Blog Tour Review: Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on Such Charming Liars by Karen McManus. Thanks to the TBR team for having me on tour and to Delacorte Press for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such Charming Liars
Publisher
: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: 30 July 2024
Genre: Young Adult Mystery

Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The newest mystery from the author One of Us Is Lying, the Queen of thrillers, Karen M. McManus! When mother-daughter grifters set out on their final job, the heist gets deadly and dangerously personal.

For all of Kat’s life, it’s just been her and her mother, Jamie—except for the forty-eight hours when Jamie was married and Kat had a stepbrother, Liam. That all ended in an epic divorce, and Kat and Liam haven’t spoken since.

Now Jamie is a jewel thief trying to go straight, but she has one last job—at billionaire Ross Sutherland’s birthday party. And Kat has figured out a way to tag along. What Kat doesn’t know, though, is that there are two surprise guests at the dazzling Sutherland compound that weekend. The last two people she wants to run into. Liam and his father—a serial scammer who has his sights set on Ross Sutherland’s youngest daughter.

Kat and Liam are on a collision course to disaster, and when a Sutherland dies, they realize they might actually be in the killer’s crosshairs themselves. Somehow Kat and Liam are the new targets, and they can’t trust anyone—except each other.

Or can they? Because if there’s one thing both Kat and Liam know, it’s how to lie. They learned from the best.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Domestic abuse (recounted in minor detail), gun violence, poisoning (of food), murder

📚 BUY A COPY

TL;DR: I thoroughly enjoyed Such Charming Liars. It was gripping, entertaining and easy to breeze through in one sitting. The characters were easy to empathise with and the mystery had me eager to keep the pages turning. Some of these twists genuinely surprised me and it was so much fun! I would definitely recommend it if you’ve enjoyed McManus’ previous works or are looking to give her mysteries a try!

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Blog Tour Review: Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses by Katrina Emmel

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses by Katrina Emmel. Thanks to the TBR team for having me on tour and to Delacorte Romance for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses
Publisher
: Delacorte Romance
Publication Date: 23 July 2024
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

A swoon-worthy YA rivals-to-lovers romance between a Nebraskan cowboy and California girl, thrust together on the Oregon Trail.

Anything’s possible under a prairie sky…

Riley Thomas is feeling stuck—she’s moved from California to Nebraska, she’s on a weeklong Oregon Trail family bonding excursion, and her luggage is lost. There’s no one her age on the trip except a tall, dark and irksome cowboy who wrongly assumes she has zero ability to handle the great outdoors. She can’t wait for this misery to end—even though going “home” isn’t even possible anymore.

Lone wolf Colton Walker loves the simpler life of the plains and his family’s tourism business that helps protect them. He’s a stand-up guy—not a love ‘em and leave ‘em type like his rival, Jake. And he knows better than to take his chances with a prairie princess like Riley.

But Riley’s got more sense than Colton thinks–and he’s not nearly as inflexible as he seems. And under a wide prairie sky of puffy clouds and bright stars, everything comes into focus–including a cowboy’s heart.

Katrina Emmel’s Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses will take you on a sweeping journey across the American prairie… once you love a boy in a Stetson, you’ll never be the same.

📚 BUY A COPY

TL;DR: Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses was a fun contemporary YA featuring a sweet summer romance with relatable teenage characters who were easy to empathise with and like. It also made me want to go and experience an Oregon Trail summer experience and bask in Nebraska’s natural trails! Overall, it was a fun and easy read and an enjoyable debut!

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ARC Review: Do Me A Favor by Cathy Yardley

Special thanks to the author for providing me a digital ARC of this book via the publisher on NetGalley!

Do Me A Favor
Publisher: Montlake
Publication Date: 25 June 2024
Genre: Adult Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Willa Lieu-Endicott moved from California to the Pacific Northwest to start over. Since her husband’s death, she’s been struggling to get back her old career as a cookbook ghostwriter. Unfortunately, her latest project—ghostwriting for a viral cooking sensation known more for his washboard abs than his meals—has her stuck.

Until she meets her new neighbor.

Hudson Daws, the handyman next door, lives on a farm with his parents and two adult children. He’s the opposite of everything she’s ever known. His happily chaotic life includes biker barbecues, an escape artist dog, and adorably menacing goats. He’s also got a sinfully sexy smile and a rumbling bass voice that makes her shiver. He inspires her.

From their first meeting, the two fall into an escalating cycle of favors, paybacks…and attraction, even though Willa’s trying to keep her distance.

They both have their own pasts to deal with. Now, they just have to figure out if they have a future.

A delectable rom-com about a widowed cookbook writer and a divorced handyman who find that it’s never too late for a fresh start.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Parental estrangement and abandonment; death of spouse (off-page); chronic illness – type 1 diabetes (secondary character); brief mention of infidelity; drug use; sex on page

TL;DR: Do Me A Favor was a sweet, wholesome and sexy romance featuring older protagonists who just needed a bit of a push to love themselves first. This was a really enjoyable romance to devour (and I didn’t put it down until I finished it)! It gave me great comfort to read and I would recommend it to those who love a soft love story that balances the romance and character growth beautifully, plus a HEA for characters who couldn’t be more deserving of one.

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Blog Tour Review: The Secret of the Fang by Michelle Lam

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on The Secret of the Fang (Meesh the Bad Demon #2) by Michelle Lam. You can check out my review for the first book in this graphic novel series here.

The Secret of the Fang (Meesh the Bad Demon #2)
Publisher
: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 23 July 2024
Genre: Middle-Grade Graphic Novel

Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Meesh the Bad Demon is no stranger to saving the world—but she never thought she’d have to do it twice! Can she defeat the darkness once and for all in this sequel of epic proportions?

When Meesh banded together with Fairy Princess Nouna to save the underworld, she never expected she’d have to… do it again someday. Though, as Meesh grows into her newly discovered destiny as the Guardian of the world, she figured there would be a few minor rescues, maybe some crime-fighting here or there.

But before long, her new friend Chai’s family is forced out of their home by an evil force who threatens to destroy all of fox-kind if they dare stay. Meesh suspects the same masked villain she faced before is behind all of this, but will she be able to stop them before it’s too late?

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Xenophobia, forced displacement, violence, kidnapping/captivity

📚 BUY A COPY

TL;DR: The Secret of the Fang is book two in the middle-grade fantasy graphic novel series about a young demon who wants to succeed at doing good. I enjoyed this continuation of the story from book one and what the secret was about. While the story reaches a well-rounded ending, I do hope that we get to return to this world for more adventures with Meesh and her wonderful group of friends!

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Blog Tour Review: The Second Son by Adrienne Tooley

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on the conclusion to the Betrayal Prophecies fantasy duology: The Second Son by Adrienne Tooley.

The Second Son (Betrayal Prophecies #2)
Publisher
: Christy Ottaviano Books
Publication Date: 16 July 2024
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rep: Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Queer

Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

An epic clash of deities explores the two facets of pain—rage versus sadness—in this rousing followup to The Third Daughter, a dark crown fantasy duology with a sweeping sapphic romance.

The centuries-old prophecy has been fulfilled at last: the New Maiden has returned to Velle. Unfortunately, so has a malicious demi-god, whose elusive prophet is intent on converting the New Maiden’s followers. The Second Son is a vengeful, angry deity, whose psalm resonates with the disenfranchised.

With Elodie on the throne and Sabine in her own unique position of power, it should be easy enough to track down the culprit. Yet even as they’re falling in love, both girls are keeping dangerous secrets from each other. While the cult of the Second Son threatens to overthrow not only the Church of the New Maiden but also Velle’s monarchy, Elodie and Sabine must navigate impossible odds to dismantle the root of his power, all while their lives hang in the balance.

A must-read for fans of the BookTok sensations Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis, and These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Descriptions of anxiety and depression, depictions of self-harm, parental death (off-page), parental neglect, physical abuse at the hand of a parent, religious trauma

📚 BUY A COPY

Note: As this is the review for part two of a duology, there may be spoilers for book one.

TL;DR: Objectively, I think this was a well written story. It has an engaging plot, complex characters, and compelling relationships. While I wouldn’t say anything surprised me as I saw the twists and reveals coming from a mile away, I appreciate how Tooley formed her story around the chosen themes. The way she weaves emotion into faith was unique and I think the way it was written allows readers flexibility in how they interpret the story. Ultimately, I think The Second Son is a great conclusion to a dark-tinged fantasy duology.

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Book Review: The Singles Table by Sara Desai

The Singles Table (Marriage Game #3)
Publisher: Berkley
Pub Date: 16 November 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Opposites attract in this romantic comedy about a free-spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for the grumpy bachelor at her friend’s wedding.

After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find romance through the wedding season. She’s never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn’t match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Donovan.

Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he’s thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they’re stuck together for the entire wedding season.

So they make a deal. She’ll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. But when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

PTSD, panic attack, car accident (happens to secondary characters off-page), war-time flashbacks

TL;DR: I ended up loving The Singles Table! From the moment Zara’s beautiful vibrant personality is introduced and they get their meet cute (she shoots him in the ass with a paintball gun as he’s being an insufferable prick!), I was fully sold on their romance. We get more meddling aunties, badass mums with sweet biker boyfriends, an eccentric artist father who… paints intimate portraits and so much great banter. This is by far my favourite in this series and I would recommend it if you love the grumpy/sunshine trope because Zara and Jay were the perfect pairing.

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Book Review: Magic, Lies and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp

Magic, Lies and Deadly Pies (Pies Before Guys Mystery #1)
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Pub Date: 10 May 2022
Genre: Cosy Mystery

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The Iskat Empire rules its vassal planets through a system of treaties – so when Prince Taam, key figure in a political alliance, is killed, a replacement must be found. His widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with the disreputable aristocrat Kiem, in a bid to keep rising hostilities between two worlds under control.

But Prince Taam’s death may not have been an accident, and when Jainan himself is a suspect, he and Kiem must navigate the perils of the Iskat court, solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war…

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Arranged marriage, physical and psychological abuse (recounted frequently), gaslighting, manipulation, pyschological torture, blackmail (briefly mentioned), kidnapping, violence, blood, (flying) car crash, murder, animal attack

TL;DR: Did I ever think that I’d be reading about murder pies? Nope. But the moment I heard a fellow book blogger mention this series on her blog the other week, it sounded like something I’d love to read and for the most part, it was just what I wanted! A lot happens in this and while the elements of the romantic variety occasionally distracted me from the murder pie-filled plot, the author did a fine job of weaving the storylines together and having it contribute to growth in the MC’s arc.

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Book Review: Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Winter’s Orbit (Winter’s Orbit #1)
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: 2 February 2021
Genre: Science Fiction / Space Opera

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The Iskat Empire rules its vassal planets through a system of treaties – so when Prince Taam, key figure in a political alliance, is killed, a replacement must be found. His widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with the disreputable aristocrat Kiem, in a bid to keep rising hostilities between two worlds under control.

But Prince Taam’s death may not have been an accident, and when Jainan himself is a suspect, he and Kiem must navigate the perils of the Iskat court, solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war…

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Arranged marriage, physical and psychological abuse (recounted frequently), gaslighting, manipulation, pyschological torture, blackmail (briefly mentioned), kidnapping, violence, blood, (flying) car crash, murder, animal attack

TL;DR: What an absolute delight this turned out to be! 😍 Although it took some time for me to warm up to the story and characters, I became very immersed in the plot and I grew to love so many of the characters by the end. I adored Kiem and Jainan and every time I think about them I want to kick my feet up and giggle because they are… Just. So. Good together! The mystery plot kept me intrigued and though I managed to surprisingly figure out half of it by the reveal, I enjoyed how the author laid everything out. Overall, I’m so glad I finally read this and I can’t wait to read more stories set in this space world.

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Blog Tour Review: Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on the fantasy debut: Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova.

Foul Days (The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters #1)
Publisher
: Tor Books
Publication Date: 25 June 2024
Genre: Adult Fantasy

📖 SYNOPSIS

The Witcher meets Naomi Novik in this fast-paced fantasy rooted in Slavic folklore, from an assured new voice in genre.

As a witch in the walled city of Chernograd, Kosara has plenty of practice taming rusalkas, fighting kikimoras, and brewing lycanthrope repellent. There’s only one monster Kosara can’t defeat: her ex the Zmey, known as the Tsar of Monsters. She’s defied him one too many times, and now he’s hunting her. Betrayed to him by someone close to her, Kosara’s only hope is to trade her shadow―the source of her powers―for illegal passage across the Wall to Belograd, where monsters can’t follow.

Life in Belograd should be sweet, but Kosara soon develops a fast-acting version of the deadly wasting sickness that stalks shadowless witches―and only reclaiming her magic can cure her. To trace her shadow, she’ll have to team up with the suspiciously honorable detective investigating the death of the smuggler who brought her across the Wall.

Even worse than working with the cops is that all the clues point in a single direction: one of the Zmey’s monsters has found a crack in the Wall, and Kosara’s magic is now in the Zmey’s hands.

The clock is ticking, the hunt is on, and Kosara’s priorities should be clear―but is she the hunter or the hunted? And in a city where everyone is out for themselves, who can Kosara trust to assist her in outwitting the man―the Monster―she’s never been able to escape alone?

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Blood, traumatic deaths (recounted), gun violence, gore, murder, abusive relationship (physical and psychological) (recounted), imprisonment, drugging

📚 BUY A COPY

TL;DR: I’m not sure what I expected going into this but it wasn’t what I got and I absolutely mean that in the best way! Foul Days is dark and full of monsters but the “horror” aspect is light enough that those who are scared of dark and scary things (it’s me) can read it in bed alone at night. It’s heavy in Slavic lore and it’s action-packed from start to finish. I loved Kosara and her acerbic nature. She’s crabby and witty but vulnerable enough for us to see past that exterior to the damaged young woman she still carries inside. Her banter with Asen was A+ and their “copper vs. charlatan” dynamic was one of my favourite parts of this story. I was so pleasantly surprised by this fantasy debut and I’m already itching to get my hands on the second book (*please bless me, Tor gods*)!

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ARC Review: Change of Heart by Kate Canterbary

Special thanks to the author for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Change of Heart
Publication Date: 25 June 2024
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Grey’s Anatomy meets a gender-swapped Wedding Crashers in this spicy rom-com about a one-night stand with The One, walking the tightrope of love and workplace ethics, and knowing which rules are worth breaking.

Every summer, superstar surgeon Whitney Aldritch crashes weddings with her best friend. The first one was an accident though after a decade of dropping in uninvited, they’re masters of their craft. They keep the rules simple and they never go to bed alone.

Then there’s Henry Hazlette, best man and the best one-night stand of Whit’s summer. She never imagined she’d see him again but now he’s one of her new surgical residents—and completely off-limits.

Whitney has staked her reputation on leading the hospital’s new ethics initiative. While Henry is under her supervision, they have to keep it professional. But it doesn’t help that she can’t turn around without running face-first into his offensively broad chest or rubbing up against him in crammed elevators. Also not helping: the way he smiles at her like he can hear her every not-safe-for-work thought.

All they have to do is survive this residency—and the accidental tarot card readings that hit too close to home, a few uninvited houseguests, and the hospital’s hyperactive rumor mill—but only if they’re prepared to bend some rules as the feelings go from just for tonight to get it out of our systems to mine.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Parental estrangement and abandonment; parental divorce; chronic illness (secondary character); brief mention of suicide (in the past, not detailed, not a central character); mention of infidelity (secondary characters); frequent medical, hospital, and surgical discussion (no blood, no gore); discussion of donor organ retrieval and organ transplant surgeries (no blood, no gore); brief discussion of mountain rescue situations (not detailed); discussion of workplace bullying (off-page)

TL;DR: I didn’t think I would feel a little weepy reading Change of Heart but that’s how much I loved these characters and their romance. Canterbary somehow manages to do this to me every time and let’s be real: I would willingly let her keep doing it, too! I adored Henry and Whitney and their relationship journey but as much as I loved Whitney and her boss energy, I LOVED Henry! Oh, my granola, this man had my heart ready to burst with his acts of service, loyalty and big golden retriever energy. Help, THE FEELINGS! Also, I’m 100% here for the Grey’s Anatomy vibes and I sincerely cannot wait until Canterbary gives us more of this hospital crew because they are amazing.

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