#ellieroth

Title: Game of Hearts (Longview Romance #3)

Author: Ellie Roth

Rating: 5/5 stars

Thanks to BookSirens and Ellie Roth for providing me with a free advance review e-copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After police officer Britney Connally has a bad interaction with a magical enchanter at a hold-up, she decides she needs to find a way to stop it from happening again.  Meanwhile, journalist blogger and natural enchanter, Elena Zhao, is looking for a non-magical model to pair with in an upcoming enchanter competition. If Britney will pair with Elena for the competition, then in return Elena will help Britney build up her defences against enchantment.  Unfortunately, Elena’s blog is well known for criticising the Magical Crimes Division, the very department Britney has always dreamed of working for and has finally been offered an interview with. Can they stand being around each other long enough to achieve their goals?

What a stellar final instalment for this series.  Yet again, the characters in this series won my loyalty, to the point I had to slow down my reading towards the middle of the book as I didn’t want things to go wrong for them (I am a wimp!). I was dreading a certain encounter but was happily rewarded by an epic verbal evisceration instead, which left me grinning with satisfaction. Elena and Britney were a great pairing, and while they weren’t as passionate as Shiki and Mehmet from book 2 (“Winner Takes All”), there was a definite warmth that kept me rooting for them (and occasionally wanting to bang their heads together).  The rest of the characters were their usual joyous, chaotic selves, and Shiki’s POV chapter was a cherry on top of a cake of a book.

Final thoughts: A brilliant conclusion to a wonderful series.

Who would enjoy this: Fans of the opposites-attract trope, found family, and magical realism. 

Title: Winner Takes All (Longview Romance #2)

Author: Ellie Roth

Rating: 5/5 stars

Thanks to BookSirens and Ellie Roth for providing me with a free advance review e-copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to a series of events (see Book One, “Just Like Magic"), Shiki Gonzalez is now the second-place magic user in his area, behind his arch-rival Michael Vernon. While out practising one day, he comes across Mehmet Argitakos, a lower-ranked advanced magic user who trained with the previous champion, Chris Lewis. Teaming up in training for the upcoming Blizzard tournament seems like a win-win situation for both, especially for Mehmet, who’s had a crush on Shiki for a while.

Okay, wow, this one got me hooked! I found myself interested in the mechanics of the magic system, something I often gloss over in fantasy novels, and the analytics (possibly because I’m a bit of a nerd for spreadsheets and statistics!). But obviously, it was the characters that really drew me in. The crew from book one are all back, though playing a lesser role; Mehmet’s family are a fun addition, and Michael Vernon is truly a villain I’m happy to hate. I totally bought the chemistry growing between Shiki and Mehmet, and Shiki’s backstory was heartbreaking. As usual, Ellie kept the steam low and mostly fade-to-black on spice, but I felt like I was right there in the room and needed a fan! She almost lost a star during the third-act breakup (as I was getting really frustrated about it), but I understood why it was needed as a plot device for the ending to work.

Final thoughts: A fantastic middle book for this series set in a world of magical contests.

Who would enjoy this: Fans of the friends-with-benefits-to-lovers trope, found family, and magical realism.  

Content warning: Historical sexual assault and grooming of a minor are mentioned.

Title: Just Like Magic (Longview Romance #1)

Author: Ellie Roth

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thanks to BookSirens and Ellie Roth for providing me with a free advance review e-copy of this book, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When your father is an anti-magic State Governor and your stepmother is a prosecutor known for targeting magic users, it’s a shock when your 15-year-old kid sister suddenly develops magical powers. Anwer Alexander must find a witch, quickly, to help his sister control her abilities before their parents find out and potentially throw her out of the house. Enter Christian Lewis, the current Tri-State magic user champion, who just happens to need bailing out of jail. 

What I liked:  This was Ellie Roth’s debut novel, which she is currently re-releasing. As a fan of her recent releases, I naturally jumped at the chance to review it. This was super cute and I can see a recurring theme in Roth’s urban fantasy series, utilising a younger vulnerable character as a catalyst to bring together unlikely allies. Yet, each series remains unique. 

This story uses allegory well, shining a light on political tyranny. Anwer and Chris’s world is much like our own, except magic is real, and some politicians exploit fear of it to win votes, much like how real-world politicians often scapegoat minority groups.  I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the characters. Serious points to Ellie for making me cry (twice), along with the usual chuckles from the banter.

What didn’t work for me: I didn’t get a strong sense of time passing in the text, so I didn't feel the attraction build between Chris and Anwer resulting in a sort of insta-love scenario for our two MC’s.  A few extra scenes during the summer may have helped flesh out their connection.

Final thoughts: A sweet romance story set in a well-developed magical world, with a nice balance of humour and emotional depth.

Who would enjoy this: Fans of enemy-to-lovers trope, found family, and magical realism.