After reading the premise, in theory this should've been a 5-star read. It was giving second chance romance between star crossed lovers while they were stuck in an escape room. Honestly, it was reminding me a lot of Divine Rivals. But what was promised and what I got just didn't align. I didn't really care for the two MCs being separated basically the entire book. It made the romance harder to appreciate. I also found the lore a bit confusing and the war between the gods convoluted. Overall, I just wanted more. With some structural improvement (because the writing is lovely!), this book would've been a hit

Camille and Ward have reunited after a breakup, finding each other in the same city for the first time in years with new job offers. The catch is that these new jobs trap them and make them unable to communicate normally with one another. Ward is selling jewelery to gods and Camille is helping ghosts.

A second chance romance with two main characters whose love language it physical touch can't communicate because of their jobs? The premise didn't work for me, nor was I convinced by the character development. I nearly DNFed a few times, but morbidly wanted to know the ending.

Some readers may enjoy the very light touch worldbuilding with the ability to suspend some disbelief at developmental plot holes. Contemporary romance second chance lovers may also really enjoy this!

Thank you to Berkley for an eARC for review. This is out 2/20/24.

I was pulled in by the premise - which was quite unique and fascinating - and I finished reading it this weekend!

Camille and Ward bump into each other in London, two years after their breakup and they reconnect while interviewing for new jobs. Just when they've decided to figure things out, they find themselves stuck in their respective workplaces while working opposing shifts with no way out. Not only do they not have any means to escape but they also have to deal with an unusual set of clientele - ghosts and gods - who seem to want something from them. Camille and Ward have been pulled into a war between the gods and their choices could decide the final winner. Though they cannot meet, they're able to find ways to communicate with each other and work together to solve the puzzles that could be the key to their freedom.

This one had the perfect mix of fantasy+romance! Camille and Ward were complete opposites and though this is a second chance romance, it didn't have the second chance angst(thankfully 😂) because there was no doubt about the love or connection between them. They just had to work through some minor issues while figuring out a way to save their lives 😆 I also loved seeing how they approached their situation and problems in completely different ways. The romance was pretty unique since they didn't meet each other for a major part of the plot but they're still in touch with each other while working together. It's kinda like a fantasy version of an escape room but with meddling gods and magic. I was expecting some of the things near the end, but there were a few other things that surprised me too! It did end up working out well and I loved how things were resolved! I'm quite excited to read the author's other books now after enjoying this one!❣️✨

10 Word Summary
Ex-lovers trapped-one night, one day, god’s war decides fate.

Read if you enjoy
✨ Starcrossed Lovers
❣️ Second chance romance
⚖️ Warring gods
🗝️ Escape Rooms
🧩 Puzzles

This one missed the mark for me. It seemed rushed and like a missed opportunity. All the puzzle stuff came together just a bit too easily.

Night for Day

"The complications began as soon as the scorching kisses ended."

Truer words were never spoken for Camille and Ward. Two ex's who have accidentally ended up on opposite sides of a war of the gods, forever trapped in their respective work places, trying to communicate and escape this magical prison. Such an interesting fantasy adventure that makes you think. You're not sure who to trust, as Camille and Ward are dependent on their 'shop' patrons to try and help them escape this situation.

I'm not sure I knew where this was going and I just went along for the ride. I'm glad I did and glad I didn't overthink it! Fun, quick fantasy read if you don't think too hard about the logistics.

My rating: ⭐️

Spice level: 1.5 🌶️

Read if you like:
▫️dual POV
▫️second chance
▫️magical realism
▫️gods and bargains

I wanted to love this book. The premise sounds like something I would absolutely love. It’s a second chance romance with gods and immortals in an escape room setting.

However, it did not live up to my expectations. The writing was too formal at times and then tried too hard to be informal and misused American slang. This lead to the prose feeling choppy, stilted, and awkward.

Camille and Ward were supposed to have this epic romance, but there was no buildup. The book just started with them deeply in love, so I didn’t care about their relationship. It was actually very cringey. There was almost no character development or growth, and it made it hard to be invested in the story.

The entire book felt like someone was poorly explaining a fever dream that they had a few nights ago and they couldn’t remember all the details. There wasn’t enough world building or explanation to be helpful, and the storyline felt too opaque. I forced myself to finish it, but didn’t care about the resolution at all.

Thank you to Penguin Random House, Ace Trade Original, NetGalley, and Roselle Lim for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Night for Day was constantly unexpected. While this one has the most fantastical explicit elements - like gods and magical artifacts - it's more subtle than I thought. There's this distinct locked room feel not only because Ward and Camille are trapped, but also in the magic. Night for Day felt very much like a magical escape room with puzzles, artifacts, and a struggle between the gods. There's very much a question, throughout, about what anyone's motivations are and who they can count on.

Loyalty is a large theme in Night for Day. Not only between Ward and Camille, but also in their choices. Because of their quick separation, at the beginning I was struggling to see what connected Ward and Camille. These second chance exes separated by magic made me wonder what drew them together in the first place. This concern largely resolved itself as we get snippets of their memories, but Lim's past books have read more character driven as Night for Day.

This was such an unusual, charming romantacy about lovers destined to be together but also to be apart… plus an escape room element! I hesitate to compare it to other recent releases involving gods & mortals bc it was tonally much different, but I do think it’s a good bet for anyone who loves mythology themed stories.

Thank you so much @netgalley & Ace for the eArc!

Intriguing premise, but lackluster execution. I never felt invested in any of the characters. The writing style is a lot of "tell, don't show," which makes sense: Camille and Ward are pursuing a second-chance romance while trapped, separately, in two different shops. They communicate via notes and, occasionally, by magical phone call/virtual reality. Most of the relationship development is each character separately reflecting on their previous relationship and deciding that they truly do love each other enough to make it work. Sadly, this just didn't work for me.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was charming in its way.

If were asked to describe this book I'd say it was The Night Circus in an escape room-esque setting with ex-lovers instead of strangers.

Told in dual POV, the story follows Camille and Ward. Two exes with polar opposite personalities and at times little in common, except for their unyielding love for each other. Trapped in separate locations, with minimal means of communication, they must work together to free themselves from their otherworldly prisons if they hope to have a future together.

I will say Ward and Camille's chemistry helped sell their relationship to me. They have such an elemental attraction. It also doesn't hurt that either of them was in any sort of relationship during the years they were apart.

Bottom line: Do I think this book is anything groundbreaking? No, but I had fun for the most part and I'm good with that.

This romantic fantasy has a unique plot and very interesting characters. It's a second chance love story that gets hijacked by the gods to settle a war between east and west. I'm not sure what the war was about, but I enjoyed the escape room like setting and figuring out the riddles. The seven deadly sins come into play and that's never good. Night For day, day for night. Is all fair in love and war? I'm not sure, but in this book all's well that ends well.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley!

3.25⭐

I was pleasantly surprised by the premise which was unique. Although the execution, world-building, and character development were lacking. It was predictable, and usually, that isn't a deal breaker for me because I don't always guess how it will pan out, but I did for this one and was slightly underwhelmed.

If you are okay with going in knowing that this is more of a character study with some magical realism, then you may enjoy it!

Brain dump 💭
- interesting premise – there are gods, magic, escape rooms, and riddles
- the characters were one-dimensional, and the author could've done so much more with the white privilege vs. POC excellence that was brought up various times throughout the story
- there's minimal world-building and very little history of the gods. I have so many questions…

I am interested reading more from this author and will pick up her previous popular books. This is her debut fantasy book, so I look forward to reading her future work.

Two former lovers are reunited when they become pawns in a war between gods. When exes Ward Dunbar and Camille Buhay find themselves together in London, they think perhaps this is their second chance at love, but they soon find themselves trapped in an escape room game of sorts with high risk stakes.

He works the day shift at a jewelry store; she works the night shift at an antique shop; and their clientele is unexpected to say the least. They just reunited before starting these jobs but find themselves separated again. Will they find their way back to each other?

This is an interesting one. I was intrigued by the premise of this book but would have liked to have seen more character development and world-building in the story or maybe even more of a backstory for the gods themselves.

There is clearly a physical attraction between Ward and Camille, but, like some of the characters mentioned in their backstory, I wasn’t completely sold on their relationship and how they worked together. I understand in some ways this is supposed to be an opposites-attract story, but in that dynamic, there is still a meeting or balance struck between the individuals. And, with so much of the book spent with these two characters in separate places, I didn’t feel like there was a complete resolution between them as to how their first attempt at being together ended and how they will move on from there. There was some telling, rather than showing, at the end of the book, but the relationship fell flat for me.

I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Happy pub day review🔮🌚🌞

Roselle Lim’s writing is always a bit magical and Night For Day is no exception.

This was another unique read and if you enjoy escape rooms, mythology, and second chance romance, you should check this one out.

I am living in my fantasy era this year and this premise really intrigued me. There are sprits and ghosts and star-crossed lovers. There is depth to the characters and what they battle and learn about themselves was entertaining.

This is a quick, bingey read and out today!

3.5⭐️

Thank you @berkleypub and @acebookspub for the free early copy

This might be more like a 2.5-2.75, but rounding to a 3. I wanted to like this so badly - the premise was interesting, the mystery aspect was intriguing, and I love a war between gods. Unfortunately, I did not end up connecting to the story or the character as much as I hoped.

When I started the book, it felt like I was dropped into the middle of the story and or had missed a chapter. Because of that, it was difficult to immediately care about the characters and what was happening. Ward and Camille are sorta frustrating characters and, based on the synopsis, thought they'd be able to interact for a little bit but that didn't totally turn out to be true and it was frustrating that our main characters basically spent the entire book apart. When the spicy moments happened, they felt oddly placed and a bit forced for the story. I love a spicy moment, but I did not like these ones.

I will say, I liked the mystery they had to solve and while I felt like it was immediately obvious who the good guys and bad guys were, I liked the twist at the end and how everything played out.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the eARC - all opinions are my own.

Title: Night for Day
Author: Roselle Lim
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group, Ace
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
'Night for Day' by Roselle Lim

Interesting Read:

'Night for Day' was quite a different kind of read for a romance in a fantasy world. The reader must keep up as the story goes back and forth with the two main characters...Camille and Ward are in their second-chance romance. These two seemed to be in an alternate reality that dealt with 'pawns in a war of the gods.' If you are not into fantasy, this may not be your kind of read because I had to work hard and understand what was happening. Still, by the end, I received many of the questions I had answered from "immortality, gods, goddesses, mythology, escape rooms, romantic, spirits, ghosts, and all the in-between," which was quite a lot from this story. This read may have worked more for me if it had been a series because there is so much going on.

If you are into fantasy romance, then 'Night for Day' is probably your kind of read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher of the ARC.

While Night For Day has a great premise and interesting characters, the follow-through just isn’t there. The characters range from two-dimensional to outright annoying, the prose switches abruptly from third-person prescient to third-person omniscient from one paragraph to the next, and the book simply moves at a glacial pace that doesn’t suit the narrative style or the story.

It’s all flash, no substance, and simply isn’t a good read.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Since this review has a rating of three stars or lower it will not be appearing on my social media sites. Thank you.

File Under: AAPI Fiction/Fantasy/Romantasy/Paranormal Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

Interesting fairy tale of a story. Fairly quick read as the story bounces back and forth between the young lovers. I needed something light after the last book I read and this fit the bill.

The premise of Night for Day totally intrigued me: second chance romance in a world with imortals and ghosts! I enjoyed it overall but when your main characters are barely ever face to face, it is hard to buy the romance. They have a history, so there is something to build off of, but they mostly spend their time apart and speak briefly each day. However, they clearly had a foundation and a love for each other that they build upon and I did enjoy that. It is a twist on romance when you can only talk briefly and you are fighting for the lives of everyone.

The world is interesting for sure. There is a war between the gods that Ward and Camille have to stop somehow or they will never escape. However, the whole story takes place in a matter of days and it felt kind of rushed. Then again, they were trapped there, so I would be in a rush too. Still, as a story, with a semi-complex world, it was rushed.

My thoughts on Night for Day are all over the place. At times, I was really enjoying it; other times I felt like something was missing. It was such an intriguing premise but something about it just missed the mark a bit for me.

When I read the premise of this book I was immediately interested, two exes happen to run back into each other when they both find new jobs in London. Then by forces they must unveil they’re stuck in a twisted fantasy world, apart but still connected.

Actually reading it this became one of those books that I wasn’t sure how I would feel until finishing it, if it could deliver the ultimate pay off. I will say the romance *is* second chance but doesn’t follow the formula you may expect, their issues and tension pop up at random times. This is open door but brief and the plot is more about the magical mystery they are on.

I loved the representation of Gods in this and the fantasy/sci fi elements. It was really cool to have the parallel storylines and how each main character chose to explore the world and who they decided to trust and why. I was so compelled to keep picking this up. My only hang up is that this world and war of Gods could have gone even deeper in my opinion. The worldbuilding and plot progression is simple to understand which will definitely work for a lot of readers, there’s really only 5 or so main players in this, but I could’ve handled a deeper sense of emotion or bigger twists.

I really wanted to compare this to Masters of Death by Olivie Blake but that book was so much more layered. I don’t think my comparison is very fair so I tried to get that out of my head, I’m still sharing though because it still had similar contemporary fantasy vibes, games to play with Gods, etc.

Overall, I loved these two working together, random but I loved all the ghosts in particular at the FMC’s place of business, and all the turmoil was worth it in the end. There’s a certain character I want to get his own book so badly but I’ll stay quiet to prevent spoilers!

Thank you to Berkley for the free book!