Book Review: “Here for the Cake” by Jennifer Millikin

“Here for the Cake” by Jennifer Millikin is a cute romantic comedy filled with witty banter, instant chemistry, and a beachy romance that ends with a happily ever after. 

Poor Paisley’s in a predicament. Her younger sister is marrying her ex-boyfriend and Paisley’s expected to show up to the wedding and serve as the maid of honor. During a night of drunken debauchery in the bride’s name, Paisley runs into her college crush and one-time snogger, Klein. Saving Paisley some unwanted embarrassment, Klein poses as Paisley’s new beau in front of the female wedding party.

Not wanting to look like a loser, Paisley enlists the help of Klein for the upcoming nuptials. What ensues is your typical fake-dating trope set against a beachy, island backdrop, complete with the dysfunctional family tomfoolery thrown in. 

I enjoyed seeing Paisley go from a Grade A people pleaser to a woman redefining her boundaries and someone no longer wanting to be “the floor,” as Paisley’s friend Paloma would say. Her complicated and complex relationships with her family members - from her distant father to her selfish sister - made Paisley very relatable. (Her sister reminded me of Tess from 27 Dresses - the narcissistic, overindulged bride-to-be. Actually, Paisley and Sienna’s relationship is very much reminiscent of Tess and Jane’s from 27 Dresses.)

Klein is the typical cinnamon roll boyfriend - even more so when Paisley and Klein admit that their fake feelings are anything but that. He encourages her to stand up for herself but is also her protector when needed. (I loved that Klein was mere seconds away from putting Paisley’s ex on his ass any time he bad-mouthed her.) They also pushed each other to be better individuals.

This book was an easy read and I was eager to see how Paisley and Klein’s story played out. The chemistry between them was palpable and the spice hit just right (the hide-and-seek scene!) It was a cute and enjoyable read and fans of 27 Dresses will be delighted with Paisley and Klein’s love story.

Book Review: "Serpents of Sky and Flame" by Rebecca F. Kenney

Rebecca F. Kenney hits it out of the park with her latest novel, “Serpents of Sky and Flame.” I  have been a fan of Kenney’s since devouring the entire Wicked Darlings and Immortal Warriors series. I absolutely love her world building of these fantastical realms, full of delicious characters and storylines that keep you hooked from the beginning. And the spice never disappoints!

It should be no surprise that “Serpents of Sky and Flame” hit no different; really, I think it’s the best book I’ve read of hers so far. This first novel in the Merciless Dragons series, introduces us to Princess Serylla, whose father is leading a war against a rival kingdom that has banded together with mercenary dragons. In retaliation for a fatal curse that desimates every female in the dragon kingdom, Kyreagan, the dragon prince, leads a raid that captures Serylla and a hoard of females from her kingdom. What follows is a tale of captor/captive that very much gives Beauty and the Beast vibes. 

The story, told between dual POVs between Kyreagan and Serylla, is a lot of fun - mostly because of the miscommunication that runs rampant between the two main characters. Grumpy Kyreagan is often blunt - almost animalistic and so literal in his responses at times that it was quite humorous in how Serylla responded to him. (She literally thought she’d be torn apart because of his dragon sausage.) This novel had me laughing out loud and I couldn’t help but to appreciate the evolving dynamic between Kyreagan and Serylla.

And the nod to mental health representation with the panic attacks - and the subsequent care the character was given during the episode - was just beautiful! (Kenney does such a great job of this in her books. I felt seen!) 

“Serpents of Sky and Flame” is a slow burn, enemies to lovers, monster romance that checked all the boxes for this dragon book girlie. If you’re looking for your next fun read (that’ll keep you turning those pages until the cliffhanger at the end), you’ll want to check this book out.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Book Review: "The Veiled Kingdom" by Holly Renee

Holly Renee has quickly become one of my “read everything” authors - everything that she puts out is automatically going on my TBR list and her books are always on pre-order.

Her newest romantasy, “The Veiled Kingdom,” did not disappoint. After Renee’s Stars and Shadows series and the epic love story that was Adara and Evren, I didn’t think she could make me love a book couple more - until this newest book. Enter Dacre and Nyra. It has all of my favorite tropes - enemies to lovers to enemies again, friend’s brother, slow burn, world entrenched in magic, hidden identity, forced proximity, found family, and only THE BEST angst and banter. I could go on…but this book is EVERYTHING.

The book had me by the throat from the very beginning and was perfectly paced, in a way few authors of this genre can do well - Renee being one of them. It was so well done that I could not put the book down until I was done with it. The novel - told in dual POV between Dacre and Nyra - tells the story of one runaway princess (Nyra), desperately seeking to flee her kingdom and her magic-obsessed, abusive father who wants to use the magically inclined and will stop at nothing to get what he desires. She runs quite literally into Dacre - a leader in the rebellion against her father. Nyra must hide who she truly is in order to be taken in by the rebellion and trained as one of their soldiers. You can only imagine all that could go wrong in that scenario…and it does. 

I absolutely loved the characters. Nyra is not the prim princess that needs to be saved. She’s experienced trauma at the hands of her own father and despite this, remains diligent in her quest to free herself from his wrath. She’s strong but also has moments of vulnerability - especially as she begins to find herself when she’s in hiding with the rebellion (ironic, I know). 

Dacre is everything I want in a morally gray MMC. The tension between Dacre and Nyra was thick from the start and was set on fire the moment Dacre took it upon himself to train Nyra in the rebellion ways. The “touch her and die” vibes he gives to basically any male that looks at Nyra is liquid fire to my loins. Dacre may just be my new favorite book boyfriend.

If you enjoyed Renee’s first series, this is an obvious shoo-in to your collection. A must-read for romantasy readers everywhere…but beware the cliff! I am ecstatic that a second book is coming out - I could NOT get enough of the first. I’m just disappointed that June is so far off!

Book Review: "The Dragon's Rose" by Tati R. Alvarez

“The Dragon’s Rose” by Tati Alvarez is the first book in the Grym Hollow series. “The Dragon’s Rose” follows leading lady Rose Briar in her quest to save the younger sister who betrayed her, while also trying to get away from a painful past.

Rose finds herself seeking the help of The Guardian, an elusive, magical figure who lives on the fringes of her small community and assists those in need - for a price. Rose’s deal for an escape from her current reality leads her to Mescos, a magical realm filled with dragons, krakens, shifters, and more - and straight to the castle of the Dragon King, Malix, whom she’s agreed to marry as part of her deal. 

Now, the novel wasn’t horrible. Apart from the grammatical errors that littered the ARC, the story was interesting enough to keep me reading. I enjoyed the premise of a bargain for a new life, with all the twists that came with it. I would have loved to see some more development of Rose and Malix’s relationship - it felt superficial at best and the romance fell flat of what I’d expect from a romantasy. The dual POV also left much to be desired; I felt the voices weren’t distinct enough from each other to tell much of a difference between one and the other. 

That being said, I would love to see where the author takes this series - as there were definitely hints at what a sequel might hold in this first book. I enjoyed Alvarez’s writing and think with more editing, the next book could be a hit.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Book Review: "Dance of Stars and Ashes" by Nisha J. Tuli

“Dance of Stars and Ashes” by Nisha J. Tuli is a fantasy romance read, inspired by South Asian culture and Indian mythology and is the second book in the Nightfire Quartet. Just as captivating as the first book, Tuli continues the story of our heroine, Zarya, a magically gifted bad-ass who’s finally coming into her own self in this part of the series, after having been sequestered from the rest of the world for a large part of her young life.

This sequel was a wonderful follow-up to the first book in the series. I enjoyed seeing Zaraya’s character and relationships develop and deepen. Not only do you see her growth throughout the story, but her companions (and secondary characters) also have their own self-revelations and growing pains as well. In this sequel, Zaraya begins to learn more about her own heritage and why she was spirited away as a young child and raised by Row (who, despite all his short-comings is really making an effort to get back in Zaraya’s good graces!)

The action and story development in this book definitely picked up more than the first book and - in my opinion - remained relatively on pace for most of the sequel. The surprise/not-so-surprise villain in the story and the subsequent take-over that happened was emotion-inducing - like, I wanted Zaraya to kick their ass so bad! It was almost maddening. 

Finally, the developing romance between Zaraya and Rabin was EVERYTHING! You see each become vulnerable in their feelings for each other and it’s truly magical to see where their vulnerability and trust in one another takes them. His fierceness in wanting to protect Zaraya and keep her safe, while also giving major Dragon Daddy vibes just checked all the right boxes in this romantasy! 

I absolutely enjoyed this book as much as I did the first one - maybe even more so. I look forward to the next book in the series!