The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Title: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Author: Megan Bannen

Publisher: Orbit 2022

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Historical (sorta)

Where I Got It: Rainy Day Books, Kansas City, MO June 2023

Spice Rating: 5

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most—Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares—each other?

This is a very loose retelling of You’ve Got Mail, which honestly did not encourage me to read this book. I was not a fan of the movie and hesitated with this one. Thankfully the book is a very loose retelling with a lot more fantasy plot. I wasn’t quite sure about our main characters at first, but they quickly grew on me. I loved Mercy and her take charge attitude and drive. I loved her care for her family and the business. Hart was a little less likable, but he really started to warm up after being paired with Pen for work. And boy does this book have some great side characters. Zeddie and Pen were definitely my favorites, but there’s also something to be said for the nimkillin. Loved them! And throughout the interpersonal relationships and a bit of romance, we get a big mystery of the increase in drudges. I loved finding out all the threads were interconnected. After the success of this volume, I may just have to pick up the other two in the series.

Hart and Mercy

#1 The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
#2 The Undermining of Twyla and Frank
#3 The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon

Title: Bingsu for Two

Author: Sujin Witherspoon

Publisher: Union Square & Co. 2025

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Foodie; She Reads Romance - New Adult

Where I Got It: Library

Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he’s dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents’ cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion—even for him.

Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, which is his lucky break until he meets short, grumpy, and goth: Sarang Cho. She’s his new no-BS co-worker who’s as determined to make River’s life hell as she is to save her family’s cafe.

After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, they strike viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans ship River and Sarang big-time. In order to keep the Internet’s attention—and the cafe’s new paying customers—River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.

But when Bingsu for Two’s newfound success catches the attention of River’s ex and his parents’ cafe around the corner, he faces a choice: keep letting others control his life or stand up for the place that’s become home. And a green-haired girl who’s not as heartless as he originally thought . . .

Completely by chance I happened upon this book at the library. And I’m so glad that I actually checked it out and dove in a few days ago. This is a typical angsty teen romance, but it also has a lot of heart and great banter in between ridiculous situations. The book reminded me of Emma Lorde’s Tweet Cute, but even more updated for today. We get two teens trying to find their own identities through the process of saving a family coffee shop. The characters are cute but also very real and relatable. They make mistakes but also grow and change for the better throughout the story. Witherspoon has crafted a cute story with propulsive writing that kept me turning the pages. I’m excited to see what the author writes next.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

Title: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Avon 2024

Genre: Romance/Mystery

Pages: 293

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - The Book Nook (Bookish Main Character); She Reads Romance - Holiday

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas.
Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.
She hates his guts.
He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)
But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.
She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?
As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.
Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

Wow! This was such a disappointment! I was hoping for a great romance mystery with the blurbs likening it to Knives Out. It was no Knives Out. That mystery was smart, intriguing, and complicated but ultimately explainable, even easy enough for the audience to figure it out if they paid attention. This mystery was intriguing but ultimately left unsolved. We get the ultimate letdown by just saying that some mysteries should be left unsolved. NO! The whole point of a mystery book is to solve the case. I was highly annoyed but that part, but what really tanked the book was the romance angle. This was not a romance. This was a jumble of tropes that never really made any logical sense and two characters that I never thought had any chemistry. The FMC was a total grinch most of the time and then did a complete 180 in an instant. Nope. The MMC was creepy and leering constantly needling the FMC but in a stupid childhood playground kind of way. No thank you! And having their first time having sex while the FMC is bleeding from a head wound?!?!?!? No fucking thank you! Ultimate disappoint for the season.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

The Lodge by Kayla Olson

Title: The Lodge

Author: Kayla Olson

Publisher: Atria Books 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read Around the USA - Vermont; She Reads Romance - Romcom; Cover Lover - Wintery Scene

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 2

Alix Morgan just got her big break as the ghostwriter of a memoir by Sebastian Green, a former member of the boy band True North. And when he offers her a penthouse at a luxurious resort in Vermont, she jumps at the chance to work far away from her noisy, cramped apartment.

Her career as an entertainment journalist has been building toward this dream job—after all, she used to cover True North and was one of the last people to interview former front man Jett Beckett before he disappeared. As she combs through her client’s voice memos, the specter of the missing lead singer remains, and fans are desperate to know the full story.

But Alix also has time for some fun at this glamorous resort, where she begins ski lessons with a handsome instructor named Tyler. As Alix and Tyler fall in love on the slopes, Alix’s work takes a complicated turn—and the mystery of True North’s downfall may be hers to solve.

Completely random holiday romance from the library that actually kept me interested and entertained. I didn’t even realize until the end that this book is essentially a closed door romance. I usually don’t read anything lower than a 5, but this one slipped through. Thankfully Olson has created a compelling story with some vivid characters and enough mystery to keep me picking it back up. I was sucked into the mystery of what happened to Jett and how as Alix going to ghostwrite Sebastian’s memoir. I was with the story until the third act. I was slightly annoyed by how Alix handled (or didn’t handle) her sister and then her sister’s photo leak. I felt like there needed to be a much more serious confrontation. But maybe that was just me. Overall, I enjoyed this snowy romance.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Tender Cruelty by Katee Robert

Title: Tender Cruely (Dark Olympus #9)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Suspense

Spice Rating: 5

The barrier that's protected Olympus for generations has fallen. The enemy's breached the gates and the Thirteen are scrambling to protect themselves, their loved ones, and the city they've sworn to protect. At least they would be if they weren't at each others' throats instead.

Hera has no intention of letting her husband, Zeus, survive the oncoming storm. But despite the white-hot hatred burning between them, when Hera and Zeus are forced to work together, enmity crystalizes into something brighter. Hotter. Too powerful to deny or destroy.

Hera never bartered on falling in love with the man she married―the man she once swore to kill. But now, standing back-to-back in the ruins of Olympus, she may be forced to admit that she's been wrong about Zeus all these years…and there may be something about their marriage worth saving if they can survive long enough to turn sworn enemies into something more.

Finally finally finally we get Hera and Zeus’s story!!!! I have been waiting basically the entire series for this story. After the last two volumes, I was hoping that this one was going to be good one but was leery going into it. Thankfully there is a great blend of larger plot and romance in this one. We get to finally see the inner workings of Callisto and Perseus as they find their way through the cluster fuck of Olympus and their own marriage. There is so much packed into this slim novel, but I loved every page of it. The political dealings have come to a boil and things are changing in the city. Seeing our two main characters attempt to fix their situations was suspenseful. The romance aspect isn’t lovey dovey as appropriate for our characters, but much much more realistic. I loved seeing these two frosty closed-off characters slowly open up and become close. This sets up the last book in the series perfectly. I cannot wait until next summer!

Dark Olympus

#0.5 Stone Heart
#1 Neon Gods
#1.5 Hades and Hades
#2 Electric Idol
#2.5 Zeus and Hera
#3 Wicked Beauty
#4 Radiant Sun
#5 Cruel Seduction
#6 Midnight Ruin
#7 Dark Restraint
#8 Sweet Obsession
#9 Tender Cruelty
#10 Shattered Gods

Next up on the TBR pile:

Feathers So Vicious by Liv Zander

Title: Feathers So Vicious (Court of Ravens #1)

Author: Liv Zander

Publisher: Ink Heart Publishing 2023

Genre: Romantasy

Pages: 412

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Fantasy

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 8

Perched between branches and shadows, We watch, we scheme, Fighting for a kingdom forgotten and forlorn.

Until we rip her away with our claws, Our prisoner, our pawn, our plaything.

She’s innocent and pure, Fragile and helpless… …but oh so guilty by blood.

She calls us beasts, Wicked and evil, Vicious and cruel.

We are all that and worse.

One of us offers her shelter beneath his wings, Whispering promises of pleasure, Seeking redemption.

The other longs to shatter her into a million pieces, Whispering promises of pain, Seeking revenge.

Caught between our feathers, She endures our deranged desires, Our secrets, our lies, Our twisted plans.

Will she surrender to our darkness, or fight for a destiny growing ever elusive?

Welcome to the Court of Ravens, little white dove.

While I loved the magic system and some of the world building in here, I just could not get behind the romance. The literal torture the FMC received from the two men was too much for me to suspend my disbelief and go with it. I guess I found my limit for dark romance.

Court of Ravens

#1 Feathers So Vicious
#2 Shadows So Cruel

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Demon's Queen by Katee Robert

Title: The Demon’s Queen (A Deal with a Demon #6)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales LLC 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 164

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Paranormal; Cover Lover - Illustrated Scene

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 7

Eve’s life might not be perfect, but it’s hers. She has money, freedom, and a client list that she’s handpicked over the years. If sometimes she gets a little too attached to those clients? Well, that’s her problem. After a stressful day, she’s looking forward to dinner and a long night with Azazel…until he asks her to sign a contract under the guise of roleplay—and then kidnaps her to another realm.

Azazel has been in love with Eve for years, but he knows his place. The window to offer her a contract has long since closed, so he takes her in the only way he can—as her client. Until one of his enemies realizes exactly how much Eve means to him…forcing him to lie to her to protect her.

Unfortunately for Azazel, Eve isn’t thankful for the protection. She may be stuck in the demon realm with her new captor, but she’s going to make him choke on every moment they spend together.

Too bad her heart is more in the mix than she’d ever admit…

Finally! We finally get Azazel and Eve’s story! I’ve been waiting this entire series for this pairing and it does not disappoint. We get to see a woman who came from nothing and found something like a life who then gets basically kidnapped to the demon realm. But thankfully, her captor is Azazel who, even though he missteps many times, truly cares about Eve. I loved seeing these two characters circle each other before finally professing their feelings. We get great cameos from many other characters in the series. We also get the opposite side of scenes from my of the books adding to the full series story. Sad that this series is at an end, but have really enjoyed the ride.

A Deal with a Demon

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Demon's Bargain by Katee Robert

Title: The Demon’s Bargain (A Deal with a Demon #5)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 123

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Quarter of a Century - 2022; She reads Romance - Erotic

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 7

Lenora made a mistake. She trusted the wrong man, and in a moment of weakness, he stole a family heirloom from her. Her only chance to get it back will be during Samhain, when the Shadow Market opens and magical folk gather for three days to celebrate, and unfortunately she can’t do it alone. She needs a demon.

Ramanu’s entire existence is making bargains. They’re a bargainer demon, after all. They’ve had their eye on Lenora for some time now, so they’re pleased when she summons them to help with her little thief problem…especially because it means spending time in close proximity with her.

Lenora thought she could get away with a bargain that didn’t require seven years of service, but when Ramanu informs her those are the terms, she decides to go it alone…even though the demon wants to tag along to the market. But as the clock ticks down and all Lenora’s attempts to reclaim her amulet fail, making a deal with Ramanu might be the only option she has…

And they might take her heart right along with her soul.

The library finally got this book in circulation, and I finally got it off hold. Thank goodness! I was really hoping that Ramanu would get his own story. This one was a bit different as there wasn’t a bargain made to kick off the story. Instead, we meet a witch who summons a demon to help get back her magical necklace. Lenora is a prickly character, but I appreciate her take charge attitude and Ramona’s soft-boy bodyguard position. The story is super short, but lots of fun and very spicy. Excited to finish out the series with Azazel’s story.

A Deal with a Demon

#1 The Dragon’s Bride
#2 The Kraken’s Sacrifice
#3 The Gargoyle’s Captive
#4 The Succubus’s Prize
#5 The Demon’s Bargain
#6 The Demon’s Queen

Next up on the TBR pile:

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Deep End

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Berkley 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 447

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Sports; Cover Lover - Someone in water

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...

I think I have a love/hate/indifference relationship with Ali Hazelwood. Or maybe it’s that they remind me of reality television style plots and characters. Either way, I was so excited to read this one and dove in (haha puns) immediately. But I once again found myself super frustrated with her characters and the pacing. I felt like we sat way too much in the big confusion section of Lukas and Scarlett’s relationship and not enough time in the actually figuring it out stage. And don’t get me started on how many paragraphs are focused on the technical aspects of diving and her practice regime. Seriously, at least 50% of that could have been deleted with no interruption in the story. I felt like Hazelwood got way too in depth with the sport and not enough into the relationship. At the end I was seriously left wanting so much more for the characters and story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe

Title: The Never King (Vicious Lost Boys #1)

Author: Nikki St. Crowe

Publisher: Blackwell House 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 192

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Dark; Fairytale Retellings - Peter Pan

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 8

For two centuries, all of the Darling women have disappeared on their 18th birthday. Sometimes they’re gone for only a day, some a week or a month. But they always return broken.

Now, on the afternoon of my 18th birthday, my mother is running around the house making sure all the windows are barred and the doors locked.

But it’s pointless.

Because when night falls, he comes for me. And this time, the Never King and the Lost Boys aren’t willing to let me go.

Finally picked up this series after my interest in darker romance. I am a bit disappointed, but not enough to stop reading the series. Really this is very focused on the steamy scenes as opposed to plot or really characterization. We dive immediately into the world and have to very quickly understand what is happening without a lot of explanation. As the book progresses, we get some little bits, but then we focus on the physical aspect again. Winnie is not my favorite, but I am very interested in all the men involved. I really want to get more backstories and world building in the next book.

Vicious Lost Boys:

#1 The Never King
#2 The Dark One
#3 Their Vicious Darling
#4 The Fae Princes

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:

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt

Title: Savor It

Author: Tarah DeWitt

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Heroes Who Cook

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 5

Sage Byrd has lived in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) her entire life. She's learned to love her small world, with the misfit animals on her hobby farm, and her friendships with the town’s inhabitants. But when her 5-year relationship ends and her ex, town-golden-boy Ian, suddenly gets engaged, Sage needs a win―something that will convince everyone to stop pitying her all the time, and to put Ian in his place. The Festival of Spunes, the town’s annual summer competition, would be the perfect opportunity. She just needs a partner.

Fisher Lange was a hotshot chef in New York City until the loss of his sister left him numb, grieving, and responsible for his teenage niece Indy. When Fisher loses his Michelin star along with his love of cooking, his boss sends him and Indy to Spunes on a much-needed summer sabbatical to consult on a restaurant opening. But when clashes with the townspeople threaten his last chance to redeem himself and a kiss with his new neighbor Sage leads to dating rumors, a strategic alliance might just be the best way to turn things around.

A deal is struck. Sage will improve Fisher’s image in the eyes of the town and remove the roadblocks he is facing with the restaurant, and Fisher will be Sage’s partner for the competition. But as their pact quickly turns into steamy rendezvous, emotional wounds begin to heal, and the pair tries to savor every moment, they start to realize that summer is racing by much faster than they would like...

What a surprise! I went into this book expecting a light-hearted romcom style romance. On one side, this does have a light-hearted romance in it, but it also has a much more serious story of two people finding each other amidst all of their life obstacles and obligations.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever by June Faver

Title: The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever (Garrett Family Saga #1)

Author: June Faver

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; She Reads Romance - Cowboy Who Loves His Hat

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

When handsome town sheriff Derrick Shelton meets Angelique Guillory and her young daughter at the Garrett ranch, he is immediately drawn to the woman who seems to desperately need a true family Christmas. Determined to erase the shadows from her eyes, he decides to give her the best holiday she's ever had.

Angelique Guillory is a woman with a past, haunted by violence and searching for the family she never knew. When she and her little daughter find their way to the Garrett family and meet Derrick, she hopes to have finally found a safe haven.

But Angelique is still looking over her shoulder. Despite her doubts, with a little Christmas magic and the warmth of the Garretts, Angelique may find more love and acceptance than she ever thought possible.

Ooof! What casual misogyny hell is this? But before we get that, my first complaint is that this is apparently the first of a series but also this series is a continuation of a series already published. There is very odd references to the backstories of all the other couples in the story. Even if I had read the previous series, I still think that I would have been annoyed by the constant weird references. And then we get the super weird repetitious scenes of Alphonse back in New Orleans. Instead of increasing the suspense, I was just like “please come to Texas already and attempt to take Gabrielle.” Really the tension just didn’t increase, it pulled me out of the story every time it happened. And finally we get to the casual misogny. I enjoy strong male characters, but these took the “protector” identity to a new disturbing level. The worst part was one one of the wives wants to have a baby and the husband responds that as soon as she can quit her job, they can have a baby. Ugh. I just could not deal with any of it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley

Title: A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch (Glimmer Falls #2)

Author: Sarah Hawley

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 432

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Enemies; Spooky Reading Season - D

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Meter: 5

Calladia Cunnington knows she’s rough around the edges, despite being the heir to one of small-town Glimmer Falls’ founding witch families. While her gym obsession is a great outlet for her anxieties and anger, her hot temper still gets the best of her and manifests in bar brawls. When Calladia saves someone from a demon attack one night, though, she’s happy to put her magic and rage to good use . . . until she realizes the man she saved is none other than Astaroth, the ruthless demon who orchestrated a soul bargain on her best friend.

Astaroth is a legendary soul bargainer and one of the nine members of the demon high council—except he can’t remember any of this. Suffering from amnesia after being banished to the mortal plane, Astaroth doesn’t know why a demon named Moloch is after him, nor why the muscular, angry, hot-in-a-terrifying-way witch who saved him hates him so much.

Unable to leave anyone in such a vulnerable state—even the most despicable demon—Calladia grudgingly decides to help him. (Besides, punching an amnesiac would be in poor taste.) The two set out on an uneasy road trip to find the witch who might be able to restore Astaroth’s memory so they can learn how to defeat Moloch. Calladia vows that once Astaroth is cured, she’ll kick his ass, but the more time she spends with the snarky yet utterly charming demon, the more she realizes she likes this new, improved Astaroth . . . and maybe she doesn’t want him to recover his memories, after all.

I adored the first book in this series and liked this one. My main problem with the book is Calladia. She’s a tough one to love and I just never got over her prickly exterior. I loved seeing Astaroth in a different light and watch him grow and change throughout the book. Calladia just seemed to blindly punch her way through the storyline until the very end. It was a bit frustrating. Add in the extremely shortened timeline of this plot and it just wasn’t my favorite. I am very intrigued to read book three about Ben the werewolf.

Gimmer Falls

#1 A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
#2 A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch
#3 A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire

Next up on the TBR pile:

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #2)

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton 2014

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 339

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - YA Romance; In Case You Missed It - 2014

Where I Got It: Library

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren't always forever. Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

And that was pretty much trash… I had mostly enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy even if they were young adult. I am a completionism and dove into this book hoping for some more yearning glances across a courtyard and sweet young love. Instead, we get a depiction of a pretty toxic relationship. All the things that the main characters think are sweet and amazing as in fact very toxic behaviors. The amount of mistrust and jealously all over these pages was immediately off-putting. Through in the absolutely refusal to see the world from anything beyond their own perspective, and I hated it. Added to all that, the sex scenes were super cringe and not just because it was two 18 year olds. They were just very badly described. That book was pretty much a waste of my time.

Anna and the French Kiss

Next up on the TBR pile:

Illicit Temptations by Katee Robert

Title: Illicit Temptations (Make Me #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Harlequin Feature 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Faking It with the Boss

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 5

What if the one person you shouldn’t want is the one you can’t resist?

Make Me Yours
Becka Baudin gets what she wants, and she wants Aaron Livingston—but only for a quick affair. Weeks later, her coveted freedom starts to disappear thanks to a plus sign on a pregnancy test. Aaron insists she move in to his penthouse and commit to a relationship, but Becka demands he give her space without pushing for more. They are total opposites—with different jobs, interests, lives. But their chemistry keeps pushing them together…for better or for worse?

Make Me Need
Trish Livingston desperately needs her new job. Which means putting up with the world’s grumpiest boss—who is also her brother’s best friend and business partner, Cameron O’Clery. The way he looks at her is pure disdain…but when he touches her, it’s pure fire. With family and business ties at stake, they are not supposed to be together. There’s a fine line between hate and lust, and they are going to cross it…but at what cost?

I got super excited when a new Katee Robert book popped up in the library catalog. I did not realize that this is a repacked, reissue of two novellas she wrote years ago. And so this is two boiler plate romances featuring very traditional cis hetero main characters. I could predict every beat of these stories from the beginning. They aren’t bad, but then again, they aren’t really anything special. Not really my cup of tea anymore. I want something a bit deeper and definitely more intriguing.

Make Me

#1 Illicit Temptations (Includes Make Me Yours and Make Me Needs)
#2 Forbidden Games (Includes Make Me Want and Make Me Crave)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Desperate Measures by Katee Robert

Title: Desperate Measures (Wicked Villains #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; She Reads Romance - Guardian

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Once upon a time, I was a sheltered princess. Now he owns me, body and soul.

One night, and my entire life went up in flames. All because of him. Jafar. As my world burned around me, he offered me a choice: walk away with nothing but my freedom…or rise to his challenge and win my fortune back.

I bargained.

I lost.

Now Jafar owns me, and even as my mind rails against him, my body loves the delicious punishments he deals out. It's almost enough to believe he cares. But a gilded cage is still a prison, and I'll do anything to obtain my freedom.

Even betray the man who captured my heart.

Another romance novel that explores the idea of consent. I was warned off of this book years ago by a friend. I understand her hesitations over this book. The opening chapters are brutal. We are not eased into this story. We have to immediately confront the brutality that Jafar brings to the situation. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this one, but noticed that this version includes Robert’s footnotes and commentary. I was intrigued, so I dove in. I actually ended up enjoying this novel. We get a progression on a relationship that I wouldn’t want to be in, but plays itself out on the pages for the reader. I enjoyed seeing the communication and boundary lines solidified as the pages pass. Yasmina is such a sheltered character that it hurt to read her reactions in many of the chapters. Once she started to grow, I started to really root for her as a character. The ending was absolutely perfect for these two characters. And Robert’s footnotes add great commentary to the story and her writing process and growth. I hope that the rest of the series will be released in the same way.

Wicked Villains

#1 Desperate Measures
#2 Learn My Lesson
#3 A Worthy Opponent
#4 The Beast
#5 The Sea Witch
#6 Queen Takes Rose

Next up on the TBR pile:

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

Title: By the Book (Meant to Be #2)

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Romance Author (actually works in book industry) Finds Romance; Fairytale Retelling - Beauty and the Beast

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

Sometimes to truly know a person, you have to read between the lines.

Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing after college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, still living at home, and one of the few Black employees at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.

All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a pep talk or three. How hard could it be?

But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and―it turns out―just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn't there before.

Ooof. I think I am not a fan of Jasmine Guillory. I desperately want to like her books, but the two that I have read have just not intrigued me. For this one, the characters seem way too young to be the actual ages they are supposed to be. I found Izzy to be way too naive and grating as a character. I found her to be too much at times. Usually I like the grump and sunshine trope, but this one really fell flat for me. Izzy is too much and Beau gives us nothing. In fact, I was super annoyed the revelation late in the book that Beau had been keeping a secret journal this whole time in which he expressed his love for Izzy very early on. I just could not with that part of the book.

Meant to Be:

#1 If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
#2 By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
#3 Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova
#4 Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren
#5 Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Next up on the TBR pile:

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

Title: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps #1)

Author: Kimberly Lemming

Publisher: Orbit Books 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 288

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Social Media Rec; In Case You Missed It - 2022

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Spice trader Cinnamon’s quiet life is turned upside down when she ends up on a quest with a fiery demon, in this irreverently quirky rom-com fantasy that is sweet, steamy, and funny as hell.

All she wanted to do was live her life in peace—maybe get a cat, expand the family spice farm. Really, anything that didn’t involve going on an adventure where an orc might rip her face off. But they say the goddess has favorites, and if so, Cin is clearly not one of them.

After Cin saves the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, Fallon reveals that all he really wants to do is kill an evil witch enslaving his people. And who can blame him? But now he’s dragging Cinnamon along for the ride whether she likes it or not. On the bright side, at least he keeps burning off his shirt.…

This book had been on my radar but kept getting pushed down. Thankfully I grabbed it from the library as it was the perfect read for me this week. I took a little teensy break from the spooky to enjoy some fantasy romance adventure. This is a great mix of genres that reminded me of the movie Romancing the Stone. We get an unlikely pairing on a quest to find (in this case destroy) artifacts. I loved the humor and banter between Fallon and Cinnamon as they enter uncharted territory. The action sequences were great fun and fast-paced. The romance was swoony and very cute. I loved very page of this novel and cannot wait to grab the second one.

Mead Mishaps

#1 That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon
#1.5 Mistlefoe
#2 That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf
#2.5 A Bump in Boohail
#3 That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Succubus's Prize by Katee Robert

Title: The Succubus’s Prize (A Deal with a Demon #4)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 182

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Paranormal Romance; Spooky Season - S

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Belladonna was born wrong. At least that’s what her parents, religious community, and even her beloved sister believe. Walking away from the church hasn’t helped her come to terms with her purpose in life, and when her sister is diagnosed with cancer, Belladonna has nowhere to turn…until a demon offers her a deal.

After agreeing, nothing is like she expects. There’s no fiery hell to speak of. Her soul seems to still be her own. All she’s required to do is serve. When she’s auctioned off to Rusalka, a powerful and ruthless succubus, her confusion only grows. Rusalka surprises her at every turn, even refusing to allow Belladonna to bear a child that would benefit the entirety of their territory.

Rusalka has sacrificed everything for their people. There are no lengths they won’t go to as leader…but they see something of themself in Belladonna, a familiarity that tempts beyond anything they could have dreamed. They want to keep her.

But if Belladonna can’t release her shame and step into a future where she’s living for herself instead of in service to others… Things may be over even before they begin.

Ooof this one was a hard one! Belladonna is full of religious trauma and shame. There were times that I wanted to put this book down because it was hard to read. It feels like one big therapy session. I enjoyed Belladonna’s side of the story. I enjoyed seeing her grown and come into her own identity. I enjoyed seeing her stand up to Rusalka and the bargainer demons. I didn’t love Rusalka’s side of the story. She just didn’t really have much of a background to build off of. I would have like to see more from the community and her interactions with other members of the court. I am interested in this series to see what Robert tackles next, but I don’t love this series.

A Deal with a Demon

#1 The Dragon’s Bride
#2 The Kraken’s Sacrifice
#3 The Gargoyle’s Captive
#4 The Succubus’s Prize
#5 The Demon’s Bargain
#6 The Demon’s Queen

Next up on the TBR pile: