Icon Tag: All-Time Favorite

Rootbound | Tarah DeWitt

Posted 03/10/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Rootbound | Tarah DeWitt
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Spice Level: 4 Flames
All-Time Favorite
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on 05/02/2023
Format: Kindle (336 pages)
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Tait and Henry’s relationship is so wholesome and healthy—from strangers to friends to lovers. I loved everything about them. Tait is creative, strong, and independent. Henry is patient, loyal, and gentile. Both carry baggage they’ve needed to put down for much too long. But this book is so much more than Tait and Henry’s romance. This book is about facing your fears, finding your footing, breaking through the limitations you’ve imposed on yourself, opening your heart, untangling your roots, and finally letting yourself grow. “When you buy a new plant, you often have to cut the roots when […]

Savor It | Tarah DeWitt

Posted 02/25/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Savor It | Tarah DeWitt
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Spice Level: 4 Flames
All-Time Favorite
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on 05/21/2024
Format: DRC (331 pages)
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Hold on, I have to stop crying before I can continue… OK.  DEAR GODS. Where do I even begin? Sage & Fisher. My heart will never be the same. I laughed, I cried, I laughed while crying, and I cried while laughing. The last two are very different, but equally amazing emotional states. Sage & Fisher are EVERYTHING. Relationship goals, friend goals, found family goals, small town goals, adopted animal goals – just – ALL. THE. GOALS. I have not loved or been moved by a book this much in a very long time.  Sage Byrd has lived […]

Once Upon a Broken Heart | Stephanie Garber

Posted 01/25/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Once Upon a Broken Heart | Stephanie Garber
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Spice Level: 1 Flames
All-Time Favorite
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #1
Published by Flatiron Books on 09/28/2021
Format: Kindle (416 pages)
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I started OUABH immediately after finishing Finale, and I’m glad I did. I was not a huge fan of Jacks at the end of Finale, but I was very curious about what would happen to him. Where will he go, how will he cope, what hijinks will he get up to? I needed to know more. For a general timeline, the first 1/4 of OUABH overlaps the last 3/4 of Finale. In true Stephanie Garber fashion, OUABH sucked me right back into the wonderful world she created in Caraval. I thoroughly enjoyed being thrust back into that world […]

Finale | Stephanie Garber

Posted 01/21/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Finale | Stephanie Garber
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Spice Level: 1 Flames
All-Time Favorite
Series: Caraval #3
Published by Flatiron Books on 05/07/2019
Format: Kindle (416 pages)
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It’s over & I want more. Stephanie Garber is a master of descriptive writing. I was constantly blown away by how real everything was in my mind. I always had vivid pictures in my mind of how the fabric of the dresses felt, how the city of Valenda looked, & even how the character’s signature scents smelled. Reading one of her books is a fully immersive experience, & I LOVE IT. Finale was less magical game where you can’t tell the difference between illusion & reality, & more rounding out of the character’s storylines. Every single one of […]

Legendary | Stephanie Garber

Posted 01/18/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Legendary | Stephanie Garber
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Spice Level: 1 Flames
All-Time Favorite
Series: Caraval #2
Published by Flatiron Books on 05/29/2018
Format: Kindle (416 pages)
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The first book follows Scarlett as she plays the game & tries to save her sister, Tess. On the way she falls in love with Julian, learns who she is, what she wants, & what she’s capable of. This book follows Tess as she plays the game & tries to save their mother, Paloma. Dante helps her along the way & of course, they fall in love. Sounds like the first book, but trust me, it’s very different. And Dante. Oh Dante, you sexy, tattooed, secretive, morally grey, beefcake. Your conflicted, brooding & brilliant character arc made this […]

Caraval | Stephanie Garber

Posted 01/14/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Caraval | Stephanie Garber
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Spice Level: 1 Flames
All-Time Favorite
Series: Caraval #1
Published by Flatiron Books on 01/31/2017
Format: Kindle (407 pages)
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This was a “stay up until 4am because I couldn’t put it down” book. I absolutely loved it! Think Cirque du Soleil meets “The Night Circus” with a splash of “Alice in Wonderland”; but make it dark & a little twisted. UGH!!! So, so, so, so good! I didn’t know this series was a prequel to the “Once Upon a Broken Heart” series. I started to tuck into OUABH, and something made me stop 2 pages in & look online to see if I should read Caraval first. Everything I could find (while avoiding spoilers) said yes, read […]