough information to try to solve the puzzles myself, but it was fun to predict how the characters should approach it. The murder mystery and other mysteries in the story were pretty complicated. I was able to figure some of the things out, though sometimes not long before they were revealed. Others really kept me guessing and ended up surprising me. There’s plenty of clues along the way, but even then I was constantly second guessing. By the end the story feels pretty well wrapped up while still building anticipation for the next book. I can’t wait!

March 4, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Mystery Thriller Young Adult 0

Rolls and Rivalry

Gaming and Romance #3

by Kristy Boyce

coming May 5, 2026

(4 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book from Random House Children’s Books and Delacorte Romance through NetGalley; all opinions are completely my own.

Rolls and Rivalry is the third book in the Gaming and Romance series by Kristy Boyce, but all of the books can be read as standalone. There’s no character overlap beyond a couple cameos, which were fun since I had read the previous books.

At first I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book as much as the first two books in the series because I really wasn’t loving the rivalry that was going on. Some of the pranks seemed a bit mean. But as I got to know the characters better and the walls between them starting coming down, I liked the book a lot more. It turned out to be pretty cute actually, and I felt like the characters learned a lot about themselves and each other over the course of the story. A big theme in the story was Dungeons & Dragons. Since the characters in the book were new to the game I was able to follow it fine even though I’ve never personally played before. I liked how D&D was able to bring the characters together in multiple ways. Another big theme in the book is marching band, which was described really well and felt interesting. The book itself was very readable and I found it hard to put down, reading almost the whole thing in a single day. I’m glad I ended up reading this whole series and would love to read more by the author in the future!

March 2, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

Lights Out

by Jenni Fletcher

(4 / 5)

I want to thank Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books, and NetGalley for providing a free review copy of the book. All opinions are completely my own.

Lights Out is a fake dating romance story that takes us into the world of Formula 1 racing. I have to admit that I knew very little about the sport going into the book but found it very accessible since our narrator, Maisie, also didn’t know much about it. The car races really brought a lot of excitement and energy to the story. The book was a quick, easy, fast-paced read that was hard to put down. I liked the chemistry between Maisie and Gio. There were some situations along the way that I didn’t really like how one or both of them acted, but I was glad to see that most of it was reflected on and discussed later in the story. They both had their issues, but I also felt like it made them feel human. It was also nice to see Maisie working through some of her fears from past trauma and addressing her mental health. Overall, the book was a fun read that I enjoyed.

February 25, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle New Adult Romance Young Adult 0

Deathly Fates

by Tesla Tsai

coming April 14, 2026

(4 / 5)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book! All opinions about the book are completely my own.

When I first started reading this book, I have to admit I was a bit unsure about it. I wasn’t feeling very connected to the characters and also didn’t feel like there was much world building at first. I’m really glad I stuck with it though. It’s funny, because it was one of those books that just sneaks up on you, and suddenly I realized just how invested I’d become and how attached to the characters I was.

The story was heavily rooted in Chinese folklore, introducing me to things that I wasn’t at all familiar with before. Since it revolved a lot around death, it did have a lot of sad undertones, but I also found it left me with feelings of hope. There were recurring themes about seeking justice and things not always being what they appeared to be on the surface. It had some really insightful messages. Our main characters had their flaws but really did learn and grow. I liked the dynamic between Ren and Siying and thought it was very sweet. The romance wasn’t front and center but enjoyable to watch amidst the adventure and thrills of the story. The book had some plot reveals that really ended up surprising me along the way too! In the end I really enjoyed this debut book and look forward to seeing more from the author.

February 23, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Heart of Mischief

Soul of Shadow #2

by Emma Noyes

coming March 10, 2026

(4 / 5)

First off, I want to thank St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for free review copies of the digital book and audiobook. All opinions about the book are completely my own.

I was really excited to be able to be able to listen to the audiobook version of this book! Emily Pike Stewart, who narrated Soul of Shadow, did a fantastic job of narrating this book as well. I loved how expressive it was, and how each character had a different voice.

Heart of Mischief continues the story from Soul of Shadow, taking place about 3 weeks later. I enjoyed reading this book as much as the first one, and thought it had a similar feel. There was plenty of excitement with a fast pace, and it held my interest well. I loved the tension and banter between Elias and Charlie. Honestly, I was getting some very strong Vampire Diaries vibes while reading this book, and Elias reminded me a lot of Damon Salvatore. Elias is one of those characters that you don’t know if you should love or hate him. I was actually never quite sure if I could trust multiple characters from this book, and some of my hunches turned out to be right. Things ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I look forward to seeing where this story goes next. This book really builds a lot of anticipation for book 3!

February 18, 2026 by danimae1981 Audiobook Fantasy Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

A Latte Like Love

by Michelle C. Harris

coming March 17, 2026

(3 / 5)

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book! All opinions are completely my own.

This one is a tough one to rate. At first I really enjoyed the book and was easily pulled into the story. But somewhere along the way it lost me. I think a lot of it was that the book just felt so much longer than it needed to be, especially since not a lot seemed to be happening with the plot. The biggest conflict was in a flashback, so it felt pretty anticlimactic when I reached the epilogue. The epilogue itself was very long, rehashing things that had already happened from a different perspective. For me, it just felt a little repetitive. As for the relationship between Audrey and Theo itself, I was rooting for them, but then things really seemed to move alarmingly fast, especially considering Theo’s mental state. A lot of the story centers on Theo’s recovery after an accident and coming to terms with significant scarring. I was glad to see growth in Theo’s character over the course of the story, though Audrey didn’t really seem to develop very much. In the end, the book had a lot of promise but just didn’t quite deliver for me.

February 12, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

In Time With You

by Kristin Dwyer

coming March 3, 2026

(4.5 / 5)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book! All opinions are completely my own.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s one of those books that breaks you and then puts you back together again. It starts out quite sad, as our FMC Nieve is attending a funeral for her boyfriend that just died. Her emotions through this were so raw and authentic, making her feel real. Then imagine being able to relive a year of your life after something terrible has happened… what would you do differently? This book was so thought-provoking as it explored this idea. The ripple effect that happened in this time loop was different and unexpected. The portrayal of this disorienting and terrifying situation through Nieve’s perspective was done really well. It was interesting to see how Nieve’s perceptions about things changed during the 2nd timeline, especially when it came to Carter (the boyfriend that dies) and Max (his best friend). I kept thinking about how it was a great example of how “hindsight is 20/20”. I also appreciated how many different types of relationships were explored and how they evolved through this fluid reality situation. The progression of Nieve’s changing feelings for Max felt natural and not rushed. Some of the quiet moments between them were incredibly intimate, and I couldn’t help but hope for a happy ending for them. I had a really hard time putting this book down and couldn’t stop thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading. It’s my first book by the author but it won’t be my last!

January 31, 2026 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0