Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: March 2026

April 1, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Oh it’s so nice to be outside more before it gets way too hot to do so. I read many books, check them out!

The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
[ALC] In Time with You by Kristin Dwyer
The Mirror Game (The Blood and Water Saga #5) by Cassidy Clarke
An Accidental Marriage (The Gentlemen’s Gamble) by Deborah M. Hathaway
Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman
Her Hidden Fire (Her Hidden Fire #1) by Cliodhna O’Sullivan
In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde
The Determined by Rachel Rueckert
Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller
Heart of Mischief (Soul of Shadows #2) by Emma Noyes
We Danced Among Shadows (Meadowbrook Ranch #2) by Ashley Dill
First Down and Forever to Go (River Foxes #1) by Leah Dobrinska
[ARC/ALC] This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying #1) by Ilona Andrews
[ARC] Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) by Matt Dinniman
[Reread] Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
[ARC] Could’ve Fooled Me (Georgia Jaguars #1) by Jenny Proctor
Heir of Illusion (Verran Isles #1) by Madeline Taylor
[Novella] Everybody’s Favorite Guy by Katherine Center
The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1) by Freida McFadden
[Non-Fiction] Spark by John J. Ratey, MD
Dawn of the North (The Ashen #3) by Demi Winters
What Echoes in the Dark (What Bloom from Death #2) by S.M. Gaither
[ARC/ALC] The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
[Reread] Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
[ARC] We Are Never Getting Together by Janette Rallison
Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent
[Novella] When Fate is Cruel by LJ Andrews
The Night We Met (Say You’ll Remember Me #2) by Abby Jimenez
Drop Shot (The Off Court #1) by Vai Denton
Scars Beneath a Serpent’s Scales (The Fatesworn Saga #1) by Nicole Platania
How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh
[ARC] Until Next Summer by Allison Ashley

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Book Review: The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane #2) by Cassandra Claire

March 27, 2026April 3, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Fantasy + Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: March 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as “everything I look for in fantasy,” Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.

BETTER THAN THE FIRST.

Well here we are. I actually didn’t expect myself to pick this book up so soon after release (or maybe even at all) but a few reviews found their way to me and I decided to give it a go. And I do think it is an upgrade from book one. Being settled into the general plot, world and characters helped this book move much more smoothly and I realized I was more invested as the pages went on.

Do I think it still dragged quite a bit? Yes. And some of the politicking lost me as well. I do love the complicated character dynamics and all of the choices that lead to some devastating consequences. I’m also intrigued by the romances and where those will continue to go too.

So yeah, I’ll keep reading this series.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy + Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: open door
Violence: moderate – high

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Book Review: Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller

March 26, 2026March 9, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sports Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Cassie Miller
Publisher: Viking Books
Release Date: March 3rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

My Life with the Walter Boys meets The Notebook in this small town baseball romance perfect for fans of Kasie West and Carley Fortune.

High school junior Eliza Crowley is known as the Princess of Fairfield, a farm town in North Carolina that loves two things—tradition and baseball. Although Eliza loves “the game,” her life goal is to become a lighting designer on Broadway. Shaking off her reputation as the rich girl and focusing on her town’s community theater production are what she’s set her sights on this summer, and nothing will stand in her way. That is until Reed Fulton, the grandson of a struggling Fairfield farmer, and ace pitcher of the Fulton Hawks, returns to town. Reed dreams of putting the catastrophe of last season behind him and leading the Hawks to a championship victory against the Crowley Cardinals. When his childhood friend turned stranger, Eliza, strolls back into his life, she makes his heart accelerate quicker than his fastball, and he’s not sure he can stay away from the girl he’s supposed to despise. Small-town summers and baseball draw Reed and Eliza together, even though the Crowleys and the Fultons are determined to run each other out of town. When the families make a deal to settle their thirty-year-long dispute once and for all, Eliza and Reed are stuck in the middle during the most important summer of their lives.

PROGRESSIVELY BETTER.

I was a bit mixed when this started and worried it just wasn’t going to work for me but by the second half I really fell into the story and the character arcs for Eliza and Reed. I appreciated that this felt [mostly] true to the young adult genre. There is some under age drinking but the language was low and the romance was kisses only.

I’m not a theater girlie so those pieces didn’t hit as hard for me but the parallels to Romeo and Juliet were well done. I enjoyed this style of retelling. I liked the audiobook narrators too and wish there had been more chapters from Reed’s POV. It felt a little imbalanced.

I loved the baseball content and the back and forth between families. And I especially loved seeing Eliza’s Dad grow and acknowledge his faults too. It’s a reminder that parents aren’t perfect either and I loved seeing those bridges mended and genuine effort in reestablishing relationships.

I’m still just really obsessing over the colors on this cover too.

Overall audience notes:

YA Baseball romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: mild
Content warnings: arson, underage drinking

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Book Review: Code Word Romance by Carlie Walker

March 18, 2026March 24, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Carlie Walker
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: March 18th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two exes. One mission. A trip she’ll never forget…

Max is just your average girl. She works odd jobs, has a soul-crushing amount of debt and just happens to have an uncanny resemblance to Europe’s youngest female prime minister, Sofia Christensen . . .

So when the prime minister receives a credible death threat, the CIA approaches Max with a a life-changing amount of money if she pretends to be Sofia on the prime minister’s annual Italian trip.

It would be a dream if it weren’t for those pesky assassins and Flynn, Max’s ridiculously hot handler – the man who broke her heart years and years ago.

With her life now on the line, Max knows she has no choice but to lose herself in the role. But losing her heart to Flynn again? Now that’s a risk that she isn’t willing to take . . .

Red, White and Royal Blue meets Emily Henry in this opposites-attract, fake-dating romcom. Perfect for fans of Katherine Center and Ali Hazelwood.

THIS WAS FUN.

I have really enjoyed the spy romcom sub genre of romance. They are a lot of fun and have a different vibe than my usual books and I appreciate the smiles it brings amidst all of the chaos of the journey.

This was a fantastic second chance romance. I was INVOLVED with Max and Flynn’s past and current relationship. I loved the slow burn tension and the bodyguard moments?? YES PLEASE.

The audiobook is great, an easy and fast listen with a solid narrator. I loved the turns the plot took and seeing Max kind of come into her own in an impossible situation. There’s romance and action and political betrayals that will keep you busy. Such a gem and can’t wait for more!

Overall audience notes: