This Weeks #Book Recommendations

Welcome to this weeks book recommendations!! Each week we will be sharing 3 books our reviewers loved so much we have to share them again!! 

Amazon

RAITING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

REVIEW: This book is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery. Unfolding across multiple timelines, it employs various characters to reveal the deepest meanings of love. From the bond between husband and wife to the blossoming affection between new lovers, the enduring love between mother and child, and the connection between siblings, the story allows us to witness how the characters interact with one another and perceive the world around them, highlighting their impacts on those within their circles.

Amazon

RAITING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

REVIEW: The second book in The Posh Prepper trilogy reacquaints us with Nick and his found family shortly after the events of the first book. Just as it seems they are on the brink of reaching Nick's home in New Zealand, one crisis after another keeps obstructing their path. Nick remains torn about leaving the country. Like the first book, the descriptions are captivating, with vividly depicted scenes that could easily translate to film. The action-packed narrative is exciting and gripping from the very first chapter. I became a fast fan of Todd Knight after reading The Posh Prepper, and this second installment has reaffirmed my admiration. I'm eager to see what the third book has in store and if they finally find a location for their new home.

AMAZON

RAITING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

REVIEW: After her mother’s mysterious death and her sister’s disappearance, necromancer Ophelia Grimm is forced to enter a dangerous game called Phantasma in a traveling, haunted mansion, said to be owned by the devil himself. There, she meets the suave and enigmatic Blackwell, who offers to help her in exchange for a hefty price tag. After initially turning him down and facing the mansion’s first trial, she begins to think that his help might be advantageous afterall. Can she trust him in a place where love comes with a terrible curse?

Ladies, lads, and all those in between: This book was awesome. You know how you finish a book that you really like and you think, “I couldn’t possibly like another book as much as I liked this last one, so I have to grade on a curve.” when starting a new book? That’s where I was when I started this book and it shattered the curve. I almost feel bad that all my reviews lately have been so high because I worry that it makes me seem insincere, but truly I absolutely adored this book.

I was really interested in Ophelia’s backstory and it felt very believable that she would react the way that she does to certain situations. Her tenacity in the face of a challenge really struck me and her intelligence is refreshing in a world of fantasy books where physical force still seems to be the main source of power for female characters. Did she feel historically accurate? Nope, but she didn’t need to be. Her character was interesting enough that it didn’t feel all that important.

And Blackwell? *Loud exhale of air through pursed lips* Dude…
The way I’ve been describing this book to people is that I picture the author sitting down and thinking to herself, “Ok, we’ve got a thousand books about people having sexy times with vampires, a thousand books about people having sexy times with werewolves, books about people having sexy times with monsters of all kinds…What should my protagonist have sexy times with?’ and then after a few moments of silence, yelling, “GHOSTS!”
And. It. Works.
He’s not exactly a brand new type of male protagonist, but his charisma is felt in every page. Sure, he’s obnoxious, but his chemistry with Ophelia is striking from the very beginning and does not let up.

And the spice?
My god.
I don’t want to oversell it or anything. There’s again no new territory or ridiculously kinky stuff here. If that’s what you’re into, maybe look elsewhere, but if you’re looking for some well-written spice that is…we’ll say compelling? Check this out. Perhaps I’m easily impressed, but I was literally clutching my pearls going, “Damn!” multiple times throughout the book in a way that I hope sounded cool but probably sounded more like Chris Tucker’s character from The Fifth Element. Like, there’s literally a part where they’re mid-spice and it starts raining blood (*metal riff*) and they continue to spice and I was honestly still fine with it.

But can I tell you one thing I really love about this book? As someone who lives with OCD, I could tell immediately that the author of this book also lives with OCD by how well it was written into Ophelia’s character. The Shadow Voice as it’s called in the book is such an honest and realistic way of portraying what it’s like to constantly be battling intrusive thoughts that I wanted to cry. It has always irked me how our culture views and treats OCD like a joke (Sweaters that say “Obsessive Christmas Disorder” or people who go “Ugh, I just have to put my cups in a certain order in my cabinet…I’m so OCD!”) that it’s so nice to see this kind of representation. While I do not have a Shadow Voice, per se, I feel it accurately represented that little part of your mind with OCD that tells you your compulsions are real and your fears are accurate and I find that as integral to this work.

I’ll say the ending did feel a bit rushed and muddled and there wasn’t much of a big twist for me (though there was a little one!) but it didn't take away from the story overall

Join the Conversation Online! 

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | X | TIKTOK 

We would love to chat more with you! Leave a comment below or JOIN US ON  social media to keep the conversation going and remember!! 

Read What You Love & Love What You Read!

Disclaimer: "All opinions are 100% honest and my own."  Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information. Buying via these links allows my site to get a % of the sale at no cost to you. 

FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored. 

Posted in: BookRecommendation