#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 July to September.
This week’s topic:
Fictional Schools/Universities You’d Like to Go to
Obviously I’d fail if I went to an elite summer program like the one in Kisses and Croissants – but I’d want to be there because it’s in Paris.
Another book with a French setting but this time it’s purely fictional – a cozy town with a school called University of Brume and it’s full of secrets!
UNC at Chapel Hill is a real college in North Carolina and a very popular one. I don’t know that I’d ever want to attend there because it’s so far from Hawaii but if I get to meet Selwyn Kane then hey – sign me up!
I felt like Lara Jean’s school was pretty cool because they had a ski trip. Seriously – my school never did anything like that!
As a human it would be pretty scary to go here but if I was a vampire – this is where I’d want to be!
I’d definitely go to the school in this book just for the cooking classes!
Categories: Rom Com, Murder, Mystery, Family, Second Chance Romance, Contemporary
What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family?
You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!
When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—”Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!“—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream flowers.
But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?
I finally got a chance to read Dial A for Aunties after seeing it all over my bookstagram feed a few months ago. I love the cover and the synopsis is definitely intriguing! It had me at Asian aunties.
The best thing about this book is learning about the immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family and their wedding customs. I love how they switch from Mandarin, Indonesian and English. There was even a word I was familiar with which gave me a very good laugh. The word in Ilocano (a Philippines dialect that my family speak) for eggplant is tarong and in Indonesia it is terong. I thought that was so cool and funny because of how they were discussing eggplant.
The humor with all the aunts was funny and yet chaotic, and at times even triggering – reminding me of my family and their mini dramas. I don’t know how Meddy could deal with being at their mercy though. But family is family and they definitely had on another’s backs in this scenario. Meddy really is a good daughter, she was patient with her aunties and even gave up her dreams of the future for her family.
There is an accidental murder and then a mystery at the wedding in this story. Try hiding a dead body at a wedding? Yeah…you’ll have to read the book to see how that pans out! It reminds me of an 80’s movie called Weekend at Bernie’s combined with Crazy Rich Asians! I could definitely see this book as a movie.
Trigger: sexual assault, car accident, murder
This book is not realistic – at least I hope it never is because we hope Meddy who is in an accident and messed up situation does the right thing and report the body…right? Haha…I was waiting for that moment to happen. But Meddy freaks out and goes to her family instead who come up with some crazy plans on how to dispose the body. It’s wild but it works – like I said above, I could see this as a movie.
What I really wanted more of was Nathan and Meddy getting back together. I loved their back story. So if this had been just a second chance romance minus the dead body – I would have loved it more.
Why you should read it:
quick read, light read, chaotic, humorous, fun
learn about Chinese-Indonesian immigrants and their culture
Nathan and Meddy’s love story
Why you might not want to read it:
hiding a dead body and trying to win back your ex sounds crazy and not cute? lol very weird mix
too many things going on at once
My thoughts:
Suspend your disbelief for this one! Once you do that, it’s wild and chaotic, and sometimes funny. You get to learn a lot about the Chinese-Indonesian immigrant family, which I enjoyed a lot. I also loved Nathan and Meddy, and their second chance at romance and really wished the story was more about that than hiding a dead body but it was entertaining at least. After doing a search it looks like this will be a Netflix movie and I look forward to watching it!
Terra Cotta Warriors have been discovered on other planets in the Milky Way Galaxy. And Lyra Daniels’ parents are the archaeological Experts (yes with a capital E) on the Warriors and have dragged her to the various planets to study them despite the time dilation causing havoc with her social life.
When one of the many Warrior planets goes silent, and looters attack her research base, Lyra becomes involved in discovering why the Warriors were placed on these planets. And, more importantly, by who.
Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.
Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.
Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.
But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.
When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.
The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.
Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.
Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.
Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . .
In a universe of capricious gods, dark moons, and kingdoms built on the backs of spaceships, a cursed queen sends her infant daughter away, a jealous uncle steals the throne of Kali from his nephew, and an exiled prince vows to take his crown back.
Raised alone and far away from her home on Kali, Esmae longs to return to her family. When the King of Wychstar offers to gift the unbeatable, sentient warship Titania to a warrior that can win his competition, she sees her way home: she’ll enter the competition, reveal her true identity to the world, and help her famous brother win back the crown of Kali.
It’s a great plan. Until it falls apart.
Inspired by the Mahabharata and other ancient Indian stories, A Spark of White Fire is a lush, sweeping space opera about family, curses, and the endless battle between jealousy and love.
Two girls use forbidden magic to fly and fight–for their country and for themselves–in this riveting debut that’s part Shadow and Bone, part Code Name Verity.
Seventeen-year-old Revna is a factory worker, manufacturing war machines for the Union of the North. When she’s caught using illegal magic, she fears being branded a traitor and imprisoned. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Linné defied her father, a Union general, and disguised herself as a boy to join the army. They’re both offered a reprieve from punishment if they use their magic in a special women’s military flight unit and undertake terrifying, deadly missions under cover of darkness. Revna and Linné can hardly stand to be in the same cockpit, but if they can’t fly together, and if they can’t find a way to fly well, the enemy’s superior firepower will destroy them–if they don’t destroy each other first.
We Rule the Night is a powerful story about sacrifice, complicated friendships, and survival despite impossible odds.
Have you read any of these books? Is there any on here that you think is a must-read? ~Yolanda
I was doing good in August until this last weekend since it was my son’s birthday weekend! Hawaii has been back to school since the beginning of August and we are going through another COVID wave here. 😒 So…it’s been stressful. Anyway, here is what I read in August:
Categories: Gothic Fantasy, Young Adult, Dark 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 Henry Holt & Co. (BYR) for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
A lush gothic fantasy about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Brigid Kemmerer.
There are monsters in the world.
When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.
There are monsters in the woods.
As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn…
There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name.
Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.
I had to request this book because of that cover! It’s gorgeous and dark, it gives off gothic vibes right away.
Lakesedge is really in its gothic element with the setting of Lakesedge estate and the owner Rowan who is thought to have drowned his whole family. The lake is black and creepy, the estate is large and old, but empty. Then there is sister and brother, Leta and Arien. Shadows haunt Leta’s brother Arien and you just know something isn’t right in this town – but what is going on? What are these shadows and why does Rowan want Arien and his shadows so much?
Rowan has hired an alchemist, Clover, and now needs Leta’s brother as well to help get rid of the darkness and blight that is overtaking Lakesedge and neighboring towns. Rowan is a brooding, tortured character at first but he does open up to Leta who is his opposite. She is light, stubborn, equally as damaged but her love for Arien eclipses everything. We learn about Rowan’s mysterious past and his deal with Lord Under, and his dangerous blood tithes. But then Leta has a secret too and it throws Rowan’s plans off course.
Rowan and Leta’s love is surrounded in darkness. It is bleak, it’s filled with longing, but steamy nonetheless! Leta is not afraid of him even when she should have been, his monster side should have made her afraid. But also, what is up with Lord Under? I got Persephone/Hades vibe with him and Leta. Is there something between them or is this purely business on Lord Under’s part? I don’t know.
I enjoyed the side characters, Arien because he is a sweet boy and Leta’s only family and I wanted to see him saved. And the alchemist, Clover, was fun, an LGBT rep and she brought a light-heartedness to the crew that was missing, I also liked learning how she used alchemy.
Triggers: self harm, abuse by a parent, grief, drowning, death, suicidal ideation
This is a dark story so there is self harm with Rowan’s blood tithes to the Corruption and other situations that might be triggering.
It has a cliffhanger ending – to the point I was confused. I was frustrated that it ended that way especially not knowing if there was a sequel or not. So be aware – cliffhanger ending!
There is a steamy scene between Rowan and Leta but it is beautifully written.
Why you should read it:
gothic vibes get you into the Halloween/fall/dark mood
dark romance: very broody, lots of longing, emo, sexy and with teeth (haha)
Lord Under – just to find out what is going on with him and Leta
Why you might not want to read it:
dark story
cliffhanger ending
My Thoughts:
This one sucked me in with Arien’s mysterious dark shadows and rumors about Rowan drowning his family in the lake! I read it in one sitting because the writing lured me in but that cliffhanger totally frustrated me because I wasn’t sure if it was being set up for a sequel. Overall this got me in a dark, gothic mood and it hit the spot. This would be a perfect read for spooky season or for whenever you to read a dark fantasy romance. I look forward to reading the next book.
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:
Fictional Crushes
Lazlo Strange because he’s so smart and love books and learning.
Faolan because he’s a sexy Fae. 🤷🏻♀️
Santiago – he’s surly and broody, but he can cook and he’s hot. 🍳
Marcus – enough said.
I’m team Grayson! I bet she ends up with Jameson though…sigh…does she? Don’t tell me. 🙁
Raidyn is a Paladin. A Paladin! He’s a knight and rides a gryphon. Be still my heart!
Why do I always like the bad boys? I definitely have a crush on Selwyn.
Jase is the most loyal of all men. Love him!
I love Reykin!
Kalen…😭❤️ ugh…I love him.
I’m definitely into the dark, brooding, strong kind of guy fictional crushes. 🤷🏻♀️❤️ Who are your crushes? ~ Yolanda
Can you believe we are at the end of August? Wow! Pumpkin and spooky season, here we come. There are a few books coming out in September that I want so I’m excited for that. Happy book birthday to today’s new releases!
A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this heartfelt new romance by USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang.
When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too. Translation: She’s going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.
That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex—he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she has just started to understand herself. However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.
TO BE BORN OF THE FOREST IS A GIFT AND A CURSE.
Rora is a shifter, as magical as all those born in the wilderness–and as feared. She uses her abilities to spy for the king, traveling under different guises and listening for signs of trouble.
When a magical illness surfaces across the kingdom, Rora uncovers a devastating truth: Finley, the young prince and her best friend, has caught it, too. His only hope is stardust, the rarest of magical elements, found deep in the wilderness where Rora grew up–and to which she swore never to return.
But for her only friend, Rora will face her past and brave the dark, magical wood, journeying with her brother and the obstinate, older prince who insists on coming. Together, they must survive sentient forests and creatures unknown, battling an ever-changing landscape while escaping human pursuers who want them dead. With illness gripping the kingdom and war on the horizon, Finley’s is not the only life that hangs in the balance.
The Last Magician meets The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy in this thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy following a young woman who discovers she has magical powers and is thrust into a battle between witches and wizards.
In 1911 New York City, seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell spends her days as a seamstress, mourning the mysterious death of her brother months prior. Everything changes when she’s attacked and a man ends up dead at her feet—her scissors in his neck, and she can’t explain how they got there.
Before she can be condemned as a murderess, two cape-wearing nurses arrive to inform her she is deathly ill and ordered to report to Haxahaven Sanitarium. But Frances finds Haxahaven isn’t a sanitarium at all: it’s a school for witches. Within Haxahaven’s glittering walls, Frances finds the sisterhood she craves, but the headmistress warns Frances that magic is dangerous. Frances has no interest in the small, safe magic of her school, and is instead enchanted by Finn, a boy with magic himself who appears in her dreams and tells her he can teach her all she’s been craving to learn, lessons that may bring her closer to discovering what truly happened to her brother.
Frances’s newfound power attracts the attention of the leader of an ancient order who yearns for magical control of Manhattan. And who will stop at nothing to have Frances by his side. Frances must ultimately choose what matters more, justice for her murdered brother and her growing feelings for Finn, or the safety of her city and fellow witches. What price would she pay for power, and what if the truth is more terrible than she ever imagined?
That’s all I got today! All of these are on my TBR list – what else came out today that I missed? Please leave me a comment. 🙂
#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 July to September.
This week’s topic:
2021 Books You Bought Because of the Cover
Truthfully I haven’t bought many books in 2021 because I bought so many during the pandemic! So I’m on a book budget this year and thankfully my library opened up. Yay! So This are books I borrowed through Kindle Unlimited, my public library or book I got approved to read on NetGalley. But yes…I was attracted to the covers!
I do so few book tags lately so here’s one I recently got tagged in by dini @ dinipandareads. She has the best blog graphics and amazing bookish content so please go check her out. The original tag was created by booktuber Marc Nash (thanks Dini for finding out that info!).
Let’s get started!
THE LAST BOOK I GAVE UP ON:
The whole parent trap situation was not for me and I couldn’t stand all the CAPS being used by one character.
THE LAST BOOK I REREAD:
I always reread this once a year because I miss Reykin 😭 and the third book in the series was just not good – even though I had rated it 5 stars at first read – it was mostly because Reykin and Roselle finally got together. But looking back at how crazy the story was- (sigh) it’s more like a 2.5 star read (5 stars for Reykin though haha). 😢
THE LAST BOOK I BOUGHT:
I bought this as an ebook. I’ve been on a hardcover book buying ban all year since I went crazy buying books during 2020 when we were in lockdown.
THE LAST BOOK I WROTE IN THE MARGINS OF:
And this was YEARS ago…I never write in margins. 🤷🏻♀️
THE LAST BOOK I HAD SIGNED:
It was for my daughter lol…and Kristi Yamaguchi there at the event so why not? Do any of you know who she is or am I showing my age? She’s an olympic gold medal figure skater and hey…figure skating was so huge back in the 80’s and 90’s, I was such a big fan. And hello she looks amazing, like she hasn’t aged!
THE LAST BOOK I LOST:
I have no answer for this! I really don’t remember the last book I lost.
THE LAST BOOK I HAD TO REPLACE:
I think it’s kind of crazy how low the reviews are of this book in Goodreads lol – I read this back in 1991 when I was 12 and young adult books weren’t what they are now. Goodreads was not around lol. I was obsessed with this series so much that the cover finally fell off and I had to get the combined copies just for nostalgia sake – this was the book that made me obsessed with vampires. And it did kick off the show The Vampire Diaries so…Damon and Stefan was born in this series. Sure it doesn’t stand up next to young adult books today but wow this was made 30 years ago. YIKES, I’m old. I also had to replace The Secret Circle series by the same author – honestly all her series could be tv shows. I think they tried with The Secret Circle but the show didn’t last? But Dark Visions and The Forbidden Game also? Teenage me was obsessed with this author!
THE LAST BOOK I ARGUED OVER:
I don’t argue much with anyone – except with my hubby! So very unpopular opinion – and I don’t know why but Harry Potter did nothing for me. And I reread this book twice, first when I was in my twenties, second time in my forties and it still didn’t do anything for me. I did read it the second time because my hubby told me to read it again. I think if I was in grade school reading this it might have interested me? I don’t know.
THE LAST BOOK I PRE-ORDERED:
But I will be preordering Steelstriker by Marie Lu because that cover belongs on my shelf and The Hawthorne Legacy by. Jennifer Lynn Barnes because I need to know what happens.