Lightlark(Lightlark,#1)

 

 

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Welcome to the Centennial. 

Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. 

The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.
Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial. 

To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything.

  🌷

 
I’m hooked. I’ve been hearing about this book for a while, and now I understand why. Lightlark had everything that I love about fantasy. I’m so glad that my classes don’t start until August; I could spend it reading this outstanding book. I have almost no words to explain how much I love this book; I’m so glad that the second book is available because I need to see what happens next. I loved going on this journey along with Isla, rooting for her. You can’t help but love her; despite her secret, she kept on going; not once did she give up on her goal. 

This story is full of unexpected twists; anytime I thought I knew what was coming next, another twist proved me wrong. Lightlark is not a book you will be able to put down once you start reading. The twist at the end, the one that I still cannot get over. That was the last thing that I expected to happen. I found myself reading it twice, to make sure I read it right. The descriptions were outstanding; I felt myself transformed into the Centennial along with Isla, Oro, and Grim. Speaking of Oro and Grim, I loved them both, and like Isla, I was conflicted between two of them. I’m excited to see what happens with them next. 

I loved the connection between Isla, Grim, and Oro. There was so much tension between them. I have read a lot of fantasy books throughout the years, but this one is unlike any I have read before. My only regret is that I didn’t read this book sooner. Lightlark was only the second book I read by Alex Aster, and I already know she will be the author I love. I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for Isla, Oro, and Grim. Highly recommended for fantasy fans.

Camp Summerween.

 

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

 

 

Eight girls. Seven days. One island that never lets you leave.

 
Every summer, the ferry brings eight girls to Blackwood Island. They come for the seclusion, the pines, and the promise of a week away from the world. But Blackwood has a darker reputation, one whispered in the halls of nearby towns and scrubbed from the camp’s official records. 

The island requires a remainder. 

Seraphina knows the risks, but she’s not here for the campfire songs or the lakefront views. She’s here to uncover the truth about the girls who vanished before her, including the one whose ghost still haunts her dreams. But the island is a predatory labyrinth of shifting woods and a claustrophobic manor, and she isn’t the only one hunting for answers. 

Enter the camp’s enigmatic overseer, a man whose presence is as cold as the lake and whose eyes seem to hold the island’s bloodiest secrets. He’s meant to be her enemy, the gatekeeper of a cycle that demands a sacrifice. Instead, he becomes the only thing standing between Seraphina and the encroaching forest. 

As the week progresses, the boundaries between desire and danger dissolve. In the suffocating dark of the woods, Seraphina discovers that the most lethal secret isn't what the island does to its visitors, it’s what the visitors are willing to do to survive. 

The ferry leaves in seven days. By then, the island will have its remainder. Will it be her?

   🌷

 
Be prepared for a wild ride! 

This is a book to read if you love horror, and it will get you into the Halloween spirit. I have read a few Halloween-based horror books through the years, but nothing like this one. I’ve read books by Persis Lassiter since she started writing, but this is unlike the others that she has written before; it makes me excited to see what she has in store for us next. Camp Summerween surprised me in so many ways, and what I loved about this book was that twists kept coming. I love the way Persis mixed summer them but giving it a Halloween vibe. There was always something happening, and that’s one of things that kept me on turning the pages.

I was a little confused at the beginning of the book, but as the story progressed, it became clearer. I love that Persis started the story right from the action. The descriptions were so visual that it made me feel as if I were in a horror movie myself. I was intrigued by the story and was curious to see how it was going to end; it was far from what I expected it to be. I’m so glad that I got chance to read this book. Highly recommended for horror fans.

On The Way Down.

 

 

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

     Thank you to author,Taner Simoneaux and Rattle The Stars PR for letting me be part of ARC Team!

 

 

Years after a single summer changed the course of his life, Wes is still living in the aftermath of it. 

Wes was a typical adolescent in the early 2000's. He had a blended family, a skateboard, and a book of burned CDs. But beneath the surface of his relationship with his stepsister, Violet, existed something far more complicated. 

When Violet and Wes set out on a road trip from Ohio to Florida during the last summer before adulthood, the truth that Wes has spent his life carefully concealing must be exposed. What begins as a story about loving someone you can't have turns into something far messier: a story of grief inherited too young and boundaries blurred beyond recognition.

  🌷

 
This is a story I won't forget; a story I will tell my friends. I can't get Wes and Violet's story out of my mind. Although On The Way Down was a slow start for me, it picked up once Wes and Violet went on their trip; I was in love. Wes and Violet's story is written with so much emotion, and I liked that it was told from Wes's perspective. However, I sometimes wondered what Violet was thinking. I can't even begin to imagine how she must be feeling during it all. I’m glad that she had Wes by her side. I do feel that she should have told someone else beside him what was happening. 

On The Way Down is one of the most emotional coming-of-age stories that I have read. That ending…I still cannot get over it. That’s what makes it such a good story. I loved how real this story felt, and I feel as if many people could relate to it. One of my favorite parts about this book was that it takes place in the early 2000’s; it gave me so many memories. I loved that each chapter was titled as song titles. Each chapter became even more engaging, leaving you wondering what would come next for Wes and Violet. 

On The Way Down is a beautifully written debut novel. I’m so glad that I got to read this book, and go on the journey with Wes and Violet. I’m eager to see what the author has in store for us next.

What We Knew Then(Great Lakes U,#1)

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  

4.5★ 

 

    Thank you to author,Rachel Laberge for  E ARC, in exchange for honest review

 

He should know better. She’s the coach’s daughter. 

 
Lane Maxwell has one season left to prove he’s more than the reputation that followed him from his last school. Transferring to Great Lakes U wasn’t a fresh start—it was his last shot at keeping his NHL dream alive.
Cora Banks has built her life on being the one everyone can count on. Between classes, extra research projects, and doing whatever the Great Lakes U hockey team needs behind the scenes, she keeps everything moving—even when it means there’s nothing left for herself. 

She’s always known the don’t get involved with hockey players. Not when your dad is the coach. But Lane keeps showing up… on the ice and behind the scenes. The more time they spend around each other, the harder it is to ignore what’s between them. 

Until one reckless moment changes everything. 

Suddenly, Lane is back in the same spotlight. Same accusations. Same assumptions. Different college.

Only this time, Cora knows the truth—and how much it will cost to prove it.

 🌷

 
Hockey had always been one of my favorite sports to read about. I love watching it and reading about it. I knew when I came across What We Knew Then that I had to check this story out. The cover and the blurb had me hooked, and I couldn’t wait to dive into Lane and Cora’s story. Rachel Laberge did not disappoint. It didn’t take me long to get invested in the story, and if it weren’t for my moving, I wouldn’t have stopped reading. This is one of those books that once you pick it up, it’ll be hard to find a stopping point. 

From the very beginning, I loved Lane, and I rooted for him throughout the book. He was such a good guy and went through so much; I wanted him to get a fresh start where others wouldn’t judge him for his past. I knew that it wasn’t easy for him in the beginning, and that’s why I was glad that he had Cora in his corner. Lane and Cora needed each other. My favorite parts of the book are the ways Lane and Cora support each other. When Lane told her about his past, she was there, and she didn’t judge; she just listened. Also, the way that Lane helped Cora during one of her migraine attacks. I was rooting for two of them to end up together. 

I get monthly migraines, but the way that Rachel represented chronic migraines made me see them in a completely different way. Mine were bad, but not as bad as Cora’s, and seeing how it affected her daily life, my heart went out to her. What We Knew Then was my first book by Rachel Laberge, and I am already eager to check out her others. Highly recommended for sports romance fans

Trying Not To Love You(Moran Sisters,#1)

 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

 4.5★  

 

   Thank you to author,Kaylee Ryan for letting me be part of her ARC Team!

 

 

07.14.26  

 

 

Ellison

 
Copeland James was my first love, my first heartbreak, my first everything. Then he left without explanation, and never came back. 

My sisters and our closest friends helped me pick up the pieces, but my heart hasn’t been whole since the day he walked out of Magnolia Ridge. 

I’ve learned to live with what could have been… until his mother’s illness brings him back to our small town. He’s older, harder, and more magnetic than I remember. 

He’s a man now. The man I learned to live without. And yet, he’s back, stirring everything I thought I’d buried, making my world feel unsteady. 

Because loving him nearly destroyed me… and now, I’m still trying not to love him.

 
Copeland

 
I left Magnolia Ridge with nothing but a duffel bag and a decision. 

I told myself joining the Marines was the right choice. That loving her meant protecting her, and this was the way to do it.
I was wrong. 

Now I’m back, years later, and she’s just as breathtaking as the day I left. All these years, I imagined she’d have moved on, married someone else, but she’s still single, and in my heart, she’s still mine. 

But Ellison doesn’t see me the way I see her, not anymore. All I find in her eyes is the wound I left behind. The one that never healed. 

I didn’t fight for us back then, but I’ve learned. Now I’m ready for battle, fighting for what we could be while she tries not to love me.

 🌷

 
I had a feeling that I was going to love this book. When I came across the book, the cover and title were the first things to catch my attention. Just look at that cover! How can you not be curious about the story behind it? When I read the blurb for Trying Not To Love You, I was even more intrigued. Yet, I was still not prepared for the emotional roller coaster that Kaylee took me on. I finished reading last night and I can’t seem to get Ellison and Copeland story out of my mind. I loved the two of them together, and despite what happened between the two of them; I wanted them to find their way back to each other. I felt like everyone could see how much they loved each other. I understood why Ellison was hesitant, but I was also hoping that she would give him a second chance. 

There was so much I adored about this story: the characters, the plot, the setting. One of my favorite aspects of the story was the relationship between the Moran sisters. I loved the bond they had and the way they were always there for each other, no matter what. I love it when the book features such a strong sister bond. Now that I have read Trying Not To Love You , I’m excited to see what’s in store for the other Moran sisters. I found myself smiling on few occasions while reading the scenes between the sisters. 

Trying Not To Love You was the first book that I have read by Kaylee Ryan, and it won’t be my last one. I adored Magnolia Ridge and, while reading, pictured myself there. I loved the way everyone treated one another. It’s the type of small town where you wish that you could visit in real life. I think this would make a perfect TV Show. It gives me Virgin River and Sullivan’s Crossing vibes, and the type of show I would binge-watch. I could keep on talking about this book, but then I would give too much away. You’ll need to read it to find out for yourself.

The Night We Met (Say You Remember Me,#2)

 

 

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In everyone’s life, there’s a split-second decision that can change everything...

 
For Larissa, it came when choosing who to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she’d met the perfect man. She and Chris are great friends, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favorite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy. 

But she didn’t choose Chris to drive her home all those months ago—she went with his best friend, and he became her boyfriend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else. How can something that feels so right be absolutely impossible? 

    🌷

  
Abby does it again! 

This is why Abby Jimenez is one of my favorites. I’m so glad that I discovered this author last year. I had a feeling I was going to love this, yet I was still not prepared for how much this story would affect me. The Night We Met is my new favorite by Abby Jimenez. I can’t get this book out of my mind. The Night We Met was filled with so much emotion and passion, and it makes you feel everything that Larissa and Chris are going through, especially Larissa. I felt for her and how hard she had to work to support her family. 

Chris, what is there to say about him? Except that I wish that everyone were as caring as he was. He was one of my favorite MMCs I have read about. It was so heartwarming the way that he cared about Larissa; the way that he looked out for her. Chris did so much more for Larissa than her own boyfriend ever did. I was waiting and rooting for Larissa to figure out that Chris is the one she should be with. I was rooting for them throughout the book. I loved how Larissa and Chris took care of the dog together, and it was clear how much they loved him. 

Mike was the character I had complex feelings about; I still do. There was part of me that wasn’t happy with the decisions he made, but he also had good qualities. There were so many mixed emotions that went through me while reading this book. I couldn’t stop turning the pages, and a few times I didn’t even realize how late it had gotten. Although I loved Xavier and Samantha’s story in Say You Remember Me, I loved Larissa and Chris’s story even more. There is something about those two characters that I know I will never forget. A story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Summer State Of Mind

 

 

 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina. 

Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start. 

But as Daisy becomes increasingly attached to this abandoned child, and begins facing her own demons in the process, a startling discovery is made that threatens to rip the entire town of Cape Carolina apart, placing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley in the center of the storm. 

   🌷

 
Somehow, I knew I was going to love this author; from the moment that I read my first book by her in 2023: Summer Of Songbirds. Her novels are both heartbreaking and soothing. Once you pick up one of Kristy’s books, you’ll fall in love with her stories. I’ve been wanting to read Summer State Of Mind since she announced it on her Instagram. If it weren’t for the long wait list at the library, I would have read it the day it was released. Out of the books that I have read by Kristy, Summer State Of Mind in my opinion is the most emotional one that I have read. I think that Summer Of State Of Mind is one of those stories that needs to be told and read. 

Daisy and Mason : What is there to say about them, except that I loved them from the moment that I met them. What those two did was heartwarming and so inspiring. They gave that little girl, Maisy, what she needed the most: love. I adored how Daisy and Mason formed a bond with Maisy. However, I was worried about how attached Daisy got to Maisy, especially since I had a feeling of what could happen if parents came forward. I loved the relationship between Mason and Daisy; it didn’t take long to see how much they care for each other. I loved the way Mason’s family treated her like family from the moment that they met her. 

I loved the small community and the way that they took care of each other. I enjoyed reading the book about three characters. Each of their stories was so powerful. Even though I didn’t always agree with their choices, I related to them. I found myself rooting for their happily ever after. I ended up finishing this book at 4:00 am because I needed to see what would happen. Summer State Of Mind is the story that you're eager to see how it ends, but at the same time don’t want it to be over. What an outstanding story.