4⭐️ 1🌶️

- M/F
- Asian American Rep
- Thai mythology
- Vampires/Fae/Werewolves/Dragon
- Cute animal sidekicks
- Epic journey/ quest
- Cursed objects

I really enjoyed this book! Piper wove such a vibrant story that beautifully combined Thai mythology with mythologies from all over the world to create an eclectic cast of characters that I loved so much!

One day a mysterious donation shows up while Peeraphan is at dance rehearsal that includes a pair of beautiful red satin dancing shoes that fit her perfectly. But little did she know that these shoes are cursed to make the wearer dance to death. With the help of a sexy, stoic vampire and her long lost cousin, who happens to be a werewolf, Peeraphan embarks on quest to discover how to remove the shoes. Along the way she meets a host of other supernatural beings and accepts that she might not be as human as she thought.

I loved these character so much! Peeraphan was such a kind and open minded person who risked her own safety to save Bennett when he was injured trying to protect her. But she wasn’t a pushover. I died when she called Bennett on his crap. I loved that she was a Kinnaree! I think I’ve only read about them in one other book and they are really interesting and beautiful!

Bennett was the sexy vampire boyfriend of our dreams. He promised never to care for another after he outlived his human lover. But he was unable to resist Peeraphan who accepts and loves him without judgement. I loved the enemies to friends banter he had with Thomas and how Peeraphan called it a bromance.

My absolute favorite part is this book was the running joke about Peeraphan not being “too dumb to live.” As someone who absolutely loathes dumb characters and often says they were too dumb to live, this just spoke to my soul and made me incredibly happy.

As much as I loved this story, it was written in third person POV and I always struggle a little with this and is the reason for 4⭐️.

I loved the whole cast of characters in this book and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I wonder if the next book will focus on Peeraphan and Bennett or if maybe we’ll get one focused on Thomas.

Catherine Walsh’s Holiday Romance was my favorite holiday romance of 2022, so I was excited to dive into another of her novels. The Matchmaker is set in a small Irish village called Ennisbawn where Katie Collins has grown up, raised by her grandmother after her parents died in a car accident when she was five.

Ennisbawn isn’t a fancy place, but its place in the hearts of its inhabitants is large. Katie works in a pub run by Adam, who acted as a sort of father figure for her. Outside the pub, there’s a wishing well where her parents met. Katie still lives with her granny and spends her days with her two best friends whose lives also center around the pub.

Change is coming, though. A wealthy real estate developer has bought up large swaths of land in Ennisbawn and is building a luxurious hotel. Led by a team manager named Josh and his contractor, Callum Dempsey, the builders have disrupted Katie’s every day, starting each morning when she’s awakened by the sound of construction vehicles. Katie is filled with resentment . . . and with interest. Callum is incredibly handsome, and he doesn’t seem to be quite as committed to the destruction of Ennisbawn as his boss.

Still, all things considered, Katie doesn’t love the plan, but she’s resigned to it . . . until she discovers that—through a series of legal machinations—they’ll be knocking down her beloved pub to make way for even more hotel-centered building.

So, Katie sets out to do the only thing she can think to do: revive the traditional match-making festival, emphasizing the tradition and culture that will be wiped out by the hotelier’s plans, bringing positive media attention to the village and negative media attention to the company’s project.

The only problem? The festival has dwindled—like the town—over the years, so it’s more of a recreation than a revival. But Katie is (or may be?) up to the challenge.

Just like Holiday Romance, The Matchmaker shines because of its characters and because of the authentic way that Walsh builds their relationship. The premise of each of these novels may be just outside the bounds of reality, but the relationships develop without the normal false barriers and miscommunications that plague some romance novels. Katie is a refreshingly self-aware protagonist, and Callum is just great: sincere and down-to-earth in his developing feelings for Katie and for the town. I also absolutely loved the secondary characters—Katie’s friends and family—who bring such a richness to the novel. Catherine Walsh is an author whose backlist I must dive into soon!

Peeraphan, aka Punch, is a dancer. She is given a pair a beautiful red shoes and as soon as she sees them, she must put them on. Bennet works for a consortium that hunts down supernatural objects. He was sent to retrieve the red shoes that will compel the wearer to dance until they die. Now that someone has put them on, he’ll have to wait until they die so he can safely retrieve the dangerous shoes.

Wings Once Cursed & Bound has a promising premise. The mysterious consortium reminds me TV shows like The Librarians and Warehouse 13, two shows I’ve watched numerous times. I was eager to learn more about the Thai mythology and the secrets of Peeraphan’s supernatural lineage.

That said, I was over one-third into the story, and I hadn’t connected with the characters or the situation. I found myself skimming sections, waiting for the story to go deeper than the superficial introduction. There was action, but I felt like I was on the surface, and I wanted to delve deeper. Peeraphan knows so little of herself and who she is; Bennet doesn’t understand why he suddenly cares for someone else. I think because they don’t understand themselves, things stay on the surface. While I understand that there was still a lot of story left when I stopped, I just couldn’t care enough to continue and find out.

This is one that I’ll keep on my bookshelf with the hopes of picking it up again someday, and if you read it, let me know your thoughts. Sometimes a short break is all that’s needed, and then I can pick it back up.

My Rating: DNF

NOTE: I don't give ratings to books I don't finish, however, Netgalley requires a rating. So I rated it 2-stars only because I had to include a rating.

4/5 ⭐
1/5 🌶️
4/5 🎧

I really enjoyed this new world that Piper brought to us, paranormals in a human led world with suspense, mystery and more. I really loved the Thai myths mixed with your standard vampire, werewolf and faerie lore. Piper even has breakdowns of the stories she used in WOCAB at the end of the book, which were fantastic. It was just a smidge spicy and a very slow burn, but it was perfect for this plot driven story.

I listened to this one and really loved Cindy Kay's narrating although it got a star docked just because it was a dual narrated story with only one narrator. If Bennett had had his own voice this would have easily been 5 stars. Cindy did a great job with Peeraphan and Marie and I did enjoy her male voices too.

Peeraphan and Bennett were really fun main characters. Their chemistry and angst was really well done and I loved them both. Bennett's fear of loving was paired perfectly with Peeraphan's optimistic and open armed view of love, the way they came together in the end was so sweet. It somehow still felt like an instalove situation despite the slow burn too.

I don't have any details for what's next in the Mythwoven series, but it felt like Peeraphan and Bennett's story was wrapped up in a way that the next story could be a continuation of them or a different set of characters. Either way I am so excited to see what Piper has in store for us next.

DNF. I didn't finish this book when I realized what this story was about and this fantasy with vampires just doesn't hold my interest. But I do appreciate net galley for giving me this book to review.

I loved this book more than I thought I would. The characters are cute and the plot is great. I did wish that the story was a little longer and delved into the characters personalities and made the connections a little more developed than they were. At times it felt like things were rushed and I wanted more detail. Other than that I really can't wait for book two

I really enjoyed this unique urban fantasy. It had a surprising playfulness to it that I wasn’t expecting but made for a really fun story. I found the world and the characters interesting and I like that it acknowledged the absurdity of some of the situations, instead of taking itself super seriously and/or expecting the reader to completely suspend their disbelief. Also…Peeraphan and Bennett ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE LIKE ADULTS! How novel! The miscommunication trope is one of my pet peeves so having the opposite of the that - realistic, mature communication was an absolute breath of fresh air and I loved it.

Overall a fun fantasy that I would happily read again and will be definitely be keeping an eye out for sequels.

Sadly, this book was disappointing. I am a huge fan of SJM, and this should not be advertised as being in the same realm as her books. I wasn’t able to connect with Punch or Bennett and going between POVs in third person was awkward. The writing was at times hard to follow; sentences were too long, conversations were weird, this felt more like a first draft than a book ready yo release. I did DNF this book, I just did not want to read any more of this book. Thanks to the publisher for the chance to read.

I was very much was excited to read this book. It was promoted for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Thai mythology. I am a fan of Sarah J. Maas. And I'm always interested in learning about mythology from other cultures.

Sadly, this book didn't make connections to either promotion. I would not put this in the same category of the books written by Sarah J. Maas. This is an Urban Fantasy book with supernatural creatures (vampires, werewolves, witches, etc). with a unhealthy romance between Bennett and Punch. I only say it's unhealthy as this book takes places over a 24 hour period, and by the end of it the main characters are talking about love and moving in together. There's also a huge lack of mythology in this book. Yes, it's mentioned but that's it. It seems all the supernatural creatures know about the kinnaree. But no one wants to give up that information for the reader.

The double third-person POV was also strange. I don't mind a third-person POV story but having it switch between the characters was odd. And they hardly talk to each other!!! The reader only learns information from the characters through their thoughts rather than their interactions with each other.

I enjoyed reading this fast paced , suspenseful urban fantasy book. The author did an excellent job blending the Thai folklore with the urban fantasy world. The main characters were bold and the dual pov chapters made it easier to fully understand the story. I enjoyed the slow burn romance and the time they took to develop their relationship. I look forward to the second in the Mythwoven series.

I will not try to be harsh because the book was not bad. I enjoyed it, but it could have been better.
It was incredibly fascinating to read about Thai mythology and Kinnaree because I had never read anything about it before.
To be honest, I don't think we needed so many POVs. It seemed a little bit too fast-paced to me because there was so much information and many things thrown at us in a short period of time. Also, I could not see Bennet and Punch as a couple at all so the romance part could have been skipped altogether.
Bennett didn't strike me as a really interesting guy in general, while Thomas piqued my interest. Overall, it wasn't horrible, as I said I enjoyed it, but any comparisons to Maas's books would be misleading. The book's cover is stunning!

I was so excited for this book, and it really let me down.

From the description, there is so much to get interested in: We’re talking about Thai mythology, specifically kinnaree, which I’ve never heard of until now. The main character gets trapped into wearing a pair of red shoes that forces her to dance until she dies. There is talk about “a world of myth and power”, which makes me think this is going to be expansive.

There is literally nothing I liked about this book.

To begin with, there’s not really much about the kinnaree themselves. Even after reading, I can’t really describe what a kinnaree is. A person with wings on their hips? None of the characters really find out about kinnaree beyond some basics the main character already knows about, leaving readers confused on what is going on.

The writing is also very awkward when characters talk to each other, reminding me a lot of roleplay chatlogs where RPers would bounce back and forth between topics until they were having multiple discussions within the same post. Details a character should already know about, such as the color of the red shoes, are pointed out unnecessarily in conversation, despite everyone knowing the shoes are red.

I didn’t understand the point of the main character’s pet sugar gliders, which appear every so often throughout the book. They have no plot relevance. If they were completely deleted from the story, the book wouldn’t suffer. They were just… there.

I also didn’t enjoy the “romance” that developed between Peeraphan and Bennett, our two main characters. There was a lot of instant attraction and obsession here, which made it feel creepy. There was nothing really talking about why they were attracted to each other (except maybe Bennett pointing out that Peeraphan is “mature for her age”? Gross.), and I honestly considered putting this book down and never returning every single time we swiveled our focus to their relationship.

I never skim or skip sections as I read, but I had to once the book began detailing sex scenes between Peeraphan and Bennett. Simply because of lack of care, I knew I had to get through those sections as fast as I could. But one detail jumped out at me in the very first sex scene, where Peeraphan describes Bennett’s penis as “fully erect and beyond epic.”

If I wasn’t two chapters away from the ending, I would have DNFed there. The idea of describing someone’s dick as “epic”, a word I only really hear said excitedly by young boys talking about whatever they find cool at that moment, had me putting the book down for two hours. Peeraphan is a grown woman in a sexual situation, and the only descriptor she could think of was “epic”?

It was such a small thing, but it was truly the last straw for me.

I usually try to find something nice to say about a book, as I understand other readers may have different tastes than me and I want to make sure readers are excited for the books they want to read, but I can’t with this book.

Wings Once Cursed & Bound
2.5 Stars

Wings Once Cursed & Bound had the potential to be great, but completely fell flat for me. I couldn't just fall into this book and enjoy the experience. This book was all over the place. Plots and characters are not completely fleshed out. There are holes in the story that I can't overlook. The politest thing I can say is, it reminds me of when Kindle Unlimited started publishing a lot of un-edited books. I got sick of waiting for something good to happen. I did finish this book, so I can't say I'd recommend it.

All in all, I just think this book reads like a WIP. It feels rushed and not complete. If the author gave it a little more time. It would have made a big difference.

Thank you, NetGalley and SourceBooks, for an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

DNF at 48%

This book just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into it and I found myself getting easily distracted. I didn't feel anything for the characters and the plot wasn't interesting to me anymore.

I’d like to start out by thanking #Netgalley & #Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me a free digital copy of this book for my honest review.

Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake was the first book I have read by this author. It is a sci-fi romance novel and highlights Thai mythology & vampires. The book can feel slightly chaotic and as if you you are missing something at times but that is because that is how the primary character is experiencing these things as well. The character development was excellent and the world truly evolved on paper (or e-reader) as you continue reading. I would recommend this novel romance lovers looking to dip their toes into fantasy or fantasy fans that don’t mind a well developed romance! I look forward to seeing this series continue.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book early! This is a wholly original fantasy that I can’t wait to see more of. In a blend of urban/modern and epic fantasy, this book draws from Thai legends as the main character is drawn accidentally into the supernatural criminal underground. While this may sound like a lot of moving parts, it really isn’t. The prose is fast-paced and descriptive in a way that introduces the characters and world building efficiently and effectively without being too clunky. This is a supernatural fantasy romance, but at its core it is about agency and identity. Perfect for fans of The Star Daughter and the Shadowhunters series, this is a new addition not to be missed.

While being a compellingly and interesting story, there was that initial connection and spark that was missing from the characters. A lot of the story seemed rushed and did not allow the reader to develop those initial connections. Even the characters relationship with each other seemed impetuous.

I enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read this rest. While the world building felt a little complicated it didn't detract from the book.

This was a difficult review to write, as I found this a hot mess, but the world strangely endearing? So I'm rating it up to help hopefully get more books.

First things first - like my friend Meg noticed too, this book is being grossly mis-advertised. It is much more a diverse urban fantasy rather than the epic fantasy the marketing and cover are trying to suggest; comparing it to Maas and others' work is setting it up for failure, in my opinion, and its diversity and representation don't deserve that. The plot takes place over about 24 hours, within which the main romantic pairing meet, Punch is introduced to the whole supernatural world, she's lured into putting on cursed red shoes (yes, those of like, European, Grimm fairytale lore), and the main pair get together, sex and confessions of love and all. So. This author's wheelhouse appears to be fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense, and this read as that to me, only with supernatural beings and some cool Thai lore, and I think people should adjust their expectations.

Honestly, I could have done without the romance at all, as well as the POV changes (Marie and Thomas' POVs are super randomly added near the end?). I totally could have done without Bennett's POV; the irony is that Punch calls out THOMAS for being patronizing later, and also notes Francesco "mansplaining" away, when...Bennett does all of the above, a lot. Bennett also supercedes Punch's physical autonomy several times, picking her up to carry her around; and like, usually I love a good bridal carry, but not when it hits unpleasantly like this did every time. He doesn't ask her consent most times, either, and this bothered me especially because the girl is already under the influence of cursed shoes that compel her to move, so there's a pre-existing lack of free will going on. Other than that, Bennett is a fairly typical vampire archetype, dark and brooding. The only cool thing was his blood-reading powers; when he feeds from people, the 'notes' in their blood, like as in wine, show their character and deeds.

It felt like there were missed opportunities; exploring the vulnerabilities of the vampires being "dead" during the day was one. The two main characters read as completely flat for me, the book being more plot-driven than anything requiring expansion of their personalities, I guess. Also, the main climactic confrontation of the book is only half experienced by the reader, and then awkwardly like, recapped by the characters at dinner the next day? It was a hell of a narrative choice. I kind of have to respect some of the just...wonky choices made in this book.

I loved Marie the witch, and Thomas the hot Thai werewolf, and I'd love more of both of them. I hope further installments offer other characters' stories rather than more Punch or Bennett - the chemistry-laden scene featuring Marie and a couple of nine-tailed foxes was spicier than anything between the main pair in this book, for me. Ashke the tiny fae was hilarious. I liked the gang when they were together, the found family camaraderie and bonding over cultural cuisines was charming. The blending of global folklore, like the dancing red shoes brought into this, was cool. Some of the completely abstract, to me, plot inclusions were also enjoyable. Punch has a pair of animal companions whom I won't spoil here that show up completely randomly, and they half-delighted, half completely baffled me in their inclusion. There is a hilarious scene near the beginning where There Was Only One Electric Scooter, which I enjoyed, and also a sexy vampiric feeding scene near the beginning that was also well done.

Four stars and good luck to this book!

This was definitely a different kind of read for me in all the good ways. I loved the authors writing style so much it was so easy to read definitely will recommend this.