Danita Reads

The Encanto’s Curse

The Encanto’s Daughter #2

By Melissa de la Cruz

Coming March 4, 2025

(4 / 5)

The Encanto’s Curse is the 2nd book in the The Encanto’s Daughter duology and takes place a few months after the first book left off. I found this story had a similar feel to the first one, though it had more romance involved. I’m not sure if I was completely a fan of the love triangle aspect, but it added a bit of mystery about how who she would end up with (though I had a pretty good idea of how that would go). I thought the ties to Filipino folklore were interesting, with the manananggal sounding downright terrifying. The book definitely didn’t lack in action and excitement, so it kept me engaged and interested in the story. I was happy with how this series ended and liked that there were some directions the plot went that I didn’t see coming.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Encanto’s Curse! All opinions are completely my own and voluntary.

Shampoo Unicorn

By Sawyer Lovett

Coming May 6, 2025

(4 / 5)

Shampoo Unicorn is a story that follows 3 LGBTQ teens who live in conservative small towns in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. They each provide a different perspective: the gay boy who everyone always just knew about and hosts a podcast, the masculine football player who is secretly gay, and a trans girl who is struggling to get through life until she can feel safe enough to live as her true self. Full disclosure: I am not LGBTQ myself, but as the parent of an LGBTQ teen, I enjoy reading stories that help me better understand those experiences.

At first I was a little unsure of the book. Each of the main characters’ portions are portrayed in a different perspective: 1st person (Brian), 2nd person (Greg), and 3rd person (Leslie). It took a bit to get used to, especially Greg’s 2nd person part. Plus we are also getting transcripts of Brian’s podcast, which I actually enjoyed a lot despite not being into podcasts personally. Once I got used to how the book was presented, I came to appreciate how the different perspectives gave each character a very distinctive feel and portrayed their individual experience especially well. For example, I found Greg’s 2nd person part to be very reflective and fitting for what his character goes through in the story. Leslie’s 3rd person perspective really drove home that she was undoubtedly a girl despite her male appearance, and we were seeing her authentic self. Leslie was actually one of my favorite characters, and I would have loved to see even more of her story.

I felt like this story was pretty character-driven, which I sometimes struggle with but actually enjoyed a lot in this book. I was impressed with the growth of characters, especially some of the secondary characters that were rather unexpected. I also appreciated the variety of LGBTQ experiences that were portrayed by fans of the podcast. This book turned out to be a heartwarming story that held a lot of meaning and left me with a sense of hope. What a wonderful debut novel – I look forward to seeing future books by Sawyer Lovett!

Thank you to Hyperion and BookishFirst for the free review copy of Shampoo Unicorn! My review is voluntary and all opinions are completely my own.

February 2, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction LGBTQ Paperback Young Adult 0

When You Renovate a Grump

When in Rotheberg #6

By Lia Huni

Coming February 10, 2025

(4 / 5)

When You Renovate a Grump fits right in with the rest of the books in this series of sweet romcoms. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the others though, this one could easily be read as a standalone. In this story, we follow Andi, a former princess who is now trying to provide for herself without the help of her family. She happens to meet Reece in London when he comes to her rescue, though they part ways without exchanging contact information. So imagine their surprise when they discover that they are both living in the same small town in Oregon.

I enjoyed reading this book! Andi has a lot of spunk that makes her relatable despite her former status as royalty. It was certainly interesting to see her helping out with a home renovation! Reece comes off a bit aloof at first, but I liked his dry sense of humor and could tell he was a decent guy. The personalities played against each other well, and I respected that each of them was trying to find success on their own. There were a lot of lighthearted moments, keeping the story fun. The book kept my interest the whole way through, and it was hard to put down!

Thank you to Lia Huni for providing a free review copy of When You Renovate a Grump! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

January 28, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

When You Rescue Your Celebrity Crush

When in Rotheberg #3

By Lia Huni

I’m working on reading the entire When in Rotheberg series in order, though this book could easily be a standalone. I ended up liking this one more than book #2. In this story, we follow Matt and his celebrity crush, actress Nica. Matt as a character was a lot more fun than I was expecting, and I enjoyed how the book started with a prank on his daughter. Honestly, in the beginning I didn’t see how a romance between the two could ever work (which is basically how the characters feel too), but it all came together in a way that makes sense. I enjoyed seeing all the quirky characters we’ve met along the way in this series, and also finally meeting Matt’s daughter, Eva. I’m looking forward to continuing on to the next book in the series!

January 22, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Romance 0

When You Get Stuck with Your Famous Ex

When in Rotheberg #2

By Lia Huni

(3.5 / 5)

After 20 years, Rachel is reunited with her ex who is now a famous country music star. A lot of chaos ensues, with an unexpected road trip and pet hijinks. I didn’t like this book as much as the first one, but it still kept my interest enough. I didn’t really feel the romance until towards the end, which was probably a factor. I thought some of the situations that came up were too unbelievable and felt out of character, plus there’s some deception along the way that just didn’t sit right with me. Suspending some reality though, this book certainly didn’t have a dull moment!

January 20, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

When You Bake with the Enemy

When in Rotheberg Book 1

By Lia Huni

(4 / 5)

When You Bake with the Enemy is the first book in the When in Rotheberg series, which brings us to a small Bavarian-inspired town in Oregon. This story follows Jamie, a math teacher who is new to the town and unexpectedly finds out she also has to teach a baking class. When she encounters Dylan, a local who is hoping to build a test kitchen in the spot where the baking class takes place, sparks fly.

I thought this was a really cute story. In the beginning I was a little overwhelmed with all the characters we were meeting, but since Jamie was new to town, it also felt like a good reflection about how she must feel. Plus, I can already see how it sets up for the series to easily expand into multiple books. The story alternates POVs between Jamie and Dylan, which I think helped me like both characters because I could see the situation from both sides. Dylan definitely had moments where his actions could be frustrating, but it was hard to stay mad at him for long. In the end, there was nothing particularly surprising about this story, but it was a fun escape and kept me interested the whole time. I’m looking forward to continuing the series!

January 17, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Book Lovers

By Emily Henry

(5 / 5)

I enjoyed reading this book so much. The witty banter and comebacks between Nora and Charlie had me literally laughing out loud more than I have while reading a book in a long time. The characters had a lot of depth, with their first impressions barely scratching the surface. This book faces some heavy topics at times, but I enjoyed the growth of the characters and relationships with each other. As a book lover, I enjoyed the glimpses into the book publishing world, plus the quips about small town romance tropes when this was indeed a small town romance itself. My only regret is that it took me so long to finally get around to reading this book!

January 15, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Romance 0

The Paris Chapter

By Victoria Walters

Coming January 19, 2025

(3 / 5)

In The Paris Chapter, we follow a romance author who has been struggling to write her next book after a bad break-up. She decides to still go on the vacation to Paris they had planned together, only to find her ex’s best friend is also staying in the one bedroom apartment.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I liked the Paris setting and visiting some of the sights the city had to offer. Both of the main characters lacked some self-confidence, but I thought their imperfections helped make them more realistic and relatable. There was even some spice along the way. But at times the book felt a bit too repetitive, especially with all the comparisons to the ex, who was quite toxic. I think what really lost me was the 3rd act drama and how oblivious the main characters seemed to be about what was going on. I was happy enough with how everything resolved, but I think I’d lost my connection with the characters by that point.

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

January 13, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

His Mortal Demise

The Last Bloodcarver #2

By Vanessa Le

Coming March 18, 2025

(5 / 5)

His Mortal Demise is the 2nd book in The Last Bloodcarver duology, and you definitely want to read these books in order. I’ll apologize in advance that my review will be a bit on the vague side, but I want to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read the first book yet.

This book follows the perspectives of two different characters in different points in time. From the start we know that something miraculous has happened, and while one character tries to figure out what happened, we follow the other character through the months leading up to it. This all gave the story a mysterious feel, and it sometimes took directions that I wasn’t expecting at all. I’m not going to lie, there could be a very dark feel to this story at times, with grief, war, sacrifice, and questioning morals along the way. But there was also substantial character growth that was beautiful to watch. I’m glad that we were able to see many of the characters from the first book again and explore even more of this interesting fictional world. The last chunk of the book was especially packed with action and almost had a cinematic feel to it. And let’s not forget the absolute rollercoaster of emotions I experienced along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed both books in this duology, and I look forward to seeing more from author Vanessa Le in the future.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press, and NetGalley for the free review copy of His Mortal Demise! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

January 11, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Secret Lives of Candy Hearts

By Tommy Siegel

Published today!

(4.5 / 5)

I was already somewhat familiar with Tommy Siegel and his Candy Hearts comics, so I was excited to check out this new collection. I enjoyed reading the book, and it was a nice pick-me-up that had me literally laughing out loud at times. The statements are so blunt yet relatable, like seeing into what someone really thinks. I thought the pop-culture references were a nice touch. The art is colorful and portrays each situation well. I liked it as much as I hoped I would! Note: there are some f-bombs sprinkled in, so if you find that offensive, this might not be the book for you.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Secret Lives of Candy Hearts! Opinions in my review are completely my own.

January 7, 2025 by danimae1981 Comics eBook 0