Hi everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful December! November was such a great reading month for me, I started with the second book in a new favorite romance series, continuing with a fantastic fantasy filled month with some of my new favorite books! I also spent the month reading my Book of the Month backlog. Once they announced what the prize would be for completing the yearly challenge, I knew I wanted to win it! I hope you enjoy my November Mini Review!

Synopsis: “Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she’ll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first. And they can’t stand each other. Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend’s soulmate, Lachlan thinks she’s just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend’s happiness on the line, she’s willing to make a vow to the man she’s determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be. As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But it’s not just familiar dangers that haunt them. 
There’s another phantom lurking on their doorstep. And this one has come for blood.” (goodreads.com)

Brynne Weaver does it again!! I was so excited to read more about Lachlan and Lark and I really enjoyed their story! I LOVED the enemies to lovers storyline plus the dedication made me laugh!! The next book comes out next year and I’m so excited to read it!

Playlist listened to on Spotify: Leather & Lark

Synopsis: “When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia’s sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma—a competition where most contestants don’t make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish. The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win… if her fears don’t overtake her first. When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister’s life on the line, Ophelia can’t afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together. Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.” (goodreads.com)

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!! The overall concept was so fascinating and I loved the connection between Ophelia and Blackwell! Plus the ending, omg, I was audibly gasping!!!! This is exactly what I wanted from a paranormal dark romance! Also, I really appreciated the authors note about ocd at the end. It made me appreciate the story even more after reading that this story is a love letter about their journey with ocd. The last two lines of their note really hit me. Highly recommend, if you’re looking for a paranormal dark romance!

Playlist listened to on Spotify: Reading Phantasma

Synopsis: “A young woman tries to heal her heartbreak by casting a spell to erase her ex from her past, but she wakes up in an alternate reality where she’s lost more than she wished for in this witty, whimsical friends-to-lovers debut. What if one little wish changed everything? When Gemma gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she reacts the way any reasonable twenty-eight-year-old would: by getting drunk with her sister, kooky aunt, and best friend, Dax. After one too many margaritas, they decide to perform a love- cleansing spell, which promises to erase Gemma’s ex from her memory. They follow all the instructions, including a platonic kiss from Dax to seal the deal. When Gemma wakes up, she realizes that this silly spell has worked. Not only does it seem that she never dated her ex, but the rest of her life is completely unrecognizable. The worst part: Dax has no idea who she is. To reverse the spell and get back to her old life, Gemma must convince her once-best-friend-now-near-stranger to kiss her. But as she carries out her plans, she finds herself falling for him—hard. Soon, Gemma begins to wonder whether she even wants to go back to the way things once were. What if Dax was The One all along?” (goodreads.com)

This was such a cute story and a fun interesting concept! I loved the friends to lovers take and the spice was *chefs kiss*. Plus, it was so refreshing to read a romance without the third act break up!! (Spoiler alert) However, I wish there would have been more time at the end of the book to explore Dax and Gemma, once she is back to her old life.

I didn’t end up listening to a playlist with this book.

Synopsis: “Silla Nordvig is running for her life. The queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones–a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer–and go to Kopa, where a shield-house awaits her. After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew, while avoiding the Wolf, his distractingly handsome right-hand man. But the queen’s ruthless assassin has other plans and hunts Silla obsessively. Will Silla make it safely to Kopa? Or will she fall prey to the perils of the Road of Bones?” (goodreads.com)

This book was everything I needed and more! I loved the world building and just everything about the story! Silla was a fantastic main character and the Bloodaxe Crew was everything! This book had so many twists and turns and I was audibly gasping and smiling so wide at parts. This is a book I didn’t know I needed!! I cannot wait for the next book!!! Also, I love the dedication and acknowledgments. “Strength is putting one foot in front of the other, even when you’re tired.” & “It’s holding onto the hope that you’ll find yourself again when you’re so very lost.”

Playlist listened to on Spotify: we’re a fantasy book with a good romance plot

Synopsis: “If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, she’s also now standing in her “sparkle and shine” nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her. As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is, until someone comes running through a door yelling something about a huge mistake and sends the dreamy stranger back down to Earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife. When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to Earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But to find him in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind. . .” (goodreads.com)

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!! I found myself smiling so much throughout this story! Overall, I really enjoyed the uniqueness of every character and how their relationships evolved. I loved how Delphie got a second chance at actually living life and discovering everything she had been missing. And Cooper, I think he was my favorite character. I loved how his storyline developed.

Playlist listened to on Spotify: the love of my afterlife: delphie and cooper

I hope you enjoyed my November Mini Review! I had such a great book month, how were your November reads? Check out the Books category on my home page for more book reviews and recommendations. Please give me a follow on Instagram or Facebook to stay updated about when I post! I’ve loved engaging with the Bookstagram community, so it would be great to have you join! As always, thank you for your continued support!

Take care and stay safe,

Renée