Waiting on Wednesday: Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas!

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine where we highlight some of the upcoming books we can't wait to read! 

 
Title: Concrete Rose
Author: Angie Thomas
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: January 21st, 2020



Summary: If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison. Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control. Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father. Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different. When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.

As someone who absolutely loved THE HATE U GIVE, I was *so* excited when Angie announced that she wrote a book detailing Maverick Carter's story. (For anyone who doesn't know or doesn't remember, he's Starr's dad!) I already can't wait to put my pre-order in and to get this book into my hands -- Angie Thomas is such an incredible, groundbreaking writer, and every book that she writes leaves me with chills, and I know that this one will be no different! January can't get here fast enough! 

What are you waiting on this week? Leave your links so I can stop back! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish I Had Read As a Child

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl in which we create bookish lists about everything from our favorite characters to love triangles and everything in between!

This Week's Theme: Books I Wish I Had Read as a Child!

I can't believe I'm about to out myself with all of these, but yes...ugh. I didn't read these books as a kid and I apologize in advance for not being educated on them!! Please go easy on me in the comments!

         

 So those are ten books that I wish I had read as a child but never got around to doing...what are some of yours? Comment down below and let me know! And please don't roast me in the comments!!

Blog Tour: Don't Go Stealing My Heart by Kelly Siskind!

Today we are celebrating the release of a romantic comedy title from Kelly Siskind by participating in the blog tour! Don't Go Stealing My Heart just went live, and you won't want to miss this romance! CLICK HERE to grab your copy now, and make sure to follow Kelly for details about all of her books.

Check out the purchase links for the book below.

PURCHASE NOW:

Amazon | Apple | Nook | Kobo

Don't Go Stealing My Heart by Kelly Siskind

A Standalone Romantic Comedy

Add it to Goodreads

Book Blurb:

She wants to steal his Van Gogh. He wants to steal her heart. Some people would call Clementine Abernathy a criminal. She considers herself a modern day Robin Hood, who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Not exactly on the up-and-up, but she knows what it's like to lose everything. Her latest heist involves swiping a priceless Van Gogh from its owner, who's supposed to be an egotistical trust-fund brat. Turns out Jack David is a sexy, kind-hearted man...and Clementine is in trouble. Falling for her mark would make her the World's Dumbest Conwoman, but Jack is charmingly persistent, always singing sweet songs in her ear. And that earth-shattering kiss? She never stood a chance. Now she's imagining a fresh start with this dashing man, but that means telling Jack about her past. And other nefarious sorts are after the same painting. Too soon, Clementine learns what it means to risk it all for love.

PURCHASE NOW

Amazon | Apple | Nook | Kobo

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Excerpt

God, she wanted to kiss him, and do so much more. To experience sex with someone who knew pieces of her puzzle, who didn’t pity her but lifted her up. If he got his skilled hands on her, she feared and thrilled at what could happen. 

“You said you couldn’t ask me on a date,” she said, voice shaky. A pitiful attempt to force their distance. 

She’d kissed marks on a job before. She’d play up her prude innocence and nothing more would happen. Rich men, she’d learned, found a hard-to-get woman enticing. A change from gold-diggers hunting for prey. After locating her targeted loot, she’d then feign illness and thank her dates, never to return their calls. A week or month or two later, she’d sneak in and secure her score.

No residual guilt. No longing for what could have been.

Kissing Jack David would wreck her. She knew it. She wasn’t sure she could avoid it, or even worse, fight it.

“I did say I couldn’t date you, didn’t I?” Jack mused, unaware of her turmoil. Or maybe he was aware. It was impossible to hide her trembling limbs. “But kissing isn’t dating, is it?”

“You’re suddenly forward.” As hard as Shy Jack was to resist, Bold Jack was proving more challenging.

“Thing is,” he said, back to drawing sexy circles on his beer bottle, not meeting her eyes. “I’m painfully awkward around beautiful women, which is why I’ve been curt with you at times and generally artless. But when I get comfortable with someone, when trust takes over the nerves”—he looked at her then, right into her eyes—“when that happens, the confidence I feel on stage bleeds into my life.”

He continued staring at her, unabashed, no wobble or skittishness in sight. Shivers erupted along her arms.

This is who I am, his piercing blue eyes said. 

I like you. I trust you. I want to kiss you.

Everything she felt in spades. “I think classifying the kiss as dating or messing around depends on the kissing,” she said, breathless.

“Excellent point.” He hummed, still focused on her.

She struggled to fill her lungs.

He smirked knowingly. “Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that I kiss your cheek. Would that be considered acceptable? A non-date kiss?”

The mentioned spot tingled with anticipation. “I believe that would be allowed.”

“And the crescent-moon scar on your shoulder?”

A shaky “yes” was all she managed.

“And the three freckles on your nose, and the birthmark just below your right collarbone, and the one on the back of your neck, that lines up with your spine?” He said all of this with his eyes locked on hers, confident in his seduction. He’d been studying her body without doing so overtly. No different than the way she’d snuck glances of his strapping physique while they’d been running or when emphasized in his tailored suits. Both of them had been lusting from the sidelines.

-------------------------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

A small-town girl at heart, Kelly moved from the city to enjoy the charm of northern Ontario. When she’s not out hiking with her husband or home devouring books, you can find her, notepad in hand, scribbling down one of the many plot bunnies bouncing around in her head.

 

FIND KELLY SISKIND:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads

We'd like to thank the InkSlinger team for inviting us to be a part of this tour! 

Review: Imagine Me (Shatter Me, #6) by Tahereh Mafi (Jessica's Review)

Title: Imagine Me (Shatter Me, #6)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperCollins

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 464 Pages
Published March 2020

Summary: Juliette Ferrars. Ella Sommers. Which is the truth and which is the lie? Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong—between Ella and Juliette—blur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control. The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on.

Absolutely EVERYONE knows what big Shatter Me fans Emily, Amber, and I are, so needless to say, I had this book pre-ordered from the very first second that I heard about it. I couldn't wait to get it in my hands and read another installment -- the FINAL installment -- of the series that I had loved so much since I was thirteen years old. When my copy of the book arrived, I was almost a little bit too afraid to start it, because I knew it was going to be the beginning of the end. Well...I've certainly got a lot of thoughts on the topic, so let's launch into my review!

As the summary explains, this book is the sixth and final installment in the Shatter Me series. It had always been intended to be a trilogy, but then Tahereh Mafi revisited it years later and realized that she had a lot more to say. So then we were lucky enough to get three more books in the series, but this time it's really over...and I don't think my heart can take it. And I have so many thoughts on this book, that's for sure!

For starters: I forgot how easy it was to fall into a Tahereh Mafi book. I tore through over 100 pages of this book each day, solely because I was so in love with the storytelling that I just couldn't stop. I am also not ashamed to admit that I swooned every single time Warner was on the page, even when he was being stoic and moody, because I have always been so in love with him and watching him change throughout all six books has been crazy. I think I am definitely going to be a Warnerette shipper for life. This story was also super action-packed and kept me hooked from the beginning to the end, and there are a lot of different plot twists and crazy scenes that I hadn't seen coming!

However, there were definitely some parts of this book that I struggled with. For one thing, there is a lot of gore. A LOT of gore. And it can get really descriptive. It certainly was mentioned in previous books, but I feel like the gore-factor was really upped in this one. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but as someone who is really squeamish, there were definitely a few times where I had to put down the book for a few minutes and gather myself because I was a little dizzy over something I just read. But that could just be me!

One another thing I was mildly confused about was the beginning of the book, because it starts with so much action that the reader is immediately thrown into without much description. However, as the book started to pick up, I caught my groove and settled into the story easily. So that's good! 

(Spoilers incoming -- skip to the next paragraph to avoid them!) I also both really loved and was also really confused by the ending. For one, the wedding between Warner and Juliette is something I've always wanted to read, so I'm glad that we got some glimpses of that...however, we only got glimpses, which as a reader made me super sad because I know I'm not the only person who was excited to read about that wedding. Also...the way the book formally ends and then picks up in the epilogue leaves a lot of gaps that left me feeling a little bit confused. It definitely felt a little bit rushed. But I still got to see Warner and Juliette being the most adorable couple EVER and my poor fangirl heart could barely take it, so I definitely enjoying reading it! 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Imagine Me. I'm definitely a little bit teary eyed at the thought of one of my favorite series ending forever, that's for sure, but I'm still glad that I got to make so many fond memories while reading them and also sharing my love for them with my co-bloggers. And although the story has come to an end, make no mistake -- I will always, always, ALWAYS have a soft spot in my heart for Aaron Warner.

 

2020 Debut Author Interview: Jamie Pacton!

In 2019, we made it our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and spread the word about their debut novels. It was such a success last year that we decided to continue the fun this year as well! Follow us this year as we pick the minds of the 2020 debuts and chat with them. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, Twitter chats and more!

At the end of 2019, we Tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books. We ended up finding Jamie Pacton and her novel THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY, and we have been interested in it ever since. We are so excited to have Jamie on the blog today to answer some of our questions! 

Jamie Pacton writes all sorts of books: dark, feminist YA fantasy; contemporary YA stories with a funny + geeky bent; funny MG adventure-fantasy; and, even the occasional adult rom-com. She was a Pitch Wars mentee in 2015 and she mentored YA in 2016, 2017, and 2018. She grew up minutes away from the National Storytelling Center in the mountains of East Tennessee; she’s the oldest of ten kids; and, she currently lives in rural Wisconsin with her husband, their two kids, and a dog named Lego.

Keep up with Jamie: Website / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest / Goodreads

The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?

Jamie: Thank you so much! So far being a debut author has been great, though weirdly enough, I actually had a MG book, FARFETCHED, come out under a pen name in October 2019 (which is a long story and which came as a total surprise), so I had a practice run of seeing my book in stores. With KIT, I’ve absolutely loved designing stickers, coming up with pre-order swag ideas, and connecting with readers. I’ve met so many wonderful people already (including some fierce women who work at Medieval Times), and I can’t wait to meet more readers soon. Also, I’ve had so many friends debut already that I feel like I’ve been through debut woes, worries, and wins with them, so I had an idea of what to expect. For me, one of the hardest parts of being a being a debut writer was balancing KIT edits with drafting my second YA contemporary, LUCKY GIRL, and then trying to promote KIT (all while working, parenting, and just keeping life stuff afloat). Also, of course, as I’m sure most spring 2020 debut authors are feeling right now, the state of the world is proving the biggest stress while debuting. So, (I’m writing this in mid-March), fingers crossed for things looking better by early May. 

The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what's the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?

Jamie: I love getting a shiny new idea and chasing it down! Seriously, I love that part of the process so very much and I always have an idea backlog that’s 4-6 books deep.  I get my ideas from all sorts of things— for example, the YA fantasy I’m currently drafting came from a random name of a (now defunct) boutique in the tiny town next to mine. I was charmed by the store’s name and I simply had to figure out: what’s the story of book with this same name? After getting new ideas, I also love finding out who characters are, crafting beautiful sentences, and seeing how plot points can slot together (it’s like poetry or math when it all falls into place). I think drafting is the hardest part of writing because the 70,000+ word space between the book you’ve imagined and the book you get to revise is long and lonely. I try to write 2000 words a day, and I fast draft, just to get ideas on the page. Once the book is on the page in some form, it’s time for my very favorite part of writing:  revisions. This is where I stretch out as a writer, let myself sink into descriptions, give my characters more emotions than those conveyed by shrugging and grinning (lol), and really tighten the plot. 

The Book Bratz: Where did you get the inspiration for THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY?

Jamie: I wrote a whole Twitter thread on this :-) , but the short story is that a few months after the terrible results of the 2016 election, I took my youngest son to Medieval Times in Chicago. We’d talked a lot during the election cycle about feminism and a female president; and, although I didn’t go into the night of medieval fun and pageantry thinking I’d emerge with a book, as I watched the male knights ride and the female wenches serve us food (and as I talked with them), it occurred to me that we should have knights of all genders. And thus Kit’s quest was born. (Twitter thread here)

The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most difficult?

Jamie: Overall, this book wrote so easily and fast for me. From the first time Kit’s voice rang out in my head, it was basically a gallop to the end of the book. Kit was my favorite character to write because I gave myself license to just let her be as weird, nerdy, and fierce as she could be, and that meant we ended up in some strange places (ahem, like inside a dumpster looking for her phone, something which may or may not have been plucked from my life exactly (just sub phone for keys)). I also really enjoyed all the banter her friends, crafting the sweet relationship between her and her older brother, and really digging into this slow burn friends-to-lovers arc with her best friend, Jett. The hardest character to write was King Len, Kit’s uncle, because he kept wanting to end up like a caricature of a villain. I mean, it’s hard to care about a guy who deeply believes his Costco membership makes him better than poorer people like Kit; but, I did try to make him more complex in places and he does get a little bit better eventually.

The Book Bratz: Cheesy restaurant themes are a big part of this book! What are some other cheesy restaurants you've visited before?

Jamie: I love cheesy theme restaurants! When I was in college, I worked at Ed Debevics in Milwaukee for 5 years. Ed’s was a super-cheesy 50’s-style themed diner, where we servers had to dress in costumes (think 50’s vintage dresses, go-go boots, big hair, etc.) and we were supposed to be funny and rude to the customers. We also had to dance several times a shift on the counters to songs like “At the Car Wash”. Mostly it was silly and fun, and I drew on my time at Ed’s for the server camaraderie and waiting table scenes in KIT. Beyond this, I’ve been to other themed restaurants like The Rainforest Cafe, The Hard Rock Cafe, and all sorts of weird ones at Disney. That said, I feel like nothing compares to the sheer magnitude of delightful cheesiness that’s a night at Medieval Times. My youngest son and I love going there (though, of course, we’d love it more if there were some non cis-male knights out there fighting, just saying). 

The Book Bratz: What do you hope that readers will take away from THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY?

Jamie: I hope readers laugh a lot while reading KIT. There’s a lot of hard + ugly in the world, and I hope KIT offers a short escape from all that for a while. I’d love if KIT makes readers believe that small changes, even when enacted by only a few people, can have a positive impact on the wider world. I also hope KIT makes readers re-think what they know about the Middle Ages and helps them understand that the all white spaces + heroic male knights vision of medieval times that’s been promulgated for so long is not an accurate picture and that it was put forth by historians with sexist/racist agendas (even if these views were implicit and/or products of their time). We can do better in how we think about the diverse, richly interesting Middle Ages. I also hope that readers leave KIT with a sense that feminism is an inclusive movement, not one just limited to cis women. Finally, I hope this book leaves you hungry for pancakes. No, just kidding about that. But there are a lot of pancake jokes in there that I included simply because my wonderful partner loves pancakes, and so pancakes are basically the purest symbol of love in my world. <3

The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY in the future, or do you have any other projects in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?

Jamie: I’d love to write more in KIT’s world! What I’d really love to do is take the characters from KIT and put them in a summer job Ren Faire setting. I’m not sure if that’ll happen, but maybe I’ll pitch the idea to my editor. :-) My next YA contemporary with Page Street is called, LUCKY GIRL. It comes out in 2021, and it’s about 17-year-old Fortuna Jane Belleweather, a girl from a small town in Wisconsin who has just won 58 million dollars in the lotto. (Can you even imagine winning that much money?) Jane’s a minor, and there’s no way she’s letting her hoarder mother get the money, so she has to lie, scheme, and even pull off a bit of a heist to keep her lotto win a secret until she turns eighteen in two weeks. This book is  funny, but it’s got sharper edges than KIT. I laughed and cried a lot while writing it, and I hope readers like it because I put a whole lot of my heart into this one too. 

Title: The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

Author: Jamie Pacton

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Publication Date: May 5th, 2020

Summary: Kit Sweetly slays sexism, bad bosses, and bad luck to become a knight at a medieval-themed restaurant. Working as a wench―i.e. waitress―at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood, so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college. Company policy allows only guys to be knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But the Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other wenches join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval―if they don’t get fired first.

Thank you so much to Jamie for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY and can't wait for it to be out in the world on May 5th! 

Review: Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith

Title: Bloodleaf (Bloodleaf #1)
Author: Crystal Smith
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling
Source: HMH Books via NetGalley
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 12th 2019

Summary: 

Aurelia is a princess, but they call her a witch. Surrounded by spirits and burdened with forbidden magic, she lives in constant fear of discovery by the witch-hunting Tribunal and their bloodthirsty mobs. When a devastating assassination attempt reveals her magical abilities, Aurelia is forced to flee her country with nothing but her life. Alone and adrift in an enemy kingdom, Aurelia plans her revenge against the Tribunal, desperate to bring down the dark organization that has wrought terror upon her people for hundreds of years. But there's something deeply amiss in her new home, too, and soon she finds herself swept into a deadly new mystery with a secretive prince, the ghost of an ancient queen, and a poison vine called Bloodleaf. Aurelia is entangled in a centuries-long game of love, power, and war, and if she can't break free before the Tribunal makes its last move, she may lose far more than her crown.

Hi, hello and happy what ever day it is at this point. I’ve lost track since I’ve stayed up late into the nights to finish books. My story with Bloodleaf begins in fall of 2018 when I was first approved for a copy of it. I devoured this magical and beautiful novel in a matter of hours. My boyfriend, who wasn’t yet my boyfriend asked me what I was reading and I recounted this story to him with so much love and fascination that I’m sure I created the world for him without him even reading it. I never wrote my review, I got distracted and then I simply didn’t feel I could write the review months later. Fast forward to February 2019, a month before publication I decided to dive into this world for the second time and adored it even more then the first. As life gets hectic and busy, I was working full time, going to school full time and managing to find to spend with the boy who asked me about this book several months prior, who was now my boyfriend. I never got around the writing that review the second time. Now we are in April of 2020 and I’ve read Bloodleaf for the third time to prepare for Greythorne which I received a copy of. My love for this book hasn’t changed and I’m finally to share that love with all of you.

Crystal created an intricate world of magic, deception and sacrifice that will stay with you long after you read the last line. I don’t even know where to start with my thoughts and feelings. For length purposes and because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone I’m not going to recount the story in my own words like I typically do. The actually summary does it quite well.

Aurelia’s story is told in a single point of view, which is hers. I think the story benefited from hearing this journey from her perspective, especially since the journey was one of her own. Learning to hone and understand her magic, learning the history of a foreign country that was bent and twisted in her home country of Renalt, learning the deception she and her country has faced and the unexpected alliances she made along the way.

Aurelia’s character is one I admire because of her strength and resilience. There was so many times she could have bent to those who were out to get her and she put up a fight every single time. She walked into a country she barley knew, with a name that wasn’t hers but a memorial to the girl who sacrificed her life for her. She made an uneasy alliance at first that blossomed into something so much more and honed her magic. Aurelia finally learned to true secrets of her past, the ghost that has followed her her entire life and the significance of that. But never in all that wrongness did Aurelia loose her compassion or empathy for people and those she loves.

Though the romance wasn’t my favorite, I did still enjoy it. It happens at an important time in the book and plays into the climax of the story. I’m excited to see what it’s going to blossom into in Greythorne, especially on the foot the novel ended on the actions leading up to the ending.

As I said earlier that Crystal’s world building is magnificent. She built two countries, both that have deep histories, a magic system and complex characters to add to this world. Though there is a lot of information to learn about this world, it isn’t hard to understand it in the least. Crystal did an amazing job of spreading out the details and not giving the reader the dreaded  info dump. I can’t wait to see more of this world and what Crystal is going to have for readers next. Bloodleaf is a retelling of The Goose Girl and though I’ve never read it, the research I’ve done and the information I’ve dug up, there are so many nods to this stories inspiration.

This review ended up being a lot longer then I anticipated. But as I said I love this book and it has a special place in my heart, plus I’ve read it three times. It just shows my love and how I keep falling in love with the story over and over again. If you have made it this far thank you for reading it and I hope you get an opportunity to read Bloodleaf at some point or another.

ARC Review: Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston

Title: Bookish and the Beast (Once Upon a Con, #3)
Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 320 Pages
Publication Date: June 16th, 2020

Summary: Rosie Thorne is feeling stuck—on her college application essays, in her small town, and on that mysterious General Sond cosplayer she met at ExcelsiCon. Most of all, she’s stuck in her grief over her mother’s death. Her only solace was her late mother’s library of rare Starfield novels, but even that disappeared when they sold it to pay off hospital bills. On the other hand, Vance Reigns has been Hollywood royalty for as long as he can remember—with all the privilege and scrutiny that entails. When a tabloid scandal catches up to him, he's forced to hide out somewhere the paparazzi would never expect to find him: Small Town USA. At least there’s a library in the house. Too bad he doesn’t read. When Rosie and Vance’s paths collide and a rare book is accidentally destroyed, Rosie finds herself working to repay the debt. And while most Starfield superfans would jump at the chance to work in close proximity to the Vance Reigns, Rosie has discovered something about Vance: he’s a jerk, and she can’t stand him. The feeling is mutual. But as Vance and Rosie begrudgingly get to know each other, their careful masks come off—and they may just find that there’s more risk in shutting each other out than in opening their hearts.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I'm honestly so glad that I did because I was such a huge fan of GEEKERELLA and THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL, so when I found out that there was going to be a third book in the series, I was overjoyed. So without further ado, let's get into my review!

As the summary explains, Rosie Thorne finds herself in an unexpected situation when Hollywood bad-boy heartthrob Vance Reigns lands himself in their town. After an unfortunate run-in that results in her having to do some work for his guardian in order to repay her debt, Vance and Rosie end up spending a lot of time together...but they don't hit it off. In fact, it's the complete opposite. They can't stand one another...until one thing leads to another, and Vance and Rosie find themselves opening up in ways that they never expected. Ways that could completely change how they feel about each other.

First, let me start off by clarifying that you do not have to have read the first two books in this companion series in order to understand this one. Vance and Rosie's story is completely understandable on its own, and the book gives you all of the background knowledge that you need. However, I would definitely still recommend reading the books in order, because several characters make appearances and iconic scenes are alluded to! So if you don't care much about those Easter eggs, then no, I wouldn't say reading the other two books is a necessity. However, it definitely enhances your reading experience if you've already read those previous two books, so that's my official recommendation!

As for the book itself, I really, really enjoyed it. As someone who is a huge fan of enemies-to-lovers stories, I knew I had to pick this one up. I also really loved the fact that so many characters make brief reappearances in the story. It's been awhile since I've read the other books, so at first I was worried that I was going to feel lost and confused, but I actually wasn't and I found it really easy to fall back into the story and fall in love with this world all over again. What I also really liked about this book was that it was the first one in the series that wasn't actually set in the con itself -- just a brief mention in the beginning! Seeing these characters in "normal" settings. It was sweet and exciting to see! 

My favorite character in this book was definitely Vance, as difficult and complicated as he was. I always tend to fall for the dark, brooding villains, and he was no different! I really liked his sarcasm and his wit, and I thought it was hilarious to see him trying to hide his feelings...until he can't. ;-) I definitely swooned over this British bad boy throughout the whole book! 

(Minor spoilers coming, so skip to the next paragraph to avoid them!) The only thing I wasn't 100% crazy about in this book was how quickly Vance and Rosie turned from enemies to friends to then people that were constantly kissing one another. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE the enemies-to-lovers trope (I can never get enough of it), but it felt a little bit too rushed for me. Not enough to totally ruin the experience, but it just kind of confused me a little bit as a reader. But other than that, I absolutely loved everything else about this book, and the budding romance between Vance and Rosie after being enemies was actually really sweet and swoon-worthy! 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading BOOKISH AND THE BEAST. If you're looking for a hilarious, swoon-worthy enemies to lovers story that is a breeze to get through, then I'd certainly recommend this one! It was also really exciting to see brief reappearances from some of the characters from the previous two books...here's to hoping that there's a fourth one on the way! 

And if you want to read my reviews of GEEKERELLA and/or THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL, make sure you do that, too!