Tag Archives: adult romantasy

July 2025 Reading Round-Up

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Hello everyone!  I can’t believe July is over, and that we’re already in August.  Overall, it was a really good month for reading.  I read quite a few ARC’s last month, and overall, I really liked most of the books I read last month.  Keep reading to find to see what I read last month!

  • Trail Rides And Starry Eyes by Katrina Emmel.  This YA Contemporary comes out in December, but it issuper cute!  I loved the romance, the settings and the characters.  It’s set on a ranch, and we have horses, cowboys and cowgirls, and actors trying to learn how to do it all.  And we have a really cute romance as well.  It’s perfect for fans of Erin Hahn.
  • We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark.  I loved this Adult Romantasy.  It has ancient Rome vibes, but with vampires in charge. It was hard to get into at first, but once I got a few chapters in, I was hooked.  And there were a few twists that surprised me, so I am very excited about the next book in this series.  The love triangle is an interesting one, that’s for sure.
  • The House Of Quiet by Kiersten White.  Kiersten White is an auto-buy author for me, and I’m glad I got to read an ARC of her return to YA with this gothic horror.  This book comes out in September, and it’s a little bit different than a lot of her other books.  I loved it, and the house is very claustrophobic and unsettling.  I also loved the mystery and the characters.  I’m very curious about the character names, because there is a definite theme with them.  But I liked the names, and they definitely fit with what was going on.
  • First Love Language by Stefany Valentine.  I liked this YA Contemporary.  The romance was really cute, and I loved Catie a lot.  Her family has hit a rough patch, and I liked seeing her find friends, fall in love and learn about her family history.  I’m a little sad, because Catie and her family started out in San Diego, but had to move to Utah, and a book set in my hometown would have been really cool to read about.  Catie learns a lot about herself and her family, and I’m glad things are working out for her.  And I hope she gets some closure with the family of her biological mother.
  • Blades Of Furry by Emily Erdos and Daya Muniz.  I liked this YA graphic novel.  This one I read for book club, and it was really cute!  What’s not to love about animals battle skating?  It’s ice-skating meets martial arts, and I love the combination of the two.  I’m kind of surprised there wasn’t a Tonya Harding reference in this volume, but maybe we’ll see it in another volume.  The art fit with the story, and I loved the colors, which is really pastel and soft at times, while dark and ominous at other times.
  • Of Rime And Ruin by Liesl West.  I already talked about Of Rime And Ruin here, so there’s not much to add.  Other than the fact that I loved this book, and think it’s a great book if you love mermaids and Beauty And The Beast!

  • Vows Of Murder by Lynn Cahoon.  This was a fun cozy mystery, and I’ve really enjoyed this series.  This book is no exception, and I’m glad Jill and Greg got married in this book!  Of course, things don’t go smoothly, but that’s how things go in these cozy mystery small towns.  They seem great, but there are a lot of dead bodies that turn up.  Add in a cult, and there’s a lot of interesting things going on.  Plus, Jill owns a bookstore, and it is cool when bookstores and libraries show up in books.  I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
  • The Truth According To Ember by Danica Nava.  I loved this Adult Romance so much!  Ember was amazing, and I really felt for her.  She’s been through a lot, between all of the stuff with her brother and trying to find a job.  She definitely made some questionable decisions, but I also understand why she did what she did.  Her workplace was terrible, and while I hated what she had to deal, I am glad she got out of there.  I really want the best for Ember, and I want things to work out for her.
  • Rebelwing by Andrea Tang.  This YA sci-fi/dystopia was a re-read for me, but I’ve had the sequel on my table for literal weeks, and I’ve renewed it 4 times, so I figured a re-read was long overdue.  I liked it, and I thought the book was interesting.  There are robotic wyverns and dragons, and of course, it’s set in the ruins of what I’m assuming is the U.S.  Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve read a dystopia set in a country outside the U.S., so I’m open to recommendations if you have any.  I’m curious to see what will happen in the sequel, especially with how the book ended.  I’m glad I picked up again, and if you’re up for dystopia, this one is a good one to check out.
  • How To Be A Better Adult by Jacque Aye.  I loved this Adult Fantasy so much.  Actually, I’m not sure if fantasy is the best fit.  I mean, there are fantasy elements, and it’s more magical realism than fantasy, but I’m not really sure which genre fits best.  I really liked Hope, and I could relate to her so much.  We’re all trying to navigate adulthood, and sometimes, anxiety and depression go along with that.  Everything she dealt with at work were things that a lot of people deal with at some point, and I think the same goes for family expectations.  Having a magical handbook certainly helps, and we all need a little magic in our lives.
  • Yours For The Season by Kate Cochrane.  This adult romance was really cute!  It’s perfect for Christmas, because that’s when the book takes place.  Was it weird reading a Christmas book in the middle of summer?  Absolutely, but I loved this book, and Christmas is July has absolutely a thing, so why not?  I really felt for JT, and I hated her parents for a good portion of the book.  It’s interesting to see a book where you have one athlete in a family of artists, because I feel like it’s usually the other way around.  I hated they weren’t there for her because they couldn’t handle what people were saying, but it seems like they started to work things out.  And I love her and Ali together.  I felt for Ali too, with her divorce and everything with her mom.  I wasn’t a big fan of her mom either, and the parents weren’t great.  I understand why they acted the way they did, but they also caused a lot of hurt and pain in the process.  That aside, it’s a super cute romance with fun winter activities and hot chocolate.
  • The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling.  This Adult Contemporary Romance is so cute!  It’s been quite a while since I’ve read the first two books in the series, but it’s okay, because each book focuses on a different couple.  I really liked this one, and I loved the time travel aspect to it.  I was a little surprised by why they went back in time, but it was nice to see how it got resolved in the future.  It has fall and Christmas vibes, so it’s a good book read anywhere from October to December.  But it can be enjoyed any time of year.  Plus, you have ghosts, haunted houses, and magical artifacts, and those were things I really liked about the book.  I like Bowen and Tamsyn together, and while things between them moved really fast, I didn’t mind it.

That wraps up what I read last month, and I hope the books I read this month are just as good!  Happy  reading, and I’ll see you around!

ARC Book Review: Of Rime And Ruin by Liesl West

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The Basics:

The Book: Of Rime And Ruin by Liesl West

How long is it? 456 Pages

Will Be Published: July 25, 2025 wherever you buy books (Instead of my usual bookshop.org link, I’m going to send you over to Liesl’s website, where you can find pre-order links for several places, content warnings, and a really cool map of Adria)

The Genre: Adult Romance/Fantasy (Standalone-ish, but part of the Sirens of Adria series)

I received an advanced copy from author Liesl West.

What It’s About (Via Goodreads):

A kingdom on the edge.
A monster in the depths.
And a bond that could rule or ruin…

Princess Nahlani of the Brine would rather master her siren magic than endure the responsibilities of court. So, when she’s threatened with an arranged marriage to a land-bound prince, Nahla flees—only to swim into the icy domain of the cruel Frost King.

King Aethan rules a Rime in ruins, his cold exterior concealing an unspoken a curse that turns him into a bloodthirsty, unpredictable threat to his own people. The siren spy in his waters doesn’t know it yet, but she’ll be safer behind bars…

Determined to escape her new captor, Nahla’s magic sparks a forbidden alliance. Unaware of the bond she’s formed with the kingdom’s most feared creature—the fabled clawbeast—Aethan moves her from prison to palace.

But as the truth of the beast unravels, so does the distance between Nahla and Aethan, leaving them to confront a dangerous and undeniable attraction.

Part of the Sirens of Adria series, Of Rime and Ruin is a fantasy romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

What I Thought:

I loved Of Song And Scepter, and when I saw that West was looking for ARC readers, I knew I had to apply for the arc, and I am so glad I was approved for, because this book was so good!

I loved Nahla and Aethan so much!  You don’t need to read Of Song And Scepter first, even though both books are set in the same world, since both stories are stand-alones, and focus on two very different couples.  I think Of Song And Scepter is a great book, and you should read it, but you’ll still know what’s going on if you skip it.

I loved this take on Beauty And The Beast, and I loved that we not only had Nahla and Aethan narrating, but the Beast as well.  This version is dark and icy, with an interesting mystery to boot.  I didn’t see the resolution to the mystery coming, but I liked seeing how that got resolved and how it came together.  Lucas was awful, and he is definitely the Gaston of this story, if you’re looking for parallels to the movie.  I wasn’t surprised by his role in things by the end of the book, but I’d be curious to see if it’s something I’d notice if I’d re-read it again.  I did like the nods to the movie, as well, and it really makes me want to go watch the movie!

I loved Nahla, and I was rooting for her the entire book.  I don’t blame her for wanting to escape, and though things were rough in Rime, I’m also glad it worked out for her.  I also loved how Aethan defended her when her family was acting completely awful.  Aethan was interesting and I was surprised to see that Aethan and the beast was more of a Jekyll and Hyde situation.  While it strays from the movie, I thought it was really cool, because there are these two sides to him that he needs to reconcile.  Granted, I’ve never read Jekyll and Hyde, so I’m not the best source, but I thought it was a great take on the Beast.  I really liked Aethan as well, and I definitely understood why he thought Nahla was a spy.  Obviously, he changes his mind about her by the end of the book, but his initial distrust made a lot of sense to me.  I especially loved them together, and I loved seeing them fall in love.

My Rating:

I loved this book so much, and it is a 5 star read for me!  If you love mermaids, magic, and Beauty And The Beast, this is the book for you!

ARC Book Review: Lore Of The Tides by Analeigh Sbrana

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The Basics:

The Book: Lore Of The Tides by Analeigh Sbrana

How long is it? 464 Pages

Will Be Published: July 8,2025 wherever you buy books (bookshop.org is a great place for books- clicking on the link will take you to my affiliate link)

The Genre: Adult Romance/Fantasy (Book 2 in a duology)

I got an advanced reader copy from netgalley!

What It’s About (Via Goodreads):

From the author of Lore of the Wilds comes the exciting and passionate conclusion, as Lore navigates Fae magic amid looming dangers that threaten to destroy her world.

Lore Alemeyu wakes up to discover she’s on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Held prisoner and with no way to escape, she’s faced with a dire set of circumstances…

A crew that’s distrustful of Lore’s magic capabilities…

Her betrayal by a Fae she thought she could trust…

A dangerous quest for the sun book, which, if placed in the wrong hands, will make the Alytherian Fae even more powerful.

Lore must navigate threats on the ship and beyond, into the ocean’s magical and mysterious depths, in order to find the sun book herself and help free the humans. All the while, Lore can’t help but feel the intense pull of one Fae male who has been helping her all along. But is she willing to risk her human heart for creatures that have burned her in the past, and jeopardize her people’s future?

What I Thought:

I wanted to start off my review with the fact I had an advanced reader copy.  I loved this book so much, and it’s such a great ending to this story!  I really wanted more of Lore’s world, and I’m glad we got to see more of it in this book.  I would read another book set in this world in a heartbeat!  We meet so many new but cool characters, and this adventure is new and exciting, but one that Lore really needed to go on.  She is so amazing, and I loved seeing her explore a new world and navigate changing relationships.

I was curious to see Lore’s relationship with Asher (AKA Syrelle) with how Lore Of The Wilds ended.  I wasn’t the biggest fan of Syrelle, but I did love Lore and Finn together.  I also thought that all of the characters grew a lot in the this book, but I especially loved seeing Lore grow and tap into her inner strength.  I also loved seeing her make a lot of different decisions and seeing her try to balance what she wants for herself, for her friends and for the people of Duskmere.

This book has a very different feel to it, and it’s not one we see in the first book.  I think it’s a combination of Lore being more aware of what’s going on and the difference in setting.  I love the forest we saw in the first book, but I also love the underwater world we see, as well as the time spent sailing across the ocean.  I really felt like I was in Lore’s world, and it was so vivid and full of detail.  Her world really came to life, and it was the little things that made her world feel so real.

One moment that really stood out was when Finn offered to braid Lore’s hair, which I absolutely loved reading.  My hair is nothing like Lore’s, but no matter what’s going on, her hair still needed to be taken of care, and I was glad that Finn was able to care for her in that way.  It’s not something I would stop to think about, but it is something that others have to think about, and I’m glad we got to see that.

My Rating:

This is a 5 star book in my opinion!  I love the world and the characters and I can’t to have this book sitting on my bookshelf.  I haven’t talked about the cover, but it is absolutely beautiful, and I would 100% buy a print of it to hang up on my wall.  I don’t reread books often, but I know this is one I’ll be revisiting again!

June 2025 Reading Round-Up

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Hello dear readers!

I can’t believe it’s July already!  This year has gone by so fast, and I can’t believe we’re half-way through the year.  Reading this month was weird for me.  I felt like I started and stopped a ton of books, and some of the ones I did read, I barely remember, so I don’t have much to say about some of the books I read.  And I have quite a few ARC’s to get through, so over the next few months, you’ll be seeing some longer, individual reviews come through.  I’ll still talk about them in my monthly recaps, but they won’t be super detailed.  Not that I’m super detailed in these posts to begin with, but I definitely won’t be talking about them in the same way as the other books.  Let’s get to the books I read last month!

  • The Moth Girl by Heather Kamins.  I liked this YA contemporary!  Though Anna is diagnosed with a fictional illness, everything that Anna experiences is very real as she adjusts to a life-changing diagnosis.  It’s also nice to see chronic illness that’s not mental illness in a book, and I think that’s something we don’t see a lot of, especially in YA.  I loved the setting, though I’m curious about when the book takes place.  I’d say 90’s, based on the mixtapes and calling people on their home phone, and I can imagine that a mysterious illness pre-internet would be especially scary.  If you’re looking for chronic illness rep, this is a good one to check out.
  • Fools In Love: Fresh Twists On Romantic Tales edited by Rebecca Podos and Ashley Herring Blake.  This YA contemporary anthology was okay.  There’s a wide variety of stories, but as I read the stories in this anthology, I found that I felt ambivalent about most of the stories.  Even though I like some of the authors featured, the two stories that I really liked were authors who were new to me: Boys Noise by Mason Deaver and Disaster by Rebecca Podos.  I love that each story focused on a different idea.  Boys Noise was one bed at the inn and Disaster was second-chance romance, but also had themes like fake dating and mutual pining.  It’s cute and great to read around Valentine’s Day, but maybe I just didn’t read it at the right time.
  • Wishing Upon The Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman.  I loved this Middle Grade contemporary!  I loved Yasmeen and her family, and I really felt for them.  I understood where her parents were coming from, particularly with some of their neighbors, but I also understood where Yasmeen was coming from as well.  She had a lot going on, from moving to bullying to racism, and I just wanted to give her a hug!  She found some great friends along the way, and I enjoyed seeing her give San Antonio a chance.
  • Fit For The Throne 3: The Season Finale by S. McPherson.  I liked this Adult Romantasy.  Things ended the way I thought they would, but it was a fun read and a pretty good conclusion to this trilogy.  I had a little trouble getting into the book at first, and I had a hard time remembering who a lot of the supporting characters were.  But that didn’t take away my enjoyment of the book, and it’s a pretty entertaining series to read.  Varialla was great, and I really liked seeing her journey throughout the series.  I think she’s going to do a lot of good in this world, and I’m glad that things worked out between her and Exequiel.  There was no doubt in my mind it was going to work out, but it’s still good to see them get their happily ever after.
  • Shadow City by Francesca Flores.  This YA fantasy was okay.  I read the first one a long time ago, and re-read before picking this one up.  I didn’t like it as much as I thought it would, but I loved the world.  Maybe it’s another one that I didn’t read at the right time, but maybe it’s just not for me.  It is a good sequel to the first book, and I liked Aina, who was just trying to get by.  I get why she worked with Kohl, but he is not a good guy.  Other than that, I don’t have a lot to say about this one, because I don’t have a lot of strong feelings either way.

  • Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli.  I really liked this YA contemporary!  After reading Break The Fall, I knew I had to read this one.  This book focuses on an ice-skater, and it’s definitely not as technical as Break The Fall, but it was still enjoyable as someone who watches ice-skating every few years during the Olympics.  There’s drama and romance and family issues, and I loved every second of it.  If you like cute, YA romance, this is a good one to check out!
  • Lore Of The Wilds & Lore Of The Tides by Analeigh Sbrana.  Lore Of The Wilds was a re-read for me, and I wanted to re-read it before reading the ARC of Lore Of The Tides.  I’m not going to talk much about Lore Of The Tides here, since I plan on a doing a longer review in the next few days, but I will say that this is a great duology, and the world is amazing!  I also loved the characters, and I’m so excited that Sbrana is coming to San Diego for one of her bookstore stops.  This Adult Romantasy is worth reading!
  • An Ocean Apart by Jill Tew.  I got an ARC of this YA dystopia, and like Lore Of The Tides, a longer review will be coming.  This book comes out in October, so that review will be coming out sometime in the next few months.  This is a world ravaged by climate change, which doesn’t surprise this Southern California girl.  It shouldn’t surprise any of us, but there are people who would find it surprising.  It’s a future I can envision, because we’re already living it to some degree, and this world was so easy to picture.  I’ve already pre-ordered this book, which comes out October 15, 2025.
  • Exactly Where You Need To Be by Amelia Diane Coombs.  I loved this YA contemporary!  I was absolutely crying by the end of the book, and I loved seeing Florie stand up to her mom and take control of her life.  Though I understand why her mom acted the way she did, there were times were I absolutely hated her, starting in San Francisco and up until the end of the book.  I was glad Florie’s therapist was able to help mediate some of the issues, and advocate for her.  I was sad that Florie made it all the way to San Francisco for the live show of a My Favorite Murder-type podcast, and didn’t get to meet the hosts, but I was glad that there was an open invitation for tickets at a future stop.  I was hoping that would happen for her, and I’m glad it did.  I really felt for Florie, and she has a good friend in Kasey, and I’m glad they got to go on an epic road trip together.
  • The Art Of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson.  I loved this Adult Contemporary Romance.  I don’t normally read sports romances, especially ones written for adults, but I saw this one of the displays at the library, and decided to pick it up.  I’m glad I did, because I loved Daphne and Chris.  There’s miscommunication and secrets, of course, but I loved seeing how both of them felt about things, and how they met!  It’s such a cute book, and the romance between them was so fun to read.  And it is incredibly sweet, if you ask me.  While Chris didn’t find out about Daphne’s hidden identity in the best way, I also understood why she kept not telling him.  I think that’s why I was glad that we got both of their perspectives.  It’s a super-cute romance, and the perfect book for summer!

That’s all for today!  A longer review for Lore Of The Tides will be coming soon, and I’m thinking about doing a mid-year recap, so you’ll be getting an extra post or two from me soon.

See you around!

May 2025 Reading Round-Up

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I can’t believe May is over!  It went by so fast, and it was full of bookish fun!  I made it to YALLWEST, which I talked about here, and I have a few ARC’s that I’m excited about.  I already talked about And They Were Roommates by Page Powars here, so I won’t be including it in this round-up, but it was cute.  Speaking of books, let’s get to the other books I read last month.

  • If We Were A Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal.  I loved this YA contemporary!  I loved everything about this book: the romance, the movie theater and the characters.  I hope the Horizon is around for a long time, and that they were able to figure out who was behind all of the pranks.  It’s the perfect book for summer!
  • Daughters Of A Dead Empire by Carolyn Tara O’Neil.  This YA historical fiction is a re-telling of Anastasia.  This book focuses on her survival after the murder of her entire family, and it was interesting to see her travel across Russia to reunite with her remaining family.  I loved her friendship with Evgenia, and how meeting each other really changed things for both girls.  We don’t know what happens to her later on, but I would definitely be interested in a sequel to see what was in store for her.
  • Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice by Anna Lapera.  This middle grade contemporary is a must-read!  I loved seeing how Mani questioned the misogynist policies at her school, and seeing her find her voice to stand up for all of the girls in her school.  I also loved how that connected to her family, and all the secrets and heartache they had to deal with.  I could relate to Mani in a lot of ways, and I loved seeing her find her voice.
  • Better Left Buried By Mary E Roach, narrated by Casey Holloway.  I liked this YA mystery!  It worked really well on audio, and I’m glad I listened to it, because I’m not sure if I would have finished it otherwise.  This Mary Roach is not the Mary Roach that has written books like Stiff, Gulp, and Spook, which is what I initially thought when I got this book.  Anyway, there’s a creepy small town that’s full of secrets, and ruled by an extremely wealthy family who will cover up their wrong-doings at any cost.  I was frustrated by Katie, Lucy’s mom, and how she refused to tell her daughter anything about her past.  I understand her hesitance but also, don’t bring your daughter to your hometown if you’re not willing to answer her inevitable questions.  She didn’t want Lucy to do any investigating but also left her alone pretty much the whole time, so what else was Lucy going to do?  It was pretty slow-paced and then everything happens at once, which wasn’t surprising.  If you like small-town mysteries, this is a good one to check out.
  • Loteria Cards And Fortune Poems: A Book Of Lives, Poems by Juan Felipe Herrera, Linocuts by Artemio Rodriguez.  I was intrigued by this poetry collection because I love Loteria.  If you’ve never played, I highly recommend it.  I especially recommend reading the introduction to this book, since it goes into a lot of detail about Loteria itself.  I loved El Jorobado, La Muerte, El Murcielago, La Mano and El Angel De La Guarda.  While I wish these illustrations were as colorful as the the actual loteria cards, they are pretty detailed and they go well with the poetry.
  • Fit For The Throne 2: The Royal Games by S McPherson.  I liked this adult romantasy, though I didn’t like it as much as the first book in this series.  I am curious to see how things go in the next book, especially with how the book ended.  I liked seeing the relationship that Varialla has with both Exequiel and Loch.  Loch is absolutely terrible, and I find myself wanting to skim the scenes with him and Varialla because of how manipulative and controlling he is.  And I understand why Exequiel doesn’t trust Varialla, though they manage to work together to get through the games.  If you like romantasy that’s more romance than fantasy, this is a good series to check out.

  • Notes On The Assemblage by Juan Felipe Herrera.  This is another great poetry collected from Herrera.  This one is significantly shorter than his Loteria poetry collection, and some of the poems are in both English and Spanish.  We Are Remarkably Loud Not Masked and Poem by Poem are the two that you absolutely need to read from this collection.  I love the way he touches on current events in those poems.  I also recommend I Am Kenji Goto, Song Out Here, Borderbus, The Soap Factory, and Notes On The Assemblage.  I liked this one slightly more than Loteria, because the images are a little more vivid, but they’re both good.  It just depends on what you’re looking for.
  • I’m Not Supposed To Be In The Dark by Riss Neilson.  I liked this YA Romance!  It has magic, ghosts and family secrets that get uncovered.  It has an absolutely beautiful cover too, and I can’t stop looking at it!  I wasn’t interested in the romance, and I found the magic and ghosts to be much more interesting.  I’m intrigued by what Aria can do, and it seems like there are quite a few people who have their own abilities as well.  I get why her grandpa and her mom had her drink a special tea twice a day, and why they didn’t tell her anything about her abilities, but it was something I disagreed with because she got into some unfortunate situations because of it.  I’m glad I read it, and I’m looking forward to reading Neilson’s other books!
  • The Jump by Brittney Morris.  I liked this YA Contemporary!  I haven’t read anything like it before, and I love the idea of groups doing really cool scavenger hunts.  There is a pretty interesting mystery in this book, and I liked seeing this group of teens figure out the puzzles we see throughout the book.  I can definitely understand why they’d want in on the scavenger hunt we see in the book, and it seems like everything works out okay for them.  It is pretty short, so there’s a lot that happens in a short amount of time.  I kind of wish that it had been a little bit longer, just so we had some time to breath, and to explore some of the issues a little more as well.  It was a fun, action-packed book, though, and a pretty fun read.
  • How To Survive A Slasher by Justine Pucella Winans.  I thought this YA horror was okay, but it was interesting to hear what my book club thought about it.  I’ve read similar books (You’re Not Supposed To Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron and There’s No Way I’d Die First, which are both great), so this story wasn’t anything new to me.  It actually felt more true crime adjacent than horror because of the story itself.  I liked that CJ talked about how it wasn’t just something that happened in her town, because she had a direct connection to everything that happened, and it’s a good reminder that that are real people behind the true crime stories that are so popular.  While not for me, I think it’s a great introduction to slashers and YA horror in general.
  • Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert.  This adult contemporary romance was okay.  I’m curious to see how things turn out for Olympus, and I’m looking forward to getting Hera’s story, as well as Hermes.  I was interested because of how the last book ended, and because Poseidon isn’t a character that we’ve seen a lot of in the previous books.  I found that I didn’t particularly care about Poseidon and Icarus, and their relationship was definitely built more on physical attraction than anything else.  This one, along with Dark Restraint, are the ones where I cared more about the plot and what was going on with Olympus than the romance…which is weird considering the genre.  But since this series is going to be 10 books (11, if you count the prequel novella), it makes sense that I wouldn’t care for all of the couples.  That was definitely the case with this book, but at least I have Hera and Hermes to look forward to.
  • We Are The Beasts by Gigi Griffis.  I thought this YA historical fiction was okay.  I wasn’t sure about it for most of the book, but I did end up liking it by the end.  It’s an interesting take on the Beast Of Gevaudan, and this book does a great job at showing how men are the real monsters.  I really felt for the girls we met, and how they had no options to leave.  Using the beast was a pretty good idea, in my opinion, and I’m glad that this group of girls got out.  I hope things go well for them, wherever they end up.

That’s all for this month, and I’ll be back soon!  See you around!

March 2025 Reading Round-Up

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I can’t believe how fast the year is going, and that we’re in April already!  This took a little longer to write than I expected, but I got there eventually.  So let’s get started!

  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros.  I really liked Onyx Storm, and I totally should have read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame first because I was super fuzzy on what happened.  But that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book, and it’s going to be a long wait for the next book, especially with how this book ended!  It’s a pretty solid addition to the series.
  • Guilt And Ginataan by Mia Manansala.  I really liked this adult cozy mystery, and this series is one of my favorites, as far as mysteries go.  I loved the food and drinks, and while I’d love to visit this town, I’d also be really cautious about the town, knowing how many terrible things happen there.  But that’s the whole point of mysteries, right?  I love the small town vibe, but the murders could be a deal breaker.
  • Lore Of The Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana.  I loved this adult romance/fantasy!  It’s a slightly different take on faeries, but something about it made me think of a fairy tale.  I got Beauty and the Beast vibes, but I think it’s because of the magical library.  It’s definitely one of my favorites from March, because I can’t stop thinking about that library.  And I just want to know what happens next.  At any rate, if you love fairies and magic, this is worth checking out!
  • Fit For The Throne: The Trial Of Ten by S. McPherson.  I really liked this adult fantasy.  It’s another interesting take on magic, faeries and shifters.  It’s a very interesting take on reality tv, and I actually agree that it’s the Selection meets the Hunger Games.  I really felt for Variella, who has no idea of her own history, especially since she kind of has to figure it out herself.  She has no idea who to trust, and she’s hearing a lot of things, from a lot of people.  I don’t blame her for making the choices she does, and she really is doing the best she can with the knowledge she has.
  • Gilded by Marissa Meyer, narrated by Rebecca Soler.  It took me months to finally finish this book!  Mostly because I’d listen for 20-30 minutes at a time when I didn’t know what else to listen to.  If you loved Cinder (also by Meyer), and you haven’t read this one, I highly recommend this one.  It’s also great if you love fairy tales, because it’s a cool take on Rumplestiltskin.  That’s a story you don’t see retold very often, and it’s a nice change from the usual fairy tale re-tellings out there.
  • Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor.  This adult African-futurism was a great read!  I mean, you can’t wrong with any of her books, but this is one of my favorites from her.  You have two different stories with this book: you have Zelu, who wrote this massive bestselling novel, and you get excerpts of that novel.  I love the idea of a novel within in a novel, and you see what the success of that novel does to Zelu.

  • Catch And Keep by Erin Hahn.  This adult contemporary romance was one of my favorites from March!  It’s so cute, and sweet and it’s friends-to-lovers, which, in my opinion, made this book even better.  I love Maren and Joe together, and Maren fits in with his family so well.  I love her books, and I’ve been a fan since I read her first book.  I definitely recommend Erin Hahn, and she has a lot of really good couples.
  • This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, with Jillian Tamaki as the illustrator.  This YA contemporary graphic novel was a fast read.  It wasn’t my favorite book I read last month, but Tamaki did a great job with complicated family relationships and complicated friendships.  There’s a lot of secrets and there’s a lot of growing up in this one, and while I didn’t love it, I still think it’s worth checking out.
  • There’s No Way I’d Die First by Lisa Springer.  I loved this YA horror!  It’s another one of my favorites from last month, and I loved seeing the mystery unravel.  I loved the quotes from different horror movies at the beginning of each chapter, and the list of Top 10 Essential Black Horror Movies at the end of the book was awesome.  I haven’t seen any of the movies on the list, and I’m going to have to check them out.  I’ve never read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, but I know the basics of the story, and there’s something about Springer’s book that made me think of an Agatha Christie book I’ve never read.  I don’t know if Springer took any inspiration from Christie, because it could have been a coincidence, but either way, I wanted to know what was going to happen.

That’s all for this month, and I’ll be back in a month or so with my April reads!

See you next time!