To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: To Taste Temptation (Legend of the Four Soldiers #1)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Forever 2008

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 362

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Spice Rating:

EVEN THE MOST REFINED LADY

Lady Emeline Gordon is the model of sophistication in London's elite social circles, always fashionable and flawlessly appropriate. As such, she is the perfect chaperone for Rebecca, the young sister of a successful Boston businessman and former Colonial soldier.

CRAVES AN UNTAMED MAN

Samuel Hartley may be wealthy, but his manners are as uncivilized as the American wilderness he was raised in. Who wears moccasins to a grand ball? His arrogant disregard for propriety infuriates Emeline, even as his boldness excites her.

TO RELEASE HER PASSION . . .

But beneath Samuel's rakish manner, he is haunted by tragedy. He has come to London to settle a score, not to fall in love. And as desperately as Emeline longs to feel this shameless man's hands upon her, to taste those same lips he uses to tease her, she must restrain herself. She is not free. But some things are beyond a lady's control . . .

I really really enjoyed Hoyt’s Maiden Lane series and was hoping that this one would also be a winner. And for the most part, I really enjoyed this book. Emeline and Samuel have great banter. I loved seeing how Samuel slide into Emeline’s life and reawakened her to joy and romance. The thing that I really appreciate about Hoyt’s books is the inclusion of a mystery or an action plot that keeps the book moving. In this one, we get an intriguing past mystery of betrayal that led to tragic consequences. I would have liked Samuel to be a bit more open about his actual intents, but he got there in the end. My biggest complaint is actually the sex scenes. Some of theme were just a little too awkward and full of dominance that I’m not really into. Still, I own most of the rest of this series and will be reading more soon.

Legend of the Four Soldiers

• #1 To Taste Temptation

• #2 To Seduce a Sinner

• #3 To Beguile a Beast

• #4 To Desire a Devil

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lore Olympus Vol. 5 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus Volume 5

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Del Rey 2023

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

“You want to know about The Bringer of Death.”
 
It is Persephone’s birthday, and she receives the ultimate gift: Hades confesses his desire for her, leading to their first kiss. But that doesn’t necessarily make things easier for the goddess of spring, who is still in over her head in gossip-driven Olympus. Persephone feels intense guilt over the official breakup between Hades and Minthe, she is struggling to find her footing in her fast-paced job, and—worst of all—the shades of her past are slowly coming to light.
 
After an unexpected encounter with Apollo, Persephone flees into the depths of the Underworld. Concerned for her safety and determined to find her, Hades must team up with Artemis, Eros, and Hera, but they’re working against a ticking clock. Zeus knows about the bloody secret in Persephone’s past, and now the furious king of the gods will stop at nothing to bring her to justice.
 
This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner Award–winning webcomic Lore Olympus features exclusive behind-the-scenes content and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

I still really love this series, but it’s hitting a bit of a low point I think. The will-they-won’t-they portion is feeling a bit tired. And I’m not very happy with just how naive Persephone is. Her keeping secrets is starting to annoy me. I really want to see where this story goes, but things better get moving a bit in the next volume.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Title: The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1)

Author: Freida McFadden

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 2022

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 325

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Lifetime - Character in 20s; Library Love

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

I’ll admit that I was hesitant about this book club selection. I usually find thrillers to be very trite and predictable. For the first section, I thought this book as going to be the predictable crazy wife trope. And then a shift happens. I bumped up my star rating to a 3 during the second portion of the book. And then we get to the last two chapters and I was completely sold on the book. I don’t want to spoil the story, but it ended in such a way that I was pumping my fists and yelling “yes!” I cannot wait to discuss this book at book club in a few weeks. And I might just read the second book in the series.

The Housemaid

• #1 The Housemaid

• #2 The Housemaid’s Secret

• #3 The Housemaid is Watching

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Title: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Author: Andrew Joseph White

Publisher: Peachtree Teen 2023

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 387

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Picked without reading the blurb; Library Love

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its guts to the world—so long as the school doesn’t break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.

Be forewarned, this book is full of horror and gore. It is not for for the feint of heart, but it’s such a great story about a person finding their self. We are immediately thrown into Silas’s confusing world full of expectations and horrors. We follow along as he attempts to carve his own path in the world only to butt up against societal expectations. The story really gets going when we transition to the Braxton school. From there, the mystery starts to unravel. The plot was fast moving and truly horrifying. I was very involved in the story and figuring out what happened to the girls at the school. My favorite parts with the scenes with Daphne. I loved see Silas and Daphne slowly find their partnership. Apparently, I’ve really been on an identity finding books kick lately.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Toil & Trouble by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson

Title: Toil & Trouble: A Women’s History of the Occult

Author: Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson

Publisher: Quirk Books 2022

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader

Meet the mystical women and nonbinary people from US history who found strength through the supernatural—and those who are still forging the way today. From the celebrity spirit mediums of the nineteenth century to contemporary activist witches hexing the patriarchy, these icons have long used magic and mysticism to seize the power they’re so often denied.

Organized around different approaches women in particular have taken to the occult over the decades—using the supernatural for political gain, seeking fame and fortune as spiritual practitioners, embracing their witchy identities, and more—this book shines a light on underappreciated magical pioneers,

Even though I knew a lot of the information in this book, I really appreciated how the authors clearly moved through the stories. We get a variety of women, from all sides of the occult world. We get to hear about some of the hidden women of history. Their stories are pulled into the light showing all their strength and resilience. My favorite pieces were obviously all those that I knew nothing about. This is the perfect book for readers wanting to know more about important women in history.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll

Title: A Guest in the House

Author: Emily Carroll

Publisher: First Second 2023

Genre: Graphic Novel Horror

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

After many lonely years, Abby’s just gotten married. She met her new husband―a recently widowed dentist―when he arrived in town with his young daughter, seeking a new start. Although it’s strange living in the shadow of her predecessor, Abby does her best to be a good wife and mother. But the more she learns about her new husband’s first wife, the more things don’t add up. And Abby starts to wonder . . . was Sheila’s death really by natural causes? As Abby sinks deeper into confusion, Sheila’s memory seems to become a force all its own, ensnaring Abby in a mystery that leaves her obsessed, fascinated, and desperately in love for the first time in her life.

Emily's masterful balance of black and white, surreal colors, rich textures, and dramatic lettering is assured to bring this story to life and give readers a chill up their spine as they read.

Now this book was much more up my alley. We get a horror comic examining a life of complacency and self-doubt. I loved how Abby’s story spirals with Crystal and Sheila’s stories. The interplay between black and white images and bursts of color drove home the push and pull between reality and dreams and nightmares. Throughout the pages, I was rooting for Abby in every encounter. After reading this volume, I definitely need to get more from Carroll.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dark Waters by Katherine Arden

Title: Dark Waters (Small Spaces #3)

Author: Katherine Arden

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2021

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Until next time. That was chilling promise made to Ollie, Coco and Brian after they outsmarted the smiling man at Mount Hemlock Resort. And as the trio knows, the smiling man always keeps his promises. So when the lights flicker on and off at Brian's family's inn and a boom sounds at the door, there's just one visitor it could be. Only, there's no one there, just a cryptic note left outside signed simply as —S.

The smiling man loves his games and it seems a new one is afoot. But first, the three friends will have to survive a group trip to Lake Champlain where it's said Vermont's very own Loch Ness monster lives. When they’re left shipwrecked on an island haunted by a monster on both land and sea, Brian's survival instincts kick in and it's up to him to help everyone work together and find a way to escape.

One thing is for sure, the smiling man is back and he wants a rematch. And this time Brian is ready to play.

The third book in this fun middle grade horror series and I am still very intrigued. In this one, we get a fun shipwreck adventure featuring a sea monster and more ghosts. We get some more information about what happened back in the fall and the reintroduction of a previous character. I loved seeing Brian take a more central role in solving this particular mystery. And of course, we get one heck of a cliffhanger. I completely predicted what was going to happen, but it was still a great ride. And now, I just need to finish this series.

Small Spaces

• #1 Small Spaces

• #2 Dead Voices

• #3 Dark Waters

• #4 Empty Smiles

Next up on the TBR pile:

The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg

Title: The One Hundred Nights of Hero

Author: Isabel Greenberg

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 224

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

In the Empire of Migdal Bavel, Cherry is married to Jerome, a wicked man who makes a diabolical wager with his friend Manfred: if Manfred can seduce Cherry in one hundred nights, he can have his castle -- and Cherry.

But what Jerome doesn't know is that Cherry is in love with her maid Hero. The two women hatch a plan: Hero, a member of the League of Secret Story Tellers, will distract Manfred by regaling him with a mesmerizing tale each night for 100 nights, keeping him at bay. Those tales are beautifully depicted here, touching on themes of love and betrayal and loyalty and madness.

As intricate and richly imagined as the works of Chris Ware, and leavened with a dry wit that rivals Kate Beaton's in Hark! A Vagrant, Isabel Greenberg's One Hundred Nights of Hero will capture readers' hearts and minds, taking them through a magical medieval world.

Random comic recommendation from Goodreads that actually landed for me. This is a remix of the story of Scheherazade with added influences for other cultures. There’s an element of feminist rage that I really enjoyed. The stories and legends are inset into the larger story of Cherry and Hero. I loved seeing elements of other well-known and some other not-so-well-known stories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig

Title: Two Wars and a Wedding

Author: Lauren Willig

Publisher: William Morrow 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 435

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Clock; Decades - 1880s-1990s

September 1896: An aspiring archaeologist, Smith College graduate Betsy Hayes travels to Athens, desperate to break into the male-dominated field of excavation. In the midst of the heat and dust of Greece she finds an unlikely ally in Charles, Baron de Robecourt, one of the few men who takes her academic passion seriously. But when a simmering conflict between Greece and Turkey erupts into open warfare, Betsy throws herself into the conflict as a nurse, not knowing that the decision will change her life forever—and cause a deep and painful rift with her oldest friend, Ava.

June 1898: Betsy has sworn off war nursing—but when she gets the word that her estranged friend Ava is headed to Cuba with Clara Barton and the Red Cross to patch up the wounded in the Spanish-American War, Betsy determines to stop her the only way she knows how: by joining in her place. Battling heat, disease, and her own demons, Betsy follows Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders straight to the heart of the fighting, where she is forced to confront her greatest fears to save both old friends and new….

Set during an electrifying era of nation-building, idealism, and upheaval, Two Wars and a Wedding is the tale of two remarkable women striving to make their place in a man’s world—an unforgettable saga of friendship, love, and fighting for what is right. 

I needed a book with the word “two” in the title. I went to Goodreads and did a simple search and this book came up. I really enjoyed Willig’s Pink Carnation series and The English Wife, so I thought I would give this one a chance. Overall, this was an enjoyable story of a one woman’s journey through life, two wars, and heartache. After reading the historical note, I was more interested in the true history behind the story. The historical fiction sections detailed a time period and conflict that not many books focus on. I enjoyed the information about the archaeological digs and the nursing training. I ended up really enjoying following Betsy’s journey. And amazingly, I really came to love Holt as a leading man worthy of Betsy. A very enjoyable historical fiction novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Bride

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Berkley 2024

Genre: Romantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Includes a Wedding; She Reads Romance - Arranged Marriage

Spice Rating: 5

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

I picked up another Ali Hazelwood romance. Every time I have finished one of her previous books, I have enjoyed, but it’s hasn’t been something I recommend to all friends. Enjoyable, but nothing groundbreaking. I think I feel the same way about this one. I liked it. The plot and characters kept me interested and turning the pages, but I wasn’t raving about it at the end. I will admit that Hazelwood is great at writing sexual tension. All of her books contain a lot of tension. But, I’m not as excited about the after. Misery has a snarky side that I did really enjoy. And I eventually did buy a relationship between her and Lowe. It just took awhile for me to get there. So overall an enjoyable romantasy for my week.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Worst Best Man by Lucy Score

Title: The Worst Best Man

Author: Lucy Score

Publisher: Bloom Books 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; She Reads Romance - Contemporary Romance

Spice Rating: 5

The bride is a doll. The groom is the perfect gentleman. But the rest of the wedding party? They're the stuff of nightmares. Rich? Check. Vapid? Double Check. Entitled? Not enough checks in the world. And the Best Man? More like the Worst Man.

But Maid of Honor Franchesca takes her duties seriously. Kidnapped groom? She's got this. Rude attendees? You just watch her handle them. So a Best Man with a big attitude and an even bigger...checkbook? Yeah, there's no way she's going to let that pretentious, judgmental jackhole ruin her best friend's wedding. No matter how sexy he is. (Well, that's the plan anyway...)

Aiden Kilbourn doesn't do long-term relationships. He's busy ruling the business world, and has yet to find a woman he can tolerate for longer than a month, two at the outside, anyway. Conquering the unconquerable is basically his bread and butter. And he hasn't met a challenge that he can't win. But Franchesca Baranski? This smart-mouthed girl from Brooklyn may just be his downfall.

Another contemporary romance for me. I think I might need to lay off these for awhile. But before I do, I did end up enjoying this enemies to lovers story. The banter in the first half of the book was amazing. I loved Aiden and Francesca’s adventures in attempting to get the groom back. The book went downhill a bit after they started dating. It just wasn’t quite the same spark. My favorite parts were when Aiden interacted with Francesca’s family especially her brothers. It was fun and silly. The steamy scenes were pretty steamy, but not quite my favorite. There was a little too much aggression in those scenes for me to love them. But overall, it was a decent romance.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Love Everlasting Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

Title: Love Everlasting Vol. 1

Author: Tom King, Elsa Charretier

Publisher: Image Comics 2023

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

From multiple Eisner Award winning writer Tom King and up-and-coming artist Elsa Charretier comes the first volume of a thrilling, genre-bending romance/horror mashup. Joan Peterson discovers that she is trapped in an endless, terrifying cycle of “romance”—a problem to be solved, a man to marry—and every time she falls in love she’s torn from her world and thrust into another tear-soaked tale. Her bloody, time-looping journey to freedom and revelation begins in this breathtaking, groundbreaking debut volume. Collects Love Everlasting #1-5. 

Absolutely trippy. It took me multiple pages to get a handle on what exactly was happening in this story. The reader is thrust into confusion just like Joan as she begins to live multiple realities. This volume is weird and trippy and exactly what I want in my horror comics.

Title: Love Everlasting Vol. 2

Author: Tom King, Elsa Charretier

Publisher: Image Comics

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges

The mind-bending story of Joan Peterson's journey through love and horror continues in the second epic and heartbreaking arc of this critically acclaimed, Harvey-nominated series. After traveling from romance to romance, Joan finds herself trapped inside just one story, growing older with the love of her life instead of escaping again and again. And as she becomes a wife, a mother, a grandmother, she is on a bloody quest to discover if everyone in this new world is insane, or if she alone is broken.

Collects Love Everlasting #6 - #10

And we get to the conclusion of this story. It ended up not being my favorite, but I did enjoy the story. There was a bit too much meandering in the storyline.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty

Title: Chaos Terminal (The Midsolar Murders #2)

Author: Mur Lafferty

Publisher: Ace 2023

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 369

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Locked Room Mystery; Library Love

Mallory Viridian would rather not be an amateur detective, thank you very much. But no matter what she does, people persist in dying around her—and only she seems to be able to solve the crime. After fleeing to an alien space station in hopes that the lack of humans would stop the murders, a serial killer had the nerve to follow her to Station Eternity. (Mallory deduced who the true culprit was that time, too.)

Now the law enforcement agent who hounded Mallory on Earth has come to Station Eternity, along with her teenage crush and his sister, Mallory’s best friend from high school. Mallory doesn’t believe in coincidences, and so she’s not at all surprised when someone in the latest shuttle from Earth is murdered. It’s the story of her life, after all.

Only this time she has more than a killer to deal with. Between her fugitive friends, a new threat arising from the Sundry hivemind, and the alarmingly peculiar behavior of the sentient space station they all call home, even Mallory’s deductive abilities are strained. If she can’t find out what’s going on (and fast), a disaster of intergalactic proportions may occur.…

.Finally grabbed the second book in the Midsolar Murders series and enjoyed it. I must say that for a portion of this book, I was very annoyed by the lack of information. Mallory’s inability to understand what was happening around her was frustrating. But once the mystery really started unraveling, I understand and my annoyance faded. In this one, we get some familiar characters and the reintroduction of a few storylines teased in the first book. Thankfully the book focuses on the murder mystery and leaves the romance mostly out of the story. I was afraid that the book was going to shove Mallory and Xan together romantically. It does not. Instead, another character enters the scene. I loved the interactions between the residents on the space station. Those chapters were my favorite. Overall, I fun murder mystery on a space station.

The Midsolar Murders

• #1 Station Eternity

• #2 Chaos Terminal

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mimi's Tales of Terror by Junji Ito

Title: Mimi’s Tales of Terror

Author: Junji Ito

Publisher: VIZ Media 2023

Genre:  Horror Manga

Pages: 224

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

University student Mimi and her boyfriend Naoto encounter one chilling mystery after another. There’s the enigmatic neighbor woman dressed in black from head to toe—but if she’s so odd, why does it seems like there are many others like her? Then, whose eyes track Mimi’s movements from the cemetery next door? And why does a bizarre red circle drawn on a basement wall change with each passing day?

Nine scary stories that really happened, drawn from the famed collecton of urban legends Shin Mimibukuro (New Earmuffs), and adapted into manga by horror genius Junji Ito! 

I randomly found this horror comic collection on a list from my local library. I dove int and it was exactly what I wanted. We get some truly horrifying stories that mostly have no ends or explanations. I really loved the shorts; they were just long enough to hold my attention with a big punchline! Loved them. The black and while drawings added to the horror. Do not pick this one up if you at all squeamish.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sellout by Dan Ozzi

Title: Sellout: The Major Label Feeding Frenzy that Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore 1994-2007

Author: Sarah Hollowell

Publisher: Dey Street Books 2021

Genre: Nonfiction - Music

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader

Punk rock found itself at a crossroads in the mid-90’s. After indie favorite Nirvana catapulted into the mainstream with its unexpected phenomenon, Nevermind, rebellion was suddenly en vogue. Looking to replicate the band’s success, major record labels set their sights on the underground, and began courting punk’s rising stars. But the DIY punk scene, which had long prided itself on its trademark authenticity and anti-establishment ethos, wasn’t quite ready to let their homegrown acts go without a fight. The result was a schism: those who accepted the cash flow of the majors, and those who defiantly clung to their indie cred.

In Sellout, seasoned music writer Dan Ozzi chronicles this embattled era in punk. Focusing on eleven prominent bands who made the jump from indie to major, Sellout charts the twists and turns of the last “gold rush” of the music industry, where some groups “sold out” and rose to surprise super stardom, while others buckled under mounting pressures. Sellout is both a gripping history of the music industry’s evolution, and a punk rock lover’s guide to the chaotic darlings of the post-grunge era, featuring original interviews and personal stories from members of modern punk’s most (in)famous bands.

I ran across this book as a recommendation on interesting nonfiction from the last few years. I was intrigued by the topic as I’m a huge fan of punk and emo. This book breaks down the history of eleven bands. Some of the chapters are more engaging than the others. Hands down my favorite chapter was the first one about Green Day. Their story was absolutely fascinating! At times, Ozzi gets a little too in the weeds with the profusion of name drops and technical aspects of the music industry. But overall I enjoyed this journey through music history. As a bonus, it inspired me to download a few key albums from my past.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Hunt on Dark Water by Katee Robert

Title: Hunt on Dark Waters (Crimson Sails #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Witch Romance; Library Love

Evelyn is a witch with a perfect storm of impulses: terrible taste in bed partners, sticky fingers, and a lust for danger. After she steals from her vampire ex and falls through a portal to another realm, she’s fished out of the waters by a band of seafarers and their telekinetic captain. She’s immediately given a choice—join their ship’s crew or die.

Bowen has no memory of his life before he became one of the Cŵn Annwn. He and his band of pirates are bound by vow to patrol through Threshold, the magical sea in between realms, keeping the portals to other worlds safe. When he rescues Evelyn, he doesn’t expect to be attracted to the unflappably brassy pickpocket. The longer he spends in her presence, the more he begins to question if his heart is the next thing she’ll steal.

But as tension heats up between Bowen and Evelyn, the danger at sea escalates as well. Because Evelyn has no intention of keeping her vows to the Cŵn Annwn, and if she betrays the crew, both she and Bowen will pay the ultimate price....

I finally picked up another one of Katee Robert’s series. And it wasn’t quite as good as the Dark Olympus series, but I did enjoy it. We get a portal jumping witch who finds herself involved in the Wild Hunt. But things are not quite as they seem and she becomes an agent of change as well as finding romance. Bowen and Evelyn aren’t my favorite couple but they grew on me as the book progressed. I was very intrigued by all the other characters and the background storyline. I do enjoy Robert’s storytelling and romance, so I imagine that I will be reading the rest of this series.

Crimson Sails

• #1 Hunt on Dark Waters

• #2 Blood on the Tide

• #3 Pirates

Next up on the TBR pile:

Untouchable by Talia Hibbert

Title: Untouchable (Ravenswood #2)

Author: Talia Hibbert

Publisher: Nixon House 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 344

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; She Reads Romance - Forbidden Romance

Spice Meter: 5

Sleeping with the staff wasn’t part of the plan.

Sensible, capable, and ruthlessly efficient, Hannah Kabbah is the perfect nanny… until a colossal mistake destroys her career and shatters her reputation. These days, no-one in town will hire her—except Nathaniel Davis, a brooding widower with a smile like sin and two kids he can’t handle.

Prim and proper Hannah is supposed to make Nate’s life easier, but the more time he spends around his live-in nanny, the more she makes things… hard. He can’t take advantage of her vulnerable position, but he can’t deny the truth, either: with every look, every smile, every midnight meeting, Nate’s untouchable employee is stealing his heart.

The trouble is, she doesn’t want to keep it. Forbidden love isn’t high on Hannah’s to-do list, and trust isn’t one of her strengths. When dark secrets threaten to destroy their bond, Nate’s forced to start playing dirty. Because this reformed bad boy will break every rule to finally claim his woman.

I’ll admit that I was skeptical of this book going in. The nanny trope is not one that I enjoy. Usually it involved a pretty big age gap and most definitely a power imbalance. Thankfully this book does not fall into those traps. Hannah is a fun character to follow through from the first book, but it’s Nate that really pulled me into this story. I totally felt for him. The sob story with his wife, the current sob story with this mom, and the beautiful relationship with his kids coupled with the whole vibe (hello tattoos) and I was completely smitten. There were a few decisions that I wasn’t excited about, but it all ended up okay by them last page.

Ravenswood

• #1 A Girl Like Her

• #1.5 Damaged Goods

• #2 Untouchable

• #3 That Kind of Guy

Next up on the TBR pile:

Confetti Realms

Title: Confetti Realms

Author: Nadia Shammas, Karnessa

Publisher: Maverick 2023

Genre: YA Graphic Novel

Pages: 196

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Follow the story of four New Jersey teens who, after breaking into a cemetery on Halloween, get transported to a strange and fantastical world by a mysterious automaton named Tom. When Tom sends them on a quest to gain him entry to a party at the end of the world, our unlikely (and mostly unwilling) heroes will have to navigate murderous frogs, an insect orchestra, and the cracks in their own friendships.

Found this slim graphic novel on a library list for Fairy Tale books. I grabbed it and sped through in an afternoon. This is a beautiful little story about finding your joy and accepting who you are. We get four friends (well, almost friends) who are navigating identity and community. They get thrown into another world which heightens all their feelings. I loved the magical take on finding yourself. And some the side character are utterly delightful.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Last One by Will Dean

Title: The Last One

Author: Will Dean

Publisher: Emily Bestler Books 2023

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 448

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Clock - One; 52 Book Club - Abrupt Ending

When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing.

And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that’s just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.

I’m not usually a thriller person. I find them way too predictable and silly. But I heard good things about this one and was intrigued by the last person on a cruise ship setup. Of course she’s not actually the only person on the ship, that would get old quick, but a great limited people setup is revealed near the beginning. I sped through the pages desperate to see what happened next, wondering what the next challenge or obstacle would be. There was one particular scene near the end that made me gasp out loud. This was the perfect book to spend a few days on the edge of my seat reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mr. Fixer Upper by Lucy Score

Title: Mr. Fixer Upper (Fixer #1)

Author: Lucy Score

Publisher: Bloom Books 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 386

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Reality TV; Library Love

Spice Rating: 5

It’s a constant battle on set between sexy home renovation reality star grumpy Gannon and his no-nonsense field producer. Paige has zero time for temperamental talent, especially one who acts like being in front of the camera is the last thing he wants.

Mr. Sex in a Toolbelt has made it his mission in life to get a rise out of her, but Paige is a master at locking down her temper. They’re on the road together working long hours fixing houses and changing lives. When cracks in her legendary coolness start to show and sparks fly, Gannon is infatuated and the cameras are there to capture it.

But he’s fallen for pretty packages before and Paige won’t be taken seriously if she’s caught sleeping with the star of her show. She also can’t seem to resist those big, rough hands. Those smoldery hazel eyes. The dimples. The toolbelt. That fiercely protective vibe.

Too bad it’s all about to fall apart.
She never should have trusted him.
He never should have let her go.

At Christmas, I actually read the second one last month and really enjoyed it. So, I picked up the first one in the series for this month’s reading. The book had a lot more drama and serious conversations than I was expecting. I really did fall for Gannon and Paige as they navigate their undeniable attraction. The reality TV angle added just the right amount of other characters and background plot to continue the romantic storyline. The steamy scenes are very well done and steamy. I ended dup speeding through this one, but it was a lovely story. I just might have to read more from Lucy Score.

Fixer

• #1 Mr. Fixer Upper

• #2 The Christmas Fix

Next up on the TBR pile: