If You Could See the Sun by. Ann Liang | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: If You Could See the Sun

Author: Ann Liang

Narrator(s): Natalie Naudus

Format: audiobook (Libby)

Pages: 346 Listening Time: approximately 9 hours

Publication Date: 10/11/22

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism

In this genre-bending YA debut, a Chinese American girl monetizes her strange new invisibility powers by discovering and selling her wealthy classmates’ most scandalous secrets.

Alice Sun has always felt invisible at her elite Beijing international boarding school, where she’s the only scholarship student among China’s most rich and influential teens. But then she starts uncontrollably turning invisible—actually invisible.

When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power—she’ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price.

But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it’s worth losing her conscience—or even her life.

Content Warning: kidnapping, cheating

+ Ann Liang does young adult rivals to lovers romance so well! This is the second book I’ve read where she uses this trope and I just love it especially when it is set at a wealthy private school. The narrator for this audiobook is becoming one of my favorite voices in the audiobook world, she does a fantastic job voicing the characters in this story.

+ Alice is one of the top people in her class, but she’s poor compared to the other students at her school. All she wants is to be rich like them one day but first she has to figure out how to come up with the tuition money if she wants to stay there. One day she realizes she can be invisible – not sure how or why (kind of wanted a reason for it) – but instead of really freaking out about it, she turns it into a business venture that could help her pay her tuition. She gets Henry Lee, one of the hottest and richest guys at school, and her biggest rival, to create the app where her business can thrive.

+ The romance is so cute. Alice and Henry are always in competition and Henry seems to like her but Alice is so focused on everything else, that she doesn’t really see it until later. They spend more time together now that she has this business using her invisibility and the closer they get, Alice realizes she might feel more about Henry than she is letting on. It’s a slow burn but it gave me all the feels when they finally get together.

+ I like Alice, even though she let her fears and ambition guide her and she makes some big mistakes, I understood her predicament and desires. All she wants is to make her parents proud and one day be wealthy enough to take care of them and I think many kids who are not from wealthy families feel that burden – especially if you are Asian. I love that she turned something that is scary into a business! This business also made her befriend some people at school that she never thought she could be friends with like Chanel.

Final Thoughts:

I kind of need someone at Netflix to make these Ann Liang rival to lovers romance novels into tv shows. I would be obsessed. This book had drama, action, friendship, and romance that melted my heart. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Read if you like:

young adult rivals to lovers
rich boy x poor girl
magical realism – special powers -invisibility
school drama

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by. Ann Liang | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This Time it’s Real by. Ann Liang | Audiobook Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Song to Drown Rivers by. Ann Liang | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blood & Roses by. Callie Hart | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Blood & Roses (Blood & Roses, #1)

Author: Callie Hart

Format: ebook

Pages: 397

Publication Date: 3/10/26 (first published as Deviant in 2/12/2014)

Categories: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance

What happens in the dark never stays in the dark.

As one of Seattle’s most dangerous, feared men, Zeth Mayfair always carried out the jobs he’s sent on without a second thought. Drugs? Guns? Dirty money? They’re all fair game. But girls? Girls are another matter entirely. When Zeth’s employer decides buying and selling kidnapped women is a lucrative sideline, Zeth’s usually uncomplicated life suddenly becomes very complicated indeed. And his biggest complication goes by the name of Sloane Romera.

Sloane’s sister is missing, and she needs to find her, yet all doors leading into the seedy world of human trafficking are firmly closed in Sloane’s face. She’s a trauma doctor; she needs information. What she really needs is help…and help presents itself in a most unlikely form. Zeth is terrifying, scandalously hot, and comes fully loaded with a terrible attitude and wicked smile. He also looks like he’s Sloane’s only hope. Can she work with the guy without getting herself killed, losing her job, or falling head over heels in love?

Content Guidance: Blood & Roses is a dark romance series that contains explicit content and heavy themes intended for mature audiences. Readers are strongly encouraged to consider their personal sensitivities. This book contains: graphic violence, human trafficking, murder, psychological abuse, coercion, child abuse, substance abuse and addiction, and BDSM.

Content Warning: see above in book synopsis⬆️

World Building: Check all the trigger warnings because this one is dark. Zeth is part of an organized crime group – he’s dangerous. Sloane is an ER doctor looking for her sister, Alexis who’s been taken/kidnapped, she’s assuming by traffickers. Their worlds collide when Sloane needs information about her sister and will do almost anything for it. This is a cutthroat world that Zeth is in, these men are killers, violent, are trafficking people and drugs among other things.

Characters: Sloane is all about her job as an ER doctor and also needs to find her sister. When she meets Zeth he brings out some things in her that she never knew existed especially when it comes to sexual matters. But she is tough and shows it as the story progresses. Zeth is hard and tough, barely allowing himself to be vulnerable, which was really frustrating. For my preferences he was a little too hard for me (and I’m not talking about in the bedroom 😅) as an MMC, emotion wise he was totally closed off and I just wanted to be like Sloane and slap him…a lot. There are some other interesting people in Zeth’s crew, like Michael and Lacey. I think with Lacey is where we see Zeth show the most vulnerability.

Romance: What romance? This was 80% smut, 20% plot. I didn’t totally mind that there was no emotional connection – yet, because they started off with insta-lust, and it seems like Zeth is a tough person to crack. And Sloane is hardened in ways that make her efficient as an ER doctor, so in this book it’s clear Zeth has boundaries and for Sloane that might be okay in their sexual relationship but she’s wary he will never be ready for more. And I don’t blame her for feeling that way – he’s a total red flag and he needs to figure out his stuff out. I wasn’t totally into him, I needed more chemistry – not just insta-lust and some kinky sex. I wanted a little yearning at least near the end of this book, but he’s not the type…at least not yet. The smut is very spicy – kinky, definitely BDSM and pain/pleasure scenes that was a little too much for me.

Story: Looking up this story I see that this was published 12 years ago as an erotica called Deviant. And knowing that it was erotica makes sense as to why most of the story is mostly smut. And if I’m judging it as erotica then hey this was pretty good, but I think it’s being categorized as Dark Romance now and Mafia Romance, so I wanted a little more plot. The first half of the book I was kind of waiting to see how this missing sister plot was going to play out and I feel like we really only get into it almost near the end of the book. Because Zeth is in organized crime, there is a lot of different bosses he is dealing with and their power plays, trying not to get killed himself, and I was waiting for some news about Alexis but it takes awhile for that to play out. The ending has a twist and I kind of felt bad for Sloane and understood her frustrations about it. I am curious about Rebel another interesting man who is mentioned.

Vibes: Mostly smut, little plot. The smut happens right away too like in chapter one. Though I wasn’t feeling all of the smut, I still was entertained.

Final Thoughts:

I read this because it’s Callie Hart, and I love Quicksilver but this one is not for me. I want more plot with my smut, but though Zeth is dangerous and hot, I just wanted more from his character. I did enjoy Sloane’s character but I also wanted her to stand up to Zeth a little more. The smut is super spicy and not for me so I don’t know if I will continue this series – if I do, it’s to find out more about Rebel, a new character that kind of entered the story at the end.

Read if you like:

dark romance
mafia
BDSM, kink

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Brimstone by. Callie Hart | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Quicksilver by. Callie Hart | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Runebreaker by. Mila Finch | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Runebreaker (#1)

Author: Runebreaker

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 486

Publication Date: 1/1/26

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Series

Aelie can break runes with her bare hands—magic the fae built their entire world on. They hate her for it. Fear her for it. And when she’s caught, they sentence her to die.

Desperate to survive, she shatters the rune enslaving Kairos, a devastatingly handsome fae executioner with a blood-soaked past.

Big mistake.

Kairos slaughters the court and drags Aelie to his breathtaking realm—a kingdom of towering forests and shimmering mists.

Bound to the ruthless king she freed, Aelie must navigate deadly fae politics, master her forbidden power, and resist the fae who sees her as his greatest weapon… and darkest obsession.

Runebreaker is a steamy, fast-paced romantasy with forced proximity, he-falls-first tension, and captive/captor dynamics perfect for adult fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Sarah J. Maas. It features a feral, morally gray hero, a soft girl with a dangerous gift, mating bond tension, and immersive world building. This is book #1 of a trilogy.

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: The world of Runebreaker is one broken up by different Fae territories. They are the ruling species and Aelie is a mortal, who can break their runes. The different kingdoms are in a fragile peace agreement, but things gets worse when Aelie’s power is found out. There are even talk of dragons. There is political intrigue as they figure out what to do with Aelie and the consequences of her actions. I love the rune magic but would love to learn even more about it. I do feel like the world-building wasn’t super detailed, so I would say it’s more light fantasy, easy to consume.

Characters: Aelie is the FMC and she loves her sister, Rheya. They both have powers, Rheya’s being much more mysterious since she is barely in this book, but Aelie can break runes, which is dangerous for powerful Fae who use runes to control people. Kairos, is the executioner and instead of a shadow-daddy he’s a mist-daddy so that’s new but he has a more interesting past that we learn about as the story moves along. I enjoyed the people of Sanguir, where Kairos is from, his sister is a good person, and I feel like they have become a new family for Aelie as they learn to accept her. His best friend Uther, is fun also.

One thing I didn’t love about Aelie is how she is impulsive with her power – it is destructive and it kills people because she can’t control it or understand it fully. She makes bad decisions but I didn’t feel like it mattered, when it should since her mistakes kill a lot of people! It destroys towns, but I felt like her actions were glossed over. Even Kairos would do anything for her even if meant destroying alliances that protect his kingdom – so I hope in the next book Aelie learns to control it.

Romance: The romance in Runebreaker is a slow-burn, fated mates romance which I enjoyed a lot because there was time for their relationship to grow before they were labeled mates. Aelie, has some issues with a past lover that hurt her, so I like that Kairos doesn’t push her, though he wants her badly. Would have love to see some build-up of why he fell in love with her though? Because he does fall first. We see their relationship grow though. Kairos is full of yearning for her, but Aelie has to work out some things from her past relationship. There is some good spice because of Kairos but though he is generous in bed, his personality at times can be a bit blunt and gruff.

Story: Aelie is trying to find her sister, but she is bound to her past lover with a fae deal that could kill her. Kairos is trying to keep Aelie safe, and keep all the kingdoms from attacking his, so it’s a delicate balance of diplomacy (which he has no patience for) and wanting to carry out revenge. I thought the twist in the story was very interesting and makes me want to read book two to see how things will turn out. I can’t say there is much new to this when it comes to romantasy but I did enjoy the rune magic.

Vibes: There are some parts of this, especially the ending that reminded me of the ACOTAR series.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this had lots of potential and though it has the usual romantasy tropes, I did enjoy the rune magic and hope to learn more about it. I also enjoyed the romance even though fated mates is not my favorite trope, but there was something about Kairos’ yearning for Aelie that did it for me. Another thing I would like to learn more about is Rheya, Aelie’s sister since a lot of Aelie’s decision making was to help save her sister. But Rheya was barely in this story, so maybe in book two? I didn’t totally love Aelie because of her decision making skills, I just hope in book two she actually takes some time to learn her powers.

Read if you like:

fated mates
captor/captive
Fae
Mist-daddy

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

To Break Such a Bond by. Mallory Wilde | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: To Break Such a Bond

Author: Mallory White

Format: ebook

Pages: 167

Publication Date: 12/20/25

Categories: Novella, Vampires, Romance, Indie Author

“I don’t want to scare you,” he said, “but if you want, I can prove it.” She stuck her chin out, straightened her shoulders.

“I’m not afraid,” she said. “Prove it.”

1980s, London

Val has spent decades carefully controlling his desires – the desire for blood, and for human connection. The past has taught him that indulging in one will lead to losing control over the other, and he can’t let himself hurt anyone else. So he stays in the shadows, the world slipping by as he watches – until the day Margot strikes up a conversation with him. He becomes attached to her before he can stop himself, and in a moment of weakness he invokes magic that binds them together – the supposedly eternal, unbreakable kind of bond.

Finding a way to release Margot from the bond means reestablishing ties with vampire society that he’d long ago severed and risking the solitude he’s come to see as his salvation – not to mention trying to explain all of this to a human who thought she was just engaging in a little flirtatious banter. But Val won’t let his own foolishness ruin Margot’s life, even if that means he has to do the one thing he fears the most – letting someone else into his world.

Content Warning: mentions of death

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of this book! I was pleasantly surprised with this novella. Val is a vampire but kind of a reluctant one and then one night he meets Margot. He’s attracted to her and accidentally puts a thrall on her. Now he needs to break it so he goes with her on a little trip to find out how to do it. For a book under 200 pages I thought this packed a lot of emotion and romance. The story is well written and my only complaint is that it is too short! There is some steam, but the spice is closed door.

Final Thoughts:

If you are looking for a contemporary vampire romance that is a really quick read but still fun and full of romance – definitely try this one out.

Read if you like:

vampires
romance
novella

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Mayhem and the Mortal by. Shanora Williams | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Mayhem and the Mortal (#1)

Author: Shanora Williams

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 418

Publication Date: 3/17/26

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Cozy, Series

One mission. One curse. No escape.

Zaira doesn’t want a hero. She needs a weapon.

To save her sister from a soul-devouring curse, she has to cross The Shallows—a nightmare landscape of ruined magic, shifting paths, and vicious creatures that eat people alive.

Her guide? Thane sorcerer, assassin, walking red flag. His name clears rooms. His magic kills quietly. And whatever he’s really after, it’s not salvation.

He promises to help. He might even mean it.

But Zaira knows better than to trust a liar with a blade and ice in his veins.

She just doesn’t have a choice.

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: Thelanor is a fascinating world filled with mortals, sorcerers, and beasts like minotaurs. I also enjoyed the magic that Thane is able to wield. The whole book follows the characters going on a quest and traveling throughout Thelanor to The Shallows, so we get to see a lot of this world.

Characters: Zaira is the FMC and she is sunshine. She is naive, sweet, kind, and the MMC, Thane, a grumpy sorcerer assassin, finds it to be her biggest fault. Thane is secretive but opens up eventually little by little. His motive for helping Zaira is all about revenge. These two bicker a lot, which I thought was fun because they are opposites. During their travels throughout Thelanor we meet other characters that join their crew, like Algar and Rynthea. I enjoyed meeting all these different characters, they brought so much to the story, like humor and a found family for Zaira.

Romance: This is a grumpy/sunshine slow-burn romance, between Zaira, who is a mortal that just wants to save her sister from the clutches of a powerful sorcerer and Thane, a bad-ass, morally gray, sorcerer, who is always mad or grumbling about something. There are some spicy scenes between them which I thought was fun, but Thane is lucky that Zaira is a very sweet person who easily forgives because he is the type to test everyone’s patience. I did wish Zaira would have made him grovel a bit longer at the end, but she’s nice, that’s just her personality.

Story: Zaira is trying to save her sister and Thane is out for revenge. But is Thane trustworthy or is he hiding something? I really enjoyed all the action that happened throughout the story because of all the travel adventures. It made the story move quickly. The ending leaves it open for a book two, so it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Vibes: This story felt like a cozy fantasy adventure because of Zaira’s sunshine personality and the different beasts/species they encounter on their journey. But it also feels like a light fantasy, not so heavy on the details and world-building.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was a fun, cozy, yet spicy fantasy read. I really enjoyed all the action that happened in the book and the grumpy/sunshine slow burn romance was full of bickering, yet it held a sweetness because of Zaira. This one is a light fantasy so it’s easy to read. Definitely check this one out if you like fantasies that involve a lot of adventure and travel.

Read if you like:

adventure, travel
found family
grumpy/sunshine slow burn but spicy romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Shadow Trials by. Evelyn Hart | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Shadow Trials (Heartless Gods, #1)

Author: Evelyn Hart

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 437

Publication Date: 4/14/26

Publisher: Evelyn Hart

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series, 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 Evelyn Hart for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

She’s trained her whole life to kill monsters like him and the dragon he rides. Now, he may be the only one who can save her…

Humans are treated like cattle by the Godforged, the terrible creatures created by the gods to wage a never-ending war with each other. Fiona’s spent her life learning to wield magic stolen from the divine, to protect her people from the violence. Now she’s given the chance to become the thing she’s sworn to kill.

The God of Darkness’s champion is dead, and he’s holding a series of trials to decide who will be his next, open to anyone, including humans. If Fiona wins, she’d control his army… and how it treats innocent humans. And none of them know of the powers she wields…

These trials are filled with the strongest and most ruthless of the Godforged. But if they discover the secrets she hides, it will doom all her people.

In this world of magic and violence, there’s one person who truly understands secrets. Azric Cyrus, Death’s champion and first dragon rider, is the most brutal of all the Godforged. And the most beautiful. With wings of bone, shadows, and seduction as his deadliest weapons, even the gods listen when he speaks. Even more reason for Fiona to be wary when he takes an interest in her.

Destiny is not a fixed thing, and as its strings are pulled from behind the shadows, these two broken souls must learn to trust each other. Their lives are the least that hang in the balance.

Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Crowns of Nyaxia, and The Games Gods Play, Shadow Trials is the first in a long, epic romantasy series that will follow multiple couples. It does not end an HEA, but the series will.

Content Warning: torture, death, violence, dark themes

+~ Shadow Trials is book one in a fantasy series that follows a human, Fiona, and her quest to complete deadly trials in order to become the Champion of Nixthos – who is the God of Darkness and Secrets. The world building is heavy, there are many gods, many champions of the gods, different species, different lands, prophecy, lore, dragons and it is a lot to process, which makes the beginning slow going because of all the information and names to know. But I settled into the story after 20% into the book and then I was addicted to the story. There are some dark themes in this book, especially with Fiona and Azric’s pasts. Also mentions of how some species are created is pretty gruesome.

+ There is a huge cast but our main characters are Fiona (the human with a Priest for a father) and Azric, the Prince of Bones. We get her POV for 90% of the book and then Azric for 10% at the end. I really like Fiona because she’s human and knows her limitations but she’s so brave because she wants purpose in her life even if it means her death. She questions everything, even her choices, but I like that she never takes anything at face value. Azric, is a complicated man, he is Fae, he is blessed by the Gods, but he is broken. Learning more about what happens to him is dark, but my heart broke for him because he had a good childhood, he had a good life until the god he is promised to comes calling. Then there are secondary characters that are very interesting, like Fiona’s father, Azric’s parents, the Fae like Darian, and so many more.

+~ There is romance but it is a very slow burn, barely there spice, though there is a some steam. I love that it is a slow burn because there are so many things happening in this story. It feels like the deadly trials were the most important thing in this story and it was appropriate that the romance take a back seat. I liked seeing Fiona and Azric get to know each other instead, especially with what happened to Azric in the past. I think a slow burn is good for them.

+~ It took me two days to read this book because I was so invested in Fiona’s story. I actually love the length of this book, it wasn’t too long and not too short. But because the world-building is dense, I felt like I missed a prequel or something. Sure enough I checked on Goodreads and I missed a whole series before this book – which now makes total sense why I felt the way I did. I think I got through this book pretty good though without even reading the previous series, but when I have time, I will pick it up because I’m sure it will explain so many things.

+~ The pacing was a little up and down, definitely slow in the beginning, but it was steady throughout, which I appreciated – personally I like a little more romance in my romantasy so I might have been searching it out and got impatient when I realized how slow of a burn this story is. But I love the build up to the ending, and I’m looking forward to book two!

Final Thoughts:

There is a series before this one I think you should read called Shadowed Debts, and I didn’t know it existed until I finished Shadow Trials. But I think if you read Shadowed Debts you will not feel like you are thrown into the world, like how I felt while reading this book. It’s not a bad thing, but it made me feel like I was missing a big chunk of history, despite that I still found this story addictive. Fiona’s character is new to this world also, so through her, I learn some of what took place before Shadow Trials. I love the world-building, but it is heavy. I love the slow burn romance and am invested in Fiona and Azric’s story, I’m totally rooting for them. I’m going to read the previous series while waiting on book two!

Read if you like:

heavy world-building
more fantasy than romance
deadly trials
dark themes

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Let’s Talk Bookish: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In | 3/27/26

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:

March 27: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In (suggested by Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe)

Prompts: Do you prefer reading about characters who are in a similar life stage as you (age, career, relationships, etc.)? Has your preference changed as you’ve gotten older? Have you ever re-read a book and experienced it completely differently because you were in a different stage of life? Do you think books come into our lives at the ‘right time’ and are there any books you think you’d feel differently about if you were younger or older?

**********

Do you prefer reading about characters who are in a similar life stage as you (age, career, relationships, etc.)? Has your preference changed as you’ve gotten older?

When I was younger (teens), I loved reading books with adults in it – to imagine what my life could be. When I was in my twenties, I started reading young adult again maybe because college was such an impactful time of my life and I wanted to recapture all those feelings! Then in my 30’s, I wanted to read about older characters (older meaning 25 and up lol…but have you noticed a lot of books in fantasy have 20 year old heroines?). Now in my late-40’s…I read young adult, new adult, adult…whatever…but I now sometimes I’m craving more older FMCs 30+ but it’s hard to find in fantasy. It’s easier to find them in contemporary romance. So I don’t necessarily want them to be in the same stage of career or relationship as me.

Have you ever re-read a book and experienced it completely differently because you were in a different stage of life?

Last year I re-read a Sarah Dessen book (she writes young adult books), and I definitely was experiencing it differently. Maybe because I have kids and in a few years (at least my son) he will be a young adult! So…I see it through a mom’s perspective now. But when I read it in my 20’s, I related so hard to these young adult feelings. I kind of want to go back and re-read some books just to see how it makes me feel now so we’ll see if I do.

Do you think books come into our lives at the ‘right time’ and are there any books you think you’d feel differently about if you were younger or older?

I do think it does sometimes…one example since she just did her podcast is Sarah J. Maas books. Throne of Glass came out when dystopian was big but I did read it…and I thought it was okay. And I read the next book and next book, but when A Court of Thorns and Roses dropped I was in my mid 30’s – I was hooked right away I think because Feyre just felt older (even though she wasn’t). And I liked her complicated family dynamics, and eventually Nesta’s story will be the one that impacts me the most personally. I don’t know if I would have appreciated ACOTAR if I read it when I was younger.

March 2026 Topics:

March 6: Women Who’ve Shaped Your Reading Life

~~Prompts~~: March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is also International Women’s Day. In honour of this month celebrating women, let’s talk about the women who’ve shaped our reading lives. Was there (or is there) a woman in your life who sparked your love for reading? Who was the first woman author you remember loving? Do you tend to read more books by women authors and do you think that’s for a reason?

March 13: Immersive Reading (suggested by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black)

~~Prompts:~~ Immersive reading is when you simultaneously listen to an audiobook while reading the physical or digital book. Do you do any immersive reading? Do you prefer it or is it not for you? Do you think it’s a good way to get everything from a book? Is there a genre that is better to do this with? What are your recommendations for immersive reading?

March 20: Portrayals of Women in Books

Prompts: We’ve previously talked about underrepresented women and women in STEM in books, but let’s take a look at portrayals of women in books. Do you think portrayals of women have changed over time? Are ambitious women portrayed differently than ambitious men? Are “unlikable” female characters judged more harshly? Are girls and women written more complexly in books today? Share some of your favourite books featuring complex empowered women being unapologetically themselves!

March 27: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In (suggested by Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe)

Web of Vows and Vengeance by. Aria Ashbrook | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Web of Vows and Vengeance (The Hirathean Path, #1)

Author: Aria Ashbrook

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 542

Publication Date: 1/23/26

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Series

Stripped of power. Fuelled by vengeance.

She lost everything because of his lie. Now the only way to save her sister is to win a deadly competition that could cost her the only thing she has left: her life.

When Prince Kyor twisted the truth about his mother’s death, Rose paid the price. Her family was stripped of their magic, cast into the slums, and abandoned by the kingdom they once served. Now her parents are gone, and her younger sister’s future hangs in the balance.

Rose’s only hope is the Tournament of the Gifting, a brutal competition held once a century, where the victor earns a blessing from the Goddess of Life. The catch? Every other contender wields the very power she was robbed of.

And Prince Kyor is among them. Commander of the armies. Rider of a bonded dire wolf. Wielder of lightning. He doesn’t just want to win for vanity – he wants the gift for himself. But what could a man who has it all possibly want?

Thrown into a world of magic, monsters, and merciless trials, Rose must fight not only for survival but for the chance to reclaim her future. Along the way, she’ll find unlikely allies, ruthless rivals, and a dangerous connection with her greatest enemy – one that could ruin or remake her.

Web of Vows and Vengeance is a dark, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy, set in a Nordic-inspired world, featuring deadly trials, found family, gods and goddesses, political intrigue, and an underdog heroine who refuses to stay broken.

This is a story of heartbreak, vengeance, and the kind of power that can never be taken.

Content Warning: violence, death

+~ This is romantasy with many of the common tropes: enemies to lovers, found family, slow burn romance. The story focuses on deadly trials called the Rettenheld, where the winner gets to ask a gift from the Goddess Etta. Rose desperately wants to win so she can restore her family name, magic, and wealth (for her sister’s sake). I didn’t feel like the “Nordic” part of the story came through except for it being cold where they lived. Some of them have dire wolves. I thought it was interesting how this story was about a deadly trial (there are a few), and then right after the trials, a ball. So it does become repetitive in that sense. Now there is a tiny mention, fleeting really, about rebels, but nothing detailed and left kind of open, I think.

+ I did like the found family trope happening in this story since Rose is basically alone. She makes some really good connections and friends during the trials. There are some tragic moments in this story though, which I wish didn’t happen. There is also the issue of trusting people in the trial and waiting to see who would betray who in the end.

+ Rose has been training all her life ever since her family was shunned by high society for a lie told by a young prince who claimed Rose’s mom (a healer), let his mom die during childbirth. The consequences of that lie led to the death of Rose’s baby brother (life for a life), plus her mother and dad fell apart – which led to their deaths. So Rose is angry and she wants everything the way it was before for her younger sister’s sake. But when she hears the Prince has entered the trials, she also wants to kill him to get her reserve. Rose is full of heart but as an FMC, she doesn’t have very good fighting skills, no matter how much training she gets – she just comes off kind of mediocre. Also she has no magic so she’s at a disadvantage. She’s very brave, standing up to bullies, and she makes friends easily which helps her throughout the trials. Also, the attention of the prince also helps her.

+ The romance is a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance between Rose and Prince Kyor. There at first seems to be other options, but once Rose and Kyor get over their hate and anger over with one another and addresses what happened in the past – it accelerates their desire to want to explore their attraction. I thought their flirtation was fun. And I did like the journey of their growing feelings, until the ending twist. Looks like it’s not going to be easy for them if they want to be together.

~ The story is a little long at over 500 pages, and for the most part I think the pace was steady. There were parts that did feel like it was dragging. Some things felt thrown in like I would have loved more insight into the rebels since there was a hint of it in the beginning but nothing more until near the end, but again, nothing that makes it relevant though there is a feeling that the King isn’t a loved ruler. Even the dire wolves are mentioned kind of once or twice and never again.

Final Thoughts:

This one is an easy read with the usual romantasy tropes so sometimes it feels like it brings nothing new to the genre, but sometimes, that can mean it’s a comforting read too if you aren’t looking for major twists and turns. I did find it a little too long though. I loved the secondary characters that made up the found family Rose finds herself with and I thought the trials were dangerous (though sometimes over with kind of quick). The romance is a slow burn and I did like the progress of it, but it does leave me questions about what will happen to them in book two. If I read book two I would like to see more world-building.

Read if you like:

enemies to lovers
found family
deadly trials
underdog FMC

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 3/22/26

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ The weather got better, it stopped raining but the sun barely came out all week. But at least it gave me a chance to do some activities with my daughter like take her to the arcade one day and then the movies the next. We watched GOAT and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would!

+ Then the weather got bad again, for round two of rain 2 days ago. I’m glad there were no high winds, but the rain was pounding and with the ground still so saturated (I haven’t turned on our sprinklers in 2 weeks!), the North Shore has lots of flooding in that area and other places around the island. It’s awful to see the damage of the homes. ☹️ People have lost their homes but from what I know – no lives lost, which is good. But recovery is going to be awhile – for one, we need the rain to stop – we need that sun to come out and dry up all this moisture in the ground.

+ Spring break is over today, it’s been mostly a rainy and boring one for me and my daughter. My hubby and son have been enjoying Osaka and Kyoto – lots of walking! But they come home today, yay, we’ve missed them!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

Never Ever After by. Sue Lynn Tan
The Thorn Queen by. Sasha Peyton Smith
Web of Vows and Vengeance by. Aria Ashbrook
The Lies that Summon the Night by. Tessonja Odette

Currently Reading:

The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther
Japanese Gothic by. Kylie Lee Baker
Storm Breaker by. Nisha J. Tuli

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

+ Bruno Mars, The Romantic, is on repeat!

+ BTS, Arirang – I have to learn these songs before the concert! I also watched the Netflix concert, but not at 1am in the morning when it aired in Hawaii. I was too tired to wake up but glad the replay was there, so I watched it when I woke up.

My daughter and I were bored and indoors because of the rain so we watched Spirited Away on my laptop when we had the power outage last week. And it was kind of the perfect thing to watch in the dark. ❤️ The following night my daughter wanted to watch another Ghibli movie but I only had Spirited Away on my laptop so I caved and signed up for HBO MAX (again – I don’t remember how many times I’ve cancelled already LOL). And we watched My Neighbor Totoro (we love that movie also), and then we had more time so we watched a My Little Pony movie. Then the next night we watched Ponyo. Ghibli films are really amazing! I’m glad my kids love them as much as I do. 🥹

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 Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by. Takuya Asakura | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

Author: Takuya Asakura

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 224

Publication Date: 3/24/26 (first published: 3/28/25)

Publisher: HarperCollins

Categories: Magical Realism, Cozy, Japanese Literature

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

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

For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, What You Are Looking for Is In the Library, and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop comes an enchanting novel that will linger in your heart long after the last page is turned.

As the last petal falls, the final page is turned…

Welcome to The Cherry Blossom Bookshop, a haven for book lovers that only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season. Nestled amidst the bloom of delicate petals, you’ll find a sanctuary for those burdened by regrets and past sorrows. Here, Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing.

Told over four seasons, each visitor to the bookshop holds a book that bridges their past and present, guiding them towards understanding and acceptance. Within the antique charm of the shop and the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Sakura and Kobako help their guests confront their lingering sadness through the power of stories, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope.

Content Warning: death, grief

+ This gave me Ghibli movie vibes not only because it is set in Japan, during cherry blossom season but there is a magical book shop with a cat and it’s all so very cozy, heartfelt and poignant.

+ There are four different stories told in this book. People going through some hard emotional times and when this bookshop appears to them, it makes them remember a book that is special to them and helps them remember special memories. I thought it was a beautiful way to help them repair relationships, or get closure and move on.

~ I do wish we got to spend more time in the bookshop and learn more about it.