Heir, Apparently by Kara McDowell

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication Date: 7/9/24

Pages: 336

Source: Netgalley/ from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (thank you, Wednesday Books!)

An American teen learns she may have accidentally married the King of England, only to end up stranded on a tropical island with him in this highly-anticipated sequel to The Prince & The Apocalypse. Freshman year is stressful enough without accidentally being married to the King of England. Of course, Wren Wheeler can’t tell her Northwestern classmates about that; after surviving a narrowly-averted apocalypse over the summer, everyone’s had enough excitement for one lifetime. Wren knows she needs to move on from Theo, but she can’t forget the look in his eyes when he left her on that island in Greece—and also, he took her dog. When an ill-fated attempt to rescue Comet the Apocalypse Dog turns into a chemistry-fueled reunion with Theo that’s caught by the paparazzi, Wren finds herself under the royal spotlight. Suddenly, she’s a problem for “the firm” to solve, and in order to be protected from the rabid press, she’ll have to fly back to London with Theo. Along for the ride are Naomi and Brooke, as well as Theo's siblings, including Henry, the brother he's spent his life being compared to. But because the universe can’t let these two maybe-newlyweds have one conversation in peace, their plane goes down over the Atlantic, crashing on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Stranded with no sign of rescue, the group will have to band together against poisonous animals, catastrophic injuries, a brotherly rivalry, and an ill-timed volcano if they’re going to make it out alive. And, scariest of all, Wren and Theo will have to face their feelings for one another and decide what they want their futures to look like—and if that future will be heartbreak, or happily ever after.

• I knew I had to devour Heir, Apparently after that ending McDowell left us with in The Prince and the Apocalypse. Just like the first, the book was a fun, good time!
• If you are looking for a serious, even believable tale, this really isn't that book. It's silly and dramatic but filled with tons of heart. Similar to the first book, readers may find discussions on triggering topics that include anxiety and depression. 
• While the apocalypse isn't as imminent as it was in the first, there are still plenty of moments that feel dramatically high stakes. I certainly was on the edge of my seat several times, just wondering how everything was going to unfold. Readers will find the easy readability of the writing lends itself to the perfect book to read in one sitting. 

 The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publication Date: 4/9/24

Pages: 387

Source: purchased

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor. Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

 Our Cursed Love by Julie Abe

Julie Abe's OUR CURSED LOVE is a magical 50 FIRST DATES meets LOVE AND GELATO set in Tokyo, Japan―about destiny, the impact of the choices we make, and the magic of true love. Six days to remember. Love or lose him forever. Remy Kobata has always wished she was destined to be with her best friend, Cam Yasuda. All the way from being neighbors from birth to mixing up magical prank potions together to their “just friends” homecoming date during their senior year in high school, nothing’s a secret between Remy and Cam―except for how much she is in love with him. Remy is trying to work up the courage to confess her feelings during their winter break trip to Japan, when she gets selected for a mystical tea leaves reading and it reveals that they’re not meant to be together. After they stumble upon a secret magical apothecary in the back alleys of Tokyo, Remy and Cam are offered an ancient soulmate elixir, created before all love potions were banned by the magical government. They each have their reasons for wanting to take it, but what could go wrong with finding your soulmate a little earlier? Except, after they drink up, their senior year trip flips into the worst vacation Cam has forgotten who Remy is. If she can't help Cam remember her by midnight New Year’s Eve, they’ll both be cursed to forget each other. To unravel their past and rewrite the future, Remy and Cam must travel through Tokyo to rediscover Cam’s memories and make new ones―and maybe even fall in love all over again.

 Change of Plans by Dylan Newton

Publisher: Forever

In this charming romantic comedy, a hometown hero comes to the rescue of a chef unexpectedly left to care for three little girls—who may end up saving him too. When disaster strikes and chef Bryce Weatherford is given guardianship of her three young nieces, her life goes from cooking with fire…to controlling a dumpster fire. Five‑year‑old Addison refuses to remove her fairy wings, eight‑year‑old Cecily won't bathe, and tween June is majoring in belligerence. With all this chaos, Bryce jettisons hope for a life outside of managing her family and her new job. It's been years since Ryker Matthews had his below‑the‑knee amputation, yet the phantom pain for his lost limb and Marine career haunts him. To cope, he focuses on his vehicle restoration business. He knows he's lucky to be alive. Yet, “lucky” feels more like “cursed” to his lonely heart. When Ryker literally sweeps Bryce off her feet in the grocery store's baby aisle, they both feel sparks. But falling in love would be one more curveball neither is ready to deal with… or is it exactly the change of plans they need?

• This is the third in a companion series that follows each of the Matthews brothers. While they technically can be read in any order, I do suggest reading them chronologically since there may mild spoilers for certain events that come before.
• I absolutely adored reading Newton’s companion series, finishing it out with Change of Plans. If you're looking for a lovely contemporary romance that is both heartwarming and a little steamy, these books are for you. They have all the small-town vibes and a romance that will have you smiling from ear to ear.
• While the small-town vibes certainly brings some added coziness and charm, Change of Plans is also filled with serious and even tearjerker elements. The book follows Bryce and Ryker. Bryce is struggling to find balance ever since her brother and his wife passed, leaving three lovely girls in her care. The elements of grief in this felt raw and emotional. Though readers of the rest of the series have met him before, Ryker reveals sides of his character we have only ever gotten glimpses of in the previous books. As a veteran, Ryker is still trying to accumulate to life after being at war. He suffers from PTSD and night terrors. For a cute contemporary romance, Newton got serious by adding more difficult and hard-hitting topics. While it was a bit darker than her other two Matthews books, I'm glad she didn't shy away from these two characters’ authentic stories.

• I found that I was taking my time with reading this book, because I just didn't want it to end. Every chapter, every page had me feeling all the feels - ready to cry one minute, while laughing out loud the next.
• One of my favorite things of this whole companion series has been the mention of real-life places that readers can actually go and experience. Change of Plans, like the rest of the books, is primarily set in Wellsville, New York, which is very real place. Newton also mentions Rochester, New York’s Nick Tahou Hots, a restaurant that I would love to visit in real life to feel even more connected to these characters. Customers of the restaurant can even order a garbage plate just like Ryker and Bryce did in the book! The books are written so well that readers feel like they are walking down the street of Wellsville. It's wildly immersive! 
• Dylan Newton writes incredibly well. The contemporary romances I've read from her have been so honest and lovely. Newton has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

 The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell

Publisher: Wednesday Books

An American teen stranded in London is forced to team up with the British crown prince if she wants to make it back home before the end of the world in this delightfully rompy high-stakes rom-com. Wren Wheeler has flown five thousand miles across the ocean to discover she’s the worst kind of traveler: the kind who just wants to go home. Her senior-year trip to London was supposed to be life-changing, but by the last day, Wren’s perfectly-planned itinerary is in tatters. There's only one item left to check off: breakfast at The World’s End restaurant. The one thing she can still get right. The restaurant is closed for renovations—of course—but there's a boy there, too. A very cute boy with a posh British accent who looks remarkably like the errant Prince Theo, on the run from the palace and his controlling mother. When Wren helps him escape a pack of tourists, the Prince scribbles down his number and offers her one favor in return. She doesn’t plan to take him up on it—until she gets to the airport and sees cancelled flights and chaos. A comet is approaching Earth, and the world is ending in eight days. Suddenly, that favor could be her only chance to get home to her family before the end of the world. Wren strikes a bargain with the runaway prince: if she’ll be his bodyguard from London to his family’s compound in Santorini, he can charter her a private jet home in time to say goodbye. Traveling through Europe by boat, train, and accidentally stolen automobile, Wren finds herself drawn to the dryly sarcastic, surprisingly vulnerable Theo. But the Prince has his own agenda, one that could derail both their plans. When life as they know it will be over in days, is it possible to find a happy ending?

• I have had this book on my radar since it was first announced. The synopsis made it sound like such a delight. Royalty romances are one of my favorite things but add the pending doom of the world ending and I'm entirely sold. 
• I have never read a book by Kara McDowell so I went into the book not knowing what to expect. McDowell's writing, however, lends for a quick and fun reading experience. The superb writing allows readers to feel immersed in the world she has created. I rarely cry when reading, but McDowell's writing, coupled with the end of the world situations, had me tearing up.
• There is representation of depression in this, including suicidal thoughts. I wasn’t expecting it, since I went into the book expecting a cute romance based on the cover. It may be triggering for some.
• While the end of the world is no laughing matter, McDowell couples that seriousness with a swoon-worthy romance. With the mashup of genres, I had initially wondered how the book would read. Fortunately, the book does not feel disjointed in marrying two very different elements. The Prince and the Apocalypse is even fast-paced enough to be a great summer read.
• There's an underlying feeling of sadness to the whole book. I mean, the world is ending and these characters have to make impossible choices but I didn't expect it to feel so heartbreaking and real. In part, McDowell's writing immerses you in this world with Theo and Wren. Honestly, I was dreading the end, not only would the book be over, but I would have to say goodbye to these characters in more way than one. The ending was upsetting. If only I could have had 50 more pages to stay longer in the world.
• The two main characters, Theo and Wren, are forced together when an impossible situation—the end of the world—occurs. While I usually don’t read books that involve apocalyptic events, I found McDowell's take on how the world would fall into chaos to be entirely believable. The apocalypse is as much of a character as Theo and Wren as it continues to stand in their way and moves their every decision. It brings about some great tropes like forced proximity, fake dating, and even a road trip. The book was fantastic, and most definitely not to be missed!

The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell was such a great read. It was truly a breath of fresh air as it marries a royal romance with the apocalypse. If you adore end of the world plots or romances that make you swoon, you will simply love this book.

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