Feburary 2024 Wrap Up

Here is what I read, posted, won, received, and bought in February.

As always, let me know if you have read any of these books and (if you did) what you thought of them.


Books I Read:


Books Reviewed:

Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings—review here

The Takeover by Cara Tanamachi—review here

The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden—review here

The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman—review here

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett—review here

Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada—review here

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jennifer Hollander—review here

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden—review here

The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond—review here

Not Your Crush’s Cauldron by April Asher—review here

Acts of Forgiveness by Maura Cheeks—review here

The Guest by B.A. Paris—review here

The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman—review here

Nowhere Like Home by Sara Shepard—review here

Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow—review here


Books I got from NetGalley:


Books I got from Authors/Indie Publishers:


Giveaway Winners


Books I bought:

Hers, Untamed by Anna Adler

Prince Prelude by Claudy Conn

Aaibhe-Shee Queen by Claudy Conn

Prince in the Mist by Claudy Conn

Shielding Gillian by Susan Stoker

Mr. Right is a Myth by Melina Druga

The Bakery on the Cove by Eliza Ester

Death is in the Details by Heather Sunseri

The Trouble with Witches by Kristen Painter

Body Shot by Kelly Jamieson

Love Me Today by A.L. Jackson

Escorting the Billionaire by Leigh James

Liability by Renee Dahlia

My Ex-Boyfriend’s Dad by Sofia T. Summers

Take Two by Libby Waterford

Ruthless Reign by Aleatha Romig

Virgin and the Bratva by Sylvie Haas

Brutal Billionaire by Laurelin Paige

Seven Perfect Days by Francesca Vespa

Pretty Remarkable by Lacey Black

Life Among the Tombstones by H.R. Boldwood

Fashion and Passion by Michelle McCraw

Feburary 2024 TBR

NetGalley:


Indie Authors/Publishers

Bookish Travels—January 2024 Destinations

I saw this meme on It’s All About Books and thought, I like this!! So, I decided to do it once a month also. Many thanks to Yvonne for initially posting this!!

This post is what it says: Places I travel to in books each month. Books are lovely and take you to places you would never get to. That includes places of fantasy, too!!

Bon Voyage!!

Please let me know if you have read these books or traveled to these areas.

Countries I visited the most: England, United States, Austria, Germany, Scotland, Italy

States I visited the most: Wisconsin, Texas, Illinois, New York, Colorado, North Carolina, New Jersey, California

Cities I visited the most: London, Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles


Greece


United States

South Carolina (Rutledge)
Wisconsin (Shaky Lake)
Colorado (Golden), North Carolina (Tavistock)
Texas (Hamchet)
Illinois (Chicago)
Wisconsin (Safe Haven)
California (Los Angeles, San Marino), Texas (Houston)
New Jersey (Princeton, Hoboken), New York (New York City), Puerto Rico (San Juan), Maryland (Baltimore), Illinois (Chicago)
New York (Ridgewater, Syracuse)
Colorado (Aspen), Illinois (Chicago)
North Carolina (Rome)
New Jersey (Middletown), Washington D.C.
Illinois (Chicago)
Oregon (Portland)
California (Los Angeles)
California (Los Angeles, Bel Air, Beverly Hills)

England

Penton
London, Nottingham
Cambridge
Bellehaven Bay, London
Kent, London
Devon, London, Cornwall
London, Gravesend
Surrey, Solihull
London, Whitechapel

Austria

St. Liesl, Leoburg
Vienna

Faerie Realms

Borderlands, Grunesauge, Court of Silva Lupi

Gorseland


Scotland

Isle of Skye

Chile

Cochamo Valley, Santiago

Ireland

Dublin

Wales


Brazil

Brasilia

France

Paris, Bordeaux

Norway

Oslo

Italy

Milan, Venice, Florence. Arona
Sicily (Becchina)

Spain

Xabia

Cambria

Oath, Southern Boroughs, Central Boroughs, Western Borough, Avalon Bluff

Afghanistan

Bagram

Germany

Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl
Bonn

Canada

British Columbia (Vancouver, Richmond)

Gravendale


South Korea

Incheon, Seoul

Empire of Khanum

Daretana

January 2024 Wrap Up

Here is what I read/posted/won/received/bought in January.

As always, let me know if you have read any of these books and (if you did) what you thought of them.


Books I Read:


Books Reviewed:

The Doom of Odin by Scott Oden—review here

The Ball at Versailles by Danielle Steel—review here

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe—review here

Second Duke’s the Charm by Kate Bateman—review here

Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley—review here

Slumber of Silence by Brett Salter—review here

Unlikely Justice by Reily Garrett—review here

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Alison Saft—review coming September 14th, 2024

The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri—review here

The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes—review here

Northwoods by Amy Pease—review here

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins—review here

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham—review here

Phantom Reunion by Reily Garrett—review here

Wanted by Amy Kulp—review here

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Other Lands by Heather Fawcett—review here

It Takes a Rake by Anna Bennett—review here


Books I got from NetGalley:


Books I got from Authors/Indie Publishers:


Giveaway Winners


Books I bought:

Dare You by Quinn Marlowe

A Sinner at the Highland Court by Celeste Barclay

A Hellion at the Highland Court by Celeste Barclay

The Wonder Within by Gwen Martin

Prey Drive by Jen Stevens

Snowed in for a Second Chance by Heather Scarlett

One Cold Heart by K.J. Kalis

Dirty Little Secrets by Liliana Hart

Game Changer by Stacey Lynn

The Summer Proposal by Vi Keeland

He is…Creed by Lisa Renee Jones

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Books & Bribes by Lucinda Race

The Duchess of Drury Lane by Janna MacGregor

Puffin Bay by Annie Dyer

The Price of a Promise by Ember Leigh

Room for Improvement by Jessica Gregory

The Bad Luck Wedding Dress by Emily March

WWW Wednesday: January 24th, 2024

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme Sam hosts at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am currently reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!!

Happy Reading!!


What I am currently reading:

The next high concept horror novel from NYT bestselling author Christopher Golden.

Across Italy, there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years. It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives.

It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize. But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought.

There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbor refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside.

While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.


What I recently finished reading:

Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.

Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.


What I think I will read next:

Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis are faced with their most perplexing case yet when a double homicide investigation leads them to stolen identities and long-buried secrets worth killing for in this riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Los Angeles is a city of reinvention. Many come to start anew, to strike it big. Many kill the person they once were, the person they left behind. And in turn, someone else can turn around and kill them, too—permanently.

A housekeeper enters a secluded, upscale home and discovers two bodies floating in the The heir of an Italian shoe empire and an unknown woman. The house is untouched, but a “double” in Bel Air certainly makes this case stand out from the usual. 

No forced entry means this could have been an inside job. After all, the woman floating in the pool is revealed to be Meagin March, a married neighbor from down the street, who lives in an even more opulent and sprawling mansion. Married woman having an affair? That’s a perfect motive.

But not everything is as it seems. At her wedding, Meagin had no family and a tip from Meagin’s mother-in-law raises their suspicions. Who was she, exactly?

Learning the truth about this mysterious woman—uncovering her identity and motivations—will take Alex and Milo on one of the most  shocking journeys of their careers.

A Holmes and Watson-style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from the Edgar-winning, multiple Hugo-nominated Robert Jackson Bennett

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

By an “endlessly inventive” (Vulture) author with a “wicked sense of humor” (NPR), The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that’s at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.

A determined mermaid, the powerless son of a magic-wielding line…two worlds never meant to collide

In spite of being a nameless orphan, Merletta is determined to win the prestigious rank of record holder. And she has no intention of letting a little thing like universal disdain stop her.

Lord Heath knows nothing of mermaids, but coming from the noble House of Dragonfriend, he’s no stranger to magic. Except, in spite of having a dragon for a best friend, Heath is the only magic-less member of his family. Not that he covets the power around him. All he wants is to defuse the growing tension between the power-wielders and their royal cousins.

These two worlds couldn’t be further removed…until Heath’s search for solutions takes him to the forgotten island of Vazula. Now the kingdoms of both land and sea are set on a new current, one which will carry both Heath and Merletta beyond the limit of everything they thought they knew. Because with someone underwater trying to do much worse than push Merletta from the program, and someone on land targeting Heath’s family, the insurmountable barriers keeping Heath and Merletta apart might just be the least of their problems.

A Kingdom Submerged is the first book in The Vazula Chronicles, a YA fantasy series of four installments, which should be read in order. In addition to irritatingly inscrutable dragons, the series features a clean slow burn romance between a mermaid and a reluctantly magical human. If you enjoy adventure, fantasy, mystery, and hard-won happily ever afters, discover the world of The Vazula Chronicles today!

He’s hunting me, and there’s nowhere to run. East Berlin, 1963. I thought I understood the consequences of trying to flee to the West. Death. Imprisonment without trial. Instead I’m being hunted by the most dangerous man in the city, secret police officer Reinhardt Volker. Now I’m his prize, no longer a traitorous factory girl but his elegant and pampered secretary. He wants to possess me, body, soul – and heart. I’ll do anything to get away from him, but first that means getting closer. I want to feel only hatred for my captor but beneath his uniform I discover a man with a past as scarred as Berlin’s. And if I don’t escape him soon it will be too late. A full-length dark romance by Brianna Hale

It’s Monday: What Are You Reading?: January 22nd, 2023

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kid-lit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in those genres – join them.


What I am Reading Now:

Cristofer Vaughn’s star is poised to rise. Everyone expects the dashing and gifted composer to soar to the heights of musical genius—an expectation that terrifies the young artist as much as it drives him.

Walking into the fire with Cristofer is his housekeeper, Henri, a passionate and handsome young woman who takes pleasure in dressing as a man. Tending to her famed employer’s domestic needs, Henri crafts a carefree life of routine and diversion behind which she hides the truth of a dark and tragic past. Possessed herself of an extraordinary musical gift, she loyally steers her employer through the tempestuous trials of his artistic and romantic pursuits—while carefully guarding his most closely-held secret.

But Henri’s deceptively simple life is ripped apart when a wealthy and ruthless patron grants Cristofer a spectacular commission, then unwittingly hires Henri—whom he believes to be male—to give piano lessons to his alluring wife, Ava.

The tension intensifies as Cristofer struggles to create music of epic proportions while Henri’s heart is swept away by Ava and a love more powerful than any she has ever imagined possible.

The ensuing entanglements rise to a dangerous pitch when Cristofer’s patron catches wind of a perverse duplicity within his circle and quickly mobilizes his henchmen to target the threat. Soon the only hope for Cristofer and Henri’s survival depends on one publicly exposing the other’s hidden truth—an act that would defy the bonds of love and friendship and bring all their lives crashing down.

Will Henri sacrifice her heart to stop the oncoming tragedy? Or will she find a way to save both her friend—and her truest love?


Books I plan on reading later this week

The day I turned nineteen, I expected to gain what little freedom I could within the restrictions of my bank account and the hallucinations that had haunted me for the last six years. I expected to drive away from a life that had been dictated by the tragedy of others and shaped by the care of strangers. I expected to be alone. Actually, I relished the idea of being alone. Instead, I found fear I thought I’d overcome. Uncertainty I thought I’d painstakingly planned away. And terror that was more real than anything I’d ever hallucinated before. I’d seen terrible, fantastical, and utterly impossible things … but not love. Not until I saw him.

First in the Stolen Brides spin-off series!

A hero determined to have it all…

After losing his betrothed to a Lowlander, Laird Gabriel MacKinnon is charged with saving her cousin along with a brood of children from an impenetrable castle. Though, the lady he’s been tasked to protect has been accused of a heinous crime, Gabriel has no fear of her. In fact, he’s a little irritated at the prospect of delivering her to her kin. But this hardened, cold warrior just may find his heart melting, for the hellion brings out a passionate side he’d thought long buried.

A lady who will stop at nothing to see him fail…

Lady Brenna has had more than her share of hardships and when freedom looks to be on the brink of her horizon, she’s not about to let some moody Highlander take it all away. She’ll stop at nothing to keep her children safe—and to guard her heart—even though the warrior’s heated kiss threatens to change every vow she’s ever made and every belief about love she’s ever known.

The next high concept horror novel from NYT bestselling author Christopher Golden.

Across Italy, there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years. It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives.

It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize. But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought.

There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbor refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside.

While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.

Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis are faced with their most perplexing case yet when a double homicide investigation leads them to stolen identities and long-buried secrets worth killing for in this riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Los Angeles is a city of reinvention. Many come to start anew, to strike it big. Many kill the person they once were, the person they left behind. And in turn, someone else can turn around and kill them, too—permanently.

A housekeeper enters a secluded, upscale home and discovers two bodies floating in the The heir of an Italian shoe empire and an unknown woman. The house is untouched, but a “double” in Bel Air certainly makes this case stand out from the usual. 

No forced entry means this could have been an inside job. After all, the woman floating in the pool is revealed to be Meagin March, a married neighbor from down the street, who lives in an even more opulent and sprawling mansion. Married woman having an affair? That’s a perfect motive.

But not everything is as it seems. At her wedding, Meagin had no family and a tip from Meagin’s mother-in-law raises their suspicions. Who was she, exactly?

Learning the truth about this mysterious woman—uncovering her identity and motivations—will take Alex and Milo on one of the most  shocking journeys of their careers.

WWW Wednesday: January 10th, 2024

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme Sam hosts at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am currently reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!!

Happy Reading!!


What I am currently reading:

Sometimes, when you ask the universe for your soulmate, you wind up with your hate mate instead.

On Nami’s 30th birthday, she’s reminded at every turn that her life isn’t what she planned. She’s always excelled at everything – until now. Her fiancé blew up their engagement. Her pride and joy, the tech company she helped to found, is about to lose funding. And her sister, Sora, is getting married to the man of her dreams, Jack, and instead of being happy for her, as she knows she ought to be, she’s fighting off jealousy.

Frustrated with her life, she makes a wish on a birthday candle to find her soulmate. Instead, the universe delivers her hate mate, Nami’s old high school nemesis, Jae Lee, the most popular kid from high school, who also narrowly beat her out for valedictorian. More than a decade later, Jae is still as effortlessly cool, charming, and stylish as ever, and, to make matters worse, is planning a hostile take-over of her start-up. sharp elbows and even sharper banter as the two go head-to-head to see who’ll win this time. But when their rivalry ignites a different kind of passion, Nami starts to realize that it’s not just her company that’s in danger of being taken over, but her heart as well.


What I recently finished reading:

She’s about to face her biggest challenge yet…

Since she was a girl, Miss Kitty Beckett has been adept at finding trouble: sneaking brandy, running away, and getting under the skin of the boy who, like her, was an apprentice to an architect. Now Kitty’s a talented heiress who can take a dry building plan and breathe life into it with her pencils and paints. Also? She can spot a rake at a hundred yards—and she won’t be tricked or charmed into marriage. Certainly not by a man who might interfere with her dreams. When Bellehaven Bay announces its first ever architectural design contest, she vows to win—with a little help from her childhood rival.

Turning her buttoned-up nemesis into a certified rake.

Leo Lockland, a hardworking architect with a gift for numbers, has returned home after a few years in London, and he has secrets. The biggest? He’s been in love with Kitty since they were both apprentices. She refuses to give her heart to any man, but Leo’s determined to beat the odds—even if it means learning how to be a rake. Fortunately, Kitty’s willing to tutor him in the nuances of fashion, flirtation, and seduction in exchange for his help with the contest. But the whole plan would fall apart if she knew how he felt, so he’ll have to be very convincing.

Let the lessons begin…

Leo proves to be a surprisingly quick study in the ballroom, on the beach, and in the bedchamber. Before long, he’s softening Kitty’s hard edges with his wicked words and kissing his way past all her defenses. Perhaps she’s a bit too skilled at teaching, because her lessons are threatening to backfire, putting her closely guarded heart in grave danger…


What I think I will read next:

The next high concept horror novel from NYT bestselling author Christopher Golden.

Across Italy, there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years. It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives.

It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize. But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought.

There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbor refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside.

While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.

WELCOME TO SAFE HAVEN, POPULATION 907…

Nestled in the woods of Wisconsin, Safe Haven is miles from everything. With one road in and out, this is a town so peaceful it has never needed a full-time police force. Until now…

A helicopter has crashed on the outskirts of town and something terrible has been unleashed. A classified secret weapon programmed to kill anything that stands in its way. Now it’s headed for the nearest lights to do what it does best. Isolate. Terrorize. Annihilate.

Soon all phone lines are dead and the road is blocked. Safe Haven’s only chance for survival rests on the shoulders of an aging county sheriff. And as the body count rises, the sheriff realizes something even more terrifying – maybe death hasn’t come to his little town by accident…

WELCOME TO SAFE HAVEN, POPULATION 907… 906… 905…

AFRAID by Jack Kilborn
Are you afraid of the dark? You will be.

The Fensters were like many other proper Victorian families—in every way but one. Ignorning the grim convention that one married for wealth and title, these spirited siblings followed their hearts…and vowed to wed only for love.

Happily-ever-after is all she ever wanted…

Even though society thinks her all but unmarriageable, Miranda Fenster still believes in true love. She’ll do anything to advance its cause, even confront the man whose disapproval is all that keeps her dear brother from making a romantic match. But Miranda’s impetuous meeting with the Duke of Kerstone has a far different outcome than she intended. For when the cynical nobleman realizes she’s been compromised by their tryst, he insists on nothing less than marriage. Now suddenly, the champion of fairy tale endings finds herself a most unlikely bride!

July 2023 Wrap Up

Here is what I read/posted/bought in July.

As always, let me know if you have read any of these books and (if you did) what you thought of them.


Books I Read:

ARC from Crooked Lane Books
Non-ARC from author
Non-ARC from author
Non-ARC from author
Non-ARC from author
Non-ARC from author
Kindle purchase
Free Kindle purchase
Free Kindle Purchase
Free Kindle Purchase
KU Purchase
ARC from Crooked Lane Books
ARC from Meryl Moss Media Group, Rosewind Books
ARC from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey
ARC from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin
Non-ARC from Author
Free Kindle Purchase
Free Kindle Purchase
Free Kindle Purchase
Free Kindle Purchase
ARC from St. Martin’s Press
ARC from Sourcebooks Fire
ARC from Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine, Del Rey
ARC from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Dell
Free Kindle purchase
Free Kindle purchase
Kindle Purchase
Kindle Purchase
Free Kindle Purchase
Free Kindle Purchase
Kindle Purchase
Free Kindle Purchase
ARC from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam
ARC from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Non-ARC from author
ARC from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books
ARC from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Books I got from NetGalley:

ARC from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin
Wish granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Delacorte Press
Wish granted from Sourcebooks Fire
ARC from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey
ARC from St. Martin’s Press
ARC from St. Martin’s Press
Wish granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Dell
Limited time Read Now from St. Martin’s Press
Invite from author via his publisher–Level Best Books
Arc from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin
ARC from Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Books I got from Authors/Indie Publishers:

ARC from author
Non-ARC from author

Giveaway Winners

The Bridge to Magic by Alex Thornbury


Books Reviewed:

Carving Up Reily by Paul Flanagan—review here (4 stars)

Playing with Fire by Flora McGowan—review here (4 stars)

The Voinico’s Slayer by Sallie Cochren—review here (4 stars)

Death By a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue—review coming September 5th, 2023

One*Life: Ameno by Blaze Dendukuri—review here (3 stars)

The Master of Demise by Nadija Mujagic—review here (4 stars)

Under Central Park: The Amulet’s Secret by D.W. Spinola—review here (4 stars)

Paper Targets: Art Can Be Murder by Steve S. Sardoff—review here (4 stars)

Dark Horse by Ann Hunter—review here (4 stars)

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center—review here (4 stars)

A Cryptic Clue by Victoria Gilbert—review here (4 stars)

Macarons Can Be Murder by Rose Betancourt—review here (3 stars)

My Goodbye Girl by Anna Gomez—review here (4 stars)

Thief Liar Lady by D.L. Sonia—review here (4 stars)

Play to Win by Jodie Slaughter—review here (4 stars)

Against the Odds by Ann Hunter—review here (4 stars)

Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts—review here (4 stars)

The Block Party by Jamie Day—review here (4 stars)

Have You Seen My Sister by Kirsty McKay—review coming September 5th

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia—review here (4 stars)

Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review by Tehlor Kay Meija—review here (4 stars)

Blind Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Webb—review here (4 stars)

The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair—review here (4 stars)

The Celine Bower Story by Carly Brown—review here (4 stars)

The Madwomen of Paris by Jennifer Cody Epstein—review here (4 stars)


The StoryGraph Reading Challenges:

June:

Scavenger Hunt (A book that was turned into a show/movie you haven’t seen): The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2023 (A book about a forbidden romance): Painted Love by Lacy Embers

2023 TBR Toppler (A book under 200 pages): Berkley Street by Ron Ripley

2023 Monthly Themes (June to the Moon: Sci-fi): The Liberty Box by C.A. Gray

2023 Reading Challenge (A retelling of a classic story/myth): Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

2023 ABC Challenge (F): Forever Black by Sandi Lynn

Romanceopoly 2023! (Read a contemporary romance by an author you haven’t tried before): Father Figure by James J. Cudney

2023 TBR Prompts (Shortest book on my TBR): Thirst by Graceley Knox

July:

Buzzword Reading Challenge 2023 (“Weather-related words: weather related words in the title: rain, storm, snow, clouds, sky, sunshine, hurricane): Stormcall by T.A. Marks

2023 Sami Parker Reads Title Challenge (A book that has a day of the week in the title): That Monday Girl by Julie Johnson

Cover Scavenger Hunt 2023 (Sky): Unbound by A.R. Shaw

The StoryGraph Reads the World 2023 (Pakistan): A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge 2023 (A fantasy novel written by an author of color): The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Beat the Backlist 2023 (an author writing under a pseudonym): What Doesn’t Kill You by Jo Ho

Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge (find a book with the same amount of pages as the last book and read it): Woman Scorned by Shannon Heuston

Scavenger Hunt (A book that was translated from another language): Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2023 (A book with “girl” in the title): The Fireproof Girl by Loretta Lost

2023 TBR Toppler (A book over 500 pages): The Yellowstone Conundrum by John D. Randall

2023 Monthly Themes (Books in the Heat: Book takes place in the summer or someplace hot): What Happened at the Lake by Phil M. Williams

2023 Reading Challenge (A Yellow Book: Cover or Title are Yellow): A Worse Secret by Harvey Church

2023 ABC Challenge (G): Girl with No Fingerprints by Mark Bailey

Romanceopoly 2023! (friends to lovers): Anything for Love by Lola St. Vil

2023 TBR Prompts (Longest book on my TBR): The Needle House by Robin Roughley


Books I bought:

Stalks of Gold by Celeste Baxendell (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Mirrors of Ice by Celeste Baxendell (accidental Kindle purchase)

Dead Before Dinner by Kat Bellemore (free Kindle purchase via blog post)

Death on Deck by Verity Bright (free Kindle purchase via blog post)

Protecting Fiona by Susan Stoker (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Open, Honestly by Bill Konigsberg (free Kindle purchase via Goodreads)

His Baby Proposal by Ivy James (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

This Much Is True by Tia Louise (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Ruined & Redeemed: The Earl’s Fallen Wife by Bree Wolf (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Burden of Proof by Julie Anne Lindsey (free Kindle purchase via blog post)

MacFarland’s Lass by Glynnis Campbell (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Finding Faith by B.E. Baker (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Resisting Chase by Sharon Woods (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Dance with Deception by Tracy Goodwin (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Saving Noah by Kaci Rose (free Kindle purchase)

Four Cold Months by K.J. Kalis (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Whiskey Rebellion by Liliana Hart (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Watch Your Back by Stacy Claflin (free Kindle purchase via blog post)

Sweet Distraction by Lainey Davis (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

Dirty Player by Stacey Lynn (free Kindle purchase via BookBub)

January 2023 Wrap Up

January was a busy reading month for me. Because of that, I could complete all my reading challenges for the month!! Woot!!

It was also a busy month, personally, for me. The highlights of this month are:

  • Miss B left her dual high school and college credits program.
  • Snickers going to the emergency vet with a bloody eye. She came home with a torn tear duct and a torn lower lid.
  • BK going back to traveling each week
  • And my not-so-great, horrible week last week.

BK and I have been watching Game of Thrones (we’re on season 7), and we started watching The Last of Us.

I have been experimenting with new cooking recipes. I made a Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo soup with Miss R last week.

As always, let me know if you have read any of these books and (if you did) what you thought of them.


Books I Read:

KU Purchase—No Review
From Author
Kindle PurchaseNo Review
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
From Publisher—Review coming February 17th
From Publisher
From Publisher
From Publisher
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
KU Purchase—No Review
From Publisher
From Author
From Publisher
From Publisher
From PublisherReview coming July 11th, 2023
KU Purchase—No Review
Kindle Purchase—No Review
From Author
Kindle Purchase—No Review
From Publisher
From Publisher
From Publisher
KU purchase—No Review
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
From Author
From Publisher
Kindle Purchase—No Review
From Publisher—Review Coming February 2nd
From Publisher—Review coming February 3rd
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
From Author—Review coming February 3rd

Books I got from NetGalley:

Wish Granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine/Bantam
Limited Time Read Now from SMP
Read Now from Crooked Lane Books
Read Now from John Hunt Publishing
Invite from SMP
Read Now from Crooked Lane Books
Read Now from Crooked Lane Books
Read Now from Crooked Lane Books
Read Now from Crooked Lane Books
Read Now from Crooked Lane Books
Wish Granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine
From SMPG
Invite from SMP
Read now from Crooked Lane Books
Wish Granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey
Wish granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine/Del Rey
Limited Time Read Now from St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin
Invite from Saint Martin’s Press

Books I got from Authors/Indie Publishers:

From Author
From Author
From Novel Cause
From Author
From Author
From Author

A Paroxysm of Fear by Chad Miller

From Author

Giveaway Winners

Paperback—Won from a giveaway. Not sure which one….lol
Kindle—Won from Goodreads Giveaway
Kindle—Won from Goodreads Giveaway

Books Reviewed:

Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano (review here)

Misfire by Tammy Euliano (review here)

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff (review here)

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (review coming February 17th)

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham (review here)

The Nightmare Man by J.H. Markert (review here)

The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker (review here)

Son of the Poison Rose by Jonathan Maberry (review here)

Emily Wilde’s Encylopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (review here)

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes (review here)

Shadowed Visions by Reily Garrett (review here)

The Things We do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent (review coming February 27th)

The Devil You Know by P.J. Tracy (review here)

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (review coming July 11th)

A Body Washes Ashore by Bradley Pay (review here)

All Hallows by Christopher Golden (review here)

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan (review here)

One Duke Down by Anna Bennett (review here)

Murder Up to Bat by Elizabeth McKenna (review here)

Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire (review here)


Reading Challenges

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (for Cover Scavenger Hunt 2023—a bird)Finished 1-1-2023

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (for The StoryGraph Onboarding Challenge—-Read a book with more pages than the longest book you read in 2022)—Finished 1-17-2023

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (for The StoryGraph Read the World—Argentina)—Finished 1-17-2023

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill (for The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge—a contemporary or literary fiction novel with disability rep)—Finished 1-24-2023

The Reader by M.K. Harkins (for Beat the Backlist 2023—a backlist book)—Finished 1-24-2023

The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga (for Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge—Read the most recently added book to your TBR)—Finished 1-3-2023

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (for Scavenger Hunt—a book written by a woman using a male perspective)—Finished 1-19-2023

The Nightmare Man by J.H. Markert (for Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023—a book you meant to read in 2022)—Finished 1-5-2023

Lost Soul by Adam J. Wright (for 2023 TBR Toppler—a TBR vet)—Finished 1-3-2023

In Our Blood by William J. Goyette (for 2023 Monthly Themes—books that make you feel cold)—Finished 1-10-2023

Before the Coffee Get Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (for 2023 Reading challenge—a translated work)Finished 1-11-2023

All Hallows by Christopher Golden (for 2023 ABC Challenge—A)—Finished 1-19-2023

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (for Romanceopoly 2023!—read a thriller or mystery where one of the main characters are a detective or private investigator)—Finished 1-3-2023

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center (for 2023 TBR Prompts—a 5-star prediction)—Finished 1-16-23

All Hallows by Christopher Golden

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of Publication: January 24th, 2023

Genre: Horror, Holiday, Halloween, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical, Thriller, Mystery, Adult Fiction

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | Alibris | Powells | IndieBound | Indigo | BetterWorldBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

With the 80’s nostalgia of Stranger Things, this horror drama from NYT bestselling author Christopher Golden follows neighborhood families and a mysterious, lurking evil on one Halloween day.

It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, horrifying secrets are being revealed, and all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified, and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man. There’s a small clearing in the woods now that was never there before, and a blackthorn tree that doesn’t belong at all. These odd children claim that The Cunning Man is coming for them…and they want the local kids to protect them. But with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children of Parmenter Road?

New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden is best known for his supernatural thrillers set in deadly, distant locales…but in this suburban Halloween drama, Golden brings the horror home.

All Hallows. The one night when everything is a mask…


First Line:

In the woods behind Tony Barbosa’s house, the autumn leaves screened out so much daylight it seemed like dusk had already arrived.

All Hallows by Christopher Golden

This isn’t easy to admit, but I am a giant baby in reading or watching anything horror. Take, for instance, the new series on HBO Max, The Last of Us. I was sitting with my husband and oldest daughter, and whenever something scary would come on, I would cover my face with a blanket and tell them to tell me when it was over. That is how I felt reading All Hallows. I wanted to cover my face and wait until it was all over, but I couldn’t. This book scared the living out of me!!

I am going to be upfront with the trigger warnings in this book. I wasn’t expecting a couple of them, and they left a bad taste in my mouth when I realized what was happening. The triggers are child sexual abuse (not graphic, but a couple of scenes that describe a victim’s emotions), racism (overt and subtle), domestic violence, cheating, bigotry, and homophobia. If any of these triggers you, I recommend not reading this book.

The plotline for All Hallows was exciting but all over the place at first. Halloween has come to a Massachusetts town, Coventry. While kids are out trick or treating, the individual families are fracturing. Add to this, there are kids in the neighborhood who don’t belong. They are dressed in old-fashioned costumes and are begging people to let them in their houses. Why? They have escaped from a being called The Cunning Man and are running from it. But not all is what it seems, as the hours count to midnight and long-held secrets are uncovered. Who are these children? What do they want? Will The Cunning Man get them? Or is everything they told a lie? What horrors are in store for the families that took them in?

All Hallows has multiple main characters; writing a short blurb on each is impossible. So, I am not in this review. It would make this review go on forever; we all know people don’t like it.

The main characters in All Hallows were well-written and fleshed out. Each character brought a fresh perspective to what was happening in that neighborhood that night. I loved seeing the same events from different eyes.

As for the secondary characters, some of them felt a little flat. While they did provide some needed filler in the storylines, I couldn’t connect to some of them. And that made it impossible for me to care when certain things happened in the book (like Donny Sweeney’s semi-redemption arc).

All Hallows fit perfectly in the horror genre. The author did a great job of making me want to cover my eyes during parts of the book. This would have been a great book to release around Halloween because, well, the book is set on Halloween afternoon/night.

The storyline with The Cunning Man and the displaced kids was unique. The author did take me for a ride with that one. I was expecting one thing to happen, but a neat twist in the storyline had me shaking my head and saying, “No way.

The storyline with the neighborhood relationships fracturing was, again, well written. The author didn’t do a massive deep dive into the people he featured during that night, but it was deep enough to know that this was beyond what neighbors act like, especially in 1984, when neighborhoods were tight. I was seven in 1984, and I remember my neighbors being like second parents. If we (my brothers and I) were outside playing, someone was always out with us. Like in the book, the neighbors treated Halloween like a party for the adults, and we kids would go around the neighborhood trick or treating, barely supervised. You can’t do that these days, which is sad.

The end of All Hallows was interesting. While the author resolved things, only some were, if you understand. There were a few storylines that I had questions on that were left up in the air. Also, there were no happy endings. People died and were hurt; the end was maybe three days later. Everyone involved was still processing what had happened. There might be a book two because of the last couple of scenes. I would love to see Vanessa, Chloe, and possibly Julia get revenge!!

I recommend All Hallows to anyone over 21. There is language, violence, and no sex (some light kissing). Also, see my trigger warnings.

I want to thank St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Christopher Golden for allowing me to read and review All Hallows. All opinions stated in this review are mine.


If you enjoyed reading All Hallows, then you will enjoy reading these books: