ARC Review: A Study in Sparkling (Love Notes #2) by Jodi McAlister

 

The author of the “brilliant” (Library Journal) An Academic Affair returns with a steamy romance about a recently separated single mom who’s absolutely not looking for another relationship...only to fall for the younger owner of her favorite wine bar.

Fiona Fisher thought she had it a loving husband, three kids, and a life far away from the suffocating expectations of her family. But when her husband reveals that he’s leaving her for his secret second family, Fiona is left devastated and humiliated.

Satoshi Tsukamoto wants it all. He’s the owner of a popular wine bar, and he’s studying for the hardest test in the the Master Sommelier exam. There aren’t enough hours in the day for anything else—except maybe for Fiona, his favorite customer, and the woman he’s absolutely, head-over-heels in love with.

On paper, Fiona and Satoshi make no sense. He’s eight years younger than her and has no time for romance. She’s a single mother and doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to trust anyone again. But how can Fiona resist when Satoshi suggests they give into their mutual attraction and let off some steam? And how can Satoshi resist when the woman he adores is finally within his grasp—even if they’ve agreed to keep things casual?

The perfect read for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Abby Jimenez, A Study in Sparkling proves that Jodi McAlister truly is “a writer to watch” (Booklist).

Title: A Study in Sparkling (Love Notes #2)

Author: Jodi McAlister

Publisher: Atria Books

Expected Publication Date: September 15, 2026

Review:

Than you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have to say after reading the first book by this author, I jumped at the chance to read the second. I remember it took me a bit to get into An Academic Affair, but eventually I ended up really enjoying it. This one, not so much. I truly felt like this was a different author. I was honestly bored and just pushed through with the hopes things would change. But they didn't.

I'll start by saying as much as the author tried, she just could not make me fall in love with either Fiona or Satoshi. Every chapter one or the other character jumped back to their differences and why things would not work between them (her, he's too young; him, she wants to keep it a secret). I found them both insufferable most of the time. The communication between them sucked. Yes, they talked, but honestly not about the important things. Satoshi was a door mat letting her lead the entire time. Rather than finding his love for her admirable he just came across as pathetic. He let her walk all over him because he wanted her any way he could get her. For me, that's zero self esteem. And Fiona would not let herself have him because of her traumatic past. Which, granted, I get. And she tells us over and over again that she's in therapy. What is she even talking about in therapy? It seemed like nothing to be honest. She was such a drag of a character. And both characters lacked growth and development throughout the book. I didn't see them change in any way that would lead them to understanding one another or finally winding up in a stable and happy relationship.

When the book got to about 85% the drama ramped up, and not in a good. way. Every chapter was filled with so much conflict. And then suddenly it's just resolved at the end, like the curtains opened and shined a light and they suddenly understood totally what the other needed and how to make it work? No, just no.

The spice scenes were ick for me, as well. I just did not feel they matched the characters at all. 

Throw in these long chapters with tons of text messages and emails as the only prose, and that pulled me right out of the story. Every time.

As a bare bones story, this had potential for sure. Unrequited love, age gap, single mom. But the drama took over the story and the miscommunication trop was poorly used. Not to mention all the wine stuff. Yes, it's interesting but it's SO much. I really struggled to keep up with it all and understand what it meant. It left me wanting to just skim parts because I didn't care enough to try and figure out why it was all so important to the love part of the story.

I enjoyed some of the side characters. Especially those I know from book 1. My favorite parts ended up being when the characters from book one were in the scenes/chapters. I didn't like Satoshi's brother at all. Which, I think was maybe the point? I can see the author has set this up to have stories about other characters. And I will absolutely give those installments a try. I absolutely adored Fiona's child, Lex. They were the most intelligent part of this book. Shout out for the LBGTQ+ inclusion. I did feel on the part of Satoshi it could have been explored a bit better, but the author did a great job with Lex.

Overall the plot and pacing became stale after about the first 25% of the book. The topics were repeated ad nauseum: he's too young for me; his ex was so beautiful; he doesn't want a old lady like me (for goodness sakes, she's 36!); I love her and will do whatever I need to do to keep her even if it's a little bit; yes it's ok for you to walk all over me because you are the light of my life; wine, wine, wine, and more wine. 

By day, Jodi McAlister writes romance novels. By other time of day, Dr Jodi McAlister studies them. She's written romantic comedies for adults, romantasy and contemporary romance for young adults, and several academic books.

For adults
If you're a reality TV lover, the Marry Me, Juliet series are the books for you. Even if you're not a reality TV lover, they might be the books for you - several reality TV haters have enjoyed them.

The trilogy all take place at the same time on the same season of a reality dating show called Marry Me, Juliet (which bears a very strong resemblance to The Bachelor). While they all stand alone and can be read in any order, they work best when read in order.

Start with Here For The Right Reasons (he's the series lead, she's the contestant he eliminates on the first night), move on to Can I Steal You For A Second? (she's a contestant, she's... also a contestant), and finish with the book the New York Times called a "full-on villain romance", Not Here To Make Friends (she's the villain, he's the producer who's pining for her).

For young adults
If you're a romantasy reader, you'll like the Valentine series, a young adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy series about smart girls, small towns, and scary fairies. There are three books: Valentine, Ironheart, and Misrule. If Picnic at Hanging Rock meets Holly Black sounds like something you’d be into, these are the books for you.

And if you're a theatre kid, Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending is the book for you. It's my love letter to theatre kids as someone who used to be one.

Academic books
No one really cares much about these on Goodreads, do they? More info on my website if you're interested.

About Jodi
Jodi is originally from Kiama, a seaside holiday town on the south coast of New South Wales, and has lived in a bunch of different cities: Canberra (where she did her undergrad degrees), Wollongong (where she lived while she did her PhD in Sydney), and Hobart (where she held her first academic job) among them. Currently, she lives in Melbourne, where she works as a Senior Lecturer in Writing, Literature and Culture at Deakin University.

When she’s not writing about romance, Jodi is an academic studying romance. Her research focuses on representations of love in popular culture and fiction. It means that reading romance novels and watching (and let’s be real, writing huge amounts about) The Bachelor/ette is technically work for her.

**Want to dip your toes into the Valentine universe? Try the free short story Galentine, set a year and a bit before the events of Valentine. http://jodimcalister.com.au/galentine/ **

**Want to read a bonus epilogue to Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending? Check it out here: https://jodimcalister.com.au/libby-la... ** 

ARC Review: Embrace (Off the Ice #4) by Bal Khabra

 

An unexpected spark between a hockey player and the coach’s daughter might cause them to cross the line in the next Dalton University book from international bestselling author Bal Khabra.

Kian Ishida is all about parties, hockey, and living in the moment. But when he realizes he’s headed to the NHL without his degree, his late dad’s one wish for him, he’s determined to make up those last few credits. Desperate for help, he joins a study group led by none other than Scarlett Kilner. She’s as gorgeous as she is smart. Too bad he doesn’t know yet that she’s his coach’s daughter.

After making a reputation for herself, all Scarlett wants for her senior year is to prove she’s more than her mistakes and graduate without tarnishing her well-respected father’s name. But when Kian Ishida, one of her dad’s star hockey players, joins her study group, things get complicated.

As Scarlett helps Kian, their study sessions turn into something more—stolen glances, lingering touches, and a connection neither of them expected. Kian has to decide what’s more the dream he’s worked for his whole life or the girl he never saw coming.

Title: Embrace (Off the Ice #4)

Author: Bal Kahbra

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Publication Date: August 4, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have to say I was really excited to read Kian's story. I loved him from the first time I met him. He's the most golden retriever or golden retriever book boyfriends and I needed him to have his HEA. Plus, watching his story unfold with the coach's daughter? A little forbidden love trope? Sign me up! My love of Khabra's stories has been up and down. I loved Collide but Spiral fell a bit short for me. Then I really enjoyed Revolve so I was really expecting something great with this story.

I was surprised to see this book kind of dropped in in the middle of another couple's story. It was honestly a little disorienting for me. I kind of wish I had that background before I started reading because I didn't expect this to coincide with Revolve. But it does. If you haven't read the first three books, I highly recommend doing so. While this could be read as a stand alone, I think reading the others gives a better background of all the side characters and their relationships. If I didn't know the other characters, I'm not sure some of those relationships would have made sense to me.

Kian and Scarlett's connection is interesting. She's tutoring him to make sure he graduates and he's helping her mend her reputation. I liked the idea of this relationship and could see how it might turn into more between the two characters. Of course they bring with them their own baggage: her reputation and her biological father who is in jail and him with the death of his father and his family treating him like he's glass. I kind of wish both of these things were explored a little more. The baggage almost felt like it was pushed to the back of the story when it was supposed to be what made the characters the way they were. I think it would have made more sense so the two connected on a level above just being in college and helping each other. I feel like I would have connected with them better had this been the case. Their chemistry was kind of there but didn't quite come across well enough for me to believe in their true attraction.

The plot is interesting enough but the pacing was so uneven. It felt choppy and all over the place with some chapters flowing right into each other in the same time line and other jumping far ahead with any segue. It made it hard for me to really want to push forward. And there were just some things that were put into the plot that seemed unrealistic and others that just became plot holes. Plus the conflict didn't really come across in this book. I didn't truly understand it and that's pretty essential in a romance that relies on this type of trope. The way the conflict was displayed didn't really make any sense to me and so I didn't really care about anything else that was happening.

Add to this the miscommunication trope that just keeps on giving. I can't imagine these two just never talking. Never sharing what was happening between them, what was happening in their lives, what was happening overall. Where was the work they were supposed to be doing to get to the part where they are ok? It wasn't there and then suddenly they are magically just great. It made no sense.

I see many great reviews for this title so take what I say with a grain of salt and explore this title for yourself. While I"m not giving up on this author all together, I'm going to be more cautious with what I read from her until I can see there is better consistency in her writing and stories.

Author:

Bal is a Canadian writer, romance enthusiast, and book lover. Before she decided to jump into the romance pool, she spent her time gushing about books on social media.

She loves reading about love, watching movies about love, and now, writing about it herself. There really isn’t much else that gets her heart fluttering the way HEAs do. She fell in love with writing and hopes to continue living out her romance author dreams.

ARC Review: The Final Score by Lana Ferguson

A hockey player and a grad student are on thin ice until they meet their match in this sexy romance by USA Today bestselling author Lana Ferguson.

Jack Baker is on top of the world now that he’s back on the rink where he belongs. But the high comes crashing down when he reinjures his arm immediately following his return to the ice, and this time, he might never be able to play again. After a lifetime as the strong, happy hockey guy whose sister needed him, Jack is left questioning everything he knows about himself.

Abigail Thompson feels like she’s hit rock bottom. It’s only been a few months since the massive scandal that finally severed the cord between her and her narcissistic father. And now, in her last weeks of grad school, she’s been kicked out of her building with very short notice. The last thing she wants to do is ask her half-brother for help after what she’s put him through, but it’s looking like his best friend’s spare room might be her only choice.

Jack is flighty, flirty, and a little full of himself—all the things Abby’s learned to avoid in men. However, spending every day together breaks the ice between them, and she starts to realize that Jack might not be who he seems. It’s possible that maybe, just maybe, he might be struggling as much as she is. Soon, confiding in each other leads to falling into bed, and this fling will either play with their hearts—or score them the ultimate goal of love.

Title: TheFinal Score

Author: Lana Ferguson

Publisher: Berkley

Expected Publication Date: July 7, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Ferguson is one of my auto-read authors and I was excited to read Jack's story after enjoying the first book in this series. Jack was a bit of an enigma to me in the first book. I knew there was more to him than his playboy ways so I was excited to see this book dig down deep into his story. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy this one as much as I would have liked. I'm 100% sad I have to even write this review.

Heads up, if you didn't read the first book, go do that first. I thought perhaps Ferguson would maybe give us a small wrap up from the first book so there was a bit of context to the story. But this book relies heavily on the fact that you know exactly what happened in book 1 including the huge family dynamics between the FMC, her brother, and her father. Given it's marketed as a standalone, I found this very problematic.

Overall, Ferguson made the characters fun enough but there was nothing particularly special about them.

Jack spends the book having a existential crisis about his injury, which he refuses to accept and continues to play despite doctors telling him not to. I actually found it hard to believe his professional team would agree with him playing. In real life this would never happen. A team would not risk one of their players being injured further or potentially never being able to play again. It just made zero sense to me. And Jack makes his whole life hockey, or at least thinks his whole life is hockey and he has nothing else to fall back on so why would he risk it? Also, it's obvious he has some anxiety issues and he alludes to ADHD at some points. I don't really get either vibe from him. I will say I liked his golden retriever vibe during the book.

Abby spends the book worrying everyone is like her father who she doesn't trust. She continuously questions the intentions of those who surround her. And, yes, given how she grew up I'd say it makes sense for her to be like this. But, as I stated above, some background reminders would have been good since, again, the relationships rely heavily on what happened in book 1. She's still in school but has no job to support her. She has to move out of her apartment (paid for by her father) due to water damage and you never truly hear anything else about it. Everything with her seems so surface level and I didn't really connect with her and her damage as I would have liked to.

Then there's the romantic chemistry I was looking forward to seeing. Hint: it's not there. Jack and Abby just kind of fall into each other due to their forced proximity. Their romance didn't build at all. It came off as more of an insta-love situation. And then there was the push and pull that was supposed to be happening: Jack falling fast and hard and Abby questioning if any of it was a good idea. I just didn't feel anything for them as a couple. I didn't care they wanted to keep it secret from their siblings. It was also all too easy for me given their siblings are dating. And I felt like once they actually got together, every other chapter was a spice scene. I will say there is some great banter between the characters which made some scenes really fun to read.

There is also a lot of repetition used in this book. Jack uses the same phrases over and over again. To the point it just got annoying. I found the same problem with the spicy scenes. They never introduced anything new or intriguing for me. Especially given how frequently they were happening.

Finally, this book had zero plot. Was there potential for it? Sure. Jack's injury and his anxiety over believing he's nothing more than his hockey career. This could have opened up a great opportunity to explore some mental health issues, but that doesn't every happen. Abby's unwillingness to open up due to the hurt she has endured in the past, her fraught relationship with her father, and her being in school. Where were these things explored? They were never more than a surface level glance. And Abby was constantly acting like this therapist even though she has zero experience because, again, she's still in school! I felt like the complexity of the FMC and MMC's situations could have been explored in so much more of a deeper way to make the plot more interesting and to keep me engaged.

Was this book fun? I guess it was fun enough. If you're looking for a fluff romance that relies heavily on the characters having sex/fooling around with not much plot otherwise, something that is easy to read and reads fast, this could fit that bill. But, for me personally, I was just bored. Does this mean I won't read more Ferguson in the future? Of course not! I've really enjoyed almost all her books so far so I'm hopeful this is just a one off.

Author:

Lana Ferguson is a USA Today bestselling author and sex-positive nerd whose works never shy from spice or sass. A faded Fabio cover found its way into her hands at fifteen, and she’s never been the same since. When she isn’t writing, you can find her randomly singing show tunes, arguing over which Batman is superior, and subjecting her friends to the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings. Lana lives mostly in her own head but can sometimes be found chasing her corgi through the coppice of the great American outdoors.

Audio ARC Review: Make Me Hate You by Kandi Steiner

 

From USA Today, BookTok, and #1 Amazon bestselling author Kandi Steiner comes an angsty and emotional stand-alone romance about first love, buried pain, and the one person you can never quite let go of, featuring bonus content exclusive to this print edition.

How can you hate someone who still owns your heart?

Jasmine Olsen hasn’t been home in seven years for a very good reason. Some memories cut too deep, and sometimes running is the only way to survive. But when her best friend’s wedding brings her back to the small town she desperately tried to escape, she finally comes face to face with… him.

Tyler Wagner. The boy who broke her heart. The man she never quite forgot. And, unfortunately, her best friend’s brother. Charismatic, confident, and unyielding, Tyler is everything Jasmine can’t afford to want. And now, as the wedding fast approaches, he’s everywhere—testing boundaries they never defined, stirring feelings they both pretended were long buried.

With every stolen glance, his golden eyes lure her into their depths. Unable to escape his pull, the memory of them tightens like a rip current, dragging her under. And when he flashes her that smile, she loses her breath along with the last of her restraint.

She wants to hate him. She needs to hate him.
But if he kisses her again, she’ll drown.
And this time, she’ll take him down with her.

Title: Make Me Hate You

Author: Kandi Steiner

Publisher:

Expected Publication Date: October 6, 2026

Previously Publisher: August 6, 2020

Review:

Thank you to Keeperton Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I will admit, I picked this up strictly for the fact that it's Steiner and I really enjoyed Love Overboard so much. I didn't read the blurb, though when I went back to read it I see that it is just an excerpt from part of the book. I didn't know the tropes going into this, except that it was romance. Had I known, I would not have picked it up because I despise cheating. For me, there is never a right reason to do it. Whether it be physical or emotional, nope, I just don't agree with it. I also didn't realize this book was previously released in 2020 and is on NetGalley because it's getting a new cover and publisher picking it up for October 2026. My bad for not paying attention to that tide bit. But since I didn't know, into the story I dove.

NetGalley also doesn't list the narrator for the book. I'm not extremely picky about narrators as long as they pull me into the story and make me want to push forward to find out what happens. Since the narrator's name wasn't listed, I hunted around to find who it was and saw it was Holly Warren. I have listened to a few books narrated by her and figured I would enjoy her voice. I liked her voice for the FMC well enough, but when she voiced the other characters I was unimpressed. The accents really threw me off and just didn't seem realistic, though I know the Boston accent so I understand where the narrator was going with what she was doing. I really didn't think the accents gave anything to the story at all. Overall the narration just wasn't for me and kind of ruined even the hint of me potentially liking this book.

I know many authors who get publishing deals will have their previous books reworked and republished under that publisher. I am assuming that is what is happening with this book. But, I expect those books to be combed through and fixed up so they are better than what was previously published. I can honestly say this one didn't strike me that way at all. And if it was re-edited, then shame on the publisher because it really just wasn't good. There was so much telling in this story. The back story was super short and did not solidify the past relationship between the FMC and MMC. Flashbacks definitely would have worked well in this story but it was not done that way leaving us to only imagine why the FMC and MMC could possibly have any history at all.

I hated the MMC the entire time. He was just mean. I get the angst that was trying to be portrayed but it just did not work for me at all. And the FMC allows it to happen. Both characters are quite selfish and immature for their ages. I wasn't invested in them getting together mostly because I had no real background to understand the angst that was trying to be portrayed.

I ended up switching to the print version in the hopes it was the audio that was keeping me from enjoying this book, but that wasn't it at all. I just didn't care about the story, I disliked all the characters, and I just wanted it to end so I skimmed from the middle on. It's really a shame more wasn't done to spruce this book up because I can see the bones of a good story despite the fact that I don't like the cheating trope. A trope like this requires a huge redemption arc for me, and maybe some villainy on the parts of the people being cheated on, and it just didn't happen. I had a hard time believing the main characters had such a connection as teens that they would fight for what they might have as adults.

Overall this one just wasn't for me, though I see it has some great reviews so I do hope others like it more than me.

Author:

Kandi Steiner is a USA Today and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author living in Tennessee. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.

An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. Her love for writing started at the ripe age of 10, and in 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.”

She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a hopeless romantic and found herself bursting at the seams with love stories she was eager to tell.

When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, planning her next adventure, or pole dancing (yes, you read that right). She enjoys live music, traveling, hiking, yoga, spending quality time with her family (fur babies included) and soaking up the sweetness of life.

CONNECT WITH KANDI:
➜ NEWSLETTER: kandisteiner.com/newsletter
➜ FACEBOOK: facebook.com/kandisteiner
➜ FACEBOOK READER GROUP (Kandiland): facebook.com/groups/kandilandks
➜ INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/kandisteiner
➜ TIKTOK: tiktok.com/@authorkandisteiner
➜ PINTEREST: pinterest.com/authorkandisteiner
➜ WEBSITE: www.kandisteiner.com
Kandi Steiner may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future:
➜ www.kandisteiner.com/events

Audio ARC Review: Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven

 

A YA horror-thriller-romance retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates, featuring a never-before-heard bonus chapter!

Penny Paxton is the daughter of an icon. Her supermodel mother has legions of adoring fans around the world, and Penny is ready to begin her journey to international adoration, starting with joining the elite Dorian Drama School. When Penny’s new mentor offers her an opportunity she cannot refuse, to have a portrait painted by a mysterious artist who can grant immortal beauty to all his subjects, Penny happily follows in the footsteps of Dorian’s most glittering alumni, knowing that stardom is sure to soon be hers. But when her trusted mentor is found murdered, Penny realises she’s made a terrible mistake – a sinister someone is using the uncanny portraits to kill off the subjects one by one. As more perfectly beautiful students start to fall, Penny knows her time is running out . . . A seductive and searing exploration of beauty, identity, and what the pursuit of perfection can truly cost.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books

Title: Every Exquisite Thing

Author: Laura Steven

Publisher: Macmillan Audio/Wednesday Books

Expected Publication Date: May 26, 2025

Review

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audio version of this title to listen to and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is my second book by this author and I think it solidifies that I'm just not a fan of her writing. It's possible the audio may have added to this. I liked the narrator, Felicity Bown, enough. She sounded familiar to me but when I tried to find other books she narrated that I may have listened to, I could not find any. She was rather flat throughout the story. I just didn't feel the character's emotions at all and it made it very hard to connect with the character. I need someone who was more engaging and she was not it.

I love a good reimagining as much as the next person. And The Picture of Dorian Gray was a great choice. I love this story and my expectations for it being redone were high. This book did have those elements for sure. Steven did fairly well incorporating those things and allowing me to see the connection. However it lacked any depth. Dorian Gray explores elements of beauty, self-destruction, societal pressures, and corruption. This book glosses over those things at most.

Penny was nothing special for me as a character. She's deeply flawed and I did feel that part immensely. But I really didn't connect with her at all. She didn't have anything particularly interesting happening throughout the book. Even by 50% through I just did not care what happened to her or why it was happening. Her relationships with friends and family didn't lend much to the story either. I honestly didn't really know any of them well enough to see how they would contribute to the importance of her story. They felt flat and uninteresting and were barely developed.

Dark academia is one of my favorite genres. When I see it in a blurb, I'm almost guaranteed to give the story a try. This one definitely fit that narrative. It's one of the reasons I chose to request it. The world building is there but not expansive at all. Steven introduces some supernatural elements (not surprising considering the story's reimagined origin) but I needed to understand it more. I needed to see where it came from earlier on in the story but Steven was more concerned with the mystery happening than providing this background. How did the magical elements introduced come about? Besides Dorian, are there other places this exists? There is also a rivalry with Penny and her classmate Devina that gave the story some interest but overall I didn't really feel their push and pull. We are just told about it being there rather than it truly being shown to build the story.

This is also listed as a murder mystery thriller with horror and romantic elements. While I see the author tried to include those elements through the eyes of the underlying story line, I didn't really find anything horrific about the plot or what happened to the characters. It's definitely more of a mystery than anything else. I didn't even feel the thriller part of the story. Nothing had me gripping my seat or set my heart racing. As for the romance, meh. There is no chemistry with the characters and it just didn't seem like it was important to even include it in the story. The story tried to be too many things at once for me rather than focusing on the more important elements of the mystery. This caused the pacing to be uneven and even clunky at times.

The book uses body dysmorphia and  eating disorders as they underlying reason Penny seeks out the Masked Painter and immortalizes herself this way. It's explored enough to show how terrible this disease can be. There are many moments where her starving herself play a roll in helping to shape her character.  But Penny is only telling us these things, we are never shown the horrors of what this all actually means for the character.

Overall, not enough happened in this book to keep my interest. The connection to The Picture of Dorian Gray set my expectations high so I expected a lot from this but it was sorely missed. I was bored for most of the tale and found myself drifting off only to come back and rewind to find I really didn't miss anything important. I wish the characters were more fleshed out, the world was built out so we could understand it more, and the motivations of the characters a little more clear. I think many will enjoy this story, especially if their knowledge of Dorian Gray is not expansive or non-existent. It's solidly a YA tale. And,. given the ratings I am seeing, I definitely think I'm in the minority for not enjoying this one.  I do think that many teens will connect with Penny on the levels that are intended given her obsession with her body, pressure for being a certain way, claiming true identity, and  beauty standards since this is so prevalent in our society today. 

Author:

Laura Steven is an author and journalist from the northernmost town in England. She has published several books for young adults—such as the bestselling Every Exquisite Thing, YA Book Prize-shortlisted The Society for Soulless Girls, and CWIP award-winning The Exact Opposite of Okay—many of which have been widely translated and optioned for TV and film. When she’s not writing, you can probably find her trail running, reading chunky fantasy novels, baking cookies, playing old men at chess, or ignoring her husband and son to perfect her Stardew Valley farm. You can find her on Instagram at @laurasteven and TikTok at @authorlaurasteven.

Audio ARC Review: The Fake Divination Offense (Magic and Romance #2) by Sara Raasch

 

Sports romance gets a Dungeons & Dragons makeover with the next book in the Magic and Romance series that follows half-giant Orok, forced into a PR relationship with a feisty, fan-favorite cheerleader.

Orok star defensive tank on the Philadelphia Hellhounds rawball team. Half-giant. Patron Urzoth, god of strength . . . only Orok’s tired of being tied to a god known for aggression. So (don’t tell his mother) he’s planning on renouncing Urzoth.

Until the cult of Galaxrien, Urzoth’s sworn enemy, ends up causing a lot of damage through their ill-advised attempts to summon him, and the followers of both deities find themselves blamed for the long-standing feud and its ramifications.

Alexo cheerleading intern with the Hellhounds. Smells like apples, which Orok only knows because he picked Alexo up. Accidentally—Orok publicly saves Alexo from a bar fight, and fans go feral for the muscly pro athlete being protective of the pint size dude-in-distress.

That’s enough to have the Hellhounds and Urzoth’s church both coming to them with a Orok and Alexo will start a PR relationship to put a positive spin on Urzoth. Orok is all set to refuse—and finally separate from Urzoth—when the team offers Alexo a starting spot on the cheerleading squad to play up the star athlete and cheerleader optics. It’s such an obvious dream come true for Alexo that Orok finds himself agreeing to the arrangement like the sap he is.

He can keep living a lie for a bit longer. But Orok starts to wonder if they can drop the fake part of this fake-relationship…

Title: The Fake Divination Offense (Magic and Romance #2)

Author: Sara Raasch

Publisher: Bramble/Macmillan Audio

Expected Publication Date: May 19, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audio to listen to and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I was really looking forward to this book. I have been loving the queer books Raasch has been writing, especially the audio. The narrators have all been really great. I have listened to one other book by Vikas Adam before and enjoyed his narration enough so I was pretty confident he would do Orok justice. And I could not wait to hear Orok's story since there seemed to be so much more to him than what was presented in the last book.

Unfortunately I was disappointed with this book in so many ways. I hate that I have to write this review at all, to be honest. I went in with such high expectations and came away completely and utterly disappointed.

The narrator had such potential to bring Orok's character to life. And for parts of the book I did like how he voiced him. But for most of the book his voice was so rough and angry it made me disconnect with the character. I know the character has anger from his past, I get that. But it dripped into all his interactions. Vikas Adam truly overplayed the role for me, really trying to act out the character rather than just give him a voice to show us who he is.  He was growly much of the time, I kept having to rewind scenes and turn the volume up because I couldn't understand what he was saying. He took a character I enjoyed from the previous book and made me dislike him. This was super frustrating for me. I also hated how he voiced most of the other characters, especially Seb and Alexo. It's like he didn't know Seb at all. If he had listened to the previous book, he would not have voiced the character the way he did for sure. And don't get me started on the long drawn out sex scenes that were totally over the top with Adam's narration. I love some good smut but his narration just made it uncomfortable more than anything else. The first scene truly made me feel like Orok was in charge, despite saying he wasn't, and Alexo just taking it no matter the consequences. Overall, I just didn't enjoy this as an audio book at all.

Now, given Orok's background and size, I get that he might be kind of a brute. But he didn't come off that way in the first book at all. And I understand he has some possessive tendencies, but it was so overdone. He didn't make me feel his connection with Alexo at all. Where was the chemistry I thought might be brewing. The book tried to make it a slow burn but it really wasn't.

And where is the banter I know Raasch infuses into her books? I maybe laughed once while listening to this, if that. The characters came off as super flat and that just slowed the pacing down for me.

I had to force myself to listen to the story. I just didn't care about the characters, the plot, or anything else, to be honest.

The best part of the narration was the newscasters at the beginning of the chapters where they were given voice. Those times were fun. 

I understand the book was dealing with heavier topics with the abuse from the camp Orok and Seb attended, to the potential for harm to Alexo, but I just didn't even care. 

And there were so many plot holes leaving things to feel very surface level at best,.This book takes place a few years after the last book and you're given barely any backstory to what happened during that time. Orok left to go play ball in Vegas and then leaves him team to come back to Philly. There were obvious reasons why, but they are never addressed or explored. Also, what is Rawball? How does it work? We see games in this book but I know nothing of what those games entail or how they are won/lost, This is a sports romance but we barely know or see antyhing about the sport. And the religion thing is honestly just confusing to me. I didn't truly understand Orok and his religion in book 1, but I got the gist. I thought it would be explored more in book 2, since that is such an important part of who he is, but it isn't. It's glossed over for the most part. All we know is he's not happy with it.

I'm sad to give this one two stars after loving the first book (and also Raasch's other series, Royals and Romance). I just didn't care about the characters or the story, Perhaps my expectations for this were too high. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it better in print. I will still read the upcoming books in both these series and I will hope they are done better than this one.

Author:

Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, the first in a trilogy, came out October 14, 2014 from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures.

ARC Review: Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister

 

How far would you go to rescue your child? A mother races against the clock—and finds herself on the wrong side of the law—in a desperate fight to save her teenage daughter in this pulse-pounding thriller from the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time.

There is nothing that Simone won’t do for her daughter, Lucy. The two have always been close, and with Lucy about to leave home for university, they depart the UK for a vacation to Texas to spend some quality time together. But when Simone awakens on their first morning in the desert, Lucy is gone, missing from their rental cabin. In her place is a cell phone, and a voice on the other line issues a shocking ransom demand. Don’t tell the police. Come to this location. And be prepared to do a deal…

Though Simone’s husband urges her to bring in the authorities for help, she knows she can’t take any chances. The kidnappers might kill Lucy if she tells anyone. No mother would take that risk. Instead, that night, she drives to the isolated meet-up.

What she finds there changes everything. The mysterious kidnapper doesn’t want money. They want Simone to do something. The unthinkable.

A catastrophic chain of events is set in motion, with chilling consequences that extend beyond Simone and her family. What follows is a heart-pounding journey through the small towns and punishing deserts of remote Texas, in which Simone’s courage—and morality—is pushed to the brink as she discovers what it truly means to be a mother.

Title: Caller Unknown

Author: Gillian McAllister

Publisher:

Expected Publication Date: May 5, 2026

Review:

Thank you to William Marrow and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This is my first book by this author. My expectations were pretty high after seeing so many people post about her previous books and how good they are. I should honestly know better than to follow along after high praise for a book. Although, it seems this book may not be her typical type of story so perhaps there's is something to be said there.

I wanted mystery and suspense. Maybe a little thrill. What I got was a little bit of mystery and just family drama. Not what I was expecting at all. The overall plot is the FMC's daughter being kidnapped and her adventure to get her back. The book started out promising, though I wasn't a huge fan of the narration technique of the author. There was A LOT of telling in this book. The narrator told us all about her family and what she felt she was going through but the author never really showed me any of this. Add to that the mystery of the kidnap being solved pretty quickly and the rest of the book the characters searching for said kidnappers and it just wasn't the mystery I was expecting.

The book is told in alternating POVs from the main character, Sophie, and the kidnapper. At first, I thought this might prove interesting. But really there was almost no need for the second POV. I'm not really sure what it added to the story. We could have easily seen the situation through the FMC's POV. Though the kidnapper is not who you think it is at all, so that was a surprise.

The pacing of this book was SO slow. I had to push so hard to get through the story. I kept waiting for things to happen but nothing ever really did. It mad it so hard to stay engaged with the story. I had no desire to really keep picking it up but I did because I thought maybe the mystery would turn out to be something mind blowing. Hint: It wasn't. Plus all the side stories the main character was telling really didn't lend much to the overall story. They did give some background to the characters but it wasn't anything that really made me like the story or characters more.

Add to this that I had no connection at all with the characters nor did I even care about them and the story was just a flop for me. I just could not suspend my disbelief enough to really see the story as being true. Everything that happens with the police, the FBI, the lawyer, jail, it just made no sense to me at all.

The was a pretty fast read with short chapters but overall I just wasn't impressed. It didn't make me wan to run and read other books by this author at all. I'm not sure if I will take a leap to try another book by this author.

Author:

As you find me, it's autumn 2025 and my latest novel is Famous Last Words, a thriller with a marriage at its centre. It asks the question: what would you do if your husband is caught up in a siege in central London? Only, the police tell you he isn't one of the hostages: he is the gunman... I hope you like the answer!

Upcoming in spring 2026 is Caller Unknown, a thriller about a woman whose teenage daughter is kidnapped, and she decides to pay the ransom, meet the kidnappers direct, and not tell the police.