Tag: romance

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: November 2024

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BEST MONTH OF THE YEAR!

Favorite books this month:

  • Perfect Distraction
  • Pictures of You
  • Lost and Lassoed
  • The Muse of Maiden Lane
  • If It Makes You Happy
  • Five Stolen Rings
  • Broken Harbor
  • The Road of Bones
  • The Shadowed Land
  • A Reign of Rose
  • Brielle and Bear
  • The Myths of Ophelia
  • Yuletide Bride
  • Not in My Book
  • Oathbringer
  • Izzy and Her Off-Limits Love

Least favorites:

  • Merry Ever After
  • Perfect Distraction by Allison Ashley
  • The Quit List by Katie Bailey
  • [ARC] Pictures of You by Emma Grey
  • Lost and Lassoed (Rebel Blue Ranch #3) by Lyla Sage
  • Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder
  • [ARC] The Muse of Maiden Lane (Belles of London #4) by Mimi Matthews
  • Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore
  • If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
  • The Temptation of Magic (Empyreal #1) by Megan Scott
  • [ARC] Five Stolen Rings by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
  • Bane of Asgard (Runestone Saga #2) by Cinda Williams Chima
  • Creatures of Chaos (Creatures of Chaos #1) by Julie Hall
  • [ARC] Broken Harbor (Sparrow Falls #3) by Catherine Cowles
  • [Novella] A Royal Possibility (Royal Hearts #4.5) by Amanda Schimmoeller
  • The Blood Orchid (The Scarlet Alchemist #2) by Kylie Lee Baker
  • [Novella] Cruel Winter with You (Under the Mistletoe #1) by Ali Hazelwood
  • [Novella] Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe #2) by Tessa Bailey
  • [Novella] All by My Elf (Under the Mistletoe #3) by Tessa Bailey
  • [Novella] Merriment and Mayhem (Under the Mistletoe #4) by Alexandria Bellefleur
  • [Novella] Only Santas in the Building (Under the Mistletoe #5) by Alexis Daria
  • Saved by Noel by Tracy Baack
  • The Road of Bones (The Ashen #1) by Demi Winters
  • [ARC] The Shadowed Land (The Lost Queen #3) by Signe Pike
  • A Reign of Rose (The Sacred Stones Trilogy #3) by Kate Golden
  • [ARC] Brielle and Bear (Once Upon a Time Vol. 1) by Salomey Doku
  • [ARC] The Myths of Ophelia (The Curse of Ophelia #4) by Nicole Platania
  • The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
  • Wreck My Plans by Jillian Meadows
  • Christmas With a Crank by Courtney Walsh
  • The Shadows Rule All (Dominions #3) by Abigail Owen
  • Yuletide Bride (Regency Christmas Brides) by Kasey Stockton
  • [ARC] Not in My Book by Katie Holt
  • [Novella] The Best You’ve Ever Had by Amelia Chasen
  • [Reread] Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archives #3) by Brandon Sanderson
  • [ARC] The Seaside Homecoming (On Devonshire Shores #3) by Julie Klassen
  • Fledgling by S.K. Ali
  • Heist Royale (Thieves’ Gambit #2) by Kayvion Lewis
  • [ARC] Izzy and Her Off-Limits Love (Oakley Island #3.5) by Jenny Proctor and Emma St. Clair
  • Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile #2) by Isabel Ibanez
  • Only in Your Dreams (The Mountains are Calling #2) by Madison Wright
  • The Songbird and the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia #3) by Carissa Broadbent

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: October 2024

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I just want cooler weather.

Favorites this month:

  • Silver and Bone
  • Goodbye Again
  • Holiday Tides
  • Across the Ages
  • The Twisted Throne
  • A Tale Told by Traitors
  • Home Run Heart
  • A Queen of Ice

Least favorites

  • Kiss Me at Christmas
  • Blood of the Sands
  • All I Want Is You
  • [ARC] The Book of Witching by C.J. Cooke
  • [ARC/ALC] The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan
  • [ARC] Silver and Bone (Silver and Bone #1) by Claudia Cain
  • A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
  • The House at Watch Hill (Watch Hill Trilogy #1) by Karen Marie Moning
  • Goodbye Again by Caitlin Moss
  • [ARC/Novella] Holiday Tides (A Wilks Beach Holiday Novella) by Laura Langa
  • [ARC] The Gentleman’s Confession (Matchmaking Mamas #3) by Anneka R. Walker
  • The Dagger and the Flame (The City of Fantome #1) by Catherine Doyle
  • Vilest Things (Flesh and False Gods #2) by Chloe Gong
  • Across the Ages (Timeless #4) by Gabrielle Meyer
  • One on One by Jamie Harrow
  • Tell Me You Love Me (The Boys of Riverside #4) by Gracie Graham
  • The Twisted Throne (The Bridge Kingdom #5) by Danielle L. Jensen
  • The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew
  • The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
  • [Novella] Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
  • [ARC] A Tale Told by Traitors (Tales of Wonder and Woe #2) by R. Dugan
  • [ARC] Home Run Heart (Kitt’s Harbor #2) by Hailey Gardiner
  • For She is Wrath by Emily Varga
  • We Three Kings by Kristen Bailey
  • Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
  • Blood of the Sands (The Ballan Desert #1) by S.C. Grayson
  • The Secret of the Book Keeper (The Secret of the Book Keeper #1) by J.A. Hemingway
  • Miss Adeline’s Match by Joanna Barker
  • Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn’t Evil (High Court of the Coffee Bean #3) by Jennifer Kropf
  • All I Want Is You by Falon Ballard
  • Season’s Schemings (Cyclones Christmas #2) by Katie Bailey
  • Fighting for You (Veterans of Silver Ridge #4) by Claire Cain
  • [ARC] Spectacular (Caraval #3.5) by Stephanie Garber
  • Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo
  • Not a Thing (Seddledown #2) by Susan Henshaw
  • The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain
  • [ARC] A Queen of Ice (A Trial of Sorcerers #5) by Elise Kova
  • Inheritance of Scars by Crystal Seitz

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ARC Book Review: The Scarlet Throne (The False Goddess #1) by Amy Leow

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 432 pages
Author: Amy Leow
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: September 10th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A dark, heart-thumping political epic fantasy by debut author Amy Leow—full of scheming demons, morally grey heroines, talking cats, and cut-throat priests, this delicious tale of power and corruption will captivate from beginning to end.

Binsa is a “living goddess,” chosen by the gods to dispense both mercy and punishment from her place on the Scarlet Throne. But her reign hides a deadly secret. Rather than channeling the wisdom of an immortal deity, she harbors a demon.

But now her priests are growing suspicious. When a new girl, Medha, is selected to take over her position, Binsa and her demon strike a deal: To magnify his power and help her wrest control from the priests, she will sacrifice human lives. She’ll do anything not to end up back on the streets, forgotten and alone. But how much of her humanity is she willing to trade in her quest for power? Deals with demons are rarely so simple.

Thank you Orbit for the gifted ARC.

WELL. I AM INTRIGUED.

If you’re looking for a book where the FMC truly is a villain and you don’t mind if there isn’t any romance, I definitely say give this a go. Not exactly my usual but I genuinely enjoyed this book. The writing style had this ease of reading quality that kept my attention and made this book move well.

My one little niggling thought is that I wish the FMC, Binsa, had at least one good relationship. Whether that was platonic, familial, or romantic. I felt like I was missing a strong side character. There were plenty of smaller characters but nobody that STOOD OUT.

The plot had a lot of political maneuvering and devious betrayals. This does lean towards a darker side of fantasy with some of the themes and content. I liked all of the machinations and that it didn’t feel long winded.

I am 100% curious how this will flow out through a trilogy and based off the wonderful cliffhanger ending, I am absolutely going to need some answers.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: loss of life (including young children), murder, attempted murder

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Book Review: The Gravity of Us (Elements #4) by Brittainy C. Cherry

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 270 pages
Author: Brittainy C. Cherry
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casa
Release Date: December 17th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Graham Russell and I weren’t made for one another.

I was driven by emotion; he was apathetic. I dreamed while he lived in nightmares. I cried when he had no tears to shed.

Despite his frozen heart and my readiness to run, we sometimes shared seconds. Seconds when our eyes locked and we saw each other’s secrets. Seconds when his lips tasted my fears, and I breathed in his pains. Seconds when we both imagined what it would be like to love one another.

Those seconds left us floating, but when reality knocked us sideways, gravity forced us to descend.

Graham Russell wasn’t a man who knew how to love, and I wasn’t a woman who knew how to either. Yet if I had the chance to fall again, I’d fall with him forever.

Even if we were destined to crash against solid ground.

Thank you to Colored Pages Book Tours, Sourcebooks Casa and Brittainy Cherry for my gifted copy.

THIS WAS EVERYTHING.

I couldn’t put this down from chapter one. All of a sudden I had a deep need to know what happened next and so I began a journey of ALL the dang emotions through the lives of Lucy and Graham.

“If you need to fall, fall into me.”

I mean, COME ON. Look at those words. Did you swoon? Because I swooned so many times throughout this book!! One of my new favorite grump and sunshine trope reads. I loved these characters with my whole being. I found myself almost in tears by the end waiting for a happy ending. I love that Lucy was optimistic and truly cared from her soul about her loved ones. That Graham was hardened by abandonment, but was also able to work on himself. The chemistry was undeniable. It was a slowwww burn and incredibly romantic with all of the lead up.

An incredibly sweet story that has a lot of heavy and deep content matter (I’ll put that in the warnings below). I adored the banter and soft smiles. The cute way they just hung out together. How they undeniably stood by each other’s side when things got hard instead of running away. I was wrapped up in this opposites attract love story and I beg of you to read it!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses to one brief open door scene
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: a mother smoked while pregnant (off screen), emergency delivery, preemie baby in NICU, cheating, loss of parent(s), domestic abuse, alcoholism, child abuse, parental/spousal abandonment

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