The Mouse Kingdom Blog

Category: Mouse’s Book Reviews

  • Book Review of Grumpy Billionaire Next Door by Zoey King

    I need to state before getting into this review I was given an ARC through Booksprout. Now with that being stated I can now get into the book review.
    Tiffany’s best friend and boss seems kind of pushy about Tiffany finding love. Tiffany is the classic workaholic. She has made he life about her job as a realtor. She thinks she is happy with how her life is and doesn’t see the need to find love. While at an event that she is meant to be schmoozing at she meets Jack. Jack is kind of on the run throughout the book. While he isn’t running per-say from something he is running from his past. He is trying to rebuild what his ex-wife, Camille, destroyed. She allegedly destroyed his business and his reputation. He is at the same event as Tiffany trying to build his business back up. At the event they meet and start dancing. They end up flirting and heading back to his hotel room with the understanding of “No last names; no numbers; just sex.” Tiffany leaves before Jack awakes up. Two weeks go by and Tiffany is in the processed of renovating her aunt’s house that was left to her. Turns out Jack bought the house next door to her. They end up working together because of Tiffany’s boss hires Jack to work on a project in their town. When they meet the Clients that are wanting to buy the vineyard, they is a huge misunderstanding and they assume that Jack and Tiffany are dating. Jack has the idea that they should fake it for the clients to get the sale. So, now it starts the chain of events that lead them to sharing a bed again for one night. As they finally admit that they feel more than a passing attraction for each other, his ex-wife shows up and starts causing more issues for them. Jack doesn’t want to taint his new relationship with his past, but in the process he keeps her out of the loop. Which puts their shared job in jeopardy.
    I loved this book got this book for free and I was thinking that I wouldn’t really like it because I don’t read a lot of fake dating style of romances. This book is listed under Enemies-to-lovers and I don’t think that tag fits with this book. I feel like they were never really enemies to began with. I feel like this was a huge misunderstand that caused them to not like each other. I do believe that Jack and Camille are enemies. I love the way this book is written and how the story came together.

    Now for the star ratings I’m giving this book.
    I’m giving this book an overall rating of 5 of out of 5 stars.
    The story is getting a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
    The writing style is getting a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.
    The spicy level is getting a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. The spicy rating would be a 3 or a 4 according to romance.io stem rating guide.

    Links
    GoodReads
    Amazon

    This mouse is always looking for feedback. So, leave a comment

    —

  • Two Book; Two Reviews

    Book one: King of My Scars (Book One of The Kingdom #1) by Abby North

    Arianna’s struggle to escape her past abuse is gripping and telling. I’m glad the author didn’t make light of her past. Arianna’s connection with Denham King is electric and irresistible. It feels like they formed a connection almost immediately. While The chemistry between them sparks with danger and desire in every chapter. It sometimes feels as if they are moving too fast but I can say it feels real and genuine. While old enemies are resurfacing and long-hidden secrets are unraveling, the tension between these two never lets up. A perfect blend of spice, emotion, and high-stakes thrill. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I’m giving it 5 stars.

    Links
    GoodReads
    Amazon

    Book Two: King of My Fears by (Book Two of The Kingdom #2) Abby North

    After consuming the first book in the series, King of My Scars by Abby North, my expectations for the second book were understandably high. I really enjoyed the continuation of Arianna and Denham’s story, but unfortunately, I was unable to maintain the level of tension from the first book as it progressed. There were a few times in this book when I was overjoyed, and a few times when I wanted to rip my heart out in sadness, but sadly, the story became lackluster and predictable. Abby’s smooth, to-read writing style king of my fears lacked what king of my scars had in that made it so special (to me). While this story is about love, I still feel a lot is missing. This book was a solid but disappointing read for me, so I’m giving it 3 stars.

    Links
    GoodReads
    Amazon

    —

  • Book Review of Two Can Play

    Book Title: Two Can Play
    Author’s Name: Ali Hazelwood
    Reading Type: Audiobook
    Start Date: 12/19/2025
    End Date:12/20/2025

    Links to the Book: Amazon; Audible; Goodreads

    The Book’s Summary

    An enemies-to-lovers spicy novella set in the world of video gaming from the New York Times bestselling author of Problematic Summer Romance—now in print and ebook!

    Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, aka her archnemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her—and Viola has no idea why.

    When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

    But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.

    Mouse’s Review and Thoughts

    Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
    There are spoilers within this review.

    This Review has spoilers in it.
    I really like that Viola (the main Female Character) is a lead game designer. It is weird to be pulled into the game creation side of this book. Viola’s enemy is the head designer of another company, whose name is Jessie. They aren’t really enemies. In my mind, that makes it all the better. They finally come together and work through the misunderstanding from their first meeting. They spent years having issues because of a huge misunderstanding, and ah (Softly screams in the void). She didn’t even remember her own words that caused all this to happen. I’m so happy that they figured it out in the end. I kinda of wish that there was more to how they make it work after getting back from the trip. It’s easy to form something when you have “all the time in the world”. I would like to know how Viola’s mother reacts to meeting Jessie. Jessie is also in the game design industry. It’s known that Viola’s mother isn’t too fond of her working in the game design industry. There was also very little mentioned about Jessie’s family. He is an only child. His mother and father weren’t around much during his childhood. While this book is only a novella, I wish it were a full-fledged novel. There is so much potential with this storyline. With all of that in mind, I’m going to rate it 3.5 stars.
    I look forward to reading more from Ali. She is a fantastic writer.

    —

    , ,

  • Book Review of Sweet & Bitter Magic

    Book Review

    Name: Sweet & Bitter Magic
    Author: Adrienne Tooley
    Reading Type: AudioBook
    Start Date: 12/10/2025
    End Date: 12/16/2025
    Links to the book: Amazon; Audible; Goodreads

    Book Summary:

    In this debut fantasy, a witch cursed to never love meets a girl hiding her own dangerous magic, and the two strike a dangerous bargain to save their queendom.
    Tamsin is the most powerful witch of her generation. But after committing the worst magical sin, she’s exiled by the ruling Coven and cursed with the inability to love. The only way she can get those feelings back—even for just a little while—is to steal love from others.
    Wren is a source—a rare kind of person who is made of magic, despite being unable to use it herself. Sources are required to train with the Coven as soon as they discover their abilities, but Wren—the only caretaker to her ailing father—has spent her life hiding her secret.
    When a magical plague ravages the queendom, Wren’s father falls victim. To save him, Wren proposes a bargain: if Tamsin will help her catch the dark witch responsible for creating the plague, then Wren will give Tamsin her love for her father.
    Of course, love bargains are a tricky thing, and these two have a long, perilous journey ahead of them—that is, if they don’t kill each other first..

    My Review:

    Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

    Normally, I don’t read a lot of books containing LGBTQ romances, but truthfully, I couldn’t tell that this one was on that list until the very end. Romance wasn’t even a secondary plot point until like the last 3rd of the book, if that. It caught me off guard, but not in a bad way. I really enjoy this one. I hope to read more from this author. I do truly hope she continues this storyline. I also really want a novel or novella from the sister’s point of view. I really want to know what happens with her. I guess that’s mainly because I resonate with her more than Tamsin.

    —