This book is a charming mix of romance and fantasy that really pulls you in. The story centers around Amara, an angel whose job is to help humans find their true love, and Liam, a guy who gets a second shot at life to reconnect with his soulmate, Sienna. But things get complicated when Liam starts falling for Amara instead.

The characters are endearing, and the humor is spot on, making it a feel-good read. Amara’s journey of self-discovery and her growing bond with Liam are particularly engaging, and you can’t help but root for them, even though the rules of the celestial world are against them. The book’s cozy and uplifting vibe, along with its unique twist on the soulmate trope, makes it a delightful escape.

However, the story could benefit from a bit more depth in character development and world-building. Some parts feel a bit rushed, and a deeper exploration of the celestial rules and the characters’ backstories would add more richness to the narrative. Additionally, the ending might feel a bit too predictable for some readers, lacking the unexpected twists that could make the story even more compelling.

Rating: 3.5/5

This was a fun, quirky boom that left me feeling all the feels. This is the authors debut contemporary fantasy novel and they did not disappoint. This gave me all the hallmark movie vibes that I love.

Easy, fast, light-hearted read if you need a break. A sweet book with lots of laughs. Highly recommended for everyone who finds the best in people and love.

I had DNFED this book because I found it incredibly boring!
The characters were passable in their lives, the premise was good, but wasn’t implemented properly. I feel like the author, and their writing was fine, but it just lacked the ‘omph’ factor.

It wasn't for me. I couldn't get into the plot of the book. I DNF'd it. I'm sure other people will enjoy the story. Not evey book is gonna be everyone. I'm glad I gave it a try.

I requested this book because the story sounded very interesting to me. It’s not something I’ve read before and I definitely enjoyed reading it a lot. The story is original, to me at least, and that always makes a book a little more engaging to me. This book had so many things I enjoy seeing in books, so I was very happy that I got to read it!

Lovely cozy fantasy book. I loved the writing style and the history pace. I’m happy we will have a second part, I’m eager to find out more about Sienna.

Rated: 2.5 stars
Had me at Halo is all about the reevaluation of priorities, the power of love, and how far we would go to stay loyal to those we love, even if that love has been outgrown.
That sounds fantastic, the writing is decent if not exactly my personal style, the representation is very good. All these things make it something I should love and yet I didn't. Some parts felt a bit lackluster, there were a lot of lulls in the plot that I think could have explored some of these more abstract concepts more. Realistically the plot wasn't paced right in my opinion, I'm not sure if this author has other books but it gave off the vibe that the pacing wasn't quite there yet, something I find with a lot of authors comes with time and practice.
Honestly I wasn't sold on the characters and I do think there was a lot of issues that fall into the miscommunication trope or simply lack of communication which aggravates me. At the end of the day, if you're not rooting for the characters you're going to find a romance book hard to get through. But that's on me, not the book itself.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and I am so happy that I did. This book reminded me a bit of The Good Place. It is a cute and cozy fantasy book. There is a tiny bit of spice in this book but that didn't bother me. This book had me hooked from the first page and I couldn't stop reading.

The story is amazing about love and what it really means and how we change with it. It’s also about realizing what you really want and not being afraid to go for it even if it mean losing everything in the process. Definitely worth reading!

Had me at Halo - is exactly the kind of cozy, fantasy romance - I needed.

Liam is easily one of my favourite MC’s and watching his journey, was both challenging & satisfying to say.

If anyone ever told you - there’s life on the other side, would you believe them?

Amara is the guardian, faced with a predicament that we can easily connect to.

Character banter was on point, the sweet and funny moments had me going, and rooting for them came naturally.

Love is always growing, changing and evolving, worth every obstacle.

Forbidden love at its finest, brings you both anticipation, warmth, and excitement for their joint venture.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and I am forever grateful that I did. My first impression of the cover and description made me think of a cozy romance, with an interesting twist in the fantasy genre. The beginning had me interested straight away and the world and character-building were easy to follow and I quickly formed relations with the characters, feeling their ups and downs through the story.
I liked the touch on the point of view of a guardian angel and how it was natural to the story and the universe within.
I also want to touch on the writing within this book. The language was mature, funny, and easy to follow and I found myself smiling at the screen.
Overall, I had a good experience reading this story and I appreciate the copy I was given!

This is Nicholas Williams debut novel - and it was great! This contemporary cozy fantasy was a sweet read. I loved the story centered around a human and their guardian angel. The plot takes on topics of family, finding yourself and what you really want. It was a great read and I'm excited to see what else Nicholas comes up with!

I finished this book in one night! I thought the premise was super cute. Falling for someone you literally are not allowed to fall for. I love the way the story was told. It had humor and moments that made me tear up. I even fell for bad guy Aaron in the end. Definitely recommend this read

“𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐞. 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬. 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐞. 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲’𝐬 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

Title: Had Me At Halo
Author: Nicholas Williams
Rating: ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
Release: October 11, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy
Format: Ebook 📱
Length: 396 pages
Start: October 11th, 2023
Finish: October 13th, 2023
Favorite character: Amara
Would I read again: ABSOLUTELY!!

Thoughts:

I...I think this book is on my Roman Empire list. I literally think about this book everyday. This is by far one of my favorite reads of 2023 and I want to aggressively throw this book in the face of anyone who will listen to me just so they can have a copy. Read this book! Literally, stop reading this review, go on Amazon, BUY THIS BOOK! Did you do it? Awesome! Welcome back!

This was the first time I have consciously read a “Cinnamon Roll” trope. I had never heard of the terminology, but the MMC Liam is absolutely that. As someone who loves gothic and dark romance, dark academia, dark fantasy, dark ANYTHING, this book somehow has made an imprint on my soul. I want to always have this book on my nightstand because I know I will always reach for “Had Me At Halo” to reread. Bad day at work? Had Me At Halo. Can’t sleep? Read a couple chapters of Had Me At Halo. Going on a road trip? HAD ME AT HALO. Do you see where I’m going with this?

We follow Liam in the afterlife (Trademark 6CS!) who is told by his guardian angel Amara that he and his fiancé Sienna have died in an unfortunate accident. But strangely, Liam wakes up in the afterlife and Sienna is nowhere to be found. That is because their soul bond, the bond of soulmates, somehow broke seconds before their death. Devastated to hear that his soulmate actually IS NOT his soulmate, Liam agrees to go back in time to re-establish that soul bond and prove that he and Sienna are the ones for each other so that they can live eternity together. With Amara to help guide him, they set out on an adventure to get fiancé back, but also start to develop feelings for each other.

This story was so cozy and feel good, I could not put it down. It was so romantic and I caught myself many times sighing or saying “oh my, that’s lovely.” I appreciate the slow burn, the comedy, the beautiful heartbreak. It was fantastic! All the characters introduced held something significant in the storyline and the development was fun to read. The multiple POVs and personal stories of Amara, Sienna, and Liam were absolutely terrific.

I KNOW that if this is how Nicholas Williams writes and this is his debut novel, holy smoke! He is going to become a five star author in no time. I can’t recommend this book enough.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Liam Evans loves his fiance, Sienna more than anything else. By now y'all might sense that there's definitely something off about the story if the mc is perfectly happy in the beginning. That is why Liam and Sienna die within the first few chapters. Just a few minutes before their death , Liam and Sienna's soul bound breaks making it impossible for them to live the eternity in the Afterlife together. And this makes Liam so down. But he was not the only one who felt so down. Amara , Liam's guardian angel is also shaken by this sudden death , because now her position as a guardian angel is now on danger as her soul bound prediction was a failure. So Amara finds a way for Liam to go back to a parallel timeline where he first formed a soul bound with Sienna and create a soul bound with her again. Liam and Amara then start realising their ownselves in their journey to make things right.

This story is not only about romance , but about family , affection and everything that feels like warm sunshine. In short, this is a very cozy contemporary fantasy. I love the multiple POV narration. The author shows how intricate relationships are. I was able to finish the book within two days as the urge to know what happens next kept me reading sans stop. And now I can't wait to read Sienna's story because her character was unique and a bit eccentric. Usually, I find it difficult to comprehend the world building in fantasy books. But this book was an exception. If the book was a non-fiction , I would have said "I can't wait to die." 😂

Anyway, if you like contemporary fantasy romances, friends to lovers , multiple povs, Had Me at a Halo is the perfect book for you. ❤📖️

This book is just simply amazing! The chemistry, the banter, the spice it is all chefs kiss! The development of the relationship between Amara and Liam is so relatable. This book is the definition of cozy feel good laugh out loud

This was a wonderful and cozy contemporary fantasy. A slow burn that was well built and had me laughing and feeling for Amara so much.

Thanks to his guardian angel Amara, Liam gets a second chance to relive the day he met his fiancé to once again form the soulmate bond that broke right before they both died. He needs the soulmate bond so he can spend eternity with her.

During this quest Amara and Liam become close and this is where see them develop a beautiful friendship that turns into more. Liam has to decide whether or not he still wants the soulmate bond with his fiancé.

I loved the book and loved getting to know these characters in such a unique and creative story that had the right mixture of heartwarming, funny, endearing and romantic.

I was drawn to this book because of the whole premise behind it and the ABSOLUTELY stunning cover! Plus the main character's name is Amara and so is my daughter. I loved this story. It was so cozy and the main characters had me cracking up and smiling so much. I need a physical copy now because I loved it so much!

This book was beautiful!
It is such a great love story!
One moment you are hoping for one thing and the next you are hoping for another.