When the approval for access to an early e-galley copy of Chasing Cassandra hit my inbox, I basically knocked everything on my TBR down a notch in order to pick this up as soon as possible. (I also ended up buddy reading this with Lacey from Booklovers for Life, which was so fun and I hope we get to buddy read more in the future!) This is the latest novel in The Ravenels series from Lisa Kleypas, and it is a pleasure to report that I ended up enjoying it.

The novel centers around two characters we’ve seen in the previous books – Cassandra Ravenel and Tom Severin. The family’s business dealings have ensured that Severin has a relationship with the men in Cassandra’s family, and their paths first cross at a special familial occasion. Unexpectedly, sparks fly between them. But Cassandra is determined to marry for love, which Tom does not believe in, and so they find themselves at an impasse. Can love help them overcome the obstacle(s) between them?

I’ve enjoyed every single installment of The Ravenels series in varying degrees, and Chasing Cassandra ranks high on the list for me. It’s not a perfect book (and more on that momentarily), but it had many of the hallmarks that make a Kleypas read so wonderful. This includes:

• lovable main characters | Cassandra is a spunky, capable and bookish heroine who has a great sense of humor and style. She’s always dreamed of falling in love and starting a family of her own. Tom, on the other hand, is a practical, driven man who stands at the head of an entire empire that he built up on his own from pretty much nothing. He regulates feelings and makes choices based on what would garner the best gain, but underneath, he’s also a well-meaning man who cares deeply for those in his inner circle… even if he can’t put that into words most days.
• a romance to root for | I didn’t think I could be convinced to want Cassandra and Tom to be together, since Tom is a frustrating force of a man. But I forget that Kleypas is also the author who convinced me to fall in love with difficult men via Devil in Winter and Blue-Eyed Devil. Once she showed the sparks flying between these two, I was a goner for their romance. And there were a lot of moments where something happened or was said that had me swooning!
• cameos from beloved characters | Whether indirectly (a mention in conversation about, say, a Wallflowers series lead) or directly (the other couples in this series), it made me so happy (and it totally had me fangirl squealing) whenever we saw a familiar face.
• plot shenanigans | I’m always interested in seeing what entertaining additions are in any of Kleypas’ novels in addition to the romance, and this one didn’t disappoint. I was amused at a lot of the events that transpire in this story, and it definitely made me laugh (or groan).

There are two things worth pointing out about this one that I didn’t necessarily love. One that felt super noticeable was the constant reference to Cassandra’s weight, which just didn’t sit entirely well with me even though I’m sure it would have been a concern and topic of discussion for a young marriageable woman of that time. The other is that the timeline was a bit skip happy at the start, showcasing moments from a few different months.

Despite those two reservations, I still really liked Chasing Cassandra. It was an enjoyable addition to The Ravenels series! I’d recommend reading it (though I’d caution that if you don’t want any series spoilers, you’ll have to read all the other titles first).

Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels #6) is out today, February 18, 2020, and published by Avon.

I received an e-galley via Edelweiss from the publisher for review.

This is year two of my Galentine's Day out tradition with Rachel & Kristin! We had a lot of fun last year, but this year felt extra special to me for two reasons. First, we celebrated together just after I recovered from being quite sick the week before. And second, we capped off the day with a viewing party for P.S. I Still Love You, which had just dropped on Netflix earlier in the week!

We were blessed with beautiful (but cold) weather when we met up for brunch on Saturday morning. We'd been dying to eat at While We Were Young for ages and thanks to Rachel's uncanny intuition and quick fingers, we'd finally snagged our long-desired reservation. I'm so glad we were finally able to eat there (and I definitely think we'll be going back in the future)! The initial draw for this restaurant is the beautiful interior, with the great mix of color, texture and metal accents. We'd seen so many pictures of the place before, and it was just as charming (if a little bit cramped) in person! Happily, the service was great, the food was delicious (I wish I'd been hungrier so I could have finished all of my food! I had the Eggs Benedict, Rachel had their French toast, Kristin had an omelette and we shared truffle fries) and the cocktails were A+ too (I had a While We Were Young, Rachel had If You're a Bird, I'm a Bird and Kristin had a One Night Stand). (I will say the coffee was not my favorite though...)

We dropped by the Milk Bar flagship store in search of a cake for our viewing party. I'd never been to this particular branch, but it's within walking distance of my office so I'm definitely going back regularly! It's got a sizable seating area, a quick order counter, two separate make your own stations (one for cookies and one for cakes), and a store area. We ended up building our own cake (a strawberry and Funfetti creation of dreams), before we headed on over to Kristin's apartment.

Kristin had already decorated for the party, and her apartment was just as inviting and adorable as it always is! We settled in to watch the film, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the aesthetic and soundtrack of P.S. I Still Love You a whole lot, pretty much just as much as I adored it in the first story. I think the cast is incredible in their roles, and I loved seeing this depiction of Lara Jean experiencing what happens after her happily ever after and figuring out a lot more about herself and her life and her relationships (which has always been my favorite thing about this series in general). I'm so glad I was able to share this viewing experience with two of my best friends, and I can't wait for our viewing party for the third one!

Never too late for a monthly recap, am I right? This recap is coming to you late for two reasons: 1) my littlest sister has returned indefinitely to the Philippines and I was spending as much time with her as possible (more on that momentarily!) and 2) I just recovered from being very, very sick.

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro immediately earned a spot on my TBR when I learned it was a fantasy novel written by a Filipino author and that aspects of the story were inspired by Filipino culture. Plus, it's the kind of fantasy novel that I generally enjoy - a female heroine must do everything she can in order to protect her reign, her kingdom and those she loves. Happily, I did end up really enjoying this one!

It took a little while before I was hooked by the narrative. That has a lot to do with the author's narrative choice to have main character Talyien tell the story as if she were reliving the events in the past, which didn't 100% end up being my cup of tea. But eventually, other aspects of the tale - the intricate setting (with inspiration drawn from Filipino societal structure and culture), the plot (with familiar tropes that I was totally behind) and the characters (fierce and brave and impulsive Talyien (who isn't always right and shows considerable growth by the end of the story); I also really enjoyed the secondary cast of characters and the variety and color their personalities gave to the tale) - reeled me in and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

For me, with fantasy series, it generally boils down to one thing: Did I end up caring about the characters enough to want to continue their journey in the second book? The answer, in this case, is yes. I'm very curious to see where Villoso intends to take Talyien in the second part of her story. The Wolf of Oren-Yaro was a solid fantasy series starter, and I'd recommend checking it out if the synopsis appeals to you.

A queen of a divided land must unite her people, even if they hate her, even if it means stopping a ruin that she helped create. A debut epic fantasy from an exciting new voice.

"I murdered a man and made my husband leave the night before they crowned me."

Born under the crumbling towers of Oren-yaro, Queen Talyien was the shining jewel and legacy of the bloody War of the Wolves that nearly tore her nation apart. Her upcoming marriage to the son of her father's rival heralds peaceful days to come.

But his sudden departure before their reign begins fractures the kingdom beyond repair.

Years later, Talyien receives a message, urging her to attend a meeting across the sea. It's meant to be an effort at reconciliation, but an assassination attempt leaves the queen stranded and desperate to survive in a dangerous land. With no idea who she can trust, she's on her own as she struggles to fight her way home.

I’m honestly not sure where Emma Mills now falls on the list of the YA contemporary authors I read, as her most recent release marks the second book of hers that I found just okay (and more on that momentarily). Lucky Caller had a promising premise: Nina takes a radio broadcasting class her senior year, finds herself in a randomly formed group that somehow includes her childhood friend Jamie who she’s been trying to avoid, and winds up in the middle of a big mess when everything – the show, her family and things with Jamie – gets really complicated. Here’s the bottom line: this is still very much a story told in the Emma Mills style. She writes about ordinary, flawed characters with relatable struggles, and her stories often meander through plots that are slice-of-life with just a touch of something specifically special related to the interests of her characters. This might be a formula that works well for you (as it has for me in the past). But because such a story is primarily character-driven, it works best if you get on with the main character… and sadly, I just never really connected with Nina (though I did find enough of interest about the story to keep me reading till the end). While I’m not sad I read it, Lucky Caller was a bit of a disappointment overall.

What would your radio show be about? I could definitely do a radio show on books (surprise, surprise), but I also think I’d do a decent job talking about anime. (Sort of related, but if you haven’t yet checked it out actually, Macky & I are now doing a podcast called Fandom Buzzz together.)

Lucky Caller was published on January 14, 2020 by Henry Holt and Co.

I received an ARC from the publisher for review.

If you know me at all, you’ll know I love anime and I’m always up for reading YA stories that boast premises like anime stories I’ve loved. I was very excited about Seven Deadly Shadows, and luckily, this stand-alone YA fantasy read was so dang fun! Our heroine is Kira Fujikawa, who happens to be a shrine priestess at the shrine that has been in her family for generations and she happens to have the ability to see yokai (ghosts and demons). She is faced with the task of learning new skills (both as a warrior and a priestess), as well as gathering seven shinigami (death gods) in order to prepare for a confrontation with Shuten-doji, a demon king who plans to rise during the next blood moon and use the power of an ancient relic to bring about the end of the world. This is a pretty neat set-up for an enjoyable book! It really called to mind a lot of the anime and manga that I’ve personally loved in the past (and you’ll find that the authors mention a couple of them at the end in their author’s note!), so it was all too easy for me to get sucked into and invested in the story. It was well-paced, it featured plenty of Japanese lore and I honestly felt like I flew through the book! It’s not perfect, admittedly, and I could have used a little more fleshing out of the world and these characters (and their relationships). But it was really entertaining, and for that (and the fact that I’m generally into most things that remind me of my favorite animes), I’d say it was worth the read.

What’s your favorite manga series? I am obsessed with the manga for Fruits Basket (which I binge read in 2018). It’s never been eclipsed by any other series as my favorite since the time I read it, even though a few have come close. I just think it’s so entertaining, and I love the story a lot, and the characters even more.

Seven Deadly Shadows was published on January 28, 2020 by Harper Teen.

I received an e-galley from the publisher via Edelweiss for review.