Book Review: Boy in Luv by Jay Crownover & Rebecca Yarros

Boyin Luv (In Luv Duet #1) by Jay Crownover & Rebecca Yarros
Genre: New Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: October 19, 2019
Publisher: Jay Crownover LLC

Distance sure as hell made his heart grow fonder… But it shattered hers into a million pieces.

Langley Vaughn knows she's never going to make the same mistake again.

Who falls head over heels in love in a week? Langley did, and she's regretted it every day since she handed her heart to a boy with too many secrets and too much baggage. Iker doesn't fit into Langley's world, and he made it clear he doesn't want to. He left before she even got a chance to try and change his mind or to prove to him how good they could be together. Langley's spent the last nine months healing her heart and making big plans for the future. Plans that absolutely don't include Iker… even though he's back, looking better than ever, and saying all the right things.

Iker Alvarez knows he made the biggest mistake of his life.

At first, the pretty blonde in the red dress was nothing more than a means to an end. But, she quickly became so much more. As soon as Iker walked away from Langley, claiming it was for her own good, he knew he screwed up. He left her so she wouldn't worry about him when he deployed, so she wouldn't waste her time waiting around for a guy who was never going to be good enough for her. Only, nine months and a deployment later, Iker still can't get Langley out of his head… and he totally underestimated the hold she has on his hardened heart. He's a guy who's not sure how love should work, or how to go about winning his girl back…he's about to get a crash course in both.

Boy in Love is the second book in the In Love Duet by Jay Crownover & Rebecca Yarros.I was looking forward to this book, but once I got into it, I just couldn't get into it. And, what really bothers me, is I can't really put a finger on what I didn't mesh with. I just couldn't connect with them this time around. I like the characters a lot, and I'm glad the story went about things the way they did. I don't know. I kinda wish they could have wrapped things up in the first book. You know? Just made that one a bit longer.  

Read the second book yet?

Jay Crownover is the International and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, The Point and Breaking Point Series, and the Loveless, Texas series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.

To learn more about Jay Crownover and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads and Twitter.

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and coffee addict. She is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels, including Fourth Wing, The Last Letter and The Things We Leave Unfinished. She’s also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward. Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. A mother of six, she is currently surviving the teenage years with all four of her hockey-playing sons.

To learn more about Rebecca Yarros and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram,  Pinterest, and Twitter.

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Review: Game Changer by Abbi Glines

Game Changer (The Field Party #6) by Abbi Glines
Genre: Young/New Adult (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: March 22, 2022
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Ezmita Ramos has always had big plans for her future, ones that would take her far outside the Lawton city limits. But with overprotective parents who control every part of her life, she’s worried that these dreams will never become reality.

There’s nothing Asa Griffith wants more than to leave Lawton. It’s his senior year and he’s all set to attend Ole Miss in the fall, but a part of him also worries about what will happen if he leaves his mom living alone with his abusive father. After a huge fight with his father that escalates to violence, Asa is forced out of the house in the middle of the night with nowhere to go.

When Asa and Ezmita cross paths that night, neither of them is in the mood to socialize. But they also feel this undeniable chemistry, one that gives them each hope that better days lie ahead. Then Asa is sent away to live with his grandmother for four months, only to return to Lawton and find out Ezmita has moved on. Still, the sparks between Asa and Ezmita linger. Neither of them has forgotten the way they felt seen by the other at their lowest points.

Can Asa and Ezmita find their way back to each other?

Game Changer is the sixth book in The Field Party series by Abbi Glines. This is Asa and Ezmita's story. This story was published in 2022, but takes place in 2020, and I have to say I'm really glad I didn't read it when it came out. If I'd read it then, I probably wouldn't have finished it. This went so overboard on the whole COVID situation. I'm usually a big fan of this author's books, so this is a hard review to write. I know the characters in this series always have some kind of hardship in their lives that they have to work through, and they usually do that successfully, and end with a happy ending. This time around, we got a senseless murder & racism in the beginning which never played any part nor was it touched on in the rest of the book. So, Why? Was it for some random shock factor? I don't know. Then COVID happens.. All things COVID were drowning the pages, and it really took away from the characters and their story. Plus, guess what? No happy ending! Actually it wasn't really an ending at all. There's a fine line between fictional worlds and real life sometimes. I like to read to escape, and while I like the story to be believable, I also don't want reality smacking me in the face. This one definitely smacks you with all the reality, plus the ridiculous, of what went on during that time, and not in a good "make you think" kind of way. 

It looks like we'll see this couple in the next book, as it seems like it'll be playing catch up with updates on all the couples of the previous books, but I'm not sure if I'm going to read it or not. I like how those stories all ended. I want them to keep the happily ever afters they got. I don't want to be disappointed. And well, this couple? I'm just not that interested at this point. 

Have you read the other books in this series?

Check out  more of my reviews of other books by Abbi Glines!

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. She has a new YA series coming out in the fall of 2015 titled The Field Party Series . She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.

To learn more about Abbi Glines and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Book Review: Girl in Luv by Jay Crownover & Rebecca Yarros

Girl in Luv (In Luv Duet #1) by Jay Crownover & Rebecca Yarros
Genre: New Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: October 19, 2019
Publisher: Jay Crownover LLC

Langley Vaughn is in desperate need of a date.

But not just any date.

She’s looking for a date to the wedding from hell. It isn’t every day you’re forced to be in the bridal party while your first love marries your arch nemesis… otherwise known as the world’s worst stepsister. The entire situation is a nightmare, and Langley is sick and tired of taking orders and forcing a fake smile. She’s done being the bad guy when she was the one who was wronged.

She needs to find a date who’s not afraid of her family’s money and someone who is willing to shake things up. She needs someone outside of her normal social circle, someone ready to go to war with the well-to-do. She needs someone who won’t back down. Someone willing to play the complicated game of tug of war she’s been engaged in with her family for years.

Never in a million years did she think she was going to stumble across her very own heroic heartthrob when she set her crazy plan in motion.

Not only does Iker show up for her time and time again, he also forced her to finally fight for herself.

He says he’s only there for the money… but his actions speak so much louder than his words.

Iker Alvarez would do anything and everything to get his hands on some quick cash.

Not just any cash, but enough to make sure his younger brother gets into the college of his dreams.

Thank goodness for a desperate, pretty little rich girl with too much money and her heart set on an outrageous scheme. Being in the right place at the right time might just be the answer to both of their prayers — and this smart soldier has never let a golden opportunity slide by.

Iker doesn’t mind coming to Langley’s rescue and being her plus-one… as long as the price is right.

Only, he didn’t plan on liking the blonde socialite as much as he does. He is totally unprepared for the pull he feels toward her, coupled with his growing desire to protect her from the vultures and villains living under the same roof.

He wants to be the guy who keeps her safe and gives her the courage to fight back that she obviously needs… But someone else, someone far more powerful and influential than Langley’s wealthy family, has dibs on Iker’s time and on his future. He knows he isn’t the guy Langley can count on in the long run, but damn if he doesn’t want to do everything in his power to be that man.

Girl in Luv is book one in the In Luv Duet by Jay Crownover and Rebecca Yarros. I'm already a big fan of Rebecca Yarros and her Empyrean Series, so I was excited to check this book out. I liked Iker and Langley from the start. I don't envy Langley and her step family situation. I don't know that I'd be as nice as she is. As for Iker... I really liked him a LOT. Until the end! What the heck dude?! For such a quick, fun read, these characters were pretty believable. There's a lot of story packed in a small package with this one. I'm curious to see how things play out in the next one.  

Read the second book yet?

Jay Crownover is the International and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, The Point and Breaking Point Series, and the Loveless, Texas series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.

To learn more about Jay Crownover and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads and Twitter.

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and coffee addict. She is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels, including Fourth Wing, The Last Letter and The Things We Leave Unfinished. She’s also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward. Rebecca loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for over twenty years. A mother of six, she is currently surviving the teenage years with all four of her hockey-playing sons.

To learn more about Rebecca Yarros and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram,  Pinterest, and Twitter.

Buy this book at:

Book Review: Heartless Hunter Series by Kristen Ciccarelli

Heartless Hunter Series (The Crimson Moth #1) by Kristen Ciccarelli
Genre: New Adult Fiction (Paranormal/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: February 20, 2024
Publisher: Wednesday Books

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch… is falling in love.

Heartless Hunter is the first book in The Crimson Moth duology by Kristen Ciccarelli. I absolutely love a good enemies to lovers story, and this one did not disappoint in that department. Their interactions were entertaining. They challenge each other, but will they be lovers with all the lies and mistrust on both sides? He wants her dead for Pete's sake. They've known each other for a long time, but in reality, they barely know each other. There is so much to unwrap with these two, and I feel like it's just getting started. I'm here for it guys! The world and character building was fantastic. I could easily see it all play out in my mind. I'm more than ready for the next book! 

Kristen Ciccarelli grew up on a grape farm, dropped out of college, and worked various jobs before becoming an author. Some of her previous trades included: baker, potter, bookseller, and NGO worker. Kristen lives in Canada’s Niagara Peninsula with her husband and daughter. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Heartless Hunter (Book 1 in The Crimson Moth duology), as well as Edgewood, and the internationally bestselling Iskari series.

To learn more about Kristen Ciccarelli and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Pinterest.

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