Review: Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth

Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance 

ISBN: 9781250884893
Release Date: May 28, 2024 Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Viola Reyes is annoyed.

Her painstakingly crafted tabletop game campaign was shot down, her best friend is suggesting she try being more “likable,” and her school's star running back Jack Orsino is the most lackadaisical Student Body President she’s ever seen, which makes her job as VP that much harder. Vi’s favorite escape from the world is the MMORPG Twelfth Knight, but online spaces aren’t exactly kind to girls like her—girls who are extremely competent and have the swagger to prove it. So Vi creates a masculine alter ego, choosing to play as a knight named Cesario to create a safe haven for herself.

But when a football injury leads Jack Orsino to the world of Twelfth Knight, Vi is alarmed to discover their online alter egos—Cesario and Duke Orsino—are surprisingly well-matched.

As the long nights of game-play turn into discussions about life and love, Vi and Jack soon realise they’ve become more than just weapon-wielding characters in an online game. But Vi has been concealing her true identity from Jack, and Jack might just be falling for her offline…

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night gets the reimagined in a high school setting treatment a la ‘90s and early 2000s rom coms in Twelfth Knight. Alexene Farol Follmuth pays homage to The Bard while making this story fully her own and the result is a delight.

It’s grumpy meets sunshine with Vi and Jack. Vi is a gamer who – thanks to rampant sexism in the gaming world – plays as a male knight named Cesario in her favorite MMORPG. Jack “Duke” Orsino is a football star whose world turns upside down when his knee is busted. Jack’s at a crossroads in his life and it doesn’t help that his girlfriend, Olivia, is avoiding him. When his friend recommends he pass the time with Twelfth Knight, Jack ends up teaming up with Cesario and the friendship he develops with his online friend is a stark difference to the bickering he and Vi do in real life.

What will happen when Jack learns that his sword-wielding friend is the same sharp-tongued grump he’s falling for? I’ll leave readers to find out. But I will say that this was an absolutely charming story with well-drawn characters and an entertaining plot. I liked seeing Cesario and Duke Orsino open up to each other online while Jack gets over, under, and through Vi’s barriers in the real world. There are just enough references to Shakespeare’s play to keep an enthusiast entertained but not so many that this book can’t stand on its own.

Twelfth Knight is about letting down your walls, letting people see the real you, and trusting that they will be there and love you as you are. I loved the gaming aspects, both seeing it through the experienced Vi’s eyes and the new-to-gaming Jack’s viewpoint. Jack and Viola are joined by a wonderful cast of characters who are as endearing, flawed, and unique as they are. All in all, this was a fun read that also took its characters on engaging journeys of personal growth.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: Wild Man by Kristen Ashley

Wild Man by Kristen Ashley
Series: Dream Man, Book 2
Publisher: Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance 

ISBN: 9781455599202
Source: Publisher and Purchased By Reviewer
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

She’s about to walk on the wild side…

While filling the display case in her bakery, the bell over the door sounds and Tessa O'Hara looks up to see the man of her dreams. Within thirty seconds he asks her out for a beer. But after four months of dating, she discovers he's an undercover DEA agent-and he’s investigating her possible role in her ex-husband’s drug business. For Tess, this means their relationship is over.

Brock disagrees. He’s committed to his anti-drug mission, but he’s fallen in love with the beautiful woman who's as sweet as her cupcakes – and he’ll do anything to win her back. Standing between Tess and Brock are their own exes, one of them a drug lord who’s determined to get what he wants. Now as danger threatens, can Brock break the rules he’s lived by and let loose his wild side to protect the woman he loves?

I have a confession to make: after reading the first Dream Man book, Mystery Man, I was pretty indifferent to Brock. But since I try to avoid skipping books in a series whenever possible – and I was really excited to dive into the third Dream Man book – I figured I’d give Wild Man a try. I’m so glad I gave Brock a chance. He surprised me in all the best ways and is one of my favorite Kristen Ashley heroes. He’s a wild and sexy alpha male, strong and protective, and just plain hot. He’s got a huge heart and will do anything for those he loves. Brock isn’t perfect; at forty-five he’s incredibly set in his ways and has a few bad habits he’ll never change. But his flaws make him a three-dimensional character and the fact that he isn’t perfect and does make mistakes is what makes him a more interesting hero. Tess is sweetness and sprinkles with some hidden scars. She survived an abusive marriage and didn’t let it crush her spirit. She gets swept up by Brock but also has her way of tempering him when it’s important.

Wild Man doesn’t actually have a big conflict in the romance. It’s more family drama and outside forces that Brock and Tess face together. There isn’t a strong plot but that honestly didn’t matter that much because it was enjoyable enough to follow the main characters through their daily lives. It’s Kristen Ashley, so there are the usual larger-than-life supporting characters. Actions and especially reactions tend to be dialed up to eleven and you just have to go along for the ride. I’ve read Wild Man several times over the past few years and each time it’s highly entertaining. In true Kristen Ashley fashion it’s over the top and the large cast of characters isn’t shy about getting up in each other’s business. But Brock and Tess are at the heart of it all and theirs is an engaging story to watch unfold.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased a copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: Mind Games by Nora Roberts

Mind Games by Nora Roberts
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Romantic Suspense with Paranormal Elements 

ISBN: 9781250289698
Release Date: May 21, 2024
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.

Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.

The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse—because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them—and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…

Thea Fox’s idyllic childhood is shattered forever when her parents are murdered. Though she’s in Kentucky with her grandmother when it happens, Thea can see everything as it happens and is instrumental in putting the killer away for life. But the killer has the same gift as Thea and as she grows up, he is edging ever closer in her mind. Now as an adult, successful, talented, and with a burgeoning relationship, Thea’s going to have to face down the monster she’s been waging a silent war with for years.

Mind Games is a romantic suspense with a healthy splash of the paranormal. At its heart, it’s Thea’s story. Nora Roberts takes readers from Thea’s childhood in Redbud Hollow through college and into adulthood as Thea grows and thrives in the aftermath of a horrific tragedy. I adored Thea’s grandmother, Lucy, and her brother, Rem. They have strong personalities and are as vital to her story as the hero. Thea’s career as a video game designer was also entertaining to watch and I liked that Roberts spent time on it. The killer she helped put away is always in the background, however. While he’s locked up in prison, he and Thea share a psychic talent that is increasingly intruding on Thea’s mind. It’s different having a villain who isn’t physically a threat and that makes it interesting. Thea (and thus the readers) never know when he’ll break through the barrier she puts up to keep him out.

While Mind Games is a romantic suspense, the romance doesn’t begin until the latter half of the story. Ty is a single dad who guards his privacy and whose past has made him wary of trusting others. I adored watching Ty with his son and can see why Thea falls for him. He and Thea have an easy chemistry that makes their slide into a relationship enjoyable to watch unfold. The romance is understated but I really enjoyed the story as a whole so I didn’t mind.

Mind Games kept me hooked from first page to last. The characters were interesting, the setting vibrant, the romance sweet. There was humor, heart, and action aplenty, and the climax of the story was satisfying. Roberts never fails to draw me in and this book was no exception.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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