Mini Thoughts
Hello, all!
Wild Eyes- Elsie Silver: After a recent string of bad press, all country singer Skylar Stone wants to do is get out of the limelight. Skylar expected to find peace and solitude within the mountains surrounding the small town of Rose Hill, but what she got was so much more. Weston Belmont is a single father and shameless flirt, but he's also the realest person Skylar has ever met. He takes Skylar in without question and slowly starts helping her pick up the pieces of her shattered life. West barely knows Skylar, but he's supported her more than anyone else. The more time the pair spend together, the harder it gets to deny their connection or the fondness Skylar feels for West's two young kids. Skylar knows she has to return to her real life eventually, but she can't help wondering what would happen if she stayed.
Silver is my go-to author whenever I feel myself slipping into a reading slump because her books are always so addicting. Typically, I don't like longer romances, but I always fly through her books, and this was no exception. I loved the dynamic between Skylar and West right from the beginning. West challenged her in ways no one ever has, and I loved watching Skylar blossom into such a confident and strong woman. She took charge of her life, and it was so satisfying. I loved watching them dance around one another until finally caving into their feelings. Their chemistry was palpable. I loved their relationship, but I loved Skylar's relationship with his kids even more. It was so sweet and my favorite part of the book (aside from Skylar's mouthy parrot). I loved seeing West and Skylar be vulnerable with each other, and I thought the insecurities they overcame added another layer to the story. I can't get enough of this series, and I'm so excited for the next book.
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| Pub Date: 9-3-24 Adult - Contemporary |
Wild Eyes- Elsie Silver: After a recent string of bad press, all country singer Skylar Stone wants to do is get out of the limelight. Skylar expected to find peace and solitude within the mountains surrounding the small town of Rose Hill, but what she got was so much more. Weston Belmont is a single father and shameless flirt, but he's also the realest person Skylar has ever met. He takes Skylar in without question and slowly starts helping her pick up the pieces of her shattered life. West barely knows Skylar, but he's supported her more than anyone else. The more time the pair spend together, the harder it gets to deny their connection or the fondness Skylar feels for West's two young kids. Skylar knows she has to return to her real life eventually, but she can't help wondering what would happen if she stayed.
Silver is my go-to author whenever I feel myself slipping into a reading slump because her books are always so addicting. Typically, I don't like longer romances, but I always fly through her books, and this was no exception. I loved the dynamic between Skylar and West right from the beginning. West challenged her in ways no one ever has, and I loved watching Skylar blossom into such a confident and strong woman. She took charge of her life, and it was so satisfying. I loved watching them dance around one another until finally caving into their feelings. Their chemistry was palpable. I loved their relationship, but I loved Skylar's relationship with his kids even more. It was so sweet and my favorite part of the book (aside from Skylar's mouthy parrot). I loved seeing West and Skylar be vulnerable with each other, and I thought the insecurities they overcame added another layer to the story. I can't get enough of this series, and I'm so excited for the next book.
Rating: 4/5
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| Pub Date: 8-6-24 YA - Mystery |
Death at Morning House- Maureen Johnson: After accidentally setting fire to the house she was watching, Marlowe Wexler needs a new summer job. She'll do anything to escape her embarrassment, so she agrees to become a tour guide out on Ralston Island. The small island is part of New York's Thousand Islands but is most known for being the home of an eccentric scientist and his family. Back in the 1920s, the Ralston family lived at Morning House until a tragedy took the lives of two of the seven children. The house and island have lived barren for years but have just been renovated and opened to the public. At first, the job seems simple enough, but Marlowe can't seem to shake the feeling that something is off. When another tragedy strikes Morning House, Marlowe finds herself in a race to uncover the truth about what happened before the past repeats itself.
I found the Truly, Devious series fun for the most part, so I was excited to dive into another story by Johnson. It had the same vibe as that series--a young girl unraveling a long-buried mystery--and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Johnson has such a knack for seamlessly weaving two timelines together and keeping me interested in the goings-on of both. I thought Marlowe was a fun main character. She was a little unsure of herself but clever, and I loved watching her puzzle out the clues. I had suspicions of where the story would go, but I couldn't predict how it would wrap up, so the ending was satisfying. Part of me hopes it'll turn into a series because it was so entertaining. If you're looking for a fast-paced, engaging mystery to read, I recommend checking it out.
I found the Truly, Devious series fun for the most part, so I was excited to dive into another story by Johnson. It had the same vibe as that series--a young girl unraveling a long-buried mystery--and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Johnson has such a knack for seamlessly weaving two timelines together and keeping me interested in the goings-on of both. I thought Marlowe was a fun main character. She was a little unsure of herself but clever, and I loved watching her puzzle out the clues. I had suspicions of where the story would go, but I couldn't predict how it would wrap up, so the ending was satisfying. Part of me hopes it'll turn into a series because it was so entertaining. If you're looking for a fast-paced, engaging mystery to read, I recommend checking it out.
Rating: 3.5/5
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| Pub Date: 8-13-24 Adult - Fantasy |
The Phoenix Keeper- S.A. MacLean: Aila has turned her childhood dream of working with phoenixes into a headkeeper position at a world-renowned magical zoo. She works tirelessly to conserve this critically endangered species, but it's tough when her zoo's breeding program has been defunct for years. But when a neighboring zoo suffers a tragic heist, Aila volunteers her zoo as an alternative for a breeding initiative. Aila isn't above hard work, but revamping the facilities by herself proves more difficult than she imagined, leaving Aila no choice but to ask for help from Luciana, the zoo's griffin keeper, and her college rival. The two couldn't be more different, but the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny their attraction. Aila has waited her whole life for an opportunity like this, but with the world watching and the threat of poachers looming, can she handle the pressure?
More often than not, cozy fantasy doesn't work for me, and that was the case here. I loved the concept and thought all the different magical creatures were fascinating. The zoo setting also really worked for me. The issue for me was the writing and the characters. It's marketed as an adult fantasy, but it read very YA (not a bad thing, just not what I expected), making the characters seem juvenile. Aila came across as whiny and immature, so I didn't love following her as the MC. The writing was repetitive, and the plot was predictable and could've been trimmed down by ~100 pages or so. If you enjoy soft, slower stories, maybe give it a shot, but I was bored.
More often than not, cozy fantasy doesn't work for me, and that was the case here. I loved the concept and thought all the different magical creatures were fascinating. The zoo setting also really worked for me. The issue for me was the writing and the characters. It's marketed as an adult fantasy, but it read very YA (not a bad thing, just not what I expected), making the characters seem juvenile. Aila came across as whiny and immature, so I didn't love following her as the MC. The writing was repetitive, and the plot was predictable and could've been trimmed down by ~100 pages or so. If you enjoy soft, slower stories, maybe give it a shot, but I was bored.
Rating: 2/5
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