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becca's next chapter

04.20.26 | leave a comment

Review: Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release Date: June 2, 2026

Estranged sisters Maeve and Therese are brought together after their mother’s death, and discover a painting they’ve inherited could be worth millions. The two leave Savannah to embark on road trip to Ireland to uncover their family lore.

I am a long-time fan of Mary Kay Andrews, and Road Trip started off where many of her books have: Savannah, Georgia, one of my favorite places. I loved the relationship between Maeve and Therese, and how their bond as sisters felt strong even after conflict and time apart. The family history and the mystery surrounding the painting was fascinating, and I actually would have loved more flashbacks.

About halfway through, the story dragged a bit, and up until the end it was a little more difficult to stay invested as the story went a whole other direction.

Still, this was a fun read and I love how Maeve and Therese both found where they were supposed to be in the end!

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

04.08.26 | leave a comment

Review: Love Lethal, Death Divine by Jelena Dunato

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love Lethal, Death Divine follows Liana and Melia, both fighting their fate in different timelines, tied to the same prince and kingdom heading towards disaster. Liana makes a bargain with the gods for three days to get her dead husband back, and Melia is trapped in a political marriage that spirals into war.

I sometimes struggle with dual POV structure, but Dunato did it well, as Liana and Melia were such different characters. The stakes felt high with the political tension, and I loved Liana’s arc.

There wasn’t a lot of romance, and it felt like there could have been so much more for the character development.

Overall a great time-travel, female led fantasy novel!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

04.08.26 | leave a comment

Review: The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake (The Broken Veil # 1) by Mara Rutherford

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: YA Fantasy/Dark Academia

Release Date: April 14 2026

The kingdom of Wisteria is cursed. All creativity and innovation is forbidden, and any act of willful disobedience results in a demon lurking in the shadows. No music, no books, and no inventing thinking. None of that stops Aurelie. Des is a demon hunter tasked with tracking both demons and the people who create them, and he quickly becomes obsessed with Aurelie.

Almost every star I give this book is due to the world-building and premise. I loved the idea of a kingdom where creativity is banned, the FMC is rebelling, and I love how Rutherford gives us the lore of Wisteria and explaining how it came to be this way. Aurelie’s refusaI to accept the law made for an interesting FMC, and the  forbidden romance and dark academia vibe added a lot to the story. Rutherford is a great writer and can keep a reader hooked.

Aurelie was not always a character I rooted for, and because Des was utterly obsessed with her, it was harder to like him as well. They were typically so petite and so big, and just once I want to read a story where the woman is 6 feet tall.

Overall I enjoyed the story, I’m invested in this world, and I’m very interested in reading the next book!

Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley for the eARC!

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