Lord of Embers by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Lord of Embers (The Demon Queen Trials, #2)

Author: C.N. Crawford

Format: eBook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 298

Publication Date: 1/15/21

Categories: New Adult, Romance, Demons, Urban Fantasy

Once, I was a broke college student. Now, it seems I’m destined to rule as the Lightbringer–queen of the demon realm. Except I have competition in the form of Orion, the Lord of Chaos. Like me, he has been marked as a leader. We can’t keep our hands off each other, even if he swore an oath to kill me.

It seems we both want the same thing–the crown. And in this battle of wills, only one of us will be left standing.

Content Warning: Violence

This is the sequel to City of Thorns and I really enjoyed this installment. It wasn’t quite what I expected after how book one ended but I liked the direction it took.

So in this book Orion is convinced Rowan is Mortana reincarnated and he has a vow to kill Mortana. Rowan is pretty sure she’s not Mortana, but not totally 100%, she needs proof and finds it. Orion is still bent on ruling the demon realm but he does need Rowan’s help, at least that’s what she makes him think so she can stay alive.

I love Orion and Rowan’s interactions. They clearly can’t deny the attraction between them, but they also both have a desire to rule – so who is it going to be? There is tension and humor, which I enjoy. There’s also a spicy scene which was fun while it lasted.

I liked Rowan’s growth and transformation as she learns about who and what she is. I thought the introduction of Tammuz, Lucifer’s twin, was pretty cool. Tammuz thrives on chaos. She gets some time to train with him near the ending of the book and I think it will set up a good showdown between her and Orion in the next book. I love when they fight and now she can really try and kick his butt haha, or sleep with him some more. We also get to know more about Orion and his time in the dungeon.

Story-wise this took an unexpected turn into the Puritan era. But it makes sense since Orion and Rowan are demons, why wouldn’t their hell be in the time when Puritans were hanging women for being witches. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I thought it was interesting and it did help Rowan’s transformation into a stronger demon. There were some funny parts, especially with a miss Goody Putnam lol.

Honestly I didn’t care for the part in book one where they thought Mortana could be Rowan. I’m just glad that part got cleared up in this book because I was over Orion accusing Rowan of something she can’t even control – but I see why he wants to kill Mortana so…it was a dilemma for him for sure. But that whole mistaken identity thing was done in another series I read from this author, so I just want something new.

Why you should read it:

  • enemies to lovers
  • Rowan’s transformation and growth
  • demons hiding among Puritans was kinda funny

Why you might not want to read it:

  • less action than book one
  • he’s an incubus and she’s a succubus, honestly I wanted more action between them

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one a lot and am so looking forward to see what Rowan does now after that ending!

📚 ~ Yolanda


WWW Wednesday | 1/26/22

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?


What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I have wayyyyy too many books I’ve started and am reading right now haha. I was trying to avoid this situation but I’m a mood reader. It is what it is!


What’s on your WWW Wednesday? Or what are you reading this week? ~ Yolanda

House of Wolves by. Casey L. Bond | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: House of Wolves (House of Eclipses, #2)

Author: Casey L. Bond

Format: eBook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 458

Publication Date: 11/19/21

Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Duology

Hunt the shadow. Guard the flame.

Noor is the new Aten of Helios, having wrenched the kingdom of the sun from her treacherous father’s hands. Citali stood with her sister against him, and rejoiced when he died at Noor’s hand… But he did not go quietly. 

He poisoned the thoughts of their older sister, Zarina, who believes that Noor is not who she claims and was never supposed to be Aten. As Zarina flees the temple to determine her next step, she encounters, then attacks, Citali. 

Beaten and left for dead, Citali’s cries are heard by the Wolven of Lumina. In a flurry of fur and fang, Beron rushes to her aid yet fears he arrived too late. With what would have been her dying breath, Citali whispers a secret that changes everything. 

Pleading to Lumos – the god of the moon – for a way to save her, Beron is provided an answer that comes at a steep price. Citali will become Wolven. The two bonded together for a lifetime. Despite their tumultuous past, Beron helps hone her new strength and senses, a primal passion now surging through her veins. But can the two stop fighting one another and work together to hunt and destroy the darkness spreading over the sands like a plague of locusts? Or will the sands of time run out for them both?

Content Warning:

I hate to say I struggled through this one, but I did and I don’t know if it was a mood reader thing. I enjoyed the first book of this series and then look at the cover of this one? Honestly this series has the best book covers!

I liked that this was from Citali’s perspective because after the cliff-hanger ending from book one, I really wanted to know her story. And we definitely get to know it. Citali goes through a transformation. She was hateful in book one and then we get to know her secrets, her motivations and her past. I started to like her and it was nice seeing her befriending Beron’s pack, Chase and Holt, Beron’s wolves in his pack are so much fun. I’m glad Citali has a found family with Beron and the pack, plus her relationship with Noor grows and strengthens.

The romance is a slow burn…too slow for me. I needed more of Citali and Beron together or more scenes where they have chemistry because he’s a wolf. I was expecting much more between them but in the second half of the book they are mostly separated. And then of course, they are mates…fated mates are such a hit or miss for me. I wanted them to be mates, but I just wanted more intensity between them. Also I wanted more from Beron, I felt like we didn’t learn anything more about him than from what we know from book one.

I’m not sure the part where she separates from Beron and her family worked for me. I felt like it took the story in a direction I wasn’t expecting and I lost interest even though Anubis seemed like a somewhat interesting character. I was afraid it was going to turn into a love triangle, and at the end of the book no less, and I was just not feeling it. It wasn’t a love triangle but still…it seemed like it was going there.

Why you should read it:

  • Citali’s character growth and transformation
  • if you like slow burn romances, this one might appeal to you
  • good world building

Why you might not want to read it:

  • the romance lacked intensity and chemistry
  • some characters lacked depth

My Thoughts:

I struggled through this one sadly and took me awhile to read because I kept putting it down. I did enjoy Citali’s journey, but some parts just didn’t work for me and I wish there was more romance. For a duology though, I think it was a good conclusion to the series.

📚 ~ Yolanda


Quotes From the Book

“You deserve to love and be loved in a way that supersedes reason and expectation. That ventures far beyond tradition, and lays outside the bounds of the experiences of others.”

House of Wolves by. Casey L. Bond

New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021 | Top Ten Tuesday | 1/25/22

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:

New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021

There were so many new-to-me authors this year and that’s exciting! What’s on your TTT?


~ Yolanda

Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 1/25/22

What a weekend 😒😅 …but we got new books so that’s a good thing!

From the internationally bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes the story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, struggling between the safe route and the one that will only lead to more heartbreak.

Veterinarian Marie Lehr knows unrequited love all too well after pining for her best friend, only to watch him marry another woman. It’s a mistake she will never make again, especially not when she can practically hear the clock ticking on her childbearing years.

The trouble is, she can’t seem to find anyone who appeals to her even a fraction as much as that burly bush pilot did. Competitive musher Tyler Brady certainly doesn’t, especially not after the heated altercation with the handsome but arrogant, spiteful man.

Or so she thinks.

While volunteering at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Marie discovers that first impressions may have been false, and her attraction to Tyler is very real. But his heart belongs to someone else, leaving him with nothing to offer but friendship. Marie’s been down this road before and knows how that ends. Yet, no matter how hard she works to keep from falling for Tyler, it seems she’s doomed to follow her own trail once again.


The Hope Juvenile Treatment Center is ironically named. No one has hope for the delinquent teenagers who have been exiled there; the world barely acknowledges that they exist.

Then the guards at Hope start acting strange. And one day…they don’t show up. But when the teens band together to make a break from the facility, they encounter soldiers outside the gates. There’s a rapidly spreading infectious disease outside, and no one can leave their houses or travel without a permit. Which means that they’re stuck at Hope. And this time, no one is watching out for them at all.

As supplies quickly dwindle and a deadly plague tears through their ranks, the group has to decide whom among them they can trust and figure out how they can survive in a world that has never wanted them in the first place. 


They were cowriting literary darlings until they hit a plot hole that turned their lives upside down.

Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten books topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms, for reasons neither would divulge to the public. They haven’t spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract.

Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives, they’re forced to reunite. The last thing they ever thought they’d do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they’ve hated each other for the past three years isn’t easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel.

While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right. 


From the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler.

Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler expereinced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death.


(Releases on Jan. 26th, 2022)

Nobody can hear your screams from the depths of hell…
Those who survived Halálház never imagined going back.
But this isn’t Halálház, this is Věrhăza, and nothing can prepare any of them for this.
With General Markos in control of the new prison, torture and cruelty are taken to a whole new level. And what Brexley is forced to do will not only change her, but the course of the future.
With her powers starting to manifest, Brexley risks everything to save those she loves; but in doing so, she exposes her abilities to Istvan.
When she and Warwick are tortured and used as experiments, she finds that Istvan’s deceit and betrayal go far deeper than she could imagine.
Istvan will do anything to stay in control. 
As Brexley’s powers grow, so does the hate and darkness inside. Her hands are stained red, her soul heavy in guilt. There has been so much death, pain, and agony. 
When does someone actually break? 
One can only take so much before the hero becomes the villain . . .



What books are you excited for this week? ~ Yolanda

Weekly Wrap Up | 1/23/22

Aloha friends!

My daughter finally got her first dose of the Pfizer vaxx, and I’m relieved. Also my dad infected my mom, sister, and nephew with covid. He got it from working with my cousin who was positive. My decided on his own that he did not have covid, refused to test or quarantine hence exposing everyone in the house. My brother in law and youngest nephew’s test have come back negative but it’s been quite a week and then some for my family. All I could do was check in on everyone, they live 30 minutes away. I was feeling good until yesterday when I felt like my allergies were acting up badly but also felt a little cold, not quite the chills and an elevated temp, not quite a low grade fever, but since everyone is getting covid, I’m like…I bet I have it. I will go in to test today just to make sure.

I wasn’t exposed to my dad, I haven’t seen them for like 2 weeks and the only places I go to are the grocery stores. My hubby goes into work 3x a week and works at home 2x a week…could it be from him? But he’s been okay so far, and my son tested negative at school on Thursday. My daughter is always with me so…🤷🏻‍♀️. It’s so hard to tell if it’s covid or allergies…but my sister said a very telling sign for her was the fatigue she felt. She had no fever, but she had a very bad head cold and her whole face hurt and she had an itchy throat. Seems like itchy/sore throat was what the ones with positive results had all in common. Everyone in their house has their booster except for my dad.

Anyway – enough of that! How was your week? Hope all of you are staying safe!

Blog Posts This Week:


Books I Read:



Currently Reading:




Shows/Movies I’ve Watched:

  • NFL (football) – more football
  • Encanto – I had to watch this after everyone was talking about it on TikTok! Me and my kids love it. I love the music, my kids love the magical realism, and the story is just so good. I love stories about family. Update…watched this 4 times with my kids. It’s so good.
  • Moana – and because Encanto was so good, I decided to watch Moana right after since Lin Manuel Miranda did the music for that one too. I love his work. But Moana is my favorite – the grandma storyline always makes me cry and miss my grandparents. Plus Moana is such a strong girl! I love her.

Games I’ve Played:

  • Animal Crossing – Happy Homes Paradise DLC
  • My Singing Monsters
  • Pet Sim X – Roblox – just because my daughter wants the new pets! 😅


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!

💖 ~ Yolanda

Favourite Opening Chapters | #SixforSunday | 1/23/22

#SixforSunday is… it’s really just that. You choose 6 books (normally) that you’d choose to fit whatever the prompt is that week. This meme is hosted by A Little but a Lot and you can follow the link to find the prompts for October to December.

This week’s topic:

Favourite Opening Chapters

There are some of my favorite book and I love their opening chapters. I included the first line from every book since chapters are way too long.

“The forest had become a labyrinth of snow and ice.”

A Court of Thorns and Roses by. Sarah j. Maas

“On a drowsy Sunday afternoon, a man in a long dark coat hesitated in front of a house on a tree-lined street.”

The Cruel Prince by. Holly Black

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Pride and Prejudice by. Jane Austen

“I start my day before sunshine, throwing on running clothes and laying a pinch of semaa at the eastern base of a tree, where sunlight will touch the tobacco first.”

Firekeeper’s Daugher by. Angeline Bouley

“It’s agony and relief to watch my life end.”

Secondborn by. Amy A. Bartol

“When I was a kid, my mom constantly invented games.”

The Inheritance Games by. Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Here is the schedule for January and go to A Little but a lot for more info!

January – Fresh Starts:

2nd: Books you want to read this year
9th: Books you can’t wait for
16th: bookish resolutions / Books that remind me of fireworks
23rd: favourite opening chapters
30th: favourite character arcs

Edgewood by. Kristen Ciccarelli | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Edgewood

Author: Kristen Ciccarelli

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 3/01/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary Fantasy, Romance

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!

No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.

When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.

Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.

With the help of Hawthorne—an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day—Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.

Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli’s Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.

Content Warning: Dementia, Alzheimer’s

This was an interesting story and at first I wasn’t sure it was working for me. It’s about a girl who’s a musician but she comes from a place called Edgewood where everyone knows the woods are enchanted – she grew up with stories about the forest, even neighbors had visited the court of the Wood King so this is very much contemporary fantasy.

As a character, Emeline is a musician and independent. She is on her own trying to make a big splash in the music world. She seems to have issues with guys, always having a new boyfriend to push away whatever memories or feelings she feels like she is running from. Her grandfather is her only living family and he has Alzheimer’s. When he is tithed to the Wood King, Emeline goes to rescue him but bargains with the Wood King herself.

My favorite part of this story though was how it unraveled and the romance between her and Hawthorne Fell. It at first starts off as an enemies to lovers romance but then we dig deeper and find out the truth of what happened and it comes full circle. The reveal at the end was magical and unexpected.

World-building wise I thought it was pretty good but lacking on details of the faerie court, which I generally look forward to because I love the Fae. But it’s a standalone book so I can understand why it wasn’t so detailed.

The beginning was slow as we get to know Emeline and her musical ambitions but it definitely picks up when she returns to Edgewood to rescue her grandfather.

Why you should read it:

  • contemporary fantasy with a forest that takes you into the world of the Wood King
  • Emeline and Hawthorne’s love story
  • love how music and memory was entwined with the story

Why you might not want to read it:

  • slow beginning

My Thoughts:

This story grew on me and I couldn’t put it down even though I was doubting how I felt about it at the start of the book. But by the end I was captured by the romance story of Emeline and Hawthorne and how it was revealed.

📚 ~ Yolanda

The New Girl by. Jesse Q. Sutanto | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The New Girl

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 2/01/22

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Young Adult, Prep School, Thriller, Mystery, 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 Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. When she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she’s determined to make it work even though she’s never felt more out of place. But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unfazed, but it leaves her unsure of what she’s gotten herself into. As she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn’t what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she’s not sure if she can trust anyone–especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.

Content Warning: Murder, Drug Use, Bullying

This is my second Jesse Q. Sutanto book and I can definitely see a theme with her stories. Murder! The New Girl is a thriller mystery filled with prep school drama filled with beautiful people, brand names, bullies, wealth and drug use.

I love that the main character is half Indonesian and half Chinese-Indonesian. We get to learn some Indonesiand and Chinese-Indo culture. She attends Draycott Academy where the rich kids drive very fancy cars, wear designer clothes, pay for good grades, use drugs and basically do whatever they want. But when Lia gets a mean girl mad by taking her spot on the track team, she has to do everything she can to fight back and keep her spot at the school. And this is when things go haywire.

Lia is not scared, I gotta give her credit for that. She stands up to Mandy, the girl on her track team but that gets Lia into deeper trouble. The story is full of teen drama, scandals and even murder. I’m usually into teenage drama, but there was something about this one that was turning me off at times and I think it’s all the teen speak going on – it just wasn’t working for me.

Pacing was a little off for me also. It started off slow with her meeting a cute boy and falling for him and then it really picks up as the drama between her and a certain teacher begins. Then it gets wild but I felt that way about her other book, Dial A for Aunties. There are some twists and turns, so with a story like this you just have to hang on and enjoy the ride.

Why you should read it:

  • you like ya mystery thrillers that take you on a wild ride
  • Lia’s experience being Indonesian and Chinese-Indo
  • twists and turns keep you on your toes

Why you might not want to read it:

  • slow beginning, fast ending
  • lots of rich teen drama
  • teen speak wasn’t working for me

My Thoughts:

It took me awhile to get into this book but the twist and turns did keep me intrigued. Also I like the Indonesian and Chinese-Indonesian representation. The book overall wasn’t a book for me because I’m not the right audience for it but I think teen readers would enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

WWW Wednesday | 1/19/22

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?


What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I have a bunch of ebooks I borrowed online I have to read before they expire. Also my NetGalley list that I have to clear for February release dates so I’m getting through them…slowly, but surely (I HOPE) lol…


What’s on your WWW Wednesday? Or what are you reading this week? ~ Yolanda