Let’s find some book covers in this color:
I nominate everyone! It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️
There are some exciting book releases coming up this month!
Happy NEW YEAR everyone! Wow…another new year? Another year filled with so many books I want to read?! I don’t even know how to keep up. Anyway here’s what I’m anticipating for January 2024!
This is what I’m looking forward to:
The titles above are books I haven’t read but I think I also should showcase the arcs I read that are releasing this month. So here they are:
What is your most anticipated book release this month?
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Title: Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment, #2)
Author: Rebecca Ross
Format: ebook (own)
Pages: 432
Publication Date: 12/26/23
Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Magic
The epic conclusion to the intensely romantic and beautifully written story that started in Divine Rivals.
Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.
Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.
Content Warning: violence, war, death
I finally read the sequel and conclusion to Divine Rivals and here’s what I thought:
+ The writing is beautiful as ever, it flows, it’s magical – enchanting.
+ Love the addition of new character Tobias. I thought his interactions with Attie was cute. We get to learn more about Dacre and Enva in the sense that they finally come to life on the page and they talk.
+ I feel like this historical fantasy fiction works! It’s set in war-time, feels like the 1940’s, but has magic (ley lines, typewriter, and buildings) and Gods who are at war. And usually I would think that’s hard to pull off but for me it works really well in this story. It even gives that war movie romance – the couple is apart but have to do what they have to do wherever they are, they have to survive but also want to be together again.
+ Speaking of romance…Roman and Iris are beautiful together. I’m glad they found their way to one another. There were some beautiful quotes between the two of them.
Let me be your secret, then. Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.”
-Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.”
-Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
-Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
~ I didn’t love this as much as Divine Rivals but I loved it. I think because Divine Rivals has the rivals to lovers element and in Ruthless Vows they are just trying to survive and find their way back together. I loved their banter in the first book. But they are still a lovely couple and I was rooting for their love really hard.
My Final Thoughts:
This is such a beautiful duology! I love the writing, the magical feel of the story, the lovers torn apart but doing everything they can to find one another. It’s heartfelt and everything I could hope for in a sequel and conclusion.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Divine Rivals by. Rebecca Ross | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sisters of Sword and Song by. Rebecca Ross | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
A River Enchanted by. Rebecca Ross | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Review: The Queen’s Rising ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Title: The Atlas of Us
Author: Kristin Dwyer
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 1/29/24
Publisher: HarperTeen
Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Grief
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Atlas James has lost her way.
In a last-ditch effort to pull her life together, she’s working on a community service program rehabbing trails in the Western Sierras. The only plus is that the days are so exhausting that Atlas might just be tired enough to forget that this was one of her dad’s favorite places in the world. Before cancer stole him from her life, that is.
Using real names is forbidden on the trail. So Atlas becomes Maps, and with her team—Books, Sugar, Junior, and King—she heads into the wilderness. As she sheds the lies she’s built up as walls to protect herself, she realizes that four strangers might know her better than anyone has before. And with the end of the trail racing to meet them, Maps is left counting down the days until she returns to her old life—without her new family, and without King, who’s become more than just a friend.
Content Warning: grief, injuries, cancer death
+ This book is about grief. Atlas James is lost – her life is a mess especially her dad dies from cancer and the only way to get her out of this situation is her mom has her attend a wilderness retreat. She goes without a cell phone for a month and hikes her dad’s favorite trail while learning about the area, surviving in the wild and how to care for the environment. It’s a sad story and tough but it’s a story about moving on and being vulnerable and having a found family in your teammates.
+ Atlas is an imperfect character. She’s dropped out of high school, doesn’t have friends, doesn’t have anything to look forward to and she’s drowning in the grief for her father. She’s a good liar but what she really is – is hurting. This is her journey to work through her grief, open up to strangers, believe in herself to survive for a month and take on responsibility and accountability. It’s a pretty heavy journey but very touching.
+ I love the found family and the friendships that grow from her experience. None of the people in her team really has a good life, each one of them has a past and not the best at making friends. But through their trials in this one month and after…they hold onto one another and try to make their friendships work, which I loved.
~ There is a romance that happens on this hiking trail between Atlas and King, who is their group leader. It’s kind of instant and I can see the attraction between them being believable especially in a stressful situation like this hike – plus Atlas seemed like someone just looking for a connection. But I kind of didn’t like the back and forth between them because of the secrets they were keeping. I understand the secrets and the angst between them but it did get pretty intense for knowing each other only for one month. I did root for them afterwards though, I think at least that was realistic and I like how they rebuilt their relationship after all the secrets are revealed.
My Thoughts:
This was a good read for me because I was reading so much fantasy and needed something contemporary but different and I liked that this was more of a personal journey through grief than a straight romance. It’s a heavier read because of the grief but Atlas overcomes a lot of things and in the end she comes out stronger than ever and I really love that.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.
The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
Today is my daughter’s 7th birthday! We’re going to the arcade and have dinner. And then we’ll celebrate with family on Saturday, which is when her dad goes back to Okinawa. I haven’t had anytime to really read since I had caught a cold and wasn’t feeling 100%. I’m hoping to finish
ASAP by. Axie Oh – no progress on this one
A Place for Vanishing by. Ann Fraistat – no progress on this one
If I Promise You Wings by. A. K. Small – no progress on this one
Ruthless Vows by. Rebecca Ross – 20% into this one! I’m enjoying it a lot but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to rush and finish it before 2023 ended – but nah I figure it’s better to take my time and finish it this week.
I haven’t finished anything this week!
These Deadly Prophecies by. Andrea Tang
The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen
What are you reading right now?
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!
This week’s topic is:
Happy New Year everyone! I can’t believe 2023 is over and we are here in 2024! Looking back these were my favorite books of 2023.
Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by. Ellen O’Clover
Have you read any of these books? Are any of these on your TBR? What’s on your TTT?
Happy book birthday to these new releases! Check out this list today:
The epic sequel to the book Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, is a fast-paced, riveting YA fantasy inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.
Years ago, the Elantian colonizers invaded Lan’s homeland and killed her mother in their search to uncover the Last Kingdom’s greatest the location of its legendary four Demon Gods. Lan’s mother devoted her life to destroying the Demon Gods, and Lan is determined to finish her mission. Yet, there are others searching for the gods, too.
Zen knew his soul was forfeit the moment he made a deal with the Demon God known as the Black Tortoise, but he’s willing to lose himself if it means saving the Kingdom–and the girl–he loves. But to crush the colonizers who have invaded his land he needs more power than even a single Demon God can provide. He needs an army. And he knows exactly where he can find it–in the undead army his great grandfather lead decades ago.
The Elantians may have stolen their throne, but the battle for the Last Kingdom has only begun.
From the author of Counting Down with You and A Show for Two comes a new YA contemporary about a girl who accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band and falls for the guitarist while secretly trying to make up for her mistake.
Liana Sarkar lives and breathes music, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her A&R coordinator father. Maybe if she succeeds, he’ll finally give her the time of day instead of drowning himself in work to distract from the grief of her mother’s passing.
When Liana accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band, Third Eye, she makes it her mission to steer them towards success—without them discovering her role in their setback. But as she gets closer to Third Eye, especially their enigmatic leader Skyler Moon, it becomes harder to hide the truth.
With both her heart and their futures on the line, will Liana be able to undo the damage she’s caused?
In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.
Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.
But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.
Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.
Are you getting any new books this week?
Happy Reading!
Happy New Year everyone! I assume black and gold are usually representative of New Year because of all the black-tie parties that people throw for New Year’s Eve. So here’s some black and gold book covers to celebrate the new year.
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 