Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book, so so much. It may have come at a perfect time (having my own mental health struggles, so I really empathized with Jasalyn's struggles and her path out of her own poor choices), but it also just resonated with me on a deep level.

I *loved* both romances this book, especially Misha/Felicity's. The latter's romance contained so much love for the genuine self and being, it just was *clutches chest* chef's kiss.

Some of my favorite quotes:
- "It's easy to want the good days. It's the others that make the decision so hard. The bad and the painful and the gray and the numb. You can't just imagine a happy life and decide it's worth it; you have to choose all of it." (this really resonated while I was having my own mental health issues!)
- 'Every existence has pain and joy and sacrifice, and I know them all at once.'
- 'My stars may feel cursed or my fate may feel charmed, but my reality will inevitably be a little of both.'
- "I dream of you as you truly are...I want *you*. I crave *you*. And rather than settle for a substitute, I'll wait until I can have you. The real you."
- "You're fighting for your life, and there is nothing that's more important than that. That's why I haven't pushed this thing between for you. But, for the record, I reject any future that doesn't include you. I'm not willing to give you up, not so long as you'll have me."
- "I think you were a promise from the Mother. I think she wanted me to know my partner was coming. That with you I wouldn't have the love I'd always hoped to find but something even better."
- 'I wait and let him look at me the way I never would've imagined wanting anyone to look at me. Not the real me.'

I will be purchasing this book and its predecessor when they both come out in paperback, I love them both so much!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. So much. Another one for the faves shelf, lads.

To start with: this book came Right when I needed it, when I was in the midst of my own mental health issues. It showed me Jasalyn’s strength and rebirth after her own mental health crisis, how she managed to change her own story. AND it gave me two great love stories to root for, especially Misha/Felicity’s!

Some quotes I loved so much:
- “I dream of you as you truly are…I want you. I crave you. And rather than settle for a substitute, I’ll wait until I can have you. The real you.”
- “You’re fighting for your life, and there is nothing that’s more important than that. That’s why I haven’t pushed this thing between us. But, for the record, I reject any future that doesn’t include you. I’m not willing to give you up, not so long as you’ll have me.”
- “I think you were a promise from the Mother. I think she wanted me to know my partner was coming. That with you I wouldn’t have the love I’d always hoped to find but something even better.”
- ‘I wait and let him look at me the way I never would’ve imagined wanting anyone to look at me. Not the real me.’

Suffice to say, I loved this book a ton and recommend this series wholeheartedly! (And FWIW it definitely toes on the side of NA, not really YA anymore.)

I wish more trilogies were duologies.

This was a super fun YA fantasy with a nice, sweet romance mixed in. Predictable at parts but no less enjoyable. I’ll definitely be grabbing this one for my shelf.

What can I say? I’m so in love with the world Lexi Ryan creates! Between these broken hearts does not disappoint. Jasalyn and Felicity are such compelling FMCs and I just absolutely loved their stories.

Review coming July 28

DNF @ 7%

Like with Beneath These Cursed Stars, I wanted to love this novel. However, when the book opens on Jas having slept for 8 months and not wanting to cut her finger off to remove the ring in order to cut off some of the power transferring to Mordeus and Felicity with magical amnesia, it just feels like lazy writing to up the tension. I know I didn't give it much time (I only finished chapter 2) but I feel like the second book in a series should be able to start stronger than this.

I love Ryan's contemporary books set in New Hope, so I am disappointed I just couldn't connect with her fantasy books. For this series, the first two are maybes and the last two are definitely passes.

I was very satisfied with this conclusion to the series. It wrapped everything up nicely, giving these characters the endings they deserved while delivering all the emotion, romance, and healing I was hoping for. But let’s be real, this was more than just a romance. This book came in swinging with a powerful message about trust, self-love, and the importance of not being a total menace to your own emotional well-being. Life lessons, folks. Take notes.

Let’s talk about Misha and Felicity because—oh my stars—their banter was everything. I was grinning, laughing, even kicking my feet at how well their dynamic was written. I love a good enemies-to-lovers arc, but only when there’s something real standing between them. Here, the ‘enemy’ label feels more like a technicality—there’s no true malice, just two people navigating a complicated situation with sharp wit and undeniable chemistry. And I ate it up. Out of all the couples in this series, these two stole the show.

On the flip side, Jas and Kendrick… I wanted to feel as invested as I was in the previous book, but something didn’t hit quite the same this time. Still, props where props are due—the ending was satisfying, and I loved how Kendrick and Misha both genuinely saw and respected their partners. More romance books need to take notes because, let’s be honest, communication is hotter than brooding silence and unnecessary misunderstandings.

Now, my one tiny, minuscule, but still slightly tragic grievance—Brie. Love her. Adore her. But I NEEDED just one more thing. A chapter, an epilogue, literally any moment from her POV to seal the deal. Throw me a bone here!

Oh, I keep seeing this referenced as a duology—this is NOT a standalone duology. If you haven’t read These Hollow Vows and These Twisted Bonds, do not pass go, do not collect $200, because you will be lost. This book builds on so much from the first two that jumping in here would be like watching the last ten minutes of a movie and pretending you get the plot. You don’t. You won’t. Read the first two. Trust me.

Aside from a couple forgivable plot holes, I had a great time with this book and series as a whole. The heart, the humor, the healing—it all came together in a way that left me smiling at the end. Consider me emotionally satisfied.

Thank you #Netgalley for the arc to this story! It was definitely a beautiful ending to the series. Jasalyn’s growth as well and healing was amazing to witness. Some parts of the story felt dragging but then we get to scenes like the battle scene and it was too rushed. Over all the story is good just wished we included more of Brie and their bond. But maybe that’s cause I’m still stuck in the first duology and wishing to go back to Brie and Finn’s story.

This book (duology) consumed my every thought for days! The author took themes of anxiety/depression/mental health and engrained them into every bit of the plot flawlessly, down to her magic system. It’s inspiring and wholesome to see mental health represented in such a holistic way. Add in the adventure, plot twists, and characters you want to root for, and you have one of the best fantasy books I will read this year.

Why was this book so hard to read? I’m still struggling to answer that question and it’s been days since I closed this book for good. Lexi Ryan is a go-to read for me, and though the last book in this duology series maybe didn’t quite grip me like THESE HOLLOW VOWS did, I still found it to be immersive and incredibly entertaining. I wish I could say the same here, but I really struggled to connect and get lost within BETWEEN THESE BROKEN HEARTS. All of the shifting character POVs were consistently confusing and the conclusion didn’t totally add up. We got very little about Bree and Finn in this one, too, which was a bit disappointing. All in all, I can’t say this delivered on my expectations, but nonetheless I do still recommend it from fans much like myself who are looking for answers about Jas and Felicity, and the deliciously complex magical worlds they live within.

(Rounding up from a 3.5)

This was a super fun YA fantasy with a nice, sweet romance mixed in. Predictable at parts but no less enjoyable.

In the second half of this duology, we are reading about the characters struggling to heal in the aftermath of the fight against good and evil. Princess Jasalyn was tortured as part of her sister's battle against King Mordeus, while Felicity's family fell apart.

In different ways, both women have spent the years since the war hiding from themselves, so when both are forced into action to keep Mordeus from taking over the kingdom, both are forced to reckon with their own demons.

I really loved the challenges that both these women face - Felicity, as a larger woman, has always felt so insecure in her own body - her role as a shifter who seamlessly takes the identity of others feels like the perfect metaphor. While Jasalyn, who spent years feeling powerless, has a ring which influences everyone around her to follow her wishes. This book felt incredibly relevant to a lot of the issues that young women today are facing - insecurity, body shaming, coping with trauma in a time with a lot of unrest and chaos.

I also appreciated how their love interests interact with them. There are misunderstandings and hidden backstories, but the men take their feelings seriously and are good with communication. We live in a world that really does often minimize young women's experiences and I think this would be a wonderful book for teenaged girls to read about healing, about trusting others and about being kind to yourself.

This was a great addition for March for me this women's month.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins Children's Books for providing me with an eARC book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book kind of started off weird to me. Both characters were on their way into love at the end of book one but their relationships just felt like it picked up in a weird spot. For example, with Misha and Felicity, it went from totally in love with her to now I hate her at the end of book one. But then it started off in book 2 with Felicity questioning her feelings and Misha in limbo. Instead of the storyline building their relationship back up throughout the book I don't feel like they really addressed anything until the end. I wish their relationship would have slowly built back over time with Felicity believing in Misha again and Misha not constantly hinting at loving Felicity without actually saying it. I felt like they had the same conversation a thousand times where Felicity wasn't sure how Misha felt and Misha kept hinting at always loving her. Like just tell her you fell in love with her and not the body. As for Jas and Kendrick, it kind of gets old her constantly walking away from any help. I get her wanting to protect her family and friends but at some point in time you have to recognize you have very few days left and need some help. If she was exhausting every option she should have found out better ways to work with them. I don't understand why they couldn't have at least passed notes to each other to work together. I liked the storyline and plot twists though. If I removed the issues with the relationships this would have had a much higher rating. It was very hard to read book one though and then immediately read book 2. It felt like I was walking on one path in a forest and then somehow ended up in an entirely different forest. The path looked similar but something just feels off. I loved the first two books in the series and the first of this duology but this one feels off in the relationships.

Lexi Ryan does it again. The queen of fantasy is back. This book did not disappoint, you need to pick it up!

I loved Lexi Ryan's "These Hollow Vows" duology, but the spin-off had me struggling. I was so excited to receive an ARC of "These Broken Hearts," though it ended up disappointing.

The fast-paced adventure expected from a fantasy wasn't there. The storyline dragged; nothing pulled me in to keep reading. When the battle scene arrived, it was finished too quickly.

I also struggled to connect with the two main characters. I wanted to experience more of that confident, badass female rage. The magic was underwhelming and not explored as much as it could have been.

I wished the spin-off had included more of Bree and Jasalyn's sisterly bond or a scene with Finn instead of barely mentioning him.

This series has been an absolute ride and this finale was spectacular. It gave me everything I could want and more.

However, I am rating this four stars because while I feel it ultimately delivered there were times where I felt the story dragged and some scenes were finished way to quickly. There wasn’t enough of that female rage we all love and the magic system was underdeveloped.

I haven’t read any of the previous 3 books which I think is the only thing keeping me from giving it a full 5 stars. I love the main characters but a lot of the references to, what I’m assuming happened in the past, left me a little confused. But overall it was an enjoyable fantasy novel, with a great battle, and it left me wanting to know more about who Jasalyn is and what her story is. I definitely recommend this book but I also am definitely going to go back and read the other 3.

Thank you netgalley and Harper Collins for an arc!! Between These Broken Hearts picks up 8 month after the end of Between These Cursed Stars. The story moves very quickly, but I will be honest, I found myself skimming to get through it. I think overall Jasalyn’s story did not do it for me like Abriella’s did 😭 I really enjoyed These Hollow Vows and These Twisted Bonds but struggled to connect to the story and characters in this second duology.

I felt this was a solid conclusion to the duology. With the looming deadline of Jasalyn’s 18th birthday and the visions set forth by the seer, all of the parties are working towards solutions from different sides as part of the larger battle. This book is non-stop and a bit rushed feeling, which makes sense for the YA genre.

I like how Jasalyn deals with her PTSD and Felicity comes to terms with feeling as belonging to her chosen family. While there is tension and pining, Hale and Misha are almost too perfect in their love interest roles.

Thank you HarperCollins for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lexi Ryan, and HarperCollins Children's Books for allowing me access to the e-arc.

4.75 stars

I loved the way this duology ended. I adored the first book so I was expecting a lot out of this second book. I will say that for the first 100 pages, I was a bit confused. But after that, the story was smooth sailing. I will be re-reading this duology again. The characters drove the story for me. They have a found family vibe to them which I am sucker for. I do hope we get more books in this world. I’m going to miss these characters. This book brought out so much emotion from me: sadness, anger, and happiness. I was not expecting to cry so much.

I highly recommend this duology!

I am a huge fan of These Hollow vows and These twisted bonds. I also really enjoyed Beneath these cursed stars.
So to say I was beyond excited to receive this ARC is an understatement!

However, I feel that Between these Broken hearts suffered from some pacing issues that made the reading experience a bit disjointed. The first 25% of the book is so quickly paced that the story feels like it lacks momentum when you hit the middle and progression with felicity feels a bit like it stalled.

Once you get further into the story — the overall plot development picks up and I genuinely adore Jas. I am a true sucker for prophecy and a huge yes to forbidden romance. Overall I found the conclusion to be satisfying and the full series is definitely worth the read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

I LOVED These Hollow Vows but sadly, I ended up DNFing Between These Broken Hearts because I couldn't handle the age gap of the romance. It grossed me out.