Ivy Whitaker (Author of Don't Say "I Do")

Ivy Whitaker is now following Cindy Houghton Author of Bad Liar: A Dark Romance Anthology
Mar 20, 2024 07:13AM · like
Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing A Return of Ghosts (The Coyote And The Claw #2) by C.G. Coppola (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I鈥檒l start by saying that A Return of Ghosts isn鈥檛 what I would typically reach for. Superheroes and superpowers are meant to be consumed in comic books鈥攏ot movies, television shows, or books. If you couldn鈥檛 tell, I was a bit of a comic book nerd gr ...more
Feb 14, 2024 09:16AM · like · see review · See a Problem? We鈥檇 love your help. Let us know what鈥檚 wrong with this preview of A Return of Ghosts by C.G. Coppola. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you鈥檙e looking for? Preview 鈥� A Return of Ghosts by C.G. Coppola <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing Kellen (Beckett Brothers Ranch, #2) by Remy Fisher (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Yet another short and sweet installment of Remy Fisher's, Beckett Brother Ranch series. I was super excited to get the opportunity to be a part of the ARC team for this book. It's another short, sweet, and spicy read that's sure to make all y'all count ...more
Oct 11, 2023 12:01PM · like · see review
Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing The Alpha's Resurrection (AfterEnd #3) by Marlowe Roy (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
First, thank you to and Marlowe Roy for the opportunity to review this book! To be completely honest, I was a bit nervous about dipping my toe into the omegaverse. As someone who finds the romance genre as deeply problematic (mor ...more
Sep 20, 2023 05:46AM · like · see review
Ivy Whitaker rated a book really liked it Wonderlight by Tina Spencer (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
AN INTRODUCTION First, I鈥檇 like to thank Tina Spencer and for allowing me the opportunity to review this book. Next, this review does include some spoilers, so please, proceed with caution. If you are someone who struggles with s ...more
Sep 20, 2023 05:36AM · 1 like · like · see review
Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing Keagan (Beckett Brothers Ranch Book 1) by Remy Fisher (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Anna was hired to take care of Keagan鈥檚 tough-as-nails mother. It doesn鈥檛 take long for Anna to fall in love with the Beckett Brothers Ranch, but the lingering question is whether that affection extends toward one Beckett Brother in specific. Keagan ...more
Aug 30, 2023 02:57PM · like · see review
Ivy Whitaker wants to read The Alpha's Resurrection (AfterEnd #3) by Marlowe Roy (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 28, 2023 08:41AM · like
Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing Garden Spells (Waverley Family, #1) by Sarah Addison Allen (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Can you believe that I read The Peach Keeper and The Sugar Queen before I dove headfirst into Sarah Addison Allen鈥檚 debut, Garden Spells? Well, I did. And at this point, my blog is starting to feel like a Sarah Addison Allen stan blog. I make no apol ...more
Aug 28, 2023 06:55AM · 1 like · like · see review · See a Problem? We鈥檇 love your help. Let us know what鈥檚 wrong with this preview of Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you鈥檙e looking for? Preview 鈥� Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing The Firekeeper鈥檚 Daughter by Angeline Boulley (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Young Adult is a 鈥渉it or miss鈥� genre for me. I always go into them with an open mind and heart. Sometimes, the stories fall flat, or the writing is far too juvenile for me to enjoy. And others, I fall face-first in love. Firekeeper鈥檚 Daughter is the ...more
Aug 28, 2023 06:52AM · like · see review
Ivy Whitaker rated a book liked it The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. So, I recently joined a book club on Fable with some of my bookish friends (#neverreadalone, you should definitely check them out). The first book I read with them was Donna Tartt鈥檚, The Goldfinch. The story begins with Theo De ...more
Aug 28, 2023 06:51AM · like · see review

Ivy Whitaker is now following

Cindy Houghton

Author of Bad Liar: A Dark Romance Anthology

Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing

A Return of Ghosts (The Coyote And The Claw #2)
by C.G. Coppola (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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I鈥檒l start by saying that A Return of Ghosts isn鈥檛 what I would typically reach for. Superheroes and superpowers are meant to be consumed in comic books鈥攏ot movies, television shows, or books. If you couldn鈥檛 tell, I was a bit of a comic book nerd gr ...more

Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing

Kellen (Beckett Brothers Ranch, #2)
by Remy Fisher (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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Yet another short and sweet installment of Remy Fisher's, Beckett Brother Ranch series.

I was super excited to get the opportunity to be a part of the ARC team for this book.

It's another short, sweet, and spicy read that's sure to make all y'all count ...more

Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing

The Alpha's Resurrection (AfterEnd #3)
by Marlowe Roy (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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First, thank you to and Marlowe Roy for the opportunity to review this book!

To be completely honest, I was a bit nervous about dipping my toe into the omegaverse. As someone who finds the romance genre as deeply problematic (mor First, thank you to and Marlowe Roy for the opportunity to review this book!

To be completely honest, I was a bit nervous about dipping my toe into the omegaverse. As someone who finds the romance genre as deeply problematic (more on that later), there are several things in the omegaverse genre that make me simultaneously want to run in the opposite direction and paint myself blue and charge into battle. That being said, the blurb was incredibly enticing and caught my attention. I promised myself that I would drop this book at the first red-flag. Surprisingly (and fortunately), Marlowe passed my, 鈥渢his doesn鈥檛 make me want to throw up鈥� test immediately. Brava!

The Alpha鈥檚 Resurrection follows Zorah, who finds herself in the Morris Hill Pack in hopes of finding a mate before her traditionalist family forces her to mate her cousin (ew). During her stay, she catches the attention of a disgraced Alpha named Jake. They鈥檙e drawn together, unable to escape fate that binds them together. However, to be with her, Jake would likely lose everything. Maybe even his life.

First, I have to tip my hat to Marlowe. They write beautifully. It was just the right blend of straight-forward and flowery-prose, making the story flow without feeling too bogged down with (as I like to call it) writerly-fuck-fuck[1]. The pacing was very good, giving us a good blend of establishing information and momentum. The story hit the ground running and just kept going, which I was grateful for!

I don鈥檛 like to pick up books in the middle of a series, so I was a bit nervous about feeling lost. Roy did an incredible job with writing this as a standalone. I was deliberately trying to find the references to prior books and it was done so well, it felt like background information, and not at all like an info dump. From what I gleaned, you do not have to read the other books to enjoy The Alpha鈥檚 Resurrection, but I have every intention of going back and reading the first two.

The Alpha鈥檚 Resurrection is certainly something that spice-lovers will enjoy. I tend to gravitate toward books that are mild-medium spice (I鈥檓 still strongly advocating that we base our spiciness off a salsa metric). This book was very much so on the hot side of salsa.

A few things to note: if you hate the miscommunication trope, you will not like this story. It does rely heavily on the main characters not knowing how to words at each other. As someone who is largely indifferent to the trope, it was bordering on agitating. Also, if you鈥檙e looking for a hyper-toxic-masculine alpha-hole, Jake doesn鈥檛 fit the bill.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 enough to convince me to dive head-first into the genre, but it鈥檚 certainly enough to make me want to follow Marlowe Roy to see what they come up with next! All in all, it was beautifully executed and the perfect example of how a mid-series standalone should be written.

[1] writerly-fuck-fuck : Ivy-ism for when writers are feeling themselves a bit too much and wax poetic for too long.
Ex) 鈥en pages to describe one specific tapestry鈥�

In a sentence: This book just has too much writerly-fuck-fuck.

If you want to read more reviews like this, ...more

Ivy Whitaker rated a book really liked it

Wonderlight
by Tina Spencer (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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AN INTRODUCTION
First, I鈥檇 like to thank Tina Spencer and for allowing me the opportunity to review this book. Next, this review does include some spoilers, so please, proceed with caution. If you are someone who struggles with s ...more

Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing

Keagan (Beckett Brothers Ranch Book 1)
by Remy Fisher (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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Anna was hired to take care of Keagan鈥檚 tough-as-nails mother. It doesn鈥檛 take long for Anna to fall in love with the Beckett Brothers Ranch, but the lingering question is whether that affection extends toward one Beckett Brother in specific. Keagan ...more

Ivy Whitaker wants to read

The Alpha's Resurrection (AfterEnd #3)
by Marlowe Roy (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing

Garden Spells (Waverley Family, #1)
by Sarah Addison Allen (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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Can you believe that I read The Peach Keeper and The Sugar Queen before I dove headfirst into Sarah Addison Allen鈥檚 debut, Garden Spells? Well, I did. And at this point, my blog is starting to feel like a Sarah Addison Allen stan blog. I make no apol Can you believe that I read The Peach Keeper and The Sugar Queen before I dove headfirst into Sarah Addison Allen鈥檚 debut, Garden Spells? Well, I did. And at this point, my blog is starting to feel like a Sarah Addison Allen stan blog. I make no apologies.

I鈥檝e written many glowing reviews before, lauding Sarah Addison Allen as my new favorite magical realism author. After having read her debut, Garden Spells (the first book in the Waverly Family series), I can safely say that my opinion holds true.

If I had found Garden Spells when it was first released, I would have turned into a mouth-breathing fanatic, stalking Allen鈥檚 social media until she gave me something else to sink my teeth into.

Garden Spells is more than just a story about a tree that produces prophetic fruit. It鈥檚 about the Waverlys, a family native to Bascom, North Carolina, who are tasked with keeping the tree鈥檚 secrets. And their own. Claire Waverly鈥攁 caterer who makes truly magical meals鈥攁nd her elder cousin Evanelle are all who are left. But when Claire鈥檚 older sister Sydney reappears with a daughter and shadows nipping at her heels, their quiet routines are turned upside down. Haunted by ghosts old and new, the Waverly sisters must come to terms with everything that has torn their family apart and everything that can put them back together.

I have always loved Allen鈥檚 ability to weave together multiple storylines, blending friendship, romance, and mystery seamlessly to create engrossing, heart-warming tales. This is one of those books whose story haunts me, even though it鈥檚 been a long time since I read the last page and set this book down. This book will always be one that I wish I could read for the first time all over again.

Garden Spells is a truly cozy, healing read that makes its readers wistful for hot, southern nights spent on the porch, watching the fireflies. If you鈥檙e looking for something to warm your spirit and take you out of reality for a while, I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

If you liked this review, check out my blog!: ...more

Ivy Whitaker rated a book it was amazing

The Firekeeper鈥檚 Daughter
by Angeline Boulley (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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Young Adult is a 鈥渉it or miss鈥� genre for me. I always go into them with an open mind and heart. Sometimes, the stories fall flat, or the writing is far too juvenile for me to enjoy. And others, I fall face-first in love. Firekeeper鈥檚 Daughter is the Young Adult is a 鈥渉it or miss鈥� genre for me. I always go into them with an open mind and heart. Sometimes, the stories fall flat, or the writing is far too juvenile for me to enjoy. And others, I fall face-first in love. Firekeeper鈥檚 Daughter is the perfect example of a book that turns me into a bumbling, heart-eyed idiot.

Firekeeper鈥檚 Daughter, Angeline Boulley鈥檚 debut novel has earned accolades, including a nomination for Best Debut Novel in 2021 and the Winner of Best Young Adult Fiction in 2021. In my opinion, a hard-won and well-deserved win.

Daunis Fontaine is a biracial, unenrolled tribal member who is the byproduct of a scandal. She鈥檚 never quite fit in. When tragedy strikes her family, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to take care of her ailing mother. Life seems quite bleak until she finds herself in the company of Jamie, the charming new recruit of her brother鈥檚 hockey team. A murder sends a tidal wave through the community, and she, as a witness, becomes part of the investigation. Daunis is forever close to being pulled under, weighed down by deceptions, deaths, and threats. She is forced to ask how far she will go to protect her community and whether she can live with the bridges she鈥檒l burn along the way.

This book was, admittedly, quite dense, but the writing was refreshingly well-paced. I hardly realized how long I was reading. In fact, I felt like I was sucked into the rip-tide with Daunis as she unearthed secrets and faced betrayals. I was deeply emotionally invested in Daunis鈥� plight and couldn鈥檛 help but love, loathe, and fear alongside her.

What I appreciate most is its authenticity. If you鈥檝e read my reviews before, you know that I am a huge advocate of #ownvoices. Boulley underscored many of the injustices and fears that Native peoples face. Firekeeper鈥檚 Daughter blended the fantastical with the important, leaving an indelible mark on me, the reader. And judging by its several accolades many others, too.

If you like this review, check out my blog: ...more

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The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt

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Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

So, I recently joined a book club on Fable with some of my bookish friends (#neverreadalone, you should definitely check them out). The first book I read with them was Donna Tartt鈥檚, The Goldfinch.

The story begins with Theo De Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

So, I recently joined a book club on Fable with some of my bookish friends (#neverreadalone, you should definitely check them out). The first book I read with them was Donna Tartt鈥檚, The Goldfinch.

The story begins with Theo Decker, at the age of thirteen, having everything stripped away from him in a violent act of terrorism. After losing his mother (and being unable to be reconnected with his father), he winds up in the custody of a childhood friend鈥檚 family. Now surrounded by wealth, he begins a life-long journey to becoming a chameleon, melding easily in with the upper echelon. It is only through a series of unfortunate events that he learns to blend with those less fortunate. Burdened with a terrible secret about a missing, priceless heirloom, we navigate his harrowing trek into adulthood at his side, watching him stumble through piss-poor decisions and addiction.

First and foremost, as it goes without saying, The Goldfinch is bleak. As someone who only really started caring about 鈥渉appily-ever-afters鈥� in her adulthood, I am a staunch subscriber to the belief in the power of the written word to wound, mold, and heal us. And even I struggled with the grueling, unending bleakness of this story. At a certain point, it felt like Tartt set up a corkboard labeled 鈥渢rauma porn鈥� and just threw darts to see where the story would lead next.

The writing, while beautifully flowing and (largely) well executed, wasn鈥檛 enough (for me) to sustain the punishing chapter lengths. Frankly, I found myself more often annoyed than sympathetic. Especially with the privileged undertones (particularly pertaining to how all POC roles were relegated to service roles and served as launch-off points to espouse Theo鈥檚/his mother鈥檚 moral value), ineffectually portrayed addiction/mental health struggles, and carelessly sprinkled pejoratives to make the text feel 鈥渆dgy.鈥� (N-word with an 鈥榓z鈥�, the r-word, specifically).

I felt the ending was rushed (as much as it can be in an 860-ish page book). It felt like a hastily scrawled note on the way out the door鈥擳hanks for the good time, call you never. Despite the overall message (about art being enduring and healing) being a pleasant one, it felt almost incongruous with the emotional devastation the reader endures. It was a pretty, sparkly pink bow on brown, stained, and torn newspaper wrapping.

I鈥檓 torn on how to rate this book. Despite my own personal dislike, I can鈥檛 take away that it was a page-turner that could easily get a reader to emotionally invest. By those merits alone, I can easily see this being someone鈥檚 five-star read. For me, however, it was a blisteringly arduous read that provided no emotional fulfillment beyond agitation. By my own standards, I wouldn鈥檛 have written this review (as I refuse to leave a review that is less than 3 stars). So, in all fairness, I鈥檓 going to split the difference and rate The Goldfinch 3.5 stars.

If you liked this review, check out my blog: ...more

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	Don't Say "I Do" 4.32 avg rating — 165 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Boys Don't Dance: A sapphic second chance romance (Bright Eyes Book 1) by Ivy Whitaker (欧宝娱乐 Author), Chessa Andersen (欧宝娱乐 Author) (editor) 4.28 avg rating — 54 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Home Sweet Hell (Dark Paths, #1) 4.29 avg rating — 41 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Redemption (Between Salvation and Damnation, #1) 4.45 avg rating — 29 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Night Terror: A Paranormal Romance (Dark Paths, #2) 4.57 avg rating — 14 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Way Ahead (Dark Paths, #3) 4.75 avg rating — 12 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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