Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag – 2024

I’ve been seeing this tag all around the blogosphere so I have to do mine too!

BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2024

I feel like this year I have gravitated to more contemporary reads and less fantasy? I read a lot of fantasy but I don’t know there was anything that really wowed me yet this year. But these three books are my top three so far: The Women by. Kristin Hannah, Not Another Love Song by. Julie Soto, and Funny Story by. Emily Henry.

BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2023

I thought Ruthless Vows by. Rebecca Ross was a great conclusion to the duology!

NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET, BUT WANT TO

This one, Poison in Their Hearts by. Laura Sebastian, just came out and I want to read it. I hope I get to read it sometime this year.

MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

The Grandest Game by. Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by. Carissa Broadbent
Heir by. Sabaa Tahir

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

King of Sloth by. Ana Huang, one was my least favorite of the series and least favorite book of the year.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

The Last Bloodcarver by. Vanessa Le was such a surprise to me, actually it’s one of my top reads of 2024 also.

FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR (debut or new to you)

I really liked the world building in this one and that it’s an academy book. I’m excited to read book two.

NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH

I don’t think I’ve actually had a new fictional crush this year, which is so surprising! The one fictional guy though that had me in my feels a little is Miles from Funny Story by. Emily Henry. Usually I like the alpha guys buy Miles was the totally opposite of being an alpha and I loved him.

NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER

Nhika in The Last Bloodcarver because she’s a survivor.

Arthie and Jin from A Tempest of Tea because their friendship is everything.

Rune from Heartless Hunter because she’ll do anything to help the witches who are being hunted.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

I don’t think a book made me shed too much tears this year so far but I did tear up at the ending of the The Last Bloodcarver by. Vanessa Le.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

Dungeons and Drama by. Kristy Boyce made me feel happy!

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT SO FAR THIS YEAR (or received)

I definitely broke my book banning to get this hardcover: Heaveneaker by. Sara Wolf

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR?

I have The Wren in the Holly Library by. K.A. Linde on my bookshelf so would love to read that by the end of this year. I have Heir by. Sabaa Tahir as an arc so I know I’ll be finishing that this year! And I can’t wait for The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by. Carissa Broadbent.

FAVORITE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION YOU’VE SEEN THIS YEAR

I haven’t seen any book to movie adapations this year – at least books that’s I’ve read but I did watch Dune 2! Haven’t read the book though but I’m a fan of the movies because they are so visually stunning.

Oh and I also watched The Idea of You and I know there is a book The Idea of You by. Robinne Lee but that’s also one I haven’t read.

It’s been a fairly slow reading year for me this year I think. But I’m totally okay with that because that just means my attention and energy had to be elsewhere. I’m 59/125 on my Goodreads reading challenge so I think I’m on a good pace!

How has your 2024 been so far?

The Ever Queen By. L.J. Andrews | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Ever Queen (The Ever Seas, #2)

Author: L.J. Andrews

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 452

Publication Date: 1/26/24

Categories: Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Series, Pirates, Fae, Elves

The Songbird:
Captive. Challenger. Queen.

Enemies took her from the man who holds her heart. They might see her as weak, as a pawn in wicked games, but they’re no match for the first Ever Queen.

Let them think they’ve won. Her heart belongs to a beautiful monster, and she will never stop fighting until she’s back in his arms.

The Serpent:
Captor. Villain. King.

His enemies stole the woman who claimed his soul. They betrayed him out of greed and desire for the crown, but they won’t die for that betrayal. No.

They’ll die for touching her.

His heart belongs to a stunning little bird. He will never stop searching for her light across the skies. Not until the blood of his enemies spills at her feet, and his queen wears their bones around her neck.

Welcome back to the world of the Ever Kingdom where pirates collide with Vikings in passionate romance, brutal battles, and an unforgettable dark fantasy world. This book concludes the love story between Erik and Livia, but new, standalone romances with other favorite characters will continue to build the world. Readers are encouraged to check the TW inside the book for their reading comfort.

Content Warning: death, torture, violence, kidnapping, sexual assault

I started book two of the Ever Seas series since book one ended in a cliffhanger. But it picks up right away from book one and this time Erik has beg help from Livia’s family if he wants to find her fast. I enjoyed getting more backstory about Erik’s past with the Earth fae and seeing how they would mend their rift to save Livia. I thought it was fun to see both sides finally put aside their differences and get along.

Interestingly enough, Livia’s capture has opened the story up to include elves! She is trapped on an elvish island but the woman she meets, Skadi, is very mysterious and kind of vague which was a little frustrating at times. We do learn more about her and the elves near the end of the book.

Like book one, there is a lot of action – these pirates have to travel the seas to find Livia and Erik is as violent as ever to the people who are his enemies. But he is going to find Livia even if it kills him. Since this is called The Ever Queen, Livia does get a moment to shine, she is separated by Erik who is her constant protector and she goes through some scary situations alone. But she digs deep and uses her power to help herself get free.

There is more steamy scenes between Livia and Erik, lots of love expressed between them which is always so fun and sweet but also repetition with them always saying how they will follow each other through the skies and seas. A few times is okay but all the time can get kind of too much but it definitely fits the romantasy genre and I’d rather have that than them calling one another “mate” all the time.

I love all the secondary characters, all the family themes which I feel adds a heartwarming aspect to this whole series. Livia has such a great support system and I love that they have welcomed Erik into their fold even with their past.

My Final Thoughts:

I think it took a little longer for me to read this one but it is a tad bit longer than book one. I also had to take a break from binging because some things became a little repetitive. But I did love Livia and Erik and all the family themes. I’ve already started on book three which is Jonas’ story and will post a review when I am done with it.

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Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Ever King by. L.J. Andrews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

First Lines Fridays | 7/5/24

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!

“It’s now or never. Kierse crouched low, pressing her back against the stone in the shadows.”

⬇️

⬇️

Can you guess what book it is?

Did you guess it? Have you read this one?

📖 ~ Yolanda

Most Anticipated Book Releases | July 2024

There are some exciting book releases coming up this month!

This is what I’m looking forward to:

The titles above are books I haven’t read but I think I also should showcase the arcs I read that are releasing this month. So here they are:

What is your most anticipated book release this month?

The Ever King By. L.J. Andrews | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Ever King (The Ever Seas, #1)

Author: L.J. Andrews

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 408

Publication Date: 9/16/23

Categories: Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Series, Pirates, Fae

They stole his crown, so he stole their daughter…

For years Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making him a prisoner in his own realm.

Until his enemy’s daughter unintentionally breaks the chains on the Ever, and Erik makes her the unwitting pawn in his vicious game of revenge.

She’s innocent. He’s vicious. But he will take back what he lost, no matter the price.

Unless she steals his heart first.

Welcome to the passionate world of the Ever Kingdom where pirates, sirens, and fae collide with Vikings in a dark fantasy romance between a villain and the innocent princess who holds his heart.

*Please note: This series is set in the same world as the bestselling Broken Kingdoms series, but can be read independently, and readers are encouraged to read the list of triggers inside*

Content Warning: death, torture, violence, kidnapping

I tried to read a book by this author I think maybe sometime last year but I never finished the book and I can’t remember why. I think I just wasn’t feeling the writing. But I’ve been seeing The Ever King all over BookTok and I always see it when I’m scrolling through Kindle Unlimited books so I decided to give it a try.

I don’t know what it was about the writing this time but it worked! I was addicted right away because of the Ever King, Erik Bloodsinger, who is a villainous rascal, and out for vengeance against the Earth Fae King who killed his father. He is ruthless but inside his black heart was something only Livia could see. Speaking of Livia she is the daughter of his enemy and the sunshine of everyone’s life. She was raised in a loving home with loyal friends and just the opposite upbringing from the violence Erik endured. So their love story is one I really, really rooted for because I loved their banter! Livia might have been soft, but I like that when she knew she wanted him, she wasn’t afraid to tell him! The two of them had so much chemistry, I love that they both maybe hated one another but they were so drawn to one another they are inevitable.

This one is a series and I’m already addicted to it and the characters! I can’t wait to see more of Livia’s friends as the series unfolds because I got attached to them in the beginning of the story but the moment she gets kidnapped, we don’t see them at all. Another thing, there are a list of content warnings in the beginning of the story and the way Erik kills some of his enemies are so brutal. But I think that captured the “pirate” character so perfectly! He was rough, tough, ready to defend his people and cull anyone who stopped him.

My Final Thoughts:

I can’t wait to read the next two books that are out! I’m hoping each of her close friends gets a story because I’d love to see a story for Celine, Mira, Jonas, and even Aleksi. I’d also like one for Tait even though he’s a mystery. I think this book had everything I wanted in a romantasy – there is adventure, revenge, romance, family, friends, politics, and we’ll see what happens next.

Quotes From This Book:

“I didn’t want a match because that was expected. I wanted passion, the burn that if my love didn’t touch me soon, I’d burst. I wanted heat, and mess, and obsession.”
The Ever King by. L.J. Andrew

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Book Links:

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WWW Wednesday | 7/3/24

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?

Hi friends! It’s been a hot week, so we’ve been indoors with the a/c on for most of it – plus staying home means saving money. Hard to do though when kids gets bored but we did have to get some school shopping done since kids got back the second week of August which is sadly…SOON. My kids have also been working on videos or shorts for their youtube channels and I supervise them or give some advice 😅. Their videos are gaming related videos. I feel like it just helps them open up their creativity because creating videos and using editing apps are not always an easy thing. My daughter is 7 years old and very artistic so watching her edit videos is interesting to me because she has a vision of what she wants her video to look like! I help her of course, but I’m always amazed at the tools they have at their disposal. My son even uses her procreate drawings to create creatures on his Spore game. 😅 I love the collaborative effort! Here is one of his videos if you are interested – they both love Pikmin which is a Nintendo Game, they are obsessed with the characters so my son’s channel is everything Pikmin related. Anyway I’m just proud that they are learning to work together this summer rather than annoy each other all day. 😂

What are you currently reading?

Shadows of Perl by. J. Elle – 2% just started this one, trying to get my bearings and remember what happened in book one.

A Game of Malice and Greed by. Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti – 4% in

Shadows and Storms by. Helen Scheuerer – 4% in

The Seventh Veil of Salome by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia – 10% in – this one is an arc and I need to finish it this month!

The Mist Thief by. L.J. Andrews – 3% this is such a bingeable series but I think I have to slow down so I don’t overload myself so I’ll be trying to finish some arcs first.

What have you just finished reading?

The Ever King by. L.J. Andrews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Ever Queen by. L.J. Andrews – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Girl with No Reflection by. Keshe Chow ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

What are you reading right now?

Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 7/2/24

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

Reckless by. Lauren Roberts

The second heart-racing instalment in this bestselling and sizzling fantasy romance trilogy. Perfect for fans of Red Queen and The Hunger Games.

The kingdom of Ilya is in turmoil…

After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King, and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.

Kai Azer is now Ilya’s Enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice.

Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts – and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.

Goodreads | Amazon

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank

From the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy comes a heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom com twist–When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons!—set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria.

The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla and Frank are still patrolling the dangerous land of Tanria, the former prison of the Old Gods.

Twyla might look like a small town mom who brings cheesy potatoes to funerals and whips up a batch of cookies for the school bake sale, but her rewarding career in law enforcement has been a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank’s job a lot safer … and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals covered in liquid glitter–and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon–they are more than happy to be back on the beat.

Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as the danger closes in and Twyla and Frank’s investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might just be the person who has lived next door all along…

Goodreads | Amazon

The Night Ends with Fire by. K.X. Song

Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin’s relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.

Goodreads | Amazon

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

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Blue Book Covers of 2024 | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday 7/2/24

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: ~~Books with My Favorite Color on the Cover~~

Blue Book Covers of 2024

My favorite book cover is purple covers I think but I’m not going to that one. I’m going to showcase all the blue book covers I’ve been seeing this year.

The Wren in the Holly Library by. K.A. Linde

What’s on your TTT?

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Not Another Love Song by. Julie Soto | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Not Another Love Song

Author: Julie Soto

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 7/16/24

Publisher: Forever

Categories: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Rivals to Lovers

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

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

Two string players fight their attraction for each other as they compete for center stage in this spicy and emotional romance.

Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are both musical prodigies, but each has had very different paths to success. Xander was born into classical music royalty, while Gwen had a natural ear for music that was nurtured by a kind shop owner.

After Gwen performs at his friend’s wedding, she’s mortified when she realizes Xander has no clue who she is—despite having worked together for a year at the Pops Orchestra. But she’s more furious that he arrogantly critiques her performance.

When Gwen is offered the role of First Chair of the orchestra, something Xander had secretly coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. But their respect for each other’s music is undeniable, and their onstage chemistry off the scale. As they begin to explore their feelings for one another, suddenly they’re box office dynamite and the fragile romance that’s growing between them is in danger of being crushed beneath a publicity stunt…

Content Warning: grief, strained parental relationship

+ Ama from Forget Me Not appears in this book! I don’t know if this is a series with standalones that can be read without starting from the beginning but it was so nice to see Ama in this book. The supporting cast in this book is great like Declan her roommate, her colleague Mei at the orchestra and Mabel who helped raise her.

+ Gwen is a hardworking violinist longing for some stability in her life because her mom and grandfather has passed, her dad is not anyone she knows and so she’s been without family. She has one person on her side, Mabel, who taught her how to play the violin and she’s more than good at it. When she meets Xander and they finally interact it’s like musical magic between them! Did Gwen have challenges to navigate in her life now that she becomes first chair in the Manhattan Pop Orchestra? Absolutely, and at times she was too trusting even when her gut told her something was wrong. I wanted her to stand up to people more often but she did it eventually.

+ Xander has always been in the limelight since he was a child. He is a virtuoso on the cello but that wasn’t always the case. His relationship with his mother is strained, and even though he is successful he’s not exactly free to make his own choices like he’s always wanted. There are hard choices he has to make but in the beginning I thought his interest in Gwen was a bit flighty too and maybe tied to the fact she was this new shiny thing that could take his place.

+ The romance is like the music that Xander and Gwen are making together, beautiful in all its complexity. The steamy scenes between them are some of the best I’ve read because it’s sexy and steamy but filled with care and love too without being too cheesy. I just felt like their romance had such a good balance of angst, sweetness, and heat. And hello, who knew a violin and cello could be so sexy – I mean the cello scene…🔥 There is so musical terminology to describe their desire and I thought it was so good.

+ Speaking of music – okay I am not an expert at anything music related. I learned piano when I was young and Beethoven is my favorite but I can’t listen to classical all day or anything but this world of the orchestra and musicians was so fascinating to me! I loved the history between Xander’s mom and Gwen’s mentor, Mabel. There’s a lot of drama going on in the classical music world, at least in this story there is!

My Thoughts:

I honestly wasn’t sure how I’d feel this one because I wasn’t sure if I was in the mood to read a romance with classical musicians but wow, I didn’t expect how steamy it was going to get. Strings are some of my favorite instruments to listen to in classical music and who knew a cello was such a sexy instrument! The love story between Gwen and Xander really is a grand thing as they come together with their love of creating and playing music and also to push each other in the right ways. There is angst, desire, steam, sweetness, and I was rooting for them both. Loved this one!

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Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Forget Me Not by. Julie Soto | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weekly Wrap Up | 6/30/24

Aloha friends!

It’s been an easy, chill week for me – lazy summer days for sure! Took my kids to the pool, went to the mall to play at the arcade and that’s about it. I cleaned the house, took some bags for donation but nothing exciting at all. I do have time to read though so that’s nice!

I hope all of you have a good week!

Blog Posts:

Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2024 | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday 6/25/24
Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 6/25/24
WWW Wednesday | 6/26/24
Dungeons and Drama by. Kristy Boyce | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Magic Fierce & Bright by. Hemant Nayak | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Library Book: An Unofficial Guide to The World of Studio Ghibli by. Michael Leader & Jake Cunningham

Books I Read:

The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young
Dungeons and Drama by. Kristy Boyce
House of Thorns by. Isabel Strychacz
The Monstrous Kind by. Lydia Gregovic
The Girl with No Reflection by. Keshe Chow

Currently Reading:

The Seventh Veil of Salome by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Shadow & Storms by. Helen Scheuerer
Not In Love by. Ali Hazelwood

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

House of Dragon (Season 2, Ep. 2) – what an ending 😦
Gossip Girl – so I never watched Gossip Girl when it came out in 2007 because I felt I was too old for it and Sex and the City was my show and related to that one more. But since I have my Max subscription for House of Dragon I decided to watch it!
Brat – Charlie xcx – I listen to it when I’m cleaning the house and it makes the time go by! lol
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and Good Luck, Babe- Chappell Roan – because I’m addicted to her voice.

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!