Crystal Iris was such a refreshing read! I absolutely loved how it was grounded in the real world while still holding a subtle thread of magic throughout. The story never felt overly absorbed in fantasy—instead, the magical elements added just the right amount of intrigue without overshadowing the real-life setting.

One thing I really appreciated was the communication between the characters. There was none of that frustrating, drawn-out miscommunication you often find in books. The dialogue felt mature and clear, which made the relationships feel more authentic and enjoyable to follow.

The relationship between Iris and Hoyt did start off a bit fast and intense, but considering the influence of the amulets, it made sense within the story. It didn’t feel forced—just a little accelerated by the magical circumstances.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’m definitely looking forward to continuing the series when the next one is released!

A contemporary romantic suspense tale with a mystical/magical vibe after Harvard professor Iris received the gift of a crystal necklace and a letter from her long dead mother on her thirtieth birthday. Once she put the necklace on, she had a vision of a mystery man that only seemed to exacerbate the discontentment she felt with her life and her fiancé Aaron.

Crystal Iris was definitely a slowburn read and for me perhaps a bit too wordy especially as art historian Iris went into great depth explaining the meaning behind paintings to her students, and I’ll confess to skimming through these parts without feeling I missed anything important or relevant to the overall story. One of the main things that I didn’t like about this book though was the character of Iris and her treatment of Aaron. He’d been her best friend since childhood, standing up to his family for her but I got the impression she’d never really loved him and he was more of a convenience and familiar and, while technically she didn’t cheat on him physically, she did emotionally with her fellow crystal owner Hoyt. Throughout all the relationship angst and emotions was the underlying mystery of the crystal and it’s apparent powers. What exactly did it do? Where did her mother get it and why has she entrusted to her daughter? There are so many questions to be answered and mysteries to be solved. The pace did pick up towards the end as the crystal played a bigger part in the story before ending not on a cliffhanger but more of a to be continued.

Thank you NetGalley and Leblon Publishing for the opportunity to read and review the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a slow burn romance between two people who are connected by a magic they know nothing about. Iris is given a prism necklace that belonged to her mother and now she can’t take it off. Hoyt has one as well and they are immediately drawn to each other. His prism makes it hard to touch her without pain but they find a way around it. Iris’s life is completely turned upside down and by the end she’s running for her life. It kept my attention and left me wanting more. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.