Abbie Lynn Smith's Blog

I received this special edition copy in my Fairyloot subscription. So far, I wasn't terribly pleased with most of the books because they really lacked romance. When I grabbed this one, I wasn't expecting much different.

Boy was I surprised!

This year, I've come to learn that quirky romcoms are my absolute favorite. If it has something magical or other about it (in this case, demigods and zombies), I am IN!

Hart is a marshal, working in a borderland to keep drudges at bay. There is a particular skill one has to be a marshal. And that doesn't include being socially adept.

Mercy is an undertaker in a failing business. Her mother died over a decade ago and her father has medical issues that keep him from performing the duties of Birdsall & Son, leaving Mercy to take over. Whereas in other stories, the main character would probably hate being responsible for the family business, Mercy is actually really good at her job and she enjoys being able to send people off on their final voyage.

When Hart dispatches drudges, he delivers their corpses to one of the many undertakers, but there's one in particular he dreads: Birdsall & Son. That's because Mercy--whom he nicknamed Merciless--is sharp tongued and doesn't like him. Not so adoringly, Mercy calls him Hart-ache, and the two have hated one another since they first met.

On a particularly lonely night at work, Hart pens a letter to "A Friend." He puts his feelings down on paper and places the letter in a mail box, never expecting a reply. Until he gets one.

Mercy has the world on her shoulders, so when she receives an anonymous letter from a lost soul like herself reaching out, she can't help herself but to reply.

I. Loved. This. Book.

The first thing I did was check to see if this author has any more adult publications. Unfortunately, they do not, but I will be one of the first to read it when she does.

I can't tell you how much I adored this story. It was witty and funny, it had just enough of that other element that I got sucked right in and the romance was *chef's kiss*.

Read this book!

Abbie

Y'all, when I got the email notification that I was approved for an advanced reader copy of TJ Klune's latest, I SCREAMED! I adored The House on the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. Klune is such a whimsy and fun author, so I dove right in!

One thing I noticed almost immediately was how much more rooted in science fiction this story was. The House on the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering door were a little more rooted in magic and fairytales. But, the story definitely had Klune's whimsicality.

The novel begins with an almost once upon a time feel, as Giovanni finds a place in the middle of nowhere and decides to make it his home. Some time later, after years of solitude, a couple appears in the forest outside of his home and give him their baby. Times are dangerous now, but they will return for the child.

Years pass, and Victor, once a babe, now a man grown, has spent his entire life with Gio, who is an android, Nurse Ratched, a robot meant to take care of human illness and injury, and Rambo, a tiny vacuum robot with so much heart. Victor knows that he's different. He's human, whereas the rest are machines. He never really questions his existence. He learns from Gio all about building and tinkering. Victor is the one who rescued Nurse Ratched and Rambo.

Not far from their home in the forest are Scrap Yards, where parts and pieces are disposed of outside of civilization. One day, while hunting through the yards, Victor comes across a presence in the piles. With the help of his friends, Victor uncovers a robot that still has some power, but then it fizzles out.

Victor, ever the inventor, wants to fix the robot up. This one is different. There's just something about him that Victor almost obsesses over. He fixes the robot, named Hap, and his father is quite surprised by the new addition to their household.

This is such a fun story about the beauty of life, of free will.

When 'smooth men' appear one day, Gio shoves his son and the rest down into a bunker none of them knew existed. That's when Victor learns the truth: there were never parents. Gio incubated him in the bunker, raised him to be his own child, and loved him like no other. Victor is the last human on earth. Gio sacrifices himself for his family, and Victor is determined to find his father.

This was a really well done novel, even if I felt like it lacked some of the whimsy from Klune's prior novels. If you enjoyed his other work, you'll probably enjoy this one!

Abbie

I loved The Ex Hex so much that before I even finished it, I bought a copy from my local indie bookstore. While The Ex Hex gave us a very satisfying Happily Ever After, I knew I would continue to read, especially when I found out that Erin Sterling had more books in this universe.

This novel surrounds Gwyn, Vivi's cousin. The prologue in the beginning goes back to when Gwyn was a student at the university. And boy, is she chaotic! Years before Vivi and Rhys met, she had a run in with Rhys's older brother, Llewelyn.

When The Kiss Curse begins, we learn that Vivi and Rhys got married in the interim between the ending of the last book and the beginning of this one. They are planning a trip to Wales, to Rhys's homeland, and Gwyn is bummed about getting left behind.

Llewelyn "Wells" Penhallow is Rhys's older brother, who has been working in the family's pub back in Wales. Business has been dismal, and Wells feels rather unsettled in his life so far. When his father comes to the pub one night, he suggests that he go to Graves Glen, start his own witchery shop, and put the Penhallow presence back in the town since their magic was eradicated at the end of The Ex Hex.

Oddly enough, his father agrees.

What follows is an oddly endearing story of two people that are such opposites that they can't help but attract one another. All while Gwyn's magic disappears.

Sterling does a great job of balancing plot with romance. There's just enough heat on the page that I felt satisfied, but it didn't feel gratuitous. I really love this series. It's whimsical and witchy and feel good, just all of the things I love about witchy rom-coms!

If you're looking for a fun, flirty, romance with a little bit of magic, check this one out!

Abbie

I love all things witchy and romance, right? This one is just my kind of story!

I wasn't sure if I would like this novel. I'm not usually big on the popular ones, but I have to say, this one SUCKED me right in!

The novel opens on a prologue where Vivi has just experienced a major heartbreak. Her summer fling, Rhys, is betrothed back in Wales, and he has to go back home. Vivi and her cousin Gwyn get drunk and decide to jokingly curse him. They wish for things like his hair to not fall right and for him to have trouble finding the clitoris of future lovers. At the end of the scene, through her heartbreak, Vivi curses him.

Fast forward nine years. Rhys returns to take part in a witchy ceremony that his family is responsible for, but the moment he comes back, all hell breaks loose. His rental car has issues, he nearly gets run over by Vivi, a statue head nearly falls on him. When he takes part in the ley line rituals, things go from bad to worse.

Rhys and Vivi are forced together to find a way to break the curse--and to avoid the attraction that never truly went away.

I loved this book. I loved it so much. I have truly discovered that my favorite trope is second chance romance. Throw in some witches, and I am SOLD.

If you're looking for a fast, fun read with witches and sizzling chemistry, check this one out!

Abbie

Y'all just know I had to hop on over to my favorite bookstore on my lunch break to grab a copy of the latest tea on the royals!

Growing up, who didn't know about Prince Harry and Prince William? I was eight years old when Princess Diana was killed in that car accident. My grandfather literally had a frame photograph of her on his living room wall. I was also one of those girls who thought Prince William was quite handsome growing up. I loved seeing his relationship with Harry.

But with everything that's happened in the press over the last five years, I've really found that Prince Harry is where it's at. I mean, c'mon. Look at young Harry and look at him now and he truly glowed up.

That said, I've been caught up on the Netflix docuseries, and plenty of people talk about the royals on TikTok. I found the announcement of the memoir interesting, because I really think Harry wanted to wait to publish it until the queen had passed.

My first thought is: I never imagined I would be able to relate to a royal prince.

The memoir starts around the single most defining moment in Harry's life: his mother's death. By page 21, I was in tears because as Harry spoke about the stories he made up that his mother was in hiding, I felt that. I'm a child of divorce. I was very young. I made up stories about my absent parent. God, I felt so hard what it is to make up stories to yourself just so you can cope.

There were many times throughout the novel that I just stopped and had to process the things Harry was saying. Not because it was scandalous (trust me, he holds nothing back), but because I can relate. At one point, he talks about being the bachelor in the family after William married Kate, and how that made him feel. As an unmarried woman in my mid-thirties, I could completely understand his lack of importance (or feeling that way when it came to his family).

Harry talks a lot about his relationship with his brother. He talks about how they promised they wouldn't play games in the media like others did. He talks about how that all changed when Meagan started becoming more popular than the rest of the royal family. What's sad is knowing how much Harry wants to be able to have his relationship back with his brother, even though it would probably be healthier for him to . . . not.

I devoured this book in two days, because it was so good. There are passages that I've highlighted, things that really stuck out to me.

If you've ever been interested in getting Harry's uncensored side of the story, pick up a copy of Spare immediately! You won't regret it!

Abbie

This novel was all the rage on TikTok because the author was a Booktoker, but it was being sent out anonymously. I snagged a copy at my local Barnes and Noble, just because I was curious.

Honestly, I didn't know if I would like this one. Most of the time when I take recommendations from Booktok, I end up not liking them as much as I anticipated. This one surprised me!

Keera is a killer. Her official title is the "King's Blade." She's responsible for handling anything unsavory that the king needs done. She's a Halfling--born between two different races--which makes her the king's property. She trained in the Order and rose to the highest position allowed for someone of her background.

But she hates every minute of it.

The setup for this novel was done really well. First off, I love that she wasn't a super young character. She was literally at least 60 years old, though even she isn't exactly sure how old she is because she was a foundling when she was a child, left to die.

Keera is a complex character. One who struggles with addiction, trauma, and self-harms. Keera has been after her archnemesis, a man known only as the Shadow.

From there, Keera learns the truth about the world and remembers a promise that she made a very long time ago--one she's commiserated over for decades.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought I had guessed the identity of the Shadow early on. However, there was a twist that I felt Blair did a great job of foreshadowing from the beginning. I look forward to reading the next in the series!

Abbie

Y'all know I love my witches. This is another Fairyloot novel. I might not have discovered it if it didn't come with my subscription.

This novel begins with a prologue setting up the main characters as a group of friends in the nineties. They're witches and love 90s pop culture. I didn't think it was necessary, because there were so many references throughout the book that could have accomplished both their found family relationships and their love of the culture.

From the start of the novel, I had trouble keeping up with each character and who was who. This is a challenge when you have a large cast of characters. I found that most of the voices weren't varied enough for me to understand who was who until about midway through the book.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I loved seeing how the author adapted a Charmed-esque world into modern society.

One of the friends from the group is now the High Priestes of Her Majesty's Royal Coven--a secret society that is in the background of everything that's happened over the last century. Others have left the coven since a war ten years ago, and one of them even branched off to form their own coven - Diaspora.

One thing I have to highlight is the diversity in this novel. You had characters of color, LGBTQ! rep, and one of the main storylines was about a young character coming to terms with their gender. I thought it was really good. I would love to speak with trans people that have read this book to see what their perspective of the novel was good. As a CIS woman, I can't truly understand or relate to that journey, but I thought it was well done, except for the magical fix at the end (this could be really harmful to trans people).

Overall, the political intrigue and loose ends have convinced me to read into the next novel.

My only complaint is that there were a lot of events that happened ten years prior to this--a whole war, in fact--and I sort of wish the series started there instead of here.

Abbie

I adore the dystopian genre. About ten years ago, it was HUGE. One of the biggest dystopian series out there was The Hunger Games!

The first time I read this novel, I was hooked. From the moment Katniss volunteers as tribute, I was glued to the wild ride this story would be.

Almost everyone knows the story, so I won't recount that here. If you enjoy young adult and dystopian stories like Divergent and the Maze Runner, you will absolutely love this one.

One of my favorite things about Katniss is that she is literally just trying to live her life. She's trying to survive. She wants to make sure that her family can eat the next year. She's not thinking about glory or breaking the system. That part of it gets thrust on her when people read into her attempt to save herself and Peeta at the end as some political statement. I can relate a lot to not having control of your life, as well as having to live in a world that tries to make you out to be something you're not.

Of note, I was torn between Peeta and Gale until Catching Fire, when Peeta said "...but the baby..."

No one can convince me that this movie was not perfectly cast. From Jennifer Lawrence to Woody Harrelson, to Elizabeth Banks, each and every single actor portrayed the characters from the novel so well.

I loved getting to see the world written by Collins on the big screen. Dystopian is my favorite genre, and I love seeing what the world is like after it ends. This one was no different. I enjoyed getting to see life in the districts versus the capitol. I loved getting to see the fancy costumes of those who live in the capital.

My least favorite thing is how much of Katniss's inner thoughts you lose from the page to the screen. Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job portraying most of what Katniss is thinking, but there were so many moments in the book that I absolutely wished would have been able to be on screen.

Rue's death gets me every. single. time.

I loved getting to see what was happening in the capitol while the games were on. Seeing Haymitch negotiate for Katniss was really great, and something we missed out on in the novel, since it was Katniss's perspective. Plus, Woody Harrelson is just perfection in that role.

I didn't like some of the changes they made. Mainly, the final battle in the arena when the dogs come running. They were supposed to actually look like the fallen tributes. I also didn't like that Peeta and Katniss weren't nearly as beat up as they were in the book. I mean, Peeta needed a prosthetic leg after the games.

Overall, I wasn't unhappy with the adaptation from page to screen. I love when Hollywood gets it as right as they can, given that they can't just have narration over the entire thing. Most people have already read and/or seen this movie, but...there's nothing to say you can't re-watch it! :)

Abbie

This book came in one of my subscription boxes. I can't remember which one, honestly, and it was a bit of a bonus book. In starting my reads of 2023, I decided to tackle the thickest books first, and this one was definitely thick. I had no knowledge of the authors, but it was a fantasy romance, which sounded right up my alley.

This novel begins by introducing our two main characters: Rose and Wren. Twins, but Rose doesn't know that.

When Wren and her friend Shen infiltrate Princess Rose's bedroom to kidnap her, Wren stays behind to take her place.

You see, no one knows Wren exists. Their parents were killed the night of their birth and no one knows two babies were born that night. The Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, set the narrative that a witch midwife murdered them and fled in the night. This was a great example of how who controls the narrative can shape an entire world.

Shen steals Rose away in the night. She awakes in the middle of the desert, astride a horse with an unfamiliar man. They are traveling. To where? Rose has no idea.

Meanwhile, Wren is doing what she was raised to do: fit in to the castle and take down the Kingsbreath, then make Eana a safe place for witches.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. There were two romance arcs, and I really enjoyed it, but I would have liked to see the authors push a little harder to show the heat between both couples. They could have taken Wren's story much further and I think it would have made the ending satisfying.

Still, if you're looking for a good fantasy romance, I would absolutely recommend this one!

Abbie

This will be the first instance of where I've watched the adaptation prior to reading the book!

Not gonna lie, this book started out really slow for me. I've watched the show three times now, so the way the novel started was a bit jarring for me.

The story really picks up whenever Simon finds Daphne in a particularly compromising situation with Lord Berburke . . . which didn't happen so quickly in the show. I did enjoy getting to see Simon's inner thought processes as he apprised Daphne. That was something we don't really see in the show because we don't get his inner monologue.

I'm not going to lie. I DNF'd this one at about 60%. The novel felt bland and lacked a lot of the elements I adore in the show.

Listen. I am a fan of this show. Shonda Rhimes was the perfect person to take on these novels and adapt them to the screen. I'd never heard of Bridgerton prior to the first season of the show, and honestly, I didn't think I'd read the books because I enjoyed the show so much.

First off, this show has A++++ casting. The Duke of Hastings is everything you'd want and more in a morally gray man with secrets. From the moment he's on screen, Simon absolutely steals the show.

Of course, you have a lot of side plots and shenanigans, but his romance with Daphne on the screen is hot and fun! Fake dating is such a fun trope, and it was really well done here. I find it hard to imagine anyone else playing either of the main two characters.

This isn't quite for me to say, but I didn't like Queen Charlotte's illicit drug use. I'm not a Black person, but to me, it almost felt like they were perpetuating drug stereotypes, and it just gave me an ick. (Please know I mean no offense to anyone here, I just really wanted to see a strong Black woman succeeding without that!)

The Bridgerton family dynamic is so fun. I like that we get to see a lot of what's going on outside of the main relationship as the creators build toward the other Bridgerton siblings having their own romances.

If you're expecting the book to be similar to the novel... it has the basic plotline. It lacks a lot of the things I adore about the show: the family dynamics, the heat between Daphne and Simon, and how the ton is like its own character. I'd skip this one and just stick to the show.

Abbie