Tag: book review

Weekly Wrap Up | 10/4/26

Aloha friends!

+ It was a regular week and now it’s Fall Break for my kids! So we will be mostly chillin’ at home, maybe we will go see the Forgotten Island movie. But it’s expensive out there!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

  • Hide the Witches by Miranda Lyn
  • Bloodbound by J.A. Good
  • The House of Gardenias by. Isabel Cañas
  • The Scarlet Ball

Currently Reading:

  • Revived by. Bree L. Mina
  • Sharpest Court by. Kiera Azar
  • Cursed City by. Kate Golden
  • The Taming by. Eve Holllenbeck
  • The Divines by. Rachel Greenlaw
  • The Lost Guardian by. Natalia Hernandez

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • The Love Hypothesis (Amazon Prime) – this was kinda cute, I loved the female actress, the male actor was okay. I don’t remember the details of the book but I still enjoyed it.
  • Unabomber (Netflix) – I just needed to watch something on Netflix because why pay for it if I’m not using it? This was about Ted Kaczynski the Unabomber and though we get to learn about what triggered him to be the way he was, it was kind of anticlimactic.
  • Football

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!

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The Scarlet Ball by. Nghi Vo | ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: The Scarlet Ball

Author: Nghi Vo

Pages: 336

Format: audiobook

Listening Hours: 11hours 21 min (approx.)

Narrator (s): Natalie Naudus

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Publication Date: 10/6/26

Categories: Gilded Age, Paranormal, Gothic, Dark Romance

From USA Today bestselling author Nghi Vo, this all-consuming tale of ballrooms and bloodshed weds The Gilded Age with the Gothic vision of Guillermo del Toro.

Pick a face, pick a fate.

Judith Ban, former convent girl, courtesan, and failed thief, is on the lookout for her next identity. The daughter of a Vietnamese adventuress and a French naval officer, she’s no stranger to risk, but she’s unprepared for the secrets of New York’s legendary Four Hundred, or for the women who build their power at the city’s heart through blood-soaked, gold-etched rituals of demonic marriage.

In exchange for enough wealth to outrun her past, Judith strikes a deal with the matriarch of the powerful Howard family: she will stand in for the missing Howard granddaughter, who was poised to make her debut when she disappeared. With Miss Iphigenia Marshall’s face stitched over her own, Judith is white, rich, and about to risk body and soul in the deadly games that determine which girls will find a match—and which will be devoured. If she can keep her wits and her life, her reward will be a husband with undreamt-of power who will be hers to command… so long as she can keep his infinite hungers fed. But to survive the season, Judith will have to seduce a storm in the shape of a man, before the night to which everything has been leading—the Scarlet Ball where the demons choose their brides.

A razor-sharp subversion of romance tropes and nightmare of manners, Vo’s fusion of history and fantasy does for Edith Wharton what her acclaimed debut The Chosen and the Beautiful did for F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Content Warning: death, violence, body horror, self harm, drug use

+ I am a fan of this narrator, since I’ve listen to her narrate a few books now. She did a great job with this one as always.

+ This is a dark story about Judith, who is half French and Vietmanese, trying to survive New York City during the Gilded Age. She takes a job to stand in for someone’s granddaughter, she wears her face – it is stitched on and entertain men, but these are not just men, under their skin they are demon lords. And demon lords need to be fed or else they will eat you. The atmosphere of the balls and wealth with the darkness of the men being entertained was really intriguing, especially when one man, Sebastian starts to single Judith out.

+ There are some very interesting characters in this story, like the Howard family who are powerful in society. Mrs. Howard is who takes Judith in, entices her with money, but also throws her out to the wolves, knowing what these men are. Sebastian is a man but a monster underneath, he is an actual “storm” come to life and he needs to eat or no matter how much he wants and loves Judith, she will be consumed – he was fascinating.

+ The romance is unconventional because Judith is not who she is pretending to be, she’s trying to survive this world of the powerful, wealthy and demon lords. Sebastian though, wants her and even with the strange circumstances between them an attractions builds. I thought the ending and what happens between them was very interesting!

+~ I did think the first half of the book was a slow build and maybe I would have connected more if I read it as an ebook so I could visualize everything better, but things definitely pick up in the second half which was my favorite part. That’s when horror comes into play and I found the body horror quite gruesome, but so fitting for the climax of the story. We watch Judith finally able to fight and be herself.

Final Thoughts:

This is the first book I’ve read from this author but I’ve seen her name around. I think the narrator was great, but I do think the first half of the story moved too slowly for me. I did like the setting of the Gilded Age, the balls, gowns, wealth, debutants and then the demon lords. It definitely touches on a woman’s lack of power in a wealthy society. The second half was great and there is action, a monster romance, and some horror too. Overall, I enjoyed and will hopefully read more from this author.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Monthly Wrap Up | September 2026

September was a strange month for reading, I was reading a bit slow, then I ramped up my reading then at the end of month I got lazy again. Maybe it’s the change in season? My mood was all over the place, maybe I had too many arcs and I wasn’t in the mood to read them? Not sure but hopefully October is better.

I read 24 books in September:

  1. Our Strange Duet by. Erin A. Craig (arc)
  2. The Age of Blood and Magic by. Hannah Mathewson (arc)
  3. The Heart Trials by. J. Elle (arc)
  4. Stalkers Anonymous by. Dana Leeann (arc)
  5. White Raven by. Stacey Marie Brown
  6. The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by. Marshall J. Moore (arc)
  7. A Crown of Blood and Magick by. Amy De La Force (arc)
  8. The Museum of Modern Love by. Mariko Turk (alc)
  9. Who Needs Mistletoe? by. Sarah Estep (arc)
  10. The Shattered Tempest by. Thea Guanzon (arc)
  11. Pretty Savage by. Lexi Davis (arc)
  12. Captive Traitor King by. Brigid Kemmerer (arc)
  13. Queen of Lombard Street by. Lisa Kleypas (arc)
  14. Stone Bound by. Jocelyn James (arc)
  15. Spark the Flames by. Ivy Asher
  16. Ignite the Infernos by. Ivy Asher
  17. The Wildborn by. Perri Torani
  18. Tallow and Bone by. Rhiannon Hargadon (arc)
  19. Bonetide by. Karina Halle
  20. Love, Lies and Too Many Guys by. Erica Lucke Dean
  21. Harbinger by. Geneva Lee
  22. The Scarlet Ball by. Nghi Vo
  23. The House of Gardenias by. Isabel Cañas
  24. Hide the Witches by. Miranda Lyn

Reviews I Posted On My Blog:

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

How was your month?

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Harbinger by. Geneva Lee | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Harbinger (#1)

Author: Geneva Lee

Pages: 496

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Publication Date: 9/22/26

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series

Arden Icaros was never supposed to matter. From the poorest of five noble bloodlines, she prefers life on the family farm with dirt under her nails over the fine dresses at court. She just needs to get through one boring ceremony, inherit her earth magic, and return home.

Instead, she’s handed a dagger and with it, an impossible choice.

Now Arden is branded an omen of war, half the nobility wants her dead, and assassins are tracking her every move.

Her only chance of survival lies with the most feared man in Antares.

They call him Bishop. No one remembers the name he had before he dedicated his life to his order. Empowered to execute first and question later, Bishop is ruthless, terrifying, and utterly loyal to the kingdom that wants Arden dead.

He should kill her.

Instead, he offers her sanctuary.

But the longer Arden stays under Bishop’s protection, the more dangerous he becomes. Because Bishop has secrets powerful enough to topple kingdoms…and a need for Arden that could ruin them both.

Content Warning: violence, death, complicated family relationships, grief

+~ I tried a few books from this author before but I couldn’t gel with the writing but Harbinger is way different and the writing got better! Harbinger has unique world building – a world ruled by the Stars and the magic it gives some people. But maybe because I’m new to this world and getting use to it there were times that I was wanting more information about some things like this great war that happened long ago and that is about to be unleashed again. Would love to learn more about it since it’s a big deal and Arden is the harbinger to this coming new war.

+ Arden Icaros is her family’s hope to get the magic they need to help cultivate their land. But when the Stars change her fate, she’s labeled a witch, and a harbinger to a new war. I love Arden – lI ove how strong she is and how she says what’s on her mind. She’s not perfect but she loves her family and best friend Kieran. I understood her frustrations with being kept in the dark because as a reader, I felt the same frustrations when it came to the secrets Bishop was keeping. But Arden is so resilient – she goes through a lot in this first book and I liked seeing her trying to rise from her despair. I love Bishop, but would love to learn more about him. The secondary characters are great and then there are the animals!

+ The romance is epic! At first I didn’t quite feel the attraction between them, she had more chemistry with her best friend, Kieran. But when Bishop brings her to his home to protect her things change. Bishop, for the most part kept distant from her but I loved their interactions and how she got under his skin because she wasn’t afraid of him. When the sparks finally fly between them and they act on it, it’s so good, not because they finally get their spice scene but their relationship evolves and they have to work out what a future means between them and if they want to take the risk. I absolutely love them together.

+~ I didn’t expect the emotional impacts that this book gave me. The story touches on family obligation, and complicated relationships. When we first meet Arden’s family, I love them but when challenges come, there are choices to be made and I was sad to see how quick things fall apart. I love her relationship with Kieran. But this story is dark and there are some heartbreaking moments. There are a lot of twists in the story but I have a feeling there is just so much more to learn and reveal in this story. One thing I would have liked to get a better feel for is the ruling kingdom – something happens in the beginning and Bishop whisks her away to his home, so we don’t know what’s happening with the new royal. I think I’d have liked more of the political intrigue to emerge in the story, especially with how it’s tied to the last war but hopefully we learn more in book two.

Final Thoughts:

It was hard to put this one down! I love the magic, world building, found family, Arden’s personal journey, the complicated relationships, the twists and turns and the epic romance. I can’t wait to see what happens in book two!

Read if you like:

  • magic
  • found family
  • epic romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Fallen Court by. Geneva Lee | Audiobook Review – 3 stars/2 🌶️

Filthy Rich Fae by. Geneva Lee | Book Review – 3.5 stars

Filthy Rich Vampire by. Geneva Lee | Book Review – 2.5 stars

WWW Wednesday | 9/30/26

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?

Goodbye September and tomorrow, Hello October! Wow! We are really in the last stretch of 2026 – madness. I have about 22 arcs to go for 2026.

What are you currently reading?

Revived by. Bree L. Mina – arc

Sharpest Court by. Kiera Azar – arc

The Divines by. Rachel Greenlaw – arc

Bloodbound by. J.A. Good – alc

What have you just finished reading?

The Scarlet Ball by. Nghi Vo – arc – 3.5 stars/2 🌶️

Harbinger by. Geneva Lee – 4.5 stars/2 🌶️

Hide the Witches by. Miranda Lyn – 4 stars/2 🌶️

What are you going to read next?

Steelborn by. Taylor J. LaRue

Mortal Things by. Marie Lu

Cursed City by. Kate Golden

Hunt the Dragons by. Miranda Lyn

Splintered Kingdom by. Gretchen Powell Fox

What are YOU reading right now?

Bonetide by. Karina Halle | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Bonetide

Author: Karina Halle

Pages: 496

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Publication Date: 8/24/26

Categories: Dark Romance, Monster Romance, Horror, Paranormal

When Iris Galloway inherits her great-aunt’s cottage on a remote Scottish loch, the terms are live there one year, and it’s hers.

She doesn’t know about the disappearances yet, nor does she know about the handsome man who swims in the loch at night, who watches her cottage from the dark water, and who appears at her door very wet, very naked, and asking to come in.

Meanwhile, the locals warn her about a murderer on the loose, the police are in over their heads, and her aunt’s letters say to keep the salt lines around the house and the doors locked after sundown.

And never, ever invite him inside.

But Iris has spent her whole life being careful.

And this wicked stranger is going to ruin her for it.

Bonetide is a dark gothic romance that’s tinged with horror. While this book starts off almost like a cozy gothic mystery, it does pivot later into darker territory. Which also gets a little weird. If you’re here for the cozy, know that it doesn’t stay cozy. If you’re here for the dark romance, know that it’s coming. Please see inside the book or author’s website for the content warnings.

Content Warning: mentions of murder, death

+ Bonetide is a dark romance with all the creepy and spooky yet sexy vibes for spooky season or whenever you feel like reading something that make your spine tingle a little with anxiety. I loved the setting of Scotland – there is fog, a castle, a very small town and a loch with a gorgeous stranger always swimming in it. I felt like I could feel the chill in the air while reading this. There is also lore and mystery about some mythological creatures around the area which I found really fascinating.

+~ Iris’s great-aunt leaves her a cottage in Scotland but she has to stay there for a year. Iris goes there to help restart her life after her divorce but between the salt lining the windows and the hot, strange man swimming in the loch, she doesn’t really know what she’s gotten herself into. And then there are reports about missing women in the area. I don’t really blame Iris for not knowing anything about Scottish lore and the area because her great-aunt left her barely information about the house or the situation with the man. She went in blind, so her hormones got the best of her but I do say Iris was not scared off so easily – which I liked about her.

+ The romance is dark – Alasdair is not what he seems, but Iris is drawn to him, despite the warning in her mind and red flags about him. Her hormones were overriding the warning signs. But I will say, for a monster, he was gentle with her until she told him to stop being that way. The spice is quite hot between them, and I was really invested in their situation to see if it would work out since he is who he is. Like I said, Iris, is kind of made of strong stuff to stick by him after learning about what he is. He’s a monster but he’s her monster.

+ The story did really give me the chills and made me feel unsettled but there was some humor in it too because of Iris’ personality and how she deals with Alasdair being a monster. Any normal woman would run, but this monster has a Scottish brogue and is well endowed haha, so look I don’t blame her being seduced and falling for him. But I liked the mix of horror, humor and the creepy setting.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this had a little bit of everything and it worked for me: small town, creepy setting, Scottish folklore, humor, horror, spice, monster romance and a gorgeous guy swimming in a loch. This one gave me some chills and it’s perfect to read for spooky season!

Read if you like:

  • dark romance
  • Scottish folklore/mythology
  • spicy monster romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 9/27/26

Aloha friends!

+ Happy last week of September! Can you believe we are going in October? I can’t! Nothing exciting happened this past week, just the usual routine with the kids.

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

  • The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by. Marshall J. Moore
  • Harbinger by. Geneva Lee
  • Love, Lies, and Too Many Guys by. Erica Lucke Dean

Currently Reading:

  • Hide the Witches by. Miranda Lyn
  • Shadoward by. Alison Archer
  • Revived by. Bree L. Mina
  • Sharpest Court by. Kiera Azar
  • Us Defiant Few by. Alexis Patton

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • You Seem Pretty For a Girl So In Love – Olivia Rodrigo – still on repeat!
  • It’s Football season, so I’ve been watching a few games.

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!

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WWW Wednesday | 9/23/26

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?

We are coming to the end of September and I am almost finished with my arcs for this month, I have one more. 😩. I had way too much to read this month.

What are you currently reading?

Revived by. Bree L. Mina – arc

Sharpest Court by. Kiera Azar – arc

Us Defiant Few by. Alexis Patton

Shadoward by. Alison Archer

The Scarlet Ball by. Nghi Vo – arc

The Divines by. Rachel Greenlaw – arc

Harbinger by. Geneva Lee

What have you just finished reading?

A Crown of Blood and Magick by. Amy De Le Force – arc – 3 stars/2 🌶️

The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by. Marshall J. Moore – arc – 3 stars

Tallow and Bone by. Rhiannon Hargadon – arc – 4.5 stars/3 🌶️

Bonetide by. Karina Halle – 4 stars/3 🌶️

The Wildborn by. Perri Torani – 3.5 stars/2.5 🌶️

Love, Lies, and Too Many Guys by. Erica Lucke Dean – arc – 3 stars/1 🌶️

What are you going to read next?

Cursebreaker by. R.M. Gray

Firstborn by. M.J. Hastings

The Knave and the Moon by. Rachel Gillig

Steelborn by. Taylor J. LaRue

Mortal Things by. Marie Lu

What are YOU reading right now?

Dangerous Haven by. Luna Pierce | ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Dangerous Haven

Author: Luna Pierce

Pages: 464

Format: audiobook

Listening Hours: 15 hours (approx.)

Narrator (s): M.K. Blackwood; Kayden Lukakis

Publisher: Keeperton Audiobooks

Publication Date: 9/22/26

Categories: Dark Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Billionaire Romance, Series


From Amazon bestselling author Luna Pierce comes Dangerous Haven – a standalone dark romance and book one in the Brothers of Sin series. From the first reckless kiss to a wildfire of forbidden desire, Dangerous Haven draws you into a shadowed world where survival means risking everything… especially your heart.

London Gardella is running; broken, bruised, and desperate for safety. When she arrives in New York City, she’s clinging to the last hope she has left; finding sanctuary with a stranger who wants nothing to do with her.

Archer Sin is a reclusive billionaire hacker—tattooed, brooding, and razor-sharp— he thrives in the shadows. He reluctantly agrees to keep her safe, but only if she follows his two rules:

No touching his computers.

No falling in love.

Archer’s inked fingers rarely leave his keyboards, but his eyes never stop watching London… stalking her every move, sparking a fire neither can ignore. Then comes a reckless, forbidden kiss.

Rules shatter. Walls crumble. Desire ignites.

Trust is a risk neither can afford, but survival means facing the truth: sometimes, the safest haven is the most dangerous place of all.

Content Warning: death, violence, stalking, being sold into marriage

London is running for her life and finds safety with Archer Sin, who is a hacker and very, very grumpy billionaire.

London is from a crime family but Archer’s family was more interesting because they are a crime family also, but it’s a found family. He and his siblings are from foster homes, and though each one has their own quirks, one even being a little insane, I loved their interactions. Soon London finds that she likes them too.

Though London is hiding out from her soon to be husband and healing from the injuries and trauma inflicted on her, I felt like most of this story was about the dark romance between her and Archer. And in that sense, I felt like the story moved slow and not a lot happens until the end of the book but I did like the twist. Most of the book is about London and Archer in a dislike to like relationship, he’s stalking her every move to keep her safe but the more he keeps an eye on her the more his desire grows. She’s meeting his family and she’s trying to make a life for herself and making new friends. Archer is so grumpy and anti-social but I did love how he took care of her and fell in love with London, even though he fought it so hard. London, is a survivor and wasn’t afraid of Archer or his family since she was raised by a monster. The third act break-up was a little dramatic but that’s how Archer is – so dramatic with his big feelings. I will their spice was spicy but also emotional which I appreciated.

This story is told between 2 POVs, Archer and London, and I did listen to the audiobook. For the most part I enjoyed the narration but there were times the voices just weren’t doing it for me. I think the narrator doing Archer’s voice was grumpy yes but like I said, kind of too dramatic. I liked him doing Seven’s voice for some reason but everyone else’s was just okay. So I kind of wish I read the ebook instead.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was a pretty good billionaire dark romance, mafia vibes story but I think I would have enjoyed it better reading then ebook than listening to the audiobook. Archer’s grumpy, stalker personality clashed with London, but I like how she could handle him, it made things entertaining. I do think the second half of the book was better because that’s when things started happening and I liked the plot twist. Overall, I think if you like dark romance with mafia vibes and billionaire romances, you will like this one.

Read if you like:

  • dark romance
  • mafia romance
  • billionaire romance
  • grumpy MMC

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 9/20/26

Aloha friends!

+ Hope everyone had a good week – I’d say mine was uneventful! But I did end up watching some shows and reading less, not sure why…I needed a little break? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

  • The Age of Blood and Magic by. Hannah Mathewson
  • A Crown of Blood and Magick by. Amy De La Force
  • Bonetide by. Karina Halle
  • The Wildborn by. Perri Torani
  • Tallow and Bone by. Rhiannon Hargadon

Currently Reading:

  • The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by. Marshall J. Moore
  • Hide the Witches by. Miranda Lyn
  • Shadoward by. Alison Archer
  • Revived by. Bree L. Mina
  • Sharpest Court by. Kiera Azar
  • Us Defiant Few by. Alexis Patton

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • You Seem Pretty For a Girl So In Love – Olivia Rodrigo – still on repeat!
  • Crew Girl (Netflix) – I binged this one but it’s definitely kind of cringey – but I thought it was funny. Plus I learned a lot about rowing? 🤷🏻‍♀️
  • The Early Spring (Netflix) – my first C-drama! And I was obsessed even though the MMC was toxic and so overly arrogant. I thought the FMC’s journey from timid and shy to a leader in the advertising industry was such a a cool journey not because of the secret office romance with her boss – but the friendships she makes along the way whether it’s her co-workers or roommates. I was SO invested I ended up crying at a really tragic part. I still heartbroken about it. I never knew C-dramas were 20+ episodes each, I love it and can’t wait to watch more C-dramas!

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!

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