Review: Hart's Landing by Melanie Harlow

Hart's Landing by Melanie Harlow

Series: Hart's Landing #1

Publication date: May 12th, 2026

Pages: 427

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

Four friends made a promise to live one night like it was their last.

That night changed everything.

Ten years ago, Mila Ferguson left behind a devastating fire, a stolen kiss, and a shattered circle of friends in her hometown of Hart's Landing. But when a crisis brings her back, Mila just wants to get in and get out, unscathed by her mother's constant criticism and unseen by her former crush, Everett McKean.

Only... Everett is everywhere. The town's attractive, beloved mayor has resisted settling down, but he's never stopped wondering about Mila. Having her back in Hart's Landing is the second chance he didn't know he was waiting for--and he's not about to waste it.

As Mila slowly opens her heart to Everett and begins to rebuild her fractured friendships, she wonders if coming home was exactly what she needed. But old wounds threaten to open again when questions emerge about what really happened the night Mila left. Who's really responsible for the fire that destroyed the bakery? And will knowing the truth free Mila from the past, or ignite a blaze that burns down the future she's trying to build?

People say you can never truly come home again, but sometimes coming home isn't about where you've been. It's about who you're brave enough to become.

Sexy, heartfelt, and steeped in small-town charm, Hart's Landing is a story of forgiveness, friendship, and finding the family who loves you no matter how far you wander.

Available at:

Story:

The stereotypical cutesy small-town romance that you would expect, however the drama that is the main focal point of the story was a little... lackluster. The entire mystery is what happened at the bakery the night it was set on fire which caused a group of friends to break apart due to misplaced guilt is incredibly dull. To think that it was the catalyst for so much heartbreak and 10 years of absence between the friends and the town they grew up with was very confusing. The story left the other girls and what happened to them the night of the bakery fire in the complete dark. Everett and Mila's romance was unusual easy and the conflict that is inevitable in all these stories only lasted a singular night. All that lead up and all that foundation between the characters only to have a small blimp of a problem before the happily ever after. It was just not structured very well.

Characters:

• Mila - I was so frustrated with Mila. She was such a complete and utter doormat with her mother. She would let her mother treat her abhorrently and then hold Everett to an impossible standard. She told Everett she didn't want anything but casual sex between them because she didn't trust him to not take advantage of her. But she allowed her mother to manipulate, belittle, and use her for her entire life. However, she did have her moments where she was hilariously awkward. She stumbled over herself with Everett and he did nothing but find her more adorable. 

• Everett - I really liked Everett. He was so patient with Mila who was absolutely broken. He went at her pace, accepted whatever stipulations she wanted to set, and when she laid down a boundary he respected it even though he really didn't want to. Mila was the one to try to tempt him to push past the boundary even while he told her he wouldn't until she gave complete consent. Really good guy. But for someone who is a mayor of a town, even a small town, he sure seems to have a lot of free time. I would imagine he would have a lot more to do then judge a pie contest, end his cherry farm, and try to convince a rich family to clean up polluted soil. Does he not have other duties? It didn't seem realistic even if charming.

Writing:

The structure of the story was good. The book followed a linear path but with the facets of the story being so shaky and unrealistic it took a lot away from the book overall. The characters were good but pretty one-dimensional. The story had promise but the main antagonistic event should have been a lot stronger than an accidental bakery fire that nobody was ever really punished for. It could have been left out of the story completely and just focused on Mila's caustic relationship with her mother entirely to be fair. 

Overall:

I wanted so badly to like this story more than I did. Even so, I found the lightness of the story and the character, Everett, to be the saving graces. The town of Hart's Landing is full of kooks and that made it almost have a cozy feel to it. It was a middle-of-the-road read for me.

Review: Off to the Races by Elsie Silver

Off to the Races by Elsie Silver

Series: Gold Rush Ranch #1

Publication date: April 29th, 2021

Pages: 470

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

A small-town enemies to lovers romance and the debut novel from the bestselling author of Flawless and Wild Love.

Keeping things professional with my employees has never been an issue... until Billie waltzes onto my property.

She's talented, feisty and so damn tempting. We clash from the moment we meet, and I can't stop thinking about all the ways I could take her down a peg. I can't stop thinking about her, period.

And in a small town, on an even smaller farm, it's hard to keep my distance. Billie is the whole package: whip-smart with a body I fantasize about, and quite possibly the only woman who can save this business -- and me. She drives me crazy, but the more time we spend together, the more I crave her: her lips, her trust, her heart... I want it all.

But at what cost? Because suddenly I don't just want to win races, I want to win the girl.

Available at:

Story:

Elsie Silver is one of those authors that you hear a lot about because she hammers out books faster than one can truly consume them. As I was never one for western romances I didn't feel the pull to read any of her books until recently. How unfortunate for me to realize how great they are until now. Silver winds a sweet enemies-to-lovers tale about a spirited horse trainer and the heir owner of Gold Rush Ranch. The owner, Vaughn, is mourning the loss of his grandfather and the reputation that he passed with. He was seen as someone who fixed races and for a ranch that produces racing horses, that allegation was what could ruin the entire enterprise. Vaughn decides to bring in a trainer to try to get his horses ready for when he was allowed off suspension and could start racing again. What he wasn't expecting was the spitfire, Billie. The story is sweet and simple with a few pitfalls interspersed to keep the reader guessing what could happen. As someone raised in 'horse country' I love watching characters who have a healthy respect for the creatures. I think that the author did really well keeping the light moments comical and poetic and adding a few helpings of heartache in between. It was everything you would expect of the western romance genre and more.

Characters:

• Billie - I loved how feisty Billie was. She was not going to take shit from anyone, even her grumpy boss whose eyes shift from frustration to sexual tension with the flip of her braid. She was a force unlike any other. She didn't let her past as a rich girl define her and was determined to stand on her own two feet. She knew how to handle horses and proved herself time and time again. While she had a few snarky comments here and there that drove Vaughn nuts, she was by far one of the sweetest characters I have read. She would bend over backwards for the people she loved without ever jeopardizing her moral compass.

• Vaughn - Vaughn was frustrating. There were times when I really didn't like him at all. I felt like he was not a great person through the whole thing. Especially when it came to doing right by Billie. He would make promises and break them. He would pretend nothing was between him and Billie despite it being completely obvious. He was so shortsighted and I wanted to ring his neck every time he made Billie cry. But... he eventually got a slap to the face that woke him up (good job, Cole). I hope he keeps being good to Billie in the rest of the series or I will return to this review and erase my impression that he redeemed himself.

Writing:

Silver did a good job with this one. The story flowed well and the characters had enough depth that I was able to have an emotional response to them. When Billie cried, I cried. That is only a good mark of a great author. I look forward to reading the next books in the series to see how the author's writing grew being as this was her debut novel. It was a great demonstration of her skill in a debut.

Overall:

I really enjoyed the book and am waiting to see if Vaughn keeps treating Billie like the princess she deserves in the subsequent books. If not, I'm coming for you Vaughn!

Review: Polybius by Collin Armstrong

Polybius by Collin Armstrong

Publication date: April 29th, 2025

Pages: 352

Spice: N/A

Synopsis:

Stranger Things meets The Walking Dead in this shivery novel based on a terrifying urban legend about a small seaside town descending into chaos when an unusual video game is unveiled at the local arcade.

Having recently moved to the gentrifying seaside town of Tasker Bay with her mother, the only thing on high schooler Andi's mind is saving up enough money for her escape to Silicon Valley. Though it's owned by the shadiest resident in town, she takes a job at the dingy arcade Home Video World.

Pining over Andi is Ro, the son of Tasker Bay's sheriff. With his friend's matchmaking help, he begins spending more time at the arcade and soon, Andi finds herself opening up to Ro. But when the store gets an unusual new game of unknown origin, the floor is suddenly overwhelmed with players fighting to get some time on the machine. Seemingly overnight, a virus-like epidemic sweeps through the town while a major coastal storm rolls in, further isolating them from the outside world. Time is of the essence as residents collectively experience anger, paranoia, hallucinations, and even catatonia. And when one heinous act of violence goes unsolved, the town descends into utter chaos. Realizing no one is coming to their rescue, Andi and Ro take matters into their own hands to get to the bottom of the spiraling madness... until it begins affecting them, too.

Available at:

Story:

I think the story overall had a lot of potential. I think the execution of the story was not as well done as it could have been. The idea that there is a video game that has the potential to unlock people's anger and violent tendencies is something that is actually talked about on a regular basis in media today. Did the video game cause the teenager to take a gun to school and shoot their classmates or was it something deeper? Having the story set in the 1980's were video games were not as regularly used as they are today, was a good choice, but it was often forgotten for me. There were things that could have been referenced to show the time the story was taking place more readily, but it wasn't utilized so confusion set in a few times after I forgot about the setting. The problem is that the story had a very obvious method of reducing the risks to the townspeople and stopping the spread of this virus-like epidemic. Instead of making that choice and doing what would have worked from the beginning, it turned into two teenagers channeling their inner Scooby Doo detectives to try to find out more about a mysterious video game that has taken the town by storm. I will say there were parts that were rather eerie to the point where I didn't really want to read the book at night. I just wished that it maintained that flow throughout so the second half of the book didn't leave me rolling my eyes and in a constant state of frustration.

Characters:

• Andi - Andi was determined to not get close to anyone at all in her town. She had plans to leave Tasker Bay the minute she was old enough to do so. The fact she refuses to make friends because she doesn't want to miss them when she leaves after high school is highly unrealistic. Also, do phones not exist in the 80's? She couldn't make friends and get close to anyone and talk to them on the phone or visit periodically. It's not like she'd never return to visit her mom who would remain, right? It was just not a very well thought out plan for her or the story. I found her to be way too abrasive and not at all likeable. She seemed like she was seconds away from biting someone's head off at any moment. I didn't like the way she treated her mother who took her out of a toxic environment for the betterment of herself. I just didn't connect to the character.

• Ro - Ro was equally as confusing. He went from school stud and popular guy to a crisis of identity even before Polybius started warping his little brain. You'd think he'd have gone through this after his mother died rather than several years down the road. Then he throws himself into martyrdom situations without much progression for the story. His existence was really just filler and to try to counter balance Andi's bad attitude. Another character I could not connect with.

Writing:

Honestly, I liked the way the story was written. The story was shaky but the actual execution of the story was not bad. The only thing I found a little bothersome was the fact that the perspective shifted between a whole town of characters instead of sticking with the main characters the whole time. This was, of course, to aid in showing how Polybius was effecting other townspeople but it started to become hard to follow each of the different storylines all at once. But then again, I liked seeing what was going on. So the structure was great, but the amount of characters that were touched on was a bit much. If the author had kept Ro or Andi in the scenes with these other characters it would have made the format a little stronger for me.

Overall: 

This was not the most terrible book I have ever read; not even the worst this year. However, it was not a book I was excited to pick up and read every chance I got. I found more and more excuses to switch books so I could avoid the dull periods within the book. I think that if there were a few changes to the characters, the ending, and how many characters the reader was supposed to remember, it might be a really good read. The foundation is there, the execution was not.

Review: The Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson

The Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson

Series: Dark Inheritance Trilogy #1

Publication date:

Pages: 352

DNF Percentage: 80%

Spice: 🌶️

Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of Raven Kennedy and Thea Guanzon, Rebecca Robinson's thrilling romantasy debut combines high-stakes political intrigue and a steamy, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance.

All her life, Vaasa Kozar has been sharpened into a blade.

After losing her mother--her only remaining parent--to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid's nation. All Vaasa has to do is die.

But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, he will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veins--and help keep it at bay.

This proposal may be too good to refuse, yet Vaasa and Reid's undeniable attraction threatens to break the rules of their arrangement. As her brother's lethal machinations take form, everything is at stake: Vaasa must learn to trust her new husband, but how can she, especially when their perfect political marriage begins to feel like the real thing?

Available at:

Story:

Let's face facts, most people who choose to read romantasy want to see at least some heat between the main characters sprinkled in with the overall storyline. However, with this book there seemed to be an overall focus on worldbuilding over any other aspect of the story. The characters all felt like they were ticks on a checklist meant to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. We have a middle eastern vibe, check. We have a lesbian couple of warriors, check. We have gay fathers, check. That was not a strike against the book for me but it felt like it was not an organic inclusion in the story but the author trying to cater to different groups of individuals while not caring much about how well it fit within the world she was creating. The romance, that was basically non-existent, felt so incredibly forced. The attempt was an enemies-to-lovers dynamic but the most action that was really experienced was some forehead kisses and sleeping in the same bed. Scandalous. Where's the fire? It was all just a hodge-podge of wrong for me.

Characters:

• Vaasa - Where was the fire that she showed in the beginning of the book? She was willing to cut the throat of the man she married in order to escape a marriage she didn't want and then she was crying in the corner because her mom may have loved her more than she realized. Who is Vaasa? Because I was never able to bond with her. The attempt to show that she had a heart and wasn't just a stone-cold killer didn't work. She went to far to the other side of things to recover. I started to find her more annoying than appealing. I like strong female leads, not little girls with mommy, daddy, brother, second-cousin-twice-removed issues.

• Reid - He was called the Wolf in the book but there was never any real reason behind it. I guess he was meant to be this cold killer who had no feelings for anyone other than disdain. Instead we got a golden retriever who treated everyone like they walked on water. How could he have such a harsh reputation with so many people in the know of him being completely different? It didn't make sense. I did like Reid more than Vaasa. He may have been a good boy deserving of pets and treats but at least he was pretty consistent about it unlike Vaasa.

Writing:

The author really enjoys worldbuilding. I mean really enjoys worldbuilding. To the point where there is more worldbuilding then there is actual world in the story. She would wax on for page after page after page of describing the beauty of the world, the structures, the towns, the people, the color of the sky, the texture of the grass, the smell of the sea, and so on. It went on for ages to the point where I would read the book just to get to sleep at night. I started skimming the book whenever they were traveling to a new area, which they were doing a lot, because I was so tired of all the description. I wanted more character development in the writing and was sadly disappointed.

Overall:

I thought about finishing the story. I got to 80% and only had less than 100 pages left to read before I was finished. But after skimming forward in the book to see if there was any developments between Vaasa and Reid and being let down, I couldn't bring myself to finish the story. I didn't care enough to find out what happened with Vaasa's brother, her magic, her marriage, the political climate, etc. The desire to see what happened next left me and I had to let it go. It would have been better to potentially lean further in the story and less into the romance because I could feel that author was a little uncomfortable writing it.

 

Review: The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen

The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen

Series: The Bridge Kingdom #2

Publication date: September 1st, 2020

Pages: 416

Spice:🌶️

Synopsis:

In the second novel of the heart-pounding Bridge Kingdom series, one woman fights to win back her throne, her people, and the love of the man she betrayed.

A queen now in exile as a traitor, Lara has watched Ithicana be conquered by her own father, helpless to do anything to stop the destruction. But when she learns her husband, Aren, has been captured in battle, Lara knows there is only one reason her father is keeping him alive: as bait for his traitorous daughter.

And it is bait she fully intends to take.

Risking her life to the Tempest Seas, Lara returns to Ithicana with a plan not only to free its king, but for liberating the Bridge Kingdom from her father's clutches using his own weapons: the sisters whose lives she spared. But not only is the palace inescapable, there are more players in the game than Lara ever realized, enemies and allies switching sides in the fight for crowns, kingdoms, and bridges. But her greatest adversary of all might be the very man she's trying to free--the husband she betrayed.

With everything she loves in jeopardy, Lara must decide who--and what--she is fighting for: her kingdom, her husband, or herself.

Available at:

Story:

The first book ended on a cliffhanger that made my heart ache for the female main character. She was led so far astray by her father and betrayed the wrong person. Even when she tried to correct her mistake and be loyal to the person who actually showed her some kindness, it seemed like nobody was willing to hear her out. While I could understand the other characters seeing only the worst in her as the daughter of their enemy anyway, I was hoping someone would at least cut her some slack. Throughout the story she fought for the cause and her husband even if it meant her own demise. There were points in the story where I felt like Lara was trying to martyr herself for the betterment of her newfound people. I liked that the story was complicated and strategic as far as digging themselves out of the hole that they found themselves in after the first book. I didn't think I would be all that enthralled with this second installment because the first was mid for me. But the espionage, alliances, betrayals, and the pursuit of freedom for all was much more pronounced in this second book.

Characters:

• Lara - I feel like Lara really grew in this book. In the first she was hard as stone and unfeeling in her pursuit of betraying Aren and helping her father secure the trade bridge. However, in this book she showed that she was more than just the vicious warrior that she was trained to be. She was willing to put herself in jeopardy every single step of the way in order to free Aren and stop her father. She bled for her new kingdom of people and did everything she could to prove to Aren that she may have been against him initially but that changed when she fell in love with him. I absolutely loved Lara in this book. I wish I could say the same for her damned husband.

• Aren - Aren was such a whiny brat through the entire book. He was so determined to not believe that Lara was on his side that he was willing to fight her every step of the way. He lied to her, he manipulated her, he used her, and he acted like he had zero feelings for her. He was willing to dig in his heels and refuse to follow her plans because she was the one who came up with it. He was so incredibly pigheaded that I struggled to find any of the likeability that he had in the first book. I wanted to strangle him more times than I could count and it only gave Lara another nod of appreciation that she managed to tolerate the selfish little baby man.

Writing:

The writing in this book was definitely heads and tails above the first book. I could really see how the author started to stretch her legs and fall into the comfort of her characters and the world that she was creating. I have read a couple books by Danielle L. Jensen and I knew she was a very skilled writer so the first book was likely new series jitters. After this one where the setting was immaculate and the characters had heart I knew that she was the author of merit I knew her to be.

Overall:

I thoroughly liked this second installment and found myself completely in love with the world of the Bridge Kingdom even more than I was from the first book. I am anxious to read more of the series and see what happens with some of the other characters. Especially Aren's sister who I find delightfully caustic in the best way.