Category: Contemporary

All’s Fae in Love and War by Lee Nichols

On By TracyIn Audiobook, Contemporary, First Person Narrative, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

All’s Fae in Love and War: Fae Isle Trilogy, Book 1 by Lee Nichols

Tracy’s Rating: 2/2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Fae Isle Trilogy #1

Release Date: May 28, 2026

Pandora Voss is a fairykin on the verge of turning thirty, returning from Boston to her childhood island community with the pressure of manifesting her inherited gift before a looming deadline changes her life. Leo Carter, an antiquarian bookseller with a rare-book-focused gift, comes back to the island on a search that pulls him into Pandora’s orbit despite their unresolved high-school history. Around them is a tight-knit network of family, friends, and townspeople whose everyday routines are intertwined with small enchantments, along with a rotating cast of mischievous fairytale creatures—pixies, gnomes, brownies, and other beings—that complicate life when magic slips its leash.

The story is set on an enchanted island off the coast of Maine where fairykin live with an accepted undercurrent of magic, each person expected to come into a distinct gift by age thirty. Those who do not awaken their power begin to lose their connection to enchantment as memories rewrite themselves into mundane explanations, and extended exposure to magic can have harmful physical effects for the ungifted. When a spell misfires and releases chaotic enchantments and storybook creatures across the island, Pandora and Leo are pushed into an uneasy partnership that sends them through the town’s libraries, boathouses, and community landmarks to contain the fallout, track down the source, and restore balance before the situation escalates.

For me, this landed as a middling listen: the premise and whimsical magic-by-deadline hook kept pulling me along, and I liked how the island’s gifts and creature chaos created a steady sense of motion, but the emotional vibes didn’t always feel as earned as the setup promised. I appreciated the audiobook’s energy—especially the alternating perspectives and the narrators’ commitment to keeping scenes lively—though the production choices and character-voice consistency occasionally took me out of the moment. Overall, it felt like a book with a strong concept and a cozy-romantasy surface that didn’t fully come together in execution, I am sure there are readers who would enjoy this book, but sadly, I am not one of them.

Maybe 2.5 stars

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an ARC / Audiobook that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Just My Blood Type by Katherine Dyson

On By TracyIn Contemporary, First Person Narrative, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Rom Com, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Just My Blood Type: A Quirky Vampire Rom-Com About a Phlebotomist Finding Her Perfect MatchJust My Blood Type: A Quirky Vampire Rom-Com About a Phlebotomist Finding Her Perfect Match by Katherine Dyson

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 15, 2026

Florence and Quinn are the heart of this story, each bringing their own emotional baggage and quirks to the table. Florence, a vampire with a history of heartbreak and a career rooted in helping others, finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Quinn, a human who’s endured his own share of romantic disappointments. Their connection is complicated by Florence’s reluctance to love again and Quinn’s struggle to let go of his idealistic view of relationships.

This book offers a lighthearted paranormal romance with a unique twist—vampires and medical intrigue—but I found the author’s writing style detracted from my enjoyment. I am not a fan of first-person narrative, and this one goes one step further because it is a dual POV narrative which didn’t deliver distinct voices, making the perspectives blend together and feel repetitive. Additionally, the characters “breaking the fourth wall” disrupted the flow and pulled me out of the narrative, making it difficult to fully immerse myself in the characters’ experiences. Overall, the premise is fun, and the romance has its sweet moments, but there are times when the story feels overly convenient and lacks lasting tension, leaving me wishing for deeper emotional stakes. This is the second book in an interconnected series, but I didn’t read the first book and didn’t feel that it affected my reading experience.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

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