Bride by Ali Hazelwood (Bride #1)

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

3.5/5 stars – Fun addition to the vampire/werewolf trope, enjoyable read though it loses its way a bit toward the end

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The book starts a little slow but I actually loved the pacing, following Misery (terrible name tbh but you get over it) as she explains why she made the decision to marry Lowe. Learning more about her upbringing and the different species in this world was a lot of fun – the book keeps the usual of vampires & werewolves but adjusted enough to make the story slightly unique.

Once the book starts to get spicy, it honestly stays there a little too often though it’s also understandable given that this is a very new experience for both characters/species (and unfortunately a bit cringe). With how much time was spent on that, the big reveal/twist happens way too fast and resolves quickly. I would have enjoyed more time in the world and supporting characters (Ana, Alex, etc.). As a side note, one scene totally had me crying my eyes out!

I do really love ultimately how it ended and I appreciated that this dulogy wasn’t left on some huge cliffhanger. The book gave me just enough to be excited to read the follow-up book but I’m not scrambling to read it immediately. I’m genuinely excited to learn about Serena in the next installment Mate, but I hope we will get more Misery/Lowe tidbits, too!

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli (The Crimson Moth #2)

Enemies-to-lovers doesn’t get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli’s latest romantic fantasy.

3/5 stars – I loved Heartless Hunter, but Rebel Witch didn’t quite capture the same magic of the first novel.

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I’m still composing my thoughts, but overall the sequel was a bit of a letdown compared to the first book. While I am happy with how it concluded, I didn’t fully enjoy the process – it somehow felt both slow and rushed at the same time.

The first half of the book is heavily focused on Rune and Gideon’s escape together (tbh multiple versions of that same scenario). While there are some genuinely funny and sweet moments, it starts to feel overdone, especially when that takes up roughly 40–60% of the story.

Where I really wished the book had spent more time was toward the end, with the introduction of additional side characters, and how everyone would work together. So much time is devoted to what felt like filler that, by the time the real substance of the story arrives, everything wraps up far too quickly. And yes, even more predictable than the first book.

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli (The Crimson Moth #1)

Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch is . . . falling in love.

4.5/5 stars – a well-written, fast-paced fantasy with compelling characters and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance.

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From the beginning I was hooked on this story – pacing is great and perfect amount of tension between the main characters, Rune and Gideon. The setting and world is fairly simple – think medieval witch-hunt vibes – and the magic is also straighforward: spells are driven by blood & witches are marked on their body when they use their own blood. Rune is a witch hiding her identity from almost everyone, masquerading as a rich debutante by day while secretly rescuing captured witches by night. Gideon is a witch hunter and the brother of Rune’s best friend, Alex. Both Rune’s and Gideon’s backstories are well developed and help you understand their motivations up to this point. The two main side characters, Verity and Alex, are also fairly well developed, and the inclusion of Rune’s Nan throughout the story consistently pulled at my heartstrings. With Alex and Gideon being brothers, theres that trope, as well – which brother will Rune choose?

I don’t really have anything negative to say about the book – it is well written and keeps you invested to the very end. Only a little predictable at times and characters sometimes make maddening choices. I would have loved a bit more focus on Rune’s role as the Crimson Moth, and seeing Rune, Alex, and Verity working together (maybe through a flashback) could have better showcased how competent they are at saving witches. The ending also was somewhat expected but came together in a way that made sense and was satisfying, setting up the sequel nicely. I am immediately starting [book:Rebel Witch|60217777]!

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz

A powerful plant witch and a grumpy alchemist must work together to save their quiet town from a magical plague in this debut cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it really means to be a good person.

2.5/5 stars – cute ideas, a great setting, and fun side characters, but too much angst at times detracted from the overall story.

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It started out fairly slow, but I was invested to find out how Violet would start over in a new town while also keeping her identity hidden (I love that trope). The idea of a reformed evil plant witch trying to open a floral shop is fun and I enjoyed learning more about how her powers worked.

The author did a great job with building a cozy setting/town with charming side characters. I especially loved Violet’s “pet” Bartleby – he is hilarious & somewhat reminded me of a more angry Turnip head from Howl’s Moving Castle. I also liked the running joke about good vs. bad “Guy” and everything about the Rock Goblins. Though I would say all of the side characters – especially Nathaniel’s sister, Pru – deserved a bit more ‘screen’ time and I overall would have liked more character development here and less of a focus on Violet/Nathaniel constant “woe is me” vibes.

That said, my only major gripe was that the book has a lot of internal monologues between the two characters which got annoying fast. I also felt that the relationship between Violet and Nathaniel could have had more development before it progressed- some of Nate’s thoughts really gave me the ICK. Around this point I started to lose interest.

Last 20% of the book did get me back into it & the author added some nice twists that truly surprised me. I also liked how the book ended and the epilogue was a nice touch.