Hi all, I was reading the Spell the Month post on the blog One Book More and my son saw it also and said why don’t I do that the same but instead of only spelling the month – to read all the books I choose to list for Spell the Month. 😅 But I hate lists, I told him, I’m a mood reader! I haven’t done a Spell the Month blog post in 4 years apparently (that can’t be right!).
He said come on mom, try something new LOL. So I said fine…so basically this is a monthly TBR list but using the Spell the Month book tag and actually reading or trying to read the books I use to spell the month. Anyway, the Spell the Month book tag was originally created by Reviews from the Stacks, and the idea is to spell the month using the first letter of book titles.
So I’m going to spell the month but also read the books and do a monthly update at the end of the month to see if I accomplished my goal or not. Ugh, I’m bad at book goals, especially a TBR list – but just for my son I’ll try it out! 😂❤️
JANUARY
J ~
Last year, Annabel was “the girl who has everything” — at least that’s the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf’s Department Store.
This year, she’s the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong.
Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen’s help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.
A ~
Amid Clouds and Bones by. Ella Fields
A princess determined to survive an arranged marriage to a heartless faerie prince is saved by a twist of fate that could destroy their world in this all-new standalone fantasy romance.
As the half faerie daughter of a human king, my days were spent tucked out of sight—until the Seelie Fae sought an alliance with our kingdom. In exchange for my father’s help in defeating their Unseelie enemies, I would wed Atakan the heartless.
The Seelie prince loathed everyone, but none more than me. Throughout the years leading to our nuptials, each encounter grew more terrifying than the last as he demonstrated how he’d earned his infamous reputation.
Fear would only doom me faster. So I learned to hide it with games I soon became happy to play. I wasn’t supposed to crave a monster. But just when I’d thought I might tame the untameable, fate intervened.
And delivered me straight to his enemy.
This fast-paced standalone features true enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, high heat, and a cast of morally grey and villainous characters.
N~
Nature of Frost by. Jus Accardo
A dying kingdom on thin ice…
Not so long ago, druid Keltania Tunne thought she knew the world—and her place in it. Magic was all but dead, and the kingdom torn apart. Then she was sent to the court of the Winter Fae and charged with the protection of Valen, the icily arrogant prince who some believed would bring about the destruction of them all…
Instead, he brought magic.
The greed for magic nearly destroyed their world, and its return could plunge them all back into chaos—or unite the estranged fae courts…if they move quickly.
Now Keltania and Valen must navigate the temperamental fae, their insidious secrets, and an enemy who would cleave the kingdom in two in the name of vengeance—all the while hiding the truth of their connection.
Its magic. Its remarkable power. And its ability to crush their hearts in two.
But no one knows that Valen struck a secret bargain with their enemy…and soon everyone in the land will face the consequences.
The Omen of Ice duology is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Omen of Ice
Book #2 Nature of Frost
U~
Under Loch and Key by. Lana Ferguson
A woman discovers that not all monsters are her enemy—the opposite, in fact—in this new paranormal romance by Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate.
Keyanna “Key” MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it’s only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he’d always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father’s life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she’ll find in Scotland. But repeating her father’s mistakes and being rescued by a gorgeous, angry Scotsman—who thinks she’s an idiot—is definitely the last thing she expects.
Lachlan Greer has his own secrets to keep, especially from the bonnie lass he pulls to safety from the slippery shore—a lass with captivating eyes and the last name he’s been taught not to trust. He’s looking for answers as well, and Key’s presence on the grounds they both now occupy presents a real problem. It’s even more troublesome when he gets a front row seat to the lukewarm welcome Key receives from her family; the strange powers she begins to develop; and the fierce determination she brings to every obstacle in her path. Things he shouldn’t care about, and someone he definitely doesn’t find wildly attractive.
When their secrets collide, it becomes clear that Lachlan could hold the answers Keyanna is after—and that she might also be the key to uncovering his. Up against time, mystery, and a centuries old curse, they’ll quickly discover that magic might not only be in fairy tales, and that love can be a real loch-mess.
A~
A spellbinding gothic dark fantasy about a shunned woman who is forced beyond the mortal realm’s forbidden boundary, into a terrifying world of cursed souls and grotesque creatures.
Only the banished know what lies beyond the woods …
There are whispers about what lurks in Witch Knell—the forest where sinners go to die. The villagers call it The Eating Woods because what’s taken is never given back. Only those who’ve lost their senses would dare to go near it.
Or the banished.
Maevyth Bronwick knows better than to breach the misty labyrinth of trees, but a tragic turn of events compels her beyond the archway of bones, to a boundary no mortal has crossed before. One that cloaks a dark and fantastical world that’s as dangerous as it is alluring.
It’s there that he dwells, the cursed lord of Eidolon. The one tasked to keep her hidden from the magehood that seeks to crucify her in the name of an arcane prophesy. Zevander Rydainn, known to his prey as The Scorpion, is the coldest, most calculated assassin in all of Aethyria and he’d sooner toss his feisty ward to a pack of vicious fyredrakes than keep her safe.
If only he could.
Maevyth’s blood is the key to breaking his despised curse and vanquishing the slumbering evil in Witch Knell. Unfortunately for Lord Rydainn, fate has other plans for the irresistible little enchantress. And his growing obsession with her threatens to destroy everything.
Including himself.
Anathema is a full-length, gothic dark fantasy, the first book in The Eating Woods duology. Perfect for readers who enjoy a plot-heavy and atmospheric story with a unique magic system, a slow-burn romance and a touch of horror.
R~
Rain of Shadows and Endings by. Melissa K. Roehrich
Of all the worlds and life they created, the gods favored their children the most. But with that favor came the fear that their Legacy would one day become too powerful and overthrow them. Devram was created. A realm hidden amongst the stars. The gods gave their Legacy the best of all the worlds, and then they left, a sworn agreement to never return and to never interfere. Forced to a life of servitude, the Fae are required to provide for the Legacy in more ways than one. Every five years, the eligible Fae are gathered for the Selection and assigned to serve in one of the six Kingdoms. To be chosen as the personal Source for a Kingdom Heir is the greatest honor, and for the first time in a millennia, all six Kingdoms have heirs choosing a Source. But their selections could tip the power balance a little too far. Tessalyn Asura was as forgotten as the realm. But when she finds herself the personal Source to the Heir of Endings, she winds up serving in the darkest Kingdom of them all . The secrets within the Arius Kingdom are meant to be learned and kept, but this was never the life she wanted. Fighting not only the fate thrust upon her, but the temptation to lose herself to desire, Tessa will do anything to escape her new destiny. Until she starts to realize maybe their world wasn’t as forgotten as they thought, and maybe she’s the reason why.
Rain of Shadows and Endings is book one in The Legacy Series and ends on a cliffhanger. This is new adult dark fantasy romance series and includes elements that may be triggering to some readers.
Y~
Yes No Maybe by. Jessica Sherry
Teacher and fix-it queen Rowan Mackey avoids attention. Afflicted with serious burns as a teenager, she gets too many unwanted stares already. Consequently, her difficult dating history has taught her to dislike romance, too. So, it’s no surprise when her boyfriend’s extravagant public proposal goes sideways.
Longing for a safe, quiet life with Dean and believing his “independent together” arrangement is her best hope for companionship and a family, Rowan buys the perfect little house to fix things.
Problem is… she shares a property line with Jack Graham, a bestselling romance writer and party-centric playboy, who quickly becomes her next door nemesis. He makes it very clear—he doesn’t want a new neighbor. But when clashes with Rowan end his year-long writer’s block, he must explore his creative fascination with his reluctant muse under atypical Neighbor. Engaged. Off-limits.
These opposites attract, forging a surprise connection. Boundaries vanish as tension rises between them, and they face emotionally charged choices.
Will Rowan risk her safe life with Dean for a chance with the grumpy playboy next door? And will Jack change everything to find the inspiration he craves with the one woman he shouldn’t?
J – Just Listen by. Sarah Dessen – This is actually a re-read but I read this 20 or so years ago (multiple times) and but I never reviewed it for my blog. So my son gave me a pass and said it was okay to put on my list. 😅 He’s so strict!
A – Amid Clouds and Bones by. Ella Fields (Kindle Unlimited)
N – Nature of Frost by. Jus Accardo – This is an arc with the release date in January (already started reading this in December)
U – Under Loch and Key by. Lana Ferguson – I have this on hold on Libby so I HOPE I can get in sometime this month?
A – Anathema by. Keri Lake (Kindle Unlimited)
R – Rain of Shadows and Endings by. Melissa K. Roehrich (Kindle Unlimited)
Y – Yes No Maybe by. Jessica Sherry (Kindle Unlimited)
***
I hope I’ll be able to knock every one of these off my list but…we’ll see! I do feel like this will be a nice way to maybe get some backlist books on my TBR on these monthly lists and just finally knock it off my TBR list on Goodreads. Wish me luck!
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 
One thought on “Read the Month in Books: January 2025”