I've been addicted to books for about thirty plus years! Too bad I didn't track all the books I've read. 😬 Follow me on Twitter: @ylmpastmidnight , Instagram: @ylmpastmidnight and Facebook: ylmpastmidnight
“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson
Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.
Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.
Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.
But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.
Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.
Content Warning: violence, war, death, torture
I FINALLY finished Iron Flame and let me tell you…just trying to get my printed copy was such a disappointment. I pre-ordered it and it was not shipping when I thought it would, then I saw all the printing issues on tiktok and said okay, I’m gonna cancel and buy the ebook. I’m glad I did! Now if you look at the pages of my ebook above it says 878. Yup…and I don’t know why because the hardcover on Goodreads said it was 623 pages. 🤷🏻♀️ So when I was reading, I felt like I was slogging through 878 pages – but it’s only 623? I don’t know. But here is what I thought:
+ I love being back with the dragons. I love Tairn and miss Andarna who is going through a bit of a transformation but I was there for it! I loved all her sass. I also liked that we get to meet some gryphons and new characters! I really enjoyed the story opening up and finally meeting the so-called enemies or more like frenemies in this war against the venin. I also liked that we get more time in the Archives and Jesinia has a bigger role.
+ Violet and her group of friends always make things entertaining but it’s scary because I care for them and am scared they are going to end up like Liam. 🥺 Because you never know in this world who is just gonna get killed. Speaking of Liam…there is a scene and it almost made me cry. But yeah nothing is ever easy for Violet but thank goodness she has good friends around her.
+ There was more an emphasis on Violet’s family bonds in this one which I also enjoyed along with her friendships. She’s reunited with her family and even though they have the toughest relationship with their mother…something her mom said hit ME as a mom…and this story definitely showed us a bit more of her mother’s motivations. And the scene in the end with her made finally made me unexpectedly cry.
When you are a mother, talk to me about who you’re willing to sacrifice so your child lives.”
Rebecca Yarros, Iron Flame
+~ I think it’s clear, Xaden and Violet are end game but this whole story is them working out all the kinks in their relationship. They are working through trust issues, opening up to one another, being truthful about what they want from one another, and sometimes I thought it got to be a bit too much only because I wanted them to work through some things a bit quicker. They have some good moments and hot moments too but I do think I enjoyed Violet’s relationship with her friends and family more than the struggle she was having with Xaden. And like I said, I know they are end game so I wasn’t too worried about them except being worried if one of them would die or be kidnapped by the venin. Of course the ending makes me want to know what will happen in book three.
~ Not gonna lie, I was getting bogged down at times with so many character names to remember. And this goes for people, places, dragons and gryphons! There are a lot of names to try and remember in this book. Also this book was a tad too long for me and felt like it could have been 2 books. I think there was some things that could have definitely been cut out to make the book move faster because at times it felt like nothing much was happening. Because this is about year two, I think it loses a bit of the excitement we had from Fourth Wing because Violet and her friends aren’t competing anymore. There is still danger in the story but I think the pacing for this one was more up and down than the first book.
My Final Thoughts:
Did I find this one as good as book one? No, but I wasn’t expecting that because I know sequels are always a challenge. There were some things I absolutely enjoyed like the friendships, and the struggle with family relationships. I totally love the dragons and love that we get to meet some gryphons and there are some intriguing new characters like Aaric and Cat! I especially love the battle scenes, anything with danger and not knowing what was going to happen or being scared that a character you cared about was going to die (okay I hate that part too…love and hate! lol). The parts I did struggle with was the pacing because I felt like the book was too long and some things could have been cut out because it was repetitive like Xaden and VIolet’s constant back and forth fighting for their relationship. I mean, I appreciated that they wanted to work things through but I think it slowed some parts down for the book and I wanted all the action because it’s so good. I do love how this story makes me care about the characters and yes it did make me unexpectedly cry. I’m definitely curious to see what happens next in this series after that ending!
Readers who love books about books will fall for Erin La Rosa’s latest rom com—a friends (with benefits)-to-lovers story about a romance author who’s never been in love, and needs to find out why before her next manuscript is due! For fans of BY THE BOOK and BOOK LOVERS.
Romance author Sophie Lyon’s ironic secret just went viral: she’s never been in love. Though her debut novel made readers swoon, Sophie’s having trouble getting her new characters to happily-ever-after, and she blames it on her own uninspired love life. With a manuscript deadline looming, Sophie makes an ambitious plan to overcome her writer’s block: reunite with her exes to learn why she’s never fallen in love—and document it all for her millions of new online followers. Which also means facing her ex-girlfriend Carla, the one person Sophie could have loved.
Luckily, Sophie’s reclusive landlord, Dash Montrose—a former teen heartthrob—has social media all figured out and offers to help. But he doesn’t mention that he’s an anonymous online crafter, a hobby that helps him maintain his sobriety. No one knows about his complicated relationship with alcohol and he intends to keep it that way. His family is Hollywood royalty, so Dash has to steer clear of scandal.
As Sophie and Dash grow closer, they discover a heat between them that rivals Dash’s pottery kiln. But Sophie needs to figure out who she is outside her relationships, and Dash isn’t sure he’s stable enough for the commitment she deserves. So Sophie suggests what any good romance author would: a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Surely a casual relationship won’t cause any trouble…
Book Excerpt
Sophie Lyon was not in a good place.
More specifically, she’d had one (or three) too many the night before. So instead of falling asleep on her bed, she was lying on the couch with a paperback book as a makeshift pillow. Her legs were tucked up in the fetal position inside her billowy dress. And as she licked her lips, she tasted vodka and fried chicken, which she didn’t remember drinking or eating.
She attempted to open her eyes, but her lashes stuck together from the makeup she’d forgotten to remove the night before. With the help of her index finger and thumb, she managed to peel one lid open. White-hot summer light poured in through the arched living-room window and her mint green walls, a color she’d specifically chosen for its soothing properties, were mockingly chipper.
But even more unsettling was the book on the coffee table directly in front of her, Whisked Away. Sophie’s first published book. She closed her one good eye and wished she’d never opened it.
Her mom had always dreamed about Sophie filling an entire bookshelf with all her titles, the years of working multiple day jobs while tinkering on romance books finally worth the struggle. But, as it turned out, Whisked Away would be Sophie’s one and only book. Had she known she’d be a one-hit wonder, she wouldn’t have ordered the little placard for her writing desk: Ask Me about My Tropes.
The worst part was that she had sold a follow-up book—or, at least, a pitch plus the first three chapters—but she hadn’t been able to finish The Love Drought (a title so tragically similar to her own personal problems that it made her cringe). She’d been given multiple extensions but missed all of them. And, per her contract, her publisher had the right to terminate their deal if those deadlines weren’t met. But no matter how many drafts she started, Sophie couldn’t find her way to the happily ever after that all romance books promised and that she loved.
The phone call with her agent started with We need to talk… and ended with You have six weeks to finish this book or your contract, plus the advance, will be taken back.
She’d spent most of that advance, though, along with the royalty checks that grew smaller and smaller as interest in her last book waned. She needed money from turning in the next book if she wanted to continue paying for things like food or a place to stay.
She should’ve seen the implosion coming. Her horoscope had warned that the entire month of June would be bad for important communication. But the damage was done: Sophie was a romance author with writer’s block, and in six weeks’ time, she’d lose her publishing deal.
So she’d done the only thing she knew would make her feel better: called Poppy. And her best friend had suggested a night out at their favorite downtown karaoke bar to drown away the loud whir of failure.
She cautiously sat up, then settled her feet into the woven jute rug. Her legs were as firm as Jell-O when she stood. Still, she managed to make it to the hallway mirror, where she saw that her normally side-swept curtain bangs had morphed into Medusa, snakelike tendrils across her forehead, and she had more flakes on her face than her pet goldfish had in his bowl.
She cringed. Rain Boots. Her goldfish was twelve years old and the longest relationship she’d ever had. She planted her hand on the wall for support and shuffled over to her bedroom where a large glass fishbowl sat on her bedside table. Rain Boots swam in the exact middle and blinked at Sophie with large accusatory eyes.
“I’m sorry, honey,” Sophie croaked out. “I know we have our bedtime routine, but Mommy got horribly drunk.”
She tapped the glass with her index finger and waited for a response, but none came. Eventually the silence broke when her doorbell loudly ding-donged and caused her to jump in surprise. The next, and bigger, surprise came when she made her way to the front door and saw her landlord waiting on the porch.
Dash Montrose wasn’t a tall man, but he had presence. Part of that was because he always seemed to be fidgeting—tapping his fingers, shifting his feet, or pacing slightly—but also, he had thick arms with swirling, inky-black tattoos.
It’s not that Sophie had stared at those arms in prior instances but…well, yeah, she probably had.
Still, her first instinct was to hide behind the couch because what the hell was Dash doing there? She and Dash lived next door to each other, but they were not close. In fact, Dash hardly ever acknowledged her existence. He lived in the large house tucked behind her bungalow, but he was always walking away in some kind of a hurry. If she waved, he only ever nodded back. She didn’t think he was intentionally being a jerk, but he clearly had no interest in interacting with her. They hadn’t spoken actual words to each other in at least a few months. She Venmoed him the rent, and sometimes he left a thumbs-up in response. That was the extent of it.
But there he was, in jeans and a T-shirt. What could he want? Did he somehow know her funds were about to run out and he was preemptively evicting her? Sophie avoided confrontation at all costs, but she couldn’t run away from him, not when his face was pressed against the window of her door and he was peering directly at her. She clutched her arms across her chest, extremely aware that she was still dressed in her clothes from the night before, as she made her way to him.
When she opened the door, she was hit not only with the heat from the high sun above but by the sight of Dash’s wet hair slicked around his face. Water trickled down his neck and splotched his faded shirt, like he’d come straight over from a shower. Which meant a few minutes prior he’d been totally naked, covered in soap and water and…
“Hey, uh, whoa.” His voice cut through Sophie’s thoughts. When she glanced up, Dash gave her an uneasy expression, then gestured down the length of her. “What happened…”
She never left the house without a minimum of tinted moisturizer, but of course Dash came on the one day where she closely resembled a Madame Tussauds wax statue melting in the sun. Sophie gently swiped her index finger under her eye, and it came back coated in black liner. Excellent.
“Vodka happened,” she muttered.
She rubbed the liner between her fingers. Something was wrong. Mercury must’ve been in retrograde. If thirteen-year old Sophie had known that she would be renting a place from Dash Montrose—former teen heartthrob movie star turned still hunky landlord—and he was seeing her hungover…she’d be even more embarrassed than she already was. And she’d probably also be delighted. Because Sophie had maaaybe had a photo of him from a magazine cover on her wall when she was growing up. His film Happy Now? was her all-time favorite movie.
She absolutely did not have a crush on adult Dash, though. Well, he was undeniably hot. No point in glossing over that thick, dirty-blond hair, the dimple in his chin, or any of the other tatted-up details. But he was Poppy’s brother and so off-limits that Sophie had built a wall around Dash in her mind. Though bits of the wall appeared to crumble at the sight of his strong jaw and the dark circles under his eyes that made him all the more mysterious to her.
“Poppy asked me to come check on you. She said you weren’t answering your phone.” He glanced behind her, as if searching for a potential thief holding her cell hostage.
“My Poppy?” Sophie had worked at Poppy’s spa, Glow, for years—one of the many day jobs she’d had before quitting to write full-time. Though, now that she had endless writer’s block, she might have to beg for her old job back.
“She’s my sister, so she’s technically our Poppy.” His hands landed in the pockets of his jeans.
Sophie looked behind her to where the phone usually was, and blessedly, while she’d been drunk enough to use a book as a pillow, she’d been just sober enough to plug in her phone. She rubbed at one of her throbbing temples and walked over to her desk, grabbed her phone, then held down the power button and watched the white icon flash back.
As she waited for the phone to boot up, she walked back toward Dash.
“Okay, she wants me to tell you that there’s a video of you going viral?” Dash gestured to his phone, which made his forearm flex and Sophie’s eyes widen in response.
She tried to process what he’d said. She needed an intense boost of caffeine—maybe a matcha—to be able to comprehend the words coming out of his mouth. “A video?”
“I don’t know, she said you needed to see it. And that I needed to make sure you saw it.” He shrugged, but the small motion lifted the edge of his shirt up just enough for Sophie to catch a glimpse of his boxers.
Sophie didn’t want to be impolite—Dash was Poppy’s older brother, after all—but what was she supposed to do? She couldn’t so much as look at a candle shop without rushing in to buy one. Dash was the male equivalent of fresh beeswax. She was definitely staring.
Just then, her phone erupted in a series of pings, vibrations, and what sounded like one deafening goose honk. If she owned pearls, she’d be clutching the hell out of them. The screen filled with notifications—emails, texts, missed calls, and push notifications from Instagram—but she pulled up Poppy’s text conversation first.
Soph, are you up?
It’s 10. You never sleep this late.
I’m at work, ARE YOU OK
I’m sending Dash over.
YOU’RE NOT DEAD! YIPPEE!
OK, here’s the vid. Don’t freak out!
Dash’s phone pinged too, he looked down, then sighed. “Did you get it?” He sounded a little irritated.
Sophie frowned at the blurry thumbnail of a woman, but clicked the link, which sent her to the TikTok app. Then, almost immediately, she saw herself reflected on the screen. The video was taken at the karaoke bar, and Sophie was the main event. She stood onstage as the undeniable background music to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” played. She had requested that song, hadn’t she? The small pieces of her lost-memory puzzle began to click into place.
Only, in the video, she was sobbing, with tears running down her cheeks, as she gazed wild-eyed into the crowd. Poppy ran onto the stage and attempted to coax Sophie off, but Sophie grabbed the mic and shouted, “I’ve never been in love, okay?!” Her voice so angry and vehement that she appeared to be deranged. The person holding the phone zoomed in at that exact moment to capture Sophie’s grimace as she shrieked out, “Love isn’t real!” Then Poppy yanked the mic out of Sophie’s hand and dropped it for her. End of video.
“Stop, stop, stop!” The words screeched out of her as she furiously poked the screen to try and delete the video. Then she remembered this was not her video—someone else had uploaded it. Eventually, her eyes drifted down to the caption, which read Relatable! The video had over two hundred thousand views and thirty thousand likes.
“Oh my holy hot hell.” She was a writer but could not think of any other words in that moment. Her mind raced at the thought of hundreds of thousands of people watching her have a public meltdown and liking it.
Normally, Sophie was an optimist, but after the last twenty-four hours, she was beginning to understand the appeal of pessimism. Her hand instinctively went to her chest and her fingers tap-tap-tapped at her pacemaker—something she always did to steady herself—as she scrolled through the comments and saw that not one but multiple people had recognized her.
Sophie Lyon is FUN
Sophie Lyon is secretly unhinged and it’s sending me
I hated her book, but I like this?
“Just breathe.” Then Dash’s hand was on her back, steady and warm, which momentarily distracted her, but not for long.
The heat outside had intensified to Palm Springs–level boiling and caused Sophie to break out in either hives or a rash. She furiously clawed at her throat with her free hand. She walked away from Dash and down the porch steps. Her bare feet hit the cool blades of grass in her yard, and when she looked up, the iconic Hollywood sign perched in the Santa Monica Mountains shined pearly white in the distance. Seeing those letters from her yard every morning used to make her feel closer to the success she so deeply craved, but now she felt buried under the weight of its implied expectations.
She stumbled, and Dash was next to her within seconds, holding her steady. He grabbed her elbow with one hand, and the other wrapped around her waist to cup her hip. His skin was warm against her, even through her dress. Her stomach flipped, probably from the lingering alcohol. “Sophie, you really need to sit. You look like you’re about to faint—”
The sound of her phone pinging cut him off. And when she looked down, a familiar name flashed across the screen. Carla. Sophie stopped scratching her throat. Her ex. The woman who had single-handedly led her on for close to a year. A year in which Sophie could feel herself beginning to fall head over heels, and then… Carla had ended it and dragged their relationship to the trash. Sophie stared at Carla’s name, and the text underneath, which read Saw the video… As in her ex had seen the video of Sophie having a full-on meltdown.
It was at this moment that she tilted her head back, let the punishing sun burn her eyes, and shouted as loudly as she physically could. When she eventually stopped screaming, her head felt light. The edges of her vision blurred with the realization that she had nothing left, her life was over, and she was completely mortified.
“Seriously, Sophie? My ears are ringing.”
Sophie was so focused on her own humiliation that she must’ve forgotten that Dash was right there.
“Are you on something?” Dash asked.
Sophie frowned. No, she was not on something. She may have been braless, hungover, and hanging by a thread emotionally, but what kind of an accusation was that?
And even if she were on ayahuasca and beginning to see rainbow caticorns encircling her feet—which sounded great, actually—what she did with her body was absolutely none of his business. She paid her rent on time. This was her place. He was the one who’d come bounding over, all wet and wearing a too-tight shirt, and now he had the nerve to suggest she was the one out of line?
She would tell Dash that he needed to leave. But when she opened her mouth to say as much, she felt the bile rise in her throat. Her eyes bulged wide as she closed her mouth and held back something akin to a burp. Dash clocked her panic, and his eyes narrowed. She shook her head, but there was no use. She was definitely going to hurl all over her high-school celebrity crush. And without even being able to call out a warning, she projectile-vomited all over Dash.
About the Author:
Author Bio: ERIN LA ROSA is a writer living in Los Angeles. As a writer for BuzzFeed, she frequently writes about the perils and triumphs of being a redhead. Before BuzzFeed, Erin worked for the comedy websites Funny or Die and MadAtoms, as well as E!s Fashion Police, Wetpaint, and Ecorazzi. Erin has appeared on CNN, Headline News, Jimmy Kimmel, and The Today Show on behalf of BuzzFeed. She is the author of Womanskills and The Big Redhead Book.
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?
I finally feel about 90% recovered – thank goodness because it was an awful past two weeks. Thank you to Flonase, my nose has stopped dripping – but now I have the sinus headache – it’s getting better though. My cough is 95% gone and I can finally get a good night’s sleep.
We are headed to Osaka, Japan next Tuesday, and I’m just trying to make sure I have everything I need for the kids and my parents who are joining me. It should be a fun trip – the highlight will probably be Universal Studios because my kids are so excited to go to Super Nintendo World!
I finally got a copy of Iron Flame after cancelling my pre-orders (that was shipping out as fast as I would like). I got an ebook which works for me. I’m still not in the reading mood yet because I’m trying to get a lot of things done before my trip! So we shall see what I can finish up reading this week.
Happy book birthday to these new releases! Check out this list today:
What the River Knows by. Isabel Ibañez
Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.
With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.
The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.
Romance author Sophie Lyon’s ironic secret just went she’s never been in love—and it’s ruining her reputation. With a manuscript deadline looming, Sophie makes an ambitious plan to overcome her writer’s reunite with her exes (including her last girlfriend Carla, the one person she could have loved) to learn why she’s never fallen in love, and document it all for her millions of new online followers.
Luckily, Sophie’s reclusive landlord, Dash Montrose—a former teen heartthrob—has social media all figured out and is willing to help. What he doesn’t mention is that he’s an anonymous online crafter, a hobby that helps him maintain his sobriety. No one knows about his complicated relationship with alcohol, and with a family that’s Hollywood royalty, Dash has to steer clear of scandal.
As Sophie and Dash grow closer, they discover a heat between them that rivals Dash’s pottery kiln. But Sophie needs to figure out who she is outside her relationships, and Dash isn’t sure he’s stable enough for the commitment she deserves. So Sophie suggests what any good romance author a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Surely a strictly casual relationship won’t cause any trouble…
When Chloe Chang gets dumped via USPS after moving across the county from NYC to LA, her first instinct is to throw her box of memories in the garbage. Instead, she starts buying other teenagers’ break-up boxes to create an art exhibit, Heartifacts. Opening night is going great, until she spots Daniel Kwak illicitly filming his best friend’s reaction to his ex’s box. When she tries to stop him, an intense discussion ends up launching a creative partnership and friendship… and a major crush for Chloe.
There’s just one problem: Daniel is dead set on not being another rebound.
Five times he’s been the guy who makes the girls he’s dating realize they want to get back with their ex. And he refuses for there to be a sixth. She insists she’s over her ex, but when he shows up unexpectedly with his new girlfriend, it turns out Daniel was right. She isn’t ready for a new relationship.
She throws herself into making Heartifacts successful, but flashy influencers threaten her original vision of the exhibit. To create the exhibit she’s always wanted, Chloe needs to go back to basics, learn to work with artists in a more collaborative way, and discover what love can be. Only then will she convince Daniel she’s truly ready for everything they could be to one another.
In the tradition of Jenny Han and Emma Lord, Jennifer Chen’s Artifacts of an Ex is a story of love, art, and finding your way when everything you know has changed completely.
Bestselling author Danielle Paige puts a dark spin on fairy godmothers in a new YA series for fans of Brigid Kemmerer and Maleficent.
For centuries, the enchanted members of the Entente have worked in tandem with the Three Fates—the Present, the Past, and the Future—to maintain destiny across the Thirteen Queendoms. But when Queen Magrit learns of her untimely demise from Hecate, Fate of the Future, Magrit burns Hecate at the stake and decrees death to all Entente in order to live forever.
But some survive, including sixteen-year-old Farrow, who hatches a dangerous plan to seek revenge. Along the way, she finds herself falling for the one person who could ruin everything. With life and love hanging in the balance, she must decide who to trust and what’s most important: living in the past or forging a new future.
Bestselling author Danielle Paige launches a brand-new fairy godmother origin story full of intrigue, magic, and romance.
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: Mainstream Popular Authors that I Still Have Not Read
Sorry my brain is not wanting to think too hard right now! End of the year posts are always tough lol…anyway, here’s a much more easy topic!
Books that I Still Have Not Read
Some of these just joined my TBR list this year but a few like The City of Brass, has been on my list for a few years! I hope I can eventually get to these at LEAST by 2024. I’m not optimistic that I’ll be reading it by the end of 2023 lol…
Have you read any of these books? Are any of these on your TBR? What’s on your TTT?
Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme where you chose a random book from your Goodreads TBR and show it off. This meme is hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog.
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
Do you have plans to read this book? Let me know in the comments below!
Okay well this week was better but my coughing got worse so it was another miserable week. My kids had a 4 day weekend but I did manage to go to urgent care after I was just tired of coughing. Apparently I’ve been dealing with allergic rhinitis on top of the virus that I was dealing with and the wildfire smoke made it way worse. So all that post nasal drip from my nose was just aggravating my coughing. The wildfire is out though and the doctor prescribed me some flonase because she said my nasal tissues were just inflamed. So let’s hope this will speed up my recovery before my trip! I feel better already!
I’ve been waiting for copy of the special edition of Fourth Wing and the Iron Flame books from Amazon and both have been delayed. Then I saw on tiktok how so many people were getting misprinted books and that made me cancel my orders, since I wasn’t getting them anytime soon anyway. Oh well, so I bought the Iron Flame ebook instead because I don’t have to wait for that!
I hope all of you have a good week and thanks for reading!
How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!
Ah October – you were something! I spent half the month worrying about my mom’s procedure which was successful but they found more cancer – small tumors – the best option now is to have her do major surgery to remove her right kidney and ureter. 🙏🏼 Other things that happened was my son’s youtube channel hit 1,000 subs and it’s something I’ve been working on for him (because he sort of gave up on it)…but now he’s rejuvenated again and started posting content. So that was something good that happened this month. Then my kids got sick right before Halloween – and then I got sick. I survived Halloween trick or treating but after that it was like a truck ran over me. I don’t know if I had the flu or what. At first I thought it was just a bad cold I caught from the kids (also there was smoke in the air from a fire nearby) and that trick or treating just exhausted me. But the next day I had body chills and aches and really bad coughing.
So that was my October and as for reading this is what I posted on my blog:
What I Posted: 20 Books
5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:
4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:
4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:
3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:
2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫
2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️
I posted 20 book reviews which is surprising and a lot. I think I read 14 of these this month which is still pretty good. How was your reading month wrap up?
Publisher:Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
From the New York Times bestselling author of Better than the Movies, this swoon-worthy rom-com in the vein of She’s All That and 10 Things I Hate About You follows a teen girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of a bet while working at a waterpark.
When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip.
Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.
Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?
Content Warning: profanity
I thought this one was cute! Bailey and Charlie actually meet first at the airport and they don’t exactly hit it off. Charlie is charming but not to Bailey who thinks he’s just arrogant. Charlie thinks Bailey is a bit stuck-up and high maintenance, but she’s just got certain quirks. They run into one another years later and they become unlikely friends and partners in crime. The crime? Trying to cause havoc in her mom’s new relationship.
I really liked that Bailey and Charlie ultimately become friends because they are both children of divorce and know what the other is going through. Yes, Charlie is a cynic about love, and Bailey has her quirks but they are opposites that attract. My favorite parts are their banter and growing friendship. There is even some fake-dating going on which just blurs the lines between their friendship and also some betting on love that causes the conflict but I was rooting for them the whole way through.
Now I love Taylor Swift but I will say this is the 3rd book I’ve read this year referencing her songs and I know she is a cultural phenomenon but I don’t know that I want her mentioned in every young adult contemporary book I read. This book does have lots of pop cultural references, if that isn’t your thing.
Tropes: one bed, fake dating, opposites attract, betting, meeting at the airport
Why you should read it:
the banter between Bailey and Charlie
it’s a fun story full of teenage antics, and a cute love story
Why you might not want to read it:
might be too many pop cultural references
My Thoughts:
I’m a fan of Lynn Painter’s adult and young adult books. I always feel like her characters are strong and her romances are fun, including this one. Bailey and Charlie become friends after their first unfortunate meeting but I loved watching their friendship and attraction grow. This was a fun book to read!
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Canary Street Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
She’s written off more than she can chew…
Romance author Sophie Lyon’s ironic secret just went she’s never been in love—and it’s ruining her reputation. With a manuscript deadline looming, Sophie makes an ambitious plan to overcome her writer’s reunite with her exes (including her last girlfriend Carla, the one person she could have loved) to learn why she’s never fallen in love, and document it all for her millions of new online followers.
Luckily, Sophie’s reclusive landlord, Dash Montrose—a former teen heartthrob—has social media all figured out and is willing to help. What he doesn’t mention is that he’s an anonymous online crafter, a hobby that helps him maintain his sobriety. No one knows about his complicated relationship with alcohol, and with a family that’s Hollywood royalty, Dash has to steer clear of scandal.
As Sophie and Dash grow closer, they discover a heat between them that rivals Dash’s pottery kiln. But Sophie needs to figure out who she is outside her relationships, and Dash isn’t sure he’s stable enough for the commitment she deserves. So Sophie suggests what any good romance author a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Surely a strictly casual relationship won’t cause any trouble…
+ An author with writer’s block, Sophie, is trying to get writing inspiration by talking to all of her ex’s. Dash is her landlord and he’s a famous actor, and also her best friend’s brother. He’s also working on his sobriety which he’s kept a secret from his family. I thought Sophie and Dash had good chemistry and they didn’t hook up right away, it was nice to see their attraction grow. They have a few spicy scenes together which made this story a little sweet and spicy.
+ I do like that the two characters were working on themselves a lot before committing to anything with one another. They definitely tried to give each other space enough to do that – but their attraction kept getting in the way. Dash doesn’t have the best relationship with his mom – he comes from a famous family full of actors and his mom always makes him feel like he doesn’t live up to her expectations. So he’s going through a lot.
~ The TikTok storyline with Dash’s stalker didn’t quite work for me. I thought it was interesting he was a crafter on the side to help with his sobriety though.
~ I didn’t totally click with Sophie. She’s trying to figure out why her past relationships ended but then tries to get back with an ex or explore the feelings there while she’s having a physical relationship with Dash. I thought she was a bit messy in that department but she did seem like a very supportive friend to Dash.
Tropes: one bed, best friend’s brother, forced proximity
My Thoughts:
I thought this one was okay and wish I liked Sophie better but at least I did like Dash’s story a lot. I did enjoy how both characters were working on themselves as they navigated their attraction and feelings for one another. There’s some spice to this one!
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 