Broken by Ashe Barker Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Broken is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.

The day I decided I was finally going to dive into this book was the same day that I found out that the author was a grandmother, and from that moment on I knew I was in for a treat. As one of my many downloads from Stuff Your Kindle Day, you can only imagine why I decided this book was one that I needed in my library -- I am a sucker for anything involving a forbidden romance.

I genuinely did not know what to expect with this storyline, and to be completely honest, the beginning really threw me for a loop. So much happened in a short amount of time, and with so many character introductions, it was a touch hard to keep track of who was who at times. Once you get into the swing of things, the plot moves quickly, and before you know it, our good sister Jenna has found herself in some real trouble... exactly the reason I downloaded this book.

Zafar is a man who knows what he wants and certainly has no limitations to stop him from getting anything, being the brother of the Crown Prince of Akram. The dynamic between Jenna and Zafar is at an all-time intensity from the moment they first interact, and it escalates to levels I have only seen by characters written by Shantel Tessier.

With an equal balance of plot and straight up spice, the author is able to create an enticing story between an unlikely pair. I really did not know what to expect when I first started reading, and was pleasantly surprised by the pacing and characterization throughout the story. A quick and steamy read, it would have been great if the book was longer - I would have loved to see what else was in store for them and how their relationship would progress beyond the ending. That being said, I was satisfied with the ending and did not feel rushed getting there.

The side characters definitely added a great layer to the story, and tied the plot together without taking away from Jenna and Zafar's budding relationship. Members of the royal family made a generous amount of appearances, and were characters that I enjoyed Jenna making them into her acquaintances. Looking at Melisa's storyline, it was unique and she played a much larger role than I anticipated for her character, which was a great choice by the author.

If you are looking for a standalone dark romance, Broken may very well be the introduction you need to enter the genre. And if you are already a long-time member of the dark romance club, this will fit right into your tastes.

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Stone Heart (Dark Olympus, #0.5) by Katee Robert Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Stone Heart is currently available for free on Kindle.

I have been meaning to get into the Dark Olympus series for years now, and since I am such a big fan of mythology retellings, I thought this would be a great novella to help me out of a reading slump and keep up with my reading goal. Medusa is working for Athena as essentially a human tool to take care of business, but the lines of her work begin to blur when she is tasked with getting rid of Calypso. The premise of the story is intriguing, but I was definitely hesitant to see how it would play out in such a short number of pages.

Reading this was basically a test to see how I would feel about Katee Robert's writing style, and while this was a short glimpse into her retellings, I found myself able to read quickly through this story without feeling like the plot was dragging. The pacing was faired pretty well given that this novella clocks in at just over one hundred pages, and it did not extremely rushed putting Medusa and Calypso together.

The side characters made their quick appearances and then disappeared for the remainder of the story with the exception of a mention here and a quick phone call there. I did not care for Athena -- she is on the more severe in her relationship with Medusa considering their mentioned past, and it just did not seem to flow well with how their dynamic was set up by the author. Maybe this was my fault for going in with assumptions, but I was under the impression that this series leaned more towards the dark romance or spicier side of reading, and I did not get any of that from this novella.

Robert's retelling had a lot to work with in terms of mythology, but seemed to fall a little flat when it came to incorporating unique aspects to the story. Medusa seemed to be very insecure, and it was hindering the reading experience in the sense that she was not developing at a rate that would project the story forward within the restricted number of pages. It really started to feel as though she was never going to make a breakthrough until we got to the very end of the novella, and even then I have my doubts that she makes any more progress after the story was over.

Their story is definitely skating the lines of insta-love, which is not my favorite trope, but I tend to throw away that bias when it comes to romantasy books. However, it really did feel out of the blue with Medusa, and took all of five pages before she was playing with the idea that she was in love with Calypso. If this novella was about fifty pages longer, it would have been great to see some more character development in Medusa or Calypso, but what was given to them fit their characterizations well. It was nice to see a little sneak peak into Neon Gods, and I may decide to return to this series later on.

You can cadd Stone Heart on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Trial of Thorns (Wicked Fae, #1) by Stacey Trombley Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Trial of Thorns is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.

Throwing myself back into fantasy land since I have been settled down in dark romance town for nearly a month. I am basically a walking advertisement for Stuff Your Kindle Day at this rate, with the past nine books hailing from my favorite ebook sale. The description of Trial of Thorns caught my eye due to its similarities to Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, and I have been in desperate need to revisit an assassin-esque series.

Caelynn is unapologetically stubborn on the outside, and her characterization is one for the books. The exterior seen by Rev compared to her inner thoughts and development is a great example of her duality of vulnerability and power. As the story goes on, we learn so much more about her and what she has been through, and I gained a great appreciation for her character. I really have to echo my original statement of the resemblance to Throne of Glass, with the main characters having such strong self confidence and authority.

The prince has arm tattoos... I was a goner not even twenty pages in. And not even 20% into the book and I became completely enamored with the idea of a perfect enemies-to-lovers arc for Caelynn and Rev -- it was handed to readers on a silver platter and I ate it right up. I truly have not encountered an enemies-to-lovers scenario that I have loved this much since reading The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

Rev has such a hardened view and deep hatred of Caelynn from the start, for obvious reasons, and as he learns more about her and the strategy she has going into the Trials, he begins to let his guard down. That being said, he continues to hold a strong distain towards her for the majority of the book, and their complex dynamic really has a fantastic groundwork laid out. They both are battling their own demons, and the more they discover about themselves and each other, the more they begin to realize that they may have more in common than they think.

The trials in this book were so interesting to read, and it was refreshing to see a number of creatures being included in the lore. The author utilized the side characters so well throughout this book, and it was such a strong choice to have them play major roles while not overshadowing the leads. Especially seeing them from Caelynn versus Rev's perspective -- she has her allies, and he has his, making their understanding of everyone involved in the trials even more complex.

I loved the complexity of the trials they competed in -- they did not resemble the typical trials seen in a number of fantasy series, and had an originality to them that made the story even more inviting to explore. Romance is definitely on the back burner for this first installment, but I loved the subtleness of it and how it did not overpower the story as a whole. There is certainly time for it in the rest of the series, and this book needed to focus on world building and character dynamics as a priority. I am so excited to continue on with this series and see where it takes these characters!

You can add Trial of Thorns on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!