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Book Review: The House at Watch Hill (Watch Hill Trilogy #1) by Karen Marie Moning

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Paranormal Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning is back with a gripping, imaginative, and seductive new series in which a young woman moves to Divinity, Louisiana, to inherit a large fortune and a Gothic mansion full of mysteries and ominous secrets…

Zo Grey is reeling from the sudden death of her mother when she receives a surprising call from an attorney in Divinity, Louisiana, with the news she has been left an inheritance by a distant relative, the terms of which he will only discuss in person. Destitute and alone, with nothing left to lose, Zo heads to Divinity and discovers she is the sole beneficiary of a huge fortune and a monstrosity of a house that sits ominously at the peak of Watch Hill—but she must live in it, alone, for three years before the house, or the money, is hers.

Met with this irresistible opportunity to finally build a future for herself, Zo puts aside her misgivings about the foreboding Gothic mansion and the strange circumstances, and moves in, where she is quickly met by a red-eyed Stygian owl and an impossibly sexy Scottish groundskeeper.

Her new home is full of countless secrets and mystifying riddles, with doors that go nowhere, others that are impossible to open, and a turret into which there is no visible means of ingress. And the townspeople are odd…

What Zo doesn’t yet know is that her own roots lie in this very house and that in order to discover her true identity and awaken her dormant powers, she will have to face off against sinister forces she doesn’t quite comprehend—or risk being consumed by them.

Thank you William Morrow for the gifted copy and LibroFM for the audiobook.

NOT SURE THIS WAS FOR ME.

This is my first KMM book…and it might be my last? I liked the writing style and I thought most of the aspects of the plot were perfectly fine. Those were the pieces I enjoyed and made for a decent read. I also thought the audiobook production was good so if you want to try this book that format, go for it!

What bugged me the most was how the “romantic” plot lines were used in this book. I’m just personally not a fan of one night stands or lets just do it to let some steam off. I wanted much more true romance and connection, even some chemistry between the FMC and the love interest(s) (yes, I think there’s a love triangle?). The scenes weren’t over the top graphic but too lusty for me overall.

I thought the last quarter had some nice reveals and turns to really bring the action and tension of the plot. And y’all know I love a good cliffhanger. But I’m not sure it’s going to be worth picking up the sequel.

Overall audience notes:

  • Paranormal Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3 open door; innuendo
  • Violence: moderate

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: August 2024

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I’m just happy football is back. A big list of favorites this month!

Favorites this month:

  • Not Safe for Work
  • Ghostsmith
  • Delicate Escape
  • So True a Love
  • Better Than the Movies (reread)
  • A Heart Sufficient (reread)
  • Nothing Like the Movies
  • A Peculiar Combination
  • Quicksilver
  • Elizabeth of East Hampton
  • The Mist Thief
  • How to Hide in Plain Sight
  • Runaway Bride and Prejudice
  • Apprentice to the Villain
  • Demon Copperhead
  • Once Upon a Boyband
  • The Never Curse
  • [ARC] Drown Me with Dreams (Sing Me to Sleep #1) by Gabi Burton
  • The Fiancé Dilemma (The Long Game #2) by Elena Armas
  • Not Safe for Work (California Love #2) by Lindsey Lanza
  • Hearts That Cut (Threads That Bind #2) by Kika Hatzopoulou
  • [ARC] No Match for Love by Karen Thornell
  • The Mirror of Beasts (Silver in the Bone #2) by Alexandra Bracken
  • Not You Again by Ingrid Pierce
  • Songbird of the Sorrows (Myths of the Empyrieos #1) by Braidee Otto
  • [ALC] Ghostsmith (House of the Dead #2) by Nicki Pau Preto
  • [ARC] Beyond Ivy Walls by Rachel Fordham
  • [ARC] Delicate Escape (Sparrow Falls #2) by Catherine Cowles
  • The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love (Love’s Academic #1) by India Holton
  • [Novella] Better Than Before (Better Than the Movies #0.5) by Lynn Painter
  • [Reread] Better Than the Movies (Better Than the Movies #1) by Lynn Painter
  • [Novella] Better Than the Prom (Better Than the Movies #1.5) by Lynn Painter
  • [ARC] So True a Love by Joanna Barker
  • [Reread] A Heart Sufficient (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir #4) by Nichole Van
  • [ARC] The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig
  • [ARC] Serpent Sea (The Spice Road Trilogy #2) by Maiya Ibrahim
  • [ARC] Nothing Like the Movies (Better Than the Movies #2) by Lynn Painter
  • Black Tide Son (The Winter Sea #2) by H.M. Long
  • Haunted Ever After (Boneyard Key #1) by Jen DeLuca
  • A Peculiar Combination (Electra McDonnell #1) by Ashley Weaver
  • Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy #1) by Callie Hart
  • Positively, Penelope (Skymar #1) by Pepper Basham
  • [ARC] A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
  • Elizabeth of East Hampton (For the Love of Austen #2) by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding
  • The Mist Thief (The Ever Seas #3) by L.J. Andrews
  • [ARC/ALC] Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan
  • [ARC] How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes
  • The Maid and the Crocodile (Raybearer) by Jordan Ifueko
  • The Grandest Game (The Grandest Game #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  • [ARC] Runaway Bride and Prejudice (Appies) by Emma St. Clair
  • [ARC] Bring Me Home by Ashley Weston
  • Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other by Bethany Turner
  • Apprentice to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #2) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
  • Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
  • Wisteria (Belladonna #3) by Adalyn Grace
  • [ARC] Once Upon a Boyband (Midnight Rush #1) by Jenny Proctor
  • The Never Curse (The Otherworlds Series #1.5) by Courtney Millecam

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ARC Book Review: Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: August 27th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A TALE FOR EVERYONE WHO’S EVER FALLEN FOR THE VILLAIN…

When her whole life collapsed, Rae still had books. Dying, she seizes a second chance at living: a magical bargain that lets her enter the world of her favourite fantasy series.

She wakes in a castle on the edge of a hellish chasm, in a kingdom on the brink of war. Home to dangerous monsters, scheming courtiers and her favourite fictional character: the Once and Forever Emperor. He’s impossibly alluring, as only fiction can be. And in this fantasy world, she discovers she’s not the heroine, but the villainess in the Emperor’s tale.

So be it. The wicked are better dressed, with better one-liners, even if they’re doomed to bad ends. She assembles the wildly disparate villains of the story under her evil leadership, plotting to change their fate. But as the body count rises and the Emperor’s fury increases, it seems Rae and her allies may not survive to see the final page.

This adult epic fantasy debut from Sarah Rees Brennan puts the reader in the villain’s shoes, for an adventure that is both ‘brilliant’ (Holly Black) and ‘supremely satisfying’ (Leigh Bardugo). Expect a rogue’s gallery of villains including an axe wielding maid, a shining knight with dark moods, a homicidal bodyguard, and a playboy spymaster with a golden heart and a filthy reputation.

Thank you Orbit Books for the gifted copy and LibroFM for the audiobook.

I’M STILL CONFUSED.

That is unfortunately my biggest takeaway. I am still confused by this world and some of these characters and why the heck this was 17 hrs of audio? The heavy world dumping in the beginning didn’t stick.

It’s a fun idea and the bones are definitely there. There’s noticeable pop culture references and some of the humor does it well. I just don’t think ALL of it did the intended job. It kind of felt like the TV show adaptation of My Lady Jane. Honestly, I think Long Live Evil would work best as a show. With the real world cross overs and setting this could be great for TV.

There’s some good themes on the perception of others and choosing the best option from a list of bad. I did like most of the characters and different scenes were interesting or perfectly comical.

I’m undecided on picking up book two right now. If I do I will probably do the audio again. There’s a great twister of an ending at least.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: moderate, scattered throughout
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: terminal illness (cancer, theme throughout), murder

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ALC Book Review: The Undermining of Twyla and Frank (The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy #2) by Megan Bannen

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Megan Bannen
Publisher: Orbit Books
Release Date: July 2nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy comes a heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom com twist–When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons!—set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria.

The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla and Frank are still patrolling the dangerous land of Tanria, the former prison of the Old Gods.

Twyla might look like a small town mom who brings cheesy potatoes to funerals and whips up a batch of cookies for the school bake sale, but her rewarding career in law enforcement has been a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank’s job a lot safer … and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals covered in liquid glitter–and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon–they are more than happy to be back on the beat.

Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as the danger closes in and Twyla and Frank’s investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might just be the person who has lived next door all along…

Thank you LibroFM for the gifted audiobook.

I LIKED THIS.

Audiobook notes: I loved the audiobook! I had no issues listening at my usual speed (3x). The narrator was great and highly recommend this format.

I liked the big themes in this book. I loved that this was an older couple!! It was a pairing I rarely come across and it was a nice change. I loved that Twyla got to learn more about herself and what was going to make HER happy. Resonating with giving much of your life to your children squeezed my heart. Learning that it’s okay to also have separate things you love and want to be a part of too. And how wonderful a second chance at love can be, regardless of where you are in life.

There’s some good friends to lovers moments woven in. While some I personally get frustrated with (my struggled with F2L continues), I liked most of it. And there’s dragons!! I love dragon content always.

I think this book was well paced and had the quirky and cozy vibes that I loved from the first book. This is a unique series and I would definitely read another book in this world.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate-high
  • Romance: 1-2 open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: loss of a spouse (mentioned)

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