[ 405 ]

[katara]

Title: Someone Else's Shadow

Author: Monica James

Genre: Romance, Suspense, Contemporary, Mystery, New Adult, Dark, Slow Burn, Did Not Finish

Date Started: February 12th, 2023

Date Finished: February 12th, 2023

Status: DNF @ 25

Rating: N/A

Sypnosis: My name is Peyton Lane, and I have no idea who I am.

Six months ago, I woke from a coma with no recollection of anybody, anything.

My family tells me that I’m a good woman, that I’m loved. It seems I’ve lived a full, rewarding life, but I would give all of it up in a heartbeat to remember who I was.

My mind is a blank slate. Every moment in time wiped clean.

But there is one thing I can remember, something I haven’t dared to tell anyone about—a mysterious oak tree, a red ribbon, and a vision of drowning.

I know the answers I seek lie buried at the bottom of a lake. And that’s why I’m here in South Carolina. The memory I have is something I witnessed…

So I wonder what it would feel like to remember…remember who I was, but more importantly, remember what I did.

Review: I could not make a connection to these characters and the story could not even hold my attention.

The thing that got me the most was the fact the whole amnesia did not feel real. I could not understand why no one bothered to try and help the main FL in remembering. It felt forced.

Maybe in the future I will pick up this book again.

[ 406 ]

[katara]

Title: Bonded by Thorns

Series: Beasts of the Briar #1

Author: Elizabeth Helen

Genre: Romance, Fae, Faeries, Romance, Adult, Fantasy, Retellings, Fairytales, Magic, LGBTQ+

Date Started: February 12th, 2023

Date Finished: February 12th, 2023

Status: Finished

Rating: 4.7/5

Sypnosis: Four beastly princes. One awkward bookworm. An enchanted world of fae, magic, and danger.

I’ve always loved fairytales. I never imagined I'd actually be in one.

When my father wanders into the enchanted realm of the fae, I know I have to go after him. And when he gets imprisoned, I'll do anything to save him... Even trade my freedom for his. I had no idea I'd end up imprisoned by four sexy fae who turn into beasts at night.

I have to win my freedom, and that means making a bargain with them. They must find their mates in order to break the curse. If I can help them do that, they'll set me free. Sounds simple, right?

It's not. Because against my better judgment, I'm starting to fall for these beastly princes. One is smart and sweet, the other mysterious and deadly, another flirty and confident, and the last prince... He's handsome, strong, has a wicked temper, and is dead-set against breaking the curse. Why does he want to keep me here forever?

But it's not just my freedom on the line. If I don't break the princes' curse soon, all the magic in the Enchanted Vale will be stolen by the evil—and stupidly hot—Prince of Thorns. And I'm not letting my princes stay cursed.

Not after I've fallen in love with them.

Review: A tale old as time.

A song old as rhyme.

Beauty and her beasts.

Rosalina loves books. She sees herself in each book she reads. Some may think she is a little different from them. After all, they believe her father is a raving lunatic who believed the fae had taken his wife. And the boy she once loved, Lucas, has returned to Orca Cove and has proposed marriage, but even before Rosalina can give her answer, she finds out her father has gone missing. Even worse, his coat has been found in the forest. Rosalina, along with Lucas, goes in search of her father. There they come across an enchanting place. Lucas flees when they become surrounded by goblins and Rosalina manages to flee herself, only to find herself in front of an enchanted castle. She finds her father a prisoner and when faced with one of the masters, Rosalina decides to bargain with the Winter Prince - she will take her father's place if he will free him.

The price is taken and Rosalina now finds herself a prisoner of the castle with four fae princes of the seasons.

A curse.

Mates.

Time is running out for all of them.

This was a wonderful read. A beautiful world filled with flawed characters. Male leads have been cursed every night in their beastly forms. Roses (much like the ones from the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast) with their petals falling offering the ticking of a clock. Rosalina, beautiful and strong, desperate to find her way in a world that she does not belong to.

I have to say that the ending made me fall off the couch. I am not going to lie I nearly cried because I wanted more of this book. I loved all the characters. Each and every one of them popped off the page and drew me into their world. I felt like a peeping tom just watching each scene.

I cannot wait for the next book in this series. Time cannot come quick enough for me.