booksalacarte's reviews
659 reviews

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

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hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A fragile Enchantent-  3⭐️ 2.75🌶️

YA Fantasy
European Centric World
Historical English Style Society
Unique magic system
Grumpy/sunshine 
Secret identities
Slow burn
Closed door romance
🏳️‍🌈 Side Characters


The cover is stunning!

The premise of the magic was so good, a seamstress with the power to weave memories and feelings into the clothing she makes. I was very ready to read about the process and effect of such magic. Then finding out that other people weird lightning, or snow and ice, even earth magic! This premise was right up my alley… I wanted to know more about the origins and we just weren’t given that. I just wanted MORE intricate magic explained.

I think there wasn’t much healing from the very obvious emotional trauma both the main characters were carrying. Only the revealing… This made the relationship very surface level.

The inconsistency in plot tools made things a little frustrating. A lot of times, problems in one scene don’t apply in the next… like Chaperones, reputations, classism, protests, oppression, morbidity. It’s like things were mentioned or focused on and treated like minor plot inconveniences… instead of the structural plot tools. So much was brought up and dismissed almost immediately afterward.

This was a lovely YA Fantasy Romance that just could have really shines with a little more development and execution.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Secret Book Club by Shauna Robinson

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The secret book club 2.5⭐️ 1.5🌶️

Contemporary Fiction
Bipoc FMC
Small Town
Book Clubs for Banned Books
Town Secrets
Found Family


This was an interesting story about a woman, unable to find her place, so she offers to run a bookstore during a friend’s maternity leave. the book store only sells books from a certain time period because of a historical society that owns and runs a lot of the town. To rebel against the strict rules, she forms a bookclub and sells banned books so the bookstore can make a profit. 

While the premise of the story is great, and I wanted to like the characters… for some reason it fell flat for me. Maybe it’s because of the juxtaposition of a bookseller that isn’t a reader? Maybe it was hard to believe that a small town author kept this tiny tourist town on the map? Maybe it was the FMC being (kinda accurately) compared to Lydia Bennet? Or maybe a lot of the conflict could have been avoided with a little communication and action.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

That time I got drunk and saved a demon- 2⭐️ 3🌶️

Fantasy 
Unwilling-hero FMC
POC 
Allies to lovers
Mystical creatures
Secret history
He falls first


I was so excited to get the ARC for this book. One that I had seen rave reviews for all over tiktok. Unfortunately the story didn’t quite live up to the hype. The idea of following a strong, black, anti-hero, who winds up being roped into a quest to save the day is a fun one, I just didn’t know if I was supposed to read it as a satire or not. The medieval vibes with modern duologue and slang didn’t fit as nicely as I had hoped. I cringed at the literal Hamilton lyrics quote.

I found so much of the sincere moments were cut by random jokes or the FMC almost breaking the 4th wall with breaking down Fantasy or romance novels and comparing her quest to them. I wanted to take it as tongue in cheek, but it happened so often that it wasn’t silly. It was annoying.

I really loved the realistic moments, like a mom calling her kids by the wrong names, the changing of minds about captivity and slavery… But the pacing inconsistencies took away from the potency of the statements. While I liked the sentiments of having the heavy topics present, they seemed so out of place in this rom-com fantasy

The world building was barely there and what was there was so slap-dash that much of it was sidelined bad dialogue and rushed plot.

The open door spice scenes were meh. I just didn’t enjoy the two main characters because they were inconsistent. Things were cheesy and surface level. 

 I wanted to like this. But I just didn’t.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for an Advanced eRrader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

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adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Butcher and Blackbird- 3.75⭐️ 4🌶️


Contemporary romance
Dark romcom
Dark romance
Dual POV
He falls first
Slow burn
Open door spice


If you ignore the trigger warnings, that on you… cause they aren’t satire.

This was surprisingly a good read. I mean it was out there, with serial killing serial killers falling in love. But it followed the normal contemporary romance formulas. The flirty banter was good. The tongue in cheek silliness was really what made this story stand out. It’s a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I appreciate that.

I find it interesting how actual little we know about the pasts of the main characters. We got brief overviews, and the internal dialogue just lets us assume their histories or “SK origin stories” were bad, and moves on. I don’t know if that is enough for such defined characters or not. It was a little flippant, like an offhand remark, only it was both characters “why”. 

Other than that, this was a great funny, messed up, dark romcom. The similarities to the show “Dexter” is obvious.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Thank you NetGally anx Zando for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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Funny Feelings by Tarah DeWitt

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Funny feelings- 4.5⭐️ 3🌶️


Romantic comedy
Contemporary romance
Dual timeline
Friends to lovers
Single dad
10 year age gap
Fake dating
Grumpy sunshine
Open door spice

Farley is a hopeful comedian and has, Meyer, a grumpy (former comedian) single dad, as a manager. An amazing career opportunity comes up and Farley needs a little PR help in the form of a fake relationship and Meyer volunteers.

this book has all my fav tropes… I was so nervous that it would feel forced with both main characters being comedians. But thankfully, while there were bits, you never had to sit through an actual standup set. I appreciated the adult tones, well, dealing with the premise of some things as “funny” as comedians falling in love. 

I was also really impressed by how pro-therapy the book was. I’m all for adults being adults and doing adult things! I never felt like the characters were immature! 
A River of Golden Bones by A.K. Mulford

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

River of golden bones- 3.75⭐️ 3🌶️


New Adult
Fantasy romance 
Coming of age
Wolf shifters 
Princess Warrior
Fated mates
🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ characters
He fell first
Slow burn
Open door spice

 

Twin princesses, hidden away until one is to marry a prince. This was an interesting reimagining of sleeping beauty’s children dealing with what happens when you don’t chase down the villain. 

The main characters were fine, but the main character read very YA. I wonder if that was intentional with them being raised in a secluded cabin mansion… but I still wanted them to grow up and have the energy/mentality to match their badass fighting skills. It got better as the book moved on, but I didn’t like not enjoying them for the first half of the book.

The MMC was the broody manly man. Standard for the genre. I like that he fell first and harder and that he loved the main character through everything. His devotion was very well done.

A big hangup is the pack mentality, but the twins never lived in a pack, so I found it a little asinine that they cared so much about something they never experienced. I would have liked to have seen a little more friction in that space. Having the twins live in a wolf centric world for more than 24 hours and truly experience the hierarchy they never had… then break away from it. It would have been so much more satisfying. 

Another complaint that I had was that for pivotal statement moments, the pacing came to an unrealistic complete halt. It was like the opposite of the jokes about the typical villain monologuing. I kept thinking “well villan, you could have killed them 10 different ways during all that.” Add a forced outing (that should have been revealed WAY before in order to lean into it) to the mix… nope.

Also, the way the story was wrapped up for this book made it feel like a standalone, not a series opener. I very well could walk away now and not feel as though I have missed anything by not reading further in this series, which is an unfortunate feeling to have when I enjoyed the book so much.



Thank you NetGalley andHarper Collins for providing and Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 
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The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

The dead romantics- 3.75⭐️ 2.5🌶️


Paranormal romance
Contemporary romance
Workplace romance
Romcom
Closed door romance
Opposites attract
Family legacy
🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 side characters
Small town



Tw: parental death, grief

This reminds me of a gender flipped version of that Reece Witherspoon rom com movie, Just like Heaven.

It was cute! A great fluffy romcom that is funny and warm. I enjoyed the tongue in cheek dialogue filled with corny puns and expressing the joy, along the grief, when you loose a loved one.


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The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The burnout-  3⭐️ 2🌶️

Romcom
Small town
Workaholic MCs
Vacation Romance
Closed door romance

She is so unhinged that she walks out of her job to a convent across the street. I’m dying.

This was a fun, tongue in cheek, romance about two people who lost it because of the pressures of their jobs and choose to vacation in their old holiday spot, wallowing in their nostalgia. 

It wasn’t the most exciting book, the characters were traumatized and working through their mental health. The setting was a bit of a joke. It reminded me of a hallmark movie plot, but in a good way. 
Haunted by Myth by Barbara Ann Wright

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Haunting by Myth- 2.5⭐️  2🌶️


Sci-fi-fantasy
LGBTQIA
Romance
New adult
dual POV
Sapphic fantasy romance
Greek myth
Magical realism
Paranormal
Mythical Creatures
Slow burn
Rivals-to-lovers


This took me SO long to get into. The book started right into the action, but I didn’t find myself interested in what was going on, at all. The entire blurb happens before the book even starts, which is frustrating and misleading. It’s very possible that this just wasn’t the book for me. I found the plot to be predictable, even though the premise was unique. 

The two FMCs weren’t as compelling as I hoped or expected from main characters. I found myself just wanting more from them. It was interesting to see both characters try to move past their legacies… but I didn’t find that enough to make me invested in their journey. Their romance was really lacking depth, for me, pushing it to the side.

Ramses was actually my favorite character. I found his paternal leanings and banter to be really the best part of the book. 



Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Forget Me Not by Julie Soto

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Forget me not-  4.5⭐️ 3🌶️


Contemporary Romance
Rey-lo coded
Dual narration
Dual timeline
Second Chance
Wedding Planner
🏳️‍🌈 Side Characters
Grumpy Sunshine
Workplace Romance



This was such a cute, fluffy read! I couldn’t put the book down because I was obsessed with how the timelines would fit together. I found myself laughing out loud, more than once.

The character arcs were great. The side characters were solid. The tension was delicious. The spicy scenes were hot! 

Was it completely realistic? No. No way could someone run a shop AND supply for high profile weddings without any kind of assistant. Also, the whole “she only eats junk and is still just so tiny” deal was meh… I also wish there was a little more depth to the relationship shown on page. You get the passion, but all of the deep bonding and getting to know each other was done off page. 

My only other complaint is that there were enough pop culture references, as well as an actual date given, that solidly puts this book in 2023. There isn’t a chance of the time of this story taking place as being any time other than 2023.