Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy, #1) by Adaline Winters Review

This review does not contain spoilers for Seducing Hope. A list of trigger warnings can be found on Goodreads. I would like to thank the author for reaching out to me to read this book! It is currently available for free on Kindle Unlimited.

Natia, our heroine, discovers that she is more than meets the eye when it comes to being human. While she may appear to be human, her family certainly has their fingers dipped into numerous supernatural pots. Told through first person, we as readers get the experience of being "talked to" by Natia -- she makes a lot of commentary to the reader in passing, and we see a lot of her inner monologue throughout the book.

We have multiple perspectives in this book -- Natia and Archan -- that show the world building and general tone for the story. My toxic trait is that I was rooting for something to happen between Natia and Archan in the beginning of the book because I was sensing some serious sexual tension in the room. The development of their relationship throughout the book is not rushed and has you curious about what is going to happen next -- will they or won't they?

The dynamic between Natia, Zee, Duncan, and Aaden is fun to read and provides a lot of context regarding their relationships with one another. You can tell that they all look out for Natia in their own, special way, while also driving her up a wall at any chance they get. They are all very protective of her, especially when it comes to her and Archan interacting with each other.

Winters does a great job establishing world-building while combining modern elements to a supernatural world. It is easy to understand and even when you are thrown right into the plot, you won't have a hard time following along and pick up the story with ease. I really enjoyed the incorporation of mythology and classics into the story -- the way that they are interwoven into the supernatural world Winters created was well done and as a fan of mythology, as I was pleased.

As the characters are on their own personal journeys, on multiple agendas, the "big bad" is eventually revealed to us and this is where we see the two opposing sides of the story start to come together. While secrets are still being kept, somewhat of a united front begins to take form between Natia's team and Archan's team as they search for supernatural beings and important objects.

There are numerous references to modern day songs, television shows, and movies, which is seen mostly through dialogue commentary from Natia and Duncan as banter and normal conversation. Normally, I try to stay away from books with references only because I like to separate my reading from my "daily life," but Winters does a fine job of keeping them at a moderate occurrence so they do not overpower the story she is telling.

This is definitely a great book for someone who wants to dip their toes into the supernatural genre. I had a lot of fun reading it, and the cliffhanger was great. The last quarter of the book is filled with lots of development and plot discovery, and I was restraining my eyes from going to the bottom of the page so I would not spoil anything ahead of time. I would recommend this series to fans of Blackmoon Beginnings by Kaitlyn Hoyt and Fighting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins -- you can read my review, here.

You can add Seducing Hope and the rest of the The Hope Legacy trilogy on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on publications and releases.

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Serving the Billionaire (The Silver Cross Club, #1) by Bec Linder Review

This review does not contain spoilers for Serving the Billionaire.

Regan has no money, no job, and what appears to be no prospects -- she's just like Charlotte Lucas from Pride and Prejudice. She had to drop out of college and after quitting her job due to being harassed at work, she is on the hunt for employment, and comes across a cocktail waitress flyer in her local bodega and attends the audition at The Silver Cross Club.

She quickly becomes good at her job, slowly working her way up to a heavier workload, when she is told a regular client wants her to serve at his private party. We are thrown into Regan's encounter with him and his guests, along with the requests Carter Sutton asks of her during his party and for future parties.

Carter is our classic tall and mysterious man who just cannot take his eyes off of Regan. He has a very particular taste, and that definitely comes out later in the story. During their encounters at the club, Carter is very clear to Regan about what he wants and introduces her to a world that she never thought that she would be a part of. There are a few moments where the connections he has with high profile people seem unlikely, but his character is put together and respected by those who know him.

This novella reads pretty well -- it is not littered with clichés and progresses at a decent rate that does not leave you questioning how you got from point A to point B. We are able to see Regan's thought process throughout the story and as she continues to encounter Carter on a more daily basis, and see how they begin to affect one another. They of course have their moments where communication is not very clear between them or that one does not seem to understand the other, but they did only just meet days, if not a couple weeks, prior to their relationship actually starting to become something more.

Serving the Billionaire definitely gives off a very similar tone to the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy -- we are introduced to a twenty-something virgin who just so happens to come across and grab the attention of a billionaire, who has an instant attraction to her. There is a balance of smut, angst, and character/relationship building that allows this to be a quick read that readers can enjoy without cringing as they turn the page.

This novella is available for FREE on iBooks and other ebook platforms.

You can add Serving the Billionaire and the rest of The Silver Cross Club series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on publications and releases.

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Float by Kate Marchant Review

This review does not contain spoilers for Float.

Waverly is spending a month in Florida with her aunt -- a month away from Alaska and her professor parents -- when she is introduced to the brooding boy next door, Blake. She finds herself basically thrown into a new friend group almost immediately and has to navigate their dynamic while adjusting to Florida.

This book is in first person, and since I normally try to stay away from first person POVs, I had to adjust my thinking when reading this book, but it actually reads pretty well in Waverly's perspective and I found myself quickly encompassed in her narrative.

At first, Waverly gives off this "not like other girls" vibe that is not completely in your face, but definitely comes out of the woodwork on occasion. It may be because she is in a new environment and does not know where she stands in sunny Florida compared to the Arctic, but she abandons that attitude about one third of the way into the book. She definitely becomes more of a "girl's girl" throughout the book, and with only a few mildly misogynistic comments about romance books and bathing suits, we really see her grow.

Waverly and Blake's banter is actually pretty well done, and I liked the way that the author would have them banter in front of other people and turn it into some type of game between them -- it really suited the characters and amplified that "enemies to lovers" trope they had going on with one another. They have a lot of cute moments in addition to them fighting over swimming lessons or trying to be discrete in front of their friends.

I really liked the way that the author included Blake's relationship with his father and stepmother, and how we were able to see their dynamic more in depth rather than it just being side commentary throughout the book. It was nice to give the romance a bit of a break to see what Blake was experiencing -- yes, it was from Waverly's perspective, but the author allowed us to see multiple family dynamics as the story progressed and it complimented the romance nicely.

Some aspects of the book are a little cliché -- Waverly's mantra, for starters -- that make you question the book in the sense that it feels like the author wanted to make some things more relatable, but actually just dated the book a bit. Waverly has foot-in-mouth disease, I swear. At the most inconvenient or inappropriate times, this girl will blurt out the most insane string of words I have ever read.

Overall, this was a sweet and quick read that showed a rather quick summer romance blossom between two people who at first could not seem any more different. Waverly was able to form a number of relationships throughout her stay in Florida, and the author wrapped up everything quite nicely in the end.

Float definitely gives off some of the same vibes as The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han -- and this is me going off of the Amazon series alone, as I have not read the books. If you are looking for a quick, summer beach read, Float is for you.

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A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham Review

This review does not contain spoilers for A Flicker in the Dark. Trigger warnings include self-harm, suicide, sexual assault, drug use, and murder.

I personally was not a fan of the author's style of writing -- I found that it read a little choppy in the beginning and felt as though the main character was throwing facts and information at you that were not relevant to the story that they were trying to tell. Rather than reading with a flow, it read more like you were in someone's head trying to follow a thought process about something that even they did not understand what was going on or what was necessary to the plot. The story did not pick up for me until about two thirds of the way through when the story really started to evolve.

However, it is definitely a quick read -- you are easily drawn into the world of our main character, Chloe, a medical psychologist with a serial killer as a father. She quickly becomes involved in the search for girls who are going missing twenty years after her father was arrested for the very same thing. Told through both twenty-year-old memories and present time, we see Chloe's development from discovering her father was doing wicked things to her life decades later being thrown right back into the ring.

We get an inside look from Chloe on what these girls were like before her father murdered them as the book progresses -- each of the girls with their own stories, personalities, and stand-out traits that have stayed with Chloe over the years. 

Willingham gives us an inside look at Chloe's relationship with these girls -- how well she knew them, if they were friends, if they only talked to her because they liked her brother -- the more we read on, the more we see how they influenced her as well. Additionally, we are able to see the events that took place leading up to Chloe's father's arrest and how he came to be identified as the one who murdered these girls.

The journalist looking into these new copycat killings definitely causes an internal battle for Chloe as she is basically forced to relive her father's killings all over again, but as if she is aware of what is happening the entire time. He comes into her life the month before the twenty year anniversary of the first girls' disappearance, and is there to stay until these killings are solved -- and he makes it very clear to Chloe that even if she does not speak to him, he will continue to look into the new murders.

Chloe's relationship with her brother, Cooper, and with her fiancé, Daniel, are complicated to put it simply. It feels as though she never shows her true self to anyone, not even herself. We learn more about Chloe and her complicated past as the story progresses, and with it I found myself viewing her as an unreliable narrator. She puts herself in unnecessary circumstances and continues to make every possible wrong move, convincing herself that she is doing the right thing.

I personally found this book a little predictable, but I have always been good with guessing the ending to things, especially horror and thriller movies. The author was able to tie up all loose ends, and in my opinion, I think the main character had the ending she deserved for herself. I would recommend this book to fans of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Bleeding Hearts by Dana Louise Provo -- read my review, here.

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Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1) by Leigh Bardugo Review

This review contains some mild spoilers for Ninth House - no major plot or character spoilers are included. A list of trigger warnings can be found here.

You can read my reviews of other publications from Leigh Bardugo here: The Grisha Trilogy, Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, Little Knife, The Tailor, The Witch of Duva, and The Too-Clever Fox.

When I first started reading this book, I was constantly confusing who the main characters were, since they have nicknames or go by their last names. Once I was able to orient myself into the plot after a few chapters, it was a lot easier to follow. Ninth House is very content heavy, so I found myself reading at a slower pace than I am usually reading it -- there is a lot going on all of the time, so I definitely suggest to take your time.

Reading about the trauma that Alex has gone through and comes to encounter, especially the bathroom flashback early on in the book, was heartbreaking. She constantly is trying to tell people what she is going through and what she sees, and it seems that no one will listen and those who do only use it against her or spread it like gossip. I could never imagine sending a child to one of those wilderness rehab programs for "troubled youth" like Alex's mother tried to do.

Darlington and Alex's relationship definitely starts off pretty rocky -- he expects her to do everything perfectly, and she has only been exposed to proper magic for a few weeks. He does not quite understand what she has been through and how she has lived her entire life seeing the Grays and basically being tortured by them for as long as she can remember. Alex is still discovering so much of the world that Darlington has been involved in for so long, but I appreciated the way that Bardugo is able to show the evolution of their relationship as they learn more about one another through flashbacks.

Dawes really is a mystery to Alex in a sense -- she is friendly, then turns cold, then agrees to help Alex but does a poor job of it. One third of the way into the book and I was still on the edge of deciding if I liked Dawes and if she was actually looking out for Alex. She did not let Alex know when Turner showed up at the medical examiner's office, even when Alex explicitly stated that she needed to give her a warning. She definitely grew on me as the book moves forward, and provides a lot of great back and forth with Alex.

I really enjoy seeing Darlington's past before coming to Yale and being a part of Lethe House -- watching him grow up and see his complicated relationship with his parents and his love for his grandfather put it in perspective to me of why he is the way he is. The way we see his development in flashbacks allows us to truly understand his character despite him not being actively present at Yale.

Alex may be spontaneous and make rapid decisions regarding dying and going to the underworld, but she is first and foremost a protector. We see her constantly trying to save and protect others throughout the book, whether they be dead or alive -- she fully embodies "girls protect girls" when it comes into play. Yes, she definitely does some questionable and perhaps unethical things, but she gets the job done at the end of the day. Her development as a character was fantastic, and we see her grow and expand into someone with so much more confidence than she started out with when she came to Yale.

The Bridegroom reminds me of Dorian Gray's portrait for some reason -- every time he shows up in a chapter, it has this haunting energy around him, from the way that he speaks to the way that he insists on particular things. He pops up in the most inconvenient times for Alex, yet also has a way of showing up in just the right moment.

Ninth House deals with a ton of world building and understanding the societies at Yale and what they specifically specialize in. Bardugo does an excellent job with character development and is able to clearly depict each character and the flaws they encompass. I definitely recommend this book to fans of An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson, The Wicker King by K. Ancrum, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

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The Housemaid by Freida McFadden Review

This review does not contain spoilers for The Housemaid. Trigger warnings include domestic abuse, violence, and crime.

There are a ton of writing cliches littered throughout this book - even in the first chapter, we see a "I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding" line from our main character, Millie.

I also Google Translated the Italian landscaper, Enzo, said to Millie, and it was obvious that our lead was in danger from the beginning. And it is clear that Millie thought just the same, and did just that as well. The second she realized that Enzo had told her "danger," she should have turned around and ran away from that family as fast as she could.

Nina and Cecelia freak me out -- Nina definitely keeps information from Millie and chooses what she knows. Keeping vital information from Millie and causing rifts early on in Millie's employment can only lead her down a dark road. The way that Nina interacts with Millie when they are in front of other people astounds me. Even if you are not too found of someone, I could never imagine talking about them right in front of their face and speaking so rudely to someone that you originally said was so amazing.

I found myself constantly feeling bad for Andrew during Part I of the book -- he clearly was not happy in his marriage with Nina and it become glaringly obvious as you get further into the book. However, in the second half of the book, my pity for him turned to suspicion, especially after the countless warnings Enzo gives Millie.

We have a change in perspective as Nina's point of view takes the lead in Part II of the book, where we are able to see the early stages of Nina and Andrew's relationship and marriage. It completely changed my stance on the characters, as we are introduced to the other side of the story we had only expected. Enzo's character development and Nina's background are given top priority in these chapters, and it was very interesting to see their dynamic play out.

Part III takes us back to Millie's perspective and shows the progression of her time in Nina and Andrew's house, and we also maintain a glimpse into Nina's perspective as the conclusion fast approaches. McFadden does a pretty good job of developing all three of the main characters and their personalities as the tone of the book shifts the more you read. Millie and Nine have their ultimate "girlboss" moments that were mildly unexpected, but certainly well-received.

In all honesty, when I was a few chapters in, I wasn't too sure if I was going to enjoy this as much as I did. The writing was a little iffy for me, but with the short chapters it became a very quick read and I found myself flying through the book in no time. The plot takes a moment to heat up and I had to push myself in the beginning to keep going, but I'm very glad that I stuck with it to the end.

I would recommend this book to fans of Verity by Colleen Hoover -- you can read my review, here -- and Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage, as well as fans of psychological thrillers. If you have not read the two mentioned books and enjoyed The Housemaid, then I definitely recommend picking them up!

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When it Raynes (Frost Industries, #1) by Montana Fyre Review

This review does not contain spoilers for When it Raynes. A list of trigger warnings is available at the beginning of this book, as well as being listed on Goodreads.

I saw this book on TikTok through a single quote someone posted, and since I am a sucker for a good mafia romance book, I knew that I needed to read it. We have our main characters, Emerson and Rayne, who find themselves drawn together when Rayne comes to volunteer at the community center Emerson and her father run.

I cannot even say that I am surprised that not even four chapters in, we get a lovely description of Emerson with a messy bun and barely any makeup on -- I can hear the "not like other girls" chant from a mile away. Rayne stares at her like she is the first woman he has ever come in contact with and constantly is thinking how she does not have a choice about being in life, which is expected going into the book, he just sounds like a stalker when he thinks.

Immediately though I am forgetting about the way he thinks because I love a good protective trope and Rayne does not disappoint in this category. However, the way that he talks to Emerson literally has me cackling, because this grown man is literally speaking like he watched Fifty Shades of Grey and turned up the notch to 200%.

Rayne is super possessive of Emerson right off the bat, and we see him start to defend her and tell her what to do all within the very early chapters of the book. Whether it is confronting her ex-boyfriend or making calls for the youth center, he is heavily involved with her life as soon as he enters it.

For a girl $70,000 in debt because of her ex-boyfriend, she certainly should be taking Rayne up on his offer of giving her money, even if it is a few hundred dollars to cover what she would typically earn for the night at the club. It is certainly much better than the alternative of being at the hands of Angelo Russo and his creepy little friends.

Rayne really reminds me of an amped up Christian Grey, because a lot of the things he tells Emerson and the things that he buys her are incredibly similar to the Fifty Shades of Grey series, across the three books. Buying her clothes, wanting to be with her at events, and have everyone know that she is with are the basics when it comes to both male leads.

The amount of assault scenes in this book definitely threw me off -- I did not expect so many to happen. Some are described in more detail and graphically than others, but I have to say they will sneak up on you and to read the trigger warnings if you know if you need to. Did not love how Rayne was suggesting to have sex with Emerson after she was almost sexually assaulted.

Emerson is understandably hesitant to go along with the majority of things that Rayne asks her to do and asks of her -- she goes through so much during this book and for some reason Rayne does not seem to grasp that she has been through numerous traumatic experiences in a matter of days.

Towards the end of the book we see a lot of action and a lot of events taking place very quickly -- to no one's surprise, Emerson is in danger again and Rayne is losing his mind over it (understandably). There are a lot of twists and surprises in the last few chapters, some expected and some definitely giving shock value.

Overall, this is a decent read and kept me pretty entertained with the characters and storyline. There were times where scenarios and dialogue felt somewhat repetitive and I still feel as if we do not know much on Emerson and Rayne, especially Rayne's family. I would definitely recommend this to fans of Fifty Shades of Grey and dark mafia romance readers.

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