Kate Daniels 7.5 & 7.6 by Gordon and Ilona Andrews

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After reading the first couple books for the Historical Romance Readathon, I was checking my tbr list and noticed I missed reading two novellas for the Kate Daniels readalong. Thankfully they are both shorter and I'm going to combine the two reviews. I didn't use either of these for any of my readathons or challenges since they were so short. The series is written by Ilona Andrews with the Curran POVs being writing by Gordon. The readalong is hosted by Stef, Megan and Heather. Also, I'm using the Curran POV Collection cover since one is a Curran POV, but it's actually not included in that collection.

7.5 Prequel to Magic Shifts

This is another short Curran POV and listed as the 10th short in the collection. I mentioned above that it's not included in the POV Collection for free on their website, but it is included in the full POV collection that's in the Small Magics anthology! I did give this 4-stars and enjoyed it. We get to see Kate, Curran and Julie moving into their new house after stepping down from the Pack. Julie and Curran are talking and he decides to share his history with Julie. He does this not only because she's family, but also to show that he trusts her and she is apart of his inner circle. I love seeing Curran get all paternal with Julie and it was a fun dynamic we haven't seen too much of. They talk while unpacking the kitchen and Kate ends up interrupting to so they can eat. Curran continues telling Julie his story and really I loved it to see them connecting and almost really becoming a family. Now that there isn't the pack underfoot anymore, I'm looking forward to how they all move forward together. 

7.6 Kate and Curran Texts, Dabwaha

Another fun text/twitter thread but in a different way. This one specifically is Kate and Curran debating if their series is better with the hero Rogan and heroine Nevada from the first three books of Ilona Andrew's newer series Hidden Legacy. Thankfully I've already read the first book and knew who they were. This was cute and fun, but didn't really lend much to the Kate Daniels universe. While I was there however, I looked over the other text threads to see if they would fit into where I'm at. The first on the page is I'll Be Right Back and is between Kate, Curran and Jim. They are waiting on Kate and end up seeing her fighting an octopus monster on tv. It was super cute and one of my favorites. The other one I read was The Dress. This would fit probably about this time in the books since we have Kate, Curran and Julie texting about Curran accidentally ruining Kate's white silk dress when doing laundry. Another super cute and fun text chain. There's one more left on the page and it's about someone named Conlan. Since I don't know who that is yet, I'll wait to read that one. If you haven't seen these before, they are free on their webiste!

I had a lot of fun reading more, but I have to say my favorites were the other text chains I added on my own. I love the little snippets that Ilona Andrews (and her husband) add to their series and am so sad that we're reaching the end of the series. I will definitely be trying to get through their backlist as soon as I can and maybe I'll keep up with the one or two books a month for fun!

Have you read Prequel to Magic Shifts or Kate and Curran Texts?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Prequel to Magic Shifts, Gordon Andrews, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 15 pages, published in 2015

STATISTICS: Kate and Curran Texts, Dabwaha, Ilona Andrews, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 4 pages, published in 2015

Banging Through the Snow Wrap Up

 I was hoping to be able to finish this up earlier so you could see my wrap up before it ended, but I'm cutting it close again. I had one prompt left since the weekend before Christmas, but all the books I was looking for to fit it I just wasn't in the mood for. Overall though I had fun trying some new books and was happy that I was able to double up with other readathons that were going on at the same time, the Historical Romance Readathon and the Merry + Bright Readathon. I was also able to count books for the Winter's Kiss reading challenge.

The readathon is running from December 6th through December 31st! It's hosted by the ladies that do the But Do They Bang? Book Club, Melissa, Jacque and Beth. In case you missed my tbr, check it out for more ideas for prompts! Above is the blank bingo board and below is my finished! I'll be going through each prompt and the book I used for it starting from the top left hand corner and going row by row. I'll also link the songs I used from my story reviews. If there isn't a link, my review will hopefully be up soon and I'll add the link as they get posted!

⛄ I Smell Snow! (Snow on the Cover) - All I Want for a Christmas is a Cowboy by Jessica Clare
Song: Distance by BoA

⛄ Characters Exchange Gifts - Tempting Mr. Weatherstone by Vivienne Lorret
Song: For the First Time by Kangta

⛄ Snow Monster! (Wintery Non-human Main Character) - Pleasures of Christmas Past by Lexi Post
Song: Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know) by Kelly Clarkson

⛄ Trapped in a Snowstorm (Only One Bed) - Loving the Mountain Man by Adriana Anders
Song: Like a Dream by Trax

⛄ A Book That Blends Holidays - Walking in a Witchy Wonderland by Juliette Cross
Song: Winter Wonderland by Brett Eldredge

⛄ Red or Green Cover - Any Rogue Will Do by Bethany Bennett
Song: 1, 2, 3 by f(x)

⛄ Hot Chocolate (Steamy, Warm & Cozy) - Daring Miss Danvers by Vivienne Lorret
Song: Diamond by Girl's Generation

⛄ Naughty or Nice in the Title - One Naughty Christmas Night by Janet Berry
Song: Last Christmas by Shinee

⛄ Small Town Romance - The Front Runner by Elsie Silver
Song: Amazing by The Grace's Dana & Sunday

So originally I was going to diversify the songs I used from my favorite albums. Then it turned into using one of my tops, the SM Town Winter album from 2011. Oh my gosh I can't believe that it's 10 years old already. Anyways, it's one of my favorite holiday albums and the promo song, Santa You Are the One by Super Junior has been my go to December ring tone since it came out. But Super Junior are my boys so I might be biased. I really wanted to use a song from the Muppet's Christmas Carol for Pleasures of Christmas Past, but instagram didn't have any of the songs available. Then I remembered Kelly Clarkson had a song on her new album that had the line "dancing with a ghost." I went with that and then of course I had to use Winter Wonderland for Walking in a Witchy Wonderland. I ended up going with Brett Eldredge's version since he's one of my favorite country artists!

I had a lot of fun and was able to read a few books that wouldn't normally be on my radar thanks to the more unique prompts. I think my favorite read would be The Front Runner. It was an anticipated read for me, even though I only had a couple weeks of anticipation. I can't wait for the next book and hope that Elsie doesn't get any setbacks and we get it in March! I can't wait to see what the ladies do next for both their book club and future readathons!

Did you participate in Banging Through the Snow?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

One Naughty Christmas Night by Janet Berry

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After finishing The Front Runner, I didn't want to get into a book hangover. Since I was still in a cozy feeling, I wanted to pick up another historical romance. Nothing was really sounding good, so I went through some newer releases that were holiday based that would have naughty or nice in the title for Banging Through the Snow. I ended up finding One Naughty Christmas Night by Janet Berry. I was also able to use this for the hot cocoa prompt for the Merry + Bright Readathon and new author prompt for Winter's Kiss.

Victoria and Heath have been best friends since childhood. Their parents are friends and being the youngest of each group of children they were commonly left together growing up. Every Christmas Heath's father hosts Christmas festivities. After being jilted earlier in the year, Victoria is feeling left on the shelf and doesn't want to marry except for love. Heath also wants a love match and they both lean on each other for support. When they are reading in the library one day, Heath's older brother and wife sneak in for a tryst. Victoria and Heath hide and the sounds of Heath's brother and his wife getting intimate cause their desires to rise. When they both give in and kiss, a new door has opened between them. When Victoria approaches Heath for passion lessons now that she's a spinster, their relationship starts to change.

This was a cute and quick novella. I didn't look too much into this before I started reading outside of it being a childhood friends to lovers regency holiday novella. I hadn't ever heard of Janet Berry before and was intrigued by the premise. Unfortunately, it didn't quite meet my expectations. There were bright spots in this for sure and it had a lot more steam than I expected. That was a definitely a pleasant surprise. My enjoyment was kind of hindered though by the writing. It wasn't bad, but it felt newer. There were a few times where the same thing would be reiterated in the same sentence, but in a different way. It also got a little bit repetitive at times. It also felt a little bit rushed in the non-steamy scenes. I would've been completely okay to have closed door or fade to black or even just casually mentioned that they got together again last night to have more development outside of the bedroom. I don't know, it just was missing something for me.

If you are looking for a quick, steamy, historical holiday novella, certainly give this one a try. I did enjoy it and am interested to read something full length from Janet Berry to see what she can do with more pages. I'm still glad I picked it up and it's always fun to find a new indie published historical romance author.

Have you read One Naughty Christmas Night?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: One Naughty Christmas Night, Janet Berry, 3-stars, 0 days, eBook, 133 pages, published in 2021

The Front Runner by Elsie Silver

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After getting through my book club books and the Historical Romance Readathon, I knew I had to finally pick up The Front Runner by Elsie Silver. I sped through the rest of the series last month and was so happy to see that The Front Runner would be out December 3rd! This is the third book in her Gold Rush Ranch series. I was able to use this for the prompt book Shelby made a post about for Winter's Kiss, The Grinch (enemies to lovers) prompt for Merry + Bright and small town romance prompt for Banging Through the Snow.

Mira is the veterinarian for the horse ranches nearby and also friends with Billie and Violet. While she doesn't have the disdain for Stefan Dalca that Billie does, she does recognize he doesn't always make the best choices. When a mare passes giving birth at Gold Rush Ranch and shortly after a foal dies on Stefan's ranch, they want to try to get the mare and foal together to save the foal's life. Stefan proposes to take Mira on three dates and they make a deal. As Mira learns more about Stefan and who he really is the attraction for him she's held back starts to boil over.

Oh my gosh, this book. I couldn't put it down and only did because I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I loved the tension between Stefan and Mira. And the things that Stefan would say, oh gosh. So freaking hot. I loved seeing past the façade that Stefan perpetuates and how strongly he loves the people he lets in. There's a lot in his backstory and holds onto a lot of guilt, even when he probably shouldn't be feeling guilt for it. We also get to see DD's first colt (DD is the main horse in Off to the Races). Speaking of, I want to give a trigger warning for pet death. We see the aftermath of a red birth of a foal that doesn't make it. We aren't quite connected to this foal like other horses in the series, but I wanted to mention it because it's really sad. There's also talk about a mare dying. So DD's colt loses his Mom and they are looking for a mare to try to take to him so he can get the nutrients he needs. When Mira shows up at Stefan's ranch to help, but is late she has the idea to try to fit the colt with the now childless mare. Thankfully she takes to him and Stefan ends up naming him Loki.

Loki is the freaking cutest ever and I loved the relationship that formed between Loki and Stefan. So freaking cute and broke my heart when Stefan would get worried about him. I also loved getting to learn more about Mira. She's half Indian and I loved how Stefan stood up to her family. The connection between them was just everything. There's more drama that I don't want to spoil, but I love how much that Stefan loves Mira. They were just completely drawn to each other. Also, we know Billie from Off to the Races and how Stefan tried to underhandedly buy DD from her. She has hated him since then, but her grudge did bother me a little bit here. I just felt she took it a little too far, even for her. I did like that she came around and started to back off for Mira.

We also get to meet Stefan's younger sister Nadia there was a blurb in the back of the book that she is getting a book and it's potentially coming in March. I can't wait and am so intrigued on who she's going to be paired with. I can't wait to see what Elsie does next and am so freaking excited. Seriously, read this book, read this series, join Elsie's newsletter and follow her everywhere. I am officially obsessed!

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Front Runner, Elsie Silver, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 313 pages, published in 2021

Loving the Mountain Man by Adriana Anders

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The December prompt for the Smart Women Read Romance's patreon exclusive review was Winter. The book that won the poll was Loving the Mountain Man by Adriana Anders. This is the 3rd book in her Love at Last series. I was able to apply this to the Winter Wonderland (white on the cover) prompt for Merry + Bright, facial hair prompt for Winter's Kiss and trapped in a snowstorm (only one bed) prompt for Banging Through the Snow.

Christa drives up to a holiday party at her boss's cabin in the mountains. When she arrives and finds out that she wasn't notified that the party was cancelled and he makes unwanted advances to her, she escapes. When driving back down the mountain quickly, she hits some black ice and ends up going over a cliff. Before her car can completely hit the bottom, she gets saved last minute by another cabin owner Micah. He takes her home and they call the police and her family. When a blizzard shows up overnight, she's stranded with the burly mountain man until the roads become passable. Micah is a recluse after serving in the army and losing one of his legs. He hasn't had much contact with women and feels a pull towards Christa that he hasn't felt in years.

As I mentioned before this is the third book in her series. I have not read the first two and didn't have time to squeeze them in with all the readathons and challenges I participated in. This read well as a standalone and I don't think that it connects too much to the other books outside of Micah maybe being friends with the heroes. Maybe? I'm still not sure. Anyways, this is also the first book I've read by Adriana Anders. Loving the Mountain Man was a quick instalust read. It was cute and there was a lot going on, but I wish that either it was longer or didn't take too much on. We have the sexual assault on Christa, Micah's a disabled veteran, Christa is plus size (or more normal size) and then we have the stress of her surviving death and being snowed in together. 

I think that Christa and Micah had good chemistry when they were getting intimate, but I did want more emotional development between them and more conversations. This is a hard one to rate for me. I'm thinking maybe a 3.5-star but rounded up to 4. I just was felt wanting in the end and don't know if I believe in the HEA. Yes the HFN, but not the HEA. There just some times when we were being told and not shown. I also wanted some recognition of the fact that she was so turned on as apart of the adrenaline/aftereffects of almost dying. She mentions that's partly why she's into him, but not in the way that I felt it should've been addresses. Or at least also factored in. But it was good.

I would definitely be interested in trying more of her works. It looks like the other two books in this series were novellas that were added to and rereleased, so I don't know how different I'd feel about those. I know she has a suspense series that some booktubers I follow liked, so maybe I'll try those. I'm always happy to try a new author and while this was set at Christmas, it wasn't super Christmas-y. If you're looking for a holiday set novella that isn't fully holiday based, certainly give this one a try. I had a lot of fun during the live review and can't wait to see what books get chosen next year!

Have you read Loving the Mountain Man?

Bookishly Yours, 

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Loving the Mountain Man, Adriana Anders, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 236 pages, published in 2019

Any Rogue Will Do by Bethany Bennett

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The fourth and final book I read for the Historical Romance Readathon was Any Rogue Will Do by Bethany Bennett. This is the first book in her Misfits of Mayfair series and covered the prompts green/red on cover, in a series, new to you author, clinch cover, rogue in the title, rec'd to you, lady heroine and book you own. I was also able to apply this to the Winter's Kiss prompt green on cover, Merry + Bright prompt Baby It's Cold Outside (dual perspective) and Banging Through the Snow Prompt red or green cover.

Charlotte, aka Lottie, is returning to London from her country home. Her father has started to come out of mourning and has decided it's time for her to marry. He arranges for her to marry friend's second son, but she is not in agreement. She has until November to find another acceptable husband. When there's an accident on the way, she runs into Viscount Amesbury, Ethan. He was a suitor during her first season, but ends up ruining her with a nickname. As they continue to run into each other, they propose a fake engagement to at least get Lottie's father to stop pushing the horrible man he wants her to marry.

Oh my gosh, this book was so wonderful. I mentioned this during my wrap up, but I own this because I heard good things about the second book, West End Earl, and picked it up at Walmart. When I got home and realized it was book 2 in the series, I immediately added the first book so I would have them both. I pulled this as a secondary option for my readathon tbr. Someone commented on my post and mentioned that they really loved this and that the hero was Scottish. I immediately raised it up in my tbr and when I saw it would be a book that would give me a bingo, I knew it would be my last book for the readathon. Even though this isn't a Christmas book, it at least gives the vibes with a green and red cover!

But about the book. First off, this is Bethany Bennett's debut novel and that just blows me away even more. I absolutely adored Ethan. He was so sweet and pining for Lottie. I loved how he kept putting her first, at first due to his guilt but at the same time knowing and trying to ignore the attraction he's had for her from before. Lottie was such a great heroine. I feel like a lot of the more recent historical romances push the feminism threads more than needed and it almost becomes the focal point to the story and not the romance. While there is that here, at the same time I enjoyed how Lottie immediately regrets pushing Ethan away and tries to make it up to him. They both agree to come to a compromise to be in a healthy relationship but also give her what she wants in life. It didn't bother me as much here outside of that I wish that her father wasn't as against Ethan. That would be my only downside of the books was that her father was an antagonist on top of the villain of the guy he's trying to marrying her off to. Then that leads to her breaking up with Ethan and I just didn't like that as the extra conflict. It just felt like a little too much for the final conflict, but I did like how it also forced Lottie to really open up to Ethan and figure out what she really wanted.

I really enjoyed this book and immediately pulled West End Earl. I want to pick it up soon and am so intrigued by who Cal is going to be paired with. I have an idea, but I don't want to read the blurb before going in. I am so happy to find another new author and am excited to see how her writing is going to grow and evolve. Such a great debut!

Have you read Any Rogue Will Do?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Any Rogue Will Do, Bethany Bennett, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 352 pages, published in 2020

My American Duchess by Eloisa James

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The third book I read for the Historical Romance Readathon was Eloisa James's standalone My American Duchess. This is also the December pick for the Rake Appreciation Society hosted by Crystal and Jen! I was able to apply this to the prompts green/red on cover, new to you author, rec'd to you and book I owned. I also was able to use this for the friend gave 5-stars prompt for Winter's Kiss, and Last Christmas (bought last year and never read) prompt for the Merry + Bright Readathon.

Merry is in London after two failed engagements in Boston. As an American Heiress, she's having trouble fitting in and ends up agreeing to marry a duke's second son, Cedric. At the same ball, she goes to get some air on the balcony and ends up running into the Duke of Trent without knowing he is the duke and also her future brother-in-law. When their cute banter is over, Trent decides to approach Merry as the woman he want to court as his wife. When he goes to get an official introduction, he is surprised to see that the woman he wants as his wife is his future sister-in-law. As Cedric continues to belittle Merry, both her and Trent fight the feelings forming between each other. Merry just can't break a third engagement and bring the scandal upon her Aunt and Uncle.

I have been wanting to read Eloisa James for a while now, but just didn't quite know where to start. I own quite a few of her books (for the gorgeous stepbacks) and have heard good things about her books. When the Rake Appreciation Society announced this was December's book I was pleased. It's a standalone so a good way to try her writing. Now, this is my favorite trope wrong sibling. It just usually hits all my buttons. However, even though I gave this book 5-stars, I don't know if it hit everything I want from that type of trope. If I were to be really specific, I would rate this more 4.5-stars.

I loved the connection between Merry and Trent and how their relationship just kept evolving, even when they were trying so hard to stay friendly as future siblings. It doesn't always happen this way, but Eloisa was very smart in how their relationship was progressing but didn't really get physical until it seemed that Cedric and Merry were no longer together. I did want that to come sooner in the book. I also didn't like how mean Cedric was. I've read other historicals with this prompt and much more prefer the version where the other partner is just agreeing to the marriage for business reasons and has no romantic or even platonic feelings for the heroine. I understand that part of the reason he was shown like this is to get the reader to be okay with Merry breaking off their engagement, but he was just a little too much for me. I'm going to try to be as spoiler free as possible, but I also didn't really like the wedding scene. I was very much in my feels and feeling so bad for Merry and that she didn't have anyone to turn to and as a reader I didn't like being thrown for a loop as much as Merry. What made that an issue for me was I was left wanting more from Trent in apology/explanation. Merry was more accepting of what happened, which is fine. Since it was written in a way that really put you in Merry's perspective and blindness to what was happening I felt like the grovel/explanation also needed to be partly towards the reader. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Either that or make her veil easier to see through so she had even a moment more to deal with what was happening.

Despite my rantings over those two things, I really did enjoy the book overall. I will definitely be picking up more of Eloisa James's books. I'm not sure where I'll start next, but there's quite a few options. I'm thinking one of her older series that's already complete. If you haven't tried her before, I don't know if this is the place to start since it's definitely more angsty and I'm not sure how her other books are, but it is a standalone so there's that. I had a lot of fun (as always) chatting with everyone about the book. If you weren't able to make the live the video has been posted!

Have you read My American Duchess?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: My American Duchess, Eloisa James, 5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 402 pages, published in 2016

Daring Miss Danvers by Vivienne Lorret

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The 2nd book I read for the Historical Romance Readathon is Daring Miss Danvers. This is the first book (outside of the prequel novella) for Vivienne Lorret's Wallflower Wedding series. This counted for the prompts in a series, wallflower, book you own and clinch cover. I also read applied Daring Miss Danvers to the Winter's Kiss board 1  prompt fake dating, Merry + Bright Readathon prompt Elf on the Shelf and Banging Through the Snow prompt hot chocolate (warm, steamy and cozy).

Emma is the straight-laced daughter of two peerage turned artists. After her parents were snubbed after her father starting painting those not in the ton, they've been pushed out. Emma has fought against the prejudice and tries to be the perfect debutante to not bring further shame upon her family. Oliver, Viscount Rathburn, has been friends with both Emma and her brother for the longest time. His grandmother has froze the inheritance he was supposed to receive upon gaining his majority, but has put several conditions on it's receival. The most recent is to marry someone that she approves. Emma is the only one so Oliver proposes a fake-engagement scenario to her parents. They whole-heartedly agree and Emma agrees to help. When they seal the agreement with a kiss they become aware of each other in a new way and are forced to face the feelings that they've been denying.

I really loved this story. Such a great mix of friends-to-lovers, fake-dating and mutual pining. I loved seeing both perspectives and how much they noticed about each other. I also loved that they both constantly were still finding out new aspects of each other and became insatiable. Especially Oliver; he just wanted to see the core of Emma and get her to open up to him completely. If I were to be really strict with myself, maybe this is closer to a 4.5-star rating, but the way that I feel when I read Vivienne Lorret's writing just gives me more excuses to round it up to 5.

I did think that the final conflict was a little stereotypical, but at the same time the way it was resolved was not. Spoilers incoming: Emma hears a rumor that the actress that was Oliver's former mistress ran away with a man with a lot of money. Since at this point Emma is still under the impression that Oliver only received his inheritance after marriage, she worries that it was Oliver. Even more so since he was cold in the morning because he wants her so bad to say she loves him. (Nevermind he hasn't quite said it yet either.) I loved that it wasn't drawn out. Emma came home, he was there and was open about where he was all day. Emma trusts and believes him and it's not made into a bigger deal than it should've been. I just loved that it didn't follow the typical plot line.

Back from spoilers! I did glance at the other two books in the series and it looks like we are focusing on Emma's other two friends in their needlework club Merribeth and Delaney. I wasn't sure if her brother would have a book or not, but I did see a Mr. Danvers on my shelf as well. When I pulled it to find the names he is book two in The Rakes of Fallow Hall series. That's a series I haven't read yet either and am happy that I am reading these in order. I think I might reread the ones I already have and just go through her backlist in order. It might take a bit, but maybe I can get through everything by May 24th. It was recently announced that that'll be the release date of book 4 in her Mating Habits of Scoundrels series and I've already preordered it! I can't wait!

Have you read Daring Miss Danvers?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Daring Miss Danvers, Vivienne Lorret, 5-stars, 3 days, Paperback, 288 pages, published in 2014

Tempting Mr. Weatherstone by Vivienne Lorret

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The first book I read for the Historical Romance Readathon was Tempting Mr. Weatherstone by Vivienne Lorret. This is the first book in her Wallflower Weddings series and was originally released in the Five Golden Rings anthology, and how I read it. It covers the prompts takes place during winter, non-titled hero, in a series, clinch cover and book I already owned. I was also able to use this for the first board of Winter's Kiss covering the holiday novella prompt. For Banging Through the Snow it applied to characters exchange gifts.

Penelope is feeling worn and after her sister heads home for the holidays is left feeling lonely. She has been feeling melancholy lately and is finally coming to terms that she's in love with her best friend Ethan. They have been friends and neighbors since childhood after their families connected by sharing in grief. Ethan is a second son and very meticulous. He tries to keep everything in it's place and likes knowing what things will happen when. After Pen decides to change her life and mentions going on an adventure (to gain some distance from Ethan and hopefully get over him), his regimented life is thrown into chaos.

Oh my gosh. This was the prefect way to start the Historical Romance Readathon and I've missed Vivienne's writing. There's something about it that just hits what I want and need from a historical author. I loved the mutual pining on both sides, although there's more angst from Pen since Ethan fights his feelings. I think the childhood friends-to-lovers trope was really well done and worked perfectly for a shorter book. I was immediately drawn in and was able to connect with the characters fairly quickly. Also, I could really relate to Pen when she's talking about the handkerchiefs she embroiders for Ethan every year. Since I usually try to just make present for Christmas and not buy much (outside of assisting Santa with stockings), I really understood and empathized with her. Even though she's not expecting a gift in return, sometimes it's hurtful when appreciation isn't expressed; especially when it's a gift for someone that's seen or knows the amount of time and care that went into it.

This little novella had me smiling and tearing up and was just the perfect read to get me into a historical mood. I'm so happy to finally be reading more Vivienne Lorret and am hoping that I can get through the rest of her backlist next year. I'll definitely be picking up book 1, Daring Miss Danvers, next for the readathon and can't wait to read more. If you are looking for a modern historical romance author and are frustrated with a lot of the newer releases, definitely give Vivienne Lorret a try. She's one of my favorites!

Have you read Tempting Mr. Weatherstone?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

    STATISTICS: Tempting Mr. Weatherstone, Vivienne Lorret, 5-stars, 0 days, paperback, 96 pages, published in 2012

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

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The last full length novel for the Kate Daniels readalong December books is number 7, Magic Breaks. The readalong of Ilona Andrew's long running series is being hosted by Stef, Heather and Megan. I was also able to apply this to the Winter's Kiss prompt wintery cover on board one.

We pick up a few months after Magic Rises. The pack has been working on getting more pancacea and there are more shifters moving into the pack's territory or right nearby. When Curran needs to leave town for a couple days to meet with a nearby pack, Kate is left alone to attend the conclave meeting. When Hugh crashes the party with dead higher up from the casino killed by a shifter, all hell breaks loose. A war is being started between the Pack and the People while Curran's out of reach and it's finally time for Kate to confront Roland.

Whoa Nelly! This book had so much going on and there was a lot of movement. I have felt that Kate's power growth and the overall plot was kind of slowing down the last couple books, but things quickly escalated here and even more than expected. I'm still just blown away at how much was fit into this book. While I was a little frustrated for a good portion of the book that Kate and Curran were separated, once again, we do get a rescue mission of Curran saving Kate and them they stick together the rest of the book. I really enjoyed how they work together and didn't like that Curran was kept away at first. Although, it was needed for Kate and Curran to be in Roland's prison. I also enjoyed getting to see and learn more about Gastek. I find him so interesting and loved learning his backstory and seeing him and Kate strive to survive.

I also wasn't quite sure what to think about Roland. There's the first confrontation between Kate and him, although it was more of a information gathering endeavor on both sides. I'm not sure what to expect moving forward since we met him so early and I almost kind of think that he's not a complete bad guy. He's been pitched before this as this horrible evil person that Kate's goal is to kill, but at the same time he's her father. And while he still wants to rule the world and be the ultimate power, he also wants to take care of Kate in his own way and get to know here.

I'm so interested and intrigued on what's going to happen in the future. I mean we have 3 more full length novels on top of any novellas. I'm glad that Kate also finally got some level up in her power, but since the previous couple books were mostly non-growth, it did feel a little bit sudden. I'm happy to see Kate accepting and using her power more and am trying really hard not to speculate too much on what's going to happen. I just don't want to weave some fun storyline in my head and then have it be completely different and then ruin my expectations/enjoyment. We'll see what happens next!

Have you read Magic Breaks?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Magic Breaks, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 392 pages, published in 2014

Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews

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The next book for December's books for the Kate Daniels readalong is Magic Steals. This is book 6.5 in the series by Ilona Andrews. The readalong is being hosted by Stef, Heather and Megan on YouTube. This novella was also included in the Night Shift anthology, which is how I read it. I was able to use this read to cover the prompt author you love for the first board of Winter's Kiss.

We are back with Jim and Dali for this novella. Jim shows up once again and immediate falls asleep on Dali's couch instead of having the dinner she made for him. When her mother suddenly shows up the following morning before Jim has left, Dali tries to hide that he's there. Her mother has brought a fellow Indonesian that has come to Dali for help when her grandmother went missing. Dali helps, as his her way as the white tiger. She finds a curse has been placed on the residents of the office building the grandmother has a salon. Jim helps her deal with the situation while Dali struggles with feeling confident to be with the Cat Alpha and head security for the Pack.

This was another great novella and I loved seeing Jim and Dali's relationship progress. We got some great steam. One thing that I've mentioned in their previous novellas is that I like the dichotomy of Dali being paired with Jim the alpha. I get and understand why a lot of alphas get paired with the stereotypical "strong female" that's more along the lines of Kate. I also believe that there are different ways to be strong and a more submissive or maternal person could be the alpha's mate. Seeing Dali work through her insecurities about being with Jim was really refreshing in the world of fated mates. I just feel like I can relate to those heroines more and I also love seeing the couple work in their relationship to make sure that neither one is forced into being a submissive in every aspect. I also like that this type of relationship tends to not have as much of the power struggles, butting heads and challenges between them.

Another great novella by Ilona Andrews and I loved seeing and learning more about the type of magic that Dali has and practices. I know that we're getting closer to the end of the series, but hope there's at least one more novella between them. I'd really like to see them as an established couple, especially since Jim refers to Dali as his mate at the end. I'm really enjoying the readathon and can't wait to see what happens next!

Have you read Magic Steals?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Magic Steals, Ilona Andrews, 0 days, 5-stars, Paperback, 83 pages, published in 2014

An Ill-Advised Rescue & Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

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The December books for the Kate Daniels readalong starts with Magic Rises. It's book 6 in the series by Ilona Andrews. However, there is the short story An Ill-Advised Rescue that counts as 5.8. It is included in the back of Magic Rises, so I'll be combining the reviews! I am reading these as part of a readalong hosted by Stef, Heather and Megan. I was also able to use Magic Rises for the prompt buddy read for the first board of Winter's Kiss.

I'll start with An Ill-Advised Rescue. We see Kate get an emergency call from the Guild that Saiman's been kidnapped. In the last full length novel, Magic Slays, we saw Kate help Rene from the Red Guard with a case and she ends up getting a promotion. When she does, she pretty much cleans house and several former guards ended up petitioning the guild to join. One of them has decided instead to kidnap Saiman for $1 million. Kate gets the call after having his name flagged in the system and grabs Derek. Instead of paying the ransom, they rescue him. I really enjoyed the short story and rated it 4-stars. It was mostly a battle scene, but I loved getting to see just Kate and Derek team up again. Derek's one of my favorite characters so it's always fun to see him go wolf. I'm intrigued on how this will fit into Magic Rises and the plot overall. We see Saiman stuck in his ice giant form and I'm wondering if that paired with The Retribution Clause will factor in.

Okay, mini-review is over. Time for Magic Rises!

Kate and Curran are dealing with another young shifter fighting loupism, this time twins and one of Julie's best friends. When Curran receives an offer to mediate a situation in Europe and the payment is panacea, they agree despite it feeling like a trap. Panacea will help cure and stop loupism and is something that American shifter packs have been clamoring for. When they arrive, it turns out the lord of manor is none other than Hugh D'Ambray. When lamassu's start attacking and Kate and Curran get pulled into political relations between three packs, things start to turn. Top if all off with a young wolf shifter going after Curran to steal him from Kate and it's a perfect situation to start a war.

This book was good, but I would have to say one of my least favorite so far. I wanted more growth from Kate's powers, especially since she's been a little stagnant lately. I also didn't like that Curran kept Kate in the dark again and lied to her. I also wasn't into the pack politics, especially with them being packs that we don't really care about. While there were a lot of fun and interesting moments, I also was not prepared for the battle at the end. I was saddened by one particular death and not happy. I get it's the precursor to war and there'll be casualties, but I didn't like how it went down at all.

I also really got angry with Curran and really felt for Kate. Even though they knew they were entering a trap and hostile territory, I was still excited to see Kate and Curran practically trapped together for a full length novel. After reading Magic Gifts and seeing that small scale, I really wanted more. Also, we do see An Ill-Advised Rescue come into play, but not The Retribution Clause. I'm still wondering how exactly they will relate the rest of the series.

I am still enjoying my time and feel like things are really starting to ramp up and we still have 4 full length books left. I'm intrigued to see how this will all play out and outside of Kate at least confronting Roland, who knows what will happen? I'm trying not to speculate too much so I end up being disappointed with what actually happens compared to what my brain imagines should happen.

Have you read An Ill-Advised Rescue or Magic Rises?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: An Ill-Advised Rescue, Ilona Andrews, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 30 pages, published in 2013

STATISTICS: Magic Rises, Ilona Andrews, 4-stars, 2 days, eBook, 257 pages, published in 2013

Kate Daniels 5.6 & 5.7 by Ilona Andrews

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If you're new here, I've been reading the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews as a readalong hosted by Stef, Heather and Megan. Now, on their list of "assigned" reads 5.6 and 5.7 of the series weren't listed. I had asked about them at the previous live and they aren't really including them in the discussions. Since I'm a completionist, I knew I had to read them. Since we move forward next month, I decided to add them to November's tbr. Since they are both rather short and not officially apart of the readalong, I decided to combine the reviews! I also read these during the Black FaRoFriday Readathon and used Hex Appeal to cover the prompts, Gods, Buddy Read, Post a Cover Pic & Tag FaRoFeb, Witches/Shifters and Portal Fantasy.

5.6 is titled Retribution Clause and is included in the Hex Appeal anthology. We move from Atlanta to Philadelphia. Adam is an ice giant, Siaman's cousin and an insurance adjuster. He and his magical partner Siroun get assigned a new case. A wife was killed by her husband and her insurance provision is to kill the guilty party. They must break into his heavily guarded and warded estate to complete the claim.

This was super fun and it was interesting to see a different city in the Kate Daniels world. I'm hoping that either of these characters or what we learned will come to play in the future. I'm also really intrigued about what Siroun is. She seems almost like a shifter, but she also knows a lot about witches and old magic. I want to know more for sure. I also loved the pining on both ends and wish there was a little more development between them. I wish it was longer so we could more development overall, but it was a fun novella. I just hope we get to see them in the future, especially knowing he's Saiman's cousin. I also want to know about the chocolate cupcake. Why?

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5.7 is a short called Kate and Curran Texts, The Wilson Building. It's available for free to read on their website. We get to see a text/twitter chain of Curran texting Raphael, Jim and Kate. Raphael is at a building auction and sees Saiman there. They are bidding on the Wilson Building. Curran wants Raphael to bid against him and is trying to figure out why he wants it from Jim. At the same time Kate is waiting to spar with Curran and done waiting.

This was such a fun and quick read. I love getting to see some of the more "everyday" moments between them all. And as much as I enjoy Saiman as a character, it was fun to see how Curran is still trying to mess with him indirectly. They ended up making him spend $1.8 million on a $600k building. Poor Saiman.

I enjoyed these quick reads and am always happing to pick up something from Ilona Andrews. I couldn't remember if the Wilson Building was mention before or it'll come into play in the future. If it doesn't that's fine, but I would love to see it as a little easter egg. The same with Adam and Siroun. I really hope we get to see more of them in the future and I'm really intrigued to learn more about Siroun. I'm always happy to pick up these novellas from Ilona Andrews and love how they add more to the world they've created.

Have you read Retribution Clause and/or Kate and Curran Texts?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Retribution Clause, Ilona Andrews, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 40 pages, published in 2012

STATISTICS: Kate and Curran Texts, The Wilson Building, Ilona Andrews, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 4 pages, published in 2013

Merry + Bright Readathon Wrap Up

 Happy Thursday! Yesterday ended the Merry + Bright Readathon hosted by Chandler, Zoe and Spencer. They had a list of 5 prompts and the readathon went from Dec 9th through the 15th. If you missed my tbr post, I'll show you the original prompts below!

As you can see, they are all based on holiday themes and songs! Since this overlapped with the Historical Romance Readathon, I tried to read books that would work for both sets of prompts! I ended up being able to pick up a couple more books after then and they ended up working for the remaining prompts! I saw that Zoe had a tbr story template on her instagram, but I ended up using it as a this is what's read. I'll show my completed story below and list out the books read in order starting at the top left corner and going row by row!

🎄 Winter Wonderland (white on cover) - Loving the Mountain Man by Adriana Anders

🎄 Hot Cocoa (cozy vibes) - One Naughty Christmas Night by Janet Berry

🎄 Elf on the Shelf (already owned) - Daring Miss Danvers by Vivienne Lorret

🎄 Last Christmas (purchased last year) - My American Duchess by Eloisa James

🎄 The Grinch (enemies to lover or unreliable narrator) - The Front Runner by Elsie Silver

🎄 Baby It's Cold Outside (dual perspective) - Any Rogue Will Do by Bethany Bennett

I think that my favorite read is hard to choose, probably either Any Rogue Will Do or The Front Runner. They were both so captivating and had me hooked from the start. I had a lot of fun participating even though I only participated tangentially. I loved the name of the prompts and how easy they were able to meet. While specific prompts can be fun and get me out of my comfort zone, this was perfect for this time of year when my reading time is short and I want to do more mood reading. I can't wait to see what readathons they do next year!

Did you participate in the Merry + Bright Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

The Undying King by Grace Draven

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I knew going into the Black FaRoFriday Readathon I wanted to get to one of my favorite fantasy romance authors, Grace Draven. I also had one prompt left for the 2nd board of Fall in Love, brown on the cover. I went through the books I had of hers to read and found The Undying King. This is a novella that originally was released in a duo bind up with Jeffe Kennedy called For Crown and Kingdom. For the Black FaRoFriday Readathon, this covered the prompts Epic Fantasy, Witches, Post a Cover Pic & Tag FaRoFeb and Historical Setting.

Imogen is taking care of her adoptive mother Niamh. As she is close to passing, she tells her daughter that the stories she heard growing up about The Undying King are actually true. She had taken care of him when injured before Imogen was born and received a key that would lead to him when needed. She passes the key along to her daughter with the hope that he can help with Imogen's curse. Known as Death's Handmaiden, Imogen cannot have skin to skin contact with anyone. If there is contact, the other person dies. After Niamh passes, Imogen accidentally activates the key and knows that she has to track Cededra down, if only to take the key back.

This was such a great novella. I am so impressed with Grace Draven, especially with her novellas. Do I wish it was longer? Yes, but only because I love her writing and the worlds she creates. I think that she plots out her novellas super well so while I'm left wanting more, the story still feels wrapped up and complete. There's definite room for more in the world and even with Cededra and Imogen, but at the same time I can see them living their HEA in secluded Tineroth. 

There was some time jumps here, which doesn't bother me as much here. They felt natural and if this were a movie or TV show I could see where the time jumps were as montages. We don't really need to see Imogen wandering the ruins day after day by herself. I liked seeing the moments between Cededra and Imogen and how they both were really able to open up to each other. While Imogen was innocent for the most part, Niamh did try to at least keep her learned about the relationship between men and women. I loved that even though they both ran from each other at times, they both came around. It really felt almost fated mates-esque and I loved it. The way that they were drawn to each other based on their unique experiences was so nice to see from both POVs.

I can't wait to continue reading Grace Draven and just fall more in love with her writing with every step. If you are interested in trying Grace Draven, I feel like this is a good starting point. The magic system isn't too complicated here and it's a quick read. If you enjoy fantasy and haven't tried Grace Draven yet, I couldn't recommend her more!

Have you read The Undying King?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Statistics: The Undying King, Grace Draven, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 190 pages, published in 2016

Historical Romance Readathon Wrap Up

Happy Tuesday! Last week was another round of the Historical Romance Readathon! I love historical romance, it's one of my go to subgenres. I feel especially drawn to it during winter since it usually sweeps me away and just feels so cozy. I ended up not reading as much as I thought I might, but there was a lot going on with work and Christmas and such. I did manage to get a couple bingos! After I read my third book I tried to find something that would give me a bingo and went from there.

I didn't end up reading the group book, Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes. I thought about picking it up over the weekend and wasn't too grabbed by the blurb. Then I saw a few of my friends on goodreads either gave it 2-stars or dnf'd. I might pick it up in the future, but I'd prefer to start at the beginning of the Windham series. If you missed my tbr, here is the blank bingo board.

Below is my finished bingo board! I'll list books in order read and any prompts they covered. Reviews will be linked once they are posted! All reviews are linked!

❄️ Tempting Mr. Weatherstone by Vivienne Lorret - cover takes place during winter, non-titled hero, in a series, clinch cover and book you already own (via the Five Golden Rings anthology)

❄️ Daring Miss Danvers by Vivienne Lorret - covered in a series, clinch cover, wallflower and book you already own

❄️ My American Duchess by Eloisa James - covered green/red on cover, new to you author, rec'd to you and book you already own

❄️ Any Rogue Will Do by Bethany Bennett - covered green/red on cover, in a series, new to you author, clinch cover, rogue in the title, rec'd to you, lady heroine and book you already own

Because I didn't read the group book, I did meet my goal of only reading books I already owned in paperback. I had such a great readathon, all of these books were 5-stars. I knew I would love the Vivienne Lorrets since she's one of my favorite authors and I had a good feeling I'd enjoy the Eloisa James after hearing a lot about her books. What threw me for a loop was Bethany Bennett. I had purchased her books when I found the West End Earl at Walmart. Of course I had to then go back and buy the first book in paperback so I at least had them both. It's hard to choose, but I think I'd go with Any Rogue Will Do as my favorite. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into and I couldn't put it down. I was even more surprised since this is a newer historical and those haven't quite been hitting the spot for me. I partly picked it up since I had it as a secondary option if I got through what was priority, but someone commented on my post talking up this book and I had to move it up my tbr. I am definitely picking up book 2 soon, maybe even before the end of the year.

I had a lot of fun once again getting back to historical and can really see myself mostly sticking to historical through the end of the year. I have a couple other books I really want to read this month for book clubs and a new release, but I can see myself gravitating. I was thinking of trying to get more holiday romances read... I don't know if that'll happen at this point. We'll see.

Did you participate in the Historical Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Wildest Dreams by Kristen Ashley

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The first book I picked up for the Black FaRoFriday Readthon was Wildest Dreams by Kristen Ashley. This is the first book in her Fantasyland series. The series has been on my radar for a little bit, but when Smart Women Read Romance did an episode on the 2nd book The Golden Dynasty, I moved it up my fantasy tbr. This counted for the prompts New to You Author, Epic Fantasy, Witches, Post a Cover Pic & Tag FaRoFeb and Been on TBR Awhile. 

Seoafin, aka Finnie, is an adventure junkie. Her parents were the same and after they passed when she was 15 in a plane crash, she's followed in their footsteps. When she learns about an alternate universe with twins to our reality, she pays a witch to contact her twin and facilitate swapping bodies for a year. What Finnie doesn't realize is that her twin hasn't been as forthcoming as herself and when she gets teleported to the new world things are not as expected. Her parents are alive in this world, but don't seem to like her very much. Oh, and she's on the way to her wedding with Frey, "The Dragon." When she's abandoned in a hunting cabin, Finnie makes the best of things as usual and works about making the best of her adventure. When Frey comes back and picks up more clues that Finnie is not his actual betrothed, they start to connect and he doesn't want to let her go. Finnie is his fated Ice Bride and together they may be the keys to bringing certain changes to the world.

Now, to start off I can see how a lot of people can and would have issues with Frey. Is he a little domineering and overreaching about some things? Yes, most definitely. I can forgive those though because not only is it talked about between the two characters, but Finnie herself also deals with being in this separate world. Yes I do wish that she wasn't quite as accepting of some of the things, but I also understood her reasoning why. Not only is she the type of person that "rolls with the punches" and just moves on whatever the situation, but she also doesn't want to draw even more attention that she isn't who she looks like.

I did wish that Frey let on earlier about knowing that she wasn't the original Seoafin, but I also loved how he partly felt guilty about keeping it from her but also he loved seeing her mistakes and how she would cover them up. I just could see from the first moment that Frey comes back how taken he was with Finnie. He was constantly calling her love and his wildest dream and he was so swoony to me. Yes he was barbaric at times and maybe a little over the top alpha, but I really enjoyed this. I considered dropping it down to 4-stars for that and it just felt a little long, but even though this took me a while to read (due to reading it during the week and over Thanksgiving), I was completely swept away. This book had me laughing and tearing up. There were quite a few times where I could hardly keep my eyes open at night but I had to know what was next.

I can't wait to read more in the series and am so intrigued. I've seen that a lot of people's favorite of the series is the second book Golden Dynasty, so I'm preparing myself. Hopefully it meets the hype. I might not get to it as quickly as I want, but I'm thinking it'd be a good option to read come February if I haven't gotten to it yet. We also get a couple of hints on who future books might be about (hero wise) and I'm intrigued to see how the world will grow and evolve.

Have you read Wildest Dreams?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Wildest Dreams, Kristen Ashley, 5-stars, 4 days, eBook, 494 pages, published in 2011

The Husband Trap by Tracy Anne Warren

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I only had two prompts left for Fall in Love part two when I went through my planned tbr. I was originally thinking of having books I read during the Black FaRoFriday Readathon count for them, but I still had a couple days before it started. After reading the The Wedding and Chasing Her Fire, I was in the mood for more historical romance. I though it'd  be a good primer to get me switched over into the fantasy romance mood. One of the prompts I had left was trope you love. My absolute favorite trope is wrong sibling, so I knew since I had time I wanted to get to one of the few books I have that feature that trope that I hadn't read yet. The one that appealed the most was The Husband Trap by Tracy Anne Warren. This is the first book in her Trap Trilogy.

Violet is walking down the aisle towards Adrian, the Duke of Raeburn. What Adrian doesn't know is that this is Violet and not her twin sister Jeannette. Jeannette has cried off the wedding and convinced Violet last minute to replace her to keep both families from the scandal. She will take Violet's place traveling the continent with their Aunt. Violet also agrees because she has secretly been in love with Adrian. As they grow closer and start developing real feelings for each other, Adrian is happy that after marriage his wife has taken her new role more seriously than expected.

Oh my gosh, this was just what I was wanting and expecting from my favorite trope. Yes there was deception on Violet's part and I can see how that would be frustrating for other readers. I don't know, but that tension just does it for me. What made this top tier for me was the guilt she felt towards him. With things pushed by her family and his, she really keeps the secret to help Adrian and protect him from scandal. I loved the conflict that we see Violet go through and I loved the juxtaposition of her guilt, happiness and also hurt. Even though her sister forced her into this, she still went through with it, but when she was in such love with Adrian and they were intimate only for him to call the wrong name. Ugh, it just gets me. I'm usually not one for angst, or at least I say that, but there's something about the type of angst that comes from this kind of trope that really speaks to me. Even more so when dealing with twins. It just speaks to the need and want to feel like you're seen.

Just thinking about it now as I write this I'm tearing up a little bit. I don't know why, but it just hits me. I also loved Adrian and how even though he was a Duke, they both just weren't society people. I did want Violet to be a little more open about her not wanting to have such a packed schedule since they were unable to see each other when in London. It made sense since they were both trying to give each other what they thought they wanted without talking. While that miscommunication isn't my favorite, this book just really hit me and if it was the weekend I probably would've read this in one sitting. Some of the plot points you could see coming and I wasn't too fond of when Jeannette came back to town, but I loved how Adrian took hold of the situation and really didn't let Violet hide herself anymore. He was such a great hero. I also loved that the discovery was more of a second act conflict than a third act conflict. Even though Adrian was hurt and angry, we still got decent time as them together as themselves.

I'm so excited I finally got to read this and Tracy Anne Warren. I'll definitely be picking up more of her books. I'm a little nervous about the next book and how Jeannette will come across since she wasn't the greatest in here, but we also saw her through the lens of her twin with an opposite personality and the man that was not for her. I had to look ahead, just to see who was book three because I was hoping it was either Kit, Adrian's brother, or Violet's friend Eliza. I was so pleased to see it was actually them paired together. Part of me wants to skip ahead to it, but I like reading in order. Hopefully I'll be able to get to them soon and maybe I'll be able to squeeze at least one in during the Historical Romance Readathon this week. We'll see!

Have you read The Husband Trap?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Husband Trap, Tracy Anne Warren, 5-stars, 1 day, paperback, 358 pages, published in 2006