Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Title: Before the Fall

Author: Noah Hawley

Publisher: Grand Central 2016

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 416

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are the painter Scott Burroughs and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family.

Was it by chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something more sinister at work? A storm of media attention brings Scott fame that quickly morphs into notoriety and accusations, and he scrambles to salvage truth from the wreckage. Amid trauma and chaos, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy grows and glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, morality, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

Our book club selection for January and it was a bit of a mess. We start out with the plane crash and immediate aftermath. I was intrigued by the mysteries of the passengers and what caused the crash. We start to explore the backstories of our characters. Very quickly the book starts to drag along. The backstories get more and more boring and tangential. I just found myself caring less and less about these characters. I kept wanting this is actually all connect somehow. But in the end, the cause of the plane crash was so stupid and frustrating. I almost threw my book at the wall.

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

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:

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 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:

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:

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:

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

Title: Ink Blood Sister Scribe

Author: Emma Törzs

Publisher: William Morrow 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 416

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Book of the Month June 2023

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements—books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.

All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .

I was so very excited about this book when I bought it and then it just sat in my room for months… I finally cracked it open this Spooky Season and was ultimately disappointedly. The story and the reveals moved so slowly at times that I put the book down and would forget to pick it up. I wanted more. More movement, more growth, more magic. At times, the sisters were written and acted like they were teenagers instead of their actual ages. Their immaturity really got to me at times. I wanted to see two slightly lost women reconnecting with each other and finding a place. But they spend most of the book just flailing around. I think I might have reached my fill of incapable characters.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Behind the Horror by Lee Mellor

Title: Behind the Horror: True Stories that Inspired Horror Movies

Author: Lee Mellor

Publisher: DK 2020

Genre: Nonfiction - True Crime

Pages: 288

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Where I Got It: Library

Which case of demonic possession inspired The Exorcist? What horrifying front-page story generated the idea for A Nightmare on Elm Street? Which film was based on the infamous skin-wearing murderer Ed Gein?

Unearth the terrifying and true tales behind some of the scariest Horror movies to ever haunt our screens, including the Enfield poltergeist case that was retold in The Conjuring 2 and the serial killers who inspired Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.

Behind the Horror dissects these and other bizarre tales to reveal haunting real-life stories of abduction, disappearance, murder, and exorcism.

Overall, the stories behind the horror movies are pretty uneven. A few were very detailed and sufficiently creepy. I loved the chapters that detailed the background of the The Exorcist and Poltergeist. I found some of the chapters very detailed and informative. But then many of the chapters were too plodding. I found myself getting bogged down in some of the details. And a few times even I found the details to be too gross.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

Title: The Terraformers

Author: Annalee Newitz

Publisher: Tor Books 2023

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 338

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Lifetime - Intergenerational

Where I Got It: Library

Destry's life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-E. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its burgeoning eco-systems as her parents and their parents did before her.

But the bright, clean future they're building comes under threat when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldn’t exist, hidden inside a massive volcano.

As she uncovers more about their past, Destry begins to question the mission she's devoted her life to, and must make a choice that will reverberate through Sask-E's future for generations to come.

Goodness, I had such high hopes for this one. I was intrigued by the initial chapters. I wanted to learn so much more about how this world actually works. I was intrigued by the mysterious underground city. I wanted to follow along with Destry’s life. Unfortunately the story completely changed with a huge time jump. I was very annoyed to leave my characters behind for a whole new cast. I also felt like the messages became much more simplistic and reductive. I would have liked a more nuanced message and story. I know that our book club discussion will be great full of interesting opinions and insights.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry

Title: The 22 Murders of Madison May

Author: Max Barry

Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons 2021

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Where I Got It: Book Flood November 2021

"I love you. In every world."

Young real estate agent Madison May is shocked when a client at an open house says these words to her. The man, a stranger, seems to know far too much about her, and professes his love--shortly before he murders her.

Felicity Staples hates reporting on murders. As a journalist for a midsize New York City paper, she knows she must take on the assignment to research Madison May's shocking murder, but the crime seems random and the suspect is in the wind. That is, until Felicity spots the killer on the subway, right before he vanishes.

Soon, Felicity senses her entire universe has shifted. No one remembers Madison May, or Felicity's encounter with the mysterious man. And her cat is missing. Felicity realizes that in her pursuit of Madison's killer, she followed him into a different dimension--one where everything about her existence is slightly altered. At first, she is determined to return to the reality she knows, but when Madison May--in this world, a struggling actress--is murdered again, Felicity decides she must find the killer--and learns that she is not the only one hunting him.

Traveling through different realities, Felicity uncovers the opportunity--and danger--of living more than one life.

I finally picked up this book that’s been sitting on my shelves for a few years. We chose it as a book club read this fall. I was very intrigued by the multi-dimensional murder mystery aspect. I wanted some thriller, some science, and maybe some trippy nonsense. And I got part of that. I enjoyed the chapters that followed Felicity as she attempts to understand what exactly is happening and how to save Madison May. I loved her slow unraveling of the truth. I even loved the quiet moments when she examined her own life and the small changes made each time she moved. And I really enjoyed the dichotomy between Felicity and Hugh. So much potential to explore their frenemy vibe. But the main reason that I knocked off two stars is due to the lengthy sections focused on Madison May. After the first murder, we get it. I don’t see the point of spending many many pages on her point of view as she is killed again. Those sections really drag down the plot and pacing. And it’s not like we as the reader gain any new information. We know Madison is going to die. Sitting around and watching her go about her life in this dimension for many pages before it happens is just boring.

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:

Dark Restraint by Katee Robert

Title: Dark Restraint (Dark Olympus #7)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Male Virgin Hero

Spice Rating: 6

Ariadne Vitalis is in trouble. She's betrayed her father—and his dangerous benefactor—and now she's left to rely on Olympus' questionable mercy. But in this city, mercy comes with a price. For Ariadne, that means a sham marriage to Dionysus. She has no choice but to agree, even if there's only one man she's ever wanted—a man she fears just as much as she desires.

The Minotaur never had any illusions about Minos's plans. He was willing to get his hands dirty as long as the old man kept his word—at the end of their bloody work, the Minotaur would be given Ariadne as a reward. She's meant for him, and he intends to have her, no matter the cost.

Ariadne knows better than to encourage the Minotaur—she's all too aware of how hot a passion like theirs can burn. Besides, she can never forgive him for the terrible things he's done, and he can never change. But when his hands are on her body and his wicked words are whispered in her ear, she might just be willing to let all of Olympus burn…

I’m really not have any luck with my reads this week. I adore Katee Robert and usually find her books, even the ones I don’t absolutely love, to be engaging and interesting. I appreciate how she explores different types of people and relationships. But this one really missed the mark for me. I just couldn’t get over how incredibly controlling and “alpha” The Minotaur was throughout. The sex scenes didn’t demonstrate enthusiastic consent or even mutual respect. I never did buy Asterion and Ariadne as a couple. Really, I kept reading this one for the background storyline about the coming war between Circe and Olympus. Those sections kept me from putting this one down and walking.

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 Untitled

• #10 Untitled

Next up on the TBR pile:

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

Title: I Hope This Finds You Well

Author: Natalie Sue

Publisher: William Morrow 2024

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: 52 Book Club - Author Debut in 2024; Library

As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text color to white so no one can see. That is until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.

When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favor, convince HR she’s Supershops material, and beat out the competition.

But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworkers' private worlds and realizes they are each keeping secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Eventually she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if that means coming clean to her colleagues.

I was very intrigued by the summary of the book. I was thinking that we were going to get a decent speculative fiction take on the workplace akin to Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke. I was hoping… But instead, we get a sad-sack main character that never really breaks out of her sad-sackness. I think I really dislike books that make me feel sad and depressed for most of them. I don’t want or need all happy scenes, but I would like to see characters grow and change. In this book, Jolene just sits in the awkward and uncomfortable space throughout the entire book. I kept forcing myself to pick it up every time to actually get through the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Temptation by R.L. Stine

Title: Temptation

Author: R.L. Stine

Publisher: Simon Pulse 2008

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 407

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

Where I Got It: Library

In this collection of three fan-favorite stories, the vampires of Sandy Hollow crave the summer months. Summer means plenty of beach tourists…and plenty of fresh blood after months of deprivation. But this year the Eternal Ones have decided to spice things up with a little bet: The first to seduce a hot date of the human variety, and then turn him into a fellow creature of the night, wins.
The catch? In order to successfully turn their prey, they must take only three small sips of blood on three different nights. If they take too much blood on any night, the human will die and the bet will be lost.
The setup sounds simple enough, but things quickly get complicated—especially since each vampire is just dying to quench her thirst...

I saw this book featured on an episode of The Big Door Prize and of course I had to grab it. I knew that it was going to be some cheesy young adult vampire stories. It did deliver on that. But I must say that it also didn’t have enough at all. The dialogue was terrible and kept pulling me out of the story. It really felt that these teenagers were living int he 70s, not now. I wanted to see a bit more modern language and interactions. This book was good for just some silly stories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert

Title: The Bad Ones

Author: Melissa Albert

Publisher: Flatiron Books 2024

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 400

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Omniscient Narrator; Library Love

Where I Got It: Library

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

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

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

Such a disappointment. I loved Albert’s Hazelwood series and was hoping for more dark fantasy. This one started very very slow and failed to go anywhere for too many pages. Once we finally kick the plot into gear, the horror doesn’t deliver like I had hoped. It’s very lackluster. And don’t get me started on the “romance” sections. I just couldn’t buy those two characters being together and didn’t care what happened to them. Overall, I found myself being extremely bored throughout this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Raising Critical Thinkers by Julie Bogart

Title: Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent’s Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age

Author: Julie Bogart

Publisher: TarcherPerigree 2022

Genre: Nonfiction - Education

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Nonfiction Reader

Where I Got It: Bookworm in Omaha NE March 2024

Education is not solely about acquiring information and skills across subject areas, but also about understanding how and why we believe what we do. At a time when online media has created a virtual firehose of information and opinions, parents and teachers worry how students will interpret what they read and see. Amid the noise, it has become increasingly important to examine different perspectives with both curiosity and discernment. But how do parents teach these skills to their children?

Drawing on more than twenty years’ experience homeschooling and developing curricula, Julie Bogart offers practical tools to help children at every stage of development to grow in their ability to explore the world around them, examine how their loyalties and biases affect their beliefs, and generate fresh insight rather than simply recycling what they’ve been taught. Full of accessible stories and activities for children of all ages, Raising Critical Thinkers helps parents to nurture passionate learners with thoughtful minds and empathetic hearts.

For co-op adult book club, we followed up Julie Bogart’s The Brave Learner with her newer book. Overall, I totally see the need for this book and know that many of my fellow co-op parents really benefitted from the information presented. For me, it was a bit like being back in education classes in college. For goodness sakes, Bogart name drops Maria Montessori, John Dewey, and Paolo Freire. Many of the big explanations about critical thinking were a review from my college days. From those, Bogart tries to give some activities and examples, but they were very long and drawn out. I would have liked more practical advice on how to implement critical thinking skills into our education plans. A few of us did meet last weekend to discuss the book. Thankfully the discussion veered more towards practical applications than theory. Worthwhile read, but not going to end up being a favorite.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Title: Incidents Around the House

Author: Josh Malerman

Publisher: Del Rey 2024

Genre: Horror

Pages: 371

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: “Can I go inside your heart?” 

When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the question over and over, Bela understands that unless she says yes, her family will soon pay.

Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe, but other incidents show cracks in her parents’ marriage. The safety Bela relies on is about to unravel. 

But Other Mommy needs an answer.

An interesting experiment in storytelling that doesn’t quite live up to the hype for me. I have loved many of Malerman’s previous stories and was very excited to get this one from the library. We get an interesting literary perspective by telling the story through Bela’s eyes. Many aspects of this story are hidden as we only get to see and hear what she does. Interesting, but ultimately, I was not very interested in the story being told. Adults liar and obfuscating the truth is nothing new. I could have basically called the “twist” about Bela’s parentage from the beginning. It also made it really hard to root for the adults in the story. In the end, their bad behavior made me very angry for Bela and her decision to try and save them. Not my favorite.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok

Title: The Leftover Woman

Author: Jean Kwok

Publisher: William Morrow 2023

Genre: Mystery?

Pages: 288

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Lifetime - 40s

Jasmine Yang arrives in New York City from her rural Chinese village without money or family support, fleeing a controlling husband, on a desperate search for the daughter who was taken from her at birth—another female casualty of China’s controversial One Child Policy. But with her husband on her trail, the clock is ticking, and she’s forced to make increasingly risky decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her daughter.

Meanwhile, publishing executive Rebecca Whitney seems to have it all: a prestigious family name and the wealth that comes with it, a high-powered career, a beautiful home, a handsome husband, and an adopted Chinese daughter she adores. She’s even hired a nanny to help her balance the demands of being a working wife and mother. But when an industry scandal threatens to jeopardize not only Rebecca’s job but her marriage, this perfect world begins to crumble and her role in her own family is called into question.

The Leftover Woman finds these two unforgettable women on a shocking collision course. Twisting and suspenseful and surprisingly poignant, it's a profound exploration of identity and belonging, motherhood and family. It is a story of two women in a divided city—separated by severe economic and cultural differences yet bound by a deep emotional connection to a child.

First off, this book was labeled as a mystery/thriller. I beg to differ. This is a very slow moving literary fiction style story with a dash of mystery. If the reader is at all astute, the “twists” will be seen a mile away. They did not add anything substantial to the story. As to the story itself, it doesn’t really explore any interesting topics that haven’t already been done by other authors. The main female characters are extremely unlikeable as opposed to real, flawed humans. And their entire personalities seem to revolve around simplistic identities even when attempting to explore something deeper. I wanted to really root for these women and understand their choices. Instead, I found myself rolling my eyes at almost every page. And do not get me started on the “romance” between Jasmine and Anthony. When they weren’t pining for each other, the actual conversation read like a 13 year old’s diary. Very disappointing.

Next up on the TBR pile: