Category Archives: Romance

Review: The Last Best Quest Ever by F. T. Lukens

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The Last Best Quest Ever by F. T. Lukens

The Last Best Quest Ever
F. T. Lukens
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published May 26, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Last Best Quest Ever

A fraudulent teen quester must team up with a brooding, royal rival on a perilous adventure to save her brother’s life in this cozy young adult romantasy full of mythical creatures by the New York Times bestselling author of Spell Bound and So This is Ever After.

Seventeen-year-old Ellinore has the best questing record of anyone in the kingdom’s history. She also has a secret: her fame is built entirely on lies. Tired of the charade, she shocks the kingdom by retiring at a royal feast. But her plans for a quiet life are disrupted when her twin brother Zig bets his life that Ellinore can retrieve the horn of the mythical Elder Beast. To save Zig, she reluctantly sets out on one last, perilous quest.

Accompanying her are Zig, determined to help despite his recklessness; Aven, her envious rival eager to prove their superiority; an ambitious bar maiden turned adventurer; and a young, magic-wielding bard. Together, they face an arduous journey fraught with mythical challenges and shifting alliances. As they search for the Elder Beast, Ellinore grapples with her growing feelings for Aven, her fear of losing Zig, and her identity as a reluctant hero.

With time running out, Ellinore must confront not only the legendary creature but also her own truths. Can she save her brother, embrace her potential, and finally decide her path?

My Review

This was my most-anticipated read for 2026, so I was delighted to get a free copy from the publisher. I’ve been a huge fan of the author’s books since I first read Spell Bound in 2023. I think all three of their books that I’ve read would be considered contemporary fantasy, so I was excited to try this more traditional fantasy story. Though the story doesn’t make any overt Dungeons and Dragons references, it very much felt like the kind of quest one might play.

I grew up reading Blue Moon Rising by Simon R. Green, and though this story is more on the cozy side of fantasy, some of the humor reminded me of that book. I love a fantasy that pokes fun at genre tropes, and Lukens does that beautifully, if more subtly here.

The romance between Ellinore and Aven develops believably. It takes some time for Ellinore to recognize the feelings she’s having about Aven, and then it takes time for the two to actually talk about or acknowledge their feelings, but things roll out in a satisfying way.

I wish that the whole confrontation to acquire the horn of the Elder Beast had a little more going on in it. I won’t say it was anti-climactic, but it definitely kept to the cozy fantasy landscape rather than building to a peak of tension. The confrontation between Ellinore’s party and the mages toward the end of the book is really funny, though. I appreciated the humor in that scene and the tension that built up in that moment quite a bit.

All in all, I would say this only further cements my love for Lukens’ books. I think I have copies of the two they’ve written that I haven’t read, so hopefully I’ll get to those soon.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Mythical creatures and the use of magic. Some creatures are deities and created others. There’s a simple heirarchy in the story that’s very easy to follow.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and brief battle violence. It’s all pretty PG level.

Drug Content
References to visiting a tavern where people are presumably drinking alcohol, though none of the main characters do this.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz

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The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Deya Muniz
Little, Brown and Company
Published May 9, 2023

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About The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

A funny, heartfelt YA romance about finding love—and lots of grilled cheese sandwiches—in the place you least expect it, from rising talent Deya Muniz.

Lady Camembert wants to live life on her own terms, without marriage. Well, without marrying a man, that is. But the law of the land is that women cannot inherit. So when her father passes away, she does the only thing she can: She disguises herself as a man and moves to the capital city of the Kingdom of Fromage to start over as Count Camembert.

But it’s hard to keep a low profile when the beautiful Princess Brie, with her fierce activism and great sense of fashion, catches her attention. Camembert can’t resist getting to know the princess, but as the two grow closer, will she able to keep her secret?

A romantic comedy about mistaken identity, true love, and lots of grilled cheese.

My Review

As a pretty devoted cheese fan, I really enjoyed this playful book. The character names and places are all cheeses or cheese-related. I loved the emphasis on grilled cheese.

I also like that the story explores Cam’s choice to live publicly as a man as a complicated experience. It begins as a necessity for her financial survival and ultimately becomes a vehicle through which she influences others and finds love.

The illustrations, like the story, have a really playful feel to them. I love the images that show details about fashion and how the Princess uses fashion as a part of her activism. The color palettes of both main characters– soft pinks and light colors for Princess Brie and bolder, darker colors for Count Camembert– contrasted well and balanced nicely on the pages.

Overall, I had a great time reading this one. I would absolutely pass this book to anyone who enjoyed The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used once.

Romance/Sexual Content
Two characters fall in love. References to women needing to marry to rule or inherit wealth.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed this book from my local library. All opinions are my own.

Review: Charmed and Dangerous by Shelly Page

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Charmed and Dangerous
Shelly Page
Joy Revolution
Published March 24, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Charmed and Dangerous

A teen mystic will do anything to solve a series of love-related magical mishaps plaguing her high school, including fake dating her boss’s daughter, in this charming sapphic romance.

Magic lingers in the cozy town of Fair Glen, Illinois, and it’s up to the agents at the Bureau of Mystical Affairs to keep it in check. Monroe Bennett, a junior recruit at the Bureau, is ready to ace her first tracking down the source of a rogue love charm.

Protecting her charmed classmates, including the bureau director’s daughter Iris James, is top priority. But when Iris asks Monroe to fake date her to make her ex jealous, things get complicated. 

Monroe believes in duty, not romance. Yet the more time she spends with Iris, the harder it is to ignore the very real sparks flying between them. Can Monroe protect herself from love long enough to solve this case, or will her growing feelings get in the way?

My Review

This is the cutest book. I love how the premise involves these goofy charmed objects gone wrong and this serious government agency (Think Men in Black, but for magic gone awry) stopping them.

The romance has a hint of grumpy-sunshine vibes, which I find endearing. I like that each girl has something to learn through the course of the story, though. It’s not simply a tale about a girl who doesn’t like romance learning that love is pretty amazing. Iris also has to learn some things about the difference between romance and love.

The magical items going haywire add a lot of comedy to the scenes and keep things light. The romance develops at a good pace, which also made this a really fun read.

I liked that the story features an inclusive cast and adds complexity to the characters’ relationships with their parents without letting those relationships dominate the story. I loved Monroe and Iris as a couple, so it was easy to root for them from their first scene together.

If you like contemporary fantasy or romantic comedy, I highly recommend this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Charmed objects use magic for convenience or havoc. Even the helpful charms can go awry as they degrade over time. When used inappropriately, charms can harm others.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy by Erin Edwards

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The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy
Erin Edwards
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published April 7, 2026

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About The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy

Mr. Darcy got his happily ever after in Pride and Prejudice, and now it’s his sister’s turn in this swoony queer romance, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

Georgiana Darcy has only ever kissed one girl before, and the resulting blackmail almost ruined her reputation. Since then, she’s carefully calibrated her life to be as quiet as possible, focusing on books and music. She certainly isn’t planning on falling in love with another girl. But then she meets Kitty Bennet, and everything is thrown off kilter.

After a moonlit kiss shifts their newfound friendship into something more, Georgiana follows Kitty to the Bennets’ home. The visit proves ill-timed when she encounters the one man who knows her secret and threatened her with it before. Terrified of testing the limits of her family’s love and of putting Kitty in danger, Georgiana doesn’t know if there’s any chance of a happy ending.

Every etiquette guide she’s ever read makes it clear that if she wants to protect her family name, Georgiana must pretend her heart follows society’s accepted rhythm. Unless, with a little help from those who understand how it feels, she can compose the future she and Kitty both deserve.

My Review

It’s always interesting to read a spin-off of Pride and Prejudice. It’s the work by Jane Austen that I’m most familiar with (and a go-to audiobook when I’m having trouble sleeping), so I sometimes get picky about how authors reimagine or eliminate certain story elements.

This story takes place after the original timeline and follows the coming-of-age of Georgiana Darcy. It also features Kitty Bennet, the sister most overlooked in the original.

I liked how the book reimagines both Georgiana and Kitty. Both characters felt like they could conceivably be found in the original novel, but our understanding today of neurodivergence and identity gives the characters’ interpretations new space to expand. I especially love that, in this story, Georgiana is a composer as well as a musician. That was a nice touch. Kitty wants to explore the world, which seems very much in line with her impulsive nature in Austen’s novel.

Some minor characters seemed a little oversimplified, but for the most part, I appreciated getting to see this familiar cast on scene in this sweet story. I enjoyed the development of the girls’ romance, and especially loved that Edwards included an older couple to mentor them at a critical moment.

All in all, if you’re looking for a sapphic regency era romance, definitely try this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Vague references to homophobia or fears of homophobic reactions to coming out. References to a blackmail situation before the story began.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Heiress of Nowhere by Stacey Lee

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The Heiress of Nowhere
Stacey Lee
Sarah Barley Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published March 17, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Heiress of Nowhere

An orphan races to uncover a killer—who may have come from the sea—when she and her beloved orcas fall under suspicion in this “atmospheric…beguiling” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) historical gothic mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee.

1918. Orcas Island, Washington.

Lucy Nowhere has spent her eighteen years working on the vast estate of the eccentric shipbuilder who took her in after she washed ashore in a green canoe as a baby. But she has long wished for a life off the island, and in a matter of days, she is set to leave for college—and, for the first time, choose her own future.

Then she finds her employer’s severed head on the beach. Rumors swirl that a mischievous spirit and its minions, the sea wolves, have struck again. Lucy doesn’t believe in myths. She knows that a human—a human murderer—killed him. And when she is unexpectedly named heiress to the estate, she understands the next target is her.

Her closest friend, the estate’s vigilant young guard, begs her to escape while she can. But Lucy knows the only way she can discover who she is, and free the island of its curse, is to find the real killer—before she becomes the next victim.

My Review

I’m super late to the Stacey Lee fan club, but wow, I loved this book. It’s so different than other books I’ve read. The story has a bit of a spiritual or magical edge, plus all the tension of a murder mystery. I thought those elements, along with the historical setting, made this a very memorable reading experience.

Heiress of Nowhere brings together many plot elements and a fairly large cast of characters, but Lee keeps these components in perfect balance. I felt like I got a sense of the characters and invested in the relationships Lucy formed. One of my favorite characters was the secretary. I didn’t expect her to be such an important part of the story, but I loved the way that Lucy bonded with her and Flossie.

The murder mystery and the mystery surrounding the orcas and their behavior absolutely propelled me through this book. I ate up every breadcrumb that the author dropped and guessed at all the clues. It was a very engaging read.

Something about this book made me think of Angeline Boulley’s books. This story doesn’t center on Indigenous people or beliefs, but it does explore some of the history of Chinese immigrants in Washington state. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend reading Heiress of Nowhere.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
One character experiences a supernatural connection between themself and an animal. Rumors hold that another person experienced a connection like this, too.

Violent Content
References to the death of animals. A man’s head washes up on the beach after he’s murdered. Reference to a similar murder years before. Someone attacks another person and threatens to torture them to death or end their life quickly if they tell a secret. Two men get into a fistfight several times. References to an argument in which someone shot someone else in the leg. Reference to possible death by suicide (happens off-page).

Drug Content
Characters consume alcohol in a few scenes (legally).

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Sparking Fire Out of Fate (Forging Silver into Stars #3)
Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury YA
Published January 27, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Sparking Fire Out of Fate

Broken loyalties. Uncertain fates. Two kingdoms hanging in the balance. . . The exhilarating finale in bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer’s Forging Silver series will leave readers breathless!

Callyn has grown closer to Queen Lia Mara in Syhl Shallow, bonded by the secret magic they share. But their magic can stay hidden only so long, especially when a dangerous plot on the Queen’s life forces Callyn to work with the man who betrayed her.

In Emberfall, Tycho and Jax are struggling to rebuild their connection after months apart, complicated when they learn of Truthbringers causing trouble at the borders. Sent to investigate together, Jax and Tycho soon discover that the rebellious faction has formed a devil’s bargain with the magical scravers to destroy human magic once and for all.

When their missions bring them together, Tycho, Jax, and Callyn find themselves facing threats from all sides. With one last chance to save their magic and their kingdoms, they must work together, or lose everything.

War has erupted. Love is tested. And without sacrifice, magic could destroy everyone.

My Review

It’s so weird to finally reach the end of this series, which is itself a spinoff of the Cursebreaker series, which started in 2019. (I think the first book in that series is still my favorite of them all, but I’ve enjoyed all the books. It’s hard to beat watching Harper and Rhen fall in love.)

By this point, so many books into this fantasy universe, I felt like I knew Kemmerer’s writing and the rules of the world, so I felt pretty confident that I knew what to expect from the book. And for a story like this, I feel like that’s a pretty great place to start reading. The series had made certain promises, and this book delivered on them all.

I liked the way that all the threads of the story (both stories, really) came together in the end of this one. I liked seeing the evolution of Tycho and Jax’s relationship as well as Callyn and Alec’s. There was a time when I did not think I could give Alec a chance, so it was cool to see how the story softened my feelings toward him and made me start rooting for him and Callyn to truly open up to one another.

I’m glad I stuck this series through to the end. It’s been a fun one to read, and really cool to follow especially the characters who appeared in Cursebreakers across both series to the end.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. A couple of scenes include explicit sexual contact.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic. In certain circumstances, magic can be used to control others, which causes a lot of fear. Scravers are humanlike with wings, sharp claws, and long fangs. They have their own magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes in which people sustain serious or fatal injuries. A group of soldiers discovers a courier who was murdered. A mob clearly intends to kill mages.

There are a couple of vague references to sexual assault that happened to one character long before the story began.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol. References to one character drinking way too much and sort of absenting herself from her life and responsibilities for a time.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my library. All opinions are my own.