A Kiss of Hammer and Flame by. Amy De La Force | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:

Title: A Kiss of Hammer and Flame (Fated for Hael, #1)

Author: Amy De La Force

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 12/2/25 (first published 7/3/25)

Publisher: Canelo Romance

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy

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

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

An immortal bound in darkness. A shattered empire at war. And a blacksmith whose heart could tip the scales of fate.

When young blacksmith Cahra is commissioned to forge a sword, she uses her imagination to design a symbol. But this symbol invokes an age-old prophecy and awakens Hael – an immortal with the power to shape or shatter worlds – sealed away in a chamber deep in Hael’stromia, the lost capital at the heart of a civil war between three kingdoms.

Now hunted for the sword, Cahra must flee with the very stranger who commissioned it. But what does she truly know about the handsome and charming noble, Terryl?

On the run through the darkly magical Wilds, she is drawn ever closer to Hael, who visits and beguiles her in dreams. With tyrant kings vying to capture Hael and wield him as a weapon, she alone stands between Hael and their deadly ambitions. Will Cahra risk everything to free him in time to save the empire?

Content Warning: violence

+ I got this arc but it’s a book that is being republished with a super pretty sprayed edge. I have a soft spot for female blacksmiths in fantasy stories and in this one we have Cahra who has made a special sword for a lord. But that sword is tied to a prophecy and now her world has changed. Cahra is an orphan, who had a hard life, and everything seemed to be going sort of well until she makes this sword. I think Cahra was a strong character even though sometimes naive, but I feel like she handled some of the challenges, the prophecy and everything being revealed fairly well.

+ The story was interesting even if it’s filled with the usual romantasy tropes. But there was something about Cahra’s story that made me keep reading. Hael, the being inside the sword was very interesting. He reminded me of a jinn trapped in a bottle (but he is not), and the prophecy all ties into him being released and being a weapon that can help rule the three kingdoms. Plus he is tied to Cahra because of the prophecy and their relationship grows into something unexpected. I liked the action in the story which I feel kept the story moving. There are lots of secrets and also political intrigue that I enjoyed a lot – three kingdoms are trying to find this weapon, in order to rule over all, but there is even reveals that have to do with the Oracles.

+ Along Cahra’s journey she meets a few people but I really liked when she meets the Seers and Oracle. I felt like she was all alone, even if Lord Terryl was nice to her, so having these women take her in, kind of guide her and befriend was really nice to see.

~ The romance didn’t really have time to build in my opinion. Cahra and Terryl make a connection when they meet but things change later on. Cahra falls for Terryl because he’s nice and he touches her hand! I didn’t think that alone could do it but it did for her which was kind of frustrating.
She was agonizing over her feelings about him and then things take a different turn so I would have liked to see more build up with the romance.

Final Thoughts:

Surprisingly, I was really into Cahra’s story and journey, when usually in a romantasy – I’m there for the romance. The romance was not my favorite in this story but the political intrigue between three kingdoms and some Oracles really kept me engaged. Overall, I found this one entertaining but wish there was more build-up in the romance storyline. It’s a good start to a series and it will be interesting to see what happens in book two.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Persephone’s Curse by. Katrina Leo | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: Persephone’s Curse

Author: Katrina Leno

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 12/2/25

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Magical Realism, Romance, Mythology, Speculative Fiction

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

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

Are the four Farthing sisters really descended from Persephone? This is what their aunt has always told that the women in their family can trace their lineage right back to the Goddess of the Dead. And maybe she’s right, because the Farthing girls do have a ghost in the attic of their Manhattan brownstone —a kind and gentle ghost named Henry, who only they can see.

When one of the sisters falls in love with the ghost, and another banishes him to the Underworld, the sisters are faced with even bigger questions about who they are. If they really are related to Persephone, and they really are a bit magic, then perhaps it’s up to them to save Henry, to save the world, and to save each other.

Content Warning: mental health

+ The Farthing sisters are descended from Persephone or so their aunt likes to tell them. But they do have some kind of magic because Winnie can talk to ghosts, Clara is an artist that dreams of her paintings, Evelyn is musical and Bernadette experiences lots of emotions. I loved these sisters and their relationship was giving Little Women! Their sisterly bond was what kept me invested in the story, it’s a beautiful bond.

+ I like how the story of Persephone and her children were incorporated into the story. I think it’s fun how the girls are tied to her and may have a little something of magic because they are descended from her. I love the paranormal aspects of the story: the ghosts and witchcraft.

~ The story does start off a bit slow. We follow these girls and see how their family works, which I love. Sisters fight, even when they love one another and I loved seeing their relationships. But getting to the conflict takes awhile. It happens when Winnie gets rid of a ghost at their house, a ghost who is basically their brother – so that wasn’t really nice of Winnie even though she meant well and was trying to protect her sister. But from there the story picks up.

~ I felt like I needed more from some of the characters like Henry. I love that he’s this ghost boy and basically like a brother to them, but I wanted more from his character.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this story about the Farthing sisters and them having some powers because of their connection to Persephone. There are ghosts, magic, tight sister and family bonds, and romance. The beginning started off a bit slowly, and I wanted more from some of the characters but overall I enjoyed this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Curse of Shadows and Ice by. Catharina Maura | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: A Curse of Shadows and Ice

Author: Catharina Maura

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 312

Publication Date: 10/28/25 (first published 3/15/22)

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Beauty and the Beast Retelling

From BookTok sensation and USA Today bestselling author Catharina Maura comes a spicy and enchanting Beauty and the Beast retelling featuring a cursed emperor, a princess who possesses forbidden magic, and a marriage that could save them all.

Princess Arabella of Althea is left no choice when Felix Osiris, the Shadow Emperor, threatens to overthrow her country unless she agrees to marry him.

When she learns his empire is cursed and she’s destined to set them free, they come to an help him minimize the curse’s effect on his people, and he’ll let her go.

As Felix teaches Arabella how to control her forbidden and volatile magic, her feelings for him turn from hatred to passion … and she realizes that she must break the curse, or she’ll lose him forever.

Content Warning: violence, dubious consent

I’ve been seeing this one on Kindle Unlimited, thought the cover was really pretty and finally had some time to read it. And here’s what I think:

+ This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and it follows the story pretty well. It did make the story a little bit predictable but it made the story easy to read. It’s also a quick read at barely over 300 pages.

+~ I did like the world-building. Arabella is forced to marry Felix who is this mysterious Shadow Emperor with a dark reputation. Felix is cursed, his lands are cursed and they need Arabella to help them break the curse. This is light fantasy though, and I wanted a little more depth, but for people who like an easy fantasy read, you would enjoy this.

~ As for the romance, there is a lot of spice in this one and it starts fairly early…and with dubious consent. Arabella actually is in love with another at the beginning of the story so, the fact that she’s hot for Felix early was fast. But I just went with it. There are a few tropes that people will like: forced marriage, shadow daddy, and forced proximity. For some reason though I wasn’t invested in them as much as I wanted to be.

Final Thoughts:

I think this one was just okay and maybe not for me. It’s an easy read and I liked the Beauty and the Beast retelling aspects but I just wasn’t invested in the story.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 11/16/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ I’ve read all my arcs for December so I actually have time to read books on the backlist or books that’s I’ve been eyeing on Kindle Unlimited, or books on my bookshelf that I haven’t touched yet! Whoohoo! Maybe I can even re-read some books. Imagine that! 😅🤭

+ My mom brought up maybe taking a trip to the Philippines in June 2026. Her mom, my one last grandparent still living, just made 103 years old. We had wanted to go this winter, but with everything happening and her getting her infusions for her cancer treatment, she wasn’t sure. But her last scan was so good, she has another tomorrow and hoping it’s good news and we can plan this trip so she can see her mom. I haven’t visited the Philippines since 2001!!!! So it’s long overdue and I want my kids to see where their grandparents are from.

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

Football
Nobody Wants This (Season 2) – Netflix – it’s such a funny and cute show!

LUX by Rosalia is on repeat!!
Chains of Love – Charli XCX – love it and can’t wait for the Wuthering Heights soundtrack

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 Courting of Bristol Keats by. Mary E. Pearson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️

Title: The Courting of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats, #1)

Author: Mary E. Pearson

Format: audiobook & hardcover (libby & owned)

Pages: 547

Publication Date: 11/12/24

Categories: Fantasy, Romance

From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Mary E. Pearson comes a thrilling romantic fantasy full of dangerous fae, dark secrets, and addictive romance– the first book in a duology.

After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet—and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm—the one he is from.

Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae king, Tyghan. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father—dead or alive.

Content Warning: violence

I borrowed the audiobook for this earlier in the year but – I was not connecting to it. So when I saw it on sale on Book Outlet, I bought the hardcover but it sat on my shelf. Now with book two just out, I wanted to finally finish this book. I borrowed the audiobook again, hoping the second try would be better but at the 23rd chapter I switched to the hardcover and glad I did.

+ The world-building is interesting. It follows Bristol Keats, who has two sisters, and their parents are gone. She’s trying to make things meet in the town they live in but it’s challenging. Now this is a portal fantasy – because on the other side of this world, is the Fae world and we learn that they need Bristol to close a door. Elphame is the world of Faerie and it has all kinds of mystical creatures. While there Bristol learns that her father could be alive and asks Tyghan, for help to find him in exchange for her helping them close this door.

+ So while Bristol is in Elphame, she goes to school and trains with other girls. The girls become a found family for her which is nice since she was missing her sisters. There is a big cast of characters in this story which is what made it hard for me to follow on audiobook.

+~ I did enjoy the romance for the most part. Tyghan is drawn to Bristol even though he knows he shouldn’t get involved with her. But spending lots of time together makes their feelings grow and they give into their desires. Their relationship is a challenge though when Bristol finds out the truth about everything – Tyghan, her dad, her mom, and that she’s half fae. I did enjoy the romance drama. But there is one thing that I couldn’t get over, and that is Tyghan and her father were friends. I get that time goes slower in Elphame than in the mortal world, but STILL…I couldn’t get over that Bristol is basically together with her dad’s ex best-friend. And there were some things Tyghan said about her to him that made me not like Tyghan.

~ Bristol is trying to find her dad, but she doesn’t know the whole story about her parents, or Tyghan – she’s being kept in the dark. And because of that, when the secrets are revealed I was kind of irritated with Tyghan’s response and his court as well. It’s understandable that they don’t trust her, but none of them could understand why she would want to save her dad? I was irritated that Tyghan felt justified in lying to her.

~ I felt like too many things were going on in this story at times. I didn’t feel like it flowed well at times because there were so many characters and at times I forgot who’s perspective we were on. Pacing was off also, sometimes it was too slow, but it does pick up in the end. There were times where I felt like it was just thrown in, like Bristol going to classes and training. I wanted more of that, but this isn’t an academia story so I felt like it was just there for her to make friends. But I would have liked to see her learning something about magic and powers because she needs it to close this door. Also wanted more of scenes with her and her sisters. There were also some parts that was more telling than showing.

Final Thoughts:

I was expecting a lot because I loved Dance of Thieves and Vow of Thieves so much, and this fell flat for me. I did like some parts, and I’m curious to see how Bristol balances her love for Tyghan and her father. But there are a lot of things that didn’t work for me. Hopefully the sequel is better, but I’ll be going in with lower expectations.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

ARC Review | Vow of Thieves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dance of Thieves by. Mary E. Pearson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1) by. Mary E. Pearson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, #2) by. Mary E. Pearson ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant Chronicles, #3) by. Mary E. Pearson ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Housemaid by. Freida McFadden | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: (closed door)

Title: The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)

Author: Freida McFadden

Narrator: Lauryn Allman

Format: audiobook (Libby)

Pages: 329 Listening Time: approximately 10 hours

Publication Date: 4/26/22

Publisher: Bookouture

Categories: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!

Content Warning: gaslighting, torture, body horror

+ The narrator did amazing doing the voices for this story! I like how she had an accent for Millie and a different voice for Nina – it helped me distinguish the main characters.

+ I like how this story was a quick read and it is engaging too! The story starts off with Millie’s perspective. She’s the new live-in housemaid for the Winchester’s but she has a mysterious past – all we know is that she used to be in prison. Throughout the story she’s grateful to have a job and a place to live but Nina, her employer is always gaslighting her! The only person nice to her in the house is Nina’s husband Andy.

+ The second half of the story we get Nina’s perspective and I thought it was a fun twist in this mysterious and suspenseful story. The ending is unexpected but I enjoyed this story a lot.

Final Thoughts:

I wanted to read this before the movie comes out and I’m glad I listened to it as an audiobook because it was really entertaining. I like the build up, the mystery and all the suspense at the end, plus the twist!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Spark of the Everflame by. Penn Cole | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️

Title: Spark of the Everflame (Kindred’s Curse, #1)

Author: Penn Cole

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 438

Publication Date: 6/1/25

Categories: Romantasy

When old secrets catch fire, everything will burn.

In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel offspring, Diem Bellator yearns to escape the insular life of her poor village.

Her mother’s sudden disappearance—and the discovery of a dangerous secret about her past—offer Diem an unexpected opportunity to enter the dark world of Descended royalty and unlock the web of mysteries her mother left behind.

With the dying King’s handsome, mysterious heir watching her every move, and a ruthless mortal alliance recruiting her to join the growing civil war, Diem will have to navigate the unwritten rules of love, power, and politics in order to save her family—and all of mortalkind.

Content Warning: violence, death, wounded

So I’ve seen this on social media for awhile, but not lately. I still see it on KU so I wanted to check it out since I have more free time to read books that are not arcs. I was also looking for a light, binge-able fantasy

+~ Diem is a healer – and I love healers as main characters. The world building is interesting, there are mortals with no magic and Descended with colored eyes (mortals only have brown eyes) and powers. There is conflict between both sides and a mortal rebellion is brewing and the enlist Diem’s help to be a spy since she has access to the court. World-building sounded like it had the usual tropes for a romantasy, rebellion, a girl maybe with a secret identity, and an upper class with power. But I just wanted a little more from the world-building.

+ I did like the secondary characters like Maura, Teller (her brother, and her father. They were looking out for Diem and trying o keep her in line.

+~ I found Diem a strong character int he first half, but in the second half, yikes is she impulsive and makes mistakes. To the point where her decision causes harm. I didn’t like her after that much.

+~ Diem is a young woman who has something more going on with her best friend since childhood, Henri. But when he wants more, she can’t give him an answer. Whereas Prince Luther, the handsome, grumpy soon-to-be-heir gets under her skin. As much as I don’t think she’ll end up with Henri, Luther and her don’t have as much interactions as I wanted to warrant what happens in the end between them. It got intense too quick! But I’m sure something grows more in book two.

~ It is a little predictable for someone who reads a lot of romantasy, but the ending was interesting because it finally explains something about her missing mom.

Final Thoughts:

I’d say this was an easy romantasy to read without too much world-building. The story moved quick and I wish I enjoyed Diem’s character more. I liked getting to know her in the first half but then she becomes impulsive and makes mistakes in the second half of the book that I did not like. So I don’t think I’ll continue the series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:

Title: I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends

Author: Kylie Lee Baker

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 11/18/25

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Time Travel, Dragon Descendants

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

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

A teen descendant of a Japanese dragon god must team up with a cute rogue agent to subvert a corrupt time travel organization and find out the truth of what happened to her missing sister in acclaimed author Kylie Lee Baker’s magical new YA romance, I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends.

When you’re ready, come find me. I will keep you safe. -Hana

Descended from a Japanese dragon god, Yang Mina was born with the power to travel through time, and has spent her life training to take her place in the Descendants, a secret organization whose purpose is to protect the timeline. Then Mina’s world is uprooted when she moves to Seoul and finds a note from her sister–a sister who no one remembers, as if she had been erased. The only people who could have made her sister vanish so completely are part of the very agency that she’s been working so hard to join. So now Mina has a new mission, infiltrate the agency as quickly as possible to find her lost sister.

And, as if things weren’t complicated enough, a strikingly handsome rogue agent has determined that Mina is the only person who can help him put an end to the Descendants’ corruption. Placed in an impossible situation, Mina must decide how much she’s willing to risk to find the truth.

Content Warning: violence

+ I am a big fan of this author and this is very different than the fantasy and horror stories I’ve read from her. I loved how this story was set in South Korea and but also tied in Japanese mythology.

~ It was very hard to get into this book. I was confused because it is set in a contemporary time period but there is time travel and I got confused, a lot. Mina is descended from a dragon and she’s training to be an agent that fixes the timeline. I felt like I understood more as the story went on but for the first half of the story, I was just confused about what they do as timeline fixers.

+ I thought the romance was cute! It definitely felt like a teen k-drama. Mina meets another “agent” and they spend some together, which I thought was fun. There is a twist at the end of the story that I did enjoy. The romance was my favorite part of this story, but would have loved a lot more time for it to develop though.

~ Mina’s assignment is to get close to a guy named Jihoon and he was such a nice guy. I just wish she didn’t have to fake things to accomplish her assignment. He was innocent but it showed how devious parts of her job. I do wish there was more explanation about why this agency was created to fix the timeline and why it needed fixing.

Final Thoughts:

If my head could follow the time travel and the timeline situation better then I might have enjoyed this way more. I did push through the beginning and did enjoy the romance and the twist. I loved the K-drama vibes of the whole book and honestly love to see how this author is branching out into other genres.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

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

The Blood Orchid by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Scarlet Alchemist by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

BLOG TOUR} The Empress of Time by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

BLOG TOUR } The Keeper of Night by. Kylie Lee Baker | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weekly Wrap Up | 11/9/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ It was my birthday week and all I wanted was a good election day (there was no election here in Hawaii) and wow, the results all over the country made my heart so happy so that was the best birthday gift ever.

+ But the government is still shutdown and my hubby has missed 2 paychecks…going on 3. We are dipping into savings – but I cannot believe this admin is saying no to jobs, no to feeding people, no to affordable healthcare but yes to building a ballroom? I cannot wait for midterms!

+ It’s a four day weekend for my kids and my hubby too. We’re gonna go have a belated birthday lunch or dinner for me.

Blog Posts:

Coldwire by. Chloe Gong | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Monthly Wrap Up | October 2025
New Book Releases This Week | 11/4/25
The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 11/4/25
Top 5 Books That Are Song Titles | Top 5 Tuesday | 11/4/25
WWW Wednesday | 11/5/25
Atmosphere by. Taylor Jenkins Reid | Audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tusk Love by. Thea Guanzon | Audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading Non-Fiction | 11/7/25

Books I Finished

Currently Reading:

Vesselless by. Cortney L. Winn

Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph

Our Vicious Oaths by. N.E. Davenport

The Uninvited by. Nancy Banks

The Ordeals by. Rachel Greenlaw

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

Football
Wicked: One Wonderful Night
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2025 – was only watching to see what Olivia Rodrigo would perform and wow Salt-N-Pepa got inducted in!!! Talk about bringing me back to my childhood – I grew up on their music. Their performance was so good! Olivia did amazing – I love the White Stripes. Twenty-One Pilots did amazing too! And OutKast getting inducted was awesome too – the music of my 20’s, I loved it! The Soundgarden tribute was amazing too – I still remembering being devastated when I heard Chris Cornell passed, Black Hole Sun was one of my favorite songs. The show was way too long and I was streaming it on youtube since we cancelled Disney+ – I wanted to see Cyndi Lauper – the music of my early childhood, of course lol but I had to do other things.

Music – Lux – Rosalia – I transcended when I listened to this!!! I LOVE IT. It’s definitely the kind of music that cleanses my music palate. I needed this. I even cried to Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti. I haven’t cried to music in forever….I grew up Catholic and I’ve had such a challenging relationship with it (mostly when I was young) and I’m at peace with it now, but it took so much growing. But one thing I always miss about going to mass…the music. Anyway, this album….does something to my soul. It’s on repeat!

Dunno if UMG will remove this video like it did with the last one but whatever…I love all the songs on the album, I can’t pick one right now! She sings in a few different languages on this album which is so AMAZING. I can’t understand any of the foreign languages, I know very little Spanish even though I took it in college but it was easier to practice in college because I went to school in Los Angeles and my Latina friends exposed me to so much music!! So I might have understood more back then but not now and it’s okay because this album makes me feel without having to understand what is being said.

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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Tusk Love by. Thea Guanzon | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Tusk Love

Author: Thea Guanzon

Narrator: Teddy Hamilton, Brittany Pressley

Format: audiobook (Libby)

Pages: 352 Listening Time: approximately 9 hours

Publication Date: 7/1/25

Publisher: Random House Audio

Categories: Cozy Fantasy, Romance

As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere’s path has been marry into a noble house of the Dwendalian Empire, raise her family’s station, and live quietly as a lordling’s obedient wife. But Guinevere longs for a life unbounded by expectations, for freedom and passion and adventure.

Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half-orc who saved her during the attack.

Unlike Guinevere, Oskar’s path is not so set in stone. With his mother dead and his apprenticeship abandoned, all that’s left is a long, lonely walk to a land he’s never seen to find family he’s never met. The last thing he needs is a spoiled waif like Guinevere slowing him down—even if the spark between them sizzles with promise.

Despite his cold exterior, Oskar is brave and thoughtful and unlike anyone Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in him that he has never dared to feel before. As the flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they’ll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Guanzon at the behest of Critical Role’s Jester Lavorre, Tusk Love brings the most romantic story on Exandrian bookshelves to life.

Content Warning: violence

+ The narrators for this story are perfect and they really brought these characters to life! I loved their voices so much. It’s exactly how I imagined Guinevere and Oskar would sound.

+ Oskar is the grumpiest half-orc ever; his attitude made me laugh so much. Guinevere is his total opposite, she’s a young lady raised in a merchant family and on her way to her fiancé – a lord. The two of them together were so funny and cute! I loved how Guinevere was always trying to behave as a young lady on this rough journey. There is banter, and then some spicy moments too. I adore the both of them!

+ This story is filled with travel and lots of adventure and I loved seeing Guinevere who is prim and proper grow so much. She went from someone who was always people pleasing (really wanted to please her parents), to someone who fought for what she wanted – Oskar. As for Oskar, he was a half-orc with a soft heart even if he was sarcastic and grumpy!

Final Thoughts:

I loved everything about this audiobook – the narrators are fantastic, and the story is filled with adventure, swoony romance, spice and so much humor. I love Oskar and Guinevere. I’m so glad I listened to this one!