A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas

Title: A Ruse of Shadows (Lady Sherlock #8)

Author: Sherry Thomas

Publisher: Berkley 2024

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 335

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Charlotte’s success on the RMS Provence has afforded her a certain measure of time and assurance. Taking advantage of that, she has been busy, plotting to prise the man her sister loves from Moriarty’s iron grip.

Disruption, however, comes from an unexpected quarter. Lord Bancroft Ashburton, disgraced and imprisoned as a result of Charlotte’s prior investigations, nevertheless manages to press Charlotte into service: Underwood, his most loyal henchman, is missing and Lord Bancroft wants Charlotte to find Underwood, dead or alive.

But then Lord Bancroft himself turns up dead and Charlotte, more than anyone else, meets the trifecta criteria of motive, means, and opportunity. Never mind rescuing anyone else, with the law breathing down her neck, can Charlotte save herself from prosecution for murder?

The next installment in the Lady Sherlock series and I must say that I’m slightly disappointed. After the fun and intrigue of a locked room mystery in the last book, this one felt much more aimless and complicated. I am still with Charlotte as she navigates all the mysteries, conspiracies, and seemingly random murders. But… There were too many threads in this one leading all the way back to the first book in the series. At times, I really had to sit and think for a minute about what thread we were referencing. I still love Charlotte and Mrs. Watson, and Ash. I was not super loving the random interludes with Olivia, but understand their purpose. I’m still into this series, I just think this one was a bit of a muddle to get through.

Lady Sherlock

• #1 A Study in Scarlet Women

• #2 A Conspiracy in Belgravia

• #3 The Hollow of Fear

• #4 The Art of Theft

• #5 Murder on Cold Street

• #6 Miss Moriarty, I Presume?

• #7 A Tempest at Sea

Next up on the TBR pile:

Under the Mistletoe Collection

The Under the Mistletoe Collection is comprised of 5 original short stories presented through the Amazon Original Stories program. Stories from any of the collections are available to read or listen for free with Amazon Prime.

Title: Cruel Winter with You

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 73

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 5

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.:

I really do enjoy enemies to lovers style romance stories. This one was short and sweet, but lots of good banter. I have mostly really loved Ali Hazelwood’s publications.

Title: Merry Ever After

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 59

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 5

Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.

Tessa Bailey writes a type of aggressive alpha male characters that I’m not a huge fan of. In this one, we don’t get enough of Luke for me to root for him. Instead, the story positions Luke in a much more creepy stalker role. Not my favorite.

Title: All By My Elf

Author: Olivia Dade

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Stories

Pages: 59

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 4

Nina and William are underpaid adjunct professors at the same university, where winter break is no break at all: ’tis the season to make extra money. When their holiday side hustle has them stranded by a blinding blizzard in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing to do but cuddle up for warmth and play a hot and bothered game of Never Have I Ever to pass the time. But in the game of love, secrets never stay secret for long…

Too much silliness in this one. Riding around in a phallic shaped pastry vehicle is a little much for me. I wanted to see more actual connection between these two people instead of lots of flashbacks. It was fine.

Title: Merriment and Mayhem

Author: Alexandria Bellfleur

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 58

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 5

When Everleigh Dangerfield’s baking disaster necessitates a call to 911, firefighter Griffin Brantley douses the flames in the kitchen, but the ones he stokes in Everleigh are an entirely different story. Unfortunately, Everleigh’s only visiting and doesn’t do casual hookups, no matter how smoldering the temptation. But Everleigh’s holiday mishaps have just begun. And Griffin is seemingly always on call. If Everleigh is game for a change of plans, he can give her the merriest Christmas of her life.

Okay this was absolute nonsense and I really liked it. The collection of events that led to the Everleigh and Griffin getting together was wild and fast-paced. I would definitely read more stories from Bellefleur.

Title: Only Santas in the Building

Author: Alexis Daria

Publisher: Amazon Original Stories 2024

Genre: Romance Short Story

Pages: 65

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Amazon Prime

Spice Rating: 4

All Evie Cruz wants for Christmas is a nap. And maybe some ornaments for her naked Christmas tree. And while she’s making a list, she wouldn’t mind unwrapping her sexy upstairs neighbor like a present. Luckily, the building’s Santa-themed party and a surprise sprig of mistletoe give her just the opening she needs to make all her wishes come true.

Another cute story involving a secret Santa and crushes on neighbors. I was rooting for Evie to come out of her work fog, enjoy life, and possibly make a romantic connection. Such a cute story.

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:

The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero

Title: The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries: The Evidence and the People Who Found It

Author: Donald R. Prothero

Publisher: Columbia University 2020

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 376

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Where I Got It: The Nook, Cedar Falls IA

The theory of evolution unites the past, present, and future of living things. It puts humanity’s place in the universe into necessary perspective. Despite a history of controversy, the evidence for evolution continues to accumulate as a result of many separate strands of amazing scientific sleuthing.

In The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries, Donald R. Prothero explores the most fascinating breakthroughs in piecing together the evidence for evolution. In twenty-five vignettes, he recounts the dramatic stories of the people who made crucial discoveries, placing each moment in the context of what it represented for the progress of science. He tackles topics like what it means to see evolution in action and what the many transitional fossils show us about evolution, following figures from Darwin to lesser-known researchers as they unlock the mysteries of the fossil record, the earth, and the universe. The book also features the stories of animal species strange and familiar, including humans―and our ties to some of our closest relatives and more distant cousins. Prothero’s wide-ranging tales showcase awe-inspiring and bizarre aspects of nature and the powerful insights they give us into the way that life works.

I grabbed this last summer from the used bin at a bookstore (The Nook) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I was hoping for a fun adventure through what we know about evolution. And that’s exactly what we got! I love how every chapter is its own mini book. You can do a deep dive into a variety of topics within evolution in this one volume. I was especially fascinated by chapter tracing animal lineage. We get to see exactly how our understanding of topics have changed over the decades. I loved it so much that I had to pass it on to a friend. And I will be adding it to Arthur’s required reading in high school. In the end, I will be putting Prothero’s other texts onto my TBR pile.

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:

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers

Title: The Book Swap

Author: Tessa Bickers

Publisher: Graydon House 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

Still reeling from a recent tragedy, Erin Connolly knows she needs to start living, but has no idea how. When she accidentally donates her favorite book—a heavily annotated copy of To Kill a Mockingbird containing a memento she can’t be without—to a local little community library, she’s devastated. But then the book turns up a week later, back in the library with fresh notes in the margins, along with an invitation in a copy of Great Expectations to meet her newfound pen pal.

A life-changing conversation, written only in the margins of beloved classic books, begins between Erin and her Mystery Man. Following each other through the pages of their favorite novels as the book exchange continues, they both begin to open up, falling into a friendship…and maybe something more.

But Erin and her pen pal have a shared history that neither of them has guessed. Faced with painful reminders of the past—and the one person she swore never to forgive—Erin finds herself at a crossroads. One that could change her life forever.

This was such a different book than I was expecting to read. I thought it was going to be a light-hearted rom com. Instead, we get a much more serious story of growth and identity featuring two lost characters who eventually begin a relationship. But their romantic relationship wasn’t the focus of the book. I got lots of Fleabag vibes especially with the dead best friend and life flailing. From there, I started really rooting for Erin to find her purpose and own up to her past mistakes. So many of the scenes were not fun and light-hearted. They were definitely serious. And yet, I found myself really enjoying this story and especially connecting to James. I loved the book swap device to move the story forward. Sure, it was a bit cheesy, but also pretty clever.

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:

All I Want is You by Falon Ballard

Title: All I Want is You

Author: Falon Ballard

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2024

Genre: Holiday Romance

Pages: 256

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads RC

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Meter: 5

Exes. Professional rivals. Just one bed. What could go wrong?

All Jessica has ever wanted is her own happily ever after. But until that happens, she spends her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying Happily Ever Afters to soothe the heartache left by her ex-boyfriend Nick—also a romance writer and now her biggest rival—who has found success writing love stories without happy endings. It’s what he’s good at, after all . . .

So when their professional obligations bring them to a remote inn a few days before Christmas, they’re a little more than peeved, especially when they get trapped sharing a room in a snowstorm. But what’s more fitting for two romantic writers in a slump? Realizing the friction between them might be the only cure for their writer’s block, they decide to turn their frustration into fiction . . . and the pages start flying. But will Jess’s heart soar, too? Nick is the last guy on earth she should love . . . but what if he is really all she wants for Christmas?

This one started out well and then we get to the end and I really dislike it. My main issue with this story is that, even at the end, Nick still blames Jess for part of their breakup. His entire defense that emotions are hard and that he was doing it for her was bullshit. I was still so mad at him at the end of the book. Just because she had some doubts that he overheard, he expects her to take part of the blame when he just straight up walked out. Um no. She wasn’t even given a chance to talk about any of those issues. I really really dislike the “I’m doing this for you” trope in romance. Blergh. Let the characters make their own decisions please. This book is probably fine for other readers, but did not work for me. Thankfully it was a quick read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

Title: The Kingdom of Sweets

Author: Erika Johansen

Publisher: Dutton 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 354

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Fairytale Retellings; Spooky Season - J

Where I Got It: Unread Shelf

Twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against one another on a fateful Christmas Eve

Light and dark—this is the cursed birthright placed upon Clara and Natasha by their godfather, Drosselmeyer, whose power and greed hold an entire city in his sway. Charming Clara, the favorite, grows into a life of beauty and ease, while ignored and unloved Natasha is relegated to her sister’s shadow.
 
But the opportunity for revenge announces itself one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at their family gala with the Nutcracker, an enchanted gift that offers entry into an alternate world: the Kingdom of Sweets.
 
Following Clara into the glittering land of snow and sugar, Natasha discovers a source of power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who offers her own wondrous gifts . . . and deadly bargains. But as Natasha unspools the truth about a dark destiny crafted long before her birth, she must reckon with forces both earthly and magical, human and diabolical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

A bit of a mess of a book. I was very intrigued by the Nutcracker retelling and loved the first act. We set the stage and add in a mystery twin to Clara. Act 2 was even a lot of fun twisting around the idea of the Kingdom of Sweets. But then the book started to lose me. Clara and Natasha are both terrible. Their entire families are terrible. Conrad is a wet blanket. Why should I care about any of these people? The person I cared the most about was Anastasia the cook. She at least seemed like a real person. The rest were caricatures; all black and white without the gray that real people have. I was ready for the Sugar Plum Fairy to take them all. Overall, the book really lost me after the second section and the ending was downright confusing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

Title: The Holiday Honeymoon Switch

Author: Julia McKay

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4 (couple of explicit scenes, but short and easy to skip)

Holly Beech and Ivy Casey are bury-the-body besties. They’re so in sync, they even look alike. When Holly’s fiancé jilts her, leaving her in shock and with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Holly convinces Ivy to switch places. Ivy will go on the Hawaiian honeymoon her best friend can’t bear to take alone, while Holly escapes to Ivy’s rented Hudson Valley cabin to binge-watch holiday movies and heal.
But Holly’s wallowing is interrupted when her rugged Airbnb host turns out to be her high school academic rival who’s had a major glow-up. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (now Hawaiian) annual solo art retreat is upended when Holly’s ex-fiancé checks into the honeymoon suite—with a new woman. Raging and bed-less, the last thing Ivy expects is for the hot hotel bartender to come to her rescue. Against all odds, this Christmas might prove the most magical yet.

Decent little holiday themed romance to kick off my month. I wanted something fairly easy and breezy and that’s exactly what I got. Holly and Ivy are those super annoying best friends who are complete ride or die for each other. Thankfully, we don’t have to suffer through too many scenes of them together. Mostly we get to see how each friends deals with their issues across the country from each other. I loved Ivy’s of facing her fears and finally pursuing her dreams all while getting to know the hot bartender. I felt like Ivy was the story that exhibited all the character growth and change. Meanwhile, Holly is just there and coincidentally finds her person that also happens to have been the one person from high school. Pretty cliched! Thankfully Aiden helps overcome the super cheese to round out the story. Nothing too life-changing, but a fun holiday romance.

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:

The Gargoyle's Captive by Katee Robert

Title: The Gargoyle’s Captive (A Deal with a Demon #3)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales LLC 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 185

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 8

Grace is a monster hunter who went into her demon deal with eyes wide open. Years ago, her mother made the same choice and was never seen again, and the answers Grace seeks can only be found in the demon realm.

She doesn’t care that she’s auctioned off to a gargoyle. She doesn’t plan to stay with him longer than strictly necessary.

Unfortunately, she didn’t read the small print of her contract.

Every time she tries to escape, Bram catches her and brings her back…to his bed. Where things get heated very quickly in unexpected ways. Grace doesn’t mean to give in, to stop fighting. But the moment she does, she starts to forget what brought her to this place and what her goals are. After a life starved of pleasure, she’s all willing to let Bram seduce her again and again…

At least until the past comes calling.

Another hard romance book dealing with dubious consent and past traumas. This entire series is really about past traumas and confronting them. These aren’t my favorite Katee Robert books, but I do enjoy these slim books as explorations of romance. In this one, Grace was a really hard person to relate to, but I was rooting for her the entire time. Bram was a much more interesting character to me and I wanted to learn more and more as the pages unfolded. The big twist was pretty well foreshadowed, and yet, I still found it very appropriate to the storyline.

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:

The Loneliest Place by Lora Senf

Title: The Clackity (Blight Harbor #3)

Author: Lora Senf

Publisher: Atheneum 2024

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where I Got It: Library

As summer comes to an end, Evie Von Rathe is determined to begin the search for her parents in earnest. Armed with her knowledge of the otherworldly, her mom’s violet glasses, and a pendant full of doors, Evie begins to piece together clues. When she realizes her mother’s bedtime story might be a roadmap to finding them, Evie follows it back to the Dark Sun Side.

But stories are funny things, and they change from one teller to the next.

The black nothing of the Radix is waiting, and it knows more than it’s ever let on. Evie will need every bit of courage she has for what’s coming. With Bird at her side, and maybe even a reluctant Lark as well, Evie has what she hopes is her last adventure under a purple sky.

A beautiful end to this trilogy. We get another great quest, along with appearances by all our favorite previous characters. I especially loved the scenes with the Story Thief, such an interesting character. Evie is on a mission to defeat The Clackity and rescue her parents. Will she make it? I bet you can guess the ending, but thankfully it’s the journey that’s the interesting part. Weaving the quest around the storybook added a fun element to the book. I really loved this entire trilogy. Apparently I dig middle grade horror.

Blight Harbor

• #1 The Clackity

• #2 The Nighthouse Keeper

• #3 The Loneliest Place

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke

Title: The Wood at Midwinter

Author: Susanna Clarke

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2024

Genre: Fantasy Short Story

Pages: 64

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

A church is a sort of wood. A wood is a sort of church. They're the same thing really.'

Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scot is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees-and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.

One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst-and the path of her life is changed forever.

Featuring gorgeous illustrations truly worthy of the magic of this story and an afterword by Susanna Clarke explaining how she came to write it, this is a mesmerizing, must-have addition to any fantasy reader's bookshelf.

Beautifully illustrated and constructed book, that ultimately didn’t give me enough of anything to get more than 3 stars. This is a short, and I mean short, story about an unusual woman in the woods at Midwinter. It got the fairy tale like quality of the story. I even got the Christian allusions and allegories (even if I didn’t like them). What I didn’t get was the entire point. The author’s note at the back shed some light on that conundrum, but not enough to make up for the lack of story. (Or it’s possible that I just don’t love short stories at all…)

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

• #1 Anna and the French Kiss

• #2 Lola and the Boy Next Door

• #3 Isla and the Happily Ever After

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne

Title: A Soul to Keep (Dustwalker Brides #1)

Author: Opal Reyne

Publisher: Opal Reyne 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 534

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 8

All Reia ever wanted was freedom.

Known as a harbinger of bad omens and blamed for Demons eating her family, Reia is shunned by her entire village. When the next offering is due and the monstrous Duskwalker is seen heading their way, her village offers her an impossible choice – be thrown into the prison cells or allow herself to be sacrificed to a faceless monster.

However, he is not what he seems. His skull face and glowing eyes are ethereal, and she finds herself unwittingly enchanted by him.

All Orpheus ever wanted was a companion.

Each decade, in exchange for a protection ward from the Demons that terrorise the world, Orpheus takes a human offering to the Veil – the place he lives and the home of Demons. The brief companionship does little to ease his loneliness, and their lives were always, unfortunately, cut short.

He'd thought it was a hopeless endeavour, until he met her. She’s not afraid of him, and his insatiable desire deepens
within every moment of her presence.

But will Orpheus be able to convince Reia to stay before she’s lost to him forever?

CW: Death, explicit sex with tentacles

This is another super explicit romance book that I stumbled upon and ultimately enjoyed. At the core, this series is clearly exploring trauma and its affects. Reia has been neglected her entire life after surviving a horrific event. Orpheus is suffering from confusion and fighting against his nature to find a companion. These two unlikely creatures are forced together and begin to peal back the layers. The book itself moves pretty slowly for the first 200 pages. We get a lot of inner monologue from Reia and a lot of world building. I do wish that some of the monologue was trimmed as it become very repetitive later on in the book. The chapters from Orpheus’s perspective were much more interesting. And then we get to the sex scenes. They are not for the faint of heart, nor are they for people who are not open to the weird. Those scenes are extremely explicit earning my highest spice meter rating of 8. Be forewarned. The ending was very rushed and somewhat confusing. There’s a lot of exposition and information dump towards the end that I don’t think I completely understood all. But, I’m willing to keep learning and keep reading this series.

Duskwalker Brides

• #1 A Soul to Keep

• #2 A Soul to Heal

• #3 A Soul to Touch

• #4 A Soul to Guide

• #5 A Soul to Revive

• #6 A Soul to Steal

• #7 A Soul to Protect

• #8 A Soul to Embrace

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

Title: A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir of Lady Trent (Memoirs of Lady Trent #1)

Author: Marie Brennan

Publisher: Tor Books 2013

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 334

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Relating to “Wild”

Where I Got It: Library

You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart―no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments―even at the risk of one's life―is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

I finally got around to the beginning of this series and it was very enjoyable. Written as a scientific memoir, we follow Lady Trent on her first adventure concerning dragons. Along the way, we are treated to a study of Vystrana and its people. At times, this book is fairly slow. The style is definitely of 19th century prose. Lady Trent adds in a ton of asides and explanations of theories and actions as the book progresses. And yet, was very intrigued and wanted to see where the story went. This book reminded me greatly of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (which I loved), but slightly slower and duller. Emily Wilde was a much more exciting narrator. And yet, I did ultimately enjoy this book and plan to continue the series in the future.

Memoirs of Lady Trent

• #1 A Natural History of Dragons

• #2 The Tropic of Serpents

• #3 The Voyage of the Basilisk

• #4 In the Labyrinth of Drakes

• #5 Within the Sanctuary of Wings

• #6 Turning Darkness into Light

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

Title: Mistress of Rome (Empress of Rome #1)

Author: Kate Quinn

Publisher: Berkley 2010

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 470

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Where I Got It: Unread Shelf

First-century Rome: A ruthless emperor watches over all—and fixes his gaze on one young woman...

Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia. Now she has infuriated her mistress by capturing the attention of Rome’s newest and most savage gladiator—and though his love brings Thea the first happiness of her life, their affair ends quickly when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.

Remaking herself as a singer for Rome’s aristocrats, Thea unwittingly attracts another admirer: the charismatic Emperor of Rome. But the passions of an all-powerful man come with a heavy price, and Thea finds herself fighting for both her soul and her sanity. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor’s mistress.

I cannot tell you how many years this book has sat on my Unread Shelf. I know that I got it before we moved back from California, so at least 6 years. I’ve read many of Kate Quinn’s later books, but never this series. We picked it for our November book club selection and I finally dove in. Overall, I really enjoyed this look at Ancient Rome. The first 150 pages are fairly slow, but once we get past those, the story really gets going. We have to establish our world and our characters before we get to the meat of the story. Thea was a great outsider character left to navigate the treacherous and unjust world of Rome. I was rooting for her right from the beginning. Marcus was fascinating and I really wanted to see more of him that we got. Lepida was horrid and I really wished she has faced a more terrible end, but at least she did face her end. I liked the interplay of the storylines and the different levels of Roman society depicted. We got a little of everything, even a few real historical people. I just wish it had been about 100 pages shorter with some extra slow and long sections trimmed down. Still, I have the rest of the series and will put them in my TBR short pile.

Empress of Rome

• #1 Mistress of Rome

• #2 Daughters of Rome

• #3 Empress of the Seven Hills

• #4 Lady of the Eternal City

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:

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

Title: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath (Nampeshiweisit #1)

Author: Moniquill Blackgoose

Publisher: Del Rey 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 511

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Reading Season

Where I Got It: Library

The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations—until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon’s egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit—a person in a unique relationship with a dragon.

Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. They have a very specific idea of how a dragon should be raised, and who should be doing the raising—and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed.

For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land, challenges abound—both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart, determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects.

Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they’re also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing—and they might just be the ones to do it.

I was intrigued by the Own Voices perspective and the promise of dragons and adventure. Unfortunately, the book really fell short of the second half of that equation. The book starts out strong, but quickly becomes mired in a super naive and seemingly invincible protagonist as she navigates the academics. Quite frankly, there was too much school work talk in the middle. I wanted to really see how Anequs integrated into the society, or not as the case may be. At times she seemed to easily slide into society while also criticizing everything with no consequences. If found the no consequences aspect to be very frustrating. Not sure of the author’s message as to that angle. There was so much promise to this book, but it just didn’t land for me. I am very interested in where our book club discussion goes with this book.

Nampeshiweisit

• #1 To Shape a Dragon’s Breath

• #2 TBD

Next up on the TBR pile: