Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Three weddings. Three funerals. Alessa’s gift from the gods is supposed to magnify a partner’s magic, not kill every suitor she touches.

Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and stop the invasion. When a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island’s only hope, her own soldiers try to assassinate her.

Desperate to survive, Alessa hires Dante, a cynical outcast marked as a killer, to become her personal bodyguard. But as rebellion explodes outside the gates, Dante’s dark secrets may be the biggest betrayal. He holds the key to her survival and her heart, but is he the one person who can help her master her gift or destroy her once and for all?

Emily Thiede's exciting fantasy debut, This Vicious Grace, will keep readers turning the pages until the devastating conclusion and leave them primed for more! 

Review:

When I first read the description of This Vicious Grace, by Emily Thiede, I thought,"Oh no, not another Chosen One saga".  But the beauty of this YA Fantasy novel is that there is so much more going on in it.  For one thing, the main character is one of several Chosen Ones.  Alessa may be the chosen savior of her island, but she is starting to think a mistake has been made.  She is desperately lonely, keeps killing the people she gets partnered with, and others are actively trying to assassinate her.  But, even with a lethal touch, she does finds ways to connect with others.

This story had wonderful world-building with a rich society (somewhat modeled after Italian culture), scary monsters, and an impending apocalypse.  There is also a fun, romance that brings two traumatizes characters together.  With themes of friendship and teamwork, this was an exciting beginning to a new YA fantasy series.  

What I liked:

World-Building:

This story is set in a world where the apocalypse happens on a regular basis.  Every five years, demons descend on the world, and it's up to the Finestra and her partner, the Fonte to destroy them.  Each Island has their own Finestra (basically, there are several "chosen " ones at the same time).  Once a Finestra saves her Island, she can retire, and perhaps train another Finestra some time in the future.  It seems pretty simple.  But, there are all kinds of rules and rituals that Alessa must follow in order to become the savior.

I loved all of the rituals, social customs, and class structures that the author created to make this world come to life.  She also created creatures that are the stuff of nightmares to really give the heroine a strong incentive to keep going.  

Characters:

Alessa is a strong, yet vulnerable heroine.  She has been deliberately isolated from her family in order to hone her gifts.  Of course, they also do this to protect everyone, as one touch from the Finestra can kill.  Since she has accidentally killed her three previous Fontes, she is petrified of failing her country.  

But, nevertheless, Alessa persists.  With people losing faith in her (and others trying to kill her), she could easily give up, but she does not.  She knows that, somehow, she needs to find a new way to become the savior she is meant to be.

Dante is similar to Alessa.  He is an outcast who also has the gift of strength. But with many childhood traumas, he doesn't think he is worth much.  Alessa hires him as her bodyguard, and he begins to see that he is more than what others tell him he is.  I found his story full of hope as he has to reconcile his past with his present.  

Alessa and Dante have a wonderful chemistry, and I loved how they helped each other to reach their full potential.

Friendships & Teamwork:

Much like the messages of friendship that are found in Harry Potter, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Vicious Grace stresses the power of connecting with people and nurturing friendships in order to grow stronger.  I can't say too much more without spoilers, but I love that message.  

Trigger Warning for child abuse.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  June 28th, 2022

Author:  Emily Thiede

Publisher:  Wednesday Books

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Page Length:  448 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format: E-Book

Recommendation:  With wonderful world-building and themes of teamwork and friendship, this is a promising start to this series.  If you enjoy fantasy, you will love this book.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The secret is hidden within a collection of Dior dresses...

London, 2017. There's no one Lucille adores more than her grandmother. So when her beloved Granny Sylvie asks for Lucille's assistance with a small matter, she's happy to help. The next thing she knows, Lucille is on a train to Paris, tasked with retrieving a priceless Dior dress. But not everything is as it seems, and what Lucille finds in a small Parisian apartment will have her scouring the city for answers to a question that could change her entire life.

Paris, 1952. Postwar France is full of glamour and privilege, and Alice Ainsley is in the middle of it all. As the wife to the British ambassador to France, Alice's job is to see and be seen--even if that wasn't quite what she signed up for. Her husband showers her with jewels, banquets, and couture Dior dresses, but his affection has become distressingly elusive. As the strain on her marriage grows, Alice's only comfort is her bond with her trusted lady's maid, Marianne. But when a new face appears in her drawing room, Alice finds herself yearning to follow her heart...no matter the consequences.

The City of Light comes alive in this lush, evocative tale that explores the ties that bind us together, the truths we hold that make us who we are, and the true meaning of what makes someone family.

Review:

Historical fiction is my favorite genre.  I love all the details of other eras, particularly of the clothes.  That's why I was so keen to read The Last Dress From Paris, by Jade Beer.  The story follows the wife of a British ambassador in Paris in the early 1950's.  I loved all the descriptions of that world, with the details of how each diplomatic event was planned, and the high fashion that needed to accompany it.  The story of the crumbling marriage of the ambassador and his wife, and the young man who gets in the middle of it was not very compelling.  Considering the young wife's life leading to that point it didn't make a lot of sense for her to risk everything.  With an ending that was surprisingly realistic, and not romantic in the least, I was not satisfied with the book.  This would make for a solid library read, but I wouldn't recommend buying it.

What I Liked: 

Setting/Details:

I'll never know what it's like to live in high society, or be a young bride in the 1950's, but the author's depiction of these things puts me in the center of it.  Living in Paris as the wife of an ambassador was full of social obligations to plan beautiful parties and receptions, and dress in the latest fashion.  I was particularly struck by how Alice had to weigh all her choices, right down to her choice in flowers, against any political implications.  She couldn't be seen as only favoring British things, or she would be insulting her French hosts.  But she also needed to make sure British influences were represented, as she and her husband were an extension of England.  It was a tightrope of balancing two opposing forces.

Fashion:

Alice reveled in her role as an ambassador's wife, and really loved that she had access to couture apparel by designers such as Dior.  As her husband was an ambassador, no expense was spared to dress Alice in the most exquisite gowns.  I loved the descriptions of the clothes, and how they were made.  These works of art were made to actually be worn, so the construction of each piece had many features to aid in the comfort of the woman who wore it.  We also get a glimpse behind the scene as Alice, and later Lucille, learn about the mannequins (the women who modeled the clothing).  These were hard working women who not only modeled the clothes in the showroom, they also had to endure countless hours standing stock-still as the designer draped various fabrics on them to find the perfect materials for each design.

Story:

I really enjoyed the more modern story of Lucille as she tries to solve the mystery of the eight dresses that her grandmother owned.  She travels to Paris, thinking that she only is there to retrieve one dress, but then finds that there are actually eight dresses, two of which are missing.  How could Lucille's grandmother own any Dior dresses, let alone eight?  And why can't the grandmother just tell her the story?  While I felt that these were legitimate questions, I loved the scavenger hunt this put the character on.  It was fun to unravel the mystery.  And I loved the people she met along the way.

What I Was Mixed About:

Story:

While I enjoyed Lucille's story, I was less impressed with Alice's tale.  And that's a problem, as it is the basis for Lucille looking for the dresses in the first place.  I am not going to go into too much detail, as I hate spoilers.  But, much of the story didn't make sense to me.  Given that Alice was much younger than her husband (she was 25, while he was in his 40's), I can understand that she was restless.  But she seems totally stunned that her husband is all business when he becomes ambassador.  I felt that the author gave him a personality change in order to justify that Alice was unhappy.  But she was certainly happy to wear Dior every chance she got!  The risks Alice took to find happiness seemed reckless.  I don't think a woman in such a high profile social position would have jeopardized her entire world for a budding romance.

Ending:

Again, I do not want to spoil anything.  But I thought the ending was really strange.  It was surprisingly realistic, given how romantic the novel wanted to be.  I really wanted the ending to be a lot more hopeful.  What I did enjoy was the resolution of Lucilles story, and that the mystery of the dresses was solved.  

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Release Date: June 16th, 2022

Author:  Jade Beer

Publisher:  Berkley Books

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Page Length:  384 pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format: E-Book

Recommendation:  If you love the world of Paris fashion, you may be able to get past some of the flaws in the story.  This would be a library read for me.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Nora's life is about to get a rewrite...

Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. As a romance channel screenwriter, it's her job. But when her too-good-to work husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns her marriage's collapse into cash and writes the best script of her life. No one is more surprised than her when it's picked up for the big screen and set to film on location at her 100-year-old-home. When former Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance, is cast as her ne'er do well husband Nora's life will never be the same.

The morning after shooting wraps and the crew leaves, Nora finds Leo on her porch with a half-empty bottle of tequila and a proposition. He'll pay a thousand dollars a day to stay for a week. The extra seven grand would give Nora breathing room, but it's the need in his eyes that makes her say yes. Seven days: it's the blink of an eye or an eternity depending on how you look at it. Enough time to fall in love. Enough time to break your heart.

Filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, Nora Goes Off Script is the best kind of love story--the real kind where love is complicated by work, kids, and the emotional baggage that comes with life. For Nora and Leo, this kind of love is bigger than the big screen.

Review:

Lately, I've read several romance novels.  I found Book Lovers, by Emily Henry, to be unrealistic with the characters having too much angst (I swear, in Book Lovers, every  decision (big or small) the main character made was fraught with haunting memories of the past.  It was just too much ).  And although I enjoyed The Treehouse on Dog River Road, the characters were annoyingly perfect.  I think I found the right balance of angst, fun, and romance with Nora Goes Off Script, by Annabel Monaghan.   There's the angst of Nora's divorce and it's effect on her kids.  There's the fun of Nora being a screenwriter and having a film crew at her home.  And the romance is swoon-worthy.  Could the hottest actor in Hollywood actually want to hang out with Nora in her very normal small town?  Is he interested in her, or just wants a break from his glamorous life?  

This was a really fun book to read.  I liked that everyone had their issues (even Nora's kids), but that they were all just people trying to get on with life.  There were many big moments, such as some of the characters winning awards, and small moments, like the kids participating in school plays and sports, that made this book both realistic, and super entertaining.  This would be a great summer read.

What I liked:

Settings: 

I enjoyed Nora's small town where everyone knows everyone else's business.  People know all about Nora's divorce from her husband Ben.  He was a dreamer who belittled Nora's writing talent, and wouldn't hold down a job.  And there was a mix of people who were supportive, pitying, and judgemental.  Nora is happy here with her kids, and the stunning sunrises that calm her each morning.

Other moments in the book take place in Hollywood.  I appreciated that this wasn't filled with too many cliches about fake people.  In fact, I would say that this was the opposite of that.  Nora meets some really big movie stars, and gets attention.  But she doesn't feel out of place.  She knows that this isn't something she can get used to, and just enjoys it for what it is.

Characters:

I really liked Nora and her family.  Nora felt like a whole person to me.  Yes, she falls in love with a movie star, and has her doubts about if this could turn into a long-term relationship.  But she never doubts her self-worth.  She had an ex-husband who constantly tried to undermine her, calling her writing cheesy. But, as she rightly points out, her writing has given her the ability to take care of herself and her kids. 

Since we're seeing Leo through Nora's lens, it's less clear what kind of person he is.  Is he a down-to-earth guy, or a narcissistic sociopath?   Their romance is sweet and doesn't seem too Insta-lovey to be real.  And he does seem to genuinely care about Nora and her kids.

Story:

This is about as formulaic as it gets, girl gets boy, girl loses boy girl gets him back.  But there's a reason that there are these roadmaps.  The stories work!  I liked that Nora and Leo actually have good conversations with each other as they fall in love.  And I really liked that Nora figures out a path forward when she loses him.  Their getting back together is a bit of a fantasy, but it was also really entertaining.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  

Release Date:  June 7, 2022

Author:  Annabel Monaghan

Publisher:  G.P. Putnam's Sons

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Page Length:  272 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  A fun, romantic summer book. You will love Nora and Leo!