Weekly Wrap Up | 3/17/24

Aloha friends!

Whoohoo! We made it to spring break! Let me tell you my kids are HAPPY. They just want to sleep in and chill at home, maybe go to the arcade. The past week, my son was battling a cough – then half his class ended up being sick by Friday – so they all went into spring break sick. 😆 I’m just glad my daughter is over her cough!

We are just gonna relax at home and unwind.🥰

Blog Posts:

Ciao For Now by. Kate Bromley | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stacking the Shelves | 3/11/23
Top Ten Books I’ve re-read the most | TTT | 3/12/24
Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 3/12/24
WWW Wednesday | 3/13/23
The Last Bloodcarver by. Vanessa Le | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Poisons We Drink by. Bethany Baptiste | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Books I Read:

Heart of the Sun Warrior by. Sue Lynn Tan

The Lake House by. Sarah Beth Durst

The Prisoner’s Throne by. Holly Black

Dragonfruit by. Makiia Lucier

Fate & Furies by. Helen Scheuerer

Currently Reading:

Chasm by. Stacey McEwan

City of Ruin by. Charissa Weaks (audiobook)

So Let Them Burn by. Kamilah Cole

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

Okay – who watched the Eras Tour movie on Disney+ ??

Since this is probably the only way I’ll see the Eras Tour up close and personal, I definitely watched it. It worked out good for me in Hawaii because it dropped at 9pm EST which meant for us here it was 3PM HST which was when my kids and I got home.

It was nicely done and I enjoyed it all! My daughter had her favorites but that girl can’t sit still for a 3 hour movie. My son was sorta watching – he was playing on his ipad and listening at the same time.

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!

The Lake House by. Sarah Beth Durst | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Lake House

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 356

Publication Date: 4/25/2023

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Mental Health, Survival, Horror, Paranormal

Claire’s grown up triple-checking locks. Counting her steps. Second-guessing every decision. It’s just how she’s wired – her worst-case scenarios never actually come true.

Until she arrives at an off-the-grid summer camp to find a blackened, burned husk instead of a lodge – and no survivors, except her and two other late arrivals: Reyva and Mariana.

When the three girls find a dead body in the woods, they realize none of this is an accident. Someone, something, is hunting them. Something that hides in the shadows. Something that refuses to let them leave.

Content Warning: survival, violence, injuries, anxiety, death

+ The book cover is what made me want to read this book! It’s so dark and creepy plus the font use in the title is giving, 70’s horror vibes.

+ Surviving off-grid in the wilderness? A killer out there? Oh this story was filled with lots of tense moments. All I could think about was how smart these three girls were even though they could have been freaking out. Not to say they didn’t freak out, especially Claire, who is dealing with major anxiety, but I love how no matter how scared things got – they worked together to stay alive. There is a lot of time to get to know each girl also, they each have an interesting backstory, but Claire is the main character.

+ I thought there were some pretty good plot twists and the action was really good.

~ I kind of wish there was more explanation of the thing haunting the island. I understood it as it was explained but because there was a paranormal element to it. I think it would have been cool to have hints about in in the beginning of the book, at least more of the lore of the island.

~ There is a lot of down time where the girls talk about their lives which is fine since we have to get to know them. But we are in Claire’s head/thoughts a lot…I think too much at times.

My Final Thoughts:

I think this one is perfect for teen readers! It’s not too much horror, but I thought the being off-grid part and knowing there is a killer in the dark woods around them definitely added a lot of tension to the story. I liked how these girls worked through their weakness to come together as a strong team. They had some funny moments together too which was nice especially in the situation they were in. I did wish it had a little more horror and thrills and maybe less therapy sessions between the girls but I still found it entertaining. And at least it did bring up issues that teen girls may be facing so that part makes it relatable.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Heart of the Sun Warrior by. Sue Lynn Tan | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Heart of the Sun Warrior (The Celestial Kingdom, #2)

Author: Sue Lynn Tan

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: 11/10/2022

Categories: Fantasy, Series, Sequel, Chinese Mythology, Romance

After her perilous quest to free her mother, Xingyin thrives once more in the tranquility of her home. But her fragile peace is threatened by the discovery of a strange magic on the moon and the unsettling changes in the Celestial Kingdom as the emperor tightens his grip on power. While Xingyin is determined to keep clear of the rising danger, the discovery of a shocking truth spurs her into a treacherous confrontation.

Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions venture to unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm, encountering legendary creatures and shrewd monarchs, beloved friends and bitter adversaries. With alliances shifting quicker than the tides, Xingyin has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined she would. As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation–to rise against this evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love… even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.

The stunning sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess delves deeper into beloved Chinese mythology, concluding the epic story of Xingyin–the daughter of Chang’e and the mortal archer, Houyi–as she battles a grave new threat to the realm, in this powerful tale of love, sacrifice, and hope.

Content Warning: violence, death

+ What a gorgeous book cover! This whole series has some of the most beautiful book covers I’ve ever seen.

+ The story continues with Xingyin living on the Moon with the people she loves but she finds out there is a way to save her dad, who she thought was dead. Also another storyline happening is there is a traitor in the Celestial Kingdom who is making moves trying to usurp the Emperor, but Xingyin and her mother gets caught in the drama. I love the story about her parents and I’m glad there is a happy ending there.

+ I think the world of the Celestial Kingdom is so magical and ethereal. I was transported into the story with these celestial characters riding on their clouds, fighting with magic and there are even dragons.

+ Apparently I didn’t think too much of Wenzhi in the first book, which is surprising, because I liked him a lot in this book! I like how he’s trying to show Xingyin that he has changed, that he feels regret and remorse for doing what he did to further his goals. He doesn’t give up on her but also gives her space to figure out how she feels. I like how he helps her with what she needs even if he doesn’t agree with some of her plans. The ending gutted me though, I hated what happened to him.

~ The love triangle…I dislike it because I like both men. And she loves them both in their own ways also, which makes it even worse when it comes time for her to choose one of them. In the end I was rooting for Wenzhi but I was sad that things couldn’t work with Liwei because I loved their friendship turned into love. Unfortunately, his life as Emperor wasn’t what she would have been happy with. But I didn’t like how long it took for her to figure things out.

~ And speaking of the love triangle, this makes me want to point out that Xingyin was impulsive at times. She made frustrating choices. I know she wanted to save Liwei, and she wanted to save her family – she really didn’t have to always be the heroine. There were so many people who wanted to help her.

My Final Thoughts:

At times reading this book I thought that this didn’t have to really be a series and that Daughter of the Moon Goddess stands pretty good on it’s own. And though I didn’t love the love triangle situation, I’m curious to see what the ending means – since on Goodreads it says there is a third book to this series! Overall, this was entertaining, despite the little issues I had with it here and there. Also, the writing and the world building is beautiful. I’ll definitely read book three.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by. Sue Lynn Tan | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Poisons We Drink by. Bethany Baptiste | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Poisons We Drink

Author: Bethany Baptiste

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: 3/26/24

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Witches, Politics, LGBT+

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In a country divided between humans and witches, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.

Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her.

Then an enemy’s iron bullet kills her mother, Venus’s life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother’s killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.’s most influential politicians.

As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it’s hard to tell who to trust…Herself included.

Content Warning: violence, racism, language, death

There were some really cool things that stand out in this story like the world-building. I love that it’s a world where witches and humans don’t get along. The witches we follow are Venus and Janus Stoneheart who are young women who brew potions. I liked that the witches in this book actually did a lot of witchcraft! Another aspect I liked was the theme of family and the complicated relationships we can have in one. The really loved the familial bond the sisters had with their cousin Tyrell. There is a also romance taking place with Venus and her ex-best friend Presley, which was a nice addition to the story. I love the diversity being represented!

Venus is a potion maker but she’s also fighting this dark sentient being inside her who wants to unleash violence. She’s also trying to figure out who killed her mom and there are a lot of political undercurrents happening between the witches and humans. I found Venus to be a really strong character who was always looking out for her sister.

My attention started to drift in the middle of the book and I can’t really pinpoint why – it could have just been my mood.

My Thoughts:

My favorite parts of this book was the witchcraft, world-building and family themes. Also I really do love the cover! I thought it was an entertaining read except for the parts in the middle which dragged a little. There is a lot of profanity in this one so if you don’t like that, this isn’t for you. If you like to read young adult urban fantasy books about witches and politics, you will like this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Last Bloodcarver by. Vanessa Le | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Last Bloodcarver

Author: Vanessa Le

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 3/19/24

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Science, Medicine, Romance, LGBT+

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The tantalizing romance of These Violent Delights meets the mechanical wonders of Cinder in The Last Bloodcarver, the first in a two-book debut — with a riveting medical magic system and lush Vietnam-inspired fantasy world.

Nhika is a bloodcarver. A cold-hearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch. In the industrial city of Theumas, she is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure.

When Nhika is caught using her bloodcarving abilities during a sham medical appointment, she’s captured by underground thugs and sold to an aristocratic family to heal the last witness of their father’s murder.

But as Nhika delves deeper into their investigation amidst the glitz of Theumas’ wealthiest district, she begins to notice parallels between this job and her own dark past. And when she meets an alluring yet entitled physician’s aide, Ven Kochin, she’s forced to question the true intent behind this murder. In a society that outcasts her, Kochin seems drawn to her…though he takes every chance he gets to push her out of his opulent world.

When Nhika discovers that Kochin is not who he claims to be, and that there is an evil dwelling in Theumas that runs much deeper than the murder of one man, she must decide where her heart, and her allegiance, truly lie. And — if she’s willing to become the dreaded bloodcarver Theumas fears — to save herself and the ones she’s vowed to protect.

Content Warning: death of animals, violence, death of parents, medical horror

I went into this book with no expectations and once I started reading, I could not stop. Nhika posses a gift to heal people, but with that same gift she could hurt and kill them as well. She is what is knowm as a bloodcarver and it’s generally a bad thing to be. But in her upbringing she was called a heartsooth, and someone who took pride in her abilities. Nhika finds herself alone now, and bought to help a family who is grieving the lost of their father who they think was murdered. They need Nhika’s help to confirm this though and she agrees, only to find herself in a dire situation.

I like Nhika even though she doesn’t seem like someone anyone can easily connect to. She’s not warm or kind, she’s had to survive on her own for years – she’s been alone. Nhika lost her whole family and she’s trying to stay alive in a heartless world who looks down upon bloodcarvers. I like that she isn’t polished and I especially love that her heart always wants to do the right thing, even when people don’t seem to deserve her help. I connected with her through her love of the family she has lost. I love her memories about her mother and her grandmother teaching her the craft of heartsoothing. It reminded me of my own grandmother and so my heart ached for Nhika even if she didn’t have time to dwell on her feelings about grief.

There is also a found family trope in this story although at times I felt not so happy about it because Nhika was on the outside looking in and at one point they didn’t trust her.

The world building is interesting because it mentions Theumas being a technocracy and yet they used rotary phones. I did read that this was Vienamese-inspired and the politics going on in the story shows that. The magic system is great because it blended science and magic! I love all the medical stuff and anatomy and everything about the healing craft that Nhika learned through her grandmother. Also this story is part murder mystery but I felt like it never really slowed down, which I appreciate it, since mysteries always move too slow for me. The story moves quickly and I liked the actions scenes we do get, even if the last one is a bit gory!

There is even an enemies to lovers romance happening with Nhika and Ven, a doctor’s assistant. For the most part of the book Nhika is trying to figure him out and what his motives are. But when more information in reveal it’s a big twist in the story and makes them see one another with different eyes. I didn’t mind the romance, for me I think it works – may seem to fast for some people but I totally get how Nhika was so lonely and finally she finds someone who she doesn’t have to hide from. I love them together and it made me tear up at the end because everything happening was unexpected and I just wanted the best for Nhika who really deserved some happiness in her life after everything has been taken away from her.

I didn’t even realize it’s a duology but I can’t wait to see what happens in book two!

My Thoughts:

There was so much to love about this book – the world-building, magic system with magic/science/healing, the romance, the murder mystery and a good plot twist. The ending was unexpected, especially with how intense it was and it left me heartbroken. I can’t wait for book two!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 3/13/24

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?

Next week is Spring Break for my kids so yay! We get to sleep in and I hope I get more time to read. How is your reading going?

What are you currently reading?

The Prisoner’s Throne by. Holly Black – almost halfway through

Dragonfruit by. Makiia Lucier – 11% in

Chasm by. Stacey McEwan – 35% – no progress this week

City of Ruin by. Charissa Weaks (audiobook) – 7% in

What have you just finished reading?

The Last Bloodcarver by. Vanessa Le – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heart of the Sun Warrior by. Sue Lynn Tan – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Lake House by. Sarah Beth Durst – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

Flawless Girls by. Anna-Marie McLemore

The Dangerous Ones by. Lauren Blackwood

So Let Them Burn by. Kamilah Cole

Sanctuary of the Shadow by. Aurora Ascher

What are you reading right now?

Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 3/12/24

Happy book birthday to these new releases! Check out this list today:

Happily Never After by. Lynn Painter

Their name? The objectors.

Their job? To break off weddings as hired.

Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.

When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”

During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.

The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.

And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.

Goodreads | Amazon

The Poisons We Drink by. Bethany Baptiste

In this gorgeous stand-alone fantasy romance perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Allison Saft, a rebellious witch undertakes a last-ditch quest to restore magic to medieval Wales—as two princes vie for her heart.

Ffion is the last hedgewitch in Foxhall. To work her magic, she takes only what nature can spare, unlike the witches of the powerful Foxhall coven, who sacrifice whole forests to fuel their spells. But across the warring kingdoms of Wales, all magic is fading. Even the dragons have vanished.

Prince Taliesin would love nothing more than to watch magic die. But when his father charges Tal and his brother, Dafydd, with destroying King Offa’s dyke—the massive earthen wall raised by their Mercian enemies to the east, which may be the cause of magic’s disappearance—he begrudgingly seeks aid from a witch.

Because whichever prince succeeds in destroying the dyke will win the throne, and Tal is willing to do whatever it takes to become king. Even if the Foxhall coven refuses to help him. Even if he’s forced to team up with a spitfire hedgewitch who hates him almost as much as he hates her magic. And even if Dafydd proves to be a worthier rival than he anticipated…for the crown, and for Ffion’s heart.

Goodreads | Amazon

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Books I’ve re-read the most | TTT | 3/12/24

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: ~~Books I’m Worried I Might Not Love as Much the Second Time Around~~

I’m tweaking this topic a tiny bit this week because I need a topic that doesn’t take much brain power lol. So here are the books I’m pretty sure I’ve re-read the most.

Books I’ve re-read the most

A Court of Thorns and Roses by. Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Mist and Fury by. Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Frost and Starlight by. Sarah J. Maas

The Cruel Prince by. Holly Black
The Wicked King by. Holly Black
The Queen of Nothing by. Holly Black

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by. Jenny Han
P.S. I Still Love You by. Jenny Han
Always and Forever Lara Jean by. Jenny Han

As you can see my re-reading days were way before my book blogging days and I could actually invest time into reading. I even waited patiently for books in a series to come out, re-read before the next book came out and actually committed to finishing them! Those were good times 😅…now it’s such a struggle to find time to re-read but it is definitely a goal of mine to devote more time to re-reading. I actually want to re-read books I never posted reviews for, so we’ll see if I can do that when I don’t have many arcs to read this year, which will be from April and onwards.

What’s on your TTT?

Stacking the Shelves | 3/11/24

I’ve seen Stacking the Shelves on a few blogs and I decided to do it to replace my book haul posts because, why not? It is hosted by Reading Reality and this is how the meme is described: “Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! And audiobooks. Don’t forget audiobooks!so go check out her blog!”

Book Purchases – (ebook or physical)

The Prisoner’s Throne by. Holly Black – I’m excited to finish this duology!

Library Haul – (physical and online library):

Chasm by. Stacey McEwan – this is a round 2 borrow and I hope I can finish it in time. I’ve been pushing it aside as I get other books in my queue that’s up for me to borrow. 😅 I hate when that happens!

City of Ruin by. Charissa Weaks (audiobook) – I honestly don’t remember much of book one but I’ll read my past review and then just wing it.

So Let Them Burn by. Kamilah Cole – I’ve been seeing so many good reviews about this one! Excited that I got to borrow it.

The Lake House by. Sarah Beth Durst – I’m 12% into this one already. I love the creepy cover!

Sanctuary of the Shadow by. Aurora Ascher – I remember seeing the sprayed edges for this book on presale at Amazon. I was like oooo, so pretty! Saw it on my online library and just was allowed to borrow it but why on Goodreads does it have a 2.95 rating?!!!! Like what happened? Is it that bad? I’m scared to read it but also I want to see why the reviews are so bad.

NetGalley Haul

Castle of the Cursed by. Romina Garber

A delicious and dark gothic romance from bestselling author Romina Garber!

THE HOUSE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY…

After a mysterious attack claims the lives of her parents, all Estela has left is her determination to solve the case. Suffering from survivor’s guilt so intense that she might be losing her grip on reality, she accepts an invitation to live overseas with an estranged aunt at their ancestral Spanish castle, la Sombra.

Beneath its gothic façade, la Sombra harbors a trove of family secrets, and Estela begins to suspect her parents’ deaths may be linked to their past. Her investigation takes a supernatural turn when she crosses paths with a silver-eyed boy only she can see. Estela worries Sebastián is a hallucination, but he claims he’s been trapped in the castle. They grudgingly team up to find answers and as their investigation ignites, so does a romance, mistrust twined with every caress.

As the mysteries pile up, it feels to Estela like everyone in the tiny town of Oscuro is lying and that whoever was behind the attack has followed her to Spain. The deeper she ventures into la Sombra’s secrets, the more certain she becomes that the suspect she’s chasing has already found her . . . and they’re closer than she ever realized.

***

The Calculation of You and Me by. Serena Kaylor

A calculus nerd enlists her surly classmate’s help to win back her ex-boyfriend, but when sparks start to fly, she realizes there’s no algorithm for falling in love.

Marlowe Meadows understands a lot of things. She understands that calculus isn’t overwhelmingly beautiful to everyone, and that it typically kills the mood when you try to talk Python coding over beer pong. She understands people were surprised when golden boy Josh asked her out and she went from weird, math-obsessed Marlowe to half of their school’s couple goals. Unfortunately, Marlowe was surprised when Josh dumped her because he’d prefer a girlfriend who was more romantic. One with emotional depth.

But Marlowe has never failed anything in her life, and she isn’t about to start now. When she’s paired with Ashton Hayes for an English project, his black clothing and moody eyeliner cause a bit of a systems overload, and the dissonant sounds of his rock band make her brain itch. But when she discovers Ash’s hidden stash of love songs, Marlowe makes a desperate deal to unleash her inner romantic heroine: if Ash will agree to help her write some love letters, she’ll calculate the perfect data analytics formula to make Ash’s band go viral.

As the semester heats up with yearning love notes and late nights spent with a boy who escapes any box her brain tries to put him in, Marlowe starts to question if there’s really a set solution to love. Could a girl who has never met a problem she couldn’t solve have gotten the math so massively wrong?

***

Beautiful Villain by. Rebecca Kenney

Seven years ago, I lost him for good. Now he’s back, but is he still the Jay Gatsby I used to know…or is he something more? Something…darker.

Daisy Finnegan is looking forward to the endless golden freedom of summer. No more college, no more pressure, no more worries. But when her cousin goes missing at an exclusive house party, Daisy is all too ready to confront the mysterious host…only to discover the wealthy recluse is Jay Gatsby, her childhood sweetheart—now sinfully hot and impossible to deny.

She could never resist him, and it isn’t long before she’s entangled in a web of wealth and lies and obsession, culminating in a shocking act of violence that shatters the summer haze and threatens to drown them all.

But it isn’t until Gatsby is shot through the heart—and survives—that Daisy discovers the truth of how he clawed his way up in the world: by selling the secret of immortality to the highest bidder. Now with her friends’ lives at stake, her own dizzying new powers still volatile, and an unimaginable threat closing in, Daisy will have to face an impossible choice: Side with the man who claimed her body and soul? Or with the monsters who would see him lost to her forever?

An addictive and truly original spicy New Adult retelling of The Great Gatsby with a magical twist.

***

Six of Sorrow by. Amanda Linsmeier

Sixteen years ago, six girls were born on the same day—and now, on their birthday, one of them is missing. From the author of Starlings comes a story about small-towns, friendships, and the terrifying things your parents don’t tell you, that’s perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

For most of her life, Isabeau and her five best friends were inseparable—amazingly enough, the six girls even shared a birthday. Then a rift caused their friendships to fracture, and Iz lost everyone except Reuel, the only one who didn’t abandon her.

Until now. The night of their sixteenth birthday, Isabeau leaves Reuel sitting on her front porch and heads home—and in the morning, Reuel is missing. She’s gone for three days, and when she reappears, there’s something wrong with her. She’s sick. Really sick. And she doesn’t remember anything that happened while she was gone.

If there’s any bright side to the situation, it’s that Reuel’s peculiar disappearance brings the six girls back together. Their sisterhood feels as strong as it was years ago, but when another one of them disappears, they all agree that they must have more in common than simply their birthday. They all feel it. Something’s been waiting for them, and that something has come to claim them one by one.

Deep in their bones, they know—it’s just a matter of time until they they’re all taken. And if they don’t save themselves, no one will.

Have you read any of these or are planning to?

Ciao For Now by. Kate Bromley | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Ciao For Now

Author: Kate Bromley

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 316

Publication Date: 6/6/2023

Categories: Romance, Fashion Design, Italy, Contemporary

When an American interning at a fashion house in Rome butts heads with her professor’s surly son, sparks fly!

With her thirties rapidly approaching and a mountain of student debt looming over her, Violet Luciano’s dream of finishing design school and working in fashion has cost her everything. So when she lands an internship at an up-and-coming fashion brand in Rome, she brings her A game to Italy. With nothing left to lose, Violet plans to win the competition among the interns for the ultimate prize—a job at a New York label.

But when a coffee run goes wrong and Violet accidentally destroys a stranger’s laptop, all of the apology Americanos in the world won’t help her. Because it turns out that the man from the café is Matteo, her professor’s eternally grumpy son, who thinks she’s a clumsy American…and maybe a stalker. Their animosity (and undeniable chemistry) grows as together they’re forced to face a summer of chic parties, adventures through Rome and sharing a home…with the person they can’t stand the most.

The more time she spends with him, the more distracted she finds herself. With her chance to win the competition slipping out of her grasp, Violet has to decide whether to say ciao to Matteo—or ciao to her dreams.

Content Warning:

This story takes place in Italy which is always a fun setting for a romance. Violet is an aspiring fashion designer and is chosen with two other students to go to Italy for a one-month internship. She meets Matteo/Matt, who is the son of one of her professors and it’s not the best first meeting. But over the course of the month, sparks fly, and I think you know what happens. So yes it’s predictable but still kind of fun. I especially love her friend Marco, who is younger than her but very supportive and funny.

As for the conflict between Matt and Violet, it’s all due to Violet and her self-doubt but they eventually work things out after some time apart. It wasn’t anything too dramatic.

My Final Thoughts:

I felt like this one was a quick light romance story which would be perfect for a beach or pool read. It’s set in Italy which is fun and perfect for a little romantic escape.