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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: February 2024

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The month of love! Wow, this month knocked it out of the park with the five stars y’all. So many dang good books and I finally got my hands on House of Flame and Shadow!!

Favorites this month:

  • House of Flame and Shadow
  • Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
  • Emma M. Lion No. 5
  • The Ever Queen
  • The Will of the Many
  • Wild About You
  • The Scrivener’s Bones
  • The Outlaw Noble Salt
  • The Knights of Crystallia
  • Girl Meets Grump
  • Tales of the Celestial Kingdom
  • The Shattered Lens
  • The Dark Talent
  • The Trials of Ophelia
  • Heartless Hunter
  • A Groom of One’s Own
  • The Warm Hands of Ghosts
  • House of Bane and Blood
  • Where the Dark Stands Still

Least favorites this month:

  • Night for Day
  • Liar’s Test
  • Valley Verified
  • [ARC] Night for Day by Roselle Lim
  • House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City #3) by Sarah J. Maas
  • [ALC] A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea #1) by Hafsah Faizal
  • [ARC] Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley
  • [ARC] Happily Never After by Lynn Painter
  • Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
  • [ARC] Liar’s Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina
  • Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians #1) by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (Emma M. Lion #5) by Beth Brower
  • The Ever Queen (The Ever Seas #2) by L.J. Andrews
  • The Will of the Many (Hierarchy #1) by James Islington
  • [ARC] Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill
  • The Scrivener’s Bones (Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians #2) by Brandon Sanderson
  • [ARC] A Noble Scheme (The Imposters #2) by Roseanna M. White
  • No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall
  • [ARC] The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon
  • I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang
  • The Knights of Crystallia (Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians #3) by Brandon Sanderson
  • [ARC] Girl Meets Grump by Hailey Gardiner
  • Tales of the Celestial Kingdom (The Celestial Kingdom #2.5) by Sue Lynn Tan
  • Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde #2) by Heather Fawcett
  • Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao
  • Mortal Queens (Fae Dynasty #1) by Victoria McCombs
  • [ARC] An Unlikely Proposition (Unexpected Seasons #2) by Rosalyn Eves
  • The Shattered Lens (Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians #4) by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Dark Talent (Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians #5) by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Trials of Ophelia (The Curse of Ophelia #3) by Nicole Platania
  • [ARC] An Inconvenient Letter by Julie Wright
  • Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians #6) by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson
  • Heartless Hunter (The Crimson Moth #1) by Kristen Ciccarelli
  • Nightweaver by RM Gray
  • [ARC] A Groom of One’s Own (Appies Series) by Emma St. Clair
  • Love Interest by Clare Gilmore
  • The Warm Hands of Ghosts of Katherine Arden
  • [ARC/Novella] After the Crescent Strike (The Balkan Legends #0.5) by A.L. Sowards
  • [ARC] Wedding Issues by Elle Evans
  • ASAP by Axie Oh
  • House of Bane and Blood (Order and Chaos #1) by Alexis L. Menard
  • Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek
  • [Novella] Hyperthief (Skyward #3.6) by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson

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Book Review: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (The Unselected Journals #1) by Beth Brower

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Fiction
Length: 121 pages
Author: Beth Brower
Publisher: Rhysdon Press
Release Date: November 1st, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

I AM INTRIGUED.

At the behest of many friends I finally picked this one up! It’s biggest hurdle is the unique writing style, but once I got the hang of it, I adored this y’all.

Emma is FUNNY. I laughed out loud multiple times and the succinct way she expresses herself is perfectly written. This is a very fast paced book (120ish pages) and offers up a lot of good beginning things to further the story as the journals go along.

I really look forward to seeing more romance, how Emma is able to take control of her situation and more. Regency fans, don’t skip this one if you’re looking for something to mix it up with.

Overall audience notes:

  • Regency/Historical
  • Language: none
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: none
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a loved one

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Book Review: But He’s My One Regret (But H’es a Carter Brother #2) by Annah Conwell

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 267 pages
Author: Annah Conwell
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 26th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I like to live my life with no regrets. The only exception? Levi Carter.

Five years ago we met on vacation and fell into an innocent flirtationship.

And like all the women in cliche romance novels–I’d know since I read them obsessively–I fell in love.

Then I promptly chickened out of admitting my way-too-soon-red-flag-feelings and left Levi behind, with nothing but his first name to remember him by.

I thought I’d never see him again, but then I walk into my new job as a police department therapist and … there he is.

He’s tall, handsome, and totally off-limits. Dating detectives is definitely against the rules, but Levi seems determined to break them.

But He’s My One Regret is a second chance, forbidden love romcom. It has all the sizzling chemistry you love, without any explicit scenes. Check out the second book in the But He’s a Carter Brother Series, a series based around four strong, protective brothers finding love

SWEET, BUT

I enjoyed this one, it’s got a good instant connection vibe and I am smitten with Levi. I thought the flashback chapters were sweet and helped show case the beginning of their relationship before they found each other again.

But I did struggle with some of the plot aspects. And even as I’m writing this I’m realizing a few other things that were never fully explained. The forbidden romance wasn’t all the way there (especially with how easy everything worked out) and I was confused by Dahlia being so incredibly stubborn. The book needed a bit more length for some explanations.

I like Annah Conwell’s writing style and I love this whole cast. I love a big family who look out for each other. There’s good friendships, a good sister relationship and some sweet moments that bring the swoon.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: very brief gun violence, grief depiction, mentions of loss of parents

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Book Review: Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr #1) by Helen Scheuerer

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 504 pages
Author: Helen Scheuerer
Publisher: Alchemy
Release Date: February 13th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

With her death foretold, Althea Zoltaire only has three years to become what she’s always dreamed of being: a warrior legend.

Women are forbidden to wield blades, so she has trained in secret her entire life. Now racing against the clock, she fights to secure her place in the elite guild charged with the protection of the five kingdoms.

The sparring and hazing of the new trainees border on deadly, but even more dangerous is her growing attraction to Wilder Hawthorne, her unwilling warrior chaperone.

All around them, schemes are afoot and darkness looms.

Will Althea pass the perilous initiation test and take her place as a champion of Thezmarr – or will the invading evil snatch away her dream before it starts?

If you like fierce sword-wielding heroines and brooding, tortured heroes, you will devour this sexy, addictive fantasy adventure.

Perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom, From Blood and Ash and The Witcher, BLOOD & STEEL is an epic romantic fantasy with enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn spice, found family, and a sprawling world of magic and monsters. Blood & Steel is the gripping first book in the heart-pounding, epic romantic fantasy series, The Legends of Thezmarr.

WANTED TO LOVE.

My thoughts kept waffling back and forth. This is NOT a bad book, and I still have plans to read the second one. There’s just some things in here that didn’t quite work for me.

I love a slow burn, and at times this romance felt forced. The innuendo didn’t hit well and it took me longer that I wanted to feel connected to them. It’s enemies to lovers adjacent but true enemies actually have some conflict for a bit before they’re already lusting for each other. It’s a series, bring the angst. By the end I was feeling their whole vibe enough and that’s probably the main reason I want to continue.

There’s a good building of found family and sibling dynamics. I love strong sister bonds and I love the way Thea and Wren took care of each other. I also absolutely adored Thea’s new friends and how they formed a connection to look after one another.

Occasionally I skimmed some stuff that seemed repetitive. There was a LOT of training and mock battles, etc. And while I love seeing a character actually work for improving skills I think it could have still been condensed more and then there would have been more time for world building and some magic explanations.

Overall audiece notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: innuendo + 1-2 open

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