Reviews: A Heart So Fierce And Broken + Mermaid Inn

A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

pub 1/7/20 by Bloomsbury YA
Young Adult - Fantasy
Received ARC from pub for review

⭐⭐⭐💫 3.5 stars | It was so easy to slip back into this world! I was excited to reunite with Harper and Rhen and find out what happened to Grey. But I feel like it's important to mention that I expected the story to continue being told from mainly Harper's point of view and Rhen's. That definitely affected my reading when I realized it would be Grey and a new character, Lia Mara's, story this time. It was still a good story, don't get me wrong! And I've always loved Grey. But I admittedly missed Harper, Rhen and their specific trio's dynamic throughout. That said, the arc of this series overall still affects everyone. Despite the curse being broken, Prince Rhen's troubles continue as rumors of him not being the true heir spread and forbidden magic gets unleashed in Emberfall. But the focus is on Grey, who's been on the run since he destroyed Lilith and discovered his true identity. He doesn't want the crown but when a Queen from a rival kingdom, Karis Luran, threatens to take Emberfall, it's her daughter Lia Mara that teams up with Grey. She wants him to consider what's best for both kingdoms (namely him), even if it means admitting to Rhen and everyone they know who he really is. I definitely enjoyed that aspect of the story. At times in the first book, Grey felt like more than just an ordinary guard and I loved seeing him come into his own and figuring out his identity. What rubbed the wrong was that this had to happen at the expense of the Rhen we (or at least I) fell in love with during the first book and it didn't help that we were only getting one side. Maybe if Harper still had a perspective, that would've helped to balance it out more.

Do I recommend? | I do! It's a fun series and I enjoy Kemmerer's writing a lot.

Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday

pub 1/28/20 by Forever Romance
Contemporary Romance
Received ARC from pub for review

⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars | Mermaid Inn, which is the first book in Jenny Holiday's new series Matchmaker Bay, is a sweet second chance romance featuring a heroine with a heartwarming journey. Eve Abbott hasn't been back to Matchmaker Bay since having her heart broken by her high school love, Sawyer Collins. But when Eve's aunt passes away and leaves her Mermaid Inn, she returns and is a bit overwhelmed (at first!) by what she finds. She's got an inn to fix and run, a small town constantly looking over her shoulder (with the best of intentions) and Sawyer, now the police chief, right where she left him. But there's more to their break up than she realizes, and the sparks are definitely still there. I liked Eve and Sawyer's relationship and I could feel the chemistry especially as we went back and forth between their past and present. But I never felt fully invested in it, as much as I wanted them to get their happily ever after. Still, it was fun to watch Eve navigate her way through the relationship and her place in Matchmaker Bay as she remembered the times she spent with her aunt and Sawyer in the past and befriended new people in the present. Ultimately, I felt the story was much more about Eve deciding who and what she wanted, which appealed to me more than the romance.

Do I recommend? | Yes, it's a cute book to borrow from the library if you're mood for something short and sweet!