First Lines Fridays | 8/23/24

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

“Being a serial killer who kills serial killers is a great hobby…”

⬇️

⬇️

Can you guess what book it is?

Did you guess it? Have you read this one?

📖 ~ Yolanda

The Monstrous Kind by. Lydia Gregovic | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Monstrous Kind

Author: Lydia Gregovic

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 9/3/24

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Gothic, Paranormal, 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 Delacorte Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An atmospheric, haunting, romantasy inspired by Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, set in a Regency England about two sisters fighting to hold on to their manor while deadly monsters prowl along its perimeters—perfect for fans of House of Salt and Sorrows and Anatomy: A Love Story.

Merrick Darling’s life as daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex is better than most. Unlike the commoners, she is immune to the toxic fog that encroached on England generations earlier. She will never become a Phantom—one of the monstrous creatures that stalk her province’s borders—and as long as the fires burn to hold them back, her safety is ensured. She wants for nothing, yet she will never inherit her family’s Manor. She must marry smartly or live at the kindness of her elder sister, Essie.

Everything is turned on its head, though, when Merrick’s father dies suddenly. Torn from her New London society life of ball gowns and parties, Merrick must travel back to her childhood home, the Darling estate of Norland House, and what she finds there is bewildering. Once strong and capable, Essie is withdrawn and frightened—and with good cause. A recent string of attacks along the province’s borders has turned their formerly bucolic countryside into a terrifying and unpredictable landscape. The fog is closing in and the fires aren’t holding, which makes Merrick and Essie vulnerable in more ways than one. Because the Phantoms are far from the only monsters in Merrick’s world, and the other eleven Manor Lords are always watching for weakness.

Revealing her and her sister’s current state to the rest of the Manors is out of the question, but when Essie goes missing, it’s clear that Merrick needs help. Only, who can she trust when everyone seems to be scheming, and when all she holds true feels like it’s slipping right out of her grasp?

Content Warning: violence, death, loss of a parent

I went into this one not knowing it was inspired by Sense and Sensibility until after I read it. With that said, I loved how it is written because I felt like it was regency era inspired so I think the author did a great job capturing that era and the gothic vibes.

As for it being inspired by Sense and Sensibility, I can definitely see that with a few twists here and there. The world building and history is interesting with this encroaching fog that kills people, so over generations it has pushed territories to defend and protect their borders. Merrick’s family has had a change in head of household with her father’s death and her sister is the named the next lord of their manor. What I found fascinating in the stories was the relationship between the sisters and how complicated it is. Bottom line is both girls are trying to survive and keep their house in order but one is head of household and the other has to marry. It’s not so easy to do either though when their borders are being breached, and they seem weak.

I did enjoy how the story unfolded though it can feel slow at some parts because a lot of it is a mystery until all is revealed. I loved the gothic atmosphere. I mean the fog has Phantoms (zombies?) that kill people! It took me only two days to read but I can’t say I loved Merrick. She is pitted as the most vulnerable of the sisters because she has no power, and has to marry to survive but she seems willing to fall for any guy who pays her attention. Is that survival or is she just too trusting? Especially when she has a cousin-in-law, Cressida who is trying to teach her to be more aware of the games the people in power play? I just wanted Merrick to be a little more smarter about some situations. But as a comparison to Marianne from Sense and Sensibility then I can totally see that she stacks up well to her. I did want more from Essie also.

My Thoughts:

Regency era mystery, gothic vibes, zombies in the mist, and inspired by Sense and Sensibility – I think the author pulled it off. I do wish I loved the characters more though and the romance had a chance to take off, but is there a book two because the ending did feel like it was left open? Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (shop)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Powerful by. Lauren Roberts | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Powerful (The Powerless Trilogy, #1.5)

Author: Lauren Roberts

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 192

Publication Date: 4/30/24

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Novella, Series

Set during the time of the New York Times bestseller Powerless, fan favorite Adena gets a story all her own as she attempts to survive on the streets of Loot…and falls for a mysterious—and dangerous—Elite.

Adena and Paedyn have always been inseparable. Fate brought them together when they were young, but friendship ensured they would always protect each other and the home they built in the slums of Loot. But now Paedyn—an Ordinary—has been selected for the Purging Trials, which means almost certain death.

Now alone in Loot, Adena must fend for herself. After attempting to steal, she’s rescued by a mysterious man from the market. Mak’s shadowy past and secretive power set him apart from the other low-level Elites of Loot. And as the pair team up to see their loved ones before the Trials, the quest tests their loyalty, their love, and their lives.

Content Warning: grief, violence

This is a novella that sits between Powerless and Reckless. I read Powerless and I have to admit, I didn’t remember much of it when I picked up Powerful, but I did get to remembering Adena – just not Mak for some strange reason? Anyway, here are my thoughts:

Likes:

Love that this is Adena and Mak’s perspectives. We get such an insight into their personalities.
Adena is such a sweet character, I like that we get to know her more and how she’s sunshine to Mak’s grumpy.

Dislikes:

I hate what happened to Adena.

My Final Thoughts:

Since this is a novella, and I don’t usually read them, I think this one fits good into the series because it gives Adena and Mak a voice and their romance is so sweet. It breaks my heart to see what happens to Adena. I didn’t totally love the first book in the series, but I figured I’d read Powerful because it was a short novella. And why is this novella the price of a hardcopy?! I think I’ll definitely read Reckless but I’m waiting for it from my library, so it might be awhile before I get a copy.

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Twitter (X)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books by This Author:

Powerless by. Lauren Roberts | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 8/21/24

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

Well my laptop is almost done for lol…but not quite dead – I was just being in denial for a little because I do not want to buy a new one yet. It just doesn’t like anything plugged into the usb ports but that’s fine, I’m gonna hang onto it until it really can’t power up anymore. 😅 So I’ll just keep chugging on with it! I noticed I have a lot of arcs that are publishing on October 1st! Must be a big publishing day but I’m trying my best to get to them!

What are you currently reading?

Fledgling by. S.K. Ali – 35% – some progress, hoping to finish it this week.

Stranger Skies by. Pascale LaCelle – 1% – just started this one.

Truly, Madly, Deeply by. Alexandria Bellefleur – 5% – just started this one.

Heir by. Sabaa Tahir – 10% – I’ll probably finish this one this week. Very interesting world building so far!

Zodiac Rising by. Katie Zhao – 6% – another arc I’m trying to finish.

What have you just finished reading?

Powerful by. Lauren Roberts – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Novel Love Story by. Ashley Poston – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

When the World Tips Over by. Jandy Nelson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Dagger and the Flame by. Catherine Doyle – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hunted Heir by. Holly Renee – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

What are you reading right now?

Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 8/20/24

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

Wisteria by. Adalyn Grace

Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.

Goodreads | Amazon

House of Thorns by. Isabel Strychacz

In the vein of The Haunting of Hill House , a teen returns to the mysterious house from her past to search for her missing sister and uncover the truth of Brier Hall in this atmospheric and eerie modern gothic novel.

Lia Peartree is haunted—by memories, by her past, by secrets, by the ones she left behind. Five years ago, the Peartrees fled their home—the infamous ancestral Brier Hall—and never looked back. But her oldest sister went missing that night, and there’s been no sign of her since.

In the aftermath, the Peartrees are traumatized and get by however they can. Lia’s remaining sister Ali says yes to any bad idea, and Lia tries so desperately to be the perfect daughter that it’s tearing her apart. But as the five year anniversary of the night they left nears, Lia begins seeing her missing sister everywhere, and memories of Brier Hall won’t leave her alone.

When Ali disappears with no warning except a cryptic phone call—“don’t follow me when I’m gone”—Lia is sure she’s gone back to Brier Hall. Lia must go home one final time and face what haunts her in an effort to find her sisters and uncover the truth of her past.

Goodreads | Amazon

Bridesmaid Undercover by. Meghan Quinn

Everly Plum is delighted to be heading up the Bridesmaid for Hire program at Magical Moments by Maggie. And when Hardy Hopper, one of their billionaire investors, approaches Everly for help with his friends’ wedding, she’s more than happy to step in. But Hardy has an extra assignment for her: his ex-girlfriend will be the maid of honor opposite his role as best man, and he wants Everly’s help getting her back.

There’s only one problem: Everly may have a tiny crush on the dashing businessman. But despite the way Hardy makes her stomach flutter, she’s determined to prove herself, both as a bridesmaid and as a matchmaker. That is, until she finds her crush turning into real feelings. Not to mention, Hardy can’t help but notice how well he clicks with Everly, and before he knows it, he’s not looking for his ex’s attention anymore.

But even after their simmering attraction finally rises to the surface, they will have to contend with meddling friends, poor timing, and professional boundaries—and the risk that no one might get a second chance after all.

Goodreads | Amazon

The Hunted Heir by. Holly Renee

From USA Today Bestselling Author Holly Renee, comes the second book in the scorching romantasy series with enthralling secrets, impassioned enemies, and luring tension.

Verena was the lost princess of Marmoris, the very thing we had spent our entire lives looking for, and I had let her go.

The lingering taste of her mixed with the deep ache in my chest over her betrayal haunted my days and nights. I knew she was hiding something, but her secrets were far more treacherous than I could have imagined.

Though I wished my own betrayal hadn’t been so bitter on my tongue.

Now my dreams are haunted with the way her deep blue eyes looked up at me in shock when I revealed I knew her truth.

The way I crave for her to look at me now as I hunt for her.

Me, along with half of the rebellion.

If my father finds her before me, there is no telling what he will do to her.

And even though she’s the little traitor I’d always thought she was, I couldn’t allow him to find her.

But his orders were clear. The princess is to be taken by the rebellion or she would be taken by the gods. I don’t know which is worse.

She is the heir to our kingdom, the daughter of the cruel king who was responsible for my mother’s death, and the key to winning our rebellion.

I vowed to my father that I would find her, the one person I wish I didn’t have to.

Verena is the hunted heir. But more than anything, she is mine.

Goodreads | Amazon

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

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Ten Green Book Covers | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday 8/20/24

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is: ~~relationship freebie~~

Ten Green Book Covers

Since this is a freebie, I’m doing something completely other than the relationship freebie topic and going with something super simple. I already did a birthstone book tag but since peridot is the color for August, lets do more green book covers!

Fear the Flames by. Olivia Rose Darling

Happy Medium by. Sarah Adler

Valley by. Stacey McEwan

Ami: Guardians of Dawn by. S. Jae-Jones

Black Ride Son by. H.M. Long

Poison in Their Hearts by. Laura Sebastian

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by. Suzanne Collins

Beautiful Villain by. Rebecca Kenney

The Heiress by. Rachel Hawkins

Fate & Furies by. Helen Scheuerer

What’s on your TTT?

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Shadow of Perl by. J. Elle | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Shadows of Perl (House of Marionne, #2)

Author: J. Elle

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 9/3/24

Publisher: Razorbill

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Series, Magic

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

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

The dazzling romantic fantasy world of House of Marionne continues in this dark and deadly sequel full of forbidden magic, devastating lies, and broken hearts.

A must read for fans of Stephanie Garber, Leigh Bardugo, and Alex Aster.

Unleash the darkness. Claim your power.

Quell Marionne’s explosive final Rite of Induction to House Marionne sent shockwaves through the magical world, unearthing long buried secrets and her own deadly power. But she paid a steep price: her family and her love. Fleeing Chateau Soleil for House of Perl, for once Quell is celebrated instead of shunned. She has finally found somewhere to belong. But secrets lurk in every House, and Quell’s quest to find her mom threatens to lead her deeper into the shadows.

Assassin Jordan Wexton, second-in command of the Dragun brotherhood, must protect the source of all magic, the Sphere. Yet the biggest threat to the Sphere is Quell Marionne—the girl he loved, until she claimed the deadly, outlawed toushana. As the Sphere cracks and war brews among the Houses, can the only way to save the world be to kill his own heart?

Now, these two lovers-turned enemies must confront their competing ambitions and conflicting loyalties. Or die. The future of magic hangs on their decision.

Content Warning: violence, loss of a parent

This is the second book in the House of Marionne series and with the way it ended in book one, I was excited to see how this sequel would turn out.

Likes:

I liked when Yagrin was in the story because the first book ended with him and it got me excited to see what would happen to his character.
The troubled romance between Quell and Jordan goes through more turmoil here. They hate one another, but underneath it all, they still feel strongly for one another. So I did like when they finally had scenes together – it was my favorite parts because I love romance in my fantasy books.
There is a lot of movement in the book since Quell is on the run and there is a lot of action at the end. I liked the political drama and Jordan coming to realize what the order demands of him.

Dislikes:

This was too slow for me and it was hard for me to get into it because it starts off with Nore and I was clueless as to who she was. So I was a bit lost in the beginning of this book and was trying to get my bearings and remember things from book one.
I couldn’t connect to the characters.

My Thoughts:

I think this book does move the series forward but it took me awhile to get into. My favorite parts were when Quell and Jordan finally confront each other but I did also like all the political drama happening with the houses. I think if you liked book one, you will enjoy this one.

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (shop)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books By This Author:

House of Marionne by. J. Elle | ARC Review (House of Marionne, #1) – 3.5 stars

Wings of Ebony | ARC Review (Wings of Ebony, #1) – 4 stars

Weekly Wrap Up | 8/18/24

Aloha friends!

Second week of school is done and it’s been a pretty good transition for both kids! So my laptop is NOT broken – it just didn’t like a new cord that I had attached to it to connect to my phone. I’m just happy I didn’t have to buy a new laptop. Nothing else new to report. I feel like August is moving really fast now that school is in session – I saw Halloween candy already being sold at my grocery store!! Bonkers.

Anyway, I hope all of you have a good week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Guava and Grudges by. Alexis Castellanos
The Blood Orchid by. Kylie Lee Baker
A Novel Love Story by. Ashely Poston
Powerful by. Lauren Roberts

Currently Reading:

The Dagger and the Flame by. Catherine Doyle
Fledgling by. S.K. Ali

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

Chappell Roan
Die with a Smile – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – it’s so good!🥰

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!

A Novel Love Story by. Ashley Poston | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Novel Love Story

Author: Ashley Poston

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 6/25/24

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism

A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction… literally.

Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel…

Because it is.

This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.

Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.

Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.

Content Warning: grief, being cheated on

Imagine getting lost in a book – literally? The only other book I’ve read from this author was The Dead Romantics and I loved it. This was a bit different and here are my thoughts:

Likes:

I thought the concept of literally “getting lost in a book” was clever and wanted to see how it would play out. I did have some questions, but I had to suspend my reality a bit, to make my brain understand what was happening. I did love all the characters Elsy got to meet in Eloraton.
Elsy puts on a front, but she’s hurting inside from some life events that left her unmoored. I really love her relationship with her best-friend Pru, even if Elsy wasn’t in a good place yet, you could tell their love for one another was special.
I liked the second half of the book more than the first half. I felt more connected to Elsy when she started facing her emotions and that’s when I also felt her connection to Anders come more alive. There were so many parts at the ending that hit me in the feels because of Elsy’s journey and Anders’ one too.

Dislikes:

This was kind of hard for me to get into and I think it’s because of Elsy, who didn’t really stand out to me, personality wise. Also I was trying to figure out the magical town she stumbled into. I thought it was cool that it was from her favorite author but I had questions!
I also thought Elsy and Anders didn’t have much chemistry until later into the book.
Certain descriptions about characters don’t usually bother me unless it’s repeated over and over and apparently Anders tastes and smells like black tea.

My Final Thoughts:

When I got to half way of the book, I can’t say I was loving it. I thought it was just okay but then something happens when Elsy is faced with leaving Anders and Eloraton behind. She has to make some hard choices to face her fears about moving on from the past and also watching people around her moving on in their lives. And that’s when I connected to the book, because that’s relatable. Overall, I did enjoy it for what it was and adore the concept of literally getting lost inside a book!

Quotes from the Book:

“Because even after the people were gone, there were still stories. There were always stories.”
– A Novel Love Story by. Ashley Poston

“It wasn’t the end that mattered, but every word leading up to it.”
– A Novel Love Story by. Ashley Poston

“So who could blame me for singing into books, where I knew the people weren’t real, but they also never disappointed me? I knew everything would work out in the end. I knew happy endings were destined, ever afters fated, and no matter what trials and tribulations and, well, surprise fuckups happened, things would end up okay.”
– A Novel Love Story by. Ashley Poston

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Twitter (X)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books by This Author:

The Dead Romantics by. Ashley Poston | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

First Lines Fridays | 8/16/24

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!