Author: Cristina (Girl in the Pages)

House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J Maas | Review

Posted June 13, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I went into the second installment of Sarah J Maas’ urban fantasy series with no real expectations- I enjoyed House of Earth and Blood well enough, but it definitely didn’t hold the same space in my heart that the TOG and ACOTAR series did. You can imagine my surprise when House of Sky and Breath caught me so entirely and utterly off guard with its ending. Screaming, crying, throwing up (not really, but still). Literally shrieking from my bedroom, causing my husband to ask what the heck had possibly happened (and I promptly read him the last two pages, as […]

Cozy Mystery Mini Reviews | Four Aunties and a Wedding (ARC) & Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead

Posted June 6, 2022 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

There’s something about the books in this series that are so absurd, yet they somehow just work. Picking up shortly after where Dial A for Aunties left off, Four Aunties and a Wedding follows protagonist Meddy at her own wedding this time, where (of course) a massive chain of disasters ensue. You know how they say how doctors make the worst patients? That’s basically what happens in this novel, with, you know, your casual mafia twist. Meddy and her aunties run a wedding planning business, and are now looking for vendors for their own family wedding. Meddy doesn’t get much […]

Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein | ARC Review

Posted May 30, 2022 in Books / 0 Comments

In a market that’s super saturated with romance novels, Meant to Be Mine had a premise that instantly caught my eye. How does one navigate life, dating, romance, and feelings when you know you won’t meet your predestined match until a certain date? This is a classic fate vs. choice premise, and it made for a thoroughly fascinating story. As stated in the premise, Edie’s beloved grandmother has an (arguably) supernatural knack for matchmaking, and has successfully predicted dozens (if not more) matches via the date they will meet. Edie, who has always greatly admired her grandmother and seeks to […]

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean (Tokyo Ever After #2) | ARC Review

Posted May 23, 2022 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

If you’ve been reading my reviews over the years, you know that one of my absolute favorite series in the whole wide world is The Princess Diaries, and that I am a sucker for the normal-girl-finds-out-she’s royalty trope. Naturally, Izumi’s story of finding out she’s the illegitimate daughter of Japan in the Tokyo Ever After series is right up my alley! I actually found that I enjoyed the second book in this series quite a bit more than the first, because as a reader I adored getting to see how Izumi has adjusted to royal life and what her life […]

Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton | ARC Review

Posted May 16, 2022 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

When I tell you that I LOVE the epic story of the Perez family that Chanel Cleeton has created, I am not kidding! Every installment in the series is an instant “add-to-TBR” book for me, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review an early copy of the newest addition to the Perez family’s history, Our Last Days in Barcelona. In Cleeton’s newest novel, readers follow eldest Perez sister Isabel who’s often been in the background as the dutiful, quiet sister. After a few years from their escape from Cuba to Florida, Isabel has been married off to […]

Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare | ARC Review

Posted April 18, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’m a huge fan of paranormal witch stories, and the fact that witchy rom-coms are popular right now is making my little book blogger heart burst with joy! Therefore, when I had the opportunity to read Go Hex Yourself, I couldn’t say no! Following down on her luck but still optimistic Reggie and seemingly dark and dangerous warlock Ben, this grumpy-sunshine romance checked all the boxes of what I was looking for in a cute, quick romance with some intriguing lore around magic and curses. Romance wise, Go Hex Yourself is serviceable, but Reggie and Ben’s love story isn’t one […]

The No-Show by Beth O’Leary | ARC Review

Posted April 10, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I can never resist a romance novel that combines an interesting synopsis with an adorably illustrated cover, so I knew I had to read The No-Show by Beth O’Leary, even adding it to my Most Anticipated Reads of the First Half of 2022 list. I was thrilled to be approved on NetGalley to read what I thought was going to be an anti-romance, John Tucker Must Die type of story…and let’s just say while the story was compelling, I was way off base in my predictions! The story follows three female protagonists who all have the same love interest but […]

Running Wild by K.A. Tucker (Wild #3)

Posted February 28, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

I cannot even begin to explain to you how much I love this series, this setting, this world. The Simple Wild duology (+novella) is one of my FAVORITE all time contemporary/romance series, and one that I had to buy physical copies of for my home library after digitally borrowing for my library (not something I do that often these days, as the past few years I’ve shifted more toward focusing on e-books). When I found out K.A. Tucker was returning to her fictional Alaskan world to focus on Marie of all characters (IYKYK) I couldn’t help but anticipate it was […]

Welcome Home, Meeko!

Posted February 23, 2022 in Lifestyle / 2 Comments

When I tell you that 2022 has been a RIDE so far, I’m not kidding, and the first 10 days were perhaps the craziest of all. Max and I keep joking that we can’t wait to be back in *precedented* times, because ever since we got married in 2019 it’s been one major life event and/or global disaster after another. However, it seems like a boring year just isn’t in the cards for us, as we kicked off 2022 with adopting a new cat. Meet Meeko! Our adoption story of Meeko is sort of wild. We lost both of our […]

Made in Manhattan by Lauren Layne | ARC Review

Posted February 21, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ll admit, the cute cover of this novel was what drew me to it on NetGalley. Coupled with the Gossip Girl-esque setting (which is my forever reference point for books set in bougie New York society, sorry but that’s what being a teen in the early aughts will do to you) I decided to request on a whim and hope for the best. I was pleased to discover that Made in Manhattan is a super cute, fun romance that was honestly just what I needed after struggling with an urban fantasy book that I eventually DNF’d. Made in Manhattan follows […]