Quick Thoughts: The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh

The Birds, the Bees, and You and Me

by Olivia Hinebaugh

January 22, 2019

Goodreads Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Burke is the last person on the planet who should be doling out sex advice. For starters, she’s never even kissed anyone, and she hates breaking the rules. Up until now, she's been a straight-A music geek that no one even notices. All she cares about is jamming out with her best friends, Theo and Evita.

But then everything changes.

When Lacey sees first-hand how much damage the abstinence-only sex-ed curriculum of her school can do, she decides to take a stand and starts doling out wisdom and contraception to anyone who seeks her out in the girls' restroom. But things with Theo become complicated quickly, and Lacey is soon not just keeping everyone else’s secrets, but hers as well.

Quick Thoughts: The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle

The Royals Next Door

by Karina Halle

August 31, 2021

336 pages

Goodreads Summary:

An ordinary summer goes royally awry when a prince and princess move next door, bringing their handsome bodyguard with them, from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.

Piper Evans: elementary school teacher by day--avid romance reader and anonymous podcaster by night. She lives a quiet, reclusive life, taking care of her mother, who struggles with mental illness, avoiding her regrettable ex, who bartends in town, and trying to make inroads in the tight-knit island community that still sees her, five years in, as an outsider.

And she's happy with how things are--really--until British royals rent the property next to hers and their brooding bodyguard decides she's a security threat. Piper quickly realizes that one person's fairy tale is an ordinary woman's nightmare as a media frenzy takes over the island and each run-in with Harrison Cole is hotter and more confusing than the last. But beneath Harrison's no-nonsense exterior lies a soft heart, one that could tempt a woman who's sworn off attachments into believing in white knights.

But when Piper finds herself smack in the middle of a royal scandal that rocks the island she'll need more than Harrison's strong arms to shield her--she'll have to do a little rescuing herself. With careers, hearts, and friendships on the line, Piper and Harrison will have to decide what they're willing to give up for a chance at their own happily ever after.

Quick Thoughts: The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games #2) Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Hawthorne Legacy

(The Inheritance Games #2)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

September 7, 2021

368 pages

Goodreads Summary:

Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions - including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.

Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she's not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture - by any means necessary.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike.

Quick Thoughts: A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic #1) by Elise Kova

A Deal with the Elf King

(Married to Magic #1)

by Elise Kova 

November 6, 2020

338 pages

Goodreads Summary:

The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.

Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella's village to be their Human Queen.

To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she's dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town's only healer.

That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives... for her.

Everything Luella had thought she'd known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.

The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another... but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.

A Deal with the Elf King is a complete, stand-alone novel, inspired by the tales of Hades and Persephone, as well as Beauty and the Beast, with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon-worthy couple.

Quick Thoughts: Kiss the Fae (Vicious Faeries #1) by Natalia Jaster

Kiss the Fae

(Vicious Faeries #1)

by Natalia Jaster

October 24, 2020

344 pages

Goodreads Summary:

For fans of Labyrinth, Sarah J. Maas, and Laini Taylor.

There are three rules to surviving the Fae—and I’m about to break every single one.

Rule #1. Never cross into Faerie.

When I’m chased across the enchanted border and caught by its sinister ruler of the sky, the pretty trickster with a clever tongue offers me a deal.

Rule #2: Never bargain with a Fae.

But I don’t have a choice. For thirteen days, I have to survive in his mountainous maze of crooked bridges, deceptive stairways, and devious inhabitants. Refuse, and my sisters will suffer as punishment.

Rule #3: Never fall for the enemy.

I should have known my sexy captor wouldn’t play fair. The deeper I plunge into this dangerous world of Solitary Fae, the more I’m entangled in their ruler’s seductive web of desire—and the forbidden temptations he offers.

The price of losing this wicked game is everything I love. But winning might just cost me my heart.

Warning: This is steamy NA/New Adult fantasy romance with explicit sexual content and language. For mature readers 18+.

Step into the Dark Fables World, where defiant mortals and deceitful faeries clash. Kiss the Fae is the first book in Natalia Jaster’s romantic fantasy series, Vicious Faeries. If you like slow burns, enemies-to-lovers, angst with heart, and magical plot twists, get ready for a book hangover.