u/Truffle0214

Further proof that you can't always trust Goodreads!

I just finished {What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L. Woods}, which came out in 2022, although finished isn't a strong enough word.

I *devoured* it.

Estrella is a human peasant woman who lives near the Veil, a magical wall that separates the evil, cruel fae from the humans. She's being groomed by the Lord of the town she lives in, and when she denies him, is chosen as the annual sacrifice for the Veil. Only it turns out her fae mate has something to say about that...

In this world, faes have human mates, and humans have thirteen lives, which means the fae get thirteen tries to lock that mate down and make them as immortal as they are or they'll basically wither away from a broken heart.

Look, you've got fae, you've got fated mates... it's not the most original story. And you see the twist coming from a mile away.

But I still ate this up! It hits all the tropes I love, I really did like the worldbuilding, and yes, I've only read the first book so far, but I know what I'm doing for the next few weeks.

And what bugs me is that this only a 3.5 on Goodreads - what?? I've seen way worse rated way better. 

Anyway, 5/5, excellently paced spice, and just good ol’ fashioned fae romantasy.

I picked this up on BookSirens a few days ago to ARC review, even though it’s already out.

Unfortunately, I will most likely be forgetting this book.

I don’t mind a good bully romance or enemies-to-lovers trope, but I need the initial dislike/hate to make sense.

This didn’t. At all.

Our FMC, Delilah, is in a mental healthy facility for omegas. Her pack was murdered, and she’s the key for finding the murderer, only she can’t remember.

Meanwhile, it seems the whole place is a front for human trafficking-enter our first MMC, an omega undercover working with his off-the-grid pack to destroy such operations.

Only, all they do is steal some information and then bust him out.

Literally.

Through a hole in the wall.

And he decides he has to take the FMC with him.

And his pack is… mad. Why?

BECAUSE!!!!! 😡😡😡😡

The “prime alpha” threatens to throw her out the van going 80 mph. When that fails, they bring her home and he tells the pack they have to treat her like dirt.

Why?

BECAUSE!!!!!

Oh, and she has to earn her keep, but they yell at her while she does all their cooking and cleaning.

I think where this really fell off for me was the sex.

This woman was traumatized for months, and while I don’t necessarily blink when sex is used to feel better after trauma or grief, I really dislike it when comes from the MMCs and not the FMC who says it’s what she needs.

The worst for me was when >!the medic MMC suspects she may have a tracker implanted on her body, and then brings her into his clinic for a full touching naked body exam and proceeds to finger her. Oh, then he finds the tracker with a scanner… which he couldn’t use from the beginning because why? BECAUSE!!!!! Oh, and this is her first sexual experience with the pack aside from a kiss.!<

It’s part one of a duet, but I won’t be finishing.

I just read Clara Bracco's newest OV RH and wanted to recommend it if you're looking for some sweet, cozy, summer vibes!

{What the Tides Leave Behind by Clara Bracco}

It's about a wealthy omega marine biology grad student who spent her childhood summers in a touristy coastal town, hanging out with three local working-class boys - a beta and two alphas. After a misunderstanding, she leaves embarrassed, then returns five years later about to bond with another pack, only to find the guys had actually been waiting for her all along.

It's got second chance romance, friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, MMMF, and an omega in STEM who saves the day. The spice was great, but didn't get in the way of the plot, which I like.

This is the second book in a series, but it's a stand alone, so you don't need to read the first to understand anything (although I recommend it anyway)! 

Super cute, 5/5!