It’s 1904, and Luna Park is being built on the sand dunes of Coney Island, Brooklyn. This is bad news for the rabbit Selena, because it will be built right on top of her burrow! Fortunately, she meets Millie, a girl who loves rabbits. She helps Selena cope with the loss of her home.

This magical story weaves together the tale of two friends, and how they confront the men who have destroyed Selena’s home. Against the backdrop of images of Luna Park, the story reaches a dramatic conclusion in nighttime Coney Island!

Take a trip back in time to Luna Park, when for a few pennies you could travel all the way to the moon!

This book is absolutely charming. I didn’t know anything about the history of Coney Island, but it was nice to see a little glimpse in the sprinkled real life details throughout the story. The art was breathtaking and seemed to perfectly capture that vibrancy you would imagine when these parks opened, as well as feeling appropriate to the period. It was a very cute story overall, with Selena the rabbit and Millie having a fun adventure together in the park.

Happy reading!

Twin sisters, both on the run, but different as day and night. One, a professional rogue, searches for a fabled treasure; the other, a changeling, searches for the truth behind her origins, trying to find a place to fit in with the realm of fae who made her and the humans who shun her. 

Iselia “Seelie” Graygrove looks just like her twin, Isolde… but as an autistic changeling trying to navigate her unpredictable magic, Seelie finds it more difficult to fit in with the humans around her. When Seelie and Isolde are caught up in a heist gone wrong and make some unexpected allies, they find themselves unraveling a larger mystery that has its roots in the history of humans and fae alike.

 Both sisters soon discover that the secrets of the faeries may be more valuable than any pile of gold and jewels. But can Seelie harness her magic in time to protect her sister, and herself?

I have a feeling I’m going to be looking to pick up a lot more fae books in the future, as I thoroughly enjoyed this one. First and foremost I felt that the worldbuilding especially was done really well. I felt fully immersed in the world as well as the characters’ stories. The characters themselves were well written and full of dimension, their struggles and relationships in a lot of ways were relatable and understandable.

The sisters, as well as their supporting characters were really compelling. I really liked not only the fantasy of the story, but also the ideas regarding real world issues (autism) and what they might have meant in the past. I would love to explore this story and world more to see what more is to come!

Happy reading!

Natalie Caña turns up the heat, humor and heart in this debut rom-com about a Puerto Rican chef and an Irish American whiskey distiller forced into a fake engagement by their scheming octogenarian grandfathers.

Kamilah Vega is desperate to convince her family to update their Puerto Rican restaurant and enter it into the Fall Foodie Tour. With the gentrification of their Chicago neighborhood, it’s the only way to save the place. The fly in her mofongo–her blackmailing abuelo says if she wants to change anything in his restaurant, she’ll have to marry the one man she can’t stand: his best friend’s grandson.

Liam Kane spent a decade working to turn his family’s distillery into a contender. Now he and his grandfather are on the verge of winning a national competition. Then Granda hits him with a one-two punch: he has cancer and he has his heart set on seeing Liam married before it’s too late. And Granda knows just the girl…Kamilah Vega.

If they refuse, their grandfathers will sell the building that houses both their businesses. With their futures on the line, Kamilah and Liam plan to outfox the devious duo, faking an engagement until they both get what they want. But soon, they find themselves tangled up in more than either of them bargained for.

I’ve been excited to give this one a read ever since I first heard of it. I’ve definitely been in need of some good rom coms, and this one did fit the bill. That’s not to say there weren’t some serious topics, such as PTSD, but I do wish some of those topics had been explored a bit more. In some ways it felt like they were glossed over.

Some of the characters absolutely made the story for me, I did really like the main characters even though they weren’t perfect. The grandfathers took the cake though. With that said, I did feel there was room for more character development and details. I did want it to be a light read, but I also don’t want it to be so light that it’s vague.

In the end I did really enjoy the story and it was a super easy read that flew by as I read it. I did really enjoy the different tropes and overall plot, so would definitely read from this author again.

Happy reading!

Meet 25 brave, compassionate scientists, veterinarians, activists, and others who fight for animal rights and conservation. Animal Allies takes readers all around the world—to the tops of trees and the bottom of oceans, deep into the jungle and high into the mountains.

Swim with the sharks alongside Eugenie Clark, build bat houses with Amanda Lear, nurse a baby hippo to health with Christina Gorsuch, and protect endangered seahorses with Amanda Vincent and Heather Koldewey.

With a foreword by zoologist Lucy King and activities curated by conservationist Bindi Irwin, this book is sure to inspire animal lovers everywhere. Plus, scannable codes let you listen to longer stories on the Rebel Girls App!

I love love loved this installment in the Rebel Girls series! Any kind of animal advocacy and conservation is a dear subject to me and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about so many girls in the wildlife space that I did not know about. As with other installments in the series the interactive aspect, art and activities included were perfect for the tone of the book and series itself.

Happy reading!

The Second First Chance is a big, wonderful, messy love story about family, heartbreak, strength and courage. It shows us that sometimes what we want is what we least expect, and that everything we need is often right in front of us.

Strength comes in many different forms.  

Riya Desai and Dhillon Vora grew up together. Sharing secrets, hiding in their tree house, they were playmates, best friends and later—as teenagers—almost something more. Until the devastating house fire that ripped them apart, claiming the life of Dhillon’s father and Riya’s big brother, Samir. Riya and Dhillon have barely spoken since that terrible night, but they both made big decisions based on that fire.

Riya has chosen to fight fire with everything she’s got, but it’s not easy. As the only female firefighter and one of the only people of color at her fire hall, she has to prove herself over and over. Plus, she’s hidden her career from her family.

Dhillon wanted to heal things, so he became a veterinarian. When a chance encounter with a rescue dog throws Riya and Dhillon together again, he’s furious at her career choice. After what happened to them, how can she run into fires on purpose? For Riya, Dhillon’s anger is unacceptable: How can he not see that she’s protecting others from the very losses they both experienced?

This book sounded like a fun, possibly second chance lovers or enemies to lovers, so I wanted to give it a read. First and foremost, I really enjoyed the culture that was woven into the story. It featured dynamic characters, especially Riya and a ton of emotion as the two leads as well as others went through the process of healing and reconciling after the traumatic event that impacted them and altered their lives.

All in all this was a very emotional and touching story that was full of culture, growth and healing. The writing was easy to read and flowed really well, making the story easy to progress through. Shroff is definitely an author I would pick up again after reading this.

Happy reading!

A young woman’s life is torn apart when her wealthy ex-lover is found dead—along with his wife.

Vera is ruthlessly ambitious, beautiful, and knows how to get exactly what she wants—no matter who stands in the way. When she meets a wealthy older man on an exclusive dating app, she thinks nothing of the wife he tells her he’s separated from. But days later, when the man and his wife are found dead in their home, Vera is immediately blamed for their deaths and branded as good as a murderer.

A year later, she emerges from a cocoon of self-pity and tries to reenter the world, but the specter of scandal still clings to her. Then she’s invited to a memorial for the wife of her former lover. As she learns more about the family, and about the couple and their friends, she begins to suspect there was more to the story than an affair gone wrong. In a quest for redemption, Vera uncovers layers of lies and close-kept secrets held by an inner circle of filthy rich tech millionaires who will go to any lengths to protect their reputations.

Slow burns in any genre can be a hit or miss for me, sometimes I find they can’t hold my attention, but this one didn’t have that problem. I was engaged from the get go and invested in the story.

I did enjoy how dependent on the story the characters were and though I didn’t always like Vera, I was always engaged by her story as the facts came to light and the mystery unraveled. There are some real life issues woven in, which was nice to see, as well as the complexity in the characters, especially Vera.

There were definitely some reveals that were predictable, but overall it was an enjoyable and captivating read.

Happy reading!

There are summers that will change your life.

There are summers that may end it.

In the lush green hills beyond Florence sits the Villa Medici—a graceful pensione surrounded by manicured gardens. Rachel, a college student from an unfashionable London suburb, can’t believe her luck in landing a summer job here. Especially when she’s drawn into a circle of privileged young sophisticates, including her glamorous coworker Diana, who promises to help Rachel win the affections of handsome, confident Sebastian.

But as champagne flows and rivalries fester in the Tuscan countryside, Rachel realizes that Diana has motivations of her own. Adrift in a world of backstabbing and bed-hopping, lavish parties and easy betrayal, Rachel feels the stakes rising along with the temperature until, one night, something snaps. Someone dies. And nothing will ever be the same…

In this atmospheric thriller set in sun-drenched Tuscany, Lizzy Barber weaves a deadly web of manipulation and desire that will keep readers enthralled until the breathtaking last page.

If you’re looking for a book full of twists and turns, plus lots of surprises, this is definitely one for you. At times some of the reveals seemed a little much, especially when none of the characters end up being overly likeable for a number of different reasons. By the end it seems no one is wholly good. I did really enjoy the way the pace was as well as the anticipation that was set up throughout the book, there wasn’t really any lull that would make you want to put down the book. The writing style was engaging as well, which really helped with the overall flow of the book. There certainly was some over the top elements, but in a dark and twisty book that’s not always a bad thing.

Happy reading!