Sapphira

LitJoy Crate, Caitlin Kelly, Holly Black

Holly Black

📖: The Cruel Prince ✍🏻: Holly Black ⭐: 4/5Tropes:- fantasy - court politics- faeries- slow burn - enemies to lovers - hate to love- romantasy - young adult Review:The Cruel Prince delves into the mythical world monarchial court politics of faeries, with a subplot of enemies to lovers subplot. Jude Duarte, a child of weapon maker along with her twin sister were plucked out from the human world and thrown into the world of faeries at a very young age. After being mistreated by the faeries and the royalties, she vowed to become something worse and powerful. Cardan Greenbriar was one of the royal princes who loathed Jude for "corrupting" their magical land. He leaves no chance to remind her how much he loathes humans, more specifically her, with his friends. Until the coronation of the new crown king happens, and things between them change. Being forced to work together they have no choice but to trust each other to survive the changing tides of monarchial court politics. The world building and the pace of this book is absolutely perfect, although I did skim over a couple of details but overall it was perfect! The plot twists, the dramas, the conspiracy– the whole second half of the book kept me on edge and it did not disappoint me at all. I can't wait to read the second book and tell you all about it! If you are looking to get into political fiction with fantasy, pick this book up!

LAIPENG, Holly Black

E. M. Wilson

📖: Situationship ✍🏻: E.M. Wilson⭐: 3/5 | 🌶️: 3/5Tropes:- second chance romance - lovers to haters to lovers - enemies with benefits - one bed trope - black cat × golden retriever - POC and Queer representation - he falls first and harder - POC MCs REVIEW: The title is pretty self explanatory. It is a chaotic mix of messy friendships, dysfunctional families and even messier relationships.Teagan Hargrove is a law student with her life filled with schedules and to-do lists up her neck! Freshly out of a relationship, and free from all classes with only parties and soirees to attend, she is now looking for a FWB who sticks to the terms and brings no complications. Heath Reynolds is a ladies man through and through. Struggling to keep a woman for more than two weeks who can help him survive the summers at clinic and his friend's wedding, he strikes up a deal with Teagan, which seemingly looks full proof, straightforward and easy. Until it wasn't.With their shared past, and too many buried feelings and memories it becomes harder for them to stick to the contract. Overall, it was an okayish read because I felt like skimming through repetitive details in between but what I loved about the book was that the author did a great job in showing the vulnerability of the characters, the difference of friendships, growth, the racism against queer and poc. Apart from that, the author briefly touches the topic of off-page abortion as well.So if you love a second chance romance book with enemies to lovers & one bed trope, absolutely go for it!

Aurora Reed

📖: The Bargain ✍🏻: Aurora Reed ⭐: 4/5 | 🌶️: 1.75/5Tropes:- highschool romance - boarding school - rich girl × poor boy- fake dating - slow burn/tension- found family- She first and falls harder- He calls her "love" ARC Review:This is my first book by Aurora Reed and it's safe to say, she might be one of my favorite authors now. The Bargain follows the story of Desdemona Sutton-Knight, a rich, golden girl of Spearcrest and Elias Lennox, the nobody scholarship boy. When Desdemona finds her siblings in trouble one night after the party, she decides to bargain with someone she never thought of ever approaching, for help. Elias, as someone who is amongst the rich and desperate for connections, does what he does best, which is taking advantage of the riches by doing their favors in exchange for cash. So when Desdemona approaches him with a deal, he agrees on one condition – to fake date him so he can use all the connections which come with her. Desdemona and Elias fool everyone, acting like two lovers who are always lost in each other, until the lines start to blur, and they start feeling something they shouldn't for each other. The author also briefly mentions child sexual exploitation and child abuse, so please do check for trigger warnings. What I loved about the book is that the book has many physics references, and lets not forget the palpable tension which feels like oh so slow burn. At times, it felt a bit more descriptive but it's alright. Overall, it's a good read. I'm definitely going to explore other works of Aurora Reed! So if you love a good fake dating romance with an elite boarding school, then this is the book for you!