Monday, March 18, 2024

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #667, March 18th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!
What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #666
Teaser Tuesday #674
WWW Wednesday #674
WOW #670
Will the Time Come #667
Third Sentence Thursday #657
Random Reads #643
First Lines Friday #670
Book Blogger Hop #336
Monthly ARC's Update 65
The Reward Challenge Update #652
Wheel of TBR #199
How Well I Stuck to It #504
Wrote that Review Update #501

Week 11 Reviews:
Finding Mr. Write

Spring Into Reading-A-Thon:

Phase Out Your TBR:

Greek God-a-Thon:

Random:

OK, so I got 44 posts in 7 days, and it was a pretty great week, I read a good deal, and I'm happy with that. What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read whatever I want! 

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Spring Into Reading-A-Thon Update 18

So I read my next book for Spring Into Reading-A-Thon, and it was The Shadows Between Us which was for the prompt Self-Care and I'll be reading The Invocations next! 

My Reading Journey:

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
Prompt Fulfilled: Spring Court
Started On: March 1st 
Finished On: March 1st, 11:35 AM
Pages Read: 496

Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin
Prompt Fulfilled: Spring Cleaning
Started On: March 1st
Finished On: March 1st, 1:58 PM
Pages Read: 348

Written in Red by Anne Bishop
Prompt Fulfilled: Let it Shine
Started On: March 2nd
Finished On: March 2nd, 7:45 PM
Pages Read: 496

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
Prompt Fulfilled: Spring Forward
Started On: March 4th
Finished On: March 4th, 9:50 PM
Pages Read: 511

Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
Prompt Fulfilled: April Showers
Started On: March 5th
Finished On: March 5th, 11:02 PM
Pages Read: 528

Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley
Prompt Fulfilled: Road Trip
Started On: March 6th
Finished On: March 6th, 10:18 AM
Pages Read: 448

Endless by Josephine Angelini
Prompt Fulfilled: Spring Fashion
Started On: March 7th
Finished On: March 7th, 10:26 PM
Pages Read: 362

Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren
Prompt Fulfilled: Read the group book
Started On: March 8th
Finished On: March 8th, 1:36 PM
Pages Read: 418

Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren
Prompt Fulfilled: Rewind
Started On: March 8th
Finished On: March 8th, 5:49 PM
Pages Read: 352

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong
Prompt Fulfilled: Women's March
Started On: March 8th
Finished On: March 8th, 10:15 PM
Pages Read: 352

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong
Prompt Fulfilled: Refresh Your TBR
Started On: March 9th
Finished On: March 9th, 3:57 PM
Pages Read: 368

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 
Prompt Fulfilled: Prom Queen
Started On: March 10th
Finished On: March 10th, 8:17 PM
Pages Read: 479

The Last Word by Taylor Adams
Prompt Fulfilled: Spring Break
Started On: March 11th
Finished On: March 11th, 10:11 PM
Pages Read: 352

Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley
Prompt Fulfilled: Flower Power
Started On: March 13th
Finished On: March 13th, 5:48 PM
Pages Read: 320

Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren
Prompt Fulfilled: Read Like An Aires
Started On: March 14th
Finished On: March 14th, 1:33 PM
Pages Read: 124

Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren
Prompt Fulfilled: Wet T-Shirt Contest
Started On: March 14th
Finished On: March 14th, 6:15 PM
Pages Read: 402

A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber 
Prompt Fulfilled: Tiny Umbrellas
Started On: March 15th
Finished On: March 15th, 10:27 PM
Pages Read: 384

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Prompt Fulfilled: Self-Care
Started On: March 17th
Finished On: March 17th, 8:12 PM
Pages Read: 380

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
Prompt Fulfilled: Friendship Bracelets
Started On: March 
Currently On: Page 0 of 400

Prompts Left: New Beginnings, Stormy Weather, Luck of the Irish, Love Is In The Air, Over The Rainbow, Tiptoe Through The Tulips
Read: 18
Pages Read: 7120

Wrote that Review Update #501, March 17th

Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!
If you want to participate, set a certain amount of reviews to write, and once you make that goal, you can get a reward!

My reviews to reward is writing all of the reviews of the week, and I motivated myself to write my review for Finding Mr. Write, Come Find Me, Six of Crows, The Last Word, A Line in the Dark, A Grave Robbery, The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties, Empire of the Vampire, Butcher & Blackbird, Bad Graces, Alpha Unleashed, The One that Got Away With Murder, Beautiful Beloved and Beautiful Secret, Not in Love, The Bad Ones, Wild Country, A Deceptive Composition, so I have 17 of 17 reviews written!

And as always, I want to review this week's reviews!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

How Well I Stuck to It #504, March 17th

So I decided that I should have accountability on sticking to what should be in a week, so I'm doing How Well I Stuck to It every Sunday, because my schedule should be fixed in by now!

Week 12:
Nothing Planned! 

Just a free week to read what I want to, since I have a bunch of books that I need to fit in and no new books! 

Week 11:
A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn

vs.

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong, Come Find Me by Megan Miranda, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, The Last Word by Taylor Adams, A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo, A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn, The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto, Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff, Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver, Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley, Alpha Unleashed by Aileen Erin, The One that Got Away With Murder by Trish Lundy, Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren, Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren, Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood, The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert, Wild Country by Anne Bishop, A Deceptive Composition by Anna Lee Huber

I read the one that I wanted to read, and a bunch more, so I'm really happy with this week, and I can't wait for the next! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Wheel of TBR #199, March 17th

I saw Codie's Book Corner doing the Wheel of TBR, and I thought that sounded like a great way to pick what to read from your TBR. So thanks to her! I'll only do 3 spins, because I'm doing this every week, and so it won't make up my total TBR of the week, but it'll be a start!

Rules:
1. For each week of the month, I'll do 3 spins each week to read each week though I do have the rest of the month to read them. Once a prompt is used, I'll randomly choose one from the list, keeping track of how often a colour comes up. If colour comes up 3 or more times in month, I'll do another spin once it comes up 3 times.
2. If I don't read a book that week or at least start it before the end of the month, then for my next week of spins, I have to add a punishment for each book unread. I'll roll for each unread book, and have to apply each and every punishment chosen to the week.
3. Each month I'll get a prompt from my Binge Read Wheel (either specifically picking the prompt, or spinning the wheel) and I have to read at least 9 books, though I can read more!

Of the books from the last week, I read A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo, Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver, Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda.

Binge Read Wheel:
For this month, the wheel picked Author. I read Beautiful Beloved by Christina Lauren, Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren, so I've read  12/9+.

Prompts Used This Week:
Hype, Series Continued and Unfinished/Current 2024, End the Series.

Hype-Orange-Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo-This duology in the Grishaverse has so much hype, it's well beloved, so I'll be reading it again! 

Series Continued and Unfinished/Current 2024-Orange-Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff-I continued this series by rereading the first book last week, so this will continue the series for me, and keep me current! 

End the Series-Cyan-Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren-This book is the last full length book in the Wild Seasons series, so that works.

Colour Totals:
Red: 0
Orange: 2
Yellow: 1
Chartreuse: 0
Green: 2
Spring Green: 0
Cyan: 1
Azure: 1
Blue: 0
Violet: 0
Magenta: 0 
Rose: 2

Prompts for Next Week:
Physical Book to Read in 2022-Red
Read a Book in the Same Place-Orange
TBR Cart-Yellow
Favorite Author-Chartreuse
Newly Published-Green
Big Book-Spring Green
Holly Pick-Cyan
ARC Published-Azure
Genre Most Read-Blue
Physical Book to Read in 2023-Violet
Series Continued and Unfinished/Current 2022-Magenta
A-Z Start Author-Rose

So those are some of the books I'm going to try to read this week. What about you guys? Happy reading!

The Reward Challenge Update #652, March 17th

The Reward Challenge is almost the complete opposite to a book buying ban as you'll end up buying lots of new books throughout the challenge but only after you've completed a certain amount of reading. It was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, so thanks to her for starting it!

OK, so I read Finding Mr. Write which counts 4 times as a NetGalley Book, SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book, Come Find Me which counts 3 times as a SAC 2024 Book and a WTC Book, Six of Crows which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book, The Last Word which counts twice as a SAC 2024 Book, A Line in the Dark which counts twice as a SAC 2024 Book, A Grave Robbery which counts 4 times as a Historical Fiction 2024 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book and a WoW Book, The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties which counts 5 times as a End of Series 2024 Book, NetGalley Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book and a WoW Book, Empire of the Vampire which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book, Butcher & Blackbird which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book, Bad Graces which counts 4 times as a Edelweiss Book, SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book, Alpha Unleashed which counts 3 times as a NetGalley Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book, The One that Got Away With Murder which counts 4 times as a DAC Book, NetGalley Book and a SAC 2024 Book, Beautiful Beloved which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book, Beautiful Secret which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book, Not in Love which counts 4 times as a NetGalley Book, SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book, The Bad Ones which counts 4 times as a NetGalley Book, SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book, Wild Country which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book, A Deceptive Composition which counts 5 times as a Historical Fiction 2024 Book, NetGalley Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book and a WoW Book.

So I have 56 counts which translates to $28 this week! I'll use it to buy books!

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Phase Out Your TBR Update 10

So I've read my next book for the Phase Out Your TBR, and it was Daughter of Mine which is for the prompt Red 12, and I'll be reading Three Kinds of Lucky next! 

My Reading Journey:

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 6
Started On: March 1st 
Finished On: March 1st, 11:35 AM
Pages Read: 496

Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 8
Started On: March 1st
Finished On: March 1st, 1:58 PM
Pages Read: 348

Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 1
Started On: March 5th
Finished On: March 5th, 11:02 PM
Pages Read: 528

Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 7
Started On: March 6th
Finished On: March 6th, 10:18 AM
Pages Read: 448

Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 4
Started On: March 8th
Finished On: March 8th, 5:49 PM
Pages Read: 352

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 12
Started On: March 8th
Finished On: March 8th, 10:15 PM
Pages Read: 352

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 10
Started On: March 9th
Finished On: March 9th, 3:57 PM
Pages Read: 368

A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 8
Started On: March 12th
Finished On: March 12th, 1:54 PM
Pages Read: 288

Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 12
Started On: March 14th
Finished On: March 14th, 6:15 PM
Pages Read: 402

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda 
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 12
Started On: March 16th
Finished On: March 16th, 10:14 PM
Pages Read: 352

Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 4
Started On: March 
Currently On: Page 0 of 464

Prompts Left: Red 4, Yellow 4, Yellow 5, Red 6, Red 5, Yellow 11, Blue 12, Green 5, Blue 7, Yellow 8, Green 11
Books Read: 10
Pages Read: 3925

Week 11 Review: A Deceptive Composition

From Goodreads:
Lady Kiera Darby and her dashing husband, Sebastian Gage, hope they've finally found peace after a tumultuous summer, but long-buried family secrets soon threaten to unravel their lives . . .
October 1832. Kiera is enjoying the slower pace of the English countryside. She, Sebastian, and their infant daughter have accompanied her father-in-law, Lord Gage, home so that he can recuperate from the injuries he sustained in a foiled attempt on his life. But as the chill of autumn sweeps across the land, they receive a summons from an unexpected quarter. Lord Gage's estranged uncle—a member of the notorious Roscarrock family—has been murdered, and his family is desperate for answers. Despite Lord Gage's protests, Kiera and Sebastian press on to Cornwall to assist.

It isn't long before they discover that almost nothing is as it seems among the Roscarrocks, and they've been lured to their isolated cove under false pretenses. There are whispers of a lost treasure and frightening allusions to a series of murders stretching back decades that touch the lives of the family personally. Kiera and Sebastian are left with no choice but to uncover the truth before the secrets of the past threaten to destroy them all.

My Review:
It was so great to read this book! This series is just so great and I loved this latest installment-after the last book focused on Lord Gage, that this case focuses on his maternal family, and we got to explore that in this book, it was so great! 


I absolutely loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by Anna Lee Huber! 

Author: Anna Lee Huber 
Series: Lady Darby Mysteries #12
Read: March 15th, 2024
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2024 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Berkley
Expected Publication: June 18th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Review: Wild Country

From Goodreads:
In this powerful and exciting fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, humans and the shape-shifting Others will see whether they can live side by side...without destroying one another.

There are ghost towns in the world—places where the humans were annihilated in retaliation for the slaughter of the shape-shifting Others.

One of those places is Bennett, a town at the northern end of the Elder Hills—a town surrounded by the wild country. Now efforts are being made to resettle Bennett as a community where humans and Others live and work together. A young female police officer has been hired as the deputy to a Wolfgard sheriff. A deadly type of Other wants to run a human-style saloon. And a couple with four foster children—one of whom is a blood prophet—hope to find acceptance.

But as they reopen the stores and the professional offices and start to make lives for themselves, the town of Bennett attracts the attention of other humans looking for profit. And the arrival of the Blackstone Clan, outlaws and gamblers all, will uncover secrets…or bury them.

My first review of Wild Country
My second review of Wild Country
My third review of Wild Country
My Review:
I loved reading this book again! I've loved it since the beginning, and of course I had to include it in my reread, because the people around Bennett really didn't play much a role in Etched in Bone as much as they did in Marked in Flesh, so it was great to see them after the events of Marked in Flesh! 

We do mainly follow Jana, as she becomes a police officer in this frontier town, as well as Virgil, the sheriff, and Tobias and Jesse. Well, and Blackstones, but of course we need the villain's perspectives. It just really rounded out the story! 

Jana is pretty fierce, especially since she wanted to be a police officer, but human settled land wouldn't hire a woman to do the active policing and she didn't want to be a receptionist. So she's had to prove herself, and she does that, but the pack of law enforcement has different preconceptions-mainly, that she's human, and they're Wolves. 

This is the story of the town building itself back up from scratch, since it was one of the ones that the Elders destroyed, and I loved seeing that process, of all the people looking for a fresh start-and just how varied people they were! I loved watching them come together! 

I really do hope that we see more of these characters in the future, and I can't wait to continue on with my reread! 

Author: Anne Bishop
Series: The Others #7, World of the Others #2
First Read: March 5th, 2019
Second Read: February 6th, 2020
Third Read: May 8th, 2021
Read: March 15th, 2024
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book!
Publisher: Ace
Published: March 5th 2019
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Review: The Bad Ones


From Goodreads:
Goddess, goddess, count to five
In the morning, who's alive?

In the course of a single winter's night, four people vanish without a trace across a small town.

Nora's estranged best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. As Nora tries to untangle the truth of Becca's disappearance, she discovers a darkness in her town's past, as well as a string of coded messages Becca left for her to unravel. These clues lead Nora to a piece of local folklore: a legendary goddess of forgotten origins who played a role in Nora and Becca's own childhood games...

An arresting, crossover horror fantasy threaded with dark magic, THE BAD ONES is a poison-pen love letter to semi-toxic best friendship, the occult power of childhood play and artistic creation, and the razor-thin line between make-believe and belief.

My Review:
I loved reading this book! I love The Hazel Wood series, and this book was just a bit strange as well, but not quite so much, with a urban legend of a goddess and the Goddess Game, and two best friends, and the frantic time after one of them disappears amongst other disappearances the same night, and the trail she left behind.

The way that we start the book off was really great, of these three different people, who we don't know why this is happening to them, or really what is, but something was. Something did. And then we follow Nora in the aftermath-and her friend Becca, is also missing. It was such a compelling story! 

While we were following alongside Nora in the present, we were also following along with Becca for key moments of the past, that lead to everything happening, which gave us more and more answers as the book went along.

This book really stirred up feelings of indignation. Because of the actions of one person, and who they killed, lead to all of this. I mean, they were the bad ones that, after that, were dying, but the root cause? But that just made the book more complicated and I loved it. 

This was a fantastic read and I can't wait to read more by Melissa Albert! 

Author: Melissa Albert 
Read: February 15th, 2024
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing, and it's a SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: February 20th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Review: Not in Love

From Goodreads:
A forbidden, secret affair proves that all's fair in love and science—from New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can't stop thinking about. The woman who's off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.

My Review:
I utterly adored this book! I love her writing, and this latest book was so entertaining, I loved the set up, and I couldn't wait to see how they were going to deal with their competing interesting but growing attraction. It was just so good and I couldn't get enough!




This book was another fantastic read and I can't wait to read more by Ali Hazelwood! 

Author: Ali Hazelwood 
Read: March 14th, 2024
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really great, and its a SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Berkley 
Expected Publication: June 11th 2024 
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Reviews: Beautiful Beloved, Beautiful Secret


From Goodreads:
In Beautiful Stranger, finance whiz Sara Dillon met the irresistibly sexy Brit, Max Stella, at a New York City club. Through the series we've watched them learn to balance commitment with their less than private brand of playfulness. In Beautiful Beloved, Max and Sara take it to the next step. But the question is: Will they be able to find a balance between the wild sexcapades they aren't ready to retire, and the demands of parenthood that come along with their new Beautiful bundle of joy? Parenthood: it's not for the weak of heart.

From Goodreads:
AN UPTIGHT BRITISH EXECUTIVE. AN ADVENTUROUS AMERICAN NEWBIE. A SEXY INTERNATIONAL SCANDAL IN THE MAKING.

New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Christina Lauren's Beautiful and Wild Seasons series hook up in Beautiful Secret for an erotic intercontinental romp that celebrates the best of both worlds!

When Ruby Miller's boss announces he's sending her on an extended business trip to New York City, she's shocked. As one of the best and brightest young engineers in London, she knows she's professionally up to the task. The part that's throwing her is where she'll be spending a month up close and personal working alongside—and staying in a hotel with—Niall Stella, her firm's top urban planning executive and The Hottest Man Alive. Despite her ongoing crush, Ruby is certain Niall barely knows she's alive…until their flirty overnight flight makes him sit up and take notice.

Not one for letting loose and breaking rules, recently divorced Niall would describe himself as hopeless when it comes to women. But even he knows outgoing California-girl Ruby is a breath of fresh air. Once she makes it her mission to help the sexy Brit loosen his tie, there's no turning back. Thousands of miles from London, it's easy for the lovers to play pretend. But when the trip is over, will the relationship they've built up fall down?

My first review of Beautiful Beloved, Beautiful Secret
My Review:


Author: Christina Lauren
Series: Beautiful Bastard #3.6, 4
First Read: April 2nd, 3rd, 2016
Read: March 14th, 14th, 2024
Source: Ebook.bike, Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Books! 
Publisher: Pocket Star, Gallery Books
Published: February 2nd 2015, April 14th 2015

Beautiful Beloved:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








Beautiful Secret:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Review: The One That Got Away With Murder

From Goodreads:
Be careful who you fall for...

Robbie and Trevor Cresmont have a body count—the killer kind. Handsome and privileged, the Crestmont brothers' have enough wealth to ensure they’ll never be found guilty of any wrongdoing, even if all of Happy Valley believes they're behind the deaths of their ex-girlfriends. First there was soccer star Victoria Moreno, Robbie's ex, who mysteriously drowned at the family lake house. Then, a year later, Trevor's girlfriend died of a suspicious overdose.

But the Crestmonts aren't the only ones with secrets. Lauren O'Brian might be the new girl at school, but she's never been a good girl. With a dark past of her own, she's desperate for a fresh start. Except when she starts a no-strings-attached relationship with Robbie, her chance is put in jeopardy. During what’s meant to be their last weekend together, Lauren stumbles across shocking evidence that just might implicate Robbie.

With danger closing in, Lauren doesn't know who to trust. And after a third death rocks the town, she must decide whether to end things with Robbie or risk becoming another cautionary tale.

This is an edge-of-your-seat debut YA thriller about a teen who is forced to confront her past in order to catch a murderer before she ends up the next victim. Perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

My Review:
I had a fantastic time reading this book! The mystery was so interesting-because what are the chances that both girlfriends of the Crestmont boys ending up dying? I had such a great time watching Lauren look into what happened! 

The thing that she had with Robbie wasn't serious, just a summer thing, but when she goes to the lake house, well, things get complicated, because of the evidence that she found. Which prompts her to look into the case. And boy, where there a few things going on, especially with Lauren being on the soccer team with Victoria's old team. 

Lauren has a past, she used to smoke and do drugs and something happened that caused them to move. We slowly got bits and pieces of that time, but it wasn't until near the end that we got the whole story, and it was really heartbreaking that all that happened to her, and what she did because of it! 

It was really entertaining to watch events escalate, and the case continue on, and all the events along the way! The way her relationships with those around her changed, her mom, her soccer team, and Robbie, yeah, it was such a great read, and I loved how it came together! That one chapter from the bad guy's perspective...chilling! 

Loved reading this book and I'd love to read more by Trish Lundy! 

Author: Trish Lundy
Read: March 14th, 2024
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a DAC Book and a SAC 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Expected Publication: April 16th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Review: Alpha Unleashed

From Goodreads:
Tessa McCaide has had it up to here with supernaturals. Luciana may have failed to steal Tessa's magic, but she's just getting started on her crusade for magical domination. If her demonic summoning isn't stopped, it could mean the end of everything.

Tessa's allies, including her mate Dastien, are ready to fight, but they're no match for Luciana's power. A little help (and ancient Inca mojo) from Tessa's cousin, Claudia, may give the side of good a chance if she can make it home in time, but stopping the war is no longer an option.

When witches and wolves fight, no one wins. Only time will tell who will still be standing after the last spell is cast.

My Review:


Author: Aileen Erin
Series: Alpha Girl #5
Read: March 13th, 2024
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Ink Monster, LLC
Published: October 13th 2015
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Review: Bad Graces

From Goodreads:
Yellowjackets meets House of Hollow in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley's gripping and magical YA thriller following a group of young women as they face the stress of harsh elements, a mysterious monster, and an unraveling of secrets after their yacht is wrecked off the coast of North America.

Liv Whitlock knows she doesn't belong there. But after years of stumbling between foster homes, often due to her own self-destructive tendencies, Liv desperately needs to change the trajectory of her life . . . so she steals her perfect sister's identity.

Using her sister's grades and clean record, Liv starts to rewrite her story, winning a prestigious internship on a movie set filming in Alaska. Then executive producer Vincent Bellegarde changes her travel plans. Instead of a commercial flight, Liv finds herself on a luxury yacht alongside pop star Paris Grace, actress sisters Effie and Miri Knight, Olympic gymnast Rosalind Torres, and social media influencer Celia Jones. Liv tries to find common ground with her famous companions, but just as the group starts to bond, a violent storm wrecks their vessel, stranding them on a slip of an island in the North Pacific Ocean.

Among the threats of starvation and exposure, they learn there is a predator lurking in the forest, unlike anything they've seen before—until they begin to see it in themselves. Every injury they suffer on the island causes inexplicable changes in their bodies, transforming them bit by inhuman bit. With little hope for rescue and only each other as their final tether to humanity, can the girls endure the ominous forces at work on the island? Or will they lose themselves to their darker natures?

My Review:


Author: Kyrie McCauley 
Read: March 13th, 2024
Source: Edelweiss 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really great, and it's a SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Expected Publication: June 19th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Review: Butcher & Blackbird

From Goodreads:
Every serial killer needs a friend.
Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.

My Review:


Author: Brynne Weaver 
Series: The Ruinous Love Trilogy #1 
Read: March 13th, 2024
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book!
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: August 15th 2023
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Review: Empire of the Vampire

From Goodreads:
From New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff comes Empire of the Vampire, the first illustrated volume of an astonishing new dark fantasy saga.

From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs' sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.

Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.

Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity's last remaining hope:

The Holy Grail. 

My first review of Empire of the Vampire
My Review:


Author: Jay Kristoff 
Series: Empire of the Vampire #1
First Read: September 8th, 2021
Read: March 
Source: Bought/Library
Reason Why: Rereading, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book! 
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: September 14th 2021
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 11 Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties

From Goodreads:
What should have been a family celebration of Chinese New Year descends into chaos when longtime foes crash the party in this hilariously entertaining novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.

After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. Chinese New Year, already the biggest celebration of the Lunar calendar, gets even more festive when a former beau of Second Aunt's shows up at the Chan residence bearing extravagant gifts—he's determined to rekindle his romance with Second Aunt and the gifts are his way of announcing his courtship.   

His grand gesture goes awry however, when it's discovered that not all the gifts were meant for Second Aunt and the Chans—one particular gift was intended for a business rival to cement their alliance and included by accident. Of course the Aunties agree that it's only right to return the gift—after all, anyone would forgive an honest mistake, right? 

But what should have been a simple retrieval turns disastrous and suddenly Meddy and the Aunties are helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta's most powerful business factions. The fighting turns personal, however, when Nathan and the Aunties are endangered and it's up to Meddy to come up with a plan to save them all.  Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission—but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible…

My Review:
I had such a fantastic time reading this book! I've really fallen in love with this series, and this installment-which, according to the reader discussion page, is the final book in the series-was another wild romp of wild shenanigans, plots and plans, and hilarious moments! 



This was a really fantastic series, and I am sad to say goodbye to these characters, but I can't wait to read more by Jesse Q. Sutanto! 

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Series: Aunties #3
Read: March 12th, 2024
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a End of Series 2024 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Berkley
Expected Publication: March 26th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars