Jenn's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 05 Apr 2025 07:15:06 -0700 60 Jenn's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Key to Fury (The Key, #2) 60686201 The Key Corporation has kept Westfall safe from pandemics for the last fifty years. But that's not all they've done...

After discovering the shocking truth behind the Key Corporation, Elodie and Aiden have managed to escape in search of New Dawn - the stronghold for the Eos resistance movement. There, they can fight for a better world, one where everyone can decide their own futures.

But things aren't always as they seem, and as they navigate the tricky paths between perception and reality, freedom and fighting for survival, the two young rebels must discover who they can trust, even as they learn more about who they really are...]]> 320 Kristin Cast 1982548045 Jenn 0 3.80 2022 The Key to Fury (The Key, #2)
author: Kristin Cast
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr, currently-reading
review:

]]> The Key to Fear (The Key, #1) 53292435
For fifty years, the Key Corporation has defended humanity against a deadly virus that spreads through touch. Lovers don't kiss, or even hold hands. Personal boundaries are valued above all. Break the laws, and you'll face execution.

Elodie, a talented young nurse, believes in the mission of the Key and has never questioned the laws that control her life. But Elodie is forced to break the rules when she sets out in search of a terminal patient who goes missing while under her care.

From the outside, it seems like Aiden was given everything he could want from the Key -- a purpose, an education, and a future. But Aiden knows more than he's letting on, and the dark secrets he's keeping could tear the Key's strict society apart.

When Elodie and Aiden's lives collide, the fallout will be devastating. What do you do when the brutal system that once kept you safe hunts you down?

Run.]]> 320 Kristin Cast 1982548037 Jenn 0 books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr 3.36 2020 The Key to Fear (The Key, #1)
author: Kristin Cast
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo]]> 45416596 From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six—an entrancing and “wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet� (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the �80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

“Heartbreaking, yet beautiful� (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is “Tinseltown drama at its finest� (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it costs—to face the truth.]]> 434 Taylor Jenkins Reid Jenn 0 to-read, ebooks-tbr 4.46 2017 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-read, ebooks-tbr
review:

]]> The Devil She Knows 223952691 A down-on-her-luck woman makes a deal with a crafty demon to win back her ex-girlfriend after a proposal gone awry, only to discover the girl of her dreams mightĚýbe the devil she knows, from nationally bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur.

Samantha Cooper is having a day from hell.

In less than 24 hours, her life has unraveled, leaving her single and with nowhere to live. Adding insult to injury, she’s trapped in an elevator with a gorgeous woman claiming to be a demon.

Daphne is not at all what Samantha expected from someone claiming to be an evil supernatural entity. She’s pretty, witty, dressed in pink, and smells nice. And she’s here to offer Samantha a deal she can’t refuse. Six wishes in exchange for one tiny trade—Samantha’s soul. There’s a glaring loophole in their contract, one Samantha fully intends to exploit so she doesn’t fork over her soul. After all, she only needs one wish to win her ex back.

Hell-bent to gather the last of the one thousand souls she needs so that she can be free of her own devilish deal, Daphne grants each of Samantha’s wishes . . . with a twist, so that Samantha is forced to make another.

As Samantha’s wishes dwindle and Daphne offers her glimpses into the life she thought she wanted, the unlikely pair grows close. Perhaps the girl of Samantha’s dreams is actually the stuff of nightmares, but Samantha and Daphne will have to outsmart the Devil himself if they want a chance at happily ever after.]]> Alexandria Bellefleur 0593952510 Jenn 0 to-read, ebooks-tbr 0.0 2025 The Devil She Knows
author: Alexandria Bellefleur
name: Jenn
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-read, ebooks-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pitcher Perfect (Big Shots, #4)]]> 222660554 #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with an all-new enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating sports romance about a playboy hockey rookie and the disciplined softball pitcher completely immune to his charms.

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He’s made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate and fellow “orgasm donor� is his roomie—and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet. That is, until he meets Skylar Paige, division 1 softball pitcher, girl least likely to take anyone’s bull…and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Robbie might be dazzled by the badass pitcher, but Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him.

When he discovers she’s carrying a serious torch for her brother’s best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can’t seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he’s agreed to be Skylar’s fake boyfriend/love coach at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?

Through a series of contests that require them to trust each other, Robbie and Skylar grow closer and closer until their fake relationship starts to feel like the realest thing they’ve ever known and the sizzling lessons in sensuality burn out of control.

But it’s all just pretend…right?]]> Tessa Bailey 0063380846 Jenn 0 to-read, ebooks-tbr 0.0 2025 Pitcher Perfect (Big Shots, #4)
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Jenn
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-read, ebooks-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Empire of the Dawn (Empire of the Vampire, #3)]]> 222361642 From New York Times bestselling author of the Empire of the Vampire and Empire of the Damned, Jay Kristoff, comes the epic conclusion to the #1 internationally bestselling series.

From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs� sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

Gabriel de León has lost his family, his faith, and his last hope of ending the endless night—the Holy Grail, Dior. With no desire left but vengeance, he and a band of loyal brothers journey into the war-torn heart of the Augustin Empire to claim the life of the Forever King.

Unbeknownst to the Last Silversaint, the Grail still lives—speeding towards Augustin’s besieged capital in the frail hope of ending Daysdeath forever. But deadly treachery awaits within the halls of power, and the Forever King’s legions march ever closer. Gabriel and Dior will be drawn into a final battle that will shape the very fate of the Empire, but as the sun sets for what may be the last time, there will be no-one left for them to trust.

Not even each other.]]> Jay Kristoff 1250245389 Jenn 0 to-read 4.67 2025 Empire of the Dawn (Empire of the Vampire, #3)
author: Jay Kristoff
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Never Been Shipped 218695847 A band reunion may be enough to change two musicians' tune on love in this electric romance from USA Today bestselling author Alicia Thompson.
Ěý
Micah's relationship to music is complicated. As teenagers, her band took off after being featured on a popular TV show, but the group barely released their sophomore album before breaking up. Now, over a decade later, the band is reuniting for one more performance on a themed cruise, and Micah is determined to learn from her past mistakes -- no losing herself in the music, and no losing her heart along the way.Ěý
Ěý
John misses playing in a band, and mostly he misses Micah, who'd been his best friend until the music stopped. Back then, he didn't take the lead, either in his guitar parts or while he sat back and watched her date another bandmate. John's never been one to rock the boat, but he's faced with another chance now that this cruise has brought music -- and Micah -- back in his life.
Ěý
Onboard, Micah can't help but see John with brand new eyes, and John's feelings only intensifyĚýas the discordant band's tension grows to a breaking point. With five days at sea, there's a ticking clock on anything that might develop between them, and they'll have to decide if their relationship is destined to be more than a one-hit wonder.]]> 400 Alicia Thompson 0593640950 Jenn 0 to-read 4.08 2025 Never Been Shipped
author: Alicia Thompson
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Dysasters 42653040 P. C. and Kristin Cast, the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of the House of Night phenomenon, return to the scene with The Dysasters - the first action-packed novel in a new paranormal fantasy series.

Adoptive daughter of a gifted scientist, Foster Stewart doesn't live a 'normal' life, (not that she'd want to). But controlling cloud formations and seeing airwaves aren't things most eighteen-year-olds can do.

Small town star quarterback and quintessential dreamy boy next door, Tate "Nighthawk" Taylor has never thought about his "extra" abilities. Sure, his night vision comes in handy during games, but who wouldn't want that extra edge?

From the moment Foster and Tate collide, their worlds spiral and a deadly tornado forces them to work together, fully awakening their not-so-natural ability - the power to control air.

As they each deal with the tragic loss of loved ones, they're caught by another devastating discovery - they are the first in a group of teens genetically manipulated before birth to bond with the elements, and worse... they're being hunted.

Now, Foster and Tate must fight to control their abilities as they learn of their past, how they came to be, who's following them, and what tomorrow will bring...]]> 308 P.C. Cast 1760554162 Jenn 2
From the get go, this book tended to suffer from the same issue I started having with the House of Night series. The teenagers sounded like what adults thought teens sounded like and not actually like real teens. Foster was kind of a horrible person from the beginning with a lot of slut shaming going on and Tate fell into the typical jock stereotype which they later tried to make him sound deep, but it never really worked. What also didn't work was how these two teens literally lost everything in an instant but never really reacted to that. They tended to care more about their hatred/attraction to each other than the fact that they had no family.

On top of that, the group of adults that were hunting these kids also acted like teens throwing tantrums. Each adult character was so one note that it was ridiculous. Their own reasoning for what they were doing had me rolling my eyes. Nothing really made sense. And the coincidences were just too perfectly timed.

The best part of the book was G-pa and the dog. I'll just leave it at that]]> 2.57 2019 The Dysasters
author: P.C. Cast
name: Jenn
average rating: 2.57
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: 2-star-reads, arc, fantasy, read-in-2025, young-adult
review:
I can see why this series wasn't continued honestly. The premise sounded pretty cool - teens who can control the weather being hunted down. But the execution just wasn't there.

From the get go, this book tended to suffer from the same issue I started having with the House of Night series. The teenagers sounded like what adults thought teens sounded like and not actually like real teens. Foster was kind of a horrible person from the beginning with a lot of slut shaming going on and Tate fell into the typical jock stereotype which they later tried to make him sound deep, but it never really worked. What also didn't work was how these two teens literally lost everything in an instant but never really reacted to that. They tended to care more about their hatred/attraction to each other than the fact that they had no family.

On top of that, the group of adults that were hunting these kids also acted like teens throwing tantrums. Each adult character was so one note that it was ridiculous. Their own reasoning for what they were doing had me rolling my eyes. Nothing really made sense. And the coincidences were just too perfectly timed.

The best part of the book was G-pa and the dog. I'll just leave it at that
]]> <![CDATA[Oathbound (The Legendborn Cycle, #3)]]> 214151316
Bree Matthews is alone. She exiled herself from the Legendborn Order, cut her ancestral connections, and turned away from the friends who can’t understand the impossible cost of her powers. This is the only way to keep herself—and those she loves—safe.

But Bree’s decision has come with a terrible price: an unbreakable bargain with the Shadow King himself, a shapeshifter who can move between humanity, the demon underworld, and the Legendborn secret society. In exchange for training to wield her unprecedented abilities, Bree has put her future in the Shadow King’s hands—and unwittingly bound herself to do his bidding as his new protégé.

Meanwhile, the other Scions must face war with their Round Table fractured, leaderless, and missing its Kingsmage, as Selwyn has also disappeared. When Nick is detained by the Order’s Merlins, he invokes an ancient law that requires the High Council of Regents to convene at the Northern Keep and grant him an audience. No one knows what he will demand of them...or what secrets he has kept hidden from the Table.

As a string of mysterious kidnappings escalates and Merlins are found dead, it becomes clear that no matter how hard Bree runs from who she is, the past will always find her.]]> 656 Tracy Deonn 1665951907 Jenn 3
What I loved about this series was first and foremost the strength of the main character, Bree. She's had so much happen to her in a short amount of time and watching her take it all in and process but also adapt and grow was phenomenal. But I felt that got lost here. Bree suddenly became this person who didn't care how her action affected other people. She just did things without thinking where before, while she had a rebellious streak & often thought outside of the box, she still cared about others - I didn't feel that here. I felt a sullen teenager who was stomping her foot because she couldn't get her way and then was shocked when her plans backfired. It was frustrating to watch her go backward.

I didn't feel the found family aspect here either that I found in the previous books. Everyone was fractured, and while I understand (kinda) why she did it, it hurt the pace of the book for me. I felt disconnected from everyone. The change from one POV to multiple was jarring - it was almost like it was no longer Bree's story. Again, I get it because they were separated, but it just didn't work for me.

It just almost felt like a completely different story with new characters being introduced and new storylines that felt dragged out. I didn't care about the twins. I didn't care about this auction. I don't know. It felt like a filler book and that was just disappointing. It was all just one giant buildup to the bomb that dropped at the end. Which, all right sure, I'll see where you take this. ]]> 4.45 2025 Oathbound (The Legendborn Cycle, #3)
author: Tracy Deonn
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: books-i-own, 3-star-reads, do-you-believe-in-magic, fantasy, mythology, read-in-2025, young-adult
review:
No one is more shocked that I am giving this book 3 stars than me. This was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, but I'm not going to lie, I really struggled with this one. I reread the first two back to back before diving into this so that I was fresh in the world and I honestly don't know if that hurt me or not because my expectation were just so high.

What I loved about this series was first and foremost the strength of the main character, Bree. She's had so much happen to her in a short amount of time and watching her take it all in and process but also adapt and grow was phenomenal. But I felt that got lost here. Bree suddenly became this person who didn't care how her action affected other people. She just did things without thinking where before, while she had a rebellious streak & often thought outside of the box, she still cared about others - I didn't feel that here. I felt a sullen teenager who was stomping her foot because she couldn't get her way and then was shocked when her plans backfired. It was frustrating to watch her go backward.

I didn't feel the found family aspect here either that I found in the previous books. Everyone was fractured, and while I understand (kinda) why she did it, it hurt the pace of the book for me. I felt disconnected from everyone. The change from one POV to multiple was jarring - it was almost like it was no longer Bree's story. Again, I get it because they were separated, but it just didn't work for me.

It just almost felt like a completely different story with new characters being introduced and new storylines that felt dragged out. I didn't care about the twins. I didn't care about this auction. I don't know. It felt like a filler book and that was just disappointing. It was all just one giant buildup to the bomb that dropped at the end. Which, all right sure, I'll see where you take this.
]]> <![CDATA[Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)]]> 217536270
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 the strange powers she possesses, 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 re-opens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of 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, who has 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 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.]]> 624 Callie Hart 1538774194 Jenn 3 More like 3.5

I've been seeing this book all over my feed for awhile now, so I thought what the heck let's just go for it. And I won't lie, I almost gave up on it in the beginning because I just couldn't get into it. It just dragged so much and Saeris was obnoxious. I could not fathom how people were giving this book 5 stars. But I stuck it out and I am glad that I did because once it ramped up, it never stopped and I finally understood the love. But again, it shouldn't take to almost the 60% mark to get good.

Saeris comes from a world where water is rationed and she lives in the lowest of low sectors. She's basically just trying to survive and keep her brother alive. Well, things don't go her way and she gets caught stealing, arrested, almost killed and ends up in a magical world with the fae who she thought didn't exist. Enter Kingfisher (who I will never call by that again and will only call him Fisher), the fae who saves her. He's pretty much a dick from the beginning. But Saeris can do something that no one in a very long while can do - she can manipulate Quicksilver. Which makes her very important. We then spend chapters upon chapters of them arguing about why she can't go home and her whining and some weird sexual tension thrown in that we're supposed to believe, oh and there's a really cute fox that comes in (love Onyx).

Finally when Fisher takes Saeris to his home is where we get to the good stuff and the characters start to grow. I really liked seeing Saeris come into her own and really own her powers and want to know more about them. The addition of Carrion was the breather we all needed because everything was just so maudlin with these two. To be honest, the side characters stole the show - Carrion, Ren, Loreth. It became this story of found family which I am 100% here for and that's where the story thrived. It was here where I started forming connections so when people were in peril, I cared.

The reveals at the end were insane. The just kept coming. Carrion - what?? I am so intrigued as to what comes next that I will definitely be picking up the next book. But I just hope the pacing issues are fixed. This one needed heavier editing to smooth it out more because that beginning was ROUGH.

]]> 4.30 2024 Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)
author: Callie Hart
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: 3-star-reads, adult-fiction, do-you-believe-in-magic, fantasy, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, romance, fey, vampires, wordy-af, sidekicks-were-better, books-i-own
review:
More like 3.5

I've been seeing this book all over my feed for awhile now, so I thought what the heck let's just go for it. And I won't lie, I almost gave up on it in the beginning because I just couldn't get into it. It just dragged so much and Saeris was obnoxious. I could not fathom how people were giving this book 5 stars. But I stuck it out and I am glad that I did because once it ramped up, it never stopped and I finally understood the love. But again, it shouldn't take to almost the 60% mark to get good.

Saeris comes from a world where water is rationed and she lives in the lowest of low sectors. She's basically just trying to survive and keep her brother alive. Well, things don't go her way and she gets caught stealing, arrested, almost killed and ends up in a magical world with the fae who she thought didn't exist. Enter Kingfisher (who I will never call by that again and will only call him Fisher), the fae who saves her. He's pretty much a dick from the beginning. But Saeris can do something that no one in a very long while can do - she can manipulate Quicksilver. Which makes her very important. We then spend chapters upon chapters of them arguing about why she can't go home and her whining and some weird sexual tension thrown in that we're supposed to believe, oh and there's a really cute fox that comes in (love Onyx).

Finally when Fisher takes Saeris to his home is where we get to the good stuff and the characters start to grow. I really liked seeing Saeris come into her own and really own her powers and want to know more about them. The addition of Carrion was the breather we all needed because everything was just so maudlin with these two. To be honest, the side characters stole the show - Carrion, Ren, Loreth. It became this story of found family which I am 100% here for and that's where the story thrived. It was here where I started forming connections so when people were in peril, I cared.

The reveals at the end were insane. The just kept coming. Carrion - what?? I am so intrigued as to what comes next that I will definitely be picking up the next book. But I just hope the pacing issues are fixed. This one needed heavier editing to smooth it out more because that beginning was ROUGH.


]]> You Belong Here 220160921 A decades-old secret that drove a mother from her hometown now threatens her college-bound daughter in this twisty new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda.

Beckett Bowery never thought she’d return to Wyatt Valley, a picturesque college town in the Virginia mountains steeped in tradition. Her roots there were strong: Beckett’s parents taught at the college, and she never even imagined studying anywhere else—until a tragedy her senior year ended with two local men dead, and her roommate on the run, never to be seen again�

For the last two decades, Beckett has done her best to keep her distance. Then her daughter, Delilah, secretly applies to Wyatt College and earns a full scholarship, and Beckett can only hope that her lingering fears are unfounded. But deep down she knows that Wyatt Valley has a long memory, and that the past isn’t the only dangerous thing in town…]]> 352 Megan Miranda 1668080974 Jenn 0 to-read 3.80 2025 You Belong Here
author: Megan Miranda
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Cursed Arrangement 230309466 Kristen Ciccarelli Jenn 0 to-read 5.00 A Cursed Arrangement
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Jenn
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1) 204593914 Caraval meets Throne of the Fallen in this spicy dark romantasy where a necromancer needs help from a dangerous phantom to win a deadly competition, only to find their partnership puts her at risk of breaking the game’s most vital rule: don't fall in love.

When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia’s sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma—a competition where most contestants don’t make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish.

The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win... if her fears don’t overtake her first.

When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister’s life on the line, Ophelia can’t afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together.

Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.]]> 497 Kaylie Smith 1538769255 Jenn 0 to-read 4.06 2024 Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)
author: Kaylie Smith
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Influencers 216522650 A social media influencer's empire is burned to the ground—literally. The top suspects? The five daughters who made her famous.

"Mother May I" Iverson has spent the past twenty years building a massively successful influencer empire with endearing videos featuring her five mixed-race daughters. But the girls are all grown up now, and the ramifications of having their entire childhoods commodified start to spill over into public view, especially in light of the pivotal Who killed May’s newlywed husband and then torched her mansion to cover it up?

April is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over IP; twins June and July are influencers themselves, threatening to overtake May’s spotlight; January is a theater tech who steers clear of her mother and the limelight; and the youngest…well, March has somehow completely disappeared. As the days pass post-murder, everyone has an opinion—the sisters, May, a mysterious "friend of the family," and the collective voice of the online audience watching the family’s every move—with suspicion flying every direction.

A campy and escapist exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and class, The Influencers is an evisceration of influencer culture and how alienating traditional expectations can be, ripe for the current moment when the first generation of children made famous by their parents are, now, all grown up—and looking for retribution.]]> 448 Anna-Marie McLemore 059372917X Jenn 0 to-read 3.46 The Influencers
author: Anna-Marie McLemore
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.46
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hemlock & Silver 217388302 From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White� steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind.

Healer Anja knows little of politics but much of poisons. When she is summoned to treat the mysterious illness afflicting the king’s daughter, she finds herself against the clock, desperate to track down the source of the poison killing Princess Snow. But the chance discovery of a strange alternate world inside a magic mirror leads Anja to darker discoveries, including what really happened to Snow’s dead sister, Rose, and why their mother seemingly went mad and cut out her heart.

Aided by a taciturn bodyguard, a narcissistic cat, and a late Renaissance understanding of the scientific method, Anja must navigate the mysteries of the mirror world before the dark queen that dwells within rises to threaten them all.]]> 368 T. Kingfisher 1250342031 Jenn 0 to-read 4.35 2025 Hemlock & Silver
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> We Live Here Now 219833105
But these things happen only when Emily is alone, so are they happening at all? She is still medically fragile. Her post-sepsis condition can cause hallucinatory side effects, which means she cannot fully trust her senses. Freddie does not notice anything odd and is happy with their chance at a fresh start. She, however, starts to believe the house is haunted by someone who had been murdered in it even though she can find no evidence of a wrongful death. As bizarre events pile up and her marriage starts to crumble, Emily becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about Larkin Lodge. But just as the house has secrets so do Emily and her husband.]]> 304 Sarah Pinborough 1250394058 Jenn 0 to-read 4.03 2025 We Live Here Now
author: Sarah Pinborough
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle, #2)]]> 59365195
All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new: A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion. But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.

Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected. When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.

If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.]]> 576 Tracy Deonn 1534441638 Jenn 4

I CANNOT with these cliff hanger endings. It better not take another 2 years to get the 3rd book. And speaking of that, was I the only one who thought this was a duology? Here I was going into book 2 thinking everything was going to conclude, but nope, got about a quarter of the way in and went, something's not right. Too many new things getting introduced to not be wrapped up. So that was a shocker.

Ok, Bloodmarked, well, I can say that I don't think I liked this one as much as the first, but it had moments where I almost dropped the book so that kept it at 4 stars. So there was ALOT going on here. Seriously, there's a lot to unpack. This book is kind of a non-stop runaway train and you can't tell if it's going to crash or get somewhere safe. I honestly still don't know.

Having been Awakened, Bree now must deal with the fallout of what happened and what it means to be the Scion of Arthur. In addition to this, Nick is missing, the Council doesn't seem to want to reveal Lord Davis's betrayal and instead would rather place in on someone close to Bree. Oh and they definitely DO NOT want anyone know who, or what, Bree is. This obviously doesn't go down well and thus begins the giant chase.

What I liked about this book was just how much more in depth we go with Bree's past and magic. We learn more from her ancestors about how her magic works and also how it doesn't. We meet many new faces along the way who want to help her and I loved that sense of community. Bree needs people around her, especially ones she can trust. I also loved the deep dive into Arthurs past. Deonn really went for it with the history lesson and I felt I was right there in Camelot with the Knights.

I also loved the different relationships spread throughout the story. Deonn really took the time to invest in these and watching them grow was just fantastic. Esp the one between her and Sel - CAN WE TALK ABOUT IT??? Anyway... I'm so torn on the outcome I want for this book - between Sel and Nick. I love both of them for her in different ways. And especially with how this book ends, I just cannot choose.

My issues were minor, but I had some pacing issues in the middle. There was just so much information thrown at us and about 20 more plot lines added, that I was just like huh? I felt that we moved really quickly through some of the new aspects in Bree's life only to drag out others. The balance was just a little off to me.

I do also want to say that I like how Deonn is discussing generational trauma in the book. I just think that Bree is not really dealing with it, instead surprising it and because of this, we get the angry outbursts and sudden impulsive desires. Once everything slows down for her - of it does - there is going to be some serious work that needs to be done so that she can start to heal.

As I mentioned before, the ending was a giant cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see how this goes. I need the next book like now.

description]]> 4.31 2022 Bloodmarked (The Legendborn Cycle, #2)
author: Tracy Deonn
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: books-i-own, 4-star-reads, cover-love, do-you-believe-in-magic, fantasy, mythology, nail-biter, read-in-2022, who-to-trust, young-adult, signed-copies, read-in-2025
review:
description

I CANNOT with these cliff hanger endings. It better not take another 2 years to get the 3rd book. And speaking of that, was I the only one who thought this was a duology? Here I was going into book 2 thinking everything was going to conclude, but nope, got about a quarter of the way in and went, something's not right. Too many new things getting introduced to not be wrapped up. So that was a shocker.

Ok, Bloodmarked, well, I can say that I don't think I liked this one as much as the first, but it had moments where I almost dropped the book so that kept it at 4 stars. So there was ALOT going on here. Seriously, there's a lot to unpack. This book is kind of a non-stop runaway train and you can't tell if it's going to crash or get somewhere safe. I honestly still don't know.

Having been Awakened, Bree now must deal with the fallout of what happened and what it means to be the Scion of Arthur. In addition to this, Nick is missing, the Council doesn't seem to want to reveal Lord Davis's betrayal and instead would rather place in on someone close to Bree. Oh and they definitely DO NOT want anyone know who, or what, Bree is. This obviously doesn't go down well and thus begins the giant chase.

What I liked about this book was just how much more in depth we go with Bree's past and magic. We learn more from her ancestors about how her magic works and also how it doesn't. We meet many new faces along the way who want to help her and I loved that sense of community. Bree needs people around her, especially ones she can trust. I also loved the deep dive into Arthurs past. Deonn really went for it with the history lesson and I felt I was right there in Camelot with the Knights.

I also loved the different relationships spread throughout the story. Deonn really took the time to invest in these and watching them grow was just fantastic. Esp the one between her and Sel - CAN WE TALK ABOUT IT??? Anyway... I'm so torn on the outcome I want for this book - between Sel and Nick. I love both of them for her in different ways. And especially with how this book ends, I just cannot choose.

My issues were minor, but I had some pacing issues in the middle. There was just so much information thrown at us and about 20 more plot lines added, that I was just like huh? I felt that we moved really quickly through some of the new aspects in Bree's life only to drag out others. The balance was just a little off to me.

I do also want to say that I like how Deonn is discussing generational trauma in the book. I just think that Bree is not really dealing with it, instead surprising it and because of this, we get the angry outbursts and sudden impulsive desires. Once everything slows down for her - of it does - there is going to be some serious work that needs to be done so that she can start to heal.

As I mentioned before, the ending was a giant cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see how this goes. I need the next book like now.

description
]]> <![CDATA[The Way We Collide (The Bradford Boys, #4)]]> 229244393 Football is my life. I’m not interested in marriage or babies or poopy diapers. Yet here I am, standing in front of a judge saying “I do,� with a six-month-old on my hip and an aspiring storm-chaser on my arm.

From the time I was a little boy, sleeping with my head on a football, I’ve had one goal: carrying on the Bradford-family legacy.

Our famous father trained all my older brothers and me to be star athletes just like him, but seven years later, I’m the only one still focused on the game.

Until Raven Gale storms into my life.

She’s smart, sassy, curves for days, and lightning in the sack. When I met her at my little sister’s wedding we bonded immediately over our dedication to our dreams, our determination to let nothing stop us, and our insatiable, all-night, barrier-busting chemistry.

A baby girl is a surprise neither of us expected, but Raven has a plan. We’ll have a quickie marriage to secure her trust fund, be together three months tops, then shake hands and walk away.

The only problem is with every late night I spend chatting with my wife or consummating our marriage (which we both agreed was a bad idea) or rocking my baby girl to sleep or yes, even changing poopy diapers, the stronger our bond grows.

It never rains in California, there’s no football (for me) in south Alabama, but when you collide with a cyclone, everything changes, including what you thought were your plans.

(THE WAY WE COLLIDE is a small-town, surprise baby, sports romance with a marriage of convenience, close proximity, an over-protective alpha daddy, a feisty plus-sized FMC, and a few twisters. No cheating. No cliffhanger. No third-act breakup.)]]> 350 Tia Louise Jenn 0 to-read 4.65 The Way We Collide (The Bradford Boys, #4)
author: Tia Louise
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.65
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 230094602 The phenomenal fifth book in the Hunger Games series! This Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition contains an in-depth conversation between Suzanne Collins and her publisher, David Levithan.

When you’ve been set up
to lose everything you love,
what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 400 Suzanne Collins 154617575X Jenn 0 4.72 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.72
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, #1)]]> 191755077 Ten women. A deadly contest. Only one can win the Sun King's heart.

Lor has endured twelve long years of torment under the Aurora King’s rule. Her only desire is to escape and pay him back for every moment of misery she's endured.

When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the rival Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight as she competes against nine other Tributes for the role of queen. If she wins his heart, she'll earn her freedom and finally get her revenge.

But Lor doesn't belong in the Sun Queen Trials. Not only does she not understand why she was freed, she isn’t a citizen of the Sun King’s court. The other Tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lor is removed from the competition, permanently.

Now Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she'll be returned to the evil—and now vengeful—Aurora King.]]> 400 Nisha J. Tuli 1538767481 Jenn 0 to-read 3.81 2023 Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, #1)
author: Nisha J. Tuli
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What Hunts Inside the Shadows (Of Flesh & Bone, #2)]]> 219446168 not even the secrets waiting at the gates of Alfheimr.

Estrella's story continues.

Author’s This book is intended for readers who are 18 and older. It contains mature language, graphic violence, and explicit content with darker elements. This is book two in a series and ends in a cliffhanger.]]> 464 Harper L. Woods 125040116X Jenn 0 to-read 4.00 2022 What Hunts Inside the Shadows (Of Flesh & Bone, #2)
author: Harper L. Woods
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Legendborn (Legendborn #1) 55759015 Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of City of Bones with a modern-day twist on a classic legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic.

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn� students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin� and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.]]> 503 Tracy Deonn 1534489916 Jenn 4
First we have Arthurian legend mixed with magic. Throw in secret societies, sword fighting, demons, regular collage life and a strong ass black woman and you have this book. I absolutely loved it.

Bree Matthews is angry. Her mother was taken from her in an accident and she can't seem to find her way back to this thing called life. Memories are everywhere and even being around her father is hard. So when she's accepted to Early College at UNC along with her best friend, Bree welcomes the change of scenery even if her heart is no longer in it. But on her first night there she witness something extraordinary that begins a chain of events that changes everything Bree thought she knew about her mother and herself.

I didn't know a lot going into this book and I'm kind of glad. Everything that came at me was a shock and I welcomed it. I love the legend of Arthur and it's reimagined in this book in a brand new exciting way that kept me guessing all the way until the end. There were so many twists that I found myself questioning my own conclusions the entire way.

I adored Bree. She was in so much pain and just wanted to find out what happened to her mother. She's smart and driven and just overwhelmed with emotion that she ends up hurting those around her and herself. It hurt to watch her make these decisions in anger but I understood why she did. The story was about her growth and coming into her own - and boy, did she.

The mythology that surrounded this story was a character of it's own. Most of us know the story of Arthur, and we see parts of that here but then we also get demons which just up the ante always. On top of that, we also get some southern magic called root magic which I found fascinating and enjoyed learning about along with Bree.

But I have to ask, am I the only one who ships Bree with Sel? Cause there's something between the two of them and while I adore Nick, there's something so raw about Sel and I just want to know more about him. And I love the two of them together. They just understand each other on a different level.

This book was so new and fresh that I just loved it. The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars was because there were moments throughout the book where I had a hard time keeping all of the information straight. There was a lot thrown at us in a very small amount of time. But other than that, I loved it and cannot wait to read the next one!]]> 4.39 2020 Legendborn (Legendborn #1)
author: Tracy Deonn
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: 4-star-reads, do-you-believe-in-magic, fantasy, mythology, new-author-to-me, paranormal-supernatural, read-in-2020, young-adult, signed-copies, read-in-2025, read-in-2022
review:
Dang! Talk about a debut. This book was FANTASTIC!

First we have Arthurian legend mixed with magic. Throw in secret societies, sword fighting, demons, regular collage life and a strong ass black woman and you have this book. I absolutely loved it.

Bree Matthews is angry. Her mother was taken from her in an accident and she can't seem to find her way back to this thing called life. Memories are everywhere and even being around her father is hard. So when she's accepted to Early College at UNC along with her best friend, Bree welcomes the change of scenery even if her heart is no longer in it. But on her first night there she witness something extraordinary that begins a chain of events that changes everything Bree thought she knew about her mother and herself.

I didn't know a lot going into this book and I'm kind of glad. Everything that came at me was a shock and I welcomed it. I love the legend of Arthur and it's reimagined in this book in a brand new exciting way that kept me guessing all the way until the end. There were so many twists that I found myself questioning my own conclusions the entire way.

I adored Bree. She was in so much pain and just wanted to find out what happened to her mother. She's smart and driven and just overwhelmed with emotion that she ends up hurting those around her and herself. It hurt to watch her make these decisions in anger but I understood why she did. The story was about her growth and coming into her own - and boy, did she.

The mythology that surrounded this story was a character of it's own. Most of us know the story of Arthur, and we see parts of that here but then we also get demons which just up the ante always. On top of that, we also get some southern magic called root magic which I found fascinating and enjoyed learning about along with Bree.

But I have to ask, am I the only one who ships Bree with Sel? Cause there's something between the two of them and while I adore Nick, there's something so raw about Sel and I just want to know more about him. And I love the two of them together. They just understand each other on a different level.

This book was so new and fresh that I just loved it. The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars was because there were moments throughout the book where I had a hard time keeping all of the information straight. There was a lot thrown at us in a very small amount of time. But other than that, I loved it and cannot wait to read the next one!
]]> <![CDATA[Leviathan's Song (The Boundlands, #1)]]> 199046564 With the magical mafia knocking down the front door, the last thing Elara needs is to follow the seductive song calling her outside her shop�

Elara is well versed in creating beautiful things with the potential for great destruction, and the moment she meets Levi she knows that’s exactly what he is. Charmed and irritated by the seductive siren, Elara is drawn to him, but though his siren song pulls her in, his words push her away.

As a landlocked half-merman, rejected by his people, Levi is used to wanting things he can never have, and the soft-hearted and strong-willed Elara just hit the top of that list. She’s tempting, and that’s dangerous for him.

He should stay away.

But when an underwater city’s distant war comes to Elara’s doorstep, she’s suddenly in over her head, and Levi can no longer bear to keep his distance. Can she trust the mercurial siren that calls to her with more than his voice?

LEVIATHAN’S SONG is a slow-burn paranormal romance about a girl caught between multiple magical factions and the mysterious merman she longs for.

Content warning: Adult language, violence, adult sexual situations. There is NO cheating, NO cliffhangers, and HEA guaranteed.]]> 342 Elsie Winters Jenn 3
Elara was an intriguing character. Her powers and how she could enchant or give life to magical items was pretty interesting to read about. Here was a girl who wanted to help those around her but just wasn't as strong as some of the other magical creatures who lived in this world. Her heart was definitely in the right place though and I have to give her credit for going after what she feels is right. And I did love her best friend - kick ass best friend to have around.

Levi was just all right for me. Again, it's the mermaid/siren thing. There was also an almost instalove thing which was kind of explained but still was off for me. He went from like stranger to bodyguard "I would die for" in no time flat. I just didn't really get a feel for their relationship like I wanted to. Now, I did love the glimpses of his roommates that we got. Definitely would want to know more about them. Especially Grim.

This was a solid good first series book for me. It made me interested in the rest of the series considering who they are about, I just think that maybe these two characters weren't the ones for me. ]]> 3.90 2021 Leviathan's Song (The Boundlands, #1)
author: Elsie Winters
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: 3-star-reads, adult-fiction, do-you-believe-in-magic, fantasy, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, romance, under-the-sea
review:
Mermaid/Siren books have always been hit or miss for me. I'm not sure why, but something about them just doesn't keep me hooked. But in going through my Apollycon author list, I came across Elsie Winters and wanted to give this one a try. And I enjoyed it. Didn't fall completely in love with it, but there were parts that really connected with me.

Elara was an intriguing character. Her powers and how she could enchant or give life to magical items was pretty interesting to read about. Here was a girl who wanted to help those around her but just wasn't as strong as some of the other magical creatures who lived in this world. Her heart was definitely in the right place though and I have to give her credit for going after what she feels is right. And I did love her best friend - kick ass best friend to have around.

Levi was just all right for me. Again, it's the mermaid/siren thing. There was also an almost instalove thing which was kind of explained but still was off for me. He went from like stranger to bodyguard "I would die for" in no time flat. I just didn't really get a feel for their relationship like I wanted to. Now, I did love the glimpses of his roommates that we got. Definitely would want to know more about them. Especially Grim.

This was a solid good first series book for me. It made me interested in the rest of the series considering who they are about, I just think that maybe these two characters weren't the ones for me.
]]> <![CDATA[A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic, #1)]]> 55626358 The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.

Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella's village to be their Human Queen.

To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she's dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town's only healer.

That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives... for her.

Everything Luella had thought she'd known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly handsome Elf King. Once there, she learns about a dying world that only she can save.

The magical land of Midscape pulls on one corner of her heart, her home and people tug on another... but what will truly break her is a passion she never wanted.

A Deal with the Elf King is a complete, stand-alone novel, inspired by the tales of Hades and Persephone, as well as Beauty and the Beast, with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon-worthy couple. ]]> 340 Elise Kova 1949694267 Jenn 4
I found that I really like the character of Luella. She had spunk. Here was a woman who was pretty set in her place. She knew who she was, what was expected of her and what she wanted to do with her life. She was happy. And then of course her entire world gets turned upside down when the Elf King visits her town.

I was fascinated by the Elf King instantly. Who is he? What was his deal? And what was the importance of the Human Queen? I had so many questions and, per usual, they took their time getting answered but I found myself falling more and more under the spell of this world. Kova did a great job creating this magical fantasy land and the mystery surrounding the way it works. It was an interesting take on magic, one that I hadn't read before - which is hard to do now with so many fae books out there.

The romance is definitely a slow burn type, but the blurb warns you of that. It's not very spicy (which I saw a lot of people complain about), but I don't think extreme spice is always needed. It was nice to watch these two grow into their roles together and really learn who they are and who they want to be.

I did think this was a stand alone going in but it appears to be part of a series where each book takes place in the same world but is not necessarily a direct sequel. I did really like the world created so I probably will continue my journey through. ]]> 3.97 2020 A Deal with the Elf King (Married to Magic, #1)
author: Elise Kova
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: 4-star-reads, adult-fiction, do-you-believe-in-magic, fey, fantasy, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, romance, royalty
review:
I've been wanting to read Elise Kova for awhile now & this popped up on my KU so here we are. I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed it. I knew nothing about it going in and just went with the flow, which I had a lot of fun with.

I found that I really like the character of Luella. She had spunk. Here was a woman who was pretty set in her place. She knew who she was, what was expected of her and what she wanted to do with her life. She was happy. And then of course her entire world gets turned upside down when the Elf King visits her town.

I was fascinated by the Elf King instantly. Who is he? What was his deal? And what was the importance of the Human Queen? I had so many questions and, per usual, they took their time getting answered but I found myself falling more and more under the spell of this world. Kova did a great job creating this magical fantasy land and the mystery surrounding the way it works. It was an interesting take on magic, one that I hadn't read before - which is hard to do now with so many fae books out there.

The romance is definitely a slow burn type, but the blurb warns you of that. It's not very spicy (which I saw a lot of people complain about), but I don't think extreme spice is always needed. It was nice to watch these two grow into their roles together and really learn who they are and who they want to be.

I did think this was a stand alone going in but it appears to be part of a series where each book takes place in the same world but is not necessarily a direct sequel. I did really like the world created so I probably will continue my journey through.
]]> The Listeners 56988057
January 1942. The Avallon Hotel & Spa has always offered elegant luxury in the wilds of West Virginia, its mountain sweetwater washing away all of high society’s troubles.

Local girl-turned-general manager June Porter Hudson has guided the Avallon skillfully through the first pangs of war. The Gilfoyles, the hotel’s aristocratic owners, have trained her well. But when the family heir makes a secret deal with the State Department to fill the hotel with captured Axis diplomats, June must persuade her staff—many of whom have sons and husbands heading to the front lines—to offer luxury to Nazis. With a smile.

Meanwhile FBI Agent Tucker Minnick, whose coal tattoo hints at an Appalachian past, presses his ears to the hotel’s walls, listening for the diplomats� secrets. He has one of his own, which is how he knows that June’s balancing act can have dangerous consequences: the sweetwater beneath the hotel can threaten as well as heal.

June has never met a guest she couldn’t delight, but the diplomats are different. Without firing a single shot, they have brought the war directly to her. As clashing loyalties crack the Avallon’s polished veneer, June must calculate the true cost of luxury.]]> 400 Maggie Stiefvater 0593655508 Jenn 0 to-read 4.02 2025 The Listeners
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Land So Wide 222419258 From the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Roots and Ruin, comes an irresistible blend of dark fairytale and romantic fantasy set in the beautiful but brutal Canadian wilderness.

Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped. Founded by an ambitious Scottish lumber merchant, the tiny town on the edge of the American continent is blessed with rich natural resources that have made its people prosperous—but at a cost. The same woods that have lined the townsfolks� pockets harbor dangerous beasts: wolves, bears, and the Bright-Eyeds—monsters beyond description who have rained utter destruction down on nearby settlements. But Mistaken’s founders made a deal with the mysterious Benevolence: the Warding Stones that surround the town will keep the Bright-Eyeds out—and the town’s citizens in. Anyone who spends a night within Mistaken’s borders belongs to it forever.

Greer, a mapmaker and eccentric dreamer, has always ached to explore the world outside, even though she knows she and her longtime love, Ellis Beaufort, will never see it. Until, on the day she and Ellis are meant to finally begin their lives together, Greer watches in horror as her beloved disappears beyond the Warding Stones, pursued by a monstrous creature. Swiftly realizing that the stories she was raised on might be more myth than fact, Greer figures out a way to escape Mistaken for the very first time. Determined to rescue Ellis, she begins a trek through the cold and pitiless wilderness. But Greer is being hunted, not only by the ruthless Bright-Eyeds but by the secret truths behind Mistaken’s founding, as well as her own origins.

Playfully drawing from Scottish folklore, Erin A. Craig’s adult debut is both a deeply atmospheric and profoundly romantic exploration of freedom versus security: a stunning celebration of one woman’s relentless bravery on a quest to reclaim her lost love—and claim her own future.]]> 368 Erin A. Craig 0593686802 Jenn 0 to-read 4.01 2025 A Land So Wide
author: Erin A. Craig
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Don't Let Him In 220160814 Three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller.

Restauranteur Paddy Swann was the life of the party until the day a man pushed him in the path of an oncoming train, leaving his twenty-something daughter Ash and wife Nina devastated. Shortly after Paddy’s funeral, the two women receive a surprise in the mail: a note and package from Nick Ratcliffe, an old friend of Paddy’s, and a nondescript lighter that once belonged to him decades ago. This unexpected gift draws Nick and Nina closer together—much to Ash’s dismay.

Martha is a small-town florist with dreams of expansion. She lives with her second husband Al, her baby, and two sons from her prior marriage. But they never seem to have any money, and with his constant traveling for work, she feels like a single parent—especially when an emergency makes her realize something needs to change.

But Nick and Al may not be who they say they are, leading these three women on a shocking collision course, wishing they had heeded a warning: Don’t let him in.]]> 368 Lisa Jewell 1668033879 Jenn 0 to-read 4.00 2025 Don't Let Him In
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile, #2)]]> 228737973 395 Isabel Ibañez 139973718X Jenn 0 3.89 2024 Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile, #2)
author: Isabel Ibañez
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love, #2)]]> 228691356 What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.]]> 416 Ali Hazelwood Jenn 0 to-read 4.79 2025 Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love, #2)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.79
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Haunted Ever After (Boneyard Key, #1)]]> 202102032 It's love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone’s spirits from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.

Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn’t have to run air-conditioning.

Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG� and “MY HOUSE� when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she's catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.

As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don't get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie's worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing� and Nick's afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.]]> 325 Jen DeLuca 0593641213 Jenn 0 to-read 3.66 2024 Haunted Ever After (Boneyard Key, #1)
author: Jen DeLuca
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Songbird & the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia, #3)]]> 207613054 New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, Songbird and the Heart of Stone, where A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Dante's Inferno, in an epic fantasy romance of love and treachery between mortals and gods. Features beautiful case art and a detailed map.

In the descent to the underworld, a bride of the sun must choose between the light of her redemption� or a dark love that defies the gods themselves

Mische lost everything when she was forcibly Turned into a vampire � her home, her humanity, and most devastating of all, the love of the sun god to whom she had devoted her life. Now, sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who Turned her, redemption feels impossible.

But when Mische is saved by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow with a past as brutal as his scars, she’s forced into a mission worse than execution: a journey to the underworld to resurrect the god of death himself.

Yet, Mische’s punishment may be the key to her salvation. In a secret meeting, her sun god commands her to help Asar in his mission, only to betray him� by killing the very death god she’ll help resurrect.

Mische and Asar must travel the treacherous path to the underworld, facing trials, beasts, and the vengeful ghosts of their pasts. Yet, most dangerous of all is the alluring call of the darkness � and her forbidden attraction to Asar, a burgeoning bond that risks invoking the wrath of gods.

As her betrayal looms, the underworld closes in and angry gods are growing restless. Mische will be forced to choose between the redemption of the sun or the damnation of the darkness.]]> 431 Carissa Broadbent 1250367786 Jenn 0 4.07 2024 The Songbird & the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia, #3)
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read, books-i-own-tbr, books-i-own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades, #2)]]> 213581542 The lies are bigger and the plots more treacherous when your favourite backstabbers return in the mind-blowing sequel to instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Mai Corland's epic adventure fantasy Five Broken Blades

The King of Yusan may be the greatest liar of them all.

His sister's ring is in his sights, and he will do anything to get what he wants. Even manipulating the five blades to steal it...

Bonded by deceit, the blades must rely on their skills to pull off King Joon's pursuit or risk his legendary wrath.

A foreign rule of law stands between them and Quilimar, the Queen of Khitan. Now they have one month to steal the powerful Golden Ring of the Dragon Lord. But that impossible task might be easier than trusting one another, even though their lives, their families, and the realms depend on it.

They can all agree on one thing: the king can't win. But can they beat him at his own game?

Because for the blades, this time it's not just personal, it's revenge. Lies may have torn them apart, but now vengeance will bring them together.

The lies have only just begun...]]> 413 Mai Corland Jenn 3
I've seen a lot of people compare this to Six of Crows and I can definitely tell that this is probably where the author was going with that, however, it never quite gets there. While I will admit the writing in this one was better for me, the characters themselves just fell apart. So it's almost like everything just flip flopped.

Again our group is thrust into another diabolic scheme not of their own making, but by the time they realize it, it's too late to really do anything about it. There's a lot of brooding in this one - much more than the first one. And Corland did try to give us more personality from each of the liars. On the flip side of that, it made me like some of them even less so I don't know if that really helped. And there's some BIG moments in this book but when they hit, the impact didn't have the emotional attachment because I was so disconnected from them.

In all honestly, the only character I really cared about was Sora. And at this point, I'm really reading it to find out what happens with her. So I will be checking out the conclusion when it comes out later this year. But overall, it's been just an okay journey for me so far. ]]> 4.00 2025 Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades, #2)
author: Mai Corland
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: 3-star-reads, fantasy, read-in-2025
review:
So I still wasn't blown away by this group but I'm still interested enough to want to know what happens, so I guess that's good?

I've seen a lot of people compare this to Six of Crows and I can definitely tell that this is probably where the author was going with that, however, it never quite gets there. While I will admit the writing in this one was better for me, the characters themselves just fell apart. So it's almost like everything just flip flopped.

Again our group is thrust into another diabolic scheme not of their own making, but by the time they realize it, it's too late to really do anything about it. There's a lot of brooding in this one - much more than the first one. And Corland did try to give us more personality from each of the liars. On the flip side of that, it made me like some of them even less so I don't know if that really helped. And there's some BIG moments in this book but when they hit, the impact didn't have the emotional attachment because I was so disconnected from them.

In all honestly, the only character I really cared about was Sora. And at this point, I'm really reading it to find out what happens with her. So I will be checking out the conclusion when it comes out later this year. But overall, it's been just an okay journey for me so far.
]]> <![CDATA[Three Shattered Souls (The Broken Blades, #3)]]> 221405022 Some betrayals cut deeper than blades.

The Blades were never supposed to survive this long. But after the battle in Quu Harbor, escaping is no longer enough. The most dangerous liars in the four realms have one last mission - return to Yusan and finish what they started.

But now a usurper sits on the serpent throne. And he may be more dangerous than the god-king.

With three relics of the Dragon Lord in their possession, the Blades will face the might of the four realms. Enemies will become allies. Allies will become traitors. And the ones they love most? They'll be the ones to break them.

Grief will carve the Blades into something ruthless and unrecognizable. But only by losing everything can they win this game of kings and crowns.]]> 512 Mai Corland 1649379153 Jenn 0 to-read 4.75 2025 Three Shattered Souls (The Broken Blades, #3)
author: Mai Corland
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.75
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1)]]> 196864520

The viral TikTok friends-to-lovers dark romantic comedy full of murder, chaos, and spice—unlike anything you’ve read before—now available in all bookstores.


When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of like-minded, pitch-black souls. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.


But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

]]> 360 Brynne Weaver Jenn 0 4.00 2023 Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> The Nightingale 51851348 The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France—a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.]]> 593 Kristin Hannah Jenn 0 to-read, ebooks-tbr 4.78 2015 The Nightingale
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.78
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, ebooks-tbr
review:

]]> The Night She Disappeared 55934177
On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend.

One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favorite area for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.�

Could this be a clue towards what has happened to the missing young couple? And what exactly is buried in this haunted ground?

With her signature “rich, dark, and intricately twisted� (Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author) prose, Lisa Jewell has crafted a dazzling work of suspense that will keep on the edge of your seat until the final page.]]> 368 Lisa Jewell 198213738X Jenn 0 to-read, ebooks-tbr 4.22 2021 The Night She Disappeared
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, ebooks-tbr
review:

]]> For the Wolf (Wilderwood #1) 55957081 The first daughter is for the Throne.
The second daughter is for the Wolf.

As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose—to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods.

Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again.

But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn't learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood—and her world—whole.

The author has provided a list of content warnings here.]]> 481 Hannah F. Whitten 031659279X Jenn 0 to-read, ebooks-tbr 3.72 2021 For the Wolf (Wilderwood #1)
author: Hannah F. Whitten
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, ebooks-tbr
review:

]]> A Novel Love Story 222019570 A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction� literally.

Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel�

Because it is.

This place can’t be real, and yet� she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.

Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.

Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.]]> 384 Ashley Poston Jenn 0 3.82 2024 A Novel Love Story
author: Ashley Poston
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> Evidence of the Affair 41715227 The repercussions of an illicit affair unfold in this short story by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Dear stranger�

A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met—a choice that will forever change both their lives.

My heart goes out to you, David. Even though I do not know you�

The correspondence between Carrie Allsop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses. With each commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where to go from here.

Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken.]]> 88 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1542044510 Jenn 0 to-read, ebooks-tbr 3.86 2018 Evidence of the Affair
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: to-read, ebooks-tbr
review:

]]> Quiet in Her Bones 55400330 In this gripping thriller set in New Zealand, New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes you into the twisted world of an exclusive cul-de-sac located on the edge of a sprawling forest.

My mother vanished ten years ago.
So did a quarter of a million dollars in cash.
Thief. Bitch. Criminal.
Now, she's back.
Her bones clothed in scarlet silk.

When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband.

But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that’s housed the same influential families for decades.

The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier. And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night ten years ago.

Her son Aarav heard a chilling scream that night, and he’s determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance…but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.

Even the dead aren’t allowed to break the rules in this cul-de-sac.]]> 384 Nalini Singh 0593099117 Jenn 0 to-read, ebooks-tbr 3.88 2021 Quiet in Her Bones
author: Nalini Singh
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: to-read, ebooks-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sparking Fire Out of Fate (Forging Silver into Stars, #3)]]> 228539437 448 Brigid Kemmerer 1547613459 Jenn 0 to-read 4.21 2026 Sparking Fire Out of Fate (Forging Silver into Stars, #3)
author: Brigid Kemmerer
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Confess 22609310
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?]]> 306 Colleen Hoover 1476791457 Jenn 5
I feel like this is me after the end of almost all of Colleen Hoover's books.

Ok, it's not a big secret that I adore Colleen Hoover. But while I adore her and her writing, I'm not always in love with her stories. So after Ugly Love, I was a little bit worried about connecting with her characters. Then I read Confess and damn...

The story begins with 15-year old Auburn Reed and her dying boyfriend, Adam, in the hospital struggling to say goodbye to each other for the last time. It's a sad, emotional scene that sets the stage for Auburn's troubled state for the rest of the novel. 5 years later, she's living in Texas, working for a job she hates and just trying to make it day by day.

Owen Gentry is an artist who owns his own studio. He designs his paintings based on anonymous confessions he receives from people. Like Auburn, he is also dealing with events from his past and uses his art to hide in. When he meets Auburn, she forces his past to come forth as well as hers.

This book was very intense and at times I couldn't help but think "this is too much for one person to have gone through", but as the events unraveled and I learned about these two, my heart just broke for them. Without giving away the story, Auburn is a very strong young woman and even though she makes some decisions that no one would agree with, when you know her reasoning, you can't help but understand.

I've also read a lot of reviews about the istalove in this book. I'm not a huge fan of instalove, I feel that it's very overused in this genre and comes off completely unbelievable. However, in Confess, I can see how people call it instalove on Owen's part, but as his past unravels, it wasn't so much instalove for me and I found myself okay with how it was portrayed.

There were also some heavy scenarios here that shocked me. Hoover touches on manipulation, abuse, substance abuse, and rape.

Hoover has a knack for writing the dramatic and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but she always sucks me in. It was the last chapter that really broke me and brought the whole story full circle.

]]> 4.14 2015 Confess
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/03/12
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: books-i-own, signed-copies, contemporary, cover-love, new-adult, read-in-2015, so-effing-excited, swoonworthy-boys, tear-jerkers, 5-star-reads
review:
description
I feel like this is me after the end of almost all of Colleen Hoover's books.

Ok, it's not a big secret that I adore Colleen Hoover. But while I adore her and her writing, I'm not always in love with her stories. So after Ugly Love, I was a little bit worried about connecting with her characters. Then I read Confess and damn...

The story begins with 15-year old Auburn Reed and her dying boyfriend, Adam, in the hospital struggling to say goodbye to each other for the last time. It's a sad, emotional scene that sets the stage for Auburn's troubled state for the rest of the novel. 5 years later, she's living in Texas, working for a job she hates and just trying to make it day by day.

Owen Gentry is an artist who owns his own studio. He designs his paintings based on anonymous confessions he receives from people. Like Auburn, he is also dealing with events from his past and uses his art to hide in. When he meets Auburn, she forces his past to come forth as well as hers.

This book was very intense and at times I couldn't help but think "this is too much for one person to have gone through", but as the events unraveled and I learned about these two, my heart just broke for them. Without giving away the story, Auburn is a very strong young woman and even though she makes some decisions that no one would agree with, when you know her reasoning, you can't help but understand.

I've also read a lot of reviews about the istalove in this book. I'm not a huge fan of instalove, I feel that it's very overused in this genre and comes off completely unbelievable. However, in Confess, I can see how people call it instalove on Owen's part, but as his past unravels, it wasn't so much instalove for me and I found myself okay with how it was portrayed.

There were also some heavy scenarios here that shocked me. Hoover touches on manipulation, abuse, substance abuse, and rape.

Hoover has a knack for writing the dramatic and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but she always sucks me in. It was the last chapter that really broke me and brought the whole story full circle.


]]> Atmosphere 220817728 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.]]> 352 Taylor Jenkins Reid 0593158717 Jenn 0 to-read 4.44 2025 Atmosphere
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Five Broken Blades (The Broken Blades, #1)]]> 200982383 It’s the season
for treason�

The king of Yusan must die.

The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon.

He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.

And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness―from the hired hitman seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.

They can agree on murder.

They can agree on treachery.

But for these five killers―each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal―it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.

Let the best liar win.]]> 474 Mai Corland 1649376901 Jenn 3
This wasn't a bad book by any means. I actually found myself heavily invested toward the end as the plan for murdering the king began to unravel. However, I did have issues with it. Mainly that it felt very YA instead of the adult category that it's shelved in. The writing was very plain - it lacked depth and descriptions. We were told about everything instead of shown anything. And as readers, we never got to feel out any of the characters. We were just told their characteristics and that was that. Now, I get that when you have such a big ensemble of a cast it can be hard to showcase all of them and keep it interesting - but we all know it can be done. My issue here was each chapter was a new character (which is fine) and each chapter was only 2-3 pages long. How can we get a feel for any character in that short amount of time? There was just zero connection to anyone and that's rather unfortunate as I felt like a majority of these characters had so much promise.

I just needed more time with each person and we needed to delve more into who they were and what they were feeling. There were hardly any descriptive paragraphs so it was also hard to get a good feel of the world and the places they were visiting. It almost read like a screenplay except we weren't watching actors so there was nothing to fill in the blanks.

But like I said in the beginning, toward the end I did find myself heavily invested in the unravelling of the plot and since it did end on a cliffhanger, I'm interested in seeing where it goes. So I will be checking out the second book. I just hope we can dive more into who these people are then just staying on the surfaces. ]]> 3.80 2024 Five Broken Blades (The Broken Blades, #1)
author: Mai Corland
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: books-i-own, 3-star-reads, adult-fiction, fantasy, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, who-to-trust
review:
So this was definitely a book that I purchased solely based on the pretty sprayed edges. I literally knew nothing about it aside from it caught my eye and I'm a sucker for special editions. And here we are.

This wasn't a bad book by any means. I actually found myself heavily invested toward the end as the plan for murdering the king began to unravel. However, I did have issues with it. Mainly that it felt very YA instead of the adult category that it's shelved in. The writing was very plain - it lacked depth and descriptions. We were told about everything instead of shown anything. And as readers, we never got to feel out any of the characters. We were just told their characteristics and that was that. Now, I get that when you have such a big ensemble of a cast it can be hard to showcase all of them and keep it interesting - but we all know it can be done. My issue here was each chapter was a new character (which is fine) and each chapter was only 2-3 pages long. How can we get a feel for any character in that short amount of time? There was just zero connection to anyone and that's rather unfortunate as I felt like a majority of these characters had so much promise.

I just needed more time with each person and we needed to delve more into who they were and what they were feeling. There were hardly any descriptive paragraphs so it was also hard to get a good feel of the world and the places they were visiting. It almost read like a screenplay except we weren't watching actors so there was nothing to fill in the blanks.

But like I said in the beginning, toward the end I did find myself heavily invested in the unravelling of the plot and since it did end on a cliffhanger, I'm interested in seeing where it goes. So I will be checking out the second book. I just hope we can dive more into who these people are then just staying on the surfaces.
]]> Not Quite Dead Yet 220223963 The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder—now a hit Netflix series—returns with her first novel for adults: a twisty thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder.

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.

Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder.

She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm.

Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend.

She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:

Jet is going to solve her own murder.]]> 400 Holly Jackson 059397705X Jenn 0 to-read 4.44 2025 Not Quite Dead Yet
author: Holly Jackson
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[On Loverose Lane (Return to Dublin Street, #1)]]> 220262236 The #1 International bestselling author of On Dublin Street is back with this witty, emotional and steamy fake-dating sports romance in which ambitious entrepreneur, Beth Carmichael, meets her match in the grumpy football captain who moves into the apartment above hers.

Imagine my surprise when my new neighbor turns out to be one of Scotland’s most famous (and hottest) professional footballers, Callan Keen. I’m even more shocked to discover that the brooding player is still holding a grudge for something that happened (or didn’t happen) between us years ago.

Too busy trying to take my social media management company to the next level, I don’t have time for this gorgeous blast from the past. Or at least I shouldn’t. Yet whenever I see him, I can’t help but engage in a battle of wits with the grump upstairs.

When a huge client opportunity arises, circumstances force me to enlist Callan’s help. I require a fake date and Callan needs me to facilitate a meeting with my dad to further his own business interests.

The deal between us should be simple. Except, of course, the blazing chemistry we’ve shared since the moment we met. We can’t deny it, we can’t control it, and soon we’re agreeing to six weeks of no-strings-attached, mind-blowing, steamy shenanigans.

I told myself I was too smart to catch feelings. But when Callan finally finds out the truth about our past, he becomes the guy I used to know. And that man is way too easy to fall for.

The problem is that Callan has vowed to never let another person close enough to break his heart again.

It just might prove impossible to show my stubborn Scotsman I’m worth the risk, especially when old wounds are re-opened and threaten to wreck any chance of a future together…]]> 440 Samantha Young 1915243270 Jenn 0 to-read 3.99 2025 On Loverose Lane (Return to Dublin Street, #1)
author: Samantha Young
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Dark Forgetting 222376989 New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli weaves the epic love story of a magical girl, the boy she left behind, and a deadly curse, now in paperback!

No matter how far she runs, the forest always comes for Emeline Lark. She is haunted by its mysterious disappearances and the tales of fae magic lurking in its depths.

But when her grandfather goes missing, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, brutally try to dissuade her from searching, even as a magnetic spark ignites between them.

Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself in the court of the fabled Wood King. She makes a deal―her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into a curse that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s now trapped in. To survive, she'll need the help of the fiery Hawthorne, who she's so helplessly drawn to. If she fails, she'll lose everything she holds dear.

Devastating and romantic, in Kristen Ciccarelli’s A Dark Forgetting, everything has a cost.]]> 432 Kristen Ciccarelli 125040794X Jenn 0 to-read 4.50 2025 A Dark Forgetting
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate, #1)]]> 223338534 Fates collide and passions ignite in New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer’s steamy adult fantasy debut about three characters torn between chasing, betraying, and craving each other: a princess caught between duty and desire, the fearsome warrior king she’s promised to, and the assassin now tasked with hunting them down.

WARRIOR. King Maddox Kyronan’s fire magic has earned him a ruthless reputation on the battlefield, but now his land is slowly burning. Ky’s only chance to save his people is to enter a marriage alliance with the neighboring nation of Astranza, and hope that their royal family’s power to manipulate the weather will help his kingdom flourish once more. He just needs to ensure no one finds out how this blaze began.

PRINCESS. With enemies advancing on Astranza, Princess Jory’s home needs the protection of the fearsome warrior king, but she is hiding a dangerous secret: her family’s magic is fading. Tempting as it is to reject her duties and run away with her childhood friend, Asher, Jory knows that she is the kingdom’s last hope. When she meets her intended, Jory is surprised to discover that beneath Ky’s daunting exterior is a compassionate and sharp-witted man who sets her heart aflame. But what will he do when he realizes she’s deceiving him?

ASSASSIN. Asher’s done what he must to survive, even if that means getting his hands dirty. Once a young nobleman in Astranza’s palace, where he and Jory caused mischief together, now he’s part of the Hunter’s Guild, employing much darker skills. When a lucrative job comes his way, Asher can’t say no—until he discovers the targets. Someone wants Ky and Jory dead. With the Guild watching, Asher must decide what he’s willing to do to protect the woman he loves.

A tale of three complex characters torn between chasing, betraying, and craving each other, Warrior Princess Assassin marks the beginning of a thrilling new fantasy trilogy filled with enchantment, adventure, and passionate romance.]]> 400 Brigid Kemmerer 0063450879 Jenn 0 to-read 4.27 2025 Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate, #1)
author: Brigid Kemmerer
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wild Reverence 222376906
Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.]]> 544 Rebecca Ross 1250373352 Jenn 0 to-read 4.79 2025 Wild Reverence
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.79
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Whispers in the Dark Vol. 1 (Standard) - Bonus Short Stories from Of Chaos and Darkness]]> 205746370
Twelve spicy short stories featuring your favorite characters, lore, and spice...

Jan - Faye and Voshki, Voshki's POV.
Feb - Sparrow and Vashien, Dual POV
March - Faye and Voshki, Dual POV
April - Sadi and Damian, Dual POV
May - Faye, Rune, and Voshki, Faye, and Rune POV
June - Angelique and Morbid, Morbid POV
July - Rune and Faye - Rune POV
Aug - Sparrow and Vashien - Vash POV
Sept - Rune and Faye - Dual POV
Oct - TBD
Nov - TBD
Dec - TBD]]> 160 Kalista Neith 1957303158 Jenn 0 5.00 Whispers in the Dark Vol. 1 (Standard) - Bonus Short Stories from Of Chaos and Darkness
author: Kalista Neith
name: Jenn
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Invoking the Blood (Of Chaos and Darkness #1)]]> 60409423
Faye agreed to her sister’s brilliant idea to sneak into the Hunter’s Moon ball. A night the vampires in attendance held sacred, lusting under the eerie glow of the blood red moon. Faye was no vampire. She wasn’t even a race that possessed magic. Her ceremony failed, marking her an Anarian. A mortal without magic.

After a run in with the Shadow Prince, Faye begins dreaming of him. His yearnful gaze leaves her feeling cherished after she wakes. A pleasant daydream, since men like him didn’t exist. Not for women like her.

But as days pass and the dreams intensify, the Shadow Prince comes for her. His gaze filled with the same yearning he held for her during their shared dreams. Until he realizes she’s an Anarian.

Abducted and confined in his home in Hell, Faye is left only with his promise to release her after he breaks the tie binding his life to hers. But with each heated exchange she can almost see the man that longed for her in her dreams.

The one who cherished her and tempted her heart.]]> 425 Kalista Neith Jenn 0 3.78 Invoking the Blood (Of Chaos and Darkness #1)
author: Kalista Neith
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wicked Serve (Beyond the Play, #4)]]> 203402909 He’s my brother’s biggest hockey rival� but he’s bringing the heat for me.

Nikolai

Hockey is my life, and I need to make this last season count. But when I’m forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for my senior year, I risk pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine I messed around with in secret this summer.

Rekindling our fling could risk her brother icing me off the team—not to mention the fact that my scarred past makes having a real relationship impossible—and yet the moment I see Isabelle again, all my wild, burning feelings come rushing back.

Izzy

I have two goals for sophomore year: win back my old volleyball position, and forget I ever knew devilishly handsome hockey defenseman Nikolai Abney-Volkov. As the youngest and only daughter in a family full of athletes, failure isn’t an option.

But when Nik crashes back into my life, I can’t stay away from his broody charm. I’m determined to guard my heart this time, but between the furtive hookups and the heartfelt conversations, the lines between friends-with-benefits and more begin to blur.

As we fall deeper into a place we can’t come back from unscathed, we’ll have to make a choice: fight for a future together, or watch it go up in flames.

Filled with swoons, spice, sports, and koalas, Wicked Serve is a don’t-miss new adult college sports romance.]]> 448 Grace Reilly 006338714X Jenn 4
We first meet Nik in book 2 when Cooper plays his team and he doesn't make a great first impression. He's Coopers rival so of course his main goal is to get under Coop's skin, which he does well. But here, he's front and center and involved with the youngest Callahan - Izzy. The two had a summer fling that they thought was over until Nik unexpectedly transfers to Izzy's school for his senior year of college. Trying to keep their relationship a secret doesn't go as well as planned, and neither does any of their plans if I'm being honest. But it made for a very fun read.

I didn't know if I would like Nik based on what we already knew of him but I should have had faith in Reilly. Nik had so much depth. His past just broke my heart and to seem him internally struggle with his love of the game vs becoming his father - it was heartbreaking. I'm glad he had Izzy to talk to when he finally opened up to her. And it was nice to see him and Cooper come together as friends.

As for Izzy, she was always in the background of the previous books. The youngest child, spoiled and the party girl. She didn't really have any real depth to her either. It was nice to see her flushed out and given the chance to shine. It can't have been easy growing up in the Callahan family and again pressure is a constant subject here. But I feel like the heart of these books is the family dynamic - both between the actual Callahan family and the family that they make with their friends & significant others. To see these characters start to feel like they belong somewhere is something everyone wants to feel.

This was a perfect ending to the series (at least I think it's the end as there's no other siblings - unless we start on their kids LOL) and I look forward to more from Reilly in the future! ]]> 3.88 2024 Wicked Serve (Beyond the Play, #4)
author: Grace Reilly
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: 4-star-reads, books-i-own, contemporary, read-in-2025, romance, sports
review:
Ok first off, Nikolai is a prospect for my favorite NHL team - San Jose Sharks! This right there is already a plus in my book because no one ever references the Sharks when talking about the NHL in books (at least not that I've seen). Anyway, back to the book.

We first meet Nik in book 2 when Cooper plays his team and he doesn't make a great first impression. He's Coopers rival so of course his main goal is to get under Coop's skin, which he does well. But here, he's front and center and involved with the youngest Callahan - Izzy. The two had a summer fling that they thought was over until Nik unexpectedly transfers to Izzy's school for his senior year of college. Trying to keep their relationship a secret doesn't go as well as planned, and neither does any of their plans if I'm being honest. But it made for a very fun read.

I didn't know if I would like Nik based on what we already knew of him but I should have had faith in Reilly. Nik had so much depth. His past just broke my heart and to seem him internally struggle with his love of the game vs becoming his father - it was heartbreaking. I'm glad he had Izzy to talk to when he finally opened up to her. And it was nice to see him and Cooper come together as friends.

As for Izzy, she was always in the background of the previous books. The youngest child, spoiled and the party girl. She didn't really have any real depth to her either. It was nice to see her flushed out and given the chance to shine. It can't have been easy growing up in the Callahan family and again pressure is a constant subject here. But I feel like the heart of these books is the family dynamic - both between the actual Callahan family and the family that they make with their friends & significant others. To see these characters start to feel like they belong somewhere is something everyone wants to feel.

This was a perfect ending to the series (at least I think it's the end as there's no other siblings - unless we start on their kids LOL) and I look forward to more from Reilly in the future!
]]> <![CDATA[Stealing Home (Beyond the Play, #3)]]> 201944190 A can’t-miss BookTok favorite, reverse grumpy/sunshine forced-proximity college sports romance, third in the Beyond the Play series—with new exclusive content in this edition!

I should be focusing on my game–not on falling for my gorgeous, grumpy roommate� especially since she’s already left me once.

Sebastian

It’s my final season to prove myself before the MLB Draft. The last thing I need is a distraction–and especially not one as tantalizing as Mia di Angelo.

She’s the drop-dead gorgeous astrophysicist-in-training who ditched me the moment I wanted to take us from casual to committed. Yeah. Ouch. But when she needs somewhere to stay for the summer� well. I offer her my place.

Being roommates shouldn’t be so hard. Not distracting at all. Not the least bit challenging�

Mia

I have two goals this get into a study abroad program, and get over golden baseball god Sebastian Miller-Callahan.

Doesn’t mean it’s easy to stop thinking about him, but he deserves better than a prickly, career-focused girl like me. Our futures can’t be more different. The last thing I need is to play roommates with the only man who can set my body ablaze.

And all the feelings I’ve tried to pretend I never had? They come rushing back far too strong for either of us to ignore.

Filled with swoons, spice, sports, and second chances, Stealing Home is a don’t-miss adult college sports romance.]]> 448 Grace Reilly 0063387115 Jenn 4
Then there's Mia. Mia, who's family also has a plan for her - get her teaching degree, teach for a few years before settling down and having children, then be a stay at home mother. However, this is not what Mia wants at all. Her dream is of working for NASA - studying the stars, and she's lying to her family to get there. When she falls deeper for Sebastian, Mia is also forced to take a look at her future and decide for once if she's going to come clean to her parents and pursue academia or become the child her parents want her to be.

This entire book is about the pressures we put on ourselves and feel from our families. Surface Pressure anyone?
description

I'll be honest. Mia drove me nuts for a majority of the book. She was just so rude to Sebastian. I get that she was going through some shit and needed to work on it, especially the lying to her parents and coming to terms with that. But that didn't give her to right to treat the people around her horribly. I loved that she got called out on it multiple times. She needed to be checked.

Sebastian, for his part, was like a golden retriever. While I adored him, I did want him to stand up for himself a little more when it came to talking with Mia. But I did love the support he had from his family and how he did finally realize what his dream was and had those hard conversations.

This series is super cute. And I love how in each book we still get to see all the previous couples so that it never feels like they just had their moment and are gone. It definitely makes these books feel much more connected and more like a family then just a series. One more to go! ]]> 3.81 2023 Stealing Home (Beyond the Play, #3)
author: Grace Reilly
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: 4-star-reads, books-i-own, contemporary, read-in-2025, romance, sports
review:
Back to those Callahan brothers. In the third installment we get Sebastian's story. I've honestly been waiting for his because unlike the other three books, Sebastian is a little different. He was adopted by the Callahan family when he was younger after his parents were killed in a car accident. Determined to keep his father's dream alive, Sebastian devoted his entire life to playing baseball, but recently something has been gnawing at him and he's forced to take a long look at future and figure out exactly what he wants.

Then there's Mia. Mia, who's family also has a plan for her - get her teaching degree, teach for a few years before settling down and having children, then be a stay at home mother. However, this is not what Mia wants at all. Her dream is of working for NASA - studying the stars, and she's lying to her family to get there. When she falls deeper for Sebastian, Mia is also forced to take a look at her future and decide for once if she's going to come clean to her parents and pursue academia or become the child her parents want her to be.

This entire book is about the pressures we put on ourselves and feel from our families. Surface Pressure anyone?
description

I'll be honest. Mia drove me nuts for a majority of the book. She was just so rude to Sebastian. I get that she was going through some shit and needed to work on it, especially the lying to her parents and coming to terms with that. But that didn't give her to right to treat the people around her horribly. I loved that she got called out on it multiple times. She needed to be checked.

Sebastian, for his part, was like a golden retriever. While I adored him, I did want him to stand up for himself a little more when it came to talking with Mia. But I did love the support he had from his family and how he did finally realize what his dream was and had those hard conversations.

This series is super cute. And I love how in each book we still get to see all the previous couples so that it never feels like they just had their moment and are gone. It definitely makes these books feel much more connected and more like a family then just a series. One more to go!
]]> <![CDATA[First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)]]> 213243908 A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.]]> 448 B.K. Borison 0593641191 Jenn 5 “Long-time listener, first-time caller.�

Loved, loved, loved this book. BK Borison is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. While I've never seen Sleepless in Seattle, I know the gist of it. So I kind of knew her inspiration when coming into this one, but I can't even imagine the movie comes close to the feels of this book.

First, there's the atmosphere. I've never been to Baltimore before but this made me fall in love with the city. One thing I've loved about Borison's books since the Lovelight series is how she uses location as almost a secondary character - making it come alive in scenes along with the actual people. It's a living, breathing organism and I just love it. It didn't help that Aiden ended his radio show with "Goodnight, Baltimore" which had me, of course, singing the opposite every damn time.
description
Come on, I couldn't have been the only one...

Anyway, I loved watching Aiden and Lucie come together every night on this radio show and just reveal more and more to each other without realizing it. It wasn't an in your face love story. This was a slow burn almost. It was told in late night coffees, voices through headphones, over giving advice to callers and trying to find love for Lucie. Of course we all knew Aiden was in love with Lucie before he did, but it was the journey of his realizing it that made this perfect. He didn't believe he deserved her therefore he never let himself think that way. And as for Lucie, she never let herself think past the crowded recording booth and what their connection could mean outside of the studio.

I also loved Lucie's family dynamic. Her relationship with her daughters father was beautiful. I loved that they were neighbors and had weekly dinners with him and his husband. They supported each other and you could just feel their love on every page. And when Aiden joined the mix it wasn't any different. Found family is a favorite trope of mine and while it wasn't found for Lucie, it was in a way for Aiden since his family life, while not bad, was complicated. His phone call with his dad broke me, btw.

So yeah, I basically loved this one and have no doubt this will be in my top 10 reads of 2025. Definitely pick it up if you haven't.]]> 4.09 2025 First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: all-time-faves, 5-star-reads, adorkable, adult-fiction, books-i-own, can-t-stop-smiling, contemporary, its-so-fluffy-i-could-die, read-in-2025, romance, signed-copies, swoonworthy-boys
review:
“Long-time listener, first-time caller.�

Loved, loved, loved this book. BK Borison is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. While I've never seen Sleepless in Seattle, I know the gist of it. So I kind of knew her inspiration when coming into this one, but I can't even imagine the movie comes close to the feels of this book.

First, there's the atmosphere. I've never been to Baltimore before but this made me fall in love with the city. One thing I've loved about Borison's books since the Lovelight series is how she uses location as almost a secondary character - making it come alive in scenes along with the actual people. It's a living, breathing organism and I just love it. It didn't help that Aiden ended his radio show with "Goodnight, Baltimore" which had me, of course, singing the opposite every damn time.
description
Come on, I couldn't have been the only one...

Anyway, I loved watching Aiden and Lucie come together every night on this radio show and just reveal more and more to each other without realizing it. It wasn't an in your face love story. This was a slow burn almost. It was told in late night coffees, voices through headphones, over giving advice to callers and trying to find love for Lucie. Of course we all knew Aiden was in love with Lucie before he did, but it was the journey of his realizing it that made this perfect. He didn't believe he deserved her therefore he never let himself think that way. And as for Lucie, she never let herself think past the crowded recording booth and what their connection could mean outside of the studio.

I also loved Lucie's family dynamic. Her relationship with her daughters father was beautiful. I loved that they were neighbors and had weekly dinners with him and his husband. They supported each other and you could just feel their love on every page. And when Aiden joined the mix it wasn't any different. Found family is a favorite trope of mine and while it wasn't found for Lucie, it was in a way for Aiden since his family life, while not bad, was complicated. His phone call with his dad broke me, btw.

So yeah, I basically loved this one and have no doubt this will be in my top 10 reads of 2025. Definitely pick it up if you haven't.
]]> Untitled (Heartstrings, #3) 218048420 B.K. Borison Jenn 0 to-read 0.0 2027 Untitled (Heartstrings, #3)
author: B.K. Borison
name: Jenn
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2027
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[And Now, Back to You (Heartstrings, #2)]]> 217513554 B.K. Borison Jenn 0 to-read 4.50 2026 And Now, Back to You (Heartstrings, #2)
author: B.K. Borison
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Rose Bargain 211742041 The Cruel Prince meets The Selection in this captivating duology opener brimming with heart-pounding romance, vicious competition, and beautiful, cruel fae, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith.

Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.

High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.

But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin� and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.

Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.

Sweepingly romantic and deceptively enchanting, this alternate history romantasy will enthrall readers of Holly Black, Stephanie Garber, and Adalyn Grace.]]> 400 Sasha Peyton Smith 0063372525 Jenn 0 3.97 2025 The Rose Bargain
author: Sasha Peyton Smith
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read, books-i-own-tbr, books-i-own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Fate of Wrath & Flame (Fate & Flame, #1)]]> 57198961
Her quest is Steal a stone from Islor’s sacred garden without anyone discovering her true identity, which would earn her certain death. But the identity she has inexplicably assumed is that of the captured Ybarisan princess—an enemy to Islor after she poisoned their beloved king and queen on the day she was to marry the prince.

Her betrothed, the newly crowned King Zander, detests her with every grain of his handsome being. Fortunately for Romeria, she is more valuable to him alive than dead. Zander gives her a life in a cell, or an acquittal of all charges in exchange for her help in exposing the growing plot against him.

Romeria sees no other option and embraces the tricky role of smitten queen-to-be until she can escape, a ruse that brings her far closer to the king than she anticipated and threatens more than her safety. As she digs deeper into this sacred garden and the ancient feud between Ybaris and Islor, she discovers monstrous truths that could spell ruin for all.

She would know the world of vengeful gods and monsters, and the lengths one would go for love. And nothing would ever be the same for her again.]]> 547 K.A. Tucker 1990105149 Jenn 4
Now for the characters. Romeria was a hard character to love. She's been burned a lot in her life by people close to her and has pretty much had to survive on her own her entire life. She has a hard time accepting anything from anyone and her attitude is very prickly. She also doesn't like not knowing things which obviously makes this a fun experience. Since she's basically thrust into someone else's body, it's hard to tell immediately who this new person she's supposed to be is. Is she good? Is she bad? Should we root for her? What outcome do we actually want? These were questions I had the entire time I read the book - and honestly I still have a lot of them - but Tucker had a way of rolling out little snippets of info like breadcrumbs. And I ate them up.

I want to know more about Zander because I feel like we barely scratched the surface of his character here. I think because we were mostly focused on Romeria and having her understand her new world, Xander was more of a side quest almost. But I'm really hoping that there's more to him than this surface character we've seen so far. Like he's a prince who feels for the humans in his kingdom and wants to make difference - but what is he doing about it? What has he done about it? I just need a little more from him.

Overall, I think this was a great first book. I'm hooked and can't wait to read the rest of the series. ]]> 4.09 2021 A Fate of Wrath & Flame (Fate & Flame, #1)
author: K.A. Tucker
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: 4-star-reads, fantasy, read-in-2025, romance, fey, vampires
review:
When I first started this one, I wasn't sure how it was going to go. I felt a little lost but as the book went on, I found myself getting more and more sucked in until I didn't even realize how hooked I was. Books like this can be hard. When the main character is removed from her world and thrust into a new one without any knowledge of what is going on, we as readers are also completely lost and it feels a little disorienting initially. It's like we're right there with the character as they discover every little new thing. What I liked was that while I felt lost in the beginning, as I started to unravel what was happening, I really felt like everything just came together.

Now for the characters. Romeria was a hard character to love. She's been burned a lot in her life by people close to her and has pretty much had to survive on her own her entire life. She has a hard time accepting anything from anyone and her attitude is very prickly. She also doesn't like not knowing things which obviously makes this a fun experience. Since she's basically thrust into someone else's body, it's hard to tell immediately who this new person she's supposed to be is. Is she good? Is she bad? Should we root for her? What outcome do we actually want? These were questions I had the entire time I read the book - and honestly I still have a lot of them - but Tucker had a way of rolling out little snippets of info like breadcrumbs. And I ate them up.

I want to know more about Zander because I feel like we barely scratched the surface of his character here. I think because we were mostly focused on Romeria and having her understand her new world, Xander was more of a side quest almost. But I'm really hoping that there's more to him than this surface character we've seen so far. Like he's a prince who feels for the humans in his kingdom and wants to make difference - but what is he doing about it? What has he done about it? I just need a little more from him.

Overall, I think this was a great first book. I'm hooked and can't wait to read the rest of the series.
]]> Overdue: A Novel 222376487 Is it time to renew love or start a new chapter?

Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They'll take a one-month break to date other people, then they'll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship� and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.

Overdue is a beautiful, slow-burn romance full of lust and longing about new beginnings and finding your way.]]> 416 Stephanie Perkins 1250313465 Jenn 0 to-read 3.87 2025 Overdue: A Novel
author: Stephanie Perkins
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Forever Wild (Wild, #2.5) 56038279 145 K.A. Tucker 1777202736 Jenn 0 4.33 2020 Forever Wild (Wild, #2.5)
author: K.A. Tucker
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court This Cruel and Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1)]]> 123281266 The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me for dead. Just hours after humans are born, the gods take what little power we have. In return, they protect our borders from the vicious, merciless fae. The humans who manage to keep their power are known as the corrupt.
And they are burned.
When my forbidden power is discovered, I'm forced to flee my tiny village and the life I adore.
To survive, I make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me at my weakest.
Our deal is simple: I'll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city. And he'll help me learn to wield the strange, dark power I've always kept hidden. The power that may just be the key to my survival.
But the ruthless mercenary is hiding secrets of his own. Secrets that threaten the safety of everyone I love. Secrets that could tear this kingdom-and perhaps even this world-apart.]]> 562 Stacia Stark 1959293184 Jenn 0 4.22 2023 A Court This Cruel and Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1)
author: Stacia Stark
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> The House Saphir 221604746
Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir - otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu - who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.]]> 432 Marissa Meyer 125032095X Jenn 0 to-read 4.50 2025 The House Saphir
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[First Down (Beyond the Play, #1)]]> 198530965 384 Grace Reilly 0063384116 Jenn 4
Technically this is the first book where we meet golden child, James Callahan - future NFL star. Due to some bad decisions at LSU, he's forced to transfer to McKee University for his senior year. Here he meets Beckett Wood - Bex. The two enter an agreement of sorts, she'll tutor him in English if he pretends to be her boyfriend to keep her ex away from her. Fake dating is a fantastic trope. Set in college against a sports backdrop and I'm in reader heaven.

I adored Bex and James. Both of them had so much going for them that you couldn't help but route for them both personally and professionally. And when they were together, you felt their chemistry. But of course, there were outside forces trying to keep them apart. James, for one, swore off girls while he was in college so he could focus on his career. His father is not too happy when he's suddenly bringing Bex home for holidays and everything. Then there's Bex, who while I adored, also found extremely frustrating because she just never stood up for herself - with her mom, her ex, anyone. She should have went off on her mother very early on in the book. And as for her ex, stalking and harassment are things and he should have been reported immediately. But then I guess we wouldn't have the drama that came from these situations.

Overall, this book was fun and I adored the fluff and the drama. Highly recommend this series. Oh, and the spice isn't lacking either! ]]> 3.74 2022 First Down (Beyond the Play, #1)
author: Grace Reilly
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: books-i-own, 4-star-reads, adorkable, contemporary, collegiate-life, read-in-2025, romance, sports
review:
I'm so happy I found this series. I may be reading them out of order but that's not lessening my enjoyment of it at all. I am in love with this Callahan family and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Technically this is the first book where we meet golden child, James Callahan - future NFL star. Due to some bad decisions at LSU, he's forced to transfer to McKee University for his senior year. Here he meets Beckett Wood - Bex. The two enter an agreement of sorts, she'll tutor him in English if he pretends to be her boyfriend to keep her ex away from her. Fake dating is a fantastic trope. Set in college against a sports backdrop and I'm in reader heaven.

I adored Bex and James. Both of them had so much going for them that you couldn't help but route for them both personally and professionally. And when they were together, you felt their chemistry. But of course, there were outside forces trying to keep them apart. James, for one, swore off girls while he was in college so he could focus on his career. His father is not too happy when he's suddenly bringing Bex home for holidays and everything. Then there's Bex, who while I adored, also found extremely frustrating because she just never stood up for herself - with her mom, her ex, anyone. She should have went off on her mother very early on in the book. And as for her ex, stalking and harassment are things and he should have been reported immediately. But then I guess we wouldn't have the drama that came from these situations.

Overall, this book was fun and I adored the fluff and the drama. Highly recommend this series. Oh, and the spice isn't lacking either!
]]> Slaying the Shifter Prince 123842199
Aerial performer Zita has dedicated ten years of her life to one thing and one thing vengeance. Armed with an iron blade, she must take to the silks and give the performance of a lifetime to kill the notorious Prince of Monsters - the fae prince responsible for her sister's death.

But when Zita's plan fails, she finds herself imprisoned, sentenced to be the prince's "pet" as punishment for her crime. With cruelty as sharp as his claws, Sepher is everything Zita expected from her enemy. Yet he's also patient and obsessive, particularly when it comes to his "pet's" punishment.

Nevertheless, Zita refuses to surrender - not even to a fae prince. Sepher may have collared her, but nothing can stop her from getting her revenge... not even at the cost of her heart.

Full of claws, curses, and a deadly game of cat and mouse, this twisted reimagining of Beauty and the Beast is perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Cruel Prince.]]> 388 Clare Sager Jenn 3 Mortal Enemies to Monster Lovers and while I didn't enjoy it as much as Slaying the Vampire Conqueror, I did find this one fun.

Zita is determined to take revenge on her sisters killer. When the said party shows up to one of her performances, she has her plan all in place. Of course, nothing goes the way it should be and Zita soon finds herself taken prisoner by the Prince. Yup, she believes Prince Sepher is responsible for her sisters death and she will stop at nothing until he is dead.

I really liked Zita upon meeting her. She was drowning in grief over losing her sister but I was 100% here for the revenge story. And that held strong in the beginning. Nothing Sepher could do would break Zita and was just like, go girl! And of course we would get the "he's sexy" internal dialogue, but that's to be expected. What I didn't expect was the 180 turnaround to suddenly them being in love. I just wish we would have seen it develop more. That being said, I wish we also got more of Sepher as a character. It was really hard to get a read on him because his entire character changed so quickly.

The mystery of the plot was a little predictable but I liked that this was the story where we got to see the most growth with the two characters. I just felt it was missing a little more of those moments where we knew they had to be together. And for as long as this book was, it's crazy those were missed. ]]> 3.59 2023 Slaying the Shifter Prince
author: Clare Sager
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: 3-star-reads, adult-fiction, fantasy, fey, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, romance, royalty
review:
This is my second installment from the Mortal Enemies to Monster Lovers and while I didn't enjoy it as much as Slaying the Vampire Conqueror, I did find this one fun.

Zita is determined to take revenge on her sisters killer. When the said party shows up to one of her performances, she has her plan all in place. Of course, nothing goes the way it should be and Zita soon finds herself taken prisoner by the Prince. Yup, she believes Prince Sepher is responsible for her sisters death and she will stop at nothing until he is dead.

I really liked Zita upon meeting her. She was drowning in grief over losing her sister but I was 100% here for the revenge story. And that held strong in the beginning. Nothing Sepher could do would break Zita and was just like, go girl! And of course we would get the "he's sexy" internal dialogue, but that's to be expected. What I didn't expect was the 180 turnaround to suddenly them being in love. I just wish we would have seen it develop more. That being said, I wish we also got more of Sepher as a character. It was really hard to get a read on him because his entire character changed so quickly.

The mystery of the plot was a little predictable but I liked that this was the story where we got to see the most growth with the two characters. I just felt it was missing a little more of those moments where we knew they had to be together. And for as long as this book was, it's crazy those were missed.
]]> <![CDATA[Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History―Behind the Scenes of a Megahit TV Show]]> 134281390
On August 5th, 2003, Ryan Atwood found himself a long way from his home in Chino—he was in The O.C., an exclusive suburb full of beautiful girls, wealthy bullies, corrupt real-estate tycoons, and a new family helmed by his public defender, Sandy Cohen. Ryan soon warms up to his nerdy, indie band-loving new best friend Seth, and quickly falls for Marissa, the stunning girl next door who has secrets of her own. Completing the group is Summer, Seth’s dream girl and Marissa’s loyal—and fearless—best friend. Together, the friends fall in and out of love, support each other amidst family strife, and capture the hearts of audiences across the country.

Just in time for the show’s twentieth anniversary, The O.C.’s creator Josh Schwartz and executive producer Stephanie Savage are ready to dive into how the show was made, the ups and downs over its four seasons, and its legacy today. With Rolling Stone’s chief TV critic and bestselling author Alan Sepinwall conducting interviews with the key cast members, writers, and producers who were there when it all happened, Welcome to the O.C. will offer the definitive inside look at the beloved show—a nostalgic delight for audiences who watched when it aired, and a rich companion to viewers currently discovering the show while it streams on HBO Max and Hulu.

The O.C. paved the way for a new generation of iconic teen soaps, launched the careers of young stars, and even gave us the gift of Chrismukkah. Now, it’s time to go back where we started from and experience it all over again.

Includes exclusive interviews with: Ben McKenzie * Mischa Barton * Adam Brody * Rachel Bilson * Peter Gallagher * Kelly Rowan * Melinda Clarke * Tate Donovan * Chris Carmack * Autumn Reeser * Willa Holland * Samaire Armstrong * Alan Dale * Colin Hanks * Amanda Righetti * Navi Rawat * Shannon Lucio * Michael Cassidy * McG * Imogen Heap * Alex Greenwald * Ben Gibbard * Paul Scheer * Doug Liman * and many more!]]> 360 Alan Sepinwall 0063342790 Jenn 4 "Welcome to the O.C., bitch." - iconic line from an iconic tv show.

I honestly didn't know this book existed but when I saw it at the bookstore, I knew I needed it. An in depth exploration of a show I loved told by the cast and crew itself? Count me in. I love books like this!

This book didn't hold anything back. Starting from conception of the series, each chapter explored the blood, sweat, and tears that went into creating what became such a cultural phenomenon. I was honestly shocked that they got Mischa Barton to come and speak about her time on the show because I knew that she wasn't really happy while doing the show. And while she doesn't speak on much in this book, you can kind of read between the lines and definitely tell that her experience was vastly different then the rest of the casts.

The one thing you can say about the OC is that it came out with a BANG. They talk a lot about how in the first season they did so much that it was really hard to maintain that level going into other seasons - it's one of the reasons the show only lasted 4 seasons. What I didn't realize was how checked out a lot of the cast was by the time it rolled around to even season 3 - especially Adam Brody.

I think it's definitely time for a rewatch. California, here we comeeeeeeeeee]]> 4.30 2023 Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History―Behind the Scenes of a Megahit TV Show
author: Alan Sepinwall
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: books-i-own, 4-star-reads, new-author-to-me, nonfiction, read-in-2025
review:
"Welcome to the O.C., bitch." - iconic line from an iconic tv show.

I honestly didn't know this book existed but when I saw it at the bookstore, I knew I needed it. An in depth exploration of a show I loved told by the cast and crew itself? Count me in. I love books like this!

This book didn't hold anything back. Starting from conception of the series, each chapter explored the blood, sweat, and tears that went into creating what became such a cultural phenomenon. I was honestly shocked that they got Mischa Barton to come and speak about her time on the show because I knew that she wasn't really happy while doing the show. And while she doesn't speak on much in this book, you can kind of read between the lines and definitely tell that her experience was vastly different then the rest of the casts.

The one thing you can say about the OC is that it came out with a BANG. They talk a lot about how in the first season they did so much that it was really hard to maintain that level going into other seasons - it's one of the reasons the show only lasted 4 seasons. What I didn't realize was how checked out a lot of the cast was by the time it rolled around to even season 3 - especially Adam Brody.

I think it's definitely time for a rewatch. California, here we comeeeeeeeeee
]]> Cruel is the Light 224093861
A bloody war between demons and the Vatican has waged for more than a century, with two elite soldiers now at its center: Selene Alleva, a high-ranking exorcist running from a dark family legacy, and orphan Jules Lacroix, recruited by the Vatican and unrivalled on the battlefield.
When their paths cross over a series of unprecedented demon attacks, the distrust–and unwelcome attraction–they have for each other is immediate. But to get to the bottom of the breaches they strike an uneasy alliance to avoid suspicion. With Jules posing as Selene’s estranged fiance, they head to the Vatican in search of answers. But even as Selene questions who her most dangerous enemy is, Jules has begun to suspect that it’s him.
Now Jules� very existence challenges every truth Selene thought she knew, and suggests a terrible conspiracy at the heart of the Vatican. Unable to ignore their growing feelings, the two must make an impossible choice between love and duty.

They say love conquers all � but can it win in a war between demons and exorcists? Or will it tear them apart . . .]]> 491 Sophie Clark 0241730511 Jenn 0 3.39 2025 Cruel is the Light
author: Sophie Clark
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read, books-i-own-tbr, books-i-own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone #1)]]> 58750487
She remembered the words she had whispered to him in the back of the limo after La Rose. "You will worship me, and I won't even have to order you." His request felt sinful and devious, and she reveled in it.

She answered, "Yes."

---

Persephone is the Goddess of Spring in title only. Since she was a little girl, flowers have only shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hoped to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. All of that changes when she sits down in a forbidden nightclub to play a hand of cards with a hypnotic and mysterious stranger.

Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible. But nothing has ever intrigued him as much as the goddess offering him a bargain he can't resist.

After her encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead, and his terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever. The bet does more than expose Persephone's failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows―a love that is both captivating and forbidden.]]> 379 Scarlett St. Clair 1728258456 Jenn 2
I am really sad I didn't like this book. I love Greek mythology. I love Greek mythology retellings. But something about this was just off.

For one thing, the world building was very thin. It was just like, here's New Olympus created by the Gods. Have at it. Like okay... and aside from that, there was very little use of actual Greek mythology. If you're using the actual Gods to tell your story I feel like you would want to incorporate those aspects. Instead everything was very blunt. Here is the Underworld. Here is the Upperworld. Hades uses magic in the Underworld. When we do meet other Gods, it's like St Clair took one aspect of their myth and made it their entire personality. Zero depth to anyone - including Hades and Persephone.

Oh Persephone, where do I even start? I hated her. I get that aside from the Goddess of Spring she is also considered the Goddess of Innocence. But this was just more than innocent. She lacked any brain cells to make decisions. She let everyone else tell her how to think and she changed her beliefs based on who she was with at the time. I think she was supposed to be seen as this strong independent woman but I did not see any of that at all.

And then Hades... here is a monster of a character who was very underutilized. This is the God of the Underworld. One of the most powerful Gods there is. And yet, I felt none of this from him. His attraction to Persephone made no sense to me and the longer it went on the more I could not understand the attraction. There was zero chemistry or any sort of sexual tension. They went from fighting to making out in one sentence and not in the fiery banter way. It felt off and weird. I did not get good vibes from their union.

This series was highly recommended. I see it everywhere. It's been on my to-reach list FOREVER. Sadly, had this been the first thing I read from St Clair, I don't think I would have ever picked up another book from her. I have the first book in Hades POV and I'm going to read it. Here's hoping I get more depth from his side.]]> 3.87 2019 A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone #1)
author: Scarlett St. Clair
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/09
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: 2-star-reads, fantasy, mythology, paranormal-supernatural, read-in-2024, romance, instalove-alert
review:
One reviewer commented on the fact that if Persephone was the Goddess of Spring and she was in college, how did spring happen before? Was there just no spring? And I couldn't stop thinking about that the entire time I read that.

I am really sad I didn't like this book. I love Greek mythology. I love Greek mythology retellings. But something about this was just off.

For one thing, the world building was very thin. It was just like, here's New Olympus created by the Gods. Have at it. Like okay... and aside from that, there was very little use of actual Greek mythology. If you're using the actual Gods to tell your story I feel like you would want to incorporate those aspects. Instead everything was very blunt. Here is the Underworld. Here is the Upperworld. Hades uses magic in the Underworld. When we do meet other Gods, it's like St Clair took one aspect of their myth and made it their entire personality. Zero depth to anyone - including Hades and Persephone.

Oh Persephone, where do I even start? I hated her. I get that aside from the Goddess of Spring she is also considered the Goddess of Innocence. But this was just more than innocent. She lacked any brain cells to make decisions. She let everyone else tell her how to think and she changed her beliefs based on who she was with at the time. I think she was supposed to be seen as this strong independent woman but I did not see any of that at all.

And then Hades... here is a monster of a character who was very underutilized. This is the God of the Underworld. One of the most powerful Gods there is. And yet, I felt none of this from him. His attraction to Persephone made no sense to me and the longer it went on the more I could not understand the attraction. There was zero chemistry or any sort of sexual tension. They went from fighting to making out in one sentence and not in the fiery banter way. It felt off and weird. I did not get good vibes from their union.

This series was highly recommended. I see it everywhere. It's been on my to-reach list FOREVER. Sadly, had this been the first thing I read from St Clair, I don't think I would have ever picked up another book from her. I have the first book in Hades POV and I'm going to read it. Here's hoping I get more depth from his side.
]]> <![CDATA[Fable for the End of the World]]> 214466890 The Last of Us meets The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in this standalone dystopian romance about survival, sacrifice, and love that risks everything.

By encouraging massive accumulations of debt from its underclass, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects of society.

Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they scrape by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt—enough to qualify one of her children for Caerus’s livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet.

Melinoë is a Caerus assassin, trained to track and kill the sacrificial Lambs. The product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, she is a living weapon, known for her cold brutality and deadly beauty. She has never failed to assassinate one of her marks.

When Inesa learns that her mother has offered her as a sacrifice, at first she despairs—the Gauntlet is always a bloodbath for the impoverished debtors. But she’s had years of practice surviving in the apocalyptic wastes, and with the help of her hunter brother, she might stand a chance of staying alive.

For Melinoë, this is a game she can’t afford to lose. Despite her reputation for mercilessness, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on livestream, she desperately needs redemption.

As Mel pursues Inesa across the wasteland, both girls begin to question everything: Inesa wonders if there’s more to life than survival, while Mel wonders if she’s capable of more than killing.

And both wonder if, against all odds, they might be falling in love.]]> 448 Ava Reid 0063430010 Jenn 0 to-read 3.98 2025 Fable for the End of the World
author: Ava Reid
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy, #2) 222139748 Duty. Blood. Honour. Power.

Saeris Fane doesn't want power. The very last thing she needs is her name whispered on an entire court's lips, but now that she's been crowned queen of the Blood Court, she's discovering that a queen's life is not her own. A heavy weight rests upon her shoulders.

Her ward - and her brother - need her back in her homeland . . . but the changes that have strengthened Saeris have also made her weak. Born under blazing suns, Saeris will surely die if she makes her way home through the Quicksilver. Which means that, once again, she must send someone else in her stead . . .

'Keep your mouth shut. Stick to the shadows. And for the love of all seven Gods, do NOT crack any jokes.'

Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate has defeated armies and survived all manner of horrors, but traveling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift might just be the death of him. The male just will not shut up. Hidden dangers await them down the narrow alleyways of the Silver City. Unfolding secrets pose impossible threats. Fisher must wrangle the smuggler and accomplish his goals quickly if he wants to see his mate again.

A darkness falls across Yvelia. The realm and their friends are in danger. Together, Saeris and Fisher will pass through fire and brimstone to save them.]]> 720 Callie Hart 1538774224 Jenn 0 to-read 4.34 2025 Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy, #2)
author: Callie Hart
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Boys with Sharp Teeth 208840739 We Were Liars meets The Raven Boys in this mind-bending YA debut about dark revenge, twisted desire, and the sinister secrets lurking behind the walls of an elite boarding school.

Seventeen-year-old Marin James has spent her entire life living in the shadow of the exclusive Huntsworth Academy. And when her cousin’s dead body is found in a creek on school property, Marin knows exactly who’s to blame: Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, the enigmatic yet dangerously alluring leaders of the school's social elite.

Swapping her ripped jeans for a crisp prep school skirt, Marin infiltrates Huntsworth to seek justice. But her quest is quickly muddied by a confusing attraction to her new life, and to the two dysfunctional and depraved boys who somehow understand her better than anyone ever has.

When Marin uncovers an otherworldly secret the boys are hiding within Huntsworth's ivied gates, the lines between right and wrong, love and hate, and nightmare and reality begin to crumble -- and nothing is as it seems.

Welcome to Huntsworth Academy.]]> 400 Jenni Howell 1250334594 Jenn 0 to-read 3.57 2025 Boys with Sharp Teeth
author: Jenni Howell
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Princess Game (Faraway Collection)]]> 55817039
The victims are the most popular girls in school, each murdered and arranged in a grim fairy-tale tableau. To find the killer, rookie detective Callum Pederson has gone undercover where the Princes hold court. He’s found enough secrets among the bros to bring them in for questioning—but he could very well get lost in the games the Princes play.]]> 60 Soman Chainani 1542020964 Jenn 4 3.50 2020 The Princess Game (Faraway Collection)
author: Soman Chainani
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: 4-star-reads, contemporary, mystery, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, young-adult
review:
Ok so I think this was my favorite out of the bunch. A murder mystery told only through interrogation interviews. Girls keep dying at Chaminade High in dark, twisted fairytale ways. The cops believe they know who did it, but can't prove it. It has to be one of the schools "Princes" but they all have alibi's. So if they didn't do it, who did? I loved the way the information was given to us bit by bit. Each interview with the princes revealed just a little more to the mystery. While I figured it out fairly early on, it was fun to see it unravel.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wickeds (Faraway Collection)]]> 55817049
Envious queen? Evil stepmother? Kidnapping hag? Elsinora, Gwendolyn, and Marguerite are through with warts-and-all tabloids, ugly lies, and the three ungrateful brats who pitted them against each other and the world. But maybe there’s more to the stories than even the Wickeds know. Is it time to finally get revenge? After all, they’re due for a happily-enough-ever-after. Even if they have to write it themselves.]]> 35 Gayle Forman 1542023505 Jenn 3 3.67 2020 The Wickeds (Faraway Collection)
author: Gayle Forman
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: 3-star-reads, fantasy, read-in-2025, retellings, young-adult
review:
This one was quite entertaining. Here we get Mother Gothel, Snow White's evil stepmother and Cinderella's evil stepmother all meeting up together and drowning their sorrows in wine. Until one of them has the brilliant idea of getting back at the children who ruined their lives. Like others in this series, it did get a little dark at times - especially the past with Rapunzel's father. But I have to say that I did like seeing these little old ladies just sitting around drinking wine and planning murder.
]]> <![CDATA[The Cleaners (Faraway Collection)]]> 55817043
Gui is a professional cleaner at A Fresh Start, scrubbing away the unpleasant layers of memory that build up on the personal objects of his customers. Memory-blind himself, he can’t feel those wounds. Clara can, and she prefers them irretrievable. Until her sister, Beatrice, ultrasensitive to memory, raises one that could change Clara’s mind. For Gui, the past is gone. For Clara and Beatrice, deciding what to remember reaches to the heart of their shared history.]]> 33 Ken Liu 154202515X Jenn 3 3.46 2020 The Cleaners (Faraway Collection)
author: Ken Liu
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: 3-star-reads, fantasy, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, young-adult
review:
This one was an interesting take on memories and how we retain them. I've never read anything from this author but his writing had a very beautiful flow to it. It was very dreamlike which I guess fit the story. The story follows 3 different people: 2 sisters, one who wants to forget and one who wants to remember, and a shop owner who "cleans" the memories. The shop owner is the one who really got to me. He can't glean memories from objects like other people so when he loses a memory, he loses it forever and that weight just bears on him. I felt his loneliness and his sadness. It was definitely touching.
]]> <![CDATA[Hazel and Gray (Faraway Collection)]]> 55817030
It’s bad enough that Hazel and Gray have defied the demands of Hazel’s foul stepfather. The Monster has forbidden their romance. Now they’ve awakened in the forest, phones dead, hours past curfew. But not far away is a grand estate in the middle of nowhere. The door is open. In this short story about choosing your own path, the fury of the Monster that awaits them back home may be nothing compared to what lies ahead.]]> 34 Nic Stone 154200943X Jenn 2 3.45 2020 Hazel and Gray (Faraway Collection)
author: Nic Stone
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: 2-star-reads, contemporary, read-in-2025, retellings, taboo-topics, teens-behaving-badly, wtf, young-adult
review:
Well this was probably one of the darkest retellings of Hansel and Gretel I've ever read. And I can honestly say, I don't think I ever want to read it again. Two teens get lost in the words and stumble upon a house that seems to be having a party, against the boys better judgement they go in and it just all goes down hill from there. While the original Hansel and Gretel does venture into the dark, this one touches on slavery and sex trafficking of minors and it's just all around very disturbing.
]]> <![CDATA[The Prince and the Troll (Faraway Collection)]]> 55817016
It’s fate when a man accidentally drops his phone off the bridge. It’s fortune when it’s retrieved by a friendly shape sloshing in the muck underneath. From that day forward, as they share a coffee every morning, an unlikely friendship blooms. Considering the reality for the man above, where life seems perfect, and that of the sharp-witted creature below, how forever after can a happy ending be?]]> 29 Rainbow Rowell 1542025044 Jenn 2 3.25 2020 The Prince and the Troll (Faraway Collection)
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.25
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: 2-star-reads, fantasy, novella, read-in-2025, young-adult
review:
Ummm.. this was a little weird. Set in what seems like a far off world, but constant mention of Starbucks and cell phones - it was mainly the Starbucks that was jarring. It felt almost like a walking ad for the coffee shop. This is definitely a story that could have used more length. I felt like we got little glimpses of world building, but not enough to really make this make a whole lot of sense. What was the road and it's purpose? And what about the crows? I just am left with too many questions for it to have been really enjoyable.
]]> <![CDATA[Wicked Gods (Gifted Academy, #1)]]> 57515634 Nowhere is safe when the gods are wicked.

Since the beginning of times, there has always been two Norms and Idols. But never have the scales been so unbalanced as they are today.

I'm a Norm, which means I grew up in fear of the Idols and their godly powers. And now, I'm going to be surrounded by them, day and night. I've been offered a place at the prestigious Gifted Academy, an opportunity very few Norms get.

To survive, I must become invisible. But my hope to get through the academy unscathed goes down the drain when the most powerful boys in school set their eyes on me.

They hate me simply because I'm a Norm. If they knew who I truly am, they'd tear me apart limb by limb. But I'm done cowering away from Idols. It's time for the Norms to fight back, and it all starts with me.

Contains mature themes.]]> 417 Michelle Hercules Jenn 4
This is a classic case of what I'm going to assume becomes enemies to lovers. Girl is a Norm (non-magical folk) while the four boys are Idols (very high up magical folk). Idols hate Norms. Norms just want to survive this world. But in the case of Daisy, Idols killed her parents and she feels she has a score to settle with them and that doesn't include backing down to their tirades. Which, honestly, I appreciated. I loved seeing her stand up to these elitist assholes - the guys included. Yes, she's terrified but she's also not going down without a fight.

Then there's the four guys themselves. I feel like we've only touched the tip of the iceberg with them and I can't wait to unwrap more. Brothers Bryce & Rufio, who couldn't seem more different if they tried but I feel like there's more to their parents manipulation that what we're seeing. Then there's Phoenix and his nasty temper, but who's also suffering some form of abuse at the hands of his father that we haven't fully discovered yet. And finally, Morpheus and his shadows - super powerful but the shadows seem to be taken over and he can't seem to control it. There's just so much more to uncover!

Add this in with all of the lies and deceit that was already uncovered in this first book and I'm hooked. I need to read the rest like now.

But serious question, do we trust Toby? Because I want to but I'm also very wary. ]]> 4.31 2019 Wicked Gods (Gifted Academy, #1)
author: Michelle Hercules
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: 4-star-reads, fantasy, paranormal-supernatural, read-in-2025, romance, teens-behaving-badly
review:
So I ended up enjoying this one a lot more than I thought that I would. But I am a sucker for the boarding school trope. I do love it when they are confined to a location. And what's better than a magical school?

This is a classic case of what I'm going to assume becomes enemies to lovers. Girl is a Norm (non-magical folk) while the four boys are Idols (very high up magical folk). Idols hate Norms. Norms just want to survive this world. But in the case of Daisy, Idols killed her parents and she feels she has a score to settle with them and that doesn't include backing down to their tirades. Which, honestly, I appreciated. I loved seeing her stand up to these elitist assholes - the guys included. Yes, she's terrified but she's also not going down without a fight.

Then there's the four guys themselves. I feel like we've only touched the tip of the iceberg with them and I can't wait to unwrap more. Brothers Bryce & Rufio, who couldn't seem more different if they tried but I feel like there's more to their parents manipulation that what we're seeing. Then there's Phoenix and his nasty temper, but who's also suffering some form of abuse at the hands of his father that we haven't fully discovered yet. And finally, Morpheus and his shadows - super powerful but the shadows seem to be taken over and he can't seem to control it. There's just so much more to uncover!

Add this in with all of the lies and deceit that was already uncovered in this first book and I'm hooked. I need to read the rest like now.

But serious question, do we trust Toby? Because I want to but I'm also very wary.
]]> <![CDATA[These Pucking Boys: Part Two (This Pucking Love #2)]]> 213275765
I’m that small-town girl, and I should consider myself lucky that my ex turned out to be a major douche.

Now I finally know what it means to be head over heels in love with someone. In my case, I’ve fallen hard for three hockey players. But it’s one thing to have fun with three men at the same time, quite a different story to have a serious relationship with them.

Reputations are at stake—mine and theirs. If the media finds out, I can say goodbye to my job, and my family will never speak to me again.

But I’m willing to risk it all because a love like ours only happens once in a lifetime.]]> 318 Michelle Hercules Jenn 3
This picks up right where the cliffhanger of book 1 left us. We do get to dive more into each of the guys in this one. They are giving their own storyline to follow, but I still feel like it was mostly surface level to just get to the sexy times. There was a lot of side things thrown in that I felt could have been left out in order for us to really get involved in this relationship and not have seem so one dimensional. But that being said, I did stick with it and found it pretty cute.

I still think everything felt like it all just lined up a little too perfectly but that's romance books for ya, and sometimes, you just need to escape into that for a bit. I will definitely be checking out more from Hercules. ]]> 4.07 These Pucking Boys: Part Two (This Pucking Love #2)
author: Michelle Hercules
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: 3-star-reads, adult-fiction, contemporary, dramallama, read-in-2025, romance, sports
review:
So this book had a shooting, a sex tape, abuse, blackmail, dangerous allergy reactions, stalking, car accidents.... I feel like I'm missing things. And it was only about 300 pages long. I swear, it was like how much can I put these people through. Craziness. So again, a little unbelievable for the situation and time frame, but you know, I needed fluff/crazy so it worked for me right now.

This picks up right where the cliffhanger of book 1 left us. We do get to dive more into each of the guys in this one. They are giving their own storyline to follow, but I still feel like it was mostly surface level to just get to the sexy times. There was a lot of side things thrown in that I felt could have been left out in order for us to really get involved in this relationship and not have seem so one dimensional. But that being said, I did stick with it and found it pretty cute.

I still think everything felt like it all just lined up a little too perfectly but that's romance books for ya, and sometimes, you just need to escape into that for a bit. I will definitely be checking out more from Hercules.
]]> <![CDATA[These Pucking Boys: Part One (This Pucking Love #1)]]> 212224935
She did accomplish the moving to LA part, and she’s about to tick marrying her boyfriend off the list. But all her plans go up in flames when she proposes on the Jumbotron during a Titans� hockey game, and he says no. He’s been screwing one of her friends!

In case you’re wondering, that stupid-ass small-town girl is me.

After the most humiliating moment of my existence, I never want to go out in public again. But here comes the plot twist.

Three of the Titans hockey players saw my fiasco on TV, and to cheer me up, they invite me to a Titans team party. I couldn’t care less about meeting them in person, but the prospect of free booze wins me over.

I don’t expect to end up in a hotel room with the trio and have the hottest, most mind-blowing one-night stand of my life.

Not in my wildest fantasies did I imagine sleeping with three men, but it’s okay—I’ll never see them again, right?

I was wrong about that too.]]> 360 Michelle Hercules Jenn 3
So this was definitely fun. Reverse harems are hit or miss for me and I don't think I've really ever read one in a contemporary setting before. I'm not 100% sold on if they work or not, but I'm still here for it.

After getting rejected on the jumbotron at the hockey game, June finds herself at the hockey teams after party and the prize on 3 of the players minds. This book went from 0 to BAM like whoa. The instalust was off the charts and honestly, I'm not really sure why. There was hardly any buildup or character development which are the parts the I am attracted to. The spicy scenes were pretty good - I mean, we jumped right into triple penetration really fast for someone who had never experienced anything outside of vanilla sex, but again, I just went with it because I was just here for the fun.

I think what kept me hanging on and why I downloaded the second one was that there are these little crumbs that were given to us from each of the boys that just made me want to know more. I just wish that they were a little more fleshed out and we had more time to sink into the relationships because, despite it being contemporary, it didn't feel very realistic at all. ]]> 4.00 These Pucking Boys: Part One (This Pucking Love #1)
author: Michelle Hercules
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: 3-star-reads, adult-fiction, contemporary, instalove-alert, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, romance, sports
review:
Another Apollycon author checked off the list! When I saw that Michelle Hercules wrote sports romance - especially hockey - I knew I had to check it out.

So this was definitely fun. Reverse harems are hit or miss for me and I don't think I've really ever read one in a contemporary setting before. I'm not 100% sold on if they work or not, but I'm still here for it.

After getting rejected on the jumbotron at the hockey game, June finds herself at the hockey teams after party and the prize on 3 of the players minds. This book went from 0 to BAM like whoa. The instalust was off the charts and honestly, I'm not really sure why. There was hardly any buildup or character development which are the parts the I am attracted to. The spicy scenes were pretty good - I mean, we jumped right into triple penetration really fast for someone who had never experienced anything outside of vanilla sex, but again, I just went with it because I was just here for the fun.

I think what kept me hanging on and why I downloaded the second one was that there are these little crumbs that were given to us from each of the boys that just made me want to know more. I just wish that they were a little more fleshed out and we had more time to sink into the relationships because, despite it being contemporary, it didn't feel very realistic at all.
]]> <![CDATA[Throne of Secrets (Prince of Sin, #2)]]> 223980443 Two rivals torn apart by a dark memory reunite on a deadly hunt—and in an irresistibly twisted fairy tale—in the next steamy standalone fantasy romance from New York Times bestselling sensation Kerri Maniscalco.

A wicked prince determined to save his kingdom.

Gabriel Axton—infamous as the Prince of Gluttony, the self-proclaimed rake of rakes—has always lived for indulgence: in delicious food, in tantalizing women, and most of all, in the thrill of the hunt, where his love of danger can take over. But when his favorite adventure takes a deadly turn, he realizes something is very wrong in his demon court. With the clock ticking, he must turn to the only one who might uncover the truth: a journalist he has spent a decade avoiding�

A reporter hell-bent on finding the truth.

Adriana Saint Lucent has been on the hunt for years—if she could just report something damning enough about that no-good scoundrel Gabriel Axton, she knows others would finally see the demon as she does. But she never expected to turn up a rumor too terrifying to be believed: could the ice dragons to the north be growing restless? Drawn into the secrets of the Underworld, Adriana’s investigation leads her into the place she dreads most…Axton’s infamous court.

A dangerous rivalry—and deliciously twisted fairy tale.

To stop darkness from falling over their kingdom, Axton and Adriana will have to unite against an escalating danger. But with each holding tight to their own secrets, can they find the truth before it’s too late? And what will they do with an equally troubling rumor: that they might not actually hate one another, after all?]]> 501 Kerri Maniscalco 1399737201 Jenn 0 3.71 2024 Throne of Secrets (Prince of Sin, #2)
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read, books-i-own-tbr, books-i-own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1)]]> 218422159 From NYT bestselling author Rachel Gillig comesĚýthe next big romantasy sensation, a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess who is forced on an impossible quest with the one infuriating knight whose future is beyond her sight. Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Leigh Bardugo.

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight RodrickĚýhas no respect for Sybil's visions.ĚýBut when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only theĚýgods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.Ěý]]> 401 Rachel Gillig 0316573787 Jenn 0 to-read 4.65 2025 The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Spellshop 217206125 The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.

When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.

In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.

But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.]]> 377 Sarah Beth Durst 1250333970 Jenn 3
Running from the collapse of the empire, Kiela heads back to the island of her birth. But she's not alone. She takes with her multiple crates full of books she's saved from the burning library she worked at and a sentient spider plant named Caz. Wanting to just be left alone with her books (mood), Kiela comes to realize however that island life is not for the lonely.

First off, Caz was the best part of this book. Granted I had to look up what a spider plant was because I have the worst plant knowledge ever, but yet this character was so adorable and optimistic and just fun. He was almost like Kiela's conscious brought to life.

Kiela herself was an interesting character. While I understood her wanting to be alone (hello fellow introvert), she was kind of rude to everyone. It was a little off-putting at times. But I did enjoy watching her grow throughout the book and see her really start to feel like she belongs on this island. The feeling of found family was really strong here and that's always a trope that I enjoy.

The romance was cute but didn't overpower the story so that we could focus more on Kiela's growth. Definitely a change a pace from what I was currently reading and not in a bad way. ]]> 3.99 2024 The Spellshop
author: Sarah Beth Durst
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: 3-star-reads, adult-fiction, do-you-believe-in-magic, fantasy, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, romance
review:
This was definitely a very cutesy read with a fantasy element thrown in. I mean, there's a winged orange cat on the cover so of course I was going to read this one.

Running from the collapse of the empire, Kiela heads back to the island of her birth. But she's not alone. She takes with her multiple crates full of books she's saved from the burning library she worked at and a sentient spider plant named Caz. Wanting to just be left alone with her books (mood), Kiela comes to realize however that island life is not for the lonely.

First off, Caz was the best part of this book. Granted I had to look up what a spider plant was because I have the worst plant knowledge ever, but yet this character was so adorable and optimistic and just fun. He was almost like Kiela's conscious brought to life.

Kiela herself was an interesting character. While I understood her wanting to be alone (hello fellow introvert), she was kind of rude to everyone. It was a little off-putting at times. But I did enjoy watching her grow throughout the book and see her really start to feel like she belongs on this island. The feeling of found family was really strong here and that's always a trope that I enjoy.

The romance was cute but didn't overpower the story so that we could focus more on Kiela's growth. Definitely a change a pace from what I was currently reading and not in a bad way.
]]> Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 Jenn 4
Ok, so I love this series, I really do. And when I finished this one, I was all "OMG THIS WAS THE BEST!" because like most, I was on that book high and the ending was insane. But now that I've settled down and had some time to think it over, I actually realized I did have a few issues with this one that I just can't seem to shake.

But first, let's talk about what I loved:

The dragons - I will always crave more of Tairn, Andarna, and all the dragons. I love how we are seeing more and more of their personalities come out as we get to know them and their riders more (this also has me worried because I'm getting attached)

Character/world history - We finally get to know more about Violet's dad who has been this huge mystery from book 1. And, let me say, it was not what I expected. We also learned more about Xaden's past as other surprise characters showed up along the way. I love these little kernels of information that help to flesh out the characters and make them more real. Aside from this, we also got to expand on the world and venture outside of what we know and that was cool to see.

Ridoc & Aaric - These two honestly stole the book for me. They were, hands down, the best characters. And the most interesting. While it felt that other characters were stuck in the same situations over and over, I felt so much growth from both of them. And also, the comedic relief they brought to the situations was definitely needed.

Dark Xaden - I wish it was explored more than it was, but I love how we got to see the stirrings of the darkness within him and how hard it was to maintain his composure around everything.

The ending - I mean, I have a love/hate relationship with it, but I am so intrigued on where it's going to go from here.

Ok, now onto some things that didn't sit well with me.

Mira - Mira really bothered me in this one. The first two books set her up as this supportive but slightly overbearing sister to Violet. But here, after discovering some things about her family, it's almost like Mira becomes a completely different person and suddenly she's unbearable to be around. Her jealousy of Violet is so think you can choke on it. Which brings me to..

Jealousy - OMG do we know any other emotion? While I love me some jealousy trope's, this one was grossly overused here.

The passion between Violet/Xaden - Yarros perfected the slow burn in the first book with these two. We felt their yearning and their passion, and that carried over into book two. That felt lost here. Instead, despite the world falling apart, it seemed all these two could think about was when they could have sex again. Which I get is important for romantasy and all, but not super essential to the plot.

Pacing - A lot of this book dragged. While I liked learning about the other islands, some of the scenes felt dragged out or not needed.

I've read a lot of reviews where people are saying it felt like a different author wrote this one compared to the others - some even saying AI wrote it. Now, while I don't feel it was that drastic of a shift, I did feel a shift in characters. Some of it felt natural growth and some of it didn't. So while I really want the next book, I also don't mind waiting for Yarros to take her time with it and not rush the product. Because I love these characters and this world and I will wait for perfection.
]]> 4.19 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: 4-star-reads, adult-fiction, books-i-own, dragons, do-you-believe-in-magic, fantasy, read-in-2025, romance, so-effing-excited
review:
Maybe more like 4.5ish?

Ok, so I love this series, I really do. And when I finished this one, I was all "OMG THIS WAS THE BEST!" because like most, I was on that book high and the ending was insane. But now that I've settled down and had some time to think it over, I actually realized I did have a few issues with this one that I just can't seem to shake.

But first, let's talk about what I loved:

The dragons - I will always crave more of Tairn, Andarna, and all the dragons. I love how we are seeing more and more of their personalities come out as we get to know them and their riders more (this also has me worried because I'm getting attached)

Character/world history - We finally get to know more about Violet's dad who has been this huge mystery from book 1. And, let me say, it was not what I expected. We also learned more about Xaden's past as other surprise characters showed up along the way. I love these little kernels of information that help to flesh out the characters and make them more real. Aside from this, we also got to expand on the world and venture outside of what we know and that was cool to see.

Ridoc & Aaric - These two honestly stole the book for me. They were, hands down, the best characters. And the most interesting. While it felt that other characters were stuck in the same situations over and over, I felt so much growth from both of them. And also, the comedic relief they brought to the situations was definitely needed.

Dark Xaden - I wish it was explored more than it was, but I love how we got to see the stirrings of the darkness within him and how hard it was to maintain his composure around everything.

The ending - I mean, I have a love/hate relationship with it, but I am so intrigued on where it's going to go from here.

Ok, now onto some things that didn't sit well with me.

Mira - Mira really bothered me in this one. The first two books set her up as this supportive but slightly overbearing sister to Violet. But here, after discovering some things about her family, it's almost like Mira becomes a completely different person and suddenly she's unbearable to be around. Her jealousy of Violet is so think you can choke on it. Which brings me to..

Jealousy - OMG do we know any other emotion? While I love me some jealousy trope's, this one was grossly overused here.

The passion between Violet/Xaden - Yarros perfected the slow burn in the first book with these two. We felt their yearning and their passion, and that carried over into book two. That felt lost here. Instead, despite the world falling apart, it seemed all these two could think about was when they could have sex again. Which I get is important for romantasy and all, but not super essential to the plot.

Pacing - A lot of this book dragged. While I liked learning about the other islands, some of the scenes felt dragged out or not needed.

I've read a lot of reviews where people are saying it felt like a different author wrote this one compared to the others - some even saying AI wrote it. Now, while I don't feel it was that drastic of a shift, I did feel a shift in characters. Some of it felt natural growth and some of it didn't. So while I really want the next book, I also don't mind waiting for Yarros to take her time with it and not rush the product. Because I love these characters and this world and I will wait for perfection.

]]> <![CDATA[An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld]]> 208188283
Featuring characters from Cassandra Clare's international best-selling novels from the Shadowhunters world including The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices, this anthology showcases beautifully illustrated portraits from Cassandra Jean - creator of The Shadowhunter Tarot - alongside never-before-known details from Cassandra Clare about all your favourite characters.

Originally released in 2016, this special Kickstarter edition features old favourites as well as the grown up versions of folks like Kit, Ty, and Dru, and some new characters who we have all grown to know and love (Thais, Adaon, Jarog the Enraged.) The information about them has been corrected and updated, and the whole thing is once again wrapped in a gorgeous and unique hardcover.]]> 235 Cassandra Clare Jenn 4
It's pretty straight forward in the title. Each page is dedicated to a character from the Shadowhunter world that Clare has created - they get a little blurb about them and a beautiful color portrait. Honestly, the artwork was stunning. It's worth it just for the portraits alone. And the fact that Church and Chairman Meow get their own pages, respectively. But I would have liked a little more information about each character since this was supposed to be a history. Some of the blurbs didn't even really give anything important about the characters. So in that part it felt a little lacking. But overall, it's a beautiful book and a great addition to the collection. ]]> 4.34 2016 An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: books-i-own, 4-star-reads, fantasy, paranormal-supernatural, read-in-2025, young-adult
review:
This book was part of the kickstarter that I did for Cassandra Clare. I had honestly forgotten what books were included in the mix so this was a pleasant surprise when I opened the mail.

It's pretty straight forward in the title. Each page is dedicated to a character from the Shadowhunter world that Clare has created - they get a little blurb about them and a beautiful color portrait. Honestly, the artwork was stunning. It's worth it just for the portraits alone. And the fact that Church and Chairman Meow get their own pages, respectively. But I would have liked a little more information about each character since this was supposed to be a history. Some of the blurbs didn't even really give anything important about the characters. So in that part it felt a little lacking. But overall, it's a beautiful book and a great addition to the collection.
]]> <![CDATA[The Whispering Night (The Luminaries, #3)]]> 203579289 The forest is more dangerous than ever in this highly-anticipated, pulse-pounding, and swoon-worthy conclusion to the bestselling Luminaries trilogy.

Winnie Wednesday’s future is looking bright. Hemlock Falls is no longer hunting the werewolf, she and Erica Thursday are tentative friends, and Winnie finally knows exactly where she stands with Jay Friday.

With everything finally on track, Winnie is looking forward to the Nightmare Masquerade, a week-long celebration of all things Luminary. But as Luminaries from across the world flock to the small town, uninvited guests also arrive. Winnie is confronted by a masked Diana and charged with an impossible task—one that threatens everything and everyone Winnie loves.

As Winnie fights to stop new enemies before time runs out, old mysteries won't stop intruding. Her missing father is somehow entangled with her search for hidden witches, and as Winnie digs deeper into the long-standing war between the Luminaries and the Dianas, she discovers rifts within her own family she never could have imagined.

What does loyalty mean when family and enemies look the same?]]> 367 Susan Dennard 1250339480 Jenn 0 to-read 3.93 2024 The Whispering Night (The Luminaries, #3)
author: Susan Dennard
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fateless 218587785 Deep in the forgotten city of the Deathless Kings, an ancient relic of untold power waits—for one bold enough to steal it.

When seventeen-year-old Sparrow joined the Thieves Guild she made a vow of binding loyalty to their cause. So when a mission comes along from The Circle, a group of mysterious, dangerous beings who control the Thieves Guild from the shadows, Sparrow is determined to cement her place in the guild.

What ensues is a death-defying adventure that has Sparrow and her band of thieves venturing into the heart of the forgotten city of the Deathless King. The fate of Sparrow, her companions, and Raithe, the enigmatic yet alluring assassin Sparrow is forced to join forces with during their quest, all hang in the balance as they find themselves battling ancient forces within the tombs and facing the unwavering hold of fate.

Perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Sabaa Tahir, this new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa will sweep readers into a bold and exciting new world, where a twisted game of destiny has far-reaching consequences.]]> 384 Julie Kagawa 1335448802 Jenn 0 to-read 3.90 2025 Fateless
author: Julie Kagawa
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)]]> 214310631
But then the Silveria Circus finds him.

Motorcycle performer Rose Evans has spent a decade on the road with Silveria, and it suits her just fine, especially when she has the urge to indulge in a little murder and mayhem when she’s not in the spotlight. But when a kill goes awry and she ends up with a broken leg, she finds herself stuck in Nebraska at the home of the adorably nerdy town doctor.

The problem is, not every broken heart can be sewn back together.

. . . And the longer you stay in one place, the more likely your ghosts are to catch up.]]> 390 Brynne Weaver 163893181X Jenn 0 to-read 4.21 2025 Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Jenn 5
**

I still don't think I've processed this book honestly but Wow. Despite the fact that I was spoiled on the ending by some hateful people on Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ, it didn't lesson my enjoyment of the book. Picking up directly where book 1 left off, we are thrown back into Violet's world so forcefully that there's really no time to catch our breaths.

This book had it all - high stakes, drama, romance, secrets, betrayals, death, humor - you name it, it was there. While the layout of the world was set in the first book, we were able to see it expand here as we visited other areas. The political intrigue was high and had me hanging on every page as I tried to see where everything was going. And let me tell you, there were some bombshells not even I was prepared for.

One thing I loved was the character growth and not just with Violet. A majority of characters really surprised me by how much they stepped up. I won't name names because I don't want to give any spoilers, but communication is key and a lot of people finally seemed to realize this. And while Violet still had her childish moments, she was going through an awful lot so it's not hard to see how grief can twist her emotions to where she seems immature but is really just trying to cope with the overwhelming sense of panic she is always feeling. I felt the author did a great job describing her feelings in the aftermath of book 1. To have Violet just carry on as normal would have been a disservice to everyone, including us as readers.

And speaking of characters, the side characters here stole the show. I absolutely loved so many of them and enjoyed the times when we were able to see them all working collectively. Ridoc - my absolute fave smart ass.

Then there were the dragons. While people complained there weren't enough dragons in the first book, well, here we are. cause DRAGONS! Tairn and his freaking snarkiness - I love it so much.

But guys, this book is dark. The things these characters go through is brutal. There's explicit scenes of pain and torture, along with depictions of death. As an adult book, I like that the author doesn't shy away from this and lets us feel the pain and despair along with the characters. But man, some of it's just brutal.

Yes, the ending was a cliffhanger. And with no book 3 in sight, I really don't know how to process anything I just read. There needs to be more. I need information and action. I just need book 3.]]> 4.34 2023 Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: books-i-own, 5-star-reads, dragons, fantasy, read-in-2023, signed-copies, read-in-2025
review:
I need to process

**

I still don't think I've processed this book honestly but Wow. Despite the fact that I was spoiled on the ending by some hateful people on Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ, it didn't lesson my enjoyment of the book. Picking up directly where book 1 left off, we are thrown back into Violet's world so forcefully that there's really no time to catch our breaths.

This book had it all - high stakes, drama, romance, secrets, betrayals, death, humor - you name it, it was there. While the layout of the world was set in the first book, we were able to see it expand here as we visited other areas. The political intrigue was high and had me hanging on every page as I tried to see where everything was going. And let me tell you, there were some bombshells not even I was prepared for.

One thing I loved was the character growth and not just with Violet. A majority of characters really surprised me by how much they stepped up. I won't name names because I don't want to give any spoilers, but communication is key and a lot of people finally seemed to realize this. And while Violet still had her childish moments, she was going through an awful lot so it's not hard to see how grief can twist her emotions to where she seems immature but is really just trying to cope with the overwhelming sense of panic she is always feeling. I felt the author did a great job describing her feelings in the aftermath of book 1. To have Violet just carry on as normal would have been a disservice to everyone, including us as readers.

And speaking of characters, the side characters here stole the show. I absolutely loved so many of them and enjoyed the times when we were able to see them all working collectively. Ridoc - my absolute fave smart ass.

Then there were the dragons. While people complained there weren't enough dragons in the first book, well, here we are. cause DRAGONS! Tairn and his freaking snarkiness - I love it so much.

But guys, this book is dark. The things these characters go through is brutal. There's explicit scenes of pain and torture, along with depictions of death. As an adult book, I like that the author doesn't shy away from this and lets us feel the pain and despair along with the characters. But man, some of it's just brutal.

Yes, the ending was a cliffhanger. And with no book 3 in sight, I really don't know how to process anything I just read. There needs to be more. I need information and action. I just need book 3.
]]> <![CDATA[Red City (The New Alchemists #1)]]> 222376533 DELUXE EDITION―a stunning hardcover edition featuring dark crimson sprayed edges

The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu. Perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Red City is a dark and deadly contemporary fantasy of magical warfare, star-crossed ambition, and the pursuit of perfection at any cost, set in a glittering alternate Los Angeles.

Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.

Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city―and the paths of their lives―will be irrevocably transformed.

The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates' brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.]]> 432 Marie Lu 1250885671 Jenn 0 to-read 4.82 2025 Red City (The New Alchemists #1)
author: Marie Lu
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.82
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Alchemy of Secrets: A Novel 222706197 The HOTLY ANTICIPATED adult debut novel by the beloved, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author of the Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart series

It starts with a class in an old movie theater.

Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor. Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction, but Holland St. James has always been convinced that magic is real. When she tracks down a local legend named the Watch Man, who can supposedly tell you when you’ll die, the world finally makes sense. Except that the Watch Man tells her she will die at midnight tomorrow unless she finds an ancient object called the Alchemical Heart.

With the clock ticking, Holland is pulled deeper into this magical world in the heart of Los Angeles—and into the path of a magnetic stranger. Everything about him feels like a bad idea, but he promises Holland that her sister sent him to protect her. As they chase clues and stories that take them closer to the Alchemical Heart, Holland realizes everyone in this intoxicating new world is lying to her, even this stranger. And if she can’t figure out whom to trust, not even the Alchemical Heart will save her.]]> 304 Stephanie Garber 125078915X Jenn 0 to-read 4.71 2025 Alchemy of Secrets: A Novel
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.71
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Blood Orchid (The Scarlet Alchemist, #2)]]> 208548061
In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay.]]> 400 Kylie Lee Baker 1335091750 Jenn 0 3.96 2024 The Blood Orchid (The Scarlet Alchemist, #2)
author: Kylie Lee Baker
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Infinity Alchemist (Infinity Alchemist, #1)]]> 211004796
Only an elite few are legally permitted to study the science of magic―so when Ash is rejected by the Lancaster Mage’s College, he takes a job as the school’s groundskeeper instead, forced to learn alchemy in secret.

When he’s discovered by the condescending and brilliant apprentice Ramsay Thorne, Ash is sure he's about to be arrested―but instead of calling the reds, Ramsay surprises Ash by making him an offer: Ramsay will keep Ash's secret if he helps her find the legendary Book of Source, a sacred text that gives its reader extraordinary power.

As Ash and Ramsay work together and their feelings for each other grow, Ash discovers their mission is more dangerous than he imagined, pitting them against influential and powerful alchemists―Ash’s estranged father included. Ash’s journey takes him through the cities and wilds across New Anglia, forcing him to discover his own definition of true power and how far he and other alchemists will go to seize it.

Featuring trans, queer, and polyamorous characters of color, Infinity Alchemist is the hugely anticipated young adult fantasy debut from the extraordinary author of Felix Ever After, King and the Dragonflies, Queen of the Conquered and more.]]> 400 Kacen Callender 1250890276 Jenn 0 to-read 3.55 2024 Infinity Alchemist (Infinity Alchemist, #1)
author: Kacen Callender
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 498 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Jenn 5

Guys. This book.

So first off, this book had BRILLIANT marketing. A first run with black sprayed edges & dragons on it, no reprints with this fancy edge, of course I had to get the pretty book before it went out of stock. But I'm ngl, I was worried going in. This book was sooooo hyped. What if I didn't like it? Was I going in with too high of expectations? Should I even read it now, or wait until they hype calms down? But I put on my big girl panties and buckled up.

I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED

This book was being touted as an adult Hunger Games and while I can see that, I think it honestly more aligned with Divergent - but adult. It's survival of the fittest in the Rider's Quadrant, new recruits are fighting tooth and nail to make it as one of the famed dragon riders. Violet was never meant to be a rider, she trained all her life to be a scribe but her mother, the general, basically said "eff that, no child of mine is a scribe" and proceeds to let her daughter fight for her life.

I don't want to drag down the review explaining the plot of the book, I just want to talk about what I loved about it. Starting with the characters. Yes, there are some glaringly obvious tropes happening here, but I was here for it. While Violet drove me nuts sometimes, I understood why she was the way she was. Her entire life training had been to record history, to be spent surrounded by books, but now she has to fight every day just to survive. She's seen as the weak one, the liability. It takes strength, both internal and external, to keep going day after day and I admired her tenacity.
I loved her friends, both the ones she found immediately and the ones who grew over time. I liked her sister and hope we get more about her in future books. And then of course, I liked Xaden. The token brooding bad boy, classic enemies to lovers. I do agree with some reviews about how their romance seemed more lust based than love and I can 100% see that. But I look forward to seeing them grow and how it evolves.

And the dragons! OMG the dragons! I don't want to say too much about them, but I could definitely use more.

There were so many twists and turns in this book that I was spinning. Some I saw, some I gasped, and some i just hoped. I have some theories about where book 2 is going, or at least with what it will tackle, but I cannot wait to get my hands on it!]]> 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/12
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: books-i-own, 5-star-reads, all-time-faves, adult-fiction, do-you-believe-in-magic, dragons, fantasy, new-author-to-me, read-in-2023, tear-jerkers, signed-copies, read-in-2025
review:
description

Guys. This book.

So first off, this book had BRILLIANT marketing. A first run with black sprayed edges & dragons on it, no reprints with this fancy edge, of course I had to get the pretty book before it went out of stock. But I'm ngl, I was worried going in. This book was sooooo hyped. What if I didn't like it? Was I going in with too high of expectations? Should I even read it now, or wait until they hype calms down? But I put on my big girl panties and buckled up.

I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED

This book was being touted as an adult Hunger Games and while I can see that, I think it honestly more aligned with Divergent - but adult. It's survival of the fittest in the Rider's Quadrant, new recruits are fighting tooth and nail to make it as one of the famed dragon riders. Violet was never meant to be a rider, she trained all her life to be a scribe but her mother, the general, basically said "eff that, no child of mine is a scribe" and proceeds to let her daughter fight for her life.

I don't want to drag down the review explaining the plot of the book, I just want to talk about what I loved about it. Starting with the characters. Yes, there are some glaringly obvious tropes happening here, but I was here for it. While Violet drove me nuts sometimes, I understood why she was the way she was. Her entire life training had been to record history, to be spent surrounded by books, but now she has to fight every day just to survive. She's seen as the weak one, the liability. It takes strength, both internal and external, to keep going day after day and I admired her tenacity.
I loved her friends, both the ones she found immediately and the ones who grew over time. I liked her sister and hope we get more about her in future books. And then of course, I liked Xaden. The token brooding bad boy, classic enemies to lovers. I do agree with some reviews about how their romance seemed more lust based than love and I can 100% see that. But I look forward to seeing them grow and how it evolves.

And the dragons! OMG the dragons! I don't want to say too much about them, but I could definitely use more.

There were so many twists and turns in this book that I was spinning. Some I saw, some I gasped, and some i just hoped. I have some theories about where book 2 is going, or at least with what it will tackle, but I cannot wait to get my hands on it!
]]> The Last Bookstore on Earth 214490415 This searing YA debut follows two teen girls as they fall in love and fight for survival in an abandoned bookstore, just weeks before another cataclysmic storm threatens to bring about the end of the world. Perfect for fans of Station Eleven and The Last of Us!

The world is about to end. Again.

Ever since the first Storm wreaked havoc on civilization as we know it, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery has been holed up in an abandoned bookstore in suburban New Jersey where she used to work, trading books for supplies with the few remaining survivors. It’s the one place left that feels safe to her.

Until she learns that another earth-shattering Storm is coming . . . and everything changes.

Enter Maeve, a prickly and potentially dangerous out-of-towner who breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter one night. Though the two girls are immediately at odds, Maeve has what Liz needs—the skills to repair the dilapidated store before the next climate disaster strikes—and Liz reluctantly agrees to let her stay.

As the girls grow closer and undeniable feelings spring up between them, they realize that they face greater threats than the impending Storm. And when Maeve’s secrets and Liz’s inner demons come back to haunt them both, they find themselves fighting for their lives as their world crumbles around them.]]> 320 Lily Braun-Arnold 0593899482 Jenn 0 to-read 3.44 2025 The Last Bookstore on Earth
author: Lily Braun-Arnold
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Endless War (The Bridge Kingdom, #4)]]> 211081097
Newly crowned as king, Keris has watched, powerless, as his forbidden relationship with Zarrah is revealed. But when Zarrah is imprisoned by the empress, Keris knows there is only one way to save her: to ally with the kingdom he nearly destroyed.

Imprisoned on the dreaded Devil’s Island, Zarrah faces two choices: prove her loyalty to the empress who condemned her or die a traitor. Yet as she struggles to survive among violent prisoners, Zarrah uncovers a third path: a rebellion to overthrow tyranny entwined with a destiny she must fight to claim.

While the empress plots a war with devastating consequences, Keris and Zarrah must find their way back to each other. Yet their greatest adversary is the fiery passion between them. Unless they overcome the bitterness of betrayal, their love will not be the bringer of peace but rather the fuel that turns the Endless War into an inferno.]]> 576 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975278 Jenn 3 3.5 Stars

I found this to be a solid conclusion to Keris and Zarrah's story. However, it was probably my least favorite of the series. There were many parts where the story just dragged with nothing really happening - which is rare for this series and everyone is always in such a heightened state of stress. And while I am satisfied with the ending, it also felt very Breaking Dawn to me (iykyk).

Aside from the pacing being off, I also felt like the characters were off. Zarrah was this fierce warrior queen in the 3rd book who was smart and never wavered in her determination. Yet, one word from her aunt who she knows is a LIAR and Zarrah is spiraling and then just spends the entire book not wanting to make a decision. She also constantly put herself is very stupid situations all because she refused to listen or even think things through. This was not the Zarrah that I came to love and it really saddened me.

As for Keris, I still adored him but he also lost a little of his shine. He pretty much became a puppy/doormat for Zarrah and I just wanted to shake him. Their romance left a lot to be desired in this one. Oh, and the random sexy times between them felt really off and out of place.

What I did love was the underlying story of found family and the underdogs rising up. Seeing Aren and Lara again is always a plus and they just bring so much to any scene that they are in. The political game was on point in this book, but the romance was not - scenes felt cheesy and forced and altogether out of place. Also the big reveals or twists weren't that big because I felt they were easy to guess. Idk, doesn't change my love for this series, but did affirm Aren & Lara as my fave couple still.

]]> 4.18 2023 The Endless War (The Bridge Kingdom, #4)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/06
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: adult-fiction, fantasy, read-in-2024, royalty, 3-star-reads, books-i-own
review:
3.5 Stars

I found this to be a solid conclusion to Keris and Zarrah's story. However, it was probably my least favorite of the series. There were many parts where the story just dragged with nothing really happening - which is rare for this series and everyone is always in such a heightened state of stress. And while I am satisfied with the ending, it also felt very Breaking Dawn to me (iykyk).

Aside from the pacing being off, I also felt like the characters were off. Zarrah was this fierce warrior queen in the 3rd book who was smart and never wavered in her determination. Yet, one word from her aunt who she knows is a LIAR and Zarrah is spiraling and then just spends the entire book not wanting to make a decision. She also constantly put herself is very stupid situations all because she refused to listen or even think things through. This was not the Zarrah that I came to love and it really saddened me.

As for Keris, I still adored him but he also lost a little of his shine. He pretty much became a puppy/doormat for Zarrah and I just wanted to shake him. Their romance left a lot to be desired in this one. Oh, and the random sexy times between them felt really off and out of place.

What I did love was the underlying story of found family and the underdogs rising up. Seeing Aren and Lara again is always a plus and they just bring so much to any scene that they are in. The political game was on point in this book, but the romance was not - scenes felt cheesy and forced and altogether out of place. Also the big reveals or twists weren't that big because I felt they were easy to guess. Idk, doesn't change my love for this series, but did affirm Aren & Lara as my fave couple still.


]]> <![CDATA[Protective Heart (Starlight Cove, #2)]]> 61203689
Everly Bowman and I don’t make sense. She’s sunshine personified and I hate everyone. Well, everyone but her. It’s easy to pretend like she isn’t my whole world. Or it was until she needs a place to stay, and my apartment is her only option.

Suddenly, she's everywhere I turn. Even her scent is branded into my sheets. And thanks to our unofficial romance book club, I’ve also amassed an encyclopedia titled Everly’s Pleasure Buttons. Each week, it gets harder to ignore how much I want to make her fantasies come true. Especially when we crawl into my bed every night.

But I won’t jeopardize what we have for anything, so I’m fine with lying to myself and pretending like I don’t dream of calling her mine.

At least, I was until I see her with him.]]> Brighton Walsh Jenn 0 3.85 2022 Protective Heart (Starlight Cove, #2)
author: Brighton Walsh
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: to-read, books-i-own, books-i-own-tbr
review:

]]> A Dance of Lies 216420298 A debut fantasy romance filled with hope after heartbreak, secrets, and betrayal, as a dancer-turned-spy must decide how far she will go to secure her freedom

My protector is gone, revealed to be a monster. But I remind myself that I am not a damsel. I’m no princess bound within a tower.

I am a shadow.

Vasalie Moran was once a dancer in King Illian’s court, until he framed her for murder. Barely surviving her two years in the dungeons, she’s suddenly called to face her king. He offers her a deal: become his spy at the six-week royal Gathering and he’ll grant her freedom.

As Illian’s orders grow bloody and dangerous, forcing her to harm and betray those around her, Vasalie discovers that the monster she serves may be aligned with a bigger monster—one far closer to home. With her world threatened, Vasalie enlists the help of Illian’s brother and greatest adversary, the infamous King of the East.

As the rivalry between brothers escalates, with Vasalie caught in the middle, the horrifying truth of her past comes to light. If she wants to survive, she must decide who to trust, who to fight for, and how much of her soul she’s willing to damn in the process.]]> Brittney Arena Jenn 0 to-read 4.00 2025 A Dance of Lies
author: Brittney Arena
name: Jenn
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Breakaway (Beyond the Play, #2)]]> 200300529
Cooper

As a pro-bound college athlete with a good-time reputation, I usually have my pick of puck bunnies. But lately, I’ve been in a dry spell that feels more like a curse, and the stress is affecting my game—the one thing that can’t happen if I’m going to make team captain, and eventually the NHL.

Enter Penny Ryder.

She’s my coach’s daughter, but the moment she pulls me into that ice rink closet, she’s the one thing on my mind besides hockey. She has a sex bucket list, and each item on it confirms we’re kindred spirits in the bedroom. If I say yes, I’ll be relaxed on the ice again—but if her dad finds out, I’ll be forced to say goodbye to being captain and finally earning my own father’s approval.

Penny

Thanks to the ex from hell, I’m a long way from being ready for a relationship—but it’s time to reclaim my agency, one long-sought-after experience in bed at a time.

Enter Cooper Callahan.

He’s my dad’s star defenseman; an arrangement with him will mean keeping yet another major secret from my father. But the agreement we strike is secret friends-with-benefits until he makes captain…and I cross off everything on my list, so I can finally move on from the incident that ruined both my life and my figure skating career.

Yet the longer our connection goes on, the more we trust each other, and the less I want to say goodbye. I know love leads to heartbreak, but what if it can also clear the ice for a breakaway?

Filled with swoons, spice coaching, sports, and book nerds in love,ĚýBreakawayĚýis a don’t-miss adult college sports romance.]]> 464 Grace Reilly 0063387107 Jenn 4
This was my first book by Reilly. It was actually part of my swag bag at Apollycon and I'm finally getting around to reading some of those books. This one was fun...and spicy! Hockey player Cooper Callahan has a temper on the ice that he needs to reign in. Penny Ryder is just trying to build herself back up and survive college. These two come together on the ice and make a joint deal to benefit each other that of course goes off the rails.

The characters were all hilarious. I'm a big fan of ensembles and I loved how close knit everyone was. The friendships felt real and I cared about them almost as much as I cared about the mains, which I guess is good considering the way the series goes. And when I said spicy, I meant it. There's a list and Penny wants to check everything off of it. I won't lie, there are a few scenes that I was like, this may be a bit much, but the majority was good LOL.

I definitely want to go back and read the first in this series to see where it all started and I definitely want to pick up the rest. I will be reading more of Grace Reilly in the future. ]]> 3.88 2022 Breakaway (Beyond the Play, #2)
author: Grace Reilly
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: books-i-own, 4-star-reads, adult-fiction, adorkable, contemporary, new-author-to-me, read-in-2025, romance, sports
review:
Now this is what a sports romance, for me, is all about. I know for a lot of people, they don't read sports romance for the actual sport. But I find that when the author has some knowledge of the sport, it just adds to the overall story and makes everything more believable for me. And when it comes to my favorite sport - hockey - I judge like no other. And since hockey is one of the less popular sports, we tend to only get the "he scored" or "he skated and punched someone" type notes. But not here. I don't know if Reilly is a hockey fan or not, but she had knowledge and it showed. (Bonus points for mentioning the Sharks multiple times). I will get off my sports high horse now lol

This was my first book by Reilly. It was actually part of my swag bag at Apollycon and I'm finally getting around to reading some of those books. This one was fun...and spicy! Hockey player Cooper Callahan has a temper on the ice that he needs to reign in. Penny Ryder is just trying to build herself back up and survive college. These two come together on the ice and make a joint deal to benefit each other that of course goes off the rails.

The characters were all hilarious. I'm a big fan of ensembles and I loved how close knit everyone was. The friendships felt real and I cared about them almost as much as I cared about the mains, which I guess is good considering the way the series goes. And when I said spicy, I meant it. There's a list and Penny wants to check everything off of it. I won't lie, there are a few scenes that I was like, this may be a bit much, but the majority was good LOL.

I definitely want to go back and read the first in this series to see where it all started and I definitely want to pick up the rest. I will be reading more of Grace Reilly in the future.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hunted Heir (The Veiled Kingdom, #2)]]> 209522179 From USA Today Bestselling Author Holly Renee, comes the second book in the scorching romantasy series with enthralling secrets, impassioned enemies, and luring tension.

Verena was the lost princess of Marmoris, the very thing we had spent our entire lives looking for, and I had let her go.

The lingering taste of her mixed with the deep ache in my chest over her betrayal haunted my days and nights. I knew she was hiding something, but her secrets were far more treacherous than I could have imagined.

Though I wished my own betrayal hadn’t been so bitter on my tongue.

Now my dreams are haunted with the way her deep blue eyes looked up at me in shock when I revealed I knew her truth.

The way I crave for her to look at me now as I hunt for her.

Me, along with half of the rebellion.

If my father finds her before me, there is no telling what he will do to her.

And even though she’s the little traitor I’d always thought she was, I couldn’t allow him to find her.

But his orders were clear. The princess is to be taken by the rebellion or she would be taken by the gods. I don’t know which is worse.

She is the heir to our kingdom, the daughter of the cruel king who was responsible for my mother’s death, and the key to winning our rebellion.

I vowed to my father that I would find her, the one person I wish I didn’t have to.

Verena is the hunted heir. But more than anything, she is mine.]]> 242 Holly Renee Jenn 2

What even was this? This was like, half a book. Nothing...and I repeat, nothing happened. I hate to say something was a waste of time, but honestly, this book could have been either combined with the first book or the next book - there was zero progress gained. In fact, I think Verena's character regressed if anything. I need some growth from her. She can't just continue to be a pushover for an entire series. This entire book was her just whining and wanting people to save her. She contributed nothing and actually made situations worse when people did try to help her. And don't get me started on her "trusting" people. Yet, at least there was some growth with Dacre which is why there is 2 stars and not 1.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. While there were a few minor issues here and there, the overall plot kept me intrigued. I was rooting for Verena and Dacre, and I wanted to see how both of their fathers were brought down. But everything that sparked any hope or joy in me was crushed here. I hate writing negative reviews but there was really nothing going on here. It felt unfinished, almost like it was published as an afterthought.

I will say, part of my disappointment is I did go into this thinking this was a duology so when I started to get toward the end, I knew nothing was going to wrap up. But by that point, I just wanted something to happen. I'm going to finish the series because I do want to know what happens, but sadly, my excitement for it has almost all gone away..

]]> 3.48 2024 The Hunted Heir (The Veiled Kingdom, #2)
author: Holly Renee
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: 2-star-reads, disappointed, fantasy, read-in-2025, wtf, why-am-i-still-reading-this
review:
description

What even was this? This was like, half a book. Nothing...and I repeat, nothing happened. I hate to say something was a waste of time, but honestly, this book could have been either combined with the first book or the next book - there was zero progress gained. In fact, I think Verena's character regressed if anything. I need some growth from her. She can't just continue to be a pushover for an entire series. This entire book was her just whining and wanting people to save her. She contributed nothing and actually made situations worse when people did try to help her. And don't get me started on her "trusting" people. Yet, at least there was some growth with Dacre which is why there is 2 stars and not 1.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. While there were a few minor issues here and there, the overall plot kept me intrigued. I was rooting for Verena and Dacre, and I wanted to see how both of their fathers were brought down. But everything that sparked any hope or joy in me was crushed here. I hate writing negative reviews but there was really nothing going on here. It felt unfinished, almost like it was published as an afterthought.

I will say, part of my disappointment is I did go into this thinking this was a duology so when I started to get toward the end, I knew nothing was going to wrap up. But by that point, I just wanted something to happen. I'm going to finish the series because I do want to know what happens, but sadly, my excitement for it has almost all gone away..


]]> <![CDATA[The Veiled Kingdom (The Veiled Kingdom, #1)]]> 204624472 A scorching new fantasy romance that ignites the pages with relentless danger, forbidden passion, and the intoxicating allure of enemies to lovers.

Fleeing my father's cruelty, the wicked king who robbed me of a future, I face death in the streets, caught between a rebellion and a tyrant's reign.

Captured by those sworn to kill me, the rebels remain blind to my true identity—the missing daughter of the despised king. Faced with an impossible choice, I stand before them: join the rebels or face their blades.

Yet, Dacre, the son of the ruthless rebellion commander, becomes torn between suspicion and a desire that mirrors my own. He allows no one to touch me, tries to protect me, yet threatens me at every turn.

As secrets are weaved beyond our hidden realm, a fierce battle unfolds within me. As I get closer to the rebels, and their cause, my loyalty to my kingdom clashes with my undeniable devotion to Dacre and the burning connection between us.

In a world where love and hate are two edges of the same blade, I find myself caught in a delicate dance between forbidden desire and my looming destiny.]]> 364 Holly Renee Jenn 4
I'm going to be honest. This one was really hard for me to rate. I was teetering between 3 and 4 stars most of the book. But the book kept me engaged the entire time and the ending (not the spicy parts) really escalated quickly and had me on the edge of my seat, and that's why I rounded it to the 4th star instead of leaving it at 3.

I was reading through the other reviews, something I like to do when I'm feeling torn. And they are all over the place. But I can see both sides. I see why people loved it and I can see all the issues people had as well. Let me first start off by saying, I do not love Dacre. This man is extremely problematic lol. He went from hot to cold so fast, whiplash doesn't even describe it. He's manipulative, condescending and controlling. I really hope in book 2 there are more redeeming qualities about him because it was hard to root for a love connection with him when he was kind of horrible.

What I did gravitate towards was Nyra trying to escape her life. She admits her father is a tyrant and wants nothing to do with him, but she also doesn't want to join the rebellion against him. She just wants to escape and yet she ends up trapped with the rebellion and almost forced to choose a side all while hiding who she really is. I saw a lot of reviews call her weak but I don't think she is. While she is very timid and not quick to defend herself a lot, she does have an inner strength that really gets noticeable more as the book goes on. I especially loved her friendship with Dacre's sister. I think she needed a female ally in her life. Someone on her side.

The ending was insane - the spicy part was really out there and, again, manipulative on Dacre's part. But I'm really intrigued to see how this is all going to play out in the second one. ]]> 3.83 2024 The Veiled Kingdom (The Veiled Kingdom, #1)
author: Holly Renee
name: Jenn
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: 4-star-reads, adult-fiction, do-you-believe-in-magic, fantasy, fey, new-author-to-me, read-in-2024, royalty, who-to-trust
review:
More like 3.5 Stars but I rounded up because of the ending

I'm going to be honest. This one was really hard for me to rate. I was teetering between 3 and 4 stars most of the book. But the book kept me engaged the entire time and the ending (not the spicy parts) really escalated quickly and had me on the edge of my seat, and that's why I rounded it to the 4th star instead of leaving it at 3.

I was reading through the other reviews, something I like to do when I'm feeling torn. And they are all over the place. But I can see both sides. I see why people loved it and I can see all the issues people had as well. Let me first start off by saying, I do not love Dacre. This man is extremely problematic lol. He went from hot to cold so fast, whiplash doesn't even describe it. He's manipulative, condescending and controlling. I really hope in book 2 there are more redeeming qualities about him because it was hard to root for a love connection with him when he was kind of horrible.

What I did gravitate towards was Nyra trying to escape her life. She admits her father is a tyrant and wants nothing to do with him, but she also doesn't want to join the rebellion against him. She just wants to escape and yet she ends up trapped with the rebellion and almost forced to choose a side all while hiding who she really is. I saw a lot of reviews call her weak but I don't think she is. While she is very timid and not quick to defend herself a lot, she does have an inner strength that really gets noticeable more as the book goes on. I especially loved her friendship with Dacre's sister. I think she needed a female ally in her life. Someone on her side.

The ending was insane - the spicy part was really out there and, again, manipulative on Dacre's part. But I'm really intrigued to see how this is all going to play out in the second one.
]]>