Danita Reads

Soul of Shadow

by Emma Noyes

coming July 29, 2025

(4 / 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.

Soul of Shadow is the first book in a new series that brings us to a town in Michigan where teens are mysteriously disappearing. Our main character, Charlie finds herself drawn to a new boy in town who has some very dark secrets.

This book drew me in right from the start with its mysterious, eerie feel and detailed descriptions. It ends up diving into a lot of Norse mythology, which I was only somewhat familiar with before. I enjoyed the magical beings and hidden world that were revealed. Elias, the new boy, was an intriguing character with a magnetic pull, especially when it came to him and Charlie. He was one of those characters who you wanted to love and hate at the same time. The story took some unexpected turns a few times. Sometimes I started to piece things together a bit before they were revealed, but other times I didn’t see it coming at all. I enjoy it when things are unpredictable. The book ends without feeling completely finished, or at least with a feeling that there are mysteries that we can dive deeper into. It definitely left me wanting to continue with the series – I look forward to continuing when the next book becomes available.

Soulmatch

by Rebecca Danzenbaker

coming July 29, 2025

(5 / 5)

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

Soulmatch brings us to a future where souls can be identified, linking you to your previous lives and the benefits or consequences that come with it. Dystopian fiction has been one of my favorite genres for years, and this book did not disappoint. While the initial premise reminded me of some other popular series I’ve read, the idea of reincarnated souls was thought-provoking and different. I was honestly surprised at how quickly I was pulled into this world. It was a great blend of action, thrills, mystery and romance. Everything was so complex and intricate, keeping me guessing and second guessing about what would happen and how it all tied together. It was one of those books where when I finished, I felt an itch read it again right away just to see everything from the new perspective of knowing how it ends. It’s hard to believe this is the author’s debut novel, because it just felt so well done – I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

June 29, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Sci-Fi Young Adult 0

The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain

Mistakes We Never Made #2

by Hannah Brown

(3.5 / 5)

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. All opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Four Engagement Rings of Sybil Rain follows an impulsive free spirited woman who has had 3 failed engagements. She takes a trip to Hawaii where she unexpectedly runs into her most recent ex-fiancé. This book is the second in the Mistakes We Never Made series. I’ve read both books, and while Sybil’s story does begin in the first book, I think it can still easily be read as a standalone. I actually liked this one better than the first book.

First off, I really loved the setting in Hawaii, and the descriptions were great. It took me a while to really warm up to the characters, and honestly I wasn’t positive who the love interest was going to be until pretty late in the book, so I wasn’t feeling much of a romantic vibe most of the time. There’s a lot of reflecting on Sybil’s past while she processes through her past relationships, which could be a bit emotional at times. The story wasn’t quite what I was expecting going in, but it still managed to draw me in, especially the farther into the book I got. The book was readable enough, and I actually finished it in a single day, which I don’t usually do. I was satisfied with how things ended and overall enjoyed how the characters grew over the course of the story.

June 25, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

Mistakes We Never Made

by Hannah Brown

(3 / 5)

I went into this one knowing that there’s a lot of lower reviews for it, but I’m interested in the 2nd book, so thought it would be nice to start here. It was readable enough and kept my interest, but I can also see what people didn’t like about it. Emma, the FMC, wasn’t exactly likable and could be pretty self-centered, even though her intentions were good. She does improve over the course of the book. Finn was more likable than Emma, but I honestly wasn’t feeling the romance between them very much. I think there’s times from the past where they both messed up. I didn’t get the best vibe on Sybil, the runaway bride, but I also detected a lot of jealousy on Emma’s part. It was frustrating to reach the end of the book and not even find out some of the answers I was hoping for. In the end, it wasn’t necessarily a bad book, but definitely not a favorite either.

June 24, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

The Last Wizards’ Ball

Gunnie Rose #6

by Charlaine Harris

coming July 22, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Last Wizards’ Ball is the 6th (and I believe final) book in the Gunnie Rose series, so you’ll want to be sure to read the previous books before this one. I’ve generally loved this series, though the last two books seem to be my least favorite.

This book kept my interest well enough. Like the other books in the series, there’s plenty of drama and mystery, though it felt less adventurous than some of the other books. Since the story centers around the Wizards’ Ball, a lot of new characters from around the world are introduced, and sometimes I had a little trouble keeping track of who was who. We get to see many returning characters as well, though I felt much less of a connection to Felicia than I had before. A major plot-point of this story was the lead-up to World War II. In some ways it was interesting to see how those events might play out in this alternate history, but sometimes it also felt a bit forced. Honestly I wasn’t thrilled with how things ended after the long journey with these characters, but I also wasn’t completely surprised. All in all I’m glad to have followed this series all the way through.

June 18, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle 0

A Longer Fall

Gunnie Rose #2

by Charlaine Harris

Review originally written in 2020.

(5 / 5)

A Longer Fall is the 2nd book in the Gunnie Rose series and continues to build on the alternate history world that the first book started. I highly recommend reading the books in order, as a lot of character/world building and background was established in An Easy Death.

A Longer Fall begins shortly after the first book leaves off. Lizbeth has found a new crew, and is on her first job since the events in An Easy Death. They are traveling by train, transporting a crate to Dixie, a nation made up of the southern states of the former United States. It doesn’t take long for things to take a turn for the worse, and soon there is a trainwreck and the cargo disappears. The story is filled with action and mystery as we follow Lizbeth on her quest to track down the cargo.

I was thrilled to see that the character Eli, a wizard from the Holy Russian Empire, returned in the story. He was one of my favorite characters from the first book, and I liked the relationship that had started to build between Eli and Lizbeth. Their relationship is complicated for sure, and neither seems to know where they stand with each other, but there’s lots of hints of how they each really feel. The romance isn’t the main theme of the story, but there are some non-graphic descriptions of adult relations.

While the book takes place in a fictional world, the racism and sexism that are portrayed aren’t so different from actual events, especially in that part of the country. It gives a lot of insight about how those people were treated and must have felt.

This series feels like a wonderful blend of many genres: alternate history, fantasy, romance, western, adventure, thriller. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would like this series since I don’t usually read some of those genres, but it’s done well and I love it. I literally devoured these books, especially A Longer Fall. A few things are left unresolved at the end of the book, so I’m really looking forward to seeing where this series takes us next!

June 8, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle 0

Verse Book 1: The Broken Half

by Sam Beck

(4.5 / 5)

The art in this comic is just gorgeous. It really sets an atmosphere that gives it a magical feel. I thought that the Verse, which is their magical language, was especially cool. While at first it looks mysterious, it actually is close enough to English letters that I don’t even need to look at the reference to be able to translate it most of the time. You don’t need to read the Verse if you don’t want to, but I found it fun to look for the hidden messages within it. The story is intriguing, and I enjoyed following the characters’ journeys. We’re already starting to see them grow from where they started, but there’s obviously much more this can go from here. This was my second time reading this comic, but I could see myself reading it again.

May 28, 2025 by danimae1981 Comics/Graphic Novels Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Roommate Experiment

by Camilla Isley

Released today!

(4 / 5)

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Roommate Experiment! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Roommate Experiment is the 3rd book in the Funny Feelings series. I’ve read all of the books, but I feel like this one could easily be read as a standalone. I think it was my favorite book in the series!

Hunter has been in love with her friend’s brother, Dylan, for years, but she’s just an acquaintance to him. Now they’re going to be roommates, but things are even more complicated because Dylan has a new girlfriend. The book alternates between both of their points of view, so we see the story unfold from both perspectives. I thought both of the main characters were likable and relatable, with each of them having struggles they had to face. The romance was definitely a very slow burn, especially since MMC had a girlfriend and that took a while to resolve. I still enjoyed the journey though, with lots of awkward situations that gave the book a lighthearted and fun feel. A couple parts annoyed me a bit, but overall I enjoyed the story. Plus it was fun to see more of the characters from the previous books!

May 27, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Codebreaker

by Jay Martel

coming July 22, 2025

(4 / 5)

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

Codebreaker was a fast-paced, high-stakes story full of puzzles, conspiracies, action, and excitement. I thought the book was a lot of fun to read. It’s full of puzzles and codes, and one thing that I especially liked was the inclusion of a symbol indicating when you could stop reading and attempt to solve the puzzle yourself. There was usually enough information that it wasn’t too difficult, and I had fun working out some of the puzzles on my own. The story also breaks it down with the characters solving the puzzle, so reader puzzle-solving isn’t a requirement, just a fun perk. I’ll admit, many of the scenarios in the story were a bit unbelievable, and the main character tended to solve the puzzles remarkably quickly, but there was plenty going on throughout the story that kept me invested and wanting to keep reading. I was pretty surprised with the directions things went a few times, so it kept me on my toes. I liked both of the main characters and their interactions with each other. I thought Logan provided great comic relief that lightened up some of the more intense scenes. I’ve seen some comparisons of this book to National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code, and I definitely got that vibe as well.

May 22, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Roll for Romance

by Lenora Woods

coming July 15, 2025

(4 / 5)

Thank you to Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. All opinions and thoughts are completely my own.

This romance story is a little different from other books that I’ve read, focusing heavily on Dungeons & Dragons. Most of the characters in the book are new to the game, so I didn’t feel lost even though I’ve never played D&D myself. We end up with a story within the story, since we are following Sadie (FMC) in the real world, plus her character’s adventure in D&D. I liked that the “real world” was in first person while the “game world” was in third person, making it easy to differentiate between the 2 storylines. It’s not surprising that a lot of the more exciting and surprising parts are in the D&D storyline, but I still enjoyed Sadie’s real world story as well. It was nice to see how Sadie finds herself again after losing her job, rekindling old passions and making new friends. I thought it was an interesting take on how we all play different parts in different aspects of our lives. I liked all the characters we met along the way, and I thought the romance that developed was sweet and enjoyable. I’m impressed that this is the author’s debut book!

May 15, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0