Tag: triplets

REVIEW: Stardust in Their Veins by Laura Sebastian

REVIEW: Stardust in Their Veins by Laura Sebastian

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Beatriz, Daphne, and Sophronia – triplet princesses, born to both rule and ruin. Each left for their assigned country and prince; each expected to marry and then enact their mother’s plan. But nothing has gone as expected.

Beatriz has discovered unexpected powers while also facing betrayal. She’s sequestered in a nunnery under charges of treason.
Daphne has been the target of several assassination attempts, but not from the corners she might have expected.
And Sophronia….

The triplets have gone off course from their mother’s plan – but the Empress has been working her own scheme all along. And she’s not the only one.

Review

AMAZING! This was fantastic! The minute I finished, I sat, stunned. What a ride.

In some ways this is the sort of mid-trilogy book that mostly serves to set up the big action of book 3. There’s not a ton of ground gained here. That being said, there were some fantastic moments and fascinating reveals. The book is completely engrossing, and I loved it! But at the same time, I feel like it mostly kept me in a holding pattern for book 3.

There’s some great character development going on in that “holding pattern,” though. We continue to learn about the triplets and their mother as well as other friends – and villains – from book 1, Castles in Their Bones. Once I finished the last page, I was ready to start over again. Sadly, I have fallen behind in my reading, so a re-read will have to wait. On the plus side, once my personal print copy arrives, (hopefully with the UK cover which matches book 1 better than the US cover), I’ll be able to book tab this like I did book 1.

This was a fun book annotation practice I tried in January. I really missed the ability to continue tabbing with my e-ARC.

Fans of book one should immediately pick up the sequel – and carve out time because you won’t want to put it down. Fans of the author’s Ash Princess series should definitely check this series out asap – I think you will love it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ – I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Not Your Ex's Hexes by April Asher

REVIEW: Not Your Ex’s Hexes by April Asher

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases February 7th.]

Summary

At one time, Rose Maxwell was the Prima-apparent, training to take over from her grandmother one day. But when her sister Vi finally came into her magic (Not the Witch You Wed – ♥♥♥♥½), she became the heir. While Rose has been enjoying her freedom, she had been training to be Prima most of her life. And Rose is still trying to figure out what this means for her future.

When a well-intentioned animal rescue mission goes awry, Rose finds herself doing community service at the animal rescue which means working with the sexy – and grouchy – Damian Adams, a half-demon veterinarian. After a brief hook up weeks ago, Rose hasn’t been able to get Damian out of her head. But Rose is NOT looking for a relationship. And Damian is too infuriating to ever be a romantic possibility. So Rose is just going to clock her hours and then have nothing to do with the sexy vet ever again.

Review

This was fun! It took me a little longer to warm up to this than it did for book one, which I adored. (It was one of my top 10 reads in 2022.) Grumpy/Sunshine is not a trope I usually seek out, and the “half-demon” aspect of this put me on my guard. For me, there’s a line in the world of paranormal fantasy for what is harmless fun and what starts to push the horror/occultish side. But this remained on the fun side. I fell for Rose and Damian, and I really enjoy the world-building and community in this series.

The fantasy/paranormal elements here are secondary to the solid romantic story. He has history and is sure he can only share his bed, never his heart. She’s not looking for forever but finds it anyway in an unexpected place. The magical elements were icing on the cake – I love a magical setting!

Readers could start the series here – the story stands on its own. But you will want to pick up book 1 to get Vi’s story while we wait for book 3. And that will be a must-read for me. This book does some nice set up work for the next story – and I am here for it!

Grumpy/Sunshine fans, series fans, and paranormal romance fans should not miss this one! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian

REVIEW: Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Triplet princesses, trained for conquest, turn 16 and head to the countries of their betrotheds.

Daphne heads north to Friv. But the wedding and life she’s been preparing for falls apart before she even arrives.

Beatriz heads to Cellaria, the one place where magic is outlawed. She disguises her silver, stardusted eyes as any hint of magic could get her killed. But her betrothed couldn’t be less enthused about their wedding and life together. How can she work her plans if she can’t even get him to look at her?

Sophronia heads to Temarin, the only one of the princesses with feelings for her intended. Of course, her mother is dismayed instead of pleased. Her girls have jobs to do for the next year to move the Empress’ plans forward so she can take over all three countries for herself.

Each princess has her assignment. But the Empress’ spies couldn’t prepare them for everything.

Review

This was outstanding!! Absolutely fantastic! I was captivated from the start. The set up/world building is excellent, and I loved the princesses. I was fascinated as I watched their journeys begin. And when everything started to shift and twist, I couldn’t put it down until I finished.

And what a finish!

I can’t get book 2 into my hands fast enough.

I said recently that the best sort of book for me is science fiction or fantasy (check) with sharp, sassy characters who don’t take any crap (check), and who are trying to solve a mystery or save the day. While these characters are scheming for the Empress’ plans, this still fit that final requirement, too. The fact that there’s royalty involved is just a bonus for me. I adore books like this – like the author’s Ash Princess (I still need to finish that series) as well as the Wickery series, Crown of Shards, Ruined, etc.. This is by far the best book I have read so far this year – don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding! Amazing! Special!