Tag: books

King of Sloth by. Ana Huang | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: King of Sloth

Author: Ana Huang

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 466

Publication Date: 4/30/24

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Series



He’d never wanted anyone enough to chase them…until he met her.

Charming, easygoing, and rich beyond belief, Xavier Castillo has the world at his fingertips. 

He also has no interest in taking over his family’s empire (much to his father’s chagrin), but that hasn’t stopped women from throwing themselves at him…unless the woman in question is his publicist. 

Nothing brings him more joy than riling her up, but when a tragedy forces them closer than ever, he must grapple with the uncertainty of his future—and the realization that the only person immune to his charms is the only one he truly wants.  

***
Cool, intelligent, and ambitious, Sloane Kensington is a high-powered publicist who’s used to dealing with difficult clients. 

However, none infuriate—or tempt—her more than a certain billionaire heir, with his stupid dimples and laid-back attitude. 

She may be forced to work with him, but she’ll never fall for him…no matter how fast he makes her heart beat or how thoughtful he is beneath his party persona. 

He’s her client, and that’s all he’ll ever be. Right?

Content Warning: grief, death of parents, strained family relationships

+ This one started off really good. I always thought Sloane was a strong character from book one – she’s the publicist who works hard and is good at her job. She kind of has a reputation as cold and an “ice princess” which is interesting because I felt she was fiery and somewhat of a machine that a princess. Also she doesn’t have a good relationship with her family. But I always found her a good friend when she appeared in the first two books of this series.

+ Xavier is charming, handsome and caring but kind of lacking direction. He also has some demons he’s struggling with along with a strained relationship with his father. He’s an heir to a billionaire fortune he doesn’t want so he tries to find his own way. Sloane is basically his “babysitter” trying to rehab his party boy image and I thought her being hard of him was kind of funny because he didn’t seem bothered by it at all. But with his party boy image I was assuming he would be a “bad boy” but he really wasn’t. He’s actually a sweet and nice guy, not ruthless at all which was not what I was expecting.

+~ I feel like the romance started great but sort of lost steam after the midway point only because they are both dealing with some challenges in their own separate lives. Obviously they don’t lose feelings for one another and only get better the longer they date, but I wanted more angst maybe but they are more of a comfort to one another which is nice – I just wanted some tension. Maybe because they got together so soon in the book and I wanted their back and forth to be drawn out a bit longer?

~ I really wish this was under 400 pages because I was losing interest at the 60% mark and that makes me wonder if I just didn’t care after they started dating because I knew they would be okay. The rest of the book was about Xavier trying to start his own business and Sloane dealing with family drama, because her family is awful. But I was skimming some of these pages at the end.

My Final Thoughts:

I really liked how this book started off but then it fizzled out for me in the second half. I think Sloane and Xavier are a cute couple, I just wanted more tension to build between them before they got together. I do like how they are there for each other though. I think I had this misconception that Xavier would be ruthless and be a real bad boy but in actuality Sloane is the ruthless one and she has to be in order to whip him into shape! Overall, I enjoyed the first part of the book but I kind of got bored with the second half.

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

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

King of Greed by. Ana Huang | Book Review ⭐️⭐️

King of Pride by. Ana Huang | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

King of Wrath by. Ana Huang | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 5/15/24

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?

The heat is on – my ac is still not fixed 😅. And of course this week just started to get hot and himid sigh…it sucks but I’m amazed I had motivation to read since sitting and not moving means I don’t get super hot in the house so it’s actually good for reading! I finally broke my reading slump with contemporary romance! I’m trying to get back into fantasy but I feel like my brain is too tired to get into world-building, so I’m reading those book slower than usual.

What are you currently reading?

The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken – 2% in

Fate of the Sun King by. Nisha J. Tuli – 69% trying to finish this one since it publishes soon.

That Prince Is Mine by. Jayci Lee – 2% in

The Hemlock Queen by. Hannah Whitten – I was so surprised to see this available on Kindle Unlimited!

What have you just finished reading?

Not Another Love Song by. Julie Soto – 4.5 stars

King of Sloth by. Ana Huang – 3 stars

Check & Mate by. Ali Hazelwood – 4 stars

What are you going to read next?

What are you reading right now?

Check & Mate by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Check & Mate

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 11/7/23

Categories: Young Adult/New Adult , Romance, Contemporary, Chess, LGBT+



In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.

Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist….

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)

Content Warning: grief, dysfunctional family

+ My most favorite thing about this book has to be about the chess world. After watching The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix a few years I found the competitive world of chess so fascinating! Maybe because the lead was a female chess player. But I like that about Check & Mate that the lead is a female chess prodigy because we get to see her experience while playing in a male dominated game. I loved all the scenes about the competitions and training even though I have minimal knowledge of chess myself, I found it really interesting.

+ Mallory is a character who is really going through some stuff. A situation with her late dad has left her blaming herself for the state of her family and she feels totally responsible for taking care of them, but she’s only 18 years old. She may be a chess prodigy but she put chess aside when things went down with her dad – and she’s far behind the competition in ranking. She basically knows nothing about the competitive world of chess.

+ The supporting cast is so also one of my favorite parts of this book, especially Oz. He is so cranky and snarky, but I thought he’s snide remarks were so funny. What a personality. And I like that he called Mallory out on her bs when everything fell apart. Mallory actually had a good support system of friends, family and new colleagues but she wasn’t very good at accepting their help because of this guilt she carried inside her. I also particularly liked the rheumatoid arthritis representation, with Mal’s mom. My best friend has rheumatoid arthritis and I’ve see her go through some major challenges all her life.

+~ I thought the romance between Mallory and Nolan was cute and the rivals to lovers trope was fun and full of tension. But I also wanted more from their relationship, but that’s just personal preference – a little more angst maybe? Or just more scenes with Nolan? Mal did keep running from him in the beginning so it’s mostly in the second half that they get more scenes together which is a shame because I wanted him there from the moment she met him. I do think because of both their personalities and past trauma that maybe they both had some things to work through – mostly for Mal though. I loved when they did finally act of their attraction.

~ I did like Mallory’s devotion to her mom and sisters. But her sisters are a handful and sometimes it got annoying. There is a lot of cultural pop and Gen Z references, but I didn’t mind it.

My Final Thoughts:

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this one because of all the chess but I loved it! I just wish there was more Mallory and Nolan time in the book and maybe less of Mal’s sisters, but overall I enjoyed this one a lot!

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

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bride by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Love Hypothesis by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weekly Wrap Up | 5/12/24

Aloha friends!

All over after my daughter’s recital huh? Nope. My a/c broke and is still unfixed because my brother in law who was going to fix it has covid and isn’t feeling well. Then our house alarm was acting up – apparently due to a bulging battery in the monitor. So glad that is fixed at least. And my mom had another medical emergency so that sucks but just trying to take one day at a time. I hope this week is better.

Anyway I hope everyone has a good week!

**UPDATE EDIT:

And HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! I totally forgot to add that in here lol…but Happy Mother’s Day to all the mother’s of humans, pets, mother figures, etc…!!! Hope you had a good one!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • Check & Mate by. Ali Hazelwood
  • Not Another Love Song by. Julie Soto
  • King of Sloth by. Ana Huang
  • Funny Story by. Emily Henry

Currently Reading:

  • The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken
  • Fate of the Sun King by. Nisha J. Tuli

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

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!

Funny Story by. Emily Henry | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Funny Story

Author: Emily Henry

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 4/23/24

Categories: Romance, Contemporary



A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Content Warning: dysfunctional parents, cheating

I went into this one with lower expectations and not reading any reviews because I didn’t totally love the last book she put out. And I’m glad I went in without knowing anything because I really loved this one.

Daphne is a librarian who has just been dumped by her fiancé, Peter. But the break-up forced her to move out of their place so she ends up moving in with Peter’s new girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend, Miles. Sounds messy right?

I felt for Daphne because she’s left unmoored in a town she moved to because of her ex boyfriend. She’s trying to come to grips with the break-up, and trying to figure out why the men she loves keep leaving her disappointed. Yes, she has daddy issues because her dad was such a deadbeat, and that plays into her insecurities and fears about relationships, but she really thought Peter was the one who could fix all of that. I also liked how she was someone who had a hard time making friends but in the book she opens up a lot with Miles’ help but also from her own initiative to want to change that part of her life.

Miles, the roommate, is such a fun and chill character. He’s such a nice, sweet guy but he has issues too growing up with a narcissistic mother. Daphne and Miles together had such great banter and I loved their growing friendship and attraction to one another. I loved their chemistry even if that had moments they had to really back off from it because they weren’t in the right head space. I love that they both get to the right place together.

There are a lot of family issues brought up in the book. Daphne has issues with her dad who is barely in her life but her bond with her mom touched my heart so much and made me tear up. I love their bond. Miles’ childhood was horrible because he had a narcissistic mother and his father was gone a lot but it really messed with his mental health and how he viewed himself.

My Final Thoughts:

This one hit me in the feels! I loved the cozy town, Daphne being a librarian, the crew at the library, Miles, the friendships made along the way and the love that grew between Daphne and Miles. I felt the story had great tension to hold my attention, enough steam to make me gasp, so much love to be found in different relationships throughout the book – I even ended up tearing when Daphne and Miles had their first real fight. I was rooting for them so hard and I love that they had their happily after because these two characters deserved it.

Quotes From the Book:

“Life, I’d learned, is a revolving door. Most things that come into it only stay awhile.”

Funny Story by. Emily Henry

“If a person lets you down, it’s time to reconsider what you’re asking of them.”

Funny Story by. Emily Henry

“You can’t force a person to show up, but you can learn a lesson when they don’t.”

Funny Story by. Emily Henry

“I want to push as hard as possible against all the bruises in my heart, until it changes me. Until I learn to stop fucking everything up.”

Funny Story by. Emily Henry

“I don’t want to hurt him. I just don’t want him to hurt me either. “

Funny Story by. Emily Henry

“I’m a cynic. And a cynic is a romantic who’s too scared to hope.”

Funny Story by. Emily Henry

“Flags so red, they veered toward maroon.”

Funny Story by. Emily Henry

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

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Happy Place by. Emily Henry | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beach Read by. Emily Henry| Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book Lovers by. Emily Henry | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

People We Meet on Vacation by. Emily Henry | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by. Katherine Arden | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Author: Katherine Arden

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 325

Publication Date: 2/13/24

Categories: Historical Fiction, Paranormal, War



During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.

Content Warning: war, injuries, death

Laura and Freddie are siblings, both have been sent to the front lines, Laura as a nurse and Freddie as a soldier. And now Laura is trying to find out her brother and only family left, is dead or alive.

I found Laura to be such an intriguing character. She’s a nurse in World War I who was injured badly but survived, got sent home where she loses both her parents in one day and her only other family is out in the front lines. She’s alone but thriving and still holding hope that her brother Freddie is alive. Laura is not afraid, even with everything she’s been through, she’s ready to help the injured, she’s a good friend and a devoted sister. Personality wise, she’s not a warm person, but she’s efficient and was determined in her job being a nurse and trying to find her brother which I admired.

Freddie, oh poor Freddie, is in the bowels of hell and many times on death’s doorstep. In fact, where he is, we don’t really know. We meet a mysterious character Faland who is holding Freddie at some hotel which I think was symbolic of Freddie’s broken mind because of the war. I’m not sure – there were some parts of Freddie and Faland’s story that confused me for awhile until I just had to tell myself to go with it. I did determine that Faland was the devil and he was stealing souls, but for a time I thought maybe Faland was some mythical creature part of Belgium that I didn’t know about. Freddie’s story had a sort of surprise ending that I thought came out of nowhere. I see what the author was trying to do with the story but I definitely read the author’s note at the end of the book to get more insight. I’ll admit some of the times the story went over my head.

My favorite parts of the book were about Laura’s job as a nurse and her determination to find out what happened to Freddie. Even though all the war parts are gruesome and dark it’s real because war isn’t glamorous. I also like that this is set in World War I because it is a war we don’t hear much about, at least here in America. The historical fiction aspect of this story was really good.

My Final Thoughts:

For the most part I thought this was a pretty good book though some parts went over my head. I enjoyed the historical setting and it made me learn a lot of new things about World War I. In the end, I felt the full gravity about war being horrifying on both sides of enemy lines – everyone is in hell when they are in war, no matter what side they are on.

Quotes From the Book:

“Do not despair. Endings – they are beginnings too.”

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by. Katherine Arden

“The whole world’s made up of systems now. Systems that are too big for any one person to understand or control, or stop. Like the timetables. Alliances. Philosophies. And so now we’re here, even though no one wanted to be. “

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by. Katherine Arden

“That there’s no such thing as a coward, or a brave man – not out there. There’s no man’s will stronger than the war.”

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by. Katherine Arden

“But it was over. The fighting would stop. The killing would stop. And perhaps the world had learned. Perhaps this was the war that would end war. Perhaps.”

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by. Katherine Arden

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

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 5/8/24

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?

I finally read some books this weekend! I think it’s because my daughter’s dance recital is finally done and I can really relax now until the end of the month that is haha. Maybe my slump is over? Or I just finally got the books I’ve been waiting for at the library!

**Update** – so I thought my body could relax but then my week started with my a/c unit crapping out again – so I am a little too warm and toasty in my house. Also our house alarm was acting up, alerting the company that our garage door is open when it’s not, etc…so yeahhhh maybe not so much a relaxing week so farm but I’m determined to stay positive about all this. 😅

What are you currently reading?

The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken – 2% in

Not Another Love Song by. Julie Soto – 2% in

King of Sloth by. Ana Huang – 1% – just started it

What have you just finished reading?

A Fire Endless by. Rebecca Ross ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Warm Hands of Ghosts by. Katherine Arden – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Funny Story by. Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

What are you reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 5/5/24

Aloha friends!

It was recital week for my daughter so we had a full costume rehearsal then her recital was Saturday night. I volunteered for her dressing room and

I’m so glad that it’s all over! Now I can concentrate on the ending of school. Kids got their last field trips this week and next week. My son has a graduation ceremony at the end of May.

Anyway I hope everyone has a good week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

A Fire Endless by. Rebecca Ross

Currently Reading:

  • The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken
  • The Warm Hands of Ghosts by. Katherine Arden

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • The Idea of You (amazon prime) – I wasn’t interested in watching this though I love Anne Hathaway and then I saw people raving about it on TikTok and so it peaked my curiosity. I’m glad I watched it!

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!

WWW Wednesday | 5/1/24

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?

I can’t believe I just realized all my WWW Wednesday posts this year said 2023 LOL. OH WOW – guess I have to change that. See, I told you my brain has been elsewhere this year. Anyway, it’s May and my kids end the school year in 4 weeks – they are so excited. My daughter has her big recital this weekend and this will be it for her ballet and tap days. She might be trying something more mellow, like hula next. We shall see!

Did I read more this week? Not really…but I’m glad I had some progress, really slow progress, but at least it’s progress.

What are you currently reading?

The Mirror of Beasts by. Alexandra Bracken – 2% in

Not Another Love Song by. Julie Soto – 2% in

A Fire Endless by. Rebecca Ross – 20% in – this one is an audiobook, I’m trying to see if listening to a book will take me out of my slump.

Warm Hands of Ghosts by. Katherine Arden – 8% in

What have you just finished reading?

Some Mistakes Were Made by. Kristin Dwyer – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

King of Greed by. Ana Huang – ⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

I’m waiting for some library holds to come through, which are newer books but the wait is pretty long. 🙄

What are you reading right now?

#5OnMyTBR: Adventurous

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook and you can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. It occurs every Monday when we post about 5 books on our TBR.

This week’s theme is: Adventurous

Title: Burning Crowns (Twin Crowns, #3)

Author: Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber

Twin queens Rose & Wren survived the Battle for Anadawn and brought back magic to their kingdom. But danger lurks in Eana’s shadows.

Wren is troubled. Ever since she performed the blood spell on Prince Ansel, her magic has become unruly. Worse, the spell created a link between Wren and the very man she’s trying to forget: Icy King Alarik of Gevra. A curse is eating away at both of them. To fix it they must journey to the northern mountains—under the watchful guard of Captain Tor Iversen—to consult with the Healer on High.

Rose is haunted. Waking one night to find her undead ancestor Oonagh Starcrest by her bed, she receives a warning: surrender the throne—or face a war that will destroy Eana. With nowhere to turn and desperate to find a weapon to defeat Oonagh, Rose seeks help from Shen-Lo in the Sunkissed Kingdom, but what she finds there may break her heart.

As Oonagh threatens all Rose and Wren hold dear, it will take everything they have to save Eana–including a sacrifice they may not be prepared to make.

Title: The Guncle Abroad

Author: Stepven Rowley

From the nationally bestselling author of The Guncle comes the much-anticipated sequel, in which Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties…at a big, family wedding in Lake Como, Italy.

Patrick O’Hara is finally in a league of his own…professionally. Inspired by his stint as Grant and Maisie’s caretaker after their mother’s passing, Patrick has “un-stalled” his acting career with sit-com, Guncle Knows Best . Still, some things have had to take a back seat. Looking down both barrels at fifty, Patrick is single and lonely after breaking things off with Emory. But at least he has family, right?
When his brother Greg announces his big, second wedding in Lake Como, Italy, Patrick feels pulled toward Grant and Maisie and flies to Europe to attend the lavish event, only to butt heads with a newfound Launt (Lesbian Aunt), curb his sister Clara from flirting with guests, and desperately restore himself to the favored relative status in the eyes of the kids, as they struggle to adjust to a new normal. But is it Patrick’s job to save the day? Or is simply celebrating love enough to quell the family chaos?
Gracing the page with his signature blend of humor and heart, Steven Rowley delivers the long-awaited sequel to a beloved story, all about the complicated bonds of family, love, and what it takes to rediscover yourself, even at the ripe age of fifty.

Title: Heavenbreaker

Author: Sara Wolf

Bravery isn’t what you do. It’s what you endure.

The duke of the powerful House Hauteclare is the first to die. With my dagger in his back.

He didn’t see it coming. Didn’t anticipate the bastard daughter who was supposed to die with her mother—on his order. He should have left us with the rest of the Station’s starving, commoner rubbish.

Now there’s nothing left. Just icy-white rage and a need to make House Hauteclare pay. Every damn one of them.

Even if it means riding Heavenbreaker—one of the few enormous machines left over from the War—and jousting against the fiercest nobles in the system.

Each win means another one of my enemies dies. And here, in the cold terror of space, the machine and I move as one, intent on destroying each adversary—even if it’s someone I care about. Even if it’s someone I’m falling for.

Only I’m not alone. Not anymore.

Because there’s something in the machine with me. Something horrifying. Something…more.

And it won’t be stopped.

Title: A Magic Fierce and Bright

Authors: Hemant Nayak

A young technomancer teams up with a handsome thief to save her sister in this propulsive, magic-filled young adult fantasy that is perfect for fans of Gearbreakers and Iron Widow .

Adya wants nothing more than to be left alone. Content to be loyal to no one but herself in the isolated jungles of South India, she dreams only of finding her lost sister, Priya, and making enough money to take care of their family. It’s too bad that her rare ability to wake electric machines—using the magic that wiped them out five centuries ago—also makes her a coveted political pawn. Everyone seems to believe that her technomancy can help them win the endless war for control over the magic’s supernatural source.

These senseless power struggles mean little to Adya. But when her enemies dangle news of her sister before her, she’s all too quick to leap at the chance to bring Priya home—even if it means teaming up with a rakish, disreputable thief in order to do it. With the threat of invasion looming ever larger on the horizon, Adya must reconcile the kind of person she is with the kind of person she wants to be and untangle the web of intrigue, conspiracy, and deceit that threatens to take all of India down with it.

Title: Where the Library Hides

Author: Isabel Ibañez

The stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!

1885, Egypt

Inez Olivera is left reeling from her cousin Elvira’s murder, and her mother’s betrayal, and when Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.

Marriage to Whitford Hayes.

Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.

Have you read any of these? Or plan to read any of these?

April

  • 01/04/2024 — Humour
  • 08/04/2024 — Recced by a Friend
  • 15/04/2024 — Title Starting with an ‘A’
  • 22/04/2024 — Romance
  • 29/04/2024 — Adventurous