The Haunting of H.G. Wells by Robert Masello

Title: The Haunting of H.G. Wells

Author: Robert Masello

Publisher: 47North 2020

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Pages: 393

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Cover Lover - Outdated technology (typewriter, film camera, rotary telephone, etc.)

Where I Got It: Kindle Account

It’s 1914. The Great War grips the world—and from the Western Front a strange story emerges…a story of St. George and a brigade of angels descending from heaven to fight beside the beleaguered British troops. But can there be any truth to it?

H. G. Wells, the most celebrated writer of his day—author of The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man—is dispatched to find out. There, he finds an eerie wasteland inhabited by the living, the dead, and those forever stranded somewhere in between…a no-man’s-land whose unhappy souls trail him home to London, where a deadly plot, one that could turn the tide of war, is rapidly unfolding.

In league with his young love, the reporter and suffragette Rebecca West, Wells must do battle with diabolical forces—secret agents and depraved occultists—to save his sanity, his country, and ultimately the world.

I picked this up thinking that it would be a good spooky read set in a time that I don’t often see. Unfortunately, this just really fell so flat for me. The promised spooky content never really materialized. We got a great spooky prologue, but then it’s revealed later that the prologue was completely made up. Instead the spooky content was vague conspiracies and secret societies. It never really delivered on its promise. But my big problem with the book had to do with the character of H.G. Wells and his relationship with Rebecca West. I am not a fan of surprise Jesus and I am really not a fan of surprise infidelity. They were both pretty terrible characters. I just couldn’t get behind either one. I know that the book was trying to play off of the real people behind the characters, but it was still very off-putting. Such a disappointment.

Next up on the TBR pile:

For We are Many by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: For We are Many (We are Bob) (Bobiverse #2)

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Publisher: Worldbuilder Press 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 311

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER

Where I Got It: Our server

Bob Johansson didn't believe in an afterlife, so waking up after being killed in a car accident was a shock. To add to the surprise, he is now a sentient computer and the controlling intelligence for a Von Neumann probe. Bob and his copies have been spreading out from Earth for 40 years now, looking for habitable planets. But that's the only part of the plan that's still in one piece. A system-wide war has killed off 99.9% of the human race; nuclear winter is slowly making the Earth uninhabitable; a radical group wants to finish the job on the remnants of humanity; the Brazilian space probes are still out there, still trying to blow up the competition; And the Bobs have discovered a spacefaring species that sees all other life as food. Bob left Earth anticipating a life of exploration and blissful solitude. Instead he's become a sky god to a primitive native species, the only hope for getting humanity to a new home, and possibly the only thing that can prevent every living thing in the local sphere from ending up as dinner.

I finally dove into the second book in the series. We jump right in with no hesitation. Immediately I was right back in each of the storylines from the various Bobs. We get to see what happens to the Deltans, people on Earth, and even encounter a newly discovered sentient life on another planet. These books are definitely a high-paced ride. A little less philosophy in this one and more action, but still highly enjoyable.

Bobiverse

• #1 We are Legion (We are Bob)

• #2 For We are Many

• #3 All These Worlds

• #4 Heaven’s River

• #5 Not Till We are Lost

Next up on the TBR pile:

We are Legion by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: We are Legion (We are Bob) (Bobiverse #1)

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Publisher: Ethan Ellenberg 2016

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 299

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER

Where I Got It: Our server

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he'll be switched off, and they'll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty. The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad - very mad.

I finally (after years of J encouraging me) read the first of the Bobiverse books. it took me a few chapters to really get into the story, mostly until Bob dies. Once we enter into the world of the Bobiverse, I got sucked into the story. I really enjoyed following along to see all the different iterations of Bob. The narration gives them just enough distinct personalities to keep everyone straight. Ryker and Homer are my favorites hands-down. I love their enemies to friends relationship. I sped through the book during a few slow weekend days. There were so many interesting developments that I’m definitely going be continuing the series.

Bobiverse

• #1 We are Legion (We are Bob)

• #2 For We are Many

• #3 All These Worlds

• #4 Heaven’s River

• #5 Not Till We are Lost

Next up on the TBR pile:

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens

Title: Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Author: Sophie Sousens

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Romanceopoly - Starlight Cinema (Group read)

Where I Got It: Kindle deal

Spice Rating: 3

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

Our in person book club selection this month. My reading has really been impacted with life and fan fiction, but I was determined to read this one before the meeting on Tuesday. I started on Sunday night and finished Monday night. So a very quick read for me. Unfortunately, this book was a little too predictable and bland for me. I found it to be reminiscent of Bridget Jones’s Diary. Which would have been okay, but it’s 2025. I just didn’t want to read about a beautiful woman who complains about how frumpy and disheveled she is. The conceit of the dates set up by her kids was kinda fun, even if it was aborted halfway through. I liked the glimpses of Anna’s columns, but felt like we spent too much time talking about how print media is dying. Yeah, it has been for decades… Will was a fine MMC, but didn’t find him particularly swoony. I didn’t hate this book, but it really was not for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green

Title: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (The Carls #2)

Author: Hank Green

Publisher: Dutton 2020

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 452

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Quarter of a Century - 2020

Where I Got It: ebook

The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared, in an instant. While the robots were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction with only their presence. Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories. 
 
Months later, April’s friends are trying to find their footing in a post-Carl world. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda is contemplating defying her friends’ advice and pursuing a new scientific operation…one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension. Just as it is starting to seem like the gang may never learn the real story behind the events that changed their lives forever, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers—all of which seems to suggest that April could be very much alive.
 
In the midst of the search for the truth and the search for April is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It is a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary, asking hard, urgent questions about the way we live, our freedoms, our future, and how we handle the unknown.

Such a disappointment of a book. I really enjoyed Green’s first book and was interested to see what happened after April “died.” The book started well with chapters from each of April’s friends discussing their lives after the first book. Of course, we all knew that April would be back. But once she was back, the book started to go off the rails for me. There’s a whole middle section that seemed superfluous. Multiple characters just spin their wheels for entire chapters. It was boring. And then the action kicks back in and I could not care less. Too much deus ex machina and weird philosophical tangents that muddled the message.

The Carls

• #1 An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

• #2 A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair

Title: The Secret Lives of Color

Author: Kassia St. Clair

Publisher: Penguin Books 2016

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 284

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Nonfiction Reader

Where I Got It: Kindle

The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes, and hues. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso’s blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history.

In this book, Kassia St. Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colors and where they come from (whether Van Gogh’s chrome yellow sunflowers or punk’s fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilization. Across fashion and politics, art and war, the secret lives of color tell the vivid story of our culture. 

I randomly picked this from my backlog of Kindle selections. I enjoyed a light journey through various historical vignettes about colors. I liked learning specific shades. There’s a lot of history in here that obviously took a lot of research. It didn’t surprise me that so many colors involve various toxins and poisons. An interesting read in between all my more serious books.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab

Title: The Near Witch

Author: V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Hyperion Books 2011

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 284

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Quarter of a Century - 2011

Where I Got It: Kindle

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. 

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. 

There are no strangers in the town of Near. 

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. 

But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke, appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true. 

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. 

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy. 

I was randomly perusing my Kindle app looking for a lighter fantasy read and this one caught my eye. I have really enjoyed many of Schwab’s books. Apparently this is her first published book. I went into the book with no expectations and immediately fell into this folk story featuring a lost girl and a lost boy finding their way through the world. I loved the mix of folklore and supernatural aspects. We get some great scenes with the sisters and The Near Witch. It ended up being a shorter book, but was a great lighter fairy tale-esque read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Title: The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1)

Author: Helen Hoang

Publisher: Berkley 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 314

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Retreat Recommendations

Where I Got It: Kindle

Spice Rating: 5

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...

This book has been on my TBR for years and I decided to take the plunge and choose it for my Dirty Book Month selection. Thankfully I ended up really enjoying this reverse Pretty Woman romance. Right away we know that Stella is autistic and struggles with the idea of romantic relationships. From there, she devises a plan involving hiring a male escort to teach her. This male escort has his own issues and struggles. As we learn more about each of the characters, we start to see just how perfect they might be for each other. I really loved seeing Michael interact with his family and attempt to protect them from all struggles. And we get to see Stella interact with them. Overall, this was a very satisfying romance and start of a series. I cannot wait to have our discussion next week and unpack all the aspects of this story.

The Kiss Quotient

• #1 The Kiss Quotient

• #2 The Bride Test

• #3 The Heart Principle

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker

Title: A Song for a New Day

Author: Sarah Pinsker

Publisher: Penguin 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 384

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Quarter of a Century - 2019

Where I Got It: Amazon Kindle

In the Before, when the government didn't prohibit large public gatherings, Luce Cannon was on top of the world. One of her songs had just taken off and she was on her way to becoming a star. Now, in the After, terror attacks and deadly viruses have led the government to ban concerts, and Luce's connection to the world--her music, her purpose—is closed off forever. She does what she has to do: she performs in illegal concerts to a small but passionate community, always evading the law.

Rosemary Laws barely remembers the Before times. She spends her days in Hoodspace, helping customers order all of their goods online for drone delivery—no physical contact with humans needed. By lucky chance, she finds a new job and a new calling: discover amazing musicians and bring their concerts to everyone via virtual reality. The only catch is that she'll have to do something she's never done before and go out in public. Find the illegal concerts and bring musicians into the limelight they deserve. But when she sees how the world could actually be, that won’t be enough.

Nerdy Bookish Friends’ first selection of the year and it was a bit of a dud for me. I don’t actually think that this is a bad book at all. I just started reading it, got about halfway through, and realized that it put me in a terrible melancholy mood. I deeply felt the loneliness of both of the main characters as they navigated an isolated world. At times, I was very intrigued by how the world has changed since the pandemic. But… the story meandered and seemed to get stuck in places. More importantly, I was having a lot of trouble really connecting to Rosemary. She was so incredibly naive that I couldn’t even root for her. While I didn’t love the book, I am excited to discuss it with my online book friends.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen

Title: Above the Bay of Angels

Author: Rhys Bowen

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing 2020

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 348

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Cover Lover - Mode of Transportation

Where I Got It: Kindle

Isabella Waverly only means to comfort the woman felled on a London street. In her final dying moments, she thrusts a letter into Bella’s hand. It’s an offer of employment in the kitchens of Buckingham Palace, and everything the budding young chef desperately wants: an escape from the constrictions of her life as a lowly servant. In the stranger’s stead, Bella can spread her wings.

Arriving as Helen Barton from Yorkshire, she pursues her passion for creating culinary delights, served to the delighted Queen Victoria herself. Best of all, she’s been chosen to accompany the queen to Nice. What fortune! Until the threat of blackmail shadows Bella to the Riviera, and a member of the queen’s retinue falls ill and dies.

Having prepared the royal guest’s last meal, Bella is suspected of the poisonous crime. An investigation is sure to follow. Her charade will be over. And her new life will come crashing down—if it doesn’t send her to the gallows.

Our book club selection for January and amazingly, I had this sitting on my Kindle from years past. I was interested in reading a stand alone mystery from Bowen after reading her Her Lady Spyness series. Unfortunately, this book couldn’t figure out what it was. According to tags and the summary, it’s a mystery of a woman assuming an identity to move ahead career-wise and solve a murder. And yet, the murder doesn’t even happen until about the 80% mark. Seriously I kept waiting for someone to die. Moving past that discrepancy, I was thoroughly bored with the rest of the story. Isabella is too naive and yet too lucky to be real. Everything that potentially can harm her comes to naught. Seriously how lucky can one character be. Even the sections detailing food were boring and lagged on. I just couldn’t make myself like any part of this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Blame the Mistletoe by Dani Collins

Title: Blame the Mistletoe (Love in Montana #2)

Author: Dani Collins

Publisher: 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 205

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Romanceopoly - Alpine Cottage

Where I Got It: Kindle

Spice Rating: 4

Liz Flowers has never enjoyed Christmas, but this one is shaping up to be the worst by far. She let her ex take her daughter to Mexico while she stays behind in a strange town, sitting her former mother-in-law’s high strung little dog. It’s an opportunity to meet new people, but this California girl doesn’t have much in common with the ranchers in small town Marietta. Blake Canon perks up with male interest when he sees a new face at his friend’s Christmas cocktail party. His son is away and a light affair would take his mind off his financial troubles. Then he realizes he knows Liz. She was once married to the brother of his ex-wife. Their children might be cousins, but Blake and Liz do the kissing—under the mistletoe. It’s the beginning of a new view of Christmas for Liz, but when their children arrive home unexpectedly, and family secrets are revealed, Liz isn’t sure she’ll stay in Marietta for Christmas after all.

One last holiday romance read and it was a bit of a dud. I wanted a fun romance. Instead, I got an overly wrought emotional mess full of lost adults and some bad decisions. The casual misogyny and patriarchal attitudes from various characters really got to me in the end. I didn’t really enjoy either of our main characters or the plot. The setting was another negative. The concept that these two connect in this small town where so many bad memories and enemies live is laughable. I just couldn’t get over it. And the secrets were just contrived and painful. I was not a fan. (Not a great start to my reading year, but I’m sure that I’ll hit on a great book soon.)

Love in Montana

• #1 Hometown Hero

• #2 Blame the Mistletoe

• #3 The Bachelor’s Baby

• #4 His Blushing Bride

• #5 His Christmas Miracle

Next up on the TBR pile:

Snowed In with Benefits by Misha Horne

Title: Snowed In with Benefits

Author: Misha Horne

Publisher: 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 427

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Kindle

Spice Rating: 5

Austin Ash is famous for trashing things. Hotel rooms, relationships... his career.
After his latest public meltdown, he's desperate to reclaim the spotlight— and get it off his ex's embarrassing revenge album. Presenting at The Snowglobes and owning the legendary afterparty is the perfect plan... Until he parties a little too hard and wakes up trapped in the middle of nowhere with the one guy alive who's not charmed by his chaos.

Marco Palmer is music royalty. And he's about to renounce his title.
Music is his family's legacy and all he's ever known, but an award-winning role on a hit tv show changed everything. A secluded mountain cabin is the perfect place to make the most important decision of his life... Until he ends up with the world's most obnoxious, attention-seeking rock star throwing a tantrum in his guest room.

Stuck together at the worst possible time, tensions get high, tempers get hot, and the tabloids see something that just isn't there. Right?
Austin is definitely not interested in the old school know-it-all who torpedoed his splashy comeback. Even if Marco makes him feel safe for the first time in years and is tapping into some embarrassing secret desires.
Marco is definitely not interested in the jaded, burnt out rock star who trashed his quiet weekend. Even if Austin is sweeter and smarter than he acts, and is clearly in need of a firm hand and the kind of attention fame can't provide.
But the photo breaking the internet that's hot enough to melt all the snow outside?
That says different.
And that kiss they're not talking about?
That says different too.

A random read on my Kindle. I was hoping for a fun holiday read. Instead, I got a very serious, repetitive holiday read. Within about 50 pages, I could just tell that I was going to be “treated” to Austin repeating himself ad naseum about his fuck ups and insecurities. I enjoyed Marco, but at times, he was very flat. I do wish that this book was about 100 pages shorter. I think I could have dealt with the internal monologues if they weren’t quite so long. As it stands, this was not the fun holiday read that I was looking for…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Kringle Down by Shane Lacy Hensley

Title: Kringle Down (Kringle Down #1)

Author: Shane Lacy Hensley

Publisher: 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 41

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

1990, Red Onion Mountain, Southwest Virginia. A bright flash of light slashes through the night sky. Something crashes on the mountain near the infamous "pot mine," where two tired ATF Agents and their cleaning ladies have just finished scrubbing up a gruesome crime scene. What they find on that snowy Christmas Eve is more murder, mayhem, and mystery than you can shake a bloody candy cane at.

J picked up this collection for me thinking it might be a fun read for my trip. And I sped through the first one in no time at all. This is an action-packed horror take on Santa and his elves. I loved this slim story as an alternative to the sweet holiday romances I have read this year.

Title: The Revenge (Kringle Down #2)

Author: Shane Lacy Hensley

Publisher: 2021

Genre: Horror

Pages: 34

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

ATF Agent Max Harkins survived a bizarre encounter in Kringle Down. Now cartel czar Ernesto Cabeza wants to make him pay. But Max has a plan. If he can just get "Santa" to go along with it.

Not quite as successful as the first story, but a strong action horror story to further the adventures of Max Harkins. We finally get to the meet the drug cartel boss and see hime deal with Santa and the elves. We also get to see a new Santa emerge from the chaos.

Title: Krampus (Kringle Down #3)

Author: Shane Lacy Hensley

Publisher: 2022

Genre: Horror

Pages: 43

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

Little Jose Salazar is a monster. Now he’s missing, and his father, the new head of the Gulf Cartel, thinks a certain evil spirit of Christmas is behind it. To get his son back, Hector needs an army, a plan, and the help of a very reluctant Agent Maxwell Harkins.

Another episode in the unusual adventures of ATF Agent Max Harkins. This time, we get a very spooky appearance by some old friends, a new mission, and some glorious creepy fun. I really enjoyed this fun story to bookend the adventures. And the big reveal of the elves was just the absolute best. Overall, I really enjoyed this short series of gory fun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Throttle Me by Chelle Bliss

Title: Throttle Me (Men of Inked #1)

Author: Chelle Bliss

Publisher: Bliss Ink 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 278

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Motorcycle Club; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

Spice Rating: 5

Suzy is a control freak and has her life mapped out. She's content with the status quo, but her plan comes to a screeching halt when he enters her life and turns it upside down.

City gave up on love when his heart was crushed in college, but a chance encounter on a dark road makes him question what he had sworn off forever - a relationship.

A night of passion and lust causes them to question everything.

Is the tattooed bad boy her knight in shining armor? Can their relationship survive when a fantasy falls apart and a secret comes out that could change everything?

I needed a Motorcycle romance to finish out the challenge and thankfully I had this collection just sitting on my Kindle app. I dove into expecting not great, but at least some entertaining romance. And it lived up to my expectations. This is certainly more focused on the sex scenes than the characterization and plot. We get a basic alpha male knight-in-shining armor type character showing the innocent women how to live. Okay fine by me. But I did think that City’s alpha crap got a little too much at times. Making a lot of decisions for Suzy was just not my jam. I like more fun banter and give and take instead of just sex talk and demands. There is a whole series, of which I own at least three others (it was in a collection) that I may or may not read.

Men of Inked

• #1 Throttle Me

• #2 Hook Me

• #2.25 Throttled

• #2.5 Resisting

• #2.75 Rebound

• #3 Resist Me

• #4 Uncover Me

• #5 Without Me

• #6 Honor Me

• #6.5 Men of Inked Christmas

• #7 Worship Me

Next up on the TBR pile:

26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays by Jennifer Joy

Title: 26 Ways to Come Home for the Holidays

Author: Jennifer Joy

Publisher: Foxburg & Stern 2023

Genre: Holiday Romance

Pages: 164

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Goodreads Contest Winner

Spice Rating: 3.5

It’s Thanksgiving 1942, and Stella West, the first-ever head of holidays for Hanover's Department Store is left in a bind when her lead window designer runs off days before the grand unveiling of the store’s Christmas windows—the city's most-beloved holiday tradition. With only 48 hours left until the windows' ribbon-cutting ceremony, Stella scrambles to gather together a rag-tag team of store employees to finish the job, including their picky luxury stylist, two flirtatious personal shoppers, a handful of delivery boys, and Stella's best pal, Hector.

As the group races to complete the store's twenty-six 'Home for the Holidays'-themed Christmas windows, Stella is stunned to discover that Hector is newly single and realizes the feelings she’d buried for him long ago may run deeper than she ever imagined. Dodging a baker who's sweet on her, the store kiss-up who's after her job, and the store owner who wants an early preview — Stella has more than enough to worry about without her love life adding to the mix. But with the ribbon-cutting approaching (and the news of Hector's epic bachelor status swirling through the store), Stella realizes that telling him how she feels might be now or never—even if it means risking losing him entirely.

I won this book through a Goodreads contest. It’s a cute very sweet holiday romance novella. We follow Stella as she deals with a massive problem at her department store job. We’re taken back to the 1940s as we see the characters overcome the problems and come together for Christmas. Overall, it was a cute story with light romance. I did find it slightly odd that there were a few sexual scenes that seemed strange within the tone of the book. But it was a decent read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jingle Ale the Way by Sarah Everly

Title: Jingle Ale the Way

Author: Sarah Everly

Publisher:

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 75

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Kindle

Spice Rating: 4

All I want for Christmas is the day off, a pint of Jingle Ale the Way, and Jason Fowler

Spending the holidays in Franklin Notch this year doesn't feel very merry. I'm stuck at work, there’s no snow, and not a single present under my tree. Until Jason Fowler comes back home.

My longtime crush magically appears, delivering drinks? It's a long fall from grace for the celebrity chef. Doesn’t matter. He's back home, helping his sick father, and I've got a plan to make him stay.

Coming home for Christmas wasn't my plan

But couple my unemployment with my dad's failing health and instead of spending the holidays cooking, I'm slinging beer across New Hampshire. The only good news about any of this is Stephanie's working the holidays, too. Our all too friendly, and often flirty, relationship has grown over the years, but living hours apart and only seeing each other occasionally, I've never worked up the nerve to ask her out. Maybe this Christmas I can convince her to be mine.

A cute Christmas themed short story romance. The beginning was a tad slow in that I felt like more exposition was needed up front to establish our characters. Once we got going, I enjoyed this little story of a sorta second-chance romance between our main characters. Nothing too crazy happens here but we do get some swoon vibes and a grand gesture. It was cute and fun, but ultimately was a little too short. I didn’t really get to know these characters and wanted more.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dark Succession by Katee Robert

Title: Dark Succession (previously published as The Marriage Contract) (The O’Malleys #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Forever 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; She Reads Romance - Mafia Romance

Spice Rating: 5

Teague O'Malley hates pretty much everything associated with his family's name. And when his father orders him to marry Callista Sheridan to create a "business" alliance, Teague's ready to tell his dad exactly where he can stuff his millions. But then Teague actually meets his new fiancée, sees the bruises on her neck and the fight still left in her big blue eyes, and vows he will do everything in his power to protect her.

Everyone knows the O'Malleys have a dangerous reputation. But Callie wasn't aware just what that meant until she saw Teague, the embodiment of lethal grace and coiled power. His slightest touch sizzles through her. But the closer they get, the more trouble they're in. Because Callie's keeping a dark secret-and what Teague doesn't know could get him killed.

I finally started reading one of Robert’s earlier series. This is contemporary mafia romance is it not my usual genre. Still, I will try anything Robert writes. Overall we get a good spicy enemies to lovers romance with added suspense and action. I enjoyed getting to know the O’Malleys although I mustt say that Teague isn’t my favorite so far. I did enjoy Teague and Callie’s dynamic as they navigate their families. I think this will be one of those series that doesn’t stay with me forever, but is entertaining to read in between other books.

The O’Malleys

• #1 The Marriage Contract / Dark Succession

• #2 The Wedding Pact / Heated Rivals

• #3 An Indencent Proposal / Twisted Secrets

• #4 Forbidden Promises / Beautiful Vengeance

• #5 Undercover Attraction / Lovely Corruption

• #6 The Bastard’s Bargain / Ruthless Redemption

Next up on the TBR pile:

Witch King by Martha Wells

Title: Witch King

Author: Martha Wells

Publisher: Tordotcom 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 415

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.

But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?

Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.

He’s not going to like the answers.

I finally picked this one up and unfortunately, it was a disappointment. I adore Wells’s Muderbot series and was hoping for more intriguing characters and adventures. This one is very lackluster in comparison. Kai was okay, but I didn’t really get his appeal throughout the book. There’s a lot of telling us that he’s very charming and charismatic, but we just don’t see it. He’s a morose, moping witch king throughout most of this book. The side characters are much more interesting, but we see precious little of some of them. The characters I could deal with. What ended up tanking this one for me was the complicated world building. Wells dumps the read straight in without much explanation. Okay, I can deal with that. But then proceeds to never really explain anything. The most clear explanations we get are when the child Kai rescues asks a direct question. Otherwise, we’re really left in the dark. I had trouble even visualizing a lot of what was going on throughout the chapters. I never really felt like I was immersed in this world. I felt like I was thrown in without a life raft. Not my cup of tea.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

Title: A Letter to the Luminous Deep (The Sunken Archive #1)

Author: Sylvie Cathrall

Publisher: Orbit 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 432

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; 52 Book Club - Title “L”

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.'s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.'s sister Sophy, and Henerey's brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery, piecing together the letters, sketches and field notes left behind—and learn what their siblings’ disappearance might mean for life as they know it.

I absolutely loved and disliked this book… let me explain. I absolutely adored the lush atmospheric tone to this book. We get a lot of mentions of the environment. Hearing E and Henerey discuss their environments was amazing. I loved the slow burn of the mystery. We know something happened and they didn’t just die, but exactly what happened? I loved unraveling the mystery along with Sophy and Vyerin. The epistolary structure was a delight. Overall I really really enjoyed this book. And then we get to the ending and I was highly annoyed. This book ends very abruptly with a big cliffhanger. I was not expecting that at all and it really threw me off. Now I have to wait who knows how long until the author completes the next in the series. I am sad about that aspect. Otherwise this is definitely my kind of book.

The Sunken Archive

• #1 A Letter to the Luminous Deep

• #2 TBD

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia

Title: The Murmur of Bees

Author: Sofia Segovia

Publisher: Amazon Crossing 2015

Genre: Historical Fiction; Magical Realism

Pages: 471

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Yellow Spine; COYER

From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can—visions of all that’s yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats—both human and those of nature—Simonopio’s purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.

Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.

Our book club pick for March. Somehow I did not realize that I had this sitting on my Kindle app already. And this book did not work for me at all. It started out interesting with the story of this maybe magical boy who is taken in by a family. From there, I thought we would get to read about a magical story of found family and identity. But that’s not where the story went. Instead, we get bogged down in terrible people doing terrible things to those around them. We get an attempt at an examination of the corruption of the Mexican political regimes under Diaz. Unfortunately, none of it really landed for me. And then there were so many sections that I questioned whether or not the writing and story was racist. Ultimately the book became a slog and I dreaded picking it up every day.

Next up on the TBR pile: