Let’s Talk Bookish:  Traveling for Literature | 6/13/25

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme originally created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits, where every Friday, bloggers write discussion posts based on a weekly prompt and Dini @ dinipandareads has cohosted since the beginning of 2025.


This week’s topic is:

June 13: Pride Month Book Recs!

Prompts: Many books are inspired by real-life settings. Have you ever visited places inspired by books you’ve read? What places are on your bucketlist? If you could visit any fictional setting come to life, where would you go?

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Many books are inspired by real-life settings. Have you ever visited places inspired by books you’ve read?

Looking at my current books I’ve read, I realize I do not read a lot of books based in reality lol. 😂. But that makes sense since I’m always escaping…but I did find a few books that were set in places I’ve visited in the past.

All Paths Lead to Paris by. Sabrina Fedel – Paris, France! I went in 2011 for my honeymoon – it was a European Grand Tour so we hit a lot of popular cities in Europe.

Love Unmasked by. Becky Dean – Venice, Italy – this was part of my honeymoon tour but we only were there for one day, which I was sad about. i found it such a mysterious city and wanted to explore but didn’t have time. But we did the gondola ride, and I remember it being VERY hot.

Something Like Fate by. Amy Lea – if I remember this book, they went all over Italy.

All Roads Lead to Rome by. Sabrina Fedel – Rome, Italy – I remember going to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basillica. We went to the Trevi fountain and the Spanish steps. The Colosseum was so hot and crowded, I felt like I didn’t really get to appreciate it. But I enjoyed Rome!

Castle of the Cursed by. Romina Garber – Spain – this takes place in Spain and the only place I’ve been in Spain is Madrid, but it was a fun trip.

The Seventh Veil of Salome by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Los Angeles, California. This takes place in the golden age of Hollywood but I went to college in California during 1996-2000. So definitely a different era but a time was had! Some of the best years of my life.

The Getaway List by. Emma Lord – New York, New York – my best friend from college and I took a trip to New York back in 2009. It was such a fun girl’s trip and a much needed one at that time. I have so many good memories of that trip.

What places are on your bucketlist?

What the River Knows by. Isabel Ibañez – Egypt is on my bucket list!

The Amalfi Curse by. Sarah Penner – I’ve been all over Italy but I haven’t been to the Amalfi coast.

This Time it’s Real by. Ann Liang – China is on my list as well.

Under Loch and Key by. Lana Ferguson – Scotland has always been a place I’ve wanted to visit.

XOXO by. Axie Oh – South Korea! But I’m crossing this off my list since I’m in South Korea as this post has published.

The Great Alone by. Kristin Hannah – Alaska. The trip that COVID took away from my family (parents, sister and her family and mine) – sad….we had a Disney Alaska Cruise booked when Covid locked down everything.

Tokyo Ever After by. Emiko Jean – Tokyo, Japan. I’ve been to Okinawa, Osaka and Kyoto but never to Tokyo. That’s next on my list!

If you could visit any fictional setting come to life, where would you go?

Most of the fictional settings I read are scary! lol….but these are the places I would love to visit just for a week or so.

Den of Liars by. Jessica S. Olson – the setting is like Vegas but with magic and more danger. I’d be there visiting just for the magic and gambling.

Embrace the Serpent by. Sunya Mara – I just want to have a golemn friend that was made of rocks! Oh and magical gems.

The Floating World by. Axie Oh – this world seems very magical.

Thunderhead by. Neal Shusterman – okay this world fascinates me, I’d be scared of the Scythes but…having no death because such advancement of medicine? This world kind of sounds like what our reality is heading towards but it’s fascinating to read about.

Onyx Storm by. Rebecca Yarros – I’d just go for a tour of meeting the dragons lol.

A Court of Mist and Fury by. Sarah J. Maas – Velaris. Plus I feel I’d only feel protected in Velaris.

June Topics:


June 2: Pride Month Book Recs!

  Prompts: Happy Pride Month! To celebrate, we’d love to hear about your favourite LGBTQIA+ books, why you love them, and what books you’d recommend for a summer Pride reading list. Are there any new releases you’re looking forward to reading this Pride Month?


June 13: Traveling for Literature

  Prompts: Many books are inspired by real-life settings. Have you ever visited places inspired by books you’ve read? What places are on your bucketlist? If you could visit any fictional setting come to life, where would you go?


June 20: All About Audiobooks (Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly)

Prompts: Do you like to read audiobooks? Where do you typically get audiobooks? Do you have any favorite narrators, or platforms for listening to them? Do you find it easy to access audiobooks, or can it be more challenging compared to ebooks and physical books?


June 27: Mid-Year Check-In

  Prompts: Now that we’re halfway through the year, let’s check in! How has your reading year been so far? What reading/blogging achievements are you most proud of? Looking forward, is there anything you want to change up for the rest of the year?

All Paths Lead to Paris by. Sabrina Fedel | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: All Paths Lead to Paris

Author: Sabrina Fedel

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 6/17/25

Publisher: Delacorte Romance

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age, Contemporary, Fake Dating

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 Romance for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!


When a fashion influencer with a luxe Parisian life and a fake musician boyfriend meets a “normal” guy and begins to date him on the sly, she must rethink all of her lies—and consider whether they might have a little too much truth in them.

Seventeen-year-old Aurie McGinley lives an envied life as a fashion influencer in Paris, sharing a manager with, and fake dating up-and-coming musical god Remy St. Julien. Girls throw themselves at Remy, but he’s always just been her best friend. She doesn’t have time for a real boyfriend.

Until she bumps into normal guy, Kylian, while fleeing paparazzi. Kylian is the type of guy her mother wants her to date. In fact, her family would rather she focus on school and getting into an elite college than showcasing the latest runway haute couture. Aurie begins to think Kylian is the guy for her, too.

She’s fake dating one guy, while actually dating another—all while keeping up a constant, live video diary. But then a fake kiss with Remy turns steamy and her head is scrambled. Could her best friend really be the one for her? Aurie must tune out everyone else’s expectations to focus on herself and discover what she really wants.

Content Warning: paparazzi

+ This young adult romance is set in Paris, and Aurie is a fashion influencer who documents her daily life and it is her rise to fame. She is fake-dating her best-friend, a famous musician named Remy. They got together to chase more fame but now she’s wondering what is happening to their friendship.

+ This is a really quick, light, fluffy read. I love the setting of Paris and learning about the education system and the tests they have to take. Of course the French food being featured in the book sounds delicious. The romance involves Aurie fake-dating two boys, until she dates one for real. But you can kind of tell where this story is going from the beginning and I did like that both boys were nice.

+ Aurie is trying to figure her life out. She’s a successful influencer but she still has parents who want her to attend college. But with parents who are divorced, one in America and one in France, she has to make some hard choices. She also can’t make those choices until she finishes the test that all highschoolers in France have to take, the Le Bac. But Aurie has a problem with learning math and has a disability called dyscalculia, which I never even heard of so I learned something.

~ The fake dating both boys occurs almost 60% into the book and doesn’t actually make me believe she has feelings for Kylian at all.

Final Thoughts:

I did like the author’s first book better than this one, but this one did have it’s charm and it’s set in Paris. This one is a cute, easy, light young adult romance.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

All Roads Lead to Rome by Sabrina Fedel | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weekly Wrap Up | 6/8/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Today I fly out to South Korea with my older sister and we’ll be gone for a week. It sucks to lose time traveling, because it’s a day ahead there so even though we leave on Sunday we get there Monday night. So we’re only really there for 4 real days to explore. Then fly back on Saturday! Hopefully I’ll have some interesting things to post about South Korea next Sunday.

+ My son’s piano recital is today and I’m sad I’ll miss it. He is still getting over a cough, so I hope he does okay. I know he’ll do great.

+ Did my annual breast MRI on Wednesday and everything looks good – thank god! Being in an MRI machine is like being in a rave lol…it’s so loud and the beats are thumping. I always choose Taylor Swift for my playlist in there but this time around I could barely hear the music and at one point something was tickling my nose – grrr…and you can’t move for like 25 minutes! But I got through it…at least I don’t have to worry about it for another year.

+ My son picked up his new Nintendo Switch 2! He saved money for and he’s been having a blast playing the new Mario Kart game. And yes he has been sharing it with his sister, but she’s not as much as a gamer as he is. Her ipad is still her favorite thing to play Roblox on. Though she does have my old switch, which I actually want back because I want the Hello Kitty game! 😅

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

I didn’t post much this week it seems!

Books I Finished:

I haven’t been in the mood to read much – maybe because I had so much to do before my trip.

Where the Library Hides by. Isabel Ibañez (audiobook)


Currently Reading:

Smoke and Scar by. Gretchen Powell Fox

Throne of Secrets by. Kerri Maniscalco

The Homemade God by. Rachel Joyce

Wrath of the Dragons by. Olivia Rose Darling

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Addison by. Addison Rae – I need a few more listens but I love New York and Diet Pepsi

Videos I Posted to Youtube:

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!

Instagram | Tiktok | Youtube

Monthly Wrap Up | May 2025

May was a busy month as usual! There are always so many end of school things to do in May, tests, school events, doctor appointments, etc…and I got through it. YAY!

I read 25 books and posted 14 book reviews in May.

I don’t have my journaling video ready to publish yet so I’m not including it in this monthly wrap up. But I’ll post it sometime later in the month when I have time!

Books I Read – 25 books:

  1. The Love Haters by. Katherine Center (arc)
  2. Embrace the Serpent by. Sunya Mara (arc)
  3. Nightshade by. Autumn Woods
  4. King of Envy by. Ana Huang
  5. Silver Elite by. Dani Francis
  6. A Forgery of Fate by. Elizabeth Lim (arc)
  7. Shield of Sparrows by. Devney Perry
  8. His Mortal Demise by. Vanessa Le
  9. Tenderly, I Am Devoured by. Lyndall Clipstone (arc)
  10. Den of Liars by. Jessica S. Olson (arc)
  11. Well, Actually by. Mazey Eddings (arc)
  12. Predatory Natures by. Amy Goldsmith (arc)
  13. Pigeon-Blood Red by. Ed Duncan
  14. Maid for Each Other by. Lynn Painter (arc)
  15. Enchantra by. Kaylie Smith
  16. For the Record by. Emma Lord (arc)
  17. Love Unmasked by. Becky Dean (arc)
  18. Give Me a Reason by. Jayci Lee (arc)
  19. Bound in Inked Flame by. Ava Larksen
  20. Thorn Season by. Kiera Azar (arc)
  21. The Jasad Crown by. Sara Hashem (arc)
  22. Arcana Academy by. Elise Kova (arc)
  23. Fallen Court: Filthy Rich Fae by. Geneva Lee
  24. Mayra by. Nicky Gonzalez (arc)
  25. Love at Full Tilt by. Jenny L. Howe (arc)

Reviews I Posted: 14 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: May – Emerald

Blog Tours:

BLOG TOUR} A Campus of Fire by. Patrick O’Dowd | Book Excerpt

Let’s Talk Bookish:

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Bookish Fandoms | 5/2/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Motivation to Read | 5/9/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  What is one book that everyone else seemed to love except you? | 5/16/25

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Literary Palette Cleansers | 5/23/25

Other:

How was your month?

The Bond That Burns by. Briar Boleyn| Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: The Bond That Burns (Bloodwing Academy, #2)

Author: Briar Boleyn

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 395

Publication Date: 12/27/24

Categories: Romantasy, Dark Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Bully Romance


At Bloodwing Academy, blood is currency, but a dragon’s legacy is priceless–and as dangerous as fire.

I thought surviving my first year in Bloodwing’s deadly halls would be enough. I was wrong.

I accidentally woke a dragon–a creature of myth, of death, of fire.

Now every highblood house wants control over me and the dragon’s legacy I carry. But here’s the I have no control. I’m bluffing my way through every encounter, trying to keep everyone from realizing that I’m not the one pulling the dragon’s strings.

And then there’s Blake Drakharrow. I thought he was on my side, that I might even be able to trust him. But he betrayed me. Now I’m his only blood source. How messed up is that? In a place like Bloodwing, where power and survival are everything, this bond may well be the death of us both. Unless I can find a way to end it.

In this world of vampires, dragons, and lies, there are no happy endings. Just legends–and the darkness it takes to make them.


Content Warning: violence, death, bullying; the book has an extensive list of trigger warnings

I read book two since it was on kindle limited and I was like why not – I just finished book one, let’s push on.

+ Still love Medra’s friendships with Florence, Theo and Visha. Also her growing bond with the dragon, Nyxaris, who has a right to mistrust vampires and everyone else.

+ There is more dragons in this story than learning about vampire lore. Now the story has focused on figuring out what happened to dragons in the past since of course Nyxaris conveniently doesn’t remember much. It’s a mystery that Medra promised Nyyxaris she would learn about and provide the dragon with that missing information.

+ Loved that Kage was featured more in this book – I honestly wish he was the love interest.

~ I do not like Blake. I just couldn’t stand his downward spiral in this book. This is where the bully romance really shows (more than in book one). He is going through a change (something of course I figured out right away once it was hinted in the book) – but he is losing control because of his need for Medra. He is possessive, jealous, angry, but she’s trying her best to push him away (uncessfully), but he is such an ass to her. Maybe growth will come for him in book three but I don’t know if I’ll read it, I can’t stand to hear him say everything is his fault and then he messes up again. Come on Blake! Medra needs to grow also – why is she always getting betrayed by the end of the story? Like no one is steps ahead in this story except Viktor, Blake’s uncle and he’s the villain!

~ The romance is now not so enemies to lovers. She “hates” him but loves to have sex with him. So they are in the enemies with benefits stage, I guess? I don’t know because this is the first time I have actually skipped all the smut in a book because I just couldn’t stand the characters being with one another! 😅. I got tired of the back and forth.

~ Medra finally mentions a tiny bit about her past. Crumbs. Why haven’t we learned more about her fae upbringing yet? Why the long wait? Why is her mother’s spirit in a knife? She brings her along randomly and they can talk in Medra’s head when she has the knife, but it’s so strange. Just gives us more information about Medra!

~ Blake’s sister is still feral. Then Mr. Rodriguez who was supposedly a nice teacher thinks to create a secret society dragon hunter on his own – like what? More things happen but actually they all happen at the end and then there’s a cliffhanger. And why are all the good people getting hurt and dying?

~ The writing isn’t my favorite. It’s simple to read but some things just doesn’t flow well and there is just too much going on.

Final Thoughts:

I was happy this book was shorter than the first, but at least in book one Blake only had hints of being horrible and there was more academia, trials, drama and politics to keep the story moving. This one focused more on the bully romance and I hate a bully so I do not like Blake in this book at all, so much so that I dislike the romance between him and Medra a lot. I did like Medra’s friendships but I hope there is LOTS of growth for Blake and Medra in book three but I kind out doubt there will be. If I read book three it won’t be for the romance, but for the dragons, Kage Tanaka and maybe to learn something more about Medra’s past.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

On Wings of Blood by. Briar Boleyn ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Pride Month Book Recs! | 6/6/25

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme originally created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits, where every Friday, bloggers write discussion posts based on a weekly prompt and Dini @ dinipandareads has cohosted since the beginning of 2025.


This week’s topic is:

June 6: Pride Month Book Recs!

Prompts: Happy Pride Month! To celebrate, we’d love to hear about your favourite LGBTQIA+ books, why you love them, and what books you’d recommend for a summer Pride reading list. Are there any new releases you’re looking forward to reading this Pride Month?

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To celebrate, we’d love to hear about your favourite LGBTQIA+ books, why you love them, and what books you’d recommend for a summer Pride reading list.

This Poison Heart by. Kaylynn Bayron

The House in the Cerulean Sea by. TJ Klune

The Song of Achilles by. Madeline Miller

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by. Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Guncle by. Steven Rowley

Pumpkin by. Julie Murphy

Are there any new releases you’re looking forward to reading this Pride Month?

I don’t have anything specifically being read for Pride Month, but I don’t do monthly TBR’s. I feel like so many arcs I’m reading have LGBTQIA+ characters already which is awesome. So here is a list of some books that I read recently with LGBTQIA+ characters:

Silvercloak by. L.K. Steven

Well, Actually by. Mazey Eddings

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by. Lyndall Clipstone

June Topics:


June 2: Pride Month Book Recs!

  Prompts: Happy Pride Month! To celebrate, we’d love to hear about your favourite LGBTQIA+ books, why you love them, and what books you’d recommend for a summer Pride reading list. Are there any new releases you’re looking forward to reading this Pride Month?


June 13: Traveling for Literature

  Prompts: Many books are inspired by real-life settings. Have you ever visited places inspired by books you’ve read? What places are on your bucketlist? If you could visit any fictional setting come to life, where would you go?


June 20: All About Audiobooks (Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly)

Prompts: Do you like to read audiobooks? Where do you typically get audiobooks? Do you have any favorite narrators, or platforms for listening to them? Do you find it easy to access audiobooks, or can it be more challenging compared to ebooks and physical books?


June 27: Mid-Year Check-In

  Prompts: Now that we’re halfway through the year, let’s check in! How has your reading year been so far? What reading/blogging achievements are you most proud of? Looking forward, is there anything you want to change up for the rest of the year?

On Wings of Blood by. Briar Boleyn| Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: On Wings of Blood (Bloodwing Academy, #1)

Author: Briar Boleyn

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 523

Publication Date: 11/30/24

Categories: Romantasy, Dark Romance, Enemies to Lovers


What do you get if you mix Harry Potter with Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, a dash of Arthurian legend, and lots and lots of vampires? Bloodwing Academy.

I didn’t sign up for this.

A half-fae in a school of highblood vampires? That’s a recipe for torment.

I’m Medra Pendragon—last of the dragon riders, or so they tell me. Funny thing is, there are no dragons left. Not a single one. But somehow, that hasn’t stopped the vampires from deciding I’m worth capturing. Now I’m stuck at Bloodwing Academy, where the highbloods run everything and blightborn like me? We’re just blood in their veins, pawns in their games.

But that’s not even the worst part. Enter Blake Drakharrow. Cold, arrogant, and way too gorgeous for his own good. He’s been tormenting me since the moment we met, and now, thanks to some ancient ritual, we’re betrothed. He acts like he owns me, but I’m not going down without a fight.

Bloodwing isn’t just a school—it’s a battlefield. Highbloods fight for power, and if you’re weak? You’re dead.

Between deadly competitions, lies that could get me executed, and a dragon-shaped secret looming over my head, all I have to do is survive. Easy, right? Except I’m starting to think the real danger isn’t the academy—it’s what I’m becoming in this twisted game of power.

And Blake? He might just be the one who pushes me over the edge.

They think they can control me. They think they can use me.

But they have no idea what they’ve awakened.


Content Warning: violence, death, bullying; the book has an extensive list of trigger warnings

Okay, I finally pushed through and read this book which is a sensation on booktok! And I have a few thoughts. Let’s start with the good.

+ I always love a dark academia type of book. I don’t know why, but I always have and I did enjoy it in this story as well. In Bloodwing Academy, there are four main vampire houses that rule. The blightblood who are not vampires but allowed into the school will be funneled into a certain house by the end of the year. The students learn different things like combat, healing, history, and more.

+ Medra Pendragon, is fae/human, but forced to be bound to a vampire prince, Blake Drakharrow, because of her dragon rider mark. For the most part I thought she is an interesting character who has lots of fight in her, and secrets. Because she dropped out of nowhere, she knew nothing about vampires and their world so she questioned a lot of the authority figures. It will be interesting to see what happens in book two.

+ I did find the world-building fascinating because I also do love a good vampire story. There was a lot to learn about the vampires, dragon riders and then there is Medra who is fae and just dropped out of her world into this vampire one.

+ I enjoyed the found family Medra created with her new friends at Bloodwing Academy especially since some of the highblood vampires, Blake’s friends, were trying to make her life hell.

~ This was almost a DNF in chapter one because I was lost and confused. And I put it aside for weeks but kept seeing tiktoks about it and I really wanted to know what the fuss was about so I finally PUSHED through the beginning and once Medra is at the academy things start to make sense. So I didn’t like how this book started.

~ I don’t love the romance. They are forced to be bound because of Blake’s uncle, and because this book was mostly world-building and learning about vampires since Medra is clueless about this world, I felt like they didn’t have much interaction. When they did interact I didn’t feel any chemistry and yet he’s obsessed with her. There is one real spicy scene between them, I think two fantasies, but just one real one and even then I felt it came on suddenly. And then he goes and messes it all up – really Blake? (And why is this hot, scary vampire named Blake?!) I’m reading book two just to see if he can redeem himself. Honestly, I wanted her to end up with Kage Tanaka!

~ I think there was too much going on in this story. There is Medra’s secret fae identity, she’s a dragon rider – how? Why? And then her mother that died at birth is in her thoughts, she is talking to her spirit, but that kind of goes away in the middle of the story? And Blake’s sister is going feral. Then Medra has to do all these trials, plus all the schooling she taking on. It just didn’t flow well for me. It felt all over the place.

Final Thoughts:

This would have been a DNF if I didn’t power through and in conclusion it’s one of those books that is entertaining if you like all the tropes like dark academia, enemies to lovers, found family and more. I didn’t love the writing style and it might be just me but I had trouble with the formatting of the text not having indentations (it was driving me crazy which made me want to DNF at first). I didn’t love the romance either – will there be someone else for Medra? Probably not, so let’s see if things change in book two and I am reading book two because of the dragon aspect of the story which only really emerged at the end of this book. I think it has a lot of potential but just didn’t love the execution of it.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Pigeon-Blood Red by. Ed Duncan| Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice:

Title: Pigeon-Blood Red (Pigeon-Blood Red, #1)

Author: Ed Duncan

Format: ebook

Pages: 250

Publication Date: 9/2/2016

Categories: Suspense, Crime, Mystery, Thriller


For underworld enforcer Richard “Rico” Sanders, it seemed like an ordinary job: retrieve his gangster boss’s stolen goods, and teach the person responsible a lesson.

But the chase quickly goes sideways and takes Rico from the mean streets of Chicago to sunny Honolulu. There, the hardened hit man finds himself in uncharted territory, when innocent bystanders are accidentally embroiled in a crime.

As Rico pursues his new targets, hunter and prey develop an unlikely respect for one another.

Soon, he is faced with a momentous decision: follow his orders to kill the very people who have won his admiration, or refuse and endanger the life of the woman he loves?


Content Warning: violence

+ I was asked to read and review this book even though it’s not really the type of genre I usually read but I was open to trying it.

+ I liked how some of the story is set in Honolulu, Hawaii, since I’m from here. The author definitely described Waikiki really well! And though Hawaii is known as paradise, there is a dark underbelly to paradise, and I think this crime story fit well in this setting.

+ I thought the story moved quickly and it is pretty straightforward as we follow Rico doing his job. There is a lot of action and it’s also only 250 pages long so it’s a quick read.

~ It’s not a genre I usually read so I wasn’t totally into the story.

Final Thoughts:

This is definitely not the type of book genre I read these days, though I did have a phase of reading crime thrillers years ago. So I didn’t enjoy it like I do other books but it is well written so if you like fast moving crime thrillers, you might enjoy this book!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 6/4/25

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 everyone! Kids are on summer break – yay! But my son is still getting over a cough. We had the laziest day on Sunday so all I did was read. Now it’s Wednesday and I have a doctor’s appointment. I have been packing for my South Korea trip which happens on Sunday. Just a few more errands to take care of before then and then I’ll be on vacay. I’m excited to go to somewhere new!

What are you currently reading?

The Knight and the Moth by. Rachel Gillig – I haven’t gotten far because I’m reading the hardcover and I need daylight for that (but I read mostly at night). Might have to read this one after my vacation.

Summer in the City by. Alex Aster – same reason as above

Wrath of Dragons by. Olivia Rose Darling (Fear the Flames, #2) – this is an arc and I’m 11% in.

The Homemade God by. Rachel Joyce – 16% in

Tricks of Fortune by. Lina Chern – 13% in


What have you just finished reading?

On Wings of Blood by. Briar Boleyn – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bond That Burns by. Briar Boleyn – ⭐️⭐️💫

Love at Full Tilt by. Jenny L. Howe – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mayra by. Nicky Gonzalez – ⭐️⭐️⭐️


What are you going to read next?

More arcs to knock off my July netgalley list! And then I’ll be moving on the August arcs! I don’t have a lot in August but why did I sign up for so many in September?! I think it’s funny that in November, I only have 1 arc to read. 😅

A Theory of Dreaming by. Ava Reid

Soul of Shadow by. Emma Noyes

Heir of Storms by. Lauryn Hamilton Murray

The Bewitching by. Silvia Moreno-Garcia

What are YOU reading right now?

The Beautiful Maddening by. Shea Ernshaw | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Beautiful Maddening

Author: Shea Ernshaw

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 6/3/25

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary Fantasy, Romance

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

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!


From #1 New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw comes a haunting romantic contemporary fantasy about a teen navigating her family’s love curse that blooms with their enchanted tulips every year.

Seventeen year-old Lark Goode wants only one to escape her small town of Cutwater and the history of her family name. It’s a history that began during the Dutch tulip mania of 1636, when Lark’s ancestor stole the last remaining tulip bulbs and fled to America. But when the tulips bloomed on American soil, madness sprouted from their snowy white petals.

The madness was love.

Now, generations later, the Goodes remain cursed—the unnatural flowers outside their home causing locals to fall helplessly in love with anyone carrying Goode blood in their veins. While her brother embraces the strange power, Lark wants nothing more than to be free from it.

But when she meets a boy who seems unaffected by the family curse, Lark finds herself falling headlong into a feeling she’s spent her whole life trying to avoid. Yet, all curses and magic come with a price, and the town of Cutwater soon sinks into a dangerous sickness tied to Lark and the ill-fated tulips.

To save the town, Lark will need to sacrifice everything—even true love—to break the spell. Because in the Goode family, love has a way of destroying everything.

Content Warning: parental neglect, trespassing, flood

+ This is a really interesting book that starts off with two teens who are twins, Archer and Lark. They live in a very small town and their family name is cursed because of the tulips that grow in their yard. Yes, magical tulips. Apparently the tulips have so much pheromone that anyone who is carrying the tulip will have people fall in love with them. It’s why Archer can get the girls he wants, it’s how he survives. It’s why Lark wants to leave the town and never look back because how can she tell how really loves her if the tulip draws people to her?

+ Lark meets a boy, Oak, who claims he is from another town over, and that the tulips don’t affect him. During Spring when the tulips are in bloom, the town is in a frenzy. The romance between Lark and Oak is insta-love and heavy but written beautifully because who isn’t scared and vulnerable when falling in love? The author captures all of it – the feelings, fear, not being sure, the questions, the push and pull, the running away, and the wanting. Questioning love was the whole point of the story. We see Lark and her aversion to love because how her parents left them. And with her romance with Oak, she doesn’t know if it’s the tulips or if it’s real. And is it love or obsession?

~ If you don’t like insta-love and angst you might not like this. It actually triggered memories of my first real heartbreak when I was young, but in a good way since I can look back without any bad feelings. So in essence, this story did it’s job in capturing young love and heartbreak and questioning what love is. I mean, who knows what it is in your teen years. But everyone at that age thinks they know.

~ The parents were just non-existent in this book. They left these kids to fend for themselves! Who does that? Addictive tulips or not…talk about parental neglect.

~ I would have loved to get more information about the family curse, and where it originates. Also the ending is an interesting choice for sure!

Final Thoughts:

Oh to be young and in love dealing with all the unknowns, fears and obsession. It’s not fun when you aren’t sure it’s reciprocated and to make matters worse, you add magic, potent tulips that enhances the feelings? Sounds like madness. I think the young adults will enjoy this one. It was a bit too dramatic for me, but I did love how the author captured the madness of falling in love.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

A Wilderness of Stars by. Shea Ernshaw | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book Review: The Wicked Deep ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Review | Winterwood ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️