Honestly, I am a sucker with anything that has to do with Angels so when I read the blurb for this book I was very excited. Also Angels in London? Even better. Unfortunately whilst I did enjoy this book some parts fell a little flat for me.

Let’s start, with some of the things I did enjoy. I liked Ivy as the main protagonist. She was sarcastic, fierce, and confident, all things that I admire in the main character. She never took No for an answer which wasn’t always the smartest decision but certainly the most entertaining.
Also, I really enjoyed the friendship between her and Fred, and their banter was immaculate.

Alright now onto the things I didn't enjoy so much. First off the plot felt a little unoriginal and I just didn’t care about the Angels whatsoever. I think if we got to know some of them maybe I would’ve cared more but the only ones we get to know are Dev, Fred, and Jasmine who I had a really hard time liking. Also, I don’t quite understand how Hades fits into all this. He felt like he was just shoved in there since he was the only Greek God.

I didn’t mind the romance but it certainly wasn’t my favorite. The instant attraction trope has always kind of made my eyes roll especially when there’s almost little to no actual relationship established between the characters. Honestly, at some points in this book, it felt more like Dev was obsessed with Ivy than in love with her.

Overall, I still found it to be an easy enjoyable read and I am looking forward to more from this author since this is her debut novel and I expect good things from her in the future.

Fans of Urban Fantasy with kick ass heroines will find a story right up their ally with this debut title from Jade Church.

Ivy is pulled into the world of angels and discovers powers she didn't know she possessed. And to wonderfully complicate things, the handsome, and troubled, Devlin is thrown into the mix! Ivy must navigate these new powers and feelings. Oh, and help save the world!

I really enjoyed this title! It was fun, fast paced, packed with plenty of action, snarky dialogue, and steam! *devilish grin* I'm a long time fan of urban fantasy, featuring bad ass women with violent tendencies, and supernatural powers, so this ticked all the boxes for me!

*I received this title as a free advance digital copy and this does not influence my review or opinion.*

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy of this book to read. Now on to the review! Caution, it will contain spoilers.

The book starts out with Ivy, your local combat boot wearing, doesn’t give-a-shit, local store clerk, getting her night interrupted by a man stumbling in with his insides on his outside. Turns out, it leads to a plot of fallen angels who need a psychic to get them back to heaven.

At first, I wasn’t sure this book was for me. I had a hard time getting into it, as several of the initial moments made me cringe as they happened. The fact that everyone in this book is “so hot” and there seems to be very little tension between characters that isn’t resolved quickly.

As the book went on however, I found myself enjoying the relationships between the characters more and more. The plot was more of an afterthought. Ivy, Devlin and Freddy really carried the book. By the end, I just wanted more of them.

Overall, I’d give it a solid three stars. If you’d like an easy read with fun main characters, this is the book for you.

I really wanted to like this, but maybe my expectations were a little too high. I didn't enjoy the book as much as I'd hoped, but it was certainly very enjoyable. That being said, this was my first dip into the New Adult genre, so I may just have to adjust to the way these stories are told.

What I liked:
- The characters. I quite enjoyed Ivy, Freddy and Devlin and they had very entertaining banter. Their friendship felt very natural and I enjoyed reading everyone's perspectives.
- The writing. The writing flowed really naturally and I'd read 100 pages without having even noticed. I enjoyed seeing the pop culture references in this book. They felt really natural and engrained in the story, rather than the author just throwing them around.
- The romance. It was instalove, which I'm not normally drawn to, but this was very well done.

What I didn't like:
- The pacing. The pacing often felt a little too rushed. Suddenly a couple of months had passed in the span of a chapter and it was a little confusing. I had to step back and reread the chapter. I would've liked to have seen a little more growth on the romance, instead of a huge jump in time where the characters loved each other.
- I was able to predict the ending, which I never quite enjoy. It's inevitable and sometimes happen, but I do feel it takes away from the story a little.

Overall I quite enjoyed this book, but I think my expectations may have been too high going into this book. But, since this was my first New Adult book, the pacing may just have to be a point to get adjusted to.

1.5 stars.

So, this book fell into the realm of <i>you have such a pretty cover and a promising blurb but the reality was meh.</i>
I went into this book with little to no expectations having never heard of the author or book before and I somehow feel let down. I think because I am such a fan of fallen angel/angel romance books and I have read so many of them, this book just felt repetitive. It was one of those that never got to the point and we span around in circles when the answer was clearly obvious.
I also found the characters acted young for their age or did cringe-worthy things I can't help but think I didn't even do when I was fourteen, let alone as adults. This book is promoted as a new adult novel but it reads very young adult besides some of the sex.
I also couldn't get on board with the romance. Ivy and Dev were instantly obsessed with each other and kissed not even 20% per cent in the book. I couldn't believe the romance and all Ivy would take about is everyone's physical attributes. Surely she isn't that shallow?
Let's also just say this entire plot with the curse made no sense at all and screamed plot holes.

It's safe to say younger me (much younger) would have probably adored this book but I found too many issues when reading this and if it wasn't for a review, I would have DNF'ed it early on.
<i>I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Ivy expected it to be a typical boring Wednesday working her shift at the One Stop Shop, but that all changes when a bloodied man stumbles into her place of work and collapses. From there Ivy learns that he is not an ordinary man and she is no ordinary human. Ivy brought into a world she never knew existed, one filled with angels and magic, and is thrown into studying and training for her new position in this world.

Sounds super cool, right? It mostly was, but I did have a hard time connecting with the characters, and the writing style was a bit weird for me. I really wanted to like this book, it seemed like it would be right up my alley, but unfortunately no :(

2.75 ⭐️

Ivy’s life gets complicated, when a man stumbles into her shop dying. It turns out he’s not just a man, but an Angel, and she’s no regular human, but someone with special powers. Brought to the angel’s compound, Ivy is trained and taught truths she never dreamed of existing. But will she be enough to take on the new role she is given in life?

The premise of this story is so great. It was a fun read, but it was also a miss for me.

From the start I was pulled entirely out of the story when the MC compares what is happening to her to a Sarah J Maas book, and then again to a Becca Fitzpatrick book. I appreciate when authors are fans of other popular authors, but nothing pulls me out of a fantasy story faster.

The story itself felt choppy and disjointed. It lacks in world building, character depth (I just didn’t care what happened to any of the characters), and is filled with insta-love and insta-lust (the MC romance is so superficial), but missing the seriousness needed to handle a number of things (brushing over major deaths).

The main conflict is resolved about 70-75% through the book, and another plot is created with the characters forced into another conflict. It felt like reading 2 completely different books.

We aren’t given a lot of explanation for many of the things happening, and other things get added and just forgotten about. What was the point of Dev’s curse? Why is one random Greek god thrown into the story?

I do feel like the author has the start of something that could be really good here. It just needs some fleshing out.

*Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Jade Church for an arc of this book! And congratulations on the debut.

I enjoyed this read, it went quickly with some fun characters. It's an interesting mesh of paranormal romance, greek mythology, and angels. The story is written between two viewpoints, and getting insight into both Dev and Ivy (our two MCs) makes for an engaging read, keeping the reader on their toes as the story is moved along through two different sets of eyes. The characterisation was well done, with distinct voices and personalities being given to the majority of characters who appeared throughout the story. Freddy in particular was an absolute gem.

The writing in this book was also interesting and flushed out, with enough description to set the scenes well and visualise all the different areas that characters inhabit throughout the novel.

My qualms with this are that sometimes the pacing in this story was a little off. In trying to reach some plot points, big scenes were skimmed down on or missed, with later information only allowing the reader to piece them together. This sometimes detracted from the reading experience itself, because the reader was no longer in the moment, but rather putting it together themselves.

Another slight issue was that although the characters themselves were well-written, their relationships were all quite superficial. Everyone was attracted to everyone instantly, everyone was gorgeous, and there was not time invested in relationships and getting to know each other, besides being attractive. This slightly tarnished the overall romance of the book, and the nuances of the plot that required the romance to take place. It lacked the depth that was promised.

All in all, while there were some things that put me off, I enjoyed this read, and I think lots of others will as well.

#netgalley

Thank you to Netgalley for the Arc and congrats to the author for her debut!!

I enjoyed this book and had fun reading it, it was so well written. It was face paced and action packed from the beginning to the end. There was good snarky humour, funny one liners and a good romance. While the plot was intriguing there was something missing for me, you got a lot of information thrown at you with not a lot of explanation and I was left wanting to know the back story more. Therefore I think it would have been better spaced out as multiple books, everything happened quite quickly. I also thought the ending was a bit rushed and some holes in the story but overall I really liked the plot and the story wit the angels. It was something I haven't read before.

The characters are what I loved most about this book. I really loved Ivy's character. I always love a heroine that is unapologetically herself. She was sassy, funny and was comfortable in her own skin and with her sexuality. Ivy lost people before that causes her not to get attached and make friends. Her growth throughout the story and how she lets people in is wonderful. I also liked Dev, he was typical bad boy with a sad history. The way he cared for Ivy was really sweet. I loved how the book was dual POV, I'm always a fan of them.

Overall, I would recommend this book to any fantasy or paranormal romance lover, it was a enjoyable read. It was a solid book, I only wish it was longer or there were more details about certain things, since and had a longer ending. it would be great to see more of the characters and the world again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Jade church for allowing me the opportunity to review this book.

I loved it and finished it in two days. It was an easy read for me and totally captivated my attention from the start. I like pretty much most books. YA,NA and adult. Paranormal romance is a favorite of mine. Okay the main character Ivy is a retail store clerk that literally wants to avoid close relationships and get through life. Her witty sassy attitude is awesome. I love how she has no shame for her sexuality and just does her. While at work she experiences a WTH moment that changes her whole world as she knows it. Two beautiful men enter the store the next day. They are not her regular customers and she learns that life as she knows it is a lot more complicated.

Devlin is a Fallen angel but he does not act like what you would expect from a fallen angel. Ivy is attracted to him but she is not one to get close to anyone. Although her attraction is proving it difficult to stay away.

I loved the chemistry between Devlin and Ivy. I loved Ivy friendship with Freddy and Jaz. I am not one to nit pick a book. I am a very simple reviewer. I love any book that can grasp my attention and take me to another place. It really that simple for me. This book was good and I would recommend to anyone that loves Angels and paranormal romance. It a great debut novel in my opinion.

𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱.

This book follows the story of Ivy, who is working at a dead-end retail job, questioning her life choices. When all of a sudden, a man bumps into the shop window, smearing blood everywhere and holding his guts in his hands. What was going to be a very mundane, boring day turned into one of the most pivotal moments of her life...

"𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆,"

I found myself laughing out loud numerous times whilst reading this book - the dialogue and internal monologue is so funny and relatable! The plot kept me on my toes and the story flowed smoothly and at a fast pace.

Devlin - a fallen angel- is our classic 'bad boy' character who isn't exactly a bad boy - he's kind and considerate and would do anything for his people.

"𝑺𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍, 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕,"

Ivy is a strong-minded character from the very start and knows what she wants but sometimes has trouble admitting it - she may have moments of insecurity due to her troubled past but she will always stand up for herself.

"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒕,"

I'm usually more of a 'slow-burn romance' type of girl so this pushed me out of my comfort zone - it was definitely an 'instant-love' kind of tale but it worked nicely. There's a couple of steamy scenes in this book but they weren't written in too much detail and they seemed to be kept quite short but it allowed the story to keep up to pace, so I wouldn't put it as a criticism.

The only criticism I have is that I wish it could've been longer! The ending had me craving more and I feel as if the story isn't fully complete yet!

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻...𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀... 𝗼𝗿 𝙚𝙭-𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀...

This will be a relatively short review for me because sadly this book didn’t quite work for me. I adore paranormal romance and also read a lot of fantasy which includes YA so in theory this should light me up. Maybe the new adult genre isn’t for me ? I can understand that many would enjoy the point of view of the heroine and I do admit I liked that she’s not hungry she’s hangry ! Yet for this reader the Angels didn’t feel particularly angelic. I honestly feel there will be many who enjoy this debut but for me it just lacked something but as I say it’s a first published novel so obviously this author could potentially grow.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

The book is a very nice read. I loved the main characters, especially the Female Lead and her comebacks are so quick witted and perfect! It made the entire reading a great experience!

The story in itself was very thought through and cohesive.

Not a critique, I’d love another book in this world! ☺️

DNF at 12%

My general stance on DNFs is to get a quarter in, but in this instance I just couldn’t.
The book feels like it is trying so hard to be edgy and for me it absolutely failed. The opening scenes read like an early 2000s comedic horror, which isn’t a bad thing but that was just the start of the strange tones this book cycles through.
I have multiple issues with this book, but the main ones are the repetition of both the fact the character works in retail (in a very badly explained/ inauthentic representation) and that the character is “petite” (she’s 5 foot 4 which is not petite by UK standard), as well as the description of a character as having “gold skin”.
I am 5 foot 4, that is very much average height in the UK, and I can tell you from having working in retail for many years that “petite” is 5 foot 3 and under. It feels lazy to use the archetype of a “tiny”, white blonde woman with big blue eyes as the main character but could be excused, however I can not accept the term “gold skin”. The description of the retail environment was not only inaccurate, but also unnecessary. There’s no need to tell me again that the character works in retail whilst they are currently working in a shop. .
A personal pet peeve of mine is when a book is set in the UK but American English is thrown in haphazardly and that is definitely a case with this book. Words like “pantyhose” in an British English text are jarring and “convenience shop” is a mix of the dialects that is not used.

For me, this book needs a lot of refining.

Thank you to Jade and NetGalley for my e-ARC!
WOW WOW WOW!! I am so excited that I applied for this ARC to be able to get introduced to these characters. I have followed the author on Instagram and the teasers had left me extremely interested in the book. And I have to admit I was hooked from the first page, completing the book in less than 2 days.
Temper the Flame has it all: a witty, confident main female character, romance (with lots of steam), action, fantasy, betrayal, friendship, LBGTQ representation, and SOLID world-building. I was very invested in Ivy as a character and Devlin is definitely one of my new book boyfriends. What I loved most about this book is that I didn't expect the ending, which almost came in a two-parter -- which made it not feel predictable for once. I confirmed with the author that she originally wrote this as a standalone novel, and while I normally prefer series, I was very satisfied with the ending for the characters and was happy to have my own ideas of where the characters may go next. Highly recommend!!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this eArc!

I really liked this!! I’m a sucker for books like this, thank you for letting me read it early!

A great read!

Congrats to the author for her debut, it was a fun read.

I thought it was well written and easy to read, it held my interest, I liked the plot idea, and some characterizations (particularly liked that Ivy, the main character, was comfortable in her own skin and with her sexuality), but overall it was a bit of a miss for me, unfortunately.

I do think that a lot of people will like it, though. A lot of it was personal preference and interpretation.

Some personal preference misses:
- It's a pet hate for me when characters blow kisses, stick out their tongue or wink at others. I can't remember the last time I saw someone do this in real-life (interaction with kids excluded), but it's super common in YA. This novel is NA, but honestly, other than having swearing and sex, it read very YA to me.
- The otherworldly beings do not feel otherworldly, especially in terms of language. When I think of angels, I think of ethereal and wise beings, and I don't picture them using ultra-modern language. Then again, I had no idea how old any of them were.
- Focus on physical attraction and the characters being extremely hot. Honestly, this ruined the romance for me. It was an instant attraction which overrode all rational thought, particularly in Ivy, who had to force herself to look away from Dev so she could focus on anything else. There was a point in the book where I was tempted to just stop reading it because the dynamic was so frustrating.
- I wasn't keen on the unusual mix of angels and Greek mythology, especially since only one Greek god was used.

Things that didn't entirely make sense to me (some spoilers!):
- All paranormal elements were a bit confusing for me - the swords (what would happen if the fallen got stabbed with the energy sword?), the wings & energy for travelling, Ivy's psychic powers, and especially the explanation in the final chapters.
- How did all the fallen angels find each other in London, did they all fall around there or get drawn to Dev's energy? How did they build their compound? Where did they get the money for it and for the food?
SPOILERS on next two points!
- What was the point of the curse? I also didn't understand how humans saw Dev that made him impossible to love. And Ivy isn't really human, so why can she break the curse? Was it enough to be half human?
- Why did Hades have a realm before his "friend" created the Earth, human souls and angels? Was it just empty?

Finally, the plot has its climax around the 70% mark and the conflict is resolved very quickly and easily. The rest is like a little side-quest, and there were no surprises for me, unfortunately. The plot unfurled more or less as I expected.

I would read more from this author in future, but yeah, Temper the Flame wasn't my cup of tea.

First I would like to thank NetGalley for sending me this E-Arc!!

True Rating 4.5✨

Congrats to the author for a fantastic debut novel! I need book two (is there going to be a book two because I would love one) now!

Lets talked about why I decided to take half a star away.

There were a handful of times where I was just confused as to what was going on. I would reread to see if I missed something and came back to where I was before which was confused. There were a few typos. I think I counted 3? Which really isn't that bad. Pacing was a little stop and go for me and overall a little spotty. Definitely room for improvement here but by any means was not awful. Lastly, I felt that Ivy and Dev's relationship was rushed. It was so perfect that there seemed like a mating bond of some sort was present but that was never revealed. I think if it was, then the relationship wouldn't have felt rushed. I do love their relationship and the respect that Dev constantly gives her. Dev gets an A+

Okay reasons why I loved:

LGBTQ+ representation. People (angels?) of all colors. Bad a$$ main character. Beautiful relationships. The list is endless. I flew through this book and completely binged it. These characters will and their story will stay with me for a while.

Ivy:
I absolutely loved Ivy and how she doesn't put up with anyones BS. And how she gets cranky when hungry. Same sis. Her trauma was gut wrenching, how she dealt with it was relatable, and her "plot twist" of a father was predicable (but I totally didn't mind that and actually loved it). I really hope there is a book two because I want to see her use all her powers.

Dev and his brothers:
This story truly broke my heart. Constant betrayal. Ugh. I love the chosen family he ends up with and it brings me so much happiness. I am curious as to where exactly Micheal went. What happened to Gabe? This is why I need a book two. I need more info on these three brothers and I need it NOW.

Freddy:
I think we all need a Freddy in our life. Definition of a good best friend. I just want him to be happy and it seems that he might just get that. Perfect side kick. Kinda gives me Cassian vibes.

The world building:
Um hello that was amazing. I need more of it now. Give me daily life in the underworld. Give me daily life in heaven. All of it now pls. Was so detailed. Never felt like info dumping. Really created a cool world.

Plot:
Like I said before was patchy a little and pacing needed work. But I really enjoyed the plot as a whole. It was fun to see Ivy learn her powers, deal with her trauma, and grow as a character. I also loved that we got both Ivy and Dev POVs. That is a huge bonus!!


Note that this is a new adult, 18+ book. I wanted more spice and smut but alas what was there was amazing.
TW: Death, trauma, blood/gory

Congrats again to the author, Jade Church! ✨

First of all, a HUGE CONGRATS on your debut novel!!! As soon as I heard about this book, I KNEW I had to get my hands on it!!

After a horrible event that claimed her family, Ivy has been living her life one day at a time, leading a simple life. That is, until a hot angel stumbles into her place of work with his guts literally spilling out… Then in walks Devlin *swoon* and it’s safe to say, Ivy’s life does a complete flip.
She is taken in by a group of angels who need her help, but between discovering her new powers and preparing for the war that is brewing, Ivy must decide if she is ready to open herself up for love and adventure.

Ivy is strong, sassy, and her internal monologues are EVERYTHING! She’s faced a lot of tragedy and heartbreak, making it hard for her to open herself up to Devlin.
Devlin will do anything for his people, and ever since Ivy popped into his life, that includes her now too.

The novel is split between Ivy and Devlin’s perspectives, which I thought added a great element to the story! And I absolutely LOVED the side characters!!

The story is well written, fast paced, full of adventure, wit, banter, romance, and STEAMY STEAM!

I felt the ending was maybe a little rushed compared to the rest of the pacing, but overall, I really enjoyed this! I need more!!

I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for the author!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: June 20, 2021

This is so completely chaotic I feel like I’m trapped in the brain if someone having a manic episode, yet I couldn’t stop reading.

Very stream of consciousness. Instead of building tension or letting you infer a characters feelings, this book consistently just tells you when there is and what they are. Sometimes it takes away from the reading experience because readers are just put in residence in every characters brain.

Similarly, so many ideas and concepts are introduced with no explanation. The reader is just meant to gloss over the addition and accept it’s inclusion. This happens so often it’s hard not to get reading whiplash.

That being said, this has good bones and potential, but it needs a really good editor to spend some quality time with it before I’d consider it ready. Also has potential for screenplay adaptation.