WWW Wednesday: April 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 newest, riveting summer suspense by the author of The Block Party, Jamie Day.

The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—have come for the weekend to claim it. But with a hurricane looming and each of the Bishop sisters harboring dangerous secrets, there’s murder in the air—and not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out.

Each sister wants what is rightfully hers, and in the mix is the Precipe’s nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley: smart, resilient, older than her years, and in desperate straits.

The arrival of the Bishop sisters could spell disaster for Charley. Will they close the hotel? Fire her? Discover her habit of pilfering from guests? Or even worse, learn that she’s using a guest room to hide a woman on the run.

With razor-sharp wit, heart, thrills, and twists, Jamie Day delivers a unique brand of SUMMERTIME SUSPENSE.


What I recently finished reading:

In 1930s Glasgow, partners Jimmy Dreghorn and Archie McDaid face a danger that threatens to set their city aflame—the second novel in the acclaimed mystery series that began with Edge of the Grave .

Glasgow, 1933. Murder is nothing new in the Depression-era city, especially to war veterans Inspector Jimmy Dreghorn and his partner “Bonnie” Archie McDaid. But the dead man found in a narrowboat on the Forth and Clyde Canal, executed with a single shot to the back of the head, is no ordinary killing.

Violence usually erupts in the heat of the moment—the razor-gangs that stalk the streets settle scores with knives and fists. Firearms suggest something more sinister, especially when the killer strikes again. Meanwhile, other forces are stirring within the city. A suspected IRA cell is at large, embedded within the criminal gangs and attracting the ruthless attention of Special Branch agents from London.

With political and sectarian tensions rising and the body count mounting, Dreghorn and McDaid pursue an investigation into the dark heart of humanity—where one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist, and noble ideals are swept away by bloody vengeance.


What I think I will read next:

In this steamy Regency romp, Lady Selina is determined to find the Duke of Stanhope the perfect wife―the only problem is she’s starting to think that might be her.

Peter Kent―newly inherited Duke of Stanhope and recently of New Orleans, Louisiana―must become respectable. Between his radical politics and the time he interrupted a minor royal wedding with a flock of sheep―not his fault!―he’s developed a scandalous reputation at odds with his goal of becoming guardian to his half siblings. For help, he turns to the cleverest and most managing woman of his acquaintance, Lady Selina Ravenscroft.

Selina is society’s most proper debutante, save one tiny secret: she runs an erotic circulating library for women. When Peter asks for her help, she suggests courtship and marriage to a lady of unimpeachable reputation. (Which is to say, definitely not herself.)

But matchmaking doesn’t go according to plan. Peter’s siblings run rampant on Bond Street. Selina ends up in the Serpentine. And worst of all, the scorching chemistry between Peter and Selina proves impossible to resist. For the disreputable duke and his unpredictable matchmaker, falling in love just might be the ultimate scandal.

A playful romantic comedy featuring dueling delis, fake dating, a shockingly awesome ex, and just the right amount of amnesia.

Ellie Greco wishes she weren’t stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she escaped her hometown to pursue her dream career—designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater—until her father’s death five years ago called her home to run the family’s decades-old deli. Yes, she loves the place, but she’d always thought she was meant for more exciting things than stocking the right tinned fish. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, Greco’s Deli’s very existence is suddenly in jeopardy.

She tries to plead her case to Theo Taylor, scion of the property management firm about to put her out of business, but their meeting goes from bad (it’s not her fault he’s infuriating) to worse (no one expects the ceiling to literally fall in).

With Theo out cold, Ellie panics and claims to be his fiancée… and almost passes out herself when amnesia means Theo seems to actually believe her. Soon, the effects of the head injury wear off, but Theo proposes that their “engagement” stick around. If they manage to convince enough people they might both get what they an end to the Mangia deal. Ellie doesn’t trust him (after all, if Theo Taylor wants it, how can it be good for her?) but seeing no other option, reluctantly agrees.

And miraculously, the fake engagement seems to be working—even Ted, Theo’s shrewd, cold father seems convinced—that is until Sam, Theo’s ex-fiance, reappears on the scene. Not only does she see through their ruse, she proposes an arrangement of her own, forcing Ellie to decide between blossoming friendship, her family legacy, and the burgeoning romance she frankly never asked for.


Reading Challenge books I hope to get to this week (I didn’t get to these last week)

Buzzword Reading Challenge 2024 (Nature Words—Anything related to the planet)

A small hiking group in the wilderness – with bloody revenge for company

Milly has barely spoken to her sister Judith in years. They hardly exchanged a word at their mother’s funeral. They could not be further apart.

So when Milly gets an invitation to go on a hiking trip, she hopes it will be an opportunity for reconciliation. Inviting her school-friend Harper along with her for support, the small party head off together into the bush.

What awaits Milly is far from just a bracing hike in the wilderness, but an unexpected encounter with the past. The form it takes is revenge. But who is enacting it against Milly, and why?
Whilst the action in this book comes thick and fast, it is the relationship between the sisters and their mutual friend, Harper, that introduces the true darkness into the story.
This book is set in the rugged landscape below Perth in South Western Australia, an area the author has explored in depth.

2024 ABC Challenge (Y)

Have you heard the rumors of what lies beneath the PDX Airport? During an emergency evacuation, an airline supervisor is trapped with 4 others beneath the airport searching for an escape route. Terror grips the group while the airport doors are in lock-down. They are pursued by what appears to be port police officers, but something doesn’t feel right. A foreboding sense tells her not to trust them. Desperate to get to the one security door she thinks might work, she struggles to avoid being intervened by the men in uniform that she comes to know can’t be trusted. The supervisor juggles her innate need to be in control to find safety yet shake off the hidden attraction to the FBI Agent among the five of them. Does he feel it too? Will they eventually find safety . . . and romance? Their power struggle of who trumps who in the security hierarchy plays out throughout their dilemma Their escape appears hopeless until another person in the group reveals a big secret about what lies beneath the airport. How does he know this? It’s a thrill ride from the time they become trapped until the surprise ending you won’t see coming. Who will survive today . . . and who won’t? You will never see the airport the same way again! You’ll love this roller coaster action because everyone enjoys twists, turns, and unlikely heroes. Get it now.

It’s Monday: What Are You Reading?—April 22nd, 2024

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.


Personal

I haven’t posted my IMWAYR for the last couple of weeks without doing a personal section. It’s just been too busy around here. So here’s the catch-up from the last couple of weeks:

  • Miss R’s EBOB (Elementary Battle of the Books) team came in second place during the district competition. She was thrilled. She also told me that a couple of the other teams (there were 5) didn’t have very good sportsmanship while playing. The superintendent had to stop the competition to scold them.
  • Mr. Z’s palate spreader turning is almost done (two more days). I had forgotten to do it two times, so I added them to the end. His last turn will be at the end of the week.
  • Miss B ended up going to physical therapy for her knee. The PT said the muscle separated from the knee, but he didn’t think she needed surgery. I was a little upset over the whole PT thing and my insurance. It was a $150 copay (with insurance). But she needed to do it. She goes back for a follow-up and sees the surgeon next week.
  • Miss B finally took her placement math test for her major (computer science) at Western Carolina. She needed at least Pre-Calculus 1 to get into the program without taking a remedial math course. She scored in Pre-Calculus 2. So, that was a huge weight off her shoulders. Not, we’re just waiting on FASFA to get their thumbs out of their butts and update.
  • I have caught up on all my backlog ARC reading and reviews. It feels good not to have that pressure on me.
  • Also, before I forget, I wanted to say this: Fewer reviews will be posted during May and June. Why? All of the books I will be reading, starting in May, have publication dates in July-December. I didn’t have a ton of books for May and June. So, don’t worry if all you see are Goodreads Monday, IMWAYR, Top Ten Tuesday, and WWW Wednesday some weeks. I am still writing reviews, which will be posted in those months.

What I am Reading Now:

In 1930s Glasgow, partners Jimmy Dreghorn and Archie McDaid face a danger that threatens to set their city aflame—the second novel in the acclaimed mystery series that began with Edge of the Grave .

Glasgow, 1933. Murder is nothing new in the Depression-era city, especially to war veterans Inspector Jimmy Dreghorn and his partner “Bonnie” Archie McDaid. But the dead man found in a narrowboat on the Forth and Clyde Canal, executed with a single shot to the back of the head, is no ordinary killing.

Violence usually erupts in the heat of the moment—the razor-gangs that stalk the streets settle scores with knives and fists. Firearms suggest something more sinister, especially when the killer strikes again. Meanwhile, other forces are stirring within the city. A suspected IRA cell is at large, embedded within the criminal gangs and attracting the ruthless attention of Special Branch agents from London.

With political and sectarian tensions rising and the body count mounting, Dreghorn and McDaid pursue an investigation into the dark heart of humanity—where one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist, and noble ideals are swept away by bloody vengeance.


Books I plan on reading later this week

The newest, riveting summer suspense by the author of The Block Party, Jamie Day.

The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—have come for the weekend to claim it. But with a hurricane looming and each of the Bishop sisters harboring dangerous secrets, there’s murder in the air—and not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out.

Each sister wants what is rightfully hers, and in the mix is the Precipe’s nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley: smart, resilient, older than her years, and in desperate straits.

The arrival of the Bishop sisters could spell disaster for Charley. Will they close the hotel? Fire her? Discover her habit of pilfering from guests? Or even worse, learn that she’s using a guest room to hide a woman on the run.

With razor-sharp wit, heart, thrills, and twists, Jamie Day delivers a unique brand of SUMMERTIME SUSPENSE.

A small hiking group in the wilderness – with bloody revenge for company

Milly has barely spoken to her sister Judith in years. They hardly exchanged a word at their mother’s funeral. They could not be further apart.

So when Milly gets an invitation to go on a hiking trip, she hopes it will be an opportunity for reconciliation. Inviting her school-friend Harper along with her for support, the small party head off together into the bush.

What awaits Milly is far from just a bracing hike in the wilderness, but an unexpected encounter with the past. The form it takes is revenge. But who is enacting it against Milly, and why?
Whilst the action in this book comes thick and fast, it is the relationship between the sisters and their mutual friend, Harper, that introduces the true darkness into the story.
This book is set in the rugged landscape below Perth in South Western Australia, an area the author has explored in depth.

Have you heard the rumors of what lies beneath the PDX Airport? During an emergency evacuation, an airline supervisor is trapped with 4 others beneath the airport searching for an escape route. Terror grips the group while the airport doors are in lock-down. They are pursued by what appears to be port police officers, but something doesn’t feel right. A foreboding sense tells her not to trust them. Desperate to get to the one security door she thinks might work, she struggles to avoid being intervened by the men in uniform that she comes to know can’t be trusted. The supervisor juggles her innate need to be in control to find safety yet shake off the hidden attraction to the FBI Agent among the five of them. Does he feel it too? Will they eventually find safety . . . and romance? Their power struggle of who trumps who in the security hierarchy plays out throughout their dilemma Their escape appears hopeless until another person in the group reveals a big secret about what lies beneath the airport. How does he know this? It’s a thrill ride from the time they become trapped until the surprise ending you won’t see coming. Who will survive today . . . and who won’t? You will never see the airport the same way again! You’ll love this roller coaster action because everyone enjoys twists, turns, and unlikely heroes. Get it now.

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

Bookish Travels—July 2023 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: United States, Greece, France

States I visited the most: New York, South Carolina, Kentucky, California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Washington, Hawaii, Nevada

Cities I visited the most: New York City, Athens (Greece), Hamlin, Paris (France), Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston


India

Asam, New Dehli

United States

Washington, D.C.
Vermont
New York (New York City, Central Park)
Montana (Plentywood, Missoula), New York (New York City), Washington (Seattle)
Kentucky (Hamlin)
Connecticut (New Castle), Texas
Pennsylvania (Pittsburg)
New Hampshire (Nashua), South Carolina (Parris Island)
Kentucky (Paris)
New York (New York City), Nevada (Las Vegas), California (San Fransisco), Illinois (Chicago), Minnesota (St. Paul)
South Carolina (Greenbelt, Charleston, Beaufort), Florida (Jacksonville)
Kentucky (Lexington, Hamlin), New York (Queens)
New York (New York City), Michigan, California (Los Angeles)
Mississippi (Brant), New York (New York City), Pennsylvania (Woodland)
Louisiana (New Orleans)
Massachusetts (Meadowbrook, Revere)
New Hampshire (Moonville), Massachusetts (Boston)
Washington (Seattle, Ridley Falls)
California (Los Angeles, Malibu), Hawaii (Oahu)
Oregon (Cannon Beach)
Massachusetts (Boston)
Massachusetts (Cape Cod), New York (Newburgh), Hawaii
Washington D.C., California (Los Angeles), Nevada
New York (Norfolk Falls)

Iraq

Baghdad

Ederra


Dystopia United States

Republic

Iceland

Frjosom

Crete

Knossos

Greece

Athens
Athens
Aegean Islands (Samothrace, Mykonos)

China

Hong Kong

Philippines

Boracay

England

Chelsea
London (Soho Square), Glastonbury, Chelmsford, Hawkhurst
London (Mayfair)

France

Paris
Paris
Paris

Solis


French Polynesia

Bora Bora

Mexico

Mexico City


Afghanistan

Kabul, Herat

Sweden


Puerto Rico

Vieques (Island), San Juan, Esperanza, Isabel Segunda

Pakistan


Borneo

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading—July 17th, 2023

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up 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 and 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-litfocus. 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.


Personal

I know that I have been MIA for this post for a while. But I do have a good explanation. First, BK took a vacation, and we weren’t home for 90% of the week of July 4th. We would get up and hit the ground running. The next week, the girls had dentist and hair appointments, Snickers (my old girl) got her Solensia shot, plus she was given a once over by the vet because Miss R felt a lump (Snickers was very grumpy and didn’t want that so she’s getting sedated next month), and Mr. Z had an emergency orthodontist appointment. Add to that, there is some sort of URI going around with my other cats, which meant taking them all to the vet (at different times, of course), and I was barely able to sit down and type out reviews.

Before I get into the rest of the post, I want to bring something up. When I logged onto my blog this morning, I was greeted with some of the nastiest, vile comments I have ever seen in my ten plus years of blogging (and I have seen a lot). I will make this perfectly clear to trolls: Your comments are seen by nobody but me. I have learned a few things in my blogging experience (remember, 10 years here), and one was how to moderate comments. I also want to make it crystal clear that my blog is a place for people to feel safe. I could care less about your sexual orientation, gender, political affiliation (for those in the US), or color. I treat people the same regardless. And yes, that message bothered me only because of its hatred against the LGBTQIA+ community. Bigotry isn’t a good look on anyone, and before accusing someone of being a sheeple and being brainwashed, have a good, long look in the mirror. Also: My kids and SO are real. I chose not to put their identities out there because of shit like this.

Stepping down from my soapbox, here is the rest of the post.

The dishes I made a few weeks ago were weirdly evenly spread out with likes, neutral, and dislikes. My kids hated the enchiladas, loved the slow cooker cowboy baked beans, and were neutral on the southwestern chicken parmesan and rice. This week, I am making:

  1. Cilantro-Lime Chicken
  2. Diner-Style Patty Melts
  3. Speedy Skillet Beef and Broccoli

So, that’s my catch-up.

Anything exciting or different happen this week? Make anything good this past week or plan on making it this week? Read anything new? Read anything on this list? Let me know!!


What I am Reading Now:

This summer, meet your neighbors.

The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.

On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.


Books I plan on reading later this week:

Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.

Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed.

Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.

As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies.

A music critic stuck in a spiral of epic proportions targets her teenage crush for a career comeback and a chance at revenge. What could possibly go wrong?

Sammy Espinoza’s life is a raging dumpster fire. Her desperate attempt to win back her singer ex-girlfriend has landed her in hot water at work, and she has one last chance before her editor cuts her column. Luckily, Sammy has a plan to redeem herself, but it won’t be easy.

Rumor has it that Max Ryan, the former rock god, is secretly recording his first-ever solo album years after he dramatically quit performing. And it just so happens that he and Sammy have Right before Max got his big break, he and Sammy spent an unforgettable night together.

Exclusive access to Max’s new music would guarantee Sammy’s professional comeback and, even better, give her the opportunity to serve some long-awaited revenge for his traumatic ghosting.

But Max lives in Ridley Falls, Washington, and Sammy has history there as a family that never wanted her and a million unanswered questions. Going back would mean confronting it all—but what else does she have to lose?

Katharine Firestone is a bit of a mess.

Between an acting career that’s never quite made lift-off to stardom, a pathetic love life of online-dating-app losers, and a maxed-out balance on every one of her credit cards, things can’t get much worse. So, when she’s plucked from relative obscurity to land a lead role in Hollywood’s next big blockbuster, Kat is sure she’s finally on the right track.

Until she meets her co-star, Grayson Dunn… and all her plans are completely derailed.

Grayson is everything you’d expect the hottest actor alive to be — charming, disarming, and cocky as hell. As their characters slowly spiral into love on screen, Kat struggles to keep herself from falling for real. She knows handing Grayson her heart and expecting him not to break it would be the biggest mistake of her life. Yet the deeper she’s immersed in his glamorous world, the more blurred the boundaries between scripted affection and sincere passion become… and the harder it is to deny that their on-camera chemistry has crescendoed into a behind-the-scenes love affair…

What happens when you fall for someone who’s guaranteed to shatter you into pieces? Do you walk away? Or do you let him break you because, even broken, there’s simply no way you can’t stay?

THE MONDAY GIRL is a messy contemporary romance about a mixed up girl who falls for the wrong boy. It is the first part of a duet. The second installment, THE SOMEDAY GIRL, will be released a few weeks later, in early 2017. Each installment is approximately 95,000 words. Recommended for readers ages 17+ due to strong language, sexual situations, drug use, and other mature elements.

“I never thought I would be in this situation, fighting for survival in a world turned upside-down. But here I am, doing everything I can to keep my daughters safe in this apocalyptic dawn. It’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, our biggest worries were school, soccer practice, and what to make for dinner.

Now, we’re living in constant fear. The pack of abandoned dogs we’ve taken in helps, but it’s a dangerous world out there. We’ve had to maintain a charade to keep looters at bay, by making our home, and the others on our street look like still occupied by our old neighbors. I live in fear every second of the day that someone will catch on. So far the ruse has worked, but for how long?”

WWW Wednesday: July 12th, 2023

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam 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?


What I am currently reading:

“Happily Ever After” is a total scam, but at least this time the princess is the one controlling the grift–until her true love arrives and threatens to ruin the whole scheme. Intrigue, magic, and wit abound in this Cinderella fairytale reimagining, perfect for fans of Heather Walter and Naomi Novik.

I’m not who you think I am.

My transformation from a poor, orphaned scullery maid into the enchantingly mysterious lady who snagged the heart of the prince did not happen–as the rumors insisted–in a magical metamorphosis of pumpkins and glass slippers. On the first evening of the ball, I didn’t meekly help my “evil” stepmother and stepsisters primp and preen or watch forlornly out the window as their carriage rolled off toward the palace. I had other preparations to make.

My stepsisters and I had been trained for this–to be the cleverest in the room, to be quick with our hands and quicker with our lies. We were taught how to get everything we want in this world, everything men always kept for themselves: power, wealth, and prestige. And with a touchingly tragic past and the help of some highly illegal spells, I would become a princess, secure our fortunes, and we would all live happily ever after.

But there’s always more to the story. With my magic running out, war looming, and a handsome hostage prince–the wrong prince–distracting me from my true purpose with his magnetic charm and forbidden flirtations, I’m in danger of losing control of the delicate balance I’ve created…and that could prove fatal.

There’s so much more riding on this than a crown.


What I recently finished reading:

When Tessa Talman first meets Simon Fremont, not only is she attracted to him, she’s intrigued by how different their lives are. He’s a dedicated scientist, practical, pragmatic, and grounded. She’s a head-in-the-clouds romance author. As their relationship grows, they meet in places around the world, while continuing to live in different countries.Though their feelings for each other deepen, their priorities remain the same. Simon is in a hurry to be financially sound and settle down, but Tessa is enjoying her freedom and newfound success. Neither is willing to give in, but as each goodbye gets harder, Tessa begins to wonder whether fame is the path to happiness, or if she has everything she needs in Simon.Just as Tessa finds the courage to go after her own happily ever after, the unthinkable happens, separating them in ways she never imagined.To move forward, she must let go of the past and determine once and for all if love is truly more powerful than the pain of goodbye.


What I think I will read next:

Jodie Slaughter’s latest rom-com, Play to Win , is a sizzling romance where a winning lottery ticket is meant to be a new start but instead becomes a second chance at love.

Miriam Butler’s life is going nowhere in the slowest, most excruciating way possible. Stuck in the same barely-paying job she’s had since she was sixteen and spending every night sleeping in the spare twin bed in her mother’s house, her existence might be hilarious if it wasn’t so bleak. One trip to her favorite corner store upends everything when she finds herself the winner of a Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot. Unfortunately, not even life-altering roses come without their painful thorns. Hers just so happen to be in the form of an estranged husband who has the right to claim his share of her money.

It’s been eight years since Leo Vaughn has had a conversation with his wife. When she calls out of the blue, practically begging him to come back to Greenbelt, the last thing he expects her to tell him when he gets there is that she’s come into a whole heap of money. She offers him a life-changing proposition of his own. Take a lump sum, finally sign the divorce papers, and be done with her for good. Only, a forever without her is the last thing Leo wants. So he gives a proposition of his own. One that won’t cost her nearly as many millions, but will buy him the time to do the one thing he’s been hungry to do since he left — win her back.

When Ellery moved to New York with her boyfriend, she thought they’d live happily ever after in their small New York apartment. She never thought he’d pack his bags and leave because he “needed space.” With her newfound single status and fear of being alone, Ellery buries herself in her artwork and paintings until one night she helps a mysterious intoxicated stranger get home safely. Little did she know the mysterious stranger is none other than CEO and millionaire Connor Black. After finding Ellery in his kitchen the next morning and assuming she broke his #1 rule about sleepovers, he becomes intrigued, not only by her stubbornness and defiance, but by her kindness.

Connor Black, emotionally dead and damaged, that stemmed from a personal tragedy, made a vow to never love or fall in love with a woman, until Ellery Lane walked into his life by accident. After she opens up and shows him her world, Connor starts to feel emotions and feelings he never knew existed. Despite the rumors and warnings regarding Connor Black and his use and misuse of women, Ellery finds herself being drawn into his world.

Ellery knows they can never be together because she is harboring a deep secret that could destroy Connor emotionally forever.

Join Connor and Ellery as they embark on a journey of courage, love and strength. Will it be enough to save them?

Between the fast-paced New York City, a rural Mississippi town and a charming Pennsylvania college campus filled with secrets, two young girls learn the consequences of growing up too quickly.

Amalia Graeme, abused by her mother for most of her life, longs to escape her desolate hometown and fall in love. Contemplating her loss of innocence and conflicting feelings between her boyfriend and the dangerous attraction she’s developed for an older man, Amalia faces life-altering tragedies.

Brianna Porter, a sassy, angst-ridden teenager raised in New York City, yearns to find her life’s true purpose, conquer her fear of abandonment, and interpret an intimidating desire for her best friend, Shanelle. Desperate to find the father whom her mother refuses to reveal, Brianna accidentally finds out a shocking truth about her missing parent.

Set in alternating chapters two decades apart, the parallels between their lives and the unavoidable collision that is bound to happen is revealed. FATHER FIGURE is an emotional story filled with mystery, romance, and suspense.

Getting bitten by a vampire in New Orleans is about as cliché as it gets, but Aurora Hedvige isn’t in a position to complain.

In the last week, her life has gone from bad, to worse. Now she’s lunging for her best friend’s throat, desiring things she shouldn’t, and craving something she can’t admit out loud. Her last-ditch effort takes her to the self-proclaimed voodoo queen of the French Quarter, but what Aurora thinks is the end of her problems—is only the beginning.

Carver Marceau has lived in a world of misery since the day his mortal years ceased and his immortal life began. He’s Kresova. An ancient race of vampires ruled by a deadly queen bent on keeping her rein at all costs. Sent on a mission to resolve a recent string of rogue vampires, Carver’s journey leads him to Aurora.

Neither of them expected the intense bond that forms between them, nor the revelations they uncover.

Carver discovers that Aurora is one of the Dria. The first of three fated harem queens, destined to return the balance to the Kresova. With the help of friends, and enemies turned allies, they’ll upend the cruel queen’s reign—if they can just survive long enough.

Alex’s racing career starts with Venus Nights, the filly she helped birth into the world, and a head case mare named Florescent Cheerio who Brooke has claimed.

When things go missing around the North Oak barns, Alex is sure she is being stalked. What’s more is Venus Galaxies has foaled twins, fighting for their lives to survive. Can they beat the odds?

This summer, meet your neighbors.

The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.

On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.

Gaia Gill is the last person in the world anyone would expect to go missing. Beautiful, athletic, and recently accepted to a prestigious college, she has everything to look forward to—but the night of her going-away party at the Moon Mountain ski resort, she disappears.

Gaia’s younger sister Esme is supposed to be flying back to England with her family after the party, but she can’t leave with Gaia missing—especially because nobody remembers Gaia leaving the party. Or if they do, they’re not saying. Everyone at the lodge has their own secrets: the little rich girl, the ex-boyfriend, the ski instructor, the failed reality star.

Esme’s out of her depth searching the dark, dangerous forests and icy slopes of Moon Mountain, until she teams up with a local boy who promises to help her. The clock is ticking, and it’s down to Esme to piece the clues together and work out who—if anybody—is telling the truth.

July 2023 TBR

Books for Review:

The Voinico’s Slayer by Sallie Cochren (Not cover yet)


The StoryGraph Reading Challenge books

Buzzword Reading Challenge 2023—weather-related words in the title
2023 Sami Parker Reads Title Challenge—a book that has a day of the week in the title
Cover Scavenger Hunt 2023—Sky
The StoryGraph Reads the World 2023—Pakistan
The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge—A fantasy novel written by an author of colour
Beat the Backlist 2023—an author writing under a pseudonym
Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge 2023—find a book with the same exact pages as the last prompt in the challenge and read it.
Scavenger Hunt—A book translated from another language
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023—A book with “Girl” in the title
2023 TBR Toppler—A book over 500 pages
2023 Monthly Theme—Books in the heat
2023 Reading challenge—A yellow book: either a yellow cover or the title is in yellow
2023 ABC Challenge—G
Romanceopoly 2023!—Young Adult/New Adult friends to lovers
2023 TBR Prompts—Longest book on my TBR

Goodreads Monday: The Block Party by Jamie Day

This is a weekly meme where anyone can choose and highlight a random book from their Goodreads TBR. This meme was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog.


On the night of the annual Summer block party, the Meadowbrook community Facebook page lights up with posts reporting sirens descending on the desirable and exclusive cul-de-sac neighborhood on Alton Road. Bit by bit, the comments trickle in, some taking pleasure in their neighbors’ misfortune and others showing concern. The truth eventually comes out. It’s not an accident, or a drowning, or a fire, as some had predicted. For the first time in forty years, there’s been a murder in Meadowbrook.

The residents of Alton Road—The Fox family, the core of the neighborhood but each with secrets of their own; the Adair Family, the seemingly perfect all-American family; the Thompson Family, on the brink of an explosive divorce; The Kumars, the mysterious “new neighbors”; Brooke Bailey, the “Black Widow”; and Gus Fisher, the quirky salesman— are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal unbeknownst to the outside world and even each other.

Who was murdered at the block party? Who committed the murder? And why? As the night unfolds, the residents will discover that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems. Propulsive and layered, THE BLOCK PARTY will keep you guessing until the very last page.

April 2023 Wrap Up

Here is what I read/posted in April.

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 author
KU Purchase—No Review
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
Non-ARC from Novel Cause
Non-ARC from Novel Cause
ARC from Sourcebooks Casablanca
ARC from author, Level Best Books, IBPA, Member’s Titles
Free Kindle Purchase—No review
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
Non-ARC from author
KU Purchase—No Review
Free Amazon Prime Reads—No Review
KU Purchase—No Review
KU Purchase—No Review
KU Purchase—No Review
ARC from St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books
ARC from St. Martin’s Press
Non-ARC from Author
Non-ARC from Author
KU Purchase—No Review
KU Purchase—No Review
KU Purchase—No Review
ARC from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ARC from Sourcebooks Fire
Non ARC from author
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
Kindle Purchase—No Review
KU Purchase—No Review
Free Kindle Purchase—No Review
ARC from author
ARC from Crooked Lane Books
ARC from Sourcebooks Casablanca
ARC from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books
ARC from Random House Publishing Group – Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback

Books I got from NetGalley:

Read Now from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Wish granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam
Wish Granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam
Read Now from Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books
Wish Granted from Sourcebooks Casablanca
Wished Granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Delacorte Press
Invite from Random House Publishing Group – Random House, Random House Trade Paperbacks
SMP Influencer Program pick from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Wish Granted from Random House Publishing Group – Random House, The Dial Group
Wish Granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books
Request from Meryl Media Group, Rosewind Books

Books I got from Authors/Indie Publishers:

Non-Arc from author
ARC from Novel Cause
ARC from author
Non ARC from author
Non-ARC from author
Non-ARC from author
ARC from Author

Giveaway Winners

Goodreads Giveaway—Kindle download
Goodreads Giveaway—Paperback
Goodreads Giveaway—Paperback
Goodreads Giveaway—Paperback

Books Reviewed:

The Witch and the Vampire—review here

Prince of Typgar: Nurjan and the Monks of Meirar—review here

Read to Death at the Lakeside Library—review here

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose—review here

Body Count by SM Thomas—review here

Prince of Typgar: Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle by Krishna Sudhir—review here

Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake—review here

No Time to Breathe by Lori Duffy Foster—review here

Another Chance at Happiness by Dani Phoenix—review here

Tales from the Box, Volume 1 by Weston Kincaide—review here

Pieces of Me by Kate McLaughlin—review here

Where Coyotes Howl by Sandra Dallas—review here

Bait by D.I. Jolly—review here

Missing by Amy Kulp—review here

How to Best a Marquess—review here

This Delicious Death—review here


Reading Challenges:

2023 Monthly Themes (Continue a series or reread an author already read this year): Claim My Baby—Finished 3-31-23

Romanceopoly 2023! (Read a book where the main character works at or owns a bar)-About LoveFinished 4-1-23

Buzzword Reading Challenge 2023 (words in the title related to emotions, from happy to sad, smile to frown, pride to rage)—P.S. I Hate You—Finished 4-3-23

2023 Sami Parker Reads Title Challenge (a book with one of these words in the title: Sunny, Bright, Cloud or Rain): Brightest Shadow—Finished 4-6-2023

Cover Scavenger Hunt 2023 (a flower): A Spirited Manor—Finished 4-7-2023

The StoryGraph’s OnBoarding Reading Challenge 2023 (read one of the first 10 books you added to your to-read pile): The Night Swim—Finished 4-8-2023

The StoryGraph Reads the World 2023 (Italy): Find Me—Finished 4-10-2023

The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge (a biography about someone you don’t know much about): Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot—Finished 4-11-2023

Beat the Backlist 2023 (take place primarily in winter or a cold region): Tainted—Finished 4-19-2023

Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge (go to the acknowledgments of the last book you read for this prompt. What name did you first see? Find a book written by an author with that name): Frost Burn—Finished 4-20-2023

Scavenger Hunt (Book I found that day): Delicate Ink—Finished 4-20-2023

Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023 (a book by a first time author): The Fifth Floor—Finished 4-21-23

2023 TBR Toppler (continue a series): Ten Thousand Lies—Finished 4-22-23

2023 Reading Challenge (book that has been on my TBR for the longest time): Purple Death—Finished 4-23-23

2023 ABC Challenge (D): Descendants—Carrying over to May

2023 TBR Prompts (A BookTok Favorite): The Song of Achilles—Carrying over to May