Tag: fall reads

Book Review, Fiction, mystery

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio ~ Book Review

Morgan

Flatiron Books
Mystery
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

What a perfect fall read. If We Were Villains takes place at an elite boarding school and centers on a group of seniors in the acting program. We know early on that our protagonist, Oliver, ends up in jail for murder, and we learn through flashbacks what led to him being convicted.

As with many academia-centered books, there are a lot of central characters and, as is usual for me, I found it hard to keep track of everyone. There are a lot of changing intra-group dynamics and those were focused on more than the actual background or characteristics of each particular person. I wish I had gotten a chance to really know them all a bit more.

The atmosphere of this book is fantastic. I could practically feel the creaky old boarding school drenched in the legacy of thespians past. The acting program focuses solely on Shakespeare, so there are a lot of passages interspersed throughout the story. This is fun to some extent, but I found myself skimming them toward the end. I do think they were creatively intertwined with the narrative, but it was a little over the top for me.

This one was kind of a mixed bag for me. Overall, I thought the setting was incredibly interesting and well crafted, but I wish the characters had more development and I was not satisfied with the ending.

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
Buy If We Were Villains at an indie bookstore near you 
If We Were Villains on Goodreads

Book Review, Fantasy, Romance

Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper ~ Book Review

Morgan

Berkley
Romance/Fantasy
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

The main premise of Payback’s a Witch felt pretty overdone, with Emmy returning to her magical town of Thistle Grove after years of self-imposed exile to serve her family’s role as arbiter for a spellcasting tournament. That being said, I got major tri-wizard tournament vibes, which was really fun and unexpected.

Emmy joins forces with a couple acquaintances, Linden and Talia, who have all been hurt by Gareth Blackmoore, expected tournament champion. While working to exact revenge on her ex though, Emmy finds that she can’t keep her mind off Talia. The romance was fun and sexy and I loveddd Talia’s badass nature and the way she bantered with Emmy.

I think the general revenge plot needed a little more background in order for me to understand why these ladies would go to suchhh great measures to get back at Gareth. It seemed excessive to get the entire town involved on such a large scale. I also wished there had been a little more world-building. Some of the witchy/paranormal elements seemed to come out of nowhere which was a little jarring.

Overall a cute witchy fall read with a great romance, but not super compelling otherwise.

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
Buy Payback’s a Witch at an indie bookstore near you
Payback’s a Witch on Goodreads

Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling ~ Book Review

Morgan

Avon Books
Romance/Fantasy
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

I liked The Kiss Curse much more than the first book in the series. Sterling brought back the impeccably atmospheric spooky small town of Graves Glen while upgrading the plot and introducing two sassy new characters.

Gwyn (Vivi’s cousin, if you’ve read book 1) runs a witchcraft shop in town that finds itself with a new competitor when Wells Penhallow returns to his family home and opens his own store. Obviously, it’s not long before sparks fly between grumpy Wells and fiery Gwyn. Their enemies to lovers relationship is electric and steamy and I enjoyed seeing them slowly grow into a team. Both characters were witty and had well-crafted personalities that made me love getting to know them.

There is such a jumble of genres in this book, and I was intrigued by the mystery element and invested in figuring out what was happening in the town. The plot was primarily romance-focused, but I enjoyed the other pieces as well.

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
Buy The Kiss Curse at an indie bookstore near you
The Kiss Curse on Goodreads

Book Review, Fantasy, Romance

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling ~ Book Review

Morgan

Avon Books
Romance/Fantasy
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

The Ex Hex is a cute, spooky fall romance that checked a lot of boxes, but never invested me past surface level. When Vivi’s ex, Rhys, breaks up with her, she and her best friend pretend to place a curse on him in an amusing scented-candle-and-alcohol-induced act of defiance. Upon his return to the town of Graves Glen nine years later, Vivi begins to worry that what was meant to be a joke may have done more harm than she intended.

This is a perfect book to read in the fall. The small town charm is wonderfully done, and their obsession with Halloween made for the ideal witchy atmosphere. The romance is steamy and the chemistry between Vivi and Rhys was palpable.

The actual plot? Honestly, not much happened. The ‘action’ felt pretty draggy for me, and I enjoyed meeting the characters and the world-building in the first half of the book much more than the actual plot later on.

A+ vibes, C+ plot.

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
Buy The Ex Hex at an indie bookstore near you
The Ex Hex on Goodreads