lgbtq representation

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!

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

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

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

The Demon and the Light

The Floating World #2

by Axie Oh

coming October 21, 2025

(4.5 / 5)

Thank you to MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. All opinions are completely my own.

The Demon and the Light is the 2nd book in The Floating World duology and picks up shortly after the first book ends. I really enjoyed reading this book and continuing the story. Our main characters had some tough challenges to overcome, and I liked how they grew and evolved through it all. Ren and Sunho felt very relatable, and I loved the dynamic between them. It was great to see the return of many of the side characters, and I think I especially enjoyed getting to know Wook better. The story had a lot of action and excitement throughout it. I managed to find myself pretty surprised about things a few times too. My only complaint is that the ending seemed to happen very quickly and maybe not quite as dramatically as I thought it would. I think I would have liked to know a little more about what happens to the characters in the epilogue, but I’m happy enough with the way things ended and feel like most of my questions were answered. Maybe I just wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to these characters after enjoying the series so much. I really like the author’s writing and vivid descriptions, and I look forward to reading more of her books!

April 27, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Out of Air

by Rachel Reiss

coming May 13, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

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

Five scuba diving friends make a huge discovery while on a trip to Australia, but maybe some things are best left alone.

Out of Air brings us to the underwater world of scuba diving, which was captivating and different. There were some great descriptions of the diving experience and the sea life the characters encountered. The book had an eerie and mysterious atmosphere to it that also took on more of a horror feel as the story progressed. We’re actually following 2 different points in time: present day where the group discovers an underwater cave, and about 6 months prior when they made a different discovery. It was interesting how it all interconnected. I did sometimes feel like the main character, Phoebe, didn’t react to certain things in a way that matched the circumstances, which felt a bit off to me. The horror elements weren’t something I enjoyed a ton, but admittedly it’s not a genre I usually read. I felt like a lot of the questions I had weren’t answered by the end, though I suppose that adds to the intrigue and mystery of it all.

April 5, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Horror Kindle Thriller Young Adult 0

Friends with Benefits

by Marisa Kanter

coming May 6, 2025

(3 / 5)

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of Friends with Benefits; all opinions are completely my own.

Evie and Theo are best friends who enter a marriage of convenience so that Evie can have health insurance coverage and Theo can keep his apartment.

While this book was a romance, it had a sad undertone and dived into some very heavy topics such as chronic illness, parental issues, and death of a parent. I appreciate the difficulty of these experiences, but I think it got to be a bit much for me at times. The story seemed to move pretty slowly, and there’s a lot of repetition and revisiting past events. I found it frustrating how much the main characters were denying their feelings… for best friends, they seemed to avoid talking about things a lot. This was by no means a bad book, but I think it turned out to not quite be the right book for me, or at least not the light read I was expecting.

April 1, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle New Adult Romance 0

Come As You Are

by Dahlia Adler

coming May 27, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books through NetGalley. All opinions in my review are voluntary and completely my own.

Evie is a new student at a boarding school, looking for a change after a rough falling-out with people at home. Unfortunately, her new start begins with her being assigned to an all-male dorm building.

This book was a quick, cute read, though I’m definitely older than the target audience. It had teen angst and high school drama that was sometimes hard for me to relate to, especially when it felt like there was hardly any adult supervision. We follow Evie, who strikes an unlikely friendship with Salem. I enjoyed the relationship between the two, which had a lot of fun banter. I wasn’t really a fan of Evie trying to change her image and the rule-breaking that was involved, though I think the ultimate message from her journey is a positive one.

March 24, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

The Friendship Fling

by Georgia Stone

coming June 3, 2025

(4 / 5)

I received a free review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own. Thank you to Harper Perennial for the opportunity.

Two very different people meet at a coffee shop and form a friendship of convenience for the summer. Neither is looking for a relationship, but can they manage to stay just friends?

This was a fun story following Ava, a barista who is not much into socializing, and Finn, a cheerful talkative person who never stays in one country for very long. These two characters had such different personalities, but they complemented each other well and were both likable in their own ways. I really enjoyed the banter between the two, making me literally laugh out loud. The two spend the summer completing bucket list items around London, which was fun to experience with them. Despite the playfulness of the story, it also dived into some more serious issues that the characters had to work through. I feel like the biggest character development takes place toward the end of the book, but I was happy with the direction things went. While the book didn’t necessarily offer anything profoundly different or surprising, the book kept my interest, and I was able to read it pretty quickly. It was a nice escape!

March 18, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0