"Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Broke Me—in the Best Way

June TBR_The Conditions of Will

 The Conditions of Will by Jessa Hastings

 

Author: Jessa Hastings
Genre: Literary Fiction / Contemporary Fiction / Family Drama
Themes: Grief, identity, family estrangement, addiction, legacy, love
Rating: 4.75 out of 5

 

The Setup

Jessa Hastings trades the high-gloss world of Magnolia Parks for something quieter, more introspective, and deeply affecting in The Conditions of Will. The novel follows Georgia Carter, a 24-year-old lie-detection expert in London who is called back to South Carolina after the death of her estranged father, Will Carter. The death is jarring, but what unravels from it is even more destabilizing—a surprise inheritance left to a stranger, a hidden side of her father, and the reopening of wounds the Carter family buried long ago.

 

Character Deep Dive

Georgia Carter is messy, smart, cynical, and emotionally layered. Her voice carries both biting wit and unflinching vulnerability as she tries to reckon with the version of herself that left the South—and the one who is now forced to return.

 

Oliver Carter, her brother, is battling addiction and haunted by their shared past, his storyline is both redemptive and tragic.

 

Sam Penny, Oliver’s AA sponsor and Georgia’s complicated love interest, is not your typical romantic lead. He is soft, present, and understanding Aussie.  A man who listens, rather than saves. His presence is as healing as it is disruptive.  The rest of the Carter family especially the mother, Margaret, and siblings Maryanne and Tennyson are shades of resentment, denial, and slow-burning revelations.

 

Plot & Pacing

The story unfolds like a Southern summer—slow at first, then sticky with secrets. The pacing is measured, intentionally so. This is not a plot-heavy thriller, but a character study one that unearths buried truths at the precise moment the reader is ready for them.  The catalyst for much of the tension is Will Carter’s will, which bequeaths a lake house to a mysterious man named Alexis Beauchêne, a figure no one in the family has ever heard of. What follows is a slow-burning unraveling of Will’s hidden identity, Georgia’s past shame, and the real conditions—emotional, spiritual, personal—that define family.

 

Themes & Emotion

 

At its core, The Conditions of Will is about the legacy of silence.  What we do not say to the people we love, and the truths we withhold to survive our own stories. Hastings beautifully explores:

·      Grief and estrangement

·      The illusion of the “ideal” Southern family

·      Addiction and recovery

·      Queerness and generational shame

·      Feminine rage and forgiveness

Hastings does not shy away from tough questions: What do we owe to family? Can love and harm exist in the same space? What happens when someone you loved turns out to have lived a life you never truly knew?

 

Who This Book Is For:

Those who love….

·      Multi-layered family drama

·      Emotionally intelligent romance

·      LGBTQ+ representation handled with care

·      Stories about women coming back home to reclaim their power

·      Southern Gothic settings without the ghosts, but all the haunting

This book is for you.

My Final Thoughts:

 

The Conditions of Will is not a book you race through. It is one you linger in. I found myself stopping the audio several times to reflect and even to highlight or annotate in the book.  It is a literary meditation on the quiet violence of secrets and the soft redemption of being seen. Hastings proves herself not just as a romance writer, but as a true literary voice.  This story can be seen and reflected in many families.  Parents DO have favorites whether they admit it or not.  Worse is when parents actually voice or favor that child(ren) over the other.  What that does to the child impacts either positively or negatively for a lifetime.  To grow up in a world when not even your parents will help or love you or even ask how you are doing in the world.  The story made me sad as an inner child and as a parent.  Read with caution but READ the book.  It’s worth it.

 

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

I am finally reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. It has been on my physical TBR shelf since 2023. I am a huge fan of Ms. Bardugo. #booktubetbr #books #booksuggestions #tbr

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Conditions of Will by Jessa Hastings

Quicksilver by Callie Hart

 Book Review: Quicksilver by Callie Hart (Book series “Fae & Alchemy)

“He’s everything I should fear. But I’ve never felt safer than when he’s near.”

Book Started: 2 June 2025 / Book Completed: 9 June 2025

Total pages read: 6089 / Total Listening Time: 20 hours:42 minutes

Overall Star Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 / Format: Libby and I own the physical book

Goodreads Book Synopsis: In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.  Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about her strange powers, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember.  But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.  When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, legend, and nightmares... but it turns out they're real, and Saeris has landed herself in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.  The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior with secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.  Death has a name. It is the Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home.

If you are a dark romance lover and if you’ve been craving a story that wraps danger in desire, blends raw chemistry with revenge-fueled secrets, and serves up an antihero who will ruin your standards forever, Quicksilver by Callie Hart is a must-add to your TBR.  From page one, this slow-burn, morally gray SPICY romance sinks its claws in. Here’s my deep dive into the chaos, passion, and gritty brilliance that is Quicksilver.

“Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.”

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature “madness” in a literary context, genocide, forced sterilization, discrimination against sex workers, fantasy violence, sexual violence, genocide, and suicide.

Spoiler-Free Summary

Saeris Fane is the reluctant heroine in this story.  She is the main female protagonist, a thief, later discovering that she is an alchemist.  She is fiercely independent, resourceful, and emotionally guarded.  Saeris begins as a survivalist thief in a brutal desert society, shaped by trauma and secrecy. Her journey is self-discovery as she learns about her true heritage and powers as an alchemist. She evolves from a lone wolf into a reluctant leader, learning to trust others and embrace her destiny.  She has many strengths.  She is quick-thinking, brave, and morally complex.  She is also flawed, distrustful, impulsive, and emotionally repressed.  Through this story, you get to read how Saeris goes through this transformation, both literal (alchemy) and emotional. Her control over Quicksilver mirrors her struggle to master her identity and emotions.

 

Kingfisher is the fae warrior with secrets.  He is the main male character who will be Saeris’s love interest.  He is also a fae warrior and guardian of Yvelia.  He is extremely stoic, enigmatic, and fiercely loyal.  Kingfisher is initially cold and distant, bound by duty and haunted by past failures. His relationship with Saeris forces him to confront vulnerability and rediscover hope. He’s a classic “wounded protector” archetype with a slow-burn emotional thaw.  He has many strengths, mainly his strategicness, power, and emotional intelligence.  Like Saeris, he is also flawed.  He is overly secretive, emotionally withdrawn, and burdened by guilt.  Kingfisher embodies the theme of death and rebirth—his icy realm and demeanor contrast with the warmth Saeris brings into his life.

Tropes & Themes

1.       Enemies-to-Lovers

·         Saeris and Kingfisher begin with mutual distrust and hostility, but their relationship evolves into a slow-burn romance filled with tension and emotional depth.

2.       Hidden Identity / Chosen One

·         Saeris is unaware of her true heritage and powers at the start. As the story unfolds, she discovers she is an Alchemist with a rare and powerful connection to Quicksilver.

3.       Portal Fantasy

·         The protagonist is transported from one world (a desert realm) to another (a frozen Fae kingdom), introducing new rules, magic, and politics.

4.       Fae Romance

·         The love interest is a mighty, immortal Fae warrior. This trope often includes themes of ancient magic, long lifespans, and emotional restraint.

5.       Found Family

·         As Saeris navigates her new world, she forms bonds with unlikely allies, creating a surrogate family dynamic.

6.       Reluctant Heroine

·         Saeris doesn’t seek power or glory. Despite her reluctance, she’s pulled into a larger conflict and must rise to the occasion.

7.       Magical Training / Power Awakening

·         A classic trope where the protagonist must learn to control and understand her newfound abilities, often under pressure or threat.

8.       Dark Royalty / Brooding Male Lead

·         Kingfisher fits the archetype of the emotionally distant, decisive male lead with a tragic past and a hidden soft side.

9.       Political Intrigue

·         The story includes court politics, ancient rivalries, and power struggles between kingdoms and magical factions.

Spice Level: 4/5

The sexual tension is slow and loaded with restraint, but once it hits? FIREWORKS. The scenes are passionate, raw, and emotionally charged.

 

Final Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

If you like your romance intense, complex, and edged in shadows, Quicksilver delivers everything and more. It’s a haunting, seductive story about grief, vengeance, healing, and trust — told through two broken souls finding salvation in each other.  I cannot wait for book two to come out this November (18 November 2025 – “Brimestone”)

June TBR Book Two Completed. Quicksilver by Callie Hart