Book Review: The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

 Hi everyone! 

Elena Armas is slowly becoming one of my all times favorite Romance authors and this is my reminder to pre-order her second book ASAP! You will not be sorry, I promise! 

The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

*Companion to The Spanish Love Deception

Release date: September 6th 2022 

Goodreads / Amazon

5+ stars 💫

I have no words to express how much I loved this book! OMG.

If I said The Spanish Love Deception was, in one word, delicious, this one was delicious with extra topping.

YOU ARE NOT READY FOR THIS.

You are not ready for Lucas.

You are not ready for his POV.

You are not ready for Lucas AND Aaron on the same page.

You are not ready for Lucas. (Yes, I had to repeat that)

You are not ready for the most maddening slow burn in the history of slow burns.

You are not ready for the hugs.

For the Cronuts. The cooking. The "dates". The sexual tension. The banter.

The smiles.

For the vulnerability and emotion.

The intensity. The pet names.

The soundtrack.

For the LOL or spicey moments not appropriate for reading in public.

For the forced proximity trope. (!!!)

For ALL the tropes.

At least, I wasn't ready. And my expectations were pretty high considering, you know, the first book AND Aaron, but no - Lucas just kept dazzling me over and over. He is the sweetest most charming hero ever.

Rosie is a bit clumsy and awkward in the beginning lol (nobody blames her!), but the two of them together were hilarious.

Just... Top notch.

And steamy. And comforting. And inspiring, seeing as they struggle with the shaky state of their life and relationship.

I don't know how Elena makes every thought, feeling, look, emotion, action seem so realistic and relatable, but she does.

Also, I will never look at dolce de leche the same way again.

So...*whispers dramatically* I thought it was better than Spanish. And before you yell in outrage, that's just my opinion, because things hit differently this time. It may or my not have something to do with my weakness for Spain and Spanish people in general.

So yeah. Drop everything and read it the second you get your hands on it. I promise, you will not regret it.

Memorable quotes:

“Lina me va a cortar las pelotas.”

"That's my girl".

“Buenos días, preciosa. ”

“If we weren’t friends,” I told her, voice like gravel. “Good friends like we are, best friends”—I watched her eyelids flutter shut—“I would take you somewhere dark and rip your clothes off with my teeth without caring to have a good reason. Just so I could see you, have you to myself.”

“If you want anything from me, you only have to ask.” Lucas’s forehead came to rest against mine, his breath now leaving him shakily. “Don’t you see that I’ll break my back to provide anything you could possibly need? Have I not made myself obvious?”

He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “This is not a one-way street, Rosie. You look after me, and I look after you. We take care of each other. We’re a team.”

*eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review, THANK YOU SO MUCH! <3

Best Summer Rom-Com Books Recommendations

 Hi everyone! 

I jumped on the summer reads / rom-com trend late, but in the past few weeks I discovered some awesome, light, LOL books and I think you should give them a try if you love a fun, quick, feel good story!  

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

Goodreads / Amazon

I'm a little late to the party, as this was a 2021 release and winner of Goodreads Choice Awards, but I got as sleep deprived, starry eyed, smiling like a loon, can't recover from the book hangover, never find another Aaron ever (in fiction and/or real life) as everyone else. ❤️‍🔥 It was DELICIOUS - that's the one word description that comes to mind - and I loved every second of it!!

The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas 

*Companion to The Spanish Love Deception, release date: September 6th 2022 

Goodreads / Amazon

I have no words to express how much I loved this book! OMG.

If I said The Spanish Love Deception was, in one word, delicious, this one was delicious with extra topping.

Lucas just kept dazzling me over and over. He is the sweetest most charming hero ever.

Rosie is a bit clumsy and awkward in the beginning lol (nobody blames her!), but the two of them together were hilarious. Just... Top notch. And steamy. And comforting. And inspiring, seeing as they struggle with the shaky state of their life and relationship.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Goodreads / Amazon

Not as good as the other two, but still a very enjoyable, fun, summer read, set on a tropical island. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating are some of the memorable tropes you can check with this one. 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Goodreads / Amazon

And now one of my all times favorite romances! The banter, the bookish theme, the characters (I swear I am at least 80% Nora), the slow burn, the chemistry, everything was spectacular about this book! And it's like the anti-trope book - it takes all popular tropes, makes fun of them and spins them around in such a fun, LOL way! 

Shipped by Angie Hockman

Goodreads / Amazon

 Workplace rivals, cruises, tropical islands, banter, enemies to lovers - perfect recipe for a beach read! 

Who is your favorite romance author? I'm on a roll! 

xoxo

Deea

Book Review: To Wake a Kingdom by Nisha J. Tuli

Hi book friends! I'm here with another fab indie book recommendation! The deets:

~ Fantasy Romance

~ Curse of Thorne Duology - Book 1

~ Release date: August 23rd

~ 4.25 ⭐️

 Amazon / Goodreads

I read this book a few weeks ago but the fact that its still on my mind and I even have a pinterest section for it is a testament of how much I enjoyed it! It has beautiful, lyrical writing and many of the tropes we love, so I highly recommend it to any fantasy romance lover! 

The most important thing is that it's a badass spin on the Sleeping Beauty tale, with more wit, grit, action, steam and kickass characters than you'd expect. We are not dealing with a damsel in distress awaken by a prince's kiss here my friends! We get one feisty heroine growing, learning to fight, battling a curse, powerful enemies and a smoldering enemies to lovers story! 

 Tropes: 

🗡Sleeping Beauty Retelling

🗡Magic, fae, court intrigue 

🗡Dark & steamy

🗡Descriptive writing

🗡ToG, Plated Prisoner and A Curse so Dark and Lonely vibes

🗡Badass stabby heroine

🗡Enemies to lovers

🗡Forced Proximity

🗡One Horse Trope (which is better than 'one bed' imo)

🗡Action-packed

🗡Twists and curses

🗡Spice, friendships but also death and tears

🗡"Who did that to you?"

🗡"I'll kill anyone who hurts you" 

There is a lot of action and character development, poor Thorne goes through a lot and it's not pretty (actually it reminds me more of the later books in the Throne of Glass series than anything), but having Ronan and his crew by her side, learning to trust, heal and love really help in the end. 

The descriptive writing could be a little distracting at times and I needed a little more from Thorne and Ronans's romance at the beginning, but overall, a really great read!  

 “And don’t call me that.” 

“Say ‘please’.”

He mimicked my stance, arms folded. 

My glare should have melted him into the ground, but alas, there he sat, looking smug and sexy and exactly like what I didn’t need right now.

_

Good or bad, potential glimmered like a beacon. I had woken up. I was here and in control of my destiny.

_

"I’m in over my head, Thorne. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I don’t know how to be normal around you. How to be anything but completely consumed. You’ve undone me, and the thought of anything happening to you, of anyone causing you harm, makes me crazy.”

*Review copy provided by the author/BookSirens in exchange for my honest opinion

Book Review: Storm Echo (Psy-Changeling Trinity #6/Psy-Changeling #21)

 

Goodreads / Amazon / Bookstagram

4.5-5 stars

This book was everything I needed right now! The Psy-Changeling is one of the longest series I've been loving, following and devouring from book #1, with no exception, for years (this is technically book #21!!). I just can't get enough of it - and with every new book that comes out, more amazing characters whose stories I want to read next show up. More subplots and puzzles pieces fall into place.

If you are a longtime fan of Nalini, hi. I'm glad we're on this journey together - can we freak out about how this world keeps evolving but also gives us peeks into the lives of long loved characters too?

And if you didn't read it yet *gasp!* feel free to start anytime. Like yesterday. Start with Kaleb's story. No, with Hawke. Or the Arrows. Nevermind, go back to the beginning, with Lucas. *sigh* They are the definition of badass alpha males and get the strongest main ladies out there.

I'll admit I didn't quite connect to this couple in the beginning (their romance was a bit off) but just the fact that it was a Phy-Changelling pair and we had a Psy with a cat after a long time (which is my favorite kind of pairing!), made me enjoy every second of this book and put it right up there with all my favorites! It's probably because we were back in DarkRiver territory and we saw so many of the original couples and characters (Lucas! Tamsy! even KALEB!) and it made me all emotional, nostalgic and full of love.

Speaking of Luc, I was more excited about seeing him and the other OG characters than Ivan and his story. Buuut he and Lei really grew on me throughout the story. They're my favorite combo: scary, cold alpha male, melted by wicked, sweet, funny shifter. Grumpy x sunshine at its finest! Their interactions were everything - and being back in pack territory and seeing everyone getting involved, being fun and nosey as usual, was just priceless.  

Ivan glanced over, swore under his breath. “I can’t leave him alone for a single minute.” Vaughn slapped him on the back. “And you’re all but mated to another healer.” A glint in the near-gold of his eyes. “Welcome to the rest of your life.”

_

Only a healer would say such a thing to Ena Mercant, a ruthless matriarch whose Silence was meant to be flawless. Truly. How did her grandchildren keep doing this to her?

Anyway. As usual, I love how the main plot encompassed all the stories and manages to make each one about the main characters, but also about what's happening in the world around them, how they can affect it and how they get affected in turn. How they are all an important piece of a bigger puzzle. Ivan is all cool, dominant, Psy badass, while Lei is the wicked, bubbly, warm soul healer; perfect balance. They saved each other from the brink of darkness and it was perfect.

“I could never ignore you, Lei,” he said with that intense Ivan Mercant focus. “When I’m around you, you’re all I see. You’re like a star, you shine so bright. If I had my way, I’d keep you forever.”

_

I knew you wouldn’t be angry with me. Not my Ivan. You’d understand. Because you knew I was yours.”

_

“It’s too late.” She ran her hands up into his hair. “I’ve never had many people who were mine, Ivan. I don’t let go of those who are. And you’re mine. You know it and I know it. It’s a wild song between us.”

In the second part of the book, when they were more familiar with each other, their feelings, their situation, their families and all the people around them (suddenly everyone was in their business), their interactions became a delight.

Her tough, dangerous man didn’t know how to handle her. It was adorable.

It was all brilliant, action packed, fun and steamy. If this series goes on forever, I will not complain. I'll gulp it down like an addict, no matter the pairing. 

xo

Deea

Book Review: These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows #2) by Lexi Ryan

 

Goodreads / Amazon

4 stars

Readers who enjoyed These Hollow Vows will definitely love this conclusion to the duology! It was action packed, filled with angst, new characters, plot development and solved most of the issues from the first book. The story wrapped up nicely and the love triangle was solved naturally. Everything happened as it was supposed to and the HEA was so beautiful and intense and perfect that it could melt even the most skeptical romance reader. If Lexi Ryan ever wishes to visit this world again, there is room for more stories to develop from where it left off (ie. the other side of the love triangle, obviously).

BUT. As I'm in minority here and I wasn't the biggest fan of the first book, I had my issued with this one as well, so keep that in mind.

This is more a rambling personal note than a review because of my mixed feelings, just so you know beforehand. :))

Despite my misgivings and low rating of the first book, I'm not sorry I read this series. The parts that are good are really good and I would encourage others to read it as well, especially if you like faerie, royals and court intrigue sort of books. Just don't have high expectations and have patience to see its true potential. It gets so, so much better in the second book!

I still don't care for Brie, the heroine (sorry), which is what took away some of my enjoyment of the book. But like I said in my previous review, it may be just a case of "it's not you, it's me". She feels sorry for herself, keeps repeating that she is not worthy, she "doesn't understand" anything that is right there in front of her eyes (hello Bella Swan, it's been a while), she has self pity parties all the time, constantly asking for people's approval and reassurances... No. Just no. Being in her head was draining and distracting. Other than that, everything was almost great lol. (Especially Finn and the supporting characters!)

I know Lexi Ryan is a talented author and this was her first venture in the Fantasy world, and it shows. You can feel her experience, depth, talent and easiness to wave stories in every scene, emotion and world building detail, but at the same time there's like a hesitancy or clumsiness to the story, inconsistencies, things that could have been done better/avoided. Still, the world she portrayed is vivid, intricate, beautiful, intense and filled with twisty actions and emotions. Lots and lots of emotions! Because love triangle. *sigh* It was intense and gutting.

The emotional turmoil got stronger here, but things heated up a bit too. In the end, the transition from one side of the love triangle to the next was seamless and beautifully done. It made sense. Overall, the relationships evolve naturally, may it be friendship or deepest love and steamy scenes. Bonus points for new characters - I love Misha!

The plot was somewhat predictable, but engaging enough that made you want to see if, how or when it all happens - and what comes next. I would have liked a little more flow and consistency, it felt like parts of the stories were dragging and we walked around in circles, only for the key points to happen in a flash. Also, I could still feel the 'shadow' of ACOTAR over the story and I wish I could focus more on this one than unintentionally making comparisons in my head.

Long story short, These Twisted Vows is a solid continuation and conclusion to this miniseries. I have my issued with it, but it's a good story and maybe I will not miss certain characters, but I will definitely miss Finn and these Faery courts! 

***Review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a honest opinion, thank you!

xoxo

Deea