Why is my calendar so full? My kids are well and back at school, my son turned 10 yesterday! We had some family over, food, cake and gifts. He’s hard to shop for because he pretty much has everything. I went to Target on Thursday and they had the Halloween aisles set and half filled! Wow…here come the holidays! Hope all of you had a good week – I hope I have a chill week this week!
House of Dragons (Hbo/Max) – because I am a big Game of Thrones fan.
Dune(Hbo/Max) – since I signed up for hbo/max I might as well watch all the movies on there that I’ve missed seeing. Dune was pretty epic! I’m not usually a sci-fi kinda of person but wow – the visuals were pretty amazing.
Games I Played:
My Singing Monsters
Cooking Dash – still grinding!
Minecraft – I suck at building but my daughter always wants me building in her world.
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!
Title: A Duel with the Vampire Lord (Married to Magic, #3)
Author: Elise Kova
Format: ebook (KU)
Pages: 536
Publication Date: 8/17/22
Publisher:Silver Wing Press
Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series
On the night of the blood moon, the Vampire Lord must die.
Floriane’s position as the forge maiden of Hunter’s Hamlet is one of reverence, for it is her skill that arms and protects the vampire hunters. She knows her place and is a faithful servant to the Master Hunter and her community… until the night of the blood moon. Until her brother is dying at the hands of the Vampire Lord Ruvan.
Wanting to defend her home at all costs, Floriane fights the vampire lord, ready to give her life if it means taking his. But Ruvan doesn’t want to take her life… he wants her.
Kidnapped and brought to the vampire castle, Floriane is now blood sworn to the vampire lord. She is bound in mind and body to her worst enemy. But Ruvan isn’t the fiend she thought he was. She learns the truth of the vampires: They are not mindless monsters, but a proud people, twisted and tortured by an ancient curse.
Ruvan believes that Floriane might be the key to ending his people’s suffering. All Floriane wants is to defend her home. Loyalties are tested and the lines between truth and lie, hate and passion, are blurred.
When her dagger is at his chest, will she be able to take the heart of the man who has claimed hers?
Content Warning: violence, self harm
I’ve read all the other books in this series and this one has to be my least favorite, yet my most highly anticipated, so my expectations were high because – vampires! I love vampires. Let’s see what did and didn’t work for me:
+ I love that Floriane is a smithy. She’s got a stubborn personality to match but I feel like that matches for someone who takes molten metal and shapes it into what they want. I thought she matched up with Ruvan wonderfully since he is a powerful vampire lord. There was a lot of action fighting vampires and Floriane really held up her own!
+ Once again I like that it connects to the other stories within this series even though it’s a standalone. The secondary characters are great too – we get a good sense of the Vampir people, their history and the curse that binds them.
+ I like that this is an enemies to lovers romance where they really are enemies and are conflicted about it. Vampires and humans have been killing one another for ages and I love that they are trying to break the curse so maybe the killing can stop. But Ruvan and Floriane really have to work through generational teachings about one another, they have to break this wheel of fear and hate. I’m glad it didn’t go away just because they started having feelings for one another. When they finally admit their love, it’s sweet and touching.
~ I felt like there was a lot of info-dumping in this one, and it is 536 pages where the others were in the mid 300’s or a little bit over. There is a while mystery about the curse and finding the source and how to break it was quite interesting but like I said – a bit of info dumping at times.
~ Because this is a vampire and human couple I wanted heat, but this slow burn was way too slow for me. It was a little too tame for me. Ruvan is this frightening vampire lord on the outside but a cinnamon roll on the inside, which is cute, but I wanted more spice between them. There is a lot of confusion about their feelings, and some back and forth because of their enemies to lovers status.
Tropes: breaking curses, sacrifice, enemies to lovers, slow burn, found family
Spice Level: 🌶🌶
Why you should read it:
you love a sweet, slow burn vampire and human love story
it’s a great addition to the Married to Magic series
lots of action, story kept me guessing about the mystery of the curse
Why you might not want to read it:
wanted more heat between Ruvan and Floriane, because I expect my vampire stories to be a bit spicy lol but this one is a sweet slow burn
My Thoughts:
I think overall this story was entertaining and I did think Ruvan and Floriane’s romance is sweet. It was a little bit too much of a slow burn for me though because I like my vampire stories with lots of spice. I did love how Floriane was a female forger and she really did keep up with the vampires (with the help of some elixir, but still!). If you love the books in the Married to Magic series, you will enjoy this one as well! I look forward to reading the next one.
The magical kingdom of Orkena is on the brink of war, and the only person who can save it is Zahru, the girl they once doomed for death.
After surviving the Crossing, Zahru has sworn off adventures. While crown prince Jet navigates the looming threat of war, she’s content to simply figure out what the future holds for them. But they’re dealt a devastating blow when prince Kasta returns with a shocking claim: he’s the true winner of the Crossing and the rightful heir, and he bears the gods’ mark as proof. Even more surprising–he’s not the only one.
Somehow, Zahru possesses the very same mark, giving her equal right to the throne. The last thing she wants is to rule beside her would-be executioner, but she can’t let Orkena fall into his merciless hands. So Zahru, Jet, and their allies must race against the clock to find a way to stop Kasta, because once he’s crowned, there’s no telling what horrors he’ll unleash to win the war.
Zahru will do whatever it takes to keep Kasta from taking the throne…but to stop a villain, is she willing to become one herself?
Content Warning: violence
Let me first say that I thought this was a duology so I wasn’t sure why this book wasn’t moving “faster” and then I came to the ending and thought WHAT IS HAPPENING?! lol…I was mistaken – there is definitely a book three. And there better be after THAT ending! This is what I thought:
+ I love, love, love the book covers in this series. It’s simple, classy and the bold colors are just everything.
+ I haven’t re-read The Kinder Poison so I vaguely had an idea of what the story was about but when I started reading it, I didn’t feel lost at all. I jumped right in and I remember why I liked the characters so much. Zahru is by Jet’s side now but of course before he can rule, surprise, surprise Kasta shows up – he is clearly not dead, but that doesn’t mean he becomes the ruler either. Zahru has an opportunity to thwart any evil plans Kasta has – because…he is evil right?
+ This story made me suspicious of Kasta, but also made me wonder if Zahru was jumping to conclusions about him. Clearly she should be on her guard with him, but can he change? That’s what was driving me crazy about the story. I don’t know if he was playing her or not. And what about her feelings about him? That was madness…but it was kinda awesome how they were distrustful and yet attracted to one another. So toxic…but kinda fun…also what about Zahru? Is she about to stoop to his level? Does having power corrupt? We shall see…I don’t know if I’m supposed to hate or love Kasta! I feel Zahru’s pain lol..he’s that complex villain you find yourself obsessed with.
+ The epilogue…what?! 😅 That was unexpected and give me book three NOW.
~ This one is a little slower than book one because Zahru has to unravel Kasta’s motives, she has to figure out how to stay a step of him and she can’t trust him. You know who I was also suspicious of? Jet. So book three will be very interesting!
Tropes: slow burn, enemies to lovers, love triangle, peasant becomes a ruler, morally gray characters
Spice Level: 🌶
Why you should read it:
for the Zahru and Kasta moments, especially the last one 😳
fascinating to see how Zahru deals and changes with power – will she be having a villain era?
you liked the first book
Why you might not want to read it:
a little slower than the first one but I think it’s worth it to push through, it sets up book three for what I hope is an amazing ending to this series
My Thoughts:
My mistake was thinking this was a duology and wondering why Kasta was coming in too late into this book. The story is just way more interesting with him in it because it throws Zahru off kilter. He makes her feel complicated emotions and I want to see what is going to happen with these two. It really could go either way, will Zahru embrace all of Kasta’s flaws? Will Kasta really learn to have mercy and not let the trauma of his past dictate his actions? Will these two meet half way and fall passionately in love with one another?! Or will they kill one another? 😅 I can’t wait to find out!
I’ve been seeing this on one of my favorite blogs DiniPandaReadsand thought to give it a try since I love book cover posts! The original creator is Leslie @ Books Are The New Black so go check out their blogs!
THE RULES
Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back to me so I can see your post!
Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
HAVE FUN!
Nominate people if you want!
Peridot is the birthstone for August
If you are into gemstone properties it is said that Peridot is the stone of compassion. It is supposed to bring you good health and peace by helping you balance emotions and thoughts.
Let’s see if we can find some book covers that match this very unique color:
That was hard! 😅 And you know what my kids like to call this color? Grellow (green-yellow). 😂 It’s my son’s birthstone and I think it’s as unique as he is. Happy birthday to all you August babies!
I nominate everyone! It’s a fun and easy tag to do so try it out. ☺️
Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Halloween, Paranormal, Teen Readers
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
The town of Moon Ridge was founded 400 years ago and everyone born and raised there knows the legend of the young woman who perished at the stroke of twelve that very same night, losing the life she was set to embark on with her dearest love. Every century since, one day a year, the Lady of Moon Ridge descends from the stars to walk among the townsfolk, conjuring an aura upon those willing to follow their hearts’ desires.
“To summon joy and love in another’s soul For a connection that makes two people whole For laughter and a smile that one can never miss Sealed before midnight with a truehearted kiss.”
This year at Moon Ridge High, a group of friends known as The Coven will weave art, science, and magic during a masquerade ball unlike any other. Onny, True, and Ash believe everything is in alignment to bring them the affection, acceptance, and healing that can only come from romance—with a little help from Onny’s grandmother’s love potion.
But nothing is as simple as it first seems. And as midnight approaches, The Coven learn that it will take more than a spell to recognize those who offer their love and to embrace all the magic that follows.
Content Warning:
This is a three story anthology filled with romance, Halloween and autumn vibes and I thought it was lots of fun. Here’s what I like and didn’t like:
+ The stories are short and the whole anthology itself is under 300 pages. The stories flowed nicely together even though it’s told by three different authors. It’s perfect for teens.
+ Onny and Ash’s stories were my favorite because Onny’s is a rivals to lovers romance. Onny is into the mystical – she loves astrology, Halloween and believes in love potions and fate. Her rivals to romance story was perfect for her personality. Ash is the quiet, shy artist who is in love with the girl next door, Cassidy. He finally gets to talk to her and finds out she was mutually pining for him too.
+ The friendship between Onny, Ash, and True is tight and I love the three of them together.
~ True’s story was the weakest because it was so insta-love. I did like how she was a science-minded girl and not into Onny’s hocus pocus but her mind is opened a bit on Halloween night. Orion is someone she meets on Halloween night and he’s into ghosts. Theirs is an opposites attract relationship which would have worked out better for me if it wasn’t an insta-love thing. If she had a past with him like Onny did with Byron and Ash has with Cassidy then it would be more believable.
Tropes:mutual pining, rivals to lovers, opposites attract
Why you should read it:
you want to get into fall vibes, Halloween vibes
super cute Halloween romance stories in a book that is under 300 pages long
diverse author line up, and diverse characters
Why you might not want to read it:
not into anthologies or novella type stories
My Thoughts:
Three besties find love on Halloween night: one was in front of her face the whole time, the other is pining for his his love next door, and the last one meets a potential love on Halloween night. This is a cute collection of stories for teens but I did enjoy even as an adult. And it’s a good one to read for Fall and around Halloween.
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?
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
I’ve been in a pretty strong mood-reading vibe so I’ve been working slowly on the arcs above. And grabbing anything else that might be interesting to me when those arcs aren’t holding my attention lol.
Living on an island plagued by magic and mythical monsters isn’t a fairy tale . . . it’s a nightmare.
Aveen is the perfect lady, placid and well-mannered, concealing her discontentment beneath false smiles and gentle nods. As the eldest, her duty has always been to her family legacy and her sister’s happiness. But when she finds herself forced into betrothal to a man she loathes, she swears she’ll do anything to escape. Even if it means bargaining with a wicked fae prince.
Rían is a devious half-fae with a dark secret, concealing his true nature beneath glamours and lies. When a fascinating human accidentally catches his eye, it’s clear he’ll do anything to take her for himself. Including making promises he can’t-or won’t-keep.
Confronting hidden dangers and haunting pasts, the two reluctantly come to rely on each other to survive a world where nothing is what it seems and darkness encroaches from all sides.
Will their tangled web of lies bring freedom they crave . . . or will it unravel them both?
A Cursed Heart is the second book in the Myths of Airren, a series of inter-connected standalone fantasy romances set on the magical island of Airren.
Content Warning: violence, sexual assault
Here is book two in the Myths of Airren series and it’s about Aveen and Rian. I didn’t think anyone could have more chemistry than Tadhg and Keelyn but I was wrong, because here is Aveen and Rian who have a love/hate relationship going on. Here’s what I thought:
+ Aveen took the role of Keelynn’s big sister but also her mother since their own died. She is the oldest and has the responsibility of making a good marriage. Keelynn is her whole world but all Aveen wants is a life where no one tells her what to do, especially where men are concerned. Rian is Tadhg’s brother which means he has the same arrogance and sex appeal as his brother – these boys are such rascals! When Aveen and Rian meet, it’s fireworks…not so much a love at first sight, but oh so much bickering. Their relationship made me laugh!
+ This was an interesting story because it gives a backstory – so it starts before Keelynn and Tadhg story, but also becomes parallel it for some time. So basically this is Aveen’s perspective of what was going on. I found her story fascinating because we barely met her in book one. Here we realize how much earlier she and Rian met.
+ I feel like Aveen and Rian got more time to be friends, compared to Keelynn and Tadhg. I love both romances but Aveen and Rian definitely had more ups and downs and time together. Aveen is supposed to be the more proper of the sisters, the responsible one, so maybe it makes she gets the wilder one of the brothers! She does not fall for his beauty, Aveen is pretty much over men and their demands when she meets Rian, which was fun to see Rian and her fall for one another. And Aveen and Rian had hotter scenes too!
~ I think because we got the story in full from before Keelynn’s story starts…the ending when Aveen and Rian deals with his curse feels rushed. And I wish they had more time to expand on his curse, but the story had to cover so much.
Tropes: falling in love with a monster, breaking curses, sacrifice
Spice Level: 🌶🌶🌶
Why you should read it:
Aveen and Rian have so much spark between them, I love how they hate one another haha…makes them falling in love much sweeter
Ruairi is back and I love him!
we get a very full story from beginning to end
Why you might not want to read it:
Finding out about Rian’s curse and fixing it feels rushed at the end because we had the full story of Aveen and Keelynn’s timeline in this one.
My Thoughts:
I’m going to say I love this one as equally as the first book, just in different ways. I still love Tadhg more because he’s softer than Rian, which is surprising because I like the bad bad boys. Aveen and Rian are perfect for one another – she isn’t scared off by him and he needs that. I’m looking forward to reading book three!
The enthralling conclusion to Judy I. Lin’s Book of Tea duology—A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet—is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.
A great evil has come to the kingdom of Dàxi. The Banished Prince has returned to seize power, his rise to the dragon throne aided by the mass poisonings that have kept the people bound in fear and distrust.
Ning, a young but powerful shénnóng-shi—a wielder of magic using the ancient and delicate art of tea-making—has escorted Princess Zhen into exile. Joining them is the princess’ loyal bodyguard, Ruyi, and Ning’s newly healed sister, Shu. Together the four young women travel throughout the kingdom in search of allies to help oust the invaders and take back Zhen’s rightful throne.
But the golden serpent still haunts Ning’s nightmares with visions of war and bloodshed. An evil far more ancient than the petty conflicts of men has awoken, and all the magic in the land may not be enough to stop it from consuming the world…
After recovering from a life-changing injury, a teen girl must navigate a new summer job, an ex-best friend, and two surprisingly attractive coworkers in this romp of a rom-com for fans of Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.
Hannah used to be all about focus, back before she shattered her ankle and her Olympic dreams in one bad soccer play. These days, she’s all about distraction—anything to keep the painful memories of her recent past at bay, including the string of bad decisions that landed her at boarding school for a year.
Enter Bonanza, the local entertainment multiplex and site of Hanna’s summer employment. With its mini golf course, bowling alley, and arcade—not to mention her hot, flirty coworker Patrick—Bonanza seems like the perfect way to stay distracted. Until her boss announces the annual Bonanza tournament, a staff competition that brings her past Olympic nightmares crashing back into her present.
On top of that, the Bonanza staff includes Brie, the ex-best friend she cut off last year, and Ethan, her brother’s best friend who became unreasonably attractive in her year away and who accepts her, even knowing her worst secrets. Under the neon lights of Bonanza, Hannah must decide whether she can find a way to discover a new self in the midst of her old life.
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation — also known as Babel.
Babel is the world’s center of translation and, more importantly, of silver-working: the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation through enchanted silver bars, to magical effect. Silver-working has made the British Empire unparalleled in power, and Babel’s research in foreign languages serves the Empire’s quest to colonize everything it encounters.
Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, is a fairytale for Robin; a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge serves power, and for Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel inevitably means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to sabotaging the silver-working that supports imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide: Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence? What is he willing to sacrifice to bring Babel down?
Babel — a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell — grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of translation as a tool of empire.
A dark and enthralling story about a young woman who makes a deal with a spirit to try and gain her independence—and the twisted price she has to pay for it
Ella is a 17-year-old weaver whose entire livelihood depends on her loom. She dreams of opening her own shop, but when her father died in debtor’s prison, she had to support herself by taking whatever clients she could get. In order to buy her supplies she goes into debt of her own, and when her loom breaks, Ella realizes she needs more help than a repairperson can give her. She, like everyone, has heard about the old washerwoman spirit called the Bean-Nighe who will grant any one wish—for a price.
But Ella is desperate, so she asks the Bean-Nighe to fix her loom. And it works. The loom is fixed, and she’s creating beautiful pieces she could have never imagined before. All she has to do is feed the loom a drop of blood each time she weaves—a small price to pay for such magnificent silks. And when she brings two bolts to a rich client, she meets a mysterious young man named Callum and bargains for an invitation to his exclusive party. At that party, he’s so mesmerized by her talent, he offers Ella a place to live and patronage for her art. It seems like Ella’s fortune is finally turning for the better . . . until she begins to notice the loom taking more from her than she offered.
As she becomes entangled in the lives of the city’s rich, swept into Callum’s allure, and trapped by the Bean-Nighe’s magic, Ella must figure out a way to secure her future while she still has a future at all.
Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.
Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial.
To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything.
A girl rewrites sex education, one viral post at a time, in this fiercely honest and delightfully awkward novel by the award-winning author of Words on Bathroom Walls.
Phoebe Townsend is a rule follower . . . or so everyone thinks. She’s an A student who writes for her small-town school newspaper. But what no one knows is that Phoebe is also Pom—the anonymous teen who’s rewriting sex education on her blog and social media.
Phoebe is not a pervert. No, really. Her unconventional hobby is just a research obsession. And sex should not be a secret. As long as Phoebe stays undercover, she’s sure she’ll fly through junior year unnoticed. . . .
That is, until Pom goes viral, courtesy of mayoral candidate Lydia Brookhurst. The former beauty queen labels Phoebe’s work an “assault on morality,” riling up her supporters and calling on Pom to reveal her identity. But Phoebe is not backing down. With her anonymity on the line, is it all worth the fight?
Julia Walton delivers a brutally honest novel about sex, social media, and the courage to pursue truth when misinformation is rife. Who knew truth could be so scandalous?
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:
Completed Series I Wish Had More Books but I’m changing it around a bit because I’m the type that wants a story to come to an end. Some series that decided to continue years later…didn’t work out for me, I wish they kept it as a trilogy. So there are no books I can think of where I wish more would be written in the series. Instead I am going with…
Standalone Books That I Love
I just went through my 5 star reads in Goodreads and this is what I came up with. Have you read any of these?
You don’t understand how obsessed I was over this series back in the day. It got me through my 20’s and we’ve seen it as a movie and it flopped (but I loved the movie). And now it’s a tv series on Peacock starting September 15th! I don’t even have Peacock which kind of sucks because how many streamings services do I need to pay for? 😩
I know book to tv adaptations alway have changes but I just hope the series is GOOD. Will you be watching it? Here’s the trailer:
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 