Review: Once Upon A Bear (The Galamere Chronicles) by Gabrielle Landi

SYNOPSIS
An illegal herbwitch, a man turned bear, and the curse keeping them apart.

Guinevere has spent years hiding her illegal magic, healing on the sly with enhanced salves and tonics. Life in her tiny cottage making potions by firelight is quiet and lonely, but it keeps her safe…even if it’s hard to buy food sometimes.

Gideon Rendon is tired of being a bear, but with silence woven into his curse and anyone who sees him trying to kill him, he’s run out of hope. When Guinevere discovers his secret, he begins to feel hope for the first time in years–but the curse is taking over, and he’s spending more and more time as a bear.

As Guinevere stitches his wounds, helps with his brother’s injury, and attempts to break his curse before he loses his humanity, the line between healer and patient begins to blur. But with Gideon’s noble family and Guinevere’s dangerous secret between them, falling in love might be a risk neither of them can afford.

Once Upon A Bear is a cozy fantasy romance inspired by the Goldilocks fairy tale, full of grumpy sunshine vibes and wound tending, and the fifth book in the Galamere Chronicles. Each standalone, young adult romance is a clean and wholesome retelling of a beloved story or fairytale, with the swoon-worthy sweet romance of a Hallmark movie, the wholesome and heartwarming feeling of cozy fantasy, and the comfort of a found family of friends, with a sprinkling of danger and a dash of magic.

While Once Upon A Bear is the fifth book in the Galamere Chronicles series, each couple has their own romance with a happily ever after that can be read in any order.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

Once Upon a Bear was another sweet and cozy addition to this series! Don’t worry if you haven’t read any of the other books yet, this stands alone just fine. It’s my favorite book from Gabrielle Landi yet.

Guinevere and Gideon were wonderful characters. I loved the grumpy sunshine vibe between them. I liked seeing Guinevere grow in her confidence and skills. I really felt for Gideon with his curse. I was really hoping they’d find a cure for it.

This story was a really fun Goldilocks retelling. I don’t see that story retold often, so I loved that. It was fun seeing the callbacks to the original tale, but I also liked how unique it was too. If you’re a fan of sweet fairytale retellings, don’t hesitate to pick up a copy! You’ll love it!

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS

Review: Galinda: A Charmed Childhood by Gregory Maguire

SYNOPSIS
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Gregory Maguire shares the eagerly awaited origin story of Galinda, the pink-clad, effervescent, and popular favorite character in this sister volume to Elphie.

Who was Glinda the Good Witch before she floated down in her bubble to greet Dorothy? Who was Glinda before she became Elphaba Thropp’s magnetic and popular roommate at Shiz University?

Well, before then, she was Galinda. With a “ga.”

The youngest of four children in a high-born family down on their luck, Galinda is both pampered and ignored. Her natural grace promises to elevate her in the district dance competitions—but these efforts distract her from seeing the growing resentments of local merchants who disapprove of her family’s business strategies. Enmired in the self-satisfactions and unnamed timidities of childhood, Galinda finds in herself neither canniness nor the need to cultivate it. However, as her father deftly pivots around the snares and nets laid for him by his competitors, Galinda begins to dance toward a life that might lift her above her proud, if hardscrabble, childhood.

Galinda reveals the girl behind the bubbly, shallow cliché—offering fans of Wicked their first richer glimpse into the life of a beloved and iconic character.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

I had mixed feelings when I read Elphie last year. I think my expectations were just a little off. So I went into this book with different expectations, and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

I liked getting to know more about Galinda and seeing how she became who she was. This book explained so much. It was really interesting getting to know her family too. I will say that I didn’t enjoy the parts of the book that focused more on Ham, one of Galinda’s brothers, quite as much. But, again, it explained a lot.

This book was slower paced. Nothing all that exciting happened. It was more slice of life than anything. But I couldn’t put it down. I was completely hooked. I really enjoyed my time reading it. I recommend it to anyone who has read Wicked.

Note: This book does contain some strong language.

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FOUR STARS

Friday Book Snippets: Elle's Magical Shoes (The Magical Things Collection Book 1) by Carla Reighard

Friday Book Snippets is a weekly blogging event co-hosted by Anne@HeadFullofBooks and Olivia at Bemused and Bookish. Directions: Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a. the book's beginning and b. page 56 (or another page) in the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.

This week I'm featuring Elle's Magical Shoes (The Magical Things Collection Book 1) by Carla Reighard. This is a really sweet middle grade story. 

SYNOPSIS

Fairies.
Foster kids.
One box full of magical shoes.

Eleven-year-old Elle has two things keeping her going in her Colorado foster home: her vivid imagination and an unshakable belief that her missing family will return. She just didn't expect her imagination to crash through her bedroom window in the form of a blue-haired fairy named Florena.

Suddenly, Elle’s stories are real, and she is handed an impossible task: give away a box of magical footwear, one life-changing pair at a time, to the people around her—including her worst enemy. It's a test to prove to a bitter fairy queen that humans are capable of generosity. If Elle succeeds, she wins a mysterious prize. But when the queen breaks her promise, Elle must journey directly into the heart of the secret fairy kingdom. To save everyone she loves, Elle will have to face a centuries-old grief head-on before both worlds tear apart

Book Beginning / First Line

Between the spine-chilling wind's howl and the steady rhythm of her foster sister's snores, Elle couldn't sleep. Inevitably, her mind became a playground for make-believe stories to soar.

Snippet from 56%

Elle's stomach dropped. All energy seeped out of her, and she slouched over her knees.

What have you been reading lately?

Review: The Story Between Us (The Maple Lake Collection | Falling for Flannel Book 1) by Susan May Warren & Sarah May Warren

SYNOPSIS

Best friend’s older brother. The almost-kiss summer. And one bestselling manuscript that’s years overdue.

Livvie Fox has spent six years being too nice for New York publishing—bringing cupcakes to the man who stole her promotion, watching senior agents take credit for the books she fought for, smiling while the bestseller list ticks past her name and lands on someone else’s.

Then her agency drops the bomb: bestselling reclusive author Ian Rivers is two years past deadline. The contract is about to die. The agency is about to die with it. Someone has to get him to write.

Someone like the woman who knew him before he was Ian Rivers.

Before the bestsellers. Before the funeral. Before the night on a Maple Lake dock when she told him exactly how she felt and he just stood there, frozen, while every star in northern Minnesota watched her heart break.

Nate Rivers shouldn’t open his door.

Not for the publisher. Not for the lawyer. Not for the woman who walked off his sister’s dock seven years ago and took half the world with her.

But Livvie Fox is back in Maple Lake. With stolen soup. With his sister’s name in her mouth. With a publisher’s deadline that could cost him the only house left where Emma still feels real.

The town is gearing up for the Flannel Festival. The maples are turning. The dogs already love her. And the chapter Nate has been refusing to write for three years is suddenly demanding a co-author.

Some what-ifs deserve a second chapter.

Amazon / Sunrise Publishing / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

I absolutely adored this small town, faith-filled romance. What a great way to start this new series! I loved Maple Falls and all the cozy fall vibes. And I loved the townsfolk too. I very quickly became invested in the story and couldn’t read fast enough.

I really liked Livvie and Nate. I thought Livvie’s job at the publishing company as a junior agent was really interesting. She was very dedicated and determined about her work and what she believed in. I loved her sunshiney attitude. I really felt for Nate. He was still in the midst of grieving his sister and struggling to finish writing the series they had worked on together. I was really rooting for him. Nate and Livvie were both relatable in their own way. I thought they made such a good team. They pushed each other to do the next hard thing. It wasn’t easy, but it was so great seeing them grow and thrive again. I also really liked Livvie’s Aunt Lila. She was a no-nonsense lady who was also very supportive and full of wise words.

This story was poignant and sweet. Moving and heartfelt. There was a ton of depth and a powerful message of faith too. I loved it so much and highly, highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys small town contemporary romances! I can’t wait to visit Maple Falls again!

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS

Can't Wait Wednesday: Karabos (The Timebound Duology Book 1) by Lyndsey Lewellen

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights and discusses the books we're excited about that we've yet to read. Generally, they're books that are yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm featuring Karabos (The Timebound Duology Book 1) by Lyndsey Lewellen releasing October 13. 

SYNOPSIS

Enter a dangerous game of magic beetles, buried secrets, and shifting time.

Winslet Nubek knows bugs better than she knows people. The sixteen-year-old, homeschooled entomologist is determined to earn her place among the ancient and dangerous ranks of magical insect hunters. With her father’s failing mines pushing them toward bankruptcy, winning the Tournament of Scarabs becomes her only shot at securing her dream and saving her family from ruin. But when she touches a forbidden time scarab before the competition begins, she’s left with a mark she can’t explain and trips into the past she can’t control. Forced to hide her mistake, Winslet enters the tournament with a growing fear of being discovered. As her secrets grow, so do her slips through time.

Rafe Stormholt charts maps like other people write diaries, but his own future isn’t his to navigate. He needs the tournament prize to keep his grandfather’s company out of treacherous hands. After the preliminaries go awry, Rafe ends up on a team of academic misfits, including the bug girl he’s already judged as a liability. But when he’s dragged into the past alongside her, Rafe uncovers truths that shatter the faith his family has held for generations.

Bound by a time-slipping curse, Winslet and Rafe must navigate the tournament’s perilous trials while unraveling a conspiracy buried centuries deep. As enemies close in and the past begins to bleed into the present, they’ll have to decide what they’re really fighting for and what they’re willing to lose to win.

What upcoming release are you eagerly awaiting?

Review: The Sisters Grimm by Merrie Destefano

SYNOPSIS
Descended from the Brothers Grimm. Hunted by an evil regime. Their story was never just a fairytale.

When her sister is gravely injured during a rescue attempt, Ivy Grimm is forced to team up with River, a disowned Fae prince, to save children trapped in a dark fairytale world. But their mission quickly turns into something far more dangerous.

With a rising rebellion, a ruthless enemy closing in, and a love neither of them expected, Ivy must decide how far she’s willing to go to rewrite this story’s ending.

With echoes of The Nightingale, Nazi oppression, and Grimm’s Fairytales, The Sisters Grimm is a romantasy of courage, hope, and the fight to survive—even when the darkness seems endless.

The Sisters Grimm is available to back on Kickstarter now!

BACK ON KICKSTARTER

MY THOUGHTS

The Sisters Grimm is Merrie Destefano at her finest. I’ve loved everything I’ve read by her, but this is a new favorite. I know I’m going to want to read it again and again. The premise was great, and the world-building was stunning. So rich and immersive. There was such a grand feel to the whole story.

I loved Ivy and River so much. They were wonderful characters who were easy to root for. I loved that we got both of their POVs.

I enjoyed seeing the supportive and sisterly bond between Ivy and Sparrow. I thought the whole cast of characters was great. It was very interesting to see some of the classic fairytale characters in a new way.

I didn't want this book to end. I didn’t want to say goodbye to these characters or this storyworld. It sucked me in and still hasn’t let go. I can’t say enough good things about it. I highly, highly recommend it!

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS

Friday Book Snippets: The Story Between Us (The Maple Lake Collection | Falling for Flannel Book 1) by Susan May Warren & Sarah May Warren

Friday Book Snippets is a weekly blogging event co-hosted by Anne@HeadFullofBooks and Olivia at Bemused and Bookish. Directions: Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a. the book's beginning and b. page 56 (or another page) in the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.

This week I'm featuring The Story Between Us (The Maple Lake Collection | Falling for Flannel Book 1) by mother-daughter writing duo, Susan May Warren & Sarah May Warren

SYNOPSIS

Best friend’s older brother. The almost-kiss summer. And one bestselling manuscript that’s years overdue.

Livvie Fox has spent six years being too nice for New York publishing—bringing cupcakes to the man who stole her promotion, watching senior agents take credit for the books she fought for, smiling while the bestseller list ticks past her name and lands on someone else’s.

Then her agency drops the bomb: bestselling reclusive author Ian Rivers is two years past deadline. The contract is about to die. The agency is about to die with it. Someone has to get him to write.

Someone like the woman who knew him before he was Ian Rivers.

Before the bestsellers. Before the funeral. Before the night on a Maple Lake dock when she told him exactly how she felt and he just stood there, frozen, while every star in northern Minnesota watched her heart break.

Nate Rivers shouldn’t open his door.

Not for the publisher. Not for the lawyer. Not for the woman who walked off his sister’s dock seven years ago and took half the world with her.

But Livvie Fox is back in Maple Lake. With stolen soup. With his sister’s name in her mouth. With a publisher’s deadline that could cost him the only house left where Emma still feels real.

The town is gearing up for the Flannel Festival. The maples are turning. The dogs already love her. And the chapter Nate has been refusing to write for three years is suddenly demanding a co-author.

Some what-ifs deserve a second chapter.

Book Beginning / First Line

The barista had spelled her name wrong again.

Snippet from 28%

He held her gaze for one beat longer than comfortable. "Not everything you make has to be good, Livvie. Some things you make just because you need to make them."

What have you been reading lately?