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: Genre Freebie
Why does two books have the word Foxglove in the title?! I was getting the two mixed up. 🤦🏻♀️
What’s on your TTT?
Happy Monday!
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.
Title: Right Girl, Wrong Side
Author: Ginny Baird
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 3/28/23
Synopsis:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ginny Baird brings her signature charm to this multicultural story about two disputing families sharing a beach house and the messiness that comes from falling in love with someone who your family is determined to despise.
Busy flower shop manager Evita Machado can’t wait to get to Nantucket. With a bad breakup behind her, relaxing at the shore with her folks and her brothers and their families sounds like the sure cure for heartache, and their vacation destination looks like an amazing place! But when they arrive at the quaint rose-covered cottage, another group has already put down stakes: the Hatfields.
Ryan Hatfield was Evita’s former crush from high school, but their business rival moms refused to let them date. Now history professor Ryan is here for a week with his parents, who won them this oceanfront rental in a society silent auction. Once it’s clear there’s been a double-booking due to a bidding mistake, Ryan’s mom digs in her heels, meaning to stay. When Evita’s mom won’t back down either, both sides tepidly agree to share the luxury accommodations by dividing the cozy space.
With the boisterous Machados livening things up and the strait-laced Hatfields tamping them down, can Evita and Ryan keep the peace between the warring factions while fostering a growing chemistry between the two of them?
Do you have plans to read this book? Let me know in the comments below!
Aloha friends!
Ugh what a week. I’ve been dealing with the chronic fatigue that comes with taking Tamoxifen and it SUCKS really bad. For three days straight, I was napping before lunch time, wanted to nap after bringing my kids home from school and had to crash early for bed. How can I survive this for 5 years? Well I did cut back on a lot of caffeine because I was trying to get my blood pressure to perfect 120/80 but I did have to give in and started to add back a tad bit more caffeine in my day and it helped. I’m not drinking a whole cup of it – my heart can’t handle that anymore…but a few sips actually helped me stay awake all day! Thank god, because I was getting scared there for a moment…I have 2 kids, I can’t sleep the day away!
My husband does come back to visit in 2 weeks so the kids are excited, my daughter’s mood has been amazing since she found out he’s coming home for a little bit. It will be nice!
Anyway I hope all of you have a good week ahead!
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!
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: Ambrosia (The Frost and Nectar, #2)
Author: C.N. Crawford
Format: ebook (KU)
Pages: 350
Publication Date: 2/20/23
Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Series, Duology, Faerie, Urban Fantasy
After the Seelie king Torin nearly froze me to death, I plunged through a portal into my true home. Turns out, my hometown is a wild Unseelie kingdom known as the Court of Sorrows. When Torin follows me and sees my new horns, he quickly realizes that his intended bride is an enemy of his realm. In fact, his name for my kind is “demon.”
But even if I have the horns of an Unseelie, I’m not welcome here, either. Queen Mab and her monstrous soldiers are delighted to torment us, accusing me of being a traitor. If we want to get out of the Court of Sorrows with our lives, the only hope we have is to stay as close to each other as possible–even if it means fleeing in horseback and sharing a bed. Every moment is bittersweet, since it could be our last–and Torin is condemned to kill anyone he loves.
Content Warning: violence
This was one of my most anticipated reads for February and I finally got a chance to read it. Here is what I thought:
+ A lot happens in this story because the series is only a duology. Ava has fallen into the world of the Unseelie and she is not herself. She learns more about herself and that she has powers and why.
+ Torin and Ava finally get to have a steamy scene together which is what I’ve been waiting for.
+ There is a lot of action in this one, especially at the end.
~ Unfortunately I was less connected to the characters in this one and I think it’s because everything was so fast paced and it felt rushed. I think the whole series altogether feels rushed.
~ I actually wanted to learn more about the villains but again, everything came so rushed at the end.
~ Shalini, Ava’s best friend, actually gets more of a part in this book but I wasn’t expecting her POV and was thrown off and I didn’t even remember who she was only because the book focuses on Ava and Torin. I’m glad she has a happy ending also but it was unexpected.
Why you should read it:
Why you might not want to read it:
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed book one and was interested in seeing where the story would go and even though it was rushed, there were entertaining moments. I think this story had so much potential, I just needed more from it like maybe a third book. Even though I didn’t really love it, I know others will enjoy this book.
Frost by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Garden of Serpents by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️💫
Lord of Embers by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials, #1) by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Mini Reviews | Hades Castle Trilogy by. C.N. Crawford ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mini Reviews | Institute of the Shadow Fae Series (Books #1-4) by. C.N. Crawford ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Mini Reviews | Court of the Sea Fae Trilogy by. C.N. Crawford ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: Lunar Love
Author: Lauren Kung Jessen
Format: ebook (borrowed)
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 1/11/23
Categories: Romance, Contemporary
This sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com filled with Chinese astrology will undoubtedly prove to be a perfect match with readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Helena Hunting.
Always a matchmaker, never a match…
Olivia Huang Christenson is excited-slash-terrified to be taking over her grandmother’s matchmaking business. But when she learns that a new dating app has made her Pó Po’s traditional Chinese zodiac approach all about “animal attraction,” her emotions skew more toward furious-slash-outraged. Especially when L.A.’s most-eligible bachelor Bennett O’Brien is behind the app that could destroy her family’s legacy . . .
Liv knows better than to fall for any guy, let alone an infuriatingly handsome one who believes that traditions are meant to be broken. As the two businesses go head to head, Bennett and Liv make a deal: they’ll find a match for each other—and whoever falls in love loses. But Liv is dealing with someone who’s already adept at stealing business ideas . . . so what’s stopping him from stealing her heart too?
Content Warning: death of family member
I love this book cover and thought the concept for the story was cute. Here is what I thought:
+ I like Olivia and her connection to her family. It is evident there is so much love between her and her family who run a successful matchmaking company that uses the Chinese zodiac to make these matches.
+ I like how the matchmaking services in the book show the old school ways, which Olivia’s family is expert in and then the modern version of dating – with an app. Bennett’s way is more technologically advanced and also uses the Chinese zodiac but is missing the personal touch. Olivia thinks Bennet is encroaching on her family business but is there room for both of their companies in the matchmaking world?
+ I loved all the Chinese references from the food, the holidays and the zodiac.
~ Unfortunately I was bored midway into this story. The beginning started off well but for me it lost steam when Olivia was plotting Bennett’s downfall without knowing his intentions for his own company.
~ I was hoping for more sparks between Olivia and Bennett.
Tropes: rivals to lovers, slow burn, false pretenses
Why you should read it:
Why you might not want to read it:
My Thoughts:
I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the right mood for this book but I thought it was just okay. But I think because I was in the mood for sparks and tension this one didn’t quite do it for me. I did like a lot of things about it though – Olivia’s family, her grandmother, the Chinese cultural references and I like the discussion about matchmaking. I think a lot of romance readers will enjoy this one!
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr #1)
Author: Helen Scheuerer
Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)
Pages: 504
Publication Date: 2/16/23
Categories: Fantasy, Romance
With her death foretold, Althea Zoltaire only has three years to become what she’s always dreamed of being: a warrior legend.
Women are forbidden to wield blades, so she has trained in secret her entire life. Now racing against the clock, she fights to secure her place in the elite guild charged with the protection of the five kingdoms.
The sparring and hazing of the new trainees border on deadly, but even more dangerous is her growing attraction to Wilder Hawthorne, her unwilling warrior chaperone.
All around them, schemes are afoot and darkness looms.
Will Althea pass the perilous initiation test and take her place as a champion of Thezmarr – or will the invading evil snatch away her dream before it starts?
If you like fierce sword-wielding heroines and brooding, tortured heroes, you will devour this sexy, addictive fantasy adventure.
Perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom, From Blood and Ash and The Witcher, BLOOD & STEEL is an epic romantic fantasy with enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn spice, found family, and a sprawling world of magic and monsters. Blood & Steel is the gripping first book in the heart-pounding, epic romantic fantasy series, The Legends of Thezmarr.
Content Warning: violence, bullying, hazing
I was in the mood for a romantic fantasy and saw that one of my must-read authors Helen Scheuerer came out with a new book series. So I borrowed it on KU and this is what I thought:
+ I enjoyed this author’s past series, but I still have to finish book 4 from the last one. I always enjoy the world-building and it’s no different with this one. Set in a world where kingdoms are trying to combat evil monsters coming through a rift in the Veil, there is action, legendary warriors, monsters and romance.
+ I like my romantic fantasy with all the tropes and this one has a few: enemies to lovers romance, girl with a secret past/power, sibling bond, found family, a young woman training among young men, mentor/mentee romance and I think it all fits nicely together. It’s what I look for and when I get it in one book, it’s wonderful. It may be predictable but that’s why I like it.
+ Speaking of romance. Althea or Thea is the young woman who wants to be a warrior but there is a rule that women are not supposed to carry weapons because of a prophecy. But she breaks the rules and who’s there to teach her how to fight – but reluctantly? The grouchy, cold hearted Wilder Hawthorne, one of 3 legendary Warswords, a menacing warrior who has no time to be Thea’s babysitter but can’t seem to stay away. It’s a slow burn, but it’s clear they are attracted to one another and they have one steamy moment.
+ I love the found family Thea has with Kipp and Cal, two guys she befriends in training. And I love that she also has her sister to help keep her on track at times even though they butt heads a lot.
+ Story-wise I am intrigued to see what happens after that cliffhanger ending. Will Thea learn more about her past and powers and learn to use it for good? I did love all the action and fighting scenes in this book, I think it is very entertaining.
~ Thea is a bit impulsive but I understand because of her fate stone and what it means. I can see why she wants all she can get out of life even if that means being reckless at times. But she does learn, especially because a lot of this book is about her training and honing her skills – she eventually learns some sense of control, which is good.
~ The romance is a bit of back and forth, push and pull plus it’s a slow burn, but Wilder keeps fighting it so we shall see what happens in the next book.
Tropes: enemies to lovers, special girl with past/undiscovered powers, found family
Why you should read it:
Why you might not want to read it:
My Thoughts:
This one has everything I want in a romantic fantasy that is bingeable. It has found family, action, monsters, magic, fighting, a sister bond, and a special girl who now is finding out how special she really is to the kingdom. Now only if the other books were already published, that would’ve been much better for me lol. I enjoyed this one a lot and look forward to book two.
A Lair of Bones (Curse of the Cyren Queen #1) by. Helen Scheuerer | Book Review⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫
With Dagger and Song by. Helen Scheuerer | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Fabric of Chaos by. Helen Scheuerer | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫
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?
I think I got a lot of reading done this past weekend because my kids had a 4-day weekend and it rained all weekend also! So I was in the right mood to just sit down and read. I’ve been in a romance fantasy mood but also have to get through some arcs. Hope all of you are reading some good books!
What are you reading right now?
Happy book birthday to these new releases! Check out this list today:
Andrea Hannah’s Where Darkness Blooms is a supernatural thriller about an eerie town where the sunflowers whisper secrets and the land hungers for blood.
The town of Bishop is known for exactly two things: recurring windstorms and an endless field of sunflowers that stretches farther than the eye can see. And women—missing women. So when three more women disappear one stormy night, no one in Bishop is surprised. The case is closed and their daughters are left in their dusty shared house with the shattered pieces of their lives. Until the wind kicks up a terrible secret at their mothers’ much-delayed memorial.
With secrets come the lies each of the girls is forced to confront. After caring for the other girls, Delilah would like to move on with her boyfriend, Bennett, but she can’t bear his touch. Whitney has already lost both her mother and her girlfriend, Eleanor, and now her only solace is an old weathervane that seems to whisper to her. Jude, Whitney’s twin sister, would rather ignore it all, but the wind kicks up her secret too: the summer fling she had with Delilah’s boyfriend. And more than anything, Bo wants answers and she wants them now. Something happened to their mothers and the townsfolk know what it was. She’s sure of it.
Bishop has always been a strange town. But what the girls don’t know is that Bishop was founded on blood—and now it craves theirs.
Nash Morgan was always known as the good Morgan brother, with a smile and a wink for everyone. But now, this chief of police is recovering from being shot and his Southern charm has been overshadowed by panic attacks and nightmares. He feels like a broody shell of the man he once was. Nash isn’t about to let anyone in his life know he’s struggling. But his new next-door neighbor, smart and sexy Lina, sees his shadows. As a rule, she’s not a fan of physical contact unless she initiates it, but for some reason Nash’s touch is different. He feels it too. The physical connection between them is incendiary, grounding him and making her wonder if exploring it is worth the risk.
Too bad Lina’s got secrets of her own, and if Nash finds out the real reason she’s in town, he’ll never forgive her. Besides, she doesn’t do relationships. Ever. A hot, short-term fling with a local cop? Absolutely. Sign her up. A relationship with a man who expects her to plant roots? No freaking way. Once she gets what she’s after, she has no intention of sticking around. But Knockemout has a way of getting under people’s skin. And once Nash decides to make Lina his, he’s not about to be dissuaded…even if it means facing the danger that nearly killed him.
Release Date: 2/20/23
After the Seelie king Torin nearly froze me to death, I plunged through a portal into my true home. Turns out, my hometown is a wild Unseelie kingdom known as the Court of Sorrows. When Torin follows me and sees my new horns, he quickly realizes that his intended bride is an enemy of his realm. In fact, his name for my kind is “demon.”
But even if I have the horns of an Unseelie, I’m not welcome here, either. Queen Mab and her monstrous soldiers are delighted to torment us, accusing me of being a traitor. If we want to get out of the Court of Sorrows with our lives, the only hope we have is to stay as close to each other as possible–even if it means fleeing in horseback and sharing a bed. Every moment is bittersweet, since it could be our last–and Torin is condemned to kill anyone he loves.
Are you getting any new books this week?
Happy Reading!
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:
Here are some of my new favorites and old favorites!
What’s on your TTT?
Happy Monday!
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.
Title: In Nightfall
Author: Suzanne Young
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 3/28/23
Synopsis:
In the quaint town of Nightfall, Oregon, it isn’t the dark you should be afraid of—it’s the girls. The Lost Boys meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this propulsive novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Treatment.
Theo and her brother, Marco, threw the biggest party of the year. And got caught. Their punishment? Leave Arizona to spend the summer with their grandmother in the rainy beachside town of Nightfall, Oregon—population 846 souls.
The small town is cute, when it’s not raining, but their grandmother is superstitious and strangely antisocial. Upon their arrival she lays out the one house rule: always be home before dark. But Theo and Marco are determined to make the most of their summer, and on their first day they meet the enigmatic Minnow and her friends. Beautiful and charismatic, the girls have a magnetic pull that Theo and her brother can’t resist.
But Minnow and her friends are far from what they appear.
And that one rule? Theo quickly realizes she should have listened to her grandmother. Because after dark, something emerges in Nightfall. And it doesn’t plan to let her leave.
Do you have plans to read this book? Let me know in the comments below!
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 