THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN by Roshani Chokshi

My review of THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN by Roshani Chokshi:



From Goodreads:

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire...

But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most. . .including herself.

A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. The Star-Touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget.

What I thought:

From the first page, I loved this story. Cursed and ostracized, Maya is at once charming and heartbreaking. I wanted to hold her hand and follow her through the story, and I'm not a hand-holding kind of girl. Wow. The language here is stunning and the world building is expertly done. 

Amar. Sigh. His words. Sigh. I seriously couldn't adore him more. It's hard to explain what this book did to me without spoilers, so I'll just say that I savored every page. I highly recommend this book. 

*I received an eARC of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I honestly loved it so much that I bought a physical copy so I could pet it like a kitten. This one gets all the stars ***** and you can find it on Goodreads to order your very own because you need this book in your life.

Are you dying to read this? Have you already read it? What did you think? Leave me a comment and find me on twitter @chellypike.


Happy reading, 
Chelly

P.S. Can anyone please tell me where I can acquire my very own demon horse? Because I need one.

MY PERFECT MISTAKE by Kelly Siskind

MY PERFECT MISTAKE by Kelly Siskind




Goodreads says:

What happens in Aspen
is definitely not staying in Aspen. . .

A girls’ trip to Aspen was exactly what Shay needed to forget about her toxic ex-boyfriend. She’s got her girls, pristine slopes for skiing, and hot guys everywhere. Of course, her epic self-rediscovery goes completely to hell when a wild (and deliciously hot) skier knocks Shay on her ass . . . and war is declared. 

Kolton doesn’t know what it is about Shay that makes him lose it. Not just his cool—although she does have an unholy gift for that—but his restraint. When anger gives way to explosive chemistry, they’re both shaken with the intensity of it. But somewhere between lust and hate, Kolton and Shay realize they could have something real . . . if they don’t kill each other first.

My thoughts:

Hate-to-love is my favorite romance trope.

The beginning of the book is explosive. Hot. Hot. Hot. Their chemistry is off the charts. I loved the immediate connection (figuratively and literally) between these two. Shay is snarky and funny. She's self-aware and ...complicated. Kolton is smoking hot and pushes all Shay's buttons. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

No insta-love here. They're both carrying some serious baggage and have to put aside their pasts to find their Happily-Ever-Afters. Real life and past relationships test them at every turn. I'm not a big fan of kids in romance, and there is a kid in this one, but it works here to show the other side of Kolton.

Overall, I really loved MY PERFECT MISTAKE. I'm giving it 4.5 stars and highly recommend it. If you haven't read CHASING CRAZY, click the link for my review. Trust me, you need both.

Happy reading,
Chelly

P.S. Have you read it? Are you going to read it? I'd love to know what you think. Leave me a comment or find me on twitter @chellypike.