Showing posts with label Harlequin Trade Publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harlequin Trade Publishing. Show all posts

Friday, April 3, 2026

Peasreads: Your Soulmail Is Attached A Novel by Joan F. Smith

Your Soulmail Is Attached by Joan F. Smith
Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA
Pub Date Apr 14 2026


What can I say about this book? As described below, this book is about people receiving information about who their soulmate is. The world is changed overnight.  It isn't a hoax, it isn't traceable. The whole concept of a soulmate and there being one person that is out there for you is so mindblowing and unbelievable as it is. Then there is the question of what a soulmate is. The author, Joan F. Smith, must have done a lot of research. I had a very narrow description of what I considered a soulmate to be. Reading different takes on what a soulmate could be, reading how knowing could potentially be both good and bad for a population. It was so very interesting. I found myself going back and forth about how I would feel about knowing, if I would want to know, and what if I didn't like the information I was given? This made the book very interesting to me.
The FMC Olivia is thrust into the limelight as she accidentally becomes a viral sensation, and all of a sudden, all eyes are on her and her reports about Soulmail. Olivia doesn't want to know who her soulmate is. She's faced with many obstacles in navigating this new life and new world. I didn't agree with much of what she did but I could see what drove her to make the choices she made. Her character and history are complex. Navigating a world where information like this is out there is so new and nuanced. Smith did a wonderful job with this engaging, interesting romance that is so much more. Such a unique way to write about soulmates.


Description
What if everyone in the world found out who their soulmates are at the same time?
 
Olivia Adler’s life is picture-perfect: a behind-the-scenes job she loves in a bustling Manhattan newsroom, an engagement to golden-boy Wells, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to create the documentary she’s always wanted to make.
 
Then one sleepless night, everything unravels.
 
One message on Wells’s phone shatters her engagement.
 
A second message—an anonymous global email quickly dubbed Soulmail—shakes the world.
 
Delivered to every individual on earth, Soulmail reveals the name and birthdate of their soulmates. Suddenly, love as the world knows it is rewritten overnight, and Olivia accidentally becomes the face of the phenomenon when she reports on the story live and goes viral.
 
With millions watching her every move, Olivia resolutely refuses to open her Soulmail. She’s not ready for fate to make her choices—especially not now. But when she crosses paths with her childhood best friend—the boy she loved and lost—everything she thought she knew about destiny, timing, and love comes into question.
 
Is true love written in the stars…or something we choose for ourselves?

Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.
Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA, for this galley. I was under no obligation to leave a review. All opinions are my own. 
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Friday, October 3, 2025

Peasreads- Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson



 Oh this book was so fun to read! I'm laughing, clutching my pearls, and hungry for more.  What a great take on on the Greek Gods and Aphrodite's story.  I loved the writing style, and the "footnotes" from Aphrodite herself were hilarious.  This is the first book I have read  by Phoenicia Rogerson, but it won't be the last. 


Pub Date Nov 11 2025

From the award-winning author of Herc, an enrapturing feminist tale that brilliantly reimagines the story of Aphrodite and how she transformed herself from a lowly outsider to the darling goddess of love, for readers of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint.


Aphrodite saw the gods on Mount Olympus and decided she wanted a piece of what they had. Only problem is, she’s not a goddess, just a lowly being who's supposed to remain in a distant cave, keeping the threads of Fate woven neatly. But Aphrodite’s never let anyone tell her what to do…


Weaving herself a web of lies and careful deceptions, she convinces everyone she’s the goddess of love and that her rightful place is among the Olympians, who lord it over everyone else at the top of the world, but under the stifling rule of Zeus. For the first time, she has the best of everything, as well as friends, peers, even loved ones. Only, being a goddess isn’t quite like she thought. Those who oppose Zeus tend to disappear, or worse. And one day, Aphrodite decides she’s had enough…

#Greek #greekmythology #aphrodite #ares #zeus #currentRead #TBR #readme

#instabook #instaread #booktok #BooksOf2025 #ToBeRead #read #reading #Peasreads #reader #books #fantasy


Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

Goodreads reviews.
Thank you @harlequinbooks
@hanoversquarepress @NetGalley for this egalley. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.
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Saturday, June 7, 2025

Peasreads: A Magic Deep and Drowning by Hester Fox

 Set in the Dutch Golden Age this story has the fun storytelling, magic, and folklore woven into the reimagining of The Little Mermaid. Smart and beautifully done.

Clara, the main character, was likeable and I cheered for her. I could relate to her and understand the reasoning behind many of her decisions. Her people, her wonderful nursemaid, I liked them. Without giving any spoilers away, I think if Clara knew from the start how her beautiful home was procured she would have been a force to be reckoned with from the start. The great thing is that with the knowledge learned along the way, she was smart, brave, and resilient. She loved her people, but she could also see the wrong done to others for her to have the life she lived. Maurits is the other main character. I enjoyed his charm and care, until he just got sappy. Yes, be in love, but be smart about it.  His flowery words were almost too much for me. I could see how his being so enamored by the human world made things easy for his brother, the antagonist. Maurits was irresponsible, and it was hard to reconcile my feelings for him with how things turned out. I would have liked him more if the book were longer. If more time were taken to develop his character, and give him more depth and maturity. The magical creatures and folklore were such great additions. This story is an entertaining, fun read. It is also a read that makes you think about climate change, slavery, and oppression.  Hester Fox didn't write the topics of climate change, slavery, and oppression into the book in a glaring way; they are woven in seamlessly, and they are the foundation of how the town was built and how it thrived. They are what the wealthy stand on. There is no way to gloss over that. 

Description: Set in the waning days of the Dutch Golden Age, this enchanting, lu rsheimagining of The Little Mermaid is perfect for fans of Jesse Burton’s The Miniaturist and Leigh Bardugo’s The Familiar.

The Dutch Republic, 1650. One fine spring day in Friesland, twenty-year-old Clara van Wieren is faced with an ill omen: a whale, beached and rotting in the noonday sun. But Clara doesn’t believe in magic and superstition, and this portent is quickly dismissed when a proposal from a wealthy merchant arrives, promising Clara the freedom she seeks from her mother’s overbearing rule.

When her attempts at overseeing the household at the family’s estate lead to her chance encounter with a young man with russet hair and sparkling eyes the color of the sea, she finds herself strangely drawn to him. As Clara grows closer to Maurits, she must choose between the steady, gentle life she has been raised for and the man who makes her blood sing.

But Maurits isn’t who he seems to be, and his secrets, once hidden beneath the waves, threaten to rise up and drown them both. And when an ancient bargain, forged in blood between the mythical people of the sea and the rulers of the land, begins to unravel, Clara finds herself at the heart of a deadly struggle for power.

What can you expect in A MAGIC DEEP & DROWNING?
Lush & Enchanting
Gender-swap of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid
Historical Fantasy
Set in 17th Century Netherlands
Family Secrets
Atmospheric Vibes 
Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

I received this egalley from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House I was under no obligation to give a review. All opinions are  my own.  

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Friday, January 10, 2025

Peasreads: I Am Not Jessica Chen -Ann Liang

I finished this in one day.  One. 

Are the MCs in highschool? Yes.  

Am I in my late forties? Yes. 

Was it still a great read for me? Absolutely yes.

 This book was sad and eye-opening not only as a parent but personally. So many times we try to live up to other people's expectations. We never can. We also try to live up to the strict expectations we put on ourselves. These expectations are impossible at any age. The MC Jenna had expectations put on her by her parents, but she also heaped on even more impossible expectations for herself. We so often do that. Not realizing that those who love us, truly love us as we are and that they too are imperfect.

As a parent reading this book broke my heart to hear about how these students feel in these situations where it's all about how your grades are, if you're in enough extracurriculars, are they the right extracurriculars, I just felt so bad for these kids. I wanted to scoop them up and comfort them. I also was angry at the environment that was made for some to succeed regardless of the effort they put in, while also being a place for others to potentially succeed if they don't rock the boat.


From the Publisher

Harlequin Teen, Jan 29, 2025 - Young Adult Fiction - 384 pages

Jenna Chen has spent her life in the shadow of her flawless cousin. Jessica Chen is so smart she gets the top score on every test. Jessica Chen is so beautiful people stop in the hallway to stare at her. Jessica Chen is so perfect she got into Harvard.

And Jenna Chen will only ever be a disappointment.

So when Jenna makes a desperate wish to become her cousin, the last thing she expects is for it to come true — literally. All of a sudden she gets to live the life she’s always dreamed of...but being the model student at cutthroat Havenwood Private Academy isn’t quite what she’d imagined. Worse, people seem to be forgetting that someone named Jenna Chen ever existed. But isn’t it worth trading it all away — her artistic talent, her childhood home, even the hope of golden boy Aaron Cai loving her back — to be Jessica Chen? 

HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins | Harlequin Teen

Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.
Amazon reviews Katereviews.
I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this per the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Sunday, September 22, 2024

Peasreads: The Book Swap Tessa Bickers

 

This is such a fun refreshing read. I liked the writing style. The story is unique. Each of the characters grew with the story. The care that was taken to address trauma. The love for books and writing. 

Thank you Tessa Bickers for sharing this one with the world. I've already recommended it to do many of my reader friends. 


Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

 

 Find more book reviews here under Peasreads.

Amazon reviews Katereviews.

I received this book from NetGalley for this review. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are  my own. 
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