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Book Review: On Thin Ice by Julie Cross

Feb 13, 2019

On Thin Ice (Juniper Falls #3) by Julie Cross

Pages: 340
Publish date: February 26, 2019
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
ISBN: 9781640634107
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Brooke Parker never expected to find herself in the tiny town of Juniper Falls, Minnesota. Of course, she also never expected to lose her dad. Or for her mom to lose herself. Brooke feels like she’s losing it…until she finds Juniper Falls hockey. Juniper Falls girls’ hockey, that is.

Jake Hammond, current prince of Juniper Falls, captain of the hockey team, and player with the best chance of scoring it big, is on top of the world. Until one hazing ritual gone wrong lands him injured, sitting on the sidelines, and―shocking even to him―finding himself enjoying his “punishment” as assistant coach for the girls’ team.

As Jake and Brooke grow closer, he finds the quiet new girl is hiding a persona full of life, ideas, and experiences bigger and broader than anything he’s ever known. But to Jake, hockey’s never just been a game. It’s his whole life. And leveraging the game for a shot at their future might be more than he can give.

On Thin Ice:

I received an e-arc of On Thin Ice by Julie Cross from Entangled: Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve read a couple of Julie Cross’ books before picking up On Thin Ice, and while they aren’t my favourite books out there. They are ones that I know, I can sit down and just enjoy. And On Thin Ice wasn’t any different. this one was fun, emotional and just a nice read.

On Thin Ice follows Jake, the star and captain of the ice hockey team and prince of Juniper Falls. Everything that he has wanted is falling right into place. But then a hazing ritual goes wrong. Not only is Jake injured, but he has to deal with all the consequences that follow. Now Jake is assistant coach to the new girls’ ice hockey team, and he is liking it more than he thinks.

Brooke is just trying to fit into her new town, but it’s hard when everything is falling apart. Not only did she lose her dad, but her mum has also lost herself. And then Brooke joins the girls’ ice hockey team. But the more time that Brooke and Jake spend together, the more they get to know each other. And the more time that they spend with one another.

Arthur Edelman

I really enjoyed reading On Thin Ice, as I said before, it’s one of those books that I can just sit down and read. The characters were enjoyable, the plot was very intriguing and the romance just warmed my heart. From the start, I really enjoyed both protagonists and I loved seeing them come together.

Brooke was a really interesting protagonist. The reader doesn’t know too much about her from the start of the book, but as the novel goes on and Jake starts to learn more about her – so do we. Brooke was an easy character to get along with. Her pain was evident from the start, but that meant she was vulnerable and was easier to figure out. I really loved Brooke’s character arc throughout On Thin Ice. At first, she is really closed off, but as the novel goes on, she makes friends and finds solace in Jake, she comes out of her shell. I adored that she played Ice Hockey. It was so much fun seeing a female hockey player.

Oh, Jake. My heart broke for him so many times throughout the book. Like Brooke, he has been through a lot of most people around him, don’t know or don’t understand. Jake is a very interesting character, and I think that is why I liked getting to know to know him so much. The reader can tell from the get-go how caring and sensitive Jake really is. I mean yes his a hockey boy through and through. But, there is another side to him that Brooke really brought out.

Warren Wong

The romance in On Thin Ice was actually quite beautiful and sweet. Jake is a couple years older than Brooke and we don’t see that much in YA, but it I think it really worked here. Brooke is younger and shy and Jake was great in bringing her out of her shell. They complimented each other really nicely, and the reader can see it as they both become themselves through the novel. The romance was slow and didn’t move too fast, and I love that. They both go to know each other and really bond – which I don’t see much anymore.

I also really enjoyed the other themes that On Thin Ice explored. The notion of family was something that was very present throughout the whole book. Both Jake and Brooke have very dysfunction families but in very different ways. Brooke’s family is in pieces and she doesn’t know what to do with her life because of it. Her dad isn’t in the picture, and her mum, she needs help. Jake just feels like he has let down his family. But he also feels like his family has also let him down. It is all very complicated. On Thin Ice also explores the notion of toxic masculinity and how high school sports might influence the way that people think and conduct things.

Overall, I enjoyed reading On Thin Ice by Julie Cross. It was sweet, but also daring. It explores two different people and how they come together in strange circumstances. The romance was totally adorable and just put a massive smile on my face. The characterisation throughout On Thin Ice was really well done and I loved seeing both Jake and Brooke grow not only by themselves but as a couple. Pick this one up if you are looking for something that might just make you smile.

Have you read On Thin Ice by Julie Cross? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What are some of your favourite YA contemporary couples? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Appetites & Vices by Felicia Grossman

Feb 7, 2019

Appetites & Vices (The Truitts #1) by Felicia Grossman

Pages: –
Publish date: 18 February 2019
Publisher: Carina Press
ASIN: B07H5L64T3
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

He’s her ticket into high society…

Banking heiress Ursula Nunes has lived her life on the fringes of Philadelphia’s upper class. Her Jewish heritage means she’s never quite been welcomed by society’s elite…and her quick temper has never helped, either.

A faux engagement to the scion of the mid-Atlantic’s most storied family might work to repair her rumpled reputation and gain her entrée to the life she thinks she wants…if she can ignore the way her “betrothed” makes her feel warm all over and stay focused on her goal.

She’s his ticket out…

Former libertine John Thaddeus “Jay” Truitt is hardly the man to teach innocent women about propriety. Luckily, high society has little to do with being proper and everything to do with identifying your foe’s temptation—an art form Jay mastered long ago. A broken engagement will give him the perfect excuse to run off to Europe and a life of indulgence.

But when the game turns too personal, all bets are off…

Appetites & Vices:

I received an earc of Appetites & Vices by Felicia Grossman from Carina Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I picked this one up on a whim. I had never read historical romance before, but it sounded like something I would enjoy. So I picked it up – and I adored it. Appetites & Vices was fun, heartbreaking and totally new to me. And once I started I could not put it down.

Appetites & Vices follows Ursula Nunes who has always lived her life trying to fit into the Philadelphia’s upper class. But because of her Jewish heritage and her quick temper, she has never been welcomed. When her first plans are derailed, Ursula knows she needs to come up with something quick. It’s then she runs into John Thaddeus Truitt. John “Jay” isn’t the man that his family wants him to be. He wants to live his life away from all the worries that the high society life brings. And he thinks a fake engagement, with a fake break up, will be his ticket out. But you know what never works well and both Ursula and Jay they start to feel very different about each other.

I adored this book, I can believe how much I did enjoy it. I feel in love with both Ursula and Jay and I become so invested in their story. Because I’d never read a historical romance going in, I didn’t know what to expect, but if all the historical romances I read are going to be like Appetites & Vices, then I am in.

Jack Hamilton

I loved Ursula, she was a woman far too good for her time, she knows how to stand up for herself and speaks her mind. But because of these qualities, she doesn’t know to live with her time. She struggles not only to make friends but also to have friendly acquaintances. Throughout the novel, the reader is able to see Ursula pushed and taken out of her comfort zone – but not in a bad way. I adored Ursula as a protagonist, she was tough and was always herself. I liked that as the novel went on the reader is also able to see Ursula grow.

Ursula is put through a lot in Appetites & Vices and some of the things that she has to face are heartbreaking. But she is able to get right back up and not let it keep her down. Even if she is hurting – so much inside. One of the things I loved about Ursula was that she didn’t need anyone to save her. She needs a little help and guidance on the way, but she stands up not only for herself but also what she believes in.

Jay, he hurt me so much. All the pain that he has felt, I could feel it all. Jay was such a raw character, that it was so easy to feel everything that he has felt. Jay also felt very real. That might be because of everything that he went through before the novel even started or the things that happened throughout Appetites & Vices. Jay has this barrier that he has put up, and as readers, we don’t really know why. But as Ursula breaks down his walls we find out, little by little, everything that has torn him apart. And as Ursula gets to know him, so does the reader. Jay does do some things towards the end of the novel, that made me want to shake him about, but he redeems himself.

Karlis Dambrans

The romance was amazing. I feel in love with Ursula and Jay from the very first moment. The banter between these two just added level to Appetites & Vices. I love the fake engagement/couple trope, so from the very start, I was into this romance. And even those this was a historical romance, it didn’t feel like it – and that was really nice to see. Jay respected Ursula and vice versa. The romance was sexy, but classy at the same time everything just seemed to work. I liked that they both feel for each other, but didn’t even realise it. It was all natural. They go through some rough patches and they were hard to deal with, but it was nice to see that both Ursula and Jay could show a lot of emotions and be vulnerable.

For my first historical romance, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved Appetites & Vices. But this one captured me from the start. Felicia Grossman is an exceptional writer, she was able to bring to life two very different characters, that have really good character arcs.

Overall, I loved Appetites & Vices by Felicia Grossman. It was engaging, heartwarming and heartbreaking. Ursula was a fantastic protagonist who just wanted to be herself, even if it didn’t fit with the times. Jay who had been through so much, and had to come to terms with it all. And together they just melled. The romance was great, the writing was fantastic and I can’t wait to read more from Felicia Grossman in the future.

Have you read Appetites & Vices by Felicia Grossman? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What are some of your favourite historical romances? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Feb 2, 2019

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Pages: 496
Publish date: 29 January, 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
ISBN: 9781408884614
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU –

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely:

I received an e-arc of A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer from Bloomsbury Australia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’ve been really excited about A Curse So Dark and Lonely for quite some time now. I’ve really enjoyed reading Brigid Kemmerer books in the past and this one was calling out to me. And then I found out it featured a protagonist with a disability, I knew I needed to read it. And I am so glad that I did. This has to be one of my favourite YA fantasy novels. It’s got everything that I love and I literally could not put it down.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely follows Rhen who has been cursed to repeat autumn the year he turned eighteen over and over again. He thought that if he only had to repeat those months it was fine, but what he didn’t expect was to turn into a monster – a monster that kills anything and anyone in its path. And the only way to break the curse – is to fall in love.

Then Harper arrives. She has no idea where she is or how she even got there. All she wants to do is get back home, to her sick mother and her brother that’s in trouble. But the more time that she spends with Rhen, the more she realises everything isn’t what meets the eye. Harper isn’t like other girls, but Rhen isn’t like anyone else Harper has met. Just as Rhen sees a little hope, powerful forces not only stand against Rhen but the hope of Harper and his people.

Lukas Neasi

If you haven’t thought about picking this one up yet – do! This story influenced by the beauty and the beast is heartbreaking, to say the least. But it is also captivating, enchanting and I just couldn’t put it down. Both Harper and Rhen are both fascinating and tantalising characters. The plot captured me from the very first chapter and just kept me going and going.

Harper has to be one of my favouriote female protagonists ever. Her voice seized me from the very start. I was able to connect with not only Harper’s voice but also the worries that she has throughout A Curse So Dark and Lonely. Harper has no idea what is going on when she falls into Emberfall but makes the most of it. She stands up not only for herself but what she believes in. While at first, the idea of Emberfall flabagasts her, she slowly falls into the world like a pro. I adored that she was quick on her feet and didn’t let anyone stop her. Harper just took everything and went with it. One of the things that I loved about Harper, was that she didn’t like her disability define her. It wasn’t brushed aside and it didn’t let it stop her.

Rhen, oh my gosh, my heart could not handle him. I could feel all his pain and gosh it was a lot. I am not going to lie, I cried a bit throughout the book. And a lot of it was because of all the pain that Rhen felt. It just broke me. I wanted to just hug him. Rhen feels so guilty about everything that happened, that it tore him apart. He didn’t believe that he deserved to be happy, let alone a life. And that is what really got to me. He tries to be this Prince, a King. But deep down he is in so much pain. He tries to hide behind a persona, but throughout A Curse So Dark and Lonely it’s broken down and the reader is able to see how much Rhen is hurting.

Cederic X

The romance – holy – I think Rhen and Harper are climbing up my favourite OTP list. These two together, just yes, please. This has to be one of my favourite slow burn romances – ever. Rhen and Harper don’t particularly like each other at the start of A Curse So Dark and Lonely. But as the novel goes on, they start to confide in each and really understand who the other is. One thing I have noticed about Bridge Kemmerer knows how to write a beautiful and perfect slow burn romance. And it shows again in this novel. At first, Rhen doesn’t know what to think of Harper, but like Harper herself, as the novel goes on, he gets to really know her. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to see what more happens between these two and gosh I need it.

One of the main pulls for me towards A Curse So Dark and Lonely was the fact that there was a protagonist with a disability. I don’t have cerebral palsy, so I am not going to comment on if the representation was perfect. But from what I know and understand about it, I think it was a great start. Like I said before, I really enjoyed that while Harper did have cerebral palsy, it didn’t stop her. It might slow her down, but she found ways to do things. It just made me happy to have this badass female disabled protagonist, that didn’t really need a male to save her.

Another thing I loved about A Curse So Dark and Lonely was the relationship between Rhen and Grey. These two warmed my heart. The reader knows that Rhen doesn’t want to get close to anyone. He has hurt people and that has really played with his mind. But Grey has started the whole time. Grey has been with Rhen through thick and thin and it really came across on how much he did care. He wasn’t just there because it was required to.

I also liked the budding relationship between Grey and Harper. It could go one way – and while I hope it doesn’t. I liked that Grey helped Harper get through all the changes that happened, as well as showing her how to live in this world. Grey was also really well written and seeing him grow throughout the novel was something I loved. And I know there is going to be way more install for him in the next book.

Sebastian Pociecha

Taking about the next book, umm how about that ending. While A Curse So Dark and Lonely was quite intense, the last 50 pages or so blew my mind. Everything was just taken to another level and it just worked. There were some things that were resolved, but then more things came about and I am so not ready for it. Something else that Brigid Kemmerer did with A Curse So Dark and Lonely was really stick with the roots and base of the Beauty and the Beast story, but it such a way that it was fresh, new and was able to draw the reader in.

Overall, I adored A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. I was captivated by the characters, world, and the plot from the very first chapter. Rhen and Harper are fantastic characters on their own, with brilliant character arcs. But together they are like fire and it’s one that I want to keep on spreading. I loved that Harper’s disability wasn’t shoved aside, the reader is also able to see Rhen come to terms with the things that he has done when the monster. If you are looking for a new fantasy book, then pick this one up. With fantastic world-building, character arcs and a plot that just keeps giving, then this is for you.

Have you read A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What is a recent YA fantasy that you loved? Let’s Chat!