The Singles Table is the final installment in Sara Desai’s Marriage Game Series, and I really enjoyed it. It was delightful, light-hearted, and funny, and I loved both characters. Zara and Jay are complete opposites, and that is clear from their first meeting while paintballing. Zara has a fun, quirky personality and works at a law firm that fits her perfectly, while Jay is grumpy, reserved, and a workaholic at his security company, which he’s trying to grow internationally. They keep ending up near each other at their friends’ weddings, and Zara makes it a point to matchmake Jay so she can prove she can do it better than the Aunties. However, both characters eventually fall for one another, though it takes one of them a while to realize the other is attracted to them. I rooted for them the whole time because they were an adorable couple, even if they initially didn’t like one another.
I really enjoyed the storyline, even though it was all over the place and had several POVs beyond Adrienne and Hawk’s, which I didn’t mind. The issue was that certain scenes would cut off or change, and then another POV would take over, which had me all over the place, if that makes sense. I found it annoying at times. Other than that, what I enjoyed most was the magic aspect and how the Fae played a role, especially in the time travel portion, which is why I kept reading this story even if I had issues with the writing style.
(Reread June 2026) This book is still a 5-star read for me. I loved Naasir and Andromeda’s love story and finding out what Naasir was exactly and how he came to be(finally). I love how he stood up to an Ancient in this book and looked out for his mate. I loved how Naasir respected Andromeda and was willing to find the grimoire book before he claimed her as his mate. I loved that Andromeda is both a scholar and a warrior. She truly was the perfect mate for Naasir.
The Ember and The Emerald is the second installment in Gena Showalter’s No Monsters Like Hers Trilogy. If you haven’t read the first book, The Great And Terrible, you’ll need to before reading this one, since the second book picks up where the first left off. The second I knew Gena Showalter was writing a Wizard of Oz retelling, I knew I had to pick up the first book, and then I couldn’t wait to read this one. She’s one of my auto-buy authors, and I’ll read whatever she writes, so I’m glad she decided to venture into the Wizard of Oz. It was one of the movies I used to watch over and over again and drive my parents crazy. =)
