A Kiss for Solstice by Elizabeth Allyn-Dean

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So to pick my 3rd book for the Love in the Night Readathon, I spun my spinner wheel again! I was aiming for another novella since it was Wednesday night. I had to re-spin a couple times (it really wants me to read Black Sunshine; I've gotten it like 5 times), but finally ended up on A Kiss for Solstice by Elizabeth Allyn-Dean. This is listed as book one in her Midnight Sun Supernaturals series. Imagine my surprise when I opened up goodreads to mark it as "currently reading" and saw it was over 200 pages! Not a novella, but it is at least a shorter book.

I bought this book late in the year when I was looking to finish my Heaving Bosoms Reading Embrace in 2020. One of the prompts I had left was an HB author. I found Elizabeth in the Facebook group and immediately bought her book on Kindle! I am applying this book to the witch prompt on the bingo board. I also am using this book for the debut novel prompt for the Romancing Summer Challenge.

This book really hooked me from the start. It's set in Alaska, which is a paranormal setting I haven't read too often. We start off meeting Zelda, our heroine, and her coven sister Lucy at an underground fighting ring. We learn that not only they are witches, but having issues with their leader of the coven that has their other sister and using her as leverage for Zelda to do unsavory things. A lot of shifters usually take part in the fights, and we learn that a lot of werewolves act as bodyguards for the coven leader Isadora. During one fight we meet newcomer Dax. Zelda can't quite tell what kind of shifter he his, but he wins he fight quickly and fairly easily. His brother Jamie is sitting behind them and they all chat about going out to eat after the bout. Dax cancels that. When he goes to meet with Isadora and pick up his winnings, he unwittingly stumbles across Larissa and tries to save her. He gets caught and after a couple different fights and attempted escapes, he finally perishes at the hands of the werewolf guards. He comes to be resurrected by Zelda, a necromancer, but despite having died has been infected with the werewolf curse.

I absolutely loved this book. It took the first chapter or so for me to really settle in, but once I did I struggled putting it down for sleep. Why or why do we need sleep every night? The banter between Dax and Zelda was on point. You can tell it's more modern with fun references to Princess Bride and other pop culture. It fit the characters though and didn't seem out of place. I mean, when Zelda resurrects Dax she tells him he was "mostly dead" and to call her Miracle Max. I loved it. I also really enjoyed the politics of the coven and how we are gradually introduced to Zelda and her blood sister being heirs. Isadora is actually her step-mother and after her father ran is left as high priestess of the coven. I also really loved that even though werewolves and witches are supposed to be enemies, there is such an instant connection between them that won't be denied. When Zelda helps Dax through his first shift I loved the way that she touched him and just was near him. Dax constantly made it known to Zelda that he was on her side and not choosing between witches or werewolves. The climax was also really well written and very engaging. I was definitely on the "edge of my seat" with the twists.

I also loved the natural feeling of future romances being set up in the series, although it seems like the series will focus on Dax and Zelda. This book was published in 2017 though, I didn't see any sort of updates on the authors blog or goodreads. There is a aneal peak to a book 2 set around Valentine's Day. I hope she writes more at some point. I'd love to continue in the series and want to read more from her. I loved the natural feeling of the characters and could really connect with their complexities. I'm definitely going to follow her on all the socials I can and hope she gets the chance to write more in the future! I am a fan! If you are interested in paranormal romance and looking for something a little more modern, I highly recommend this book! Although I am a little sad I waited so long to finally read it.

Have you read A Kiss for Solstice?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Kiss for Solstice, Elizabeth Allyn-Dean, 5-stars, 2 days, eBook, 236 pages, published in 2017

Deal with the Demon by Chase Verity

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The 2nd book I read for the Love in the Night Readathon was Deal with the Demon by Chace Verity. This is a standalone demon romance novella set in Alberta, Canada. It was chosen as the group book by the hosts. I also used it for the LGBTQ+ prompt for the Romancing Summer Challenge.

Deal with the Demon was a quick and cute read. I really enjoyed how sweet Drystan was towards Heidi. The demon mythology created in this book was definitely unique. While I enjoyed a lot of the premises of how Drystan's world worked, I wanted more. Some of his quirks were just kind of mentioned once or twice, but I wanted more explanation or for it to be used. For example, we find out about half-way through that he has a second mouth in the neck area. It makes sounds, but can't talk. It only makes sounds sometimes throughout the rest of the novel, except for when they finally get intimate we randomly find out that it has a tongue. However the author doesn't go into what exactly happens with that extra tongue. If we're going to go into weird, let's really get into it. It just felt like at times the author wanted the love interest to be this huge monster demon, but yet when it came to times where his physiology would make a difference (not just intimately), she wouldn't actually go there. If felt like she didn't want to alienate or weird out readers for going that far. As a reader though, I went into this for a demon romance. Dang-it! I wanted her to go fully into the demon parts of the romance.

Heidi is also a single mom, and her two kids were super cute. I did however feel like the younger daughter at 13 was too mature at times. I was an overly mature kid and I've known other kids that are more mature than most their age. It just felt off sometimes, especially at the end. I don't want to keep harping on this book because overall I did enjoy my time reading it, but there's one more thing I want to point out. Sometimes it got really repetitive with the phrasing. The only time the Drystan's "junk" was referenced was with the term appendage. And while that is a fine term, I'm used to authors using several words. It just bothered me that it was only that word. There was also several references to how "Canadian" Heidi acted. Like, the book is set in Canada and was born and raised there. Isn't it normal for her to have similar countenance as others around her? That was off-putting to me the more it happened. Then it felt weird when I read the author's note that she's from Tennessee and now living in Canada. That made it feel more icky to me. But maybe I'm being too sensitive. Maybe this won't bother others, but I just don't like stereotypes. I think it felt even weirder in this book because Chase is known as being a very positive open writer that focuses on inclusion and writes mainly queer romances.

Like I said, overall it was a pleasant read and I'm not mad at the 99 cents I paid for it. I just really feel that this book could've been a gem if it was longer and we really got to see the meat of the demon world. If you are newer to demon (or even just monster) romances this would be a good introduction I feel. It was very sweet and not very angsty at all (even though it was written sometimes like it should've been). I'll most likely check out her other works, but look maybe for something longer.

Have you read Deal with the Demon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Deal with the Demon, Chase Verity, 3-stars, 0 days, eBook, 102 pages, published in 2020

Mafia Romance Readathon TBR

Wrap up is posted!!

 Another Readathon announcement, this time over a weekend!

We are starting off June dark with the Mafia Romance Readathon. It's hosted by Jen, Jessen, Tori, Tiffany and Jess. The readathon will run from June 4th to 6th with a live wrap up Sunday evening. There are templates available on instagram and Jen has done another build your own bingo board! I have posted the blank board and prompt list below and well as my bingo board. I started really reading mafia romances a few months ago and went on a mafia binge over a weekend. I haven't quite gotten back to it since then, but have added quite a few mafia books to my tbr since. 

All of the hosts have read mafia and have several videos and instagram posts with recs. Jen specifically has read a lot of mafia the past couple months and recently uploaded another rec video. A lot of mafia books will cover multiple prompts, so it should be pretty easy to make them. Jen also put in her story that she's going to have a google form again for prizes if you get a bingo!

This is a shorter readathon, but I have done a mafia binge weekend with 6 books before so I'm confident to get at least one bingo. Like I mentioned above, a lot of mafia romances will fit various prompts with one book. Below I'll list some ideas I have and what I've been interested in reading since my first foray into mafia!

🩸 My previous binge consisted mostly of Cora Reilly's Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles. I have two books left as well as the novellas. I have at least one more in reading order before jumping over to the Camorra Chronicles, which I really need to read.

🩸 Another series that Jen has been talking a lot about is Brutal Birthright and the other connection series by Sophie Lark. She actually will have a live with Sophie June 19th. A few of the books have really intrigued me, especially the second, Stolen Heir.

🩸 A newer release that also sounds very unique from other mafia's I've heard about is A Bullet Between Us by K. Dosal. It just came out on Wednesday, May 26th and I'm super excited to find a new author. She is also a newer author, so it's always fun to support a newer author.

🩸 Also read during my previous mafia binge was the Filthy by Serena Akeroyd. I've been meaning to continue the Five Points' Mob series and have heard a lot of great things about the rest of the series.

🩸 Another recent add to my tbr is Scarred Souls by Tillie Cole. Jess mentioned Raze, book 1, in a video recently as a dark romance or romance that she loves but doesn't talk about much. It definitely intrigued me, especially with the fight club aspects.

🩸 A couple 1st books in series, that haven't been expanded yet, are Ruthless Creatures by JT Geissinger (published earlier this year) and Mercenary Princess by Setta Jay (published in 2018).

🩸 Another idea is Breaking Point by Pamela Clare. This is the 5th book in her I-team series (that can be read as standalone). I've read a few random books of the series that I randomly received copies of back when I was really into Romantic Suspense in late high school.. I know for sure this one has mafia plot notes, but not all of them do. (On another note, I absolutely adore her Colorado High Country series, but it's not mafia related.)

If you have any ideas or recommendations, please pop them into the comments. I'm super excited to try a lot more mafia romances and am aiming to read one book by a few authors instead of bingeing one or two authors (like I did before). We'll see how it goes though since I am a mood reader.

Are you participating in the Mafia Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

The Vampire Who Loved Me by Teresa Medeiros

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Happy Love in the Night Readathon! I spun my spinner wheel Monday night, but I planned to respin until it was a novella. During the week I don't get as much reading time, so I wanted to make sure it was something shorter. That way I'd feel better with my stats going into the weekend. However, my first spin was The Vampire Who Loved Me by Teresa Medeiros. Since I've been in such a historical romance mood lately, this was perfect since it's a paranormal and historical romance. Hopefully it'll help kick me into the paranormal mood. This is book 2 in her Cabot series. I read the first book After Midnight earlier this month for the Rake Appreciation Society. After loving it and knowing this readathon was coming up, I had to add it to my tbr! I used it for the Read a Sequel prompt on the board.

We pick up about 6 years after the events of After Midnight and Julian has finally come back to town. There's also murders of young girls happening at the same time, so there's confusion on if it's actually Julian. He has become even more jaded in his time away. Portia finds him at a duel and is the first to approach him. I absolutely loved their reconnection, I was laughing but also my heart hurt for Portia. She has always been into the fantasy elements and more whimsical things, but she still is treated like a child by a lot of people, including her own family. She ends up protecting Julian a couple times from his brother. She actually deigns to ask him about his time away and if he found the vampire that created his master to get his soul back.

Things get a little bit twisty as Portia uses herself as bait and then we meet Valentina. She is the sire of Julian's sire and now has his soul. We also find out that not only did Julian find her, but they ended up being lovers for a time. Julian also apparently is still drawn to Portia and had called her name out during their intimate times and when sleeping. So goes about the twisty turns in figuring out if Julian is going to fight to get his soul back.

I liked this book just as much as the first, just in a different way. The Vampire Who Loved Me definitely had a darker and more broody vibe than the first. It also was a lot more angsty than the first. What didn't make this a 5-star for me was the too much waffling of Julian's feelings. He kept pushing Portia away for her own safety, or to do his vampire things and such, but kept being drawn to her. It also was interested to learn what actually happened in the crypt during the climax of the first book. There's also the guilt that Julian feels from that event. I really enjoyed this book overall, it just felt like the whiplash between wanting Portia and only Portia and pushing he away happened  a couple more times than needed. 

Another thing I didn't like was how unlikable Adrian and Caroline were in this book. I get that we were in Portia and Julian's povs this book, but I felt like if you read the first book their characters where different. I didn't like that they were made to be the "bad guys" as much as they were. I feel like Adrian did get better at times, but it just felt out of character for them. Even more so probably since I just read the first book not too long ago. When these were originally published, there was about a year difference. I also didn't really need the plot points with Wallingford. While the duel was a fun opening chapter, I wish it would've stopped there. He was just extra drama throughout that felt unneeded to the overall story. Although I guess he brought the doctor at the end of the book. But then we wouldn't have needed the doctor without him. So yeah, unnecessary. 

Anyways, if you enjoyed After Midnight, definitely give this book a try. It was a fun read, just in a different way! I'll definitely be trying more Teresa Medeiros. Her books always suck me in and really enjoy her writing style. It's been very atmospheric so far!

Have you read The Vampire Who Loved Me?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Vampire Who Loved Me, Teresa Medeiros, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 373 pages, published in 2006

Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo TBR

Update 2: Wrap Up is posted!
Update: My Mid-Challenge Update is posted!

 Once again, we have another summer reading challenge/readathon!

This makes three that I'll be participating in this summer, but I'm hoping a lot of the prompts will work across the boards. This one is hosted by the Ripped Bodice. If you don't already know, the Ripped Bodice was the first romance only bookstore. It's located in Culver City, CA and I'd love to visit there one day. This is the 5th year that they've done their challenge. You can find the board and more information on their website. Last year was my first year doing their bingo challenge and I had a lot of fun. They had some super unique prompts and some of the books I read ended up in my favorite books from 2020! It runs from June 1st through August 31st and they asked that you use the hashtag #rippedbodicebingo for any social media posts!

Like the other readathons I'll be participating in this summer, I'll do a check in about halfway through, about mid-July. At that point I'll update my bingo board and do a more specific tbr for the remaining prompts. Below I'll post some ideas I have for the more unique prompts, although I feel like most of them are super specific this time.

🦩 I have had Tiffany Reisz's Men at Work series on my tbr for a while now. The first two books would cover several prompts, including construction and holiday that's not Christmas. Another idea for construction would be Lenora Bell's newest release Love is a Rogue. Yes I've owned it since release and have mentioned reading it soon multiple times. Yes I still haven't gotten to it. The next books comes out in September, so I should get to it this summer.

🦩 For other holidays, I have several options, including a lot of Halloween books. I did find in the fall last year a 4th of July series called The Holiday Firecrackers that's a compilation of different authors. A lot of these authors participate in cute insta-love novella series like this, either centered around a holiday or season. Off the top of my head I also remember seeing a St. Patrick's Day and Valentine's Day (set in Colorado) series earlier this year!

🦩 I've also been wanting to start Sophie Jordan's Rogue Files series. I actually own all 7 in paperback, but haven't started this series. These would cover several prompts as well, but more specifically book 3 would work for the auction prompt. Also for this prompt I've read the first book in the The Bachelors of Arizona series by Rachel Van Dyken that also centers around a bachelor auction. I also recently stumbled across (and added to my tbr) the multi-author Montana Born Bachelor Auction series. I also know the first book in Jennifer Bernard's Bachelor Fireman of San Gabriel has a bachelor auction.

🦩 For several of these prompts, I kept finding Emma Chase books. More specifically her Royally, Getting Some, and The Legal Briefs series. These I specifically saw would cover the defense attorney, reality TV, educator, friends to lovers, and bodyguard prompts, if not more.

🦩 As for the circus prompts, I've recently heard a lot about Ringmaster by Brianna Hale. I could also finally read the last two books in the Night Prince series by Jeanine Frost.

🦩 For triplets I saw a couple options. In college I was very into paranormal romance and one of my favorite series was Broken Heart by Michele Bardsley. Where I left off was book 8, which is the first about werewolf triplet brothers. A new find for me in my search is the Barker Triplets series by Juliana Stone. The first book is a hockey romance and features a female hockey player! Right up my alley!

🦩 For the scientific pursuit I immediately thought of the Science of Temptation series by Delphine Dryden and Off the Clock by Roni Loren. I also haven't gotten around to the second trilogy in Penny Reid's Hypothesis series.

🦩 The Neighbor From Hell series by RL Mathewson is a series I kept seeing pop up when I was looking through recs. It's been on my tbr for a little bit, but as of right now it's not something at the top of my list. Just not into the premise of the first book at this time. I did want to mention it though since the first couple books cover several prompts. 

🦩 I also have several Oliva Dade books on my tbr that would cover several prompts (for both this and the other two summer readathons I'm doing). Specifically what appeals to me at this time is her There's Something About Marysburg and Love Unscripted series. I also need to finally get to Spoiler Alert (now that the hype has died down) and need to finish the last two books in her Lovestruck Librarian series.

I also want to mention that the Ripped Bodice does giveaways. If you follow the link above for every bingo you finish you can fill out their form to be entered! You can enter 5 times, the 5th being a blackout! I'm excited to be joining this challenge again and to add another summer readathon. I can't wait for June to start, only for all these fun and unique prompts! 

A couple of the prompts have me stumped and a precursory search hasn't given me much, if any, results. I haven't found any recommendation lists or posts for these either yet, but it is still a little early. The prompts I'm most stumped on are: Wardrobe Malfunction and Protagonist Smells Like Fresh Baked Bread. I'm sure I've come across these before, but nothing is really coming to mind for these. I've read and seen a lot of chef or baking romances, but usually the main characters tend to smell like cake or pie, not bread. Also not quite listed out for me is the Stable Romp prompt. A lot of historicals have a stable scene, so I'm sure I'll come across one. If you have any recommendations for any of the prompts, let me know below! Sharing is always caring!

Are you participating in the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas

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After finishing Fires of Winter, I had time to squeeze in one more book before the Love in the Night Readathon! I went back to Lisa Kleypas's Ravenels series. The 2nd book is Marrying Winterborne and picks up immediately after the end of Cold-Hearted Rake.

This is one of my favorite Ravenel books. I absolutely adore Helen and love how she's the quiet and calm sister of the group. Rhys is a big Welshman that is completely besotted with Helen. After Kathleen breaks up the engagement in book 1, we start out with Helen forcing a meeting with Rhys. She convinces him that she didn't want to break the engagement and they get re-engaged. What I love about this is she doesn't allow him to take complete control this time. She understands him so well, but knows that she needs to push back in some ways and to be a more active party. He sees her get comfortable and open up, and he is that final percent absolutely gone for Helen. This book had me tearing up, laughing and smiling like a loon.

I don't know how long this review will be because I feel like I don't have much to say outside of I absolutely loved it. Their connection is so visceral and I love how Rhys is willing to do anything and everything to make Helen happy. Yes there is a little bit of drama about the class difference, but it's not the main conflict. And even though Rhys does feel inferior to Helen's aristocratic status at times, he wants her more. I absolutely loved that it wasn't an issue. Now what was the issue did bother me a touch, but only because Helen didn't confide in Rhys earlier. Had this been done any other way, it would've bothered me. Rhys knows and sees Helen so well that he knows something is wrong and keeps an eye on her. He knows she won't confide in him, but he doesn't push and tries to assist and take care of her behind the scenes. When she finally breaks and says she doesn't think he wants her anymore now that he knows her big secret, he immediately proves her thinking is wrong. I loved it! I love Rhys! I love Helen! I love Lisa Kleypas!

I am very happy I chose to fit this in before the readathon starts since I was feeling kind of torn about Fires of Winter. This was perfect to get me back into a good reading mood. I can't wait to get to more of the Ravenels and continue my reread of the next couple books! This review is short, but sweet. If I continue it'd just be reiterations of how much I love this book. If you haven't read Lisa Kleypas, please do. She is such a great romance writer!

Have you read Marrying Winterborne?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Marrying Winterborne, Lisa Kleypas, 5-stars, 0 days, paperback, 400 pages, published in 2016

Summer of Swoon TBR

Update: Wrap up is posted for board 3!
Update: Wrap Up is posted for board 2!
Update: My tbr is posted for board 2!
Update: My wrap up for bingo board 1 is up!

 Happy Almost Summer!

Once again I stumbled across another summer readathon hosted on Instagram by shelbytaggartreads. This one will run June 1st through August 31st. Three whole months to read 25 books! Like the Romancing Summer Challenge, I'll do an update about half-way through and then do a more specific tbr to finish strong. For the first month-ish I'll just fit what I'm normally reading towards the prompts where I can. Maybe I can find some books that will work across all the readathons I have planned. Shelby does have a prompt bingo board, which I've posted below! She's also posted a bunch of templates on her insta. If you're looking for more bookgrammer content, she a great follow!

Shelby does have some recommendations that she's posting in her stories and highlights, as well as posts. For some of the more unique prompts, I'll post some of my ideas below. There's some fun unique prompts that I'm excited to find some unique reads for. These may cross with other tbrs I have going at this time, which makes things a little bit easier for me!

🌊 So for the past year I've been working on collecting the Faerie Tale series that was published by Love Spell. I have all but two or three of them, I believe. I haven't read any yet, but several of the books would count for several prompts.

🌊 I also have plans, which I've mentioned in previous posts, to reread Lisa Kleypas's Ravenels series before the 7th book comes out in late July. I also just recently read Then Came You and definitely want to get to Dreaming of You soon. Then I'll finally had read Derek Craven. I also have preordered Vivienne Lorret's third book in her Mating Habits of Scoundrels series that'll be out in June.

🌊 For least favorite trope prompt there are a couple that I would be more inclined to read. The main ones are Hate to Love and Reverse Harem. I know that The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is being made into a movie or TV show soon and a lot of people really love it. I've also been intrigued to try another Marian Zapata book, specifically From Lukov With Love. Jenn (from The Book Refuge) also recently read a monsters reverse harem that sounded interesting called A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon.

🌊 For tropical and/or beach locations there are a couple books on my tbr that I saw would fit (and also for some of the other prompts). There's the Shifters of Coral Beach series by Zoe Chant as well as Island Ice by Rachelle Vaughn from her Razors Ice series.

🌊 Depending on how paranormal I'm feeling after the Love in the Night Readathon, I know that several of the Immortals After Dark books would fit into several of these prompts.

🌊 For recs and 5-star reads from Shelby there are several books that are on my tbr. Some of the ones that are more intriguing to me right now are Egomaniac and Dirty Letters (with Penelope Ward) by Vi Keeland, Single Dad Seeks Juliet by Max Monroe and The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Soloman.

🌊 Another prompt I was stumped on is sunset/sunrise cover. I'm sure I have some on my shelves and there are quite a few out there, but just doing a cursory glance through my tbr I only found one that peaked my interest, On the Edge by Ilona Andrews.

If you have any recommendations or ideas for me to add to my ever growing tbr, post them below! Especially since I feel like a lot of summer readathons cater towards more contemporary and that's not a sub-genre I read too much. I'm also hoping that a lot of recs will be shared and I can get a few more options for some of the prompts, like the sunset/sunrise cover. 

Are you joining in on the Summer of Swoon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Fires of Winter by Johanna Lindsey

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As we reach the end of May, it's time for the Smart Women Read Romance Patreon live review! This month the theme was Vikings and the book that won the poll was Johanna Lindsey's Fires of Winter. This is the first in her Haardrad Family series. 

I am really torn on how to rate this book. If I were to be super specific, I think I would go with 3.5-stars. I'll get more into it, but this book was either super captivating and I was loving it or I was bored about the repetition or info dump and just wanted to move on. Such a rollercoaster read for me. I did want to round down instead of up on goodreads because it's overall not a 4-star. 

We meet our heroine Brenna, as she kind-of rescues a lady in her town. She has been raised as a boy and taught the things that boys usually learn. For example, how to fight and such and not as much about "women's work" and household chores. She's been betrothed to a Viking as per her father's wishes (and against hers). He's secured an alliance to protect them from the pillaging. However, it was a trick and Anselm (our hero's father) has come to pillage the town, steal their wealth and also steals 7 women as slaves. He decides to give Brenna to his son Garrick as a slave instead of his bride. I should also note, Garrick has been away on a trading voyage, so wasn't aware of anything.

Now, going in I knew that there would most likely be problematic scenes. Not only is this published in 1980, but it's about Vikings. I mean give me a Viking romance, even written recently, that doesn't address the ruthlessness. Do I condone rape, absolutely not. Is it still something that happened and despite it being wrong, accepted as normal especially for Vikings, Yes. So while I don't look for realism necessarily with historicals, it doesn't bother me (or trigger me) at all when reading these. Part of that is partially because I expect it going in. And while I don't like that it happens, I did like that the various rape events weren't as detailed as others. I don't like saying that they were written flippantly (it was), but it was nice that we didn't have to experience it ourselves as a reader. Even though that's not a trigger for me, when it's written like that it's still hard to read.

Anyway, back to my actual issues with the book. First off, Garrick and Brenna didn't meet until just after 20% into the book. There was so much info-dumping and unnecessary explanations and scenes that I could've done without. Not only did it take so long for them to meet, but their rollercoaster relationship really annoyed me. This was also later in the book, but there was too much unnecessary information. While I loved that Brenna was strong and bull-headed and wouldn't just roll over, I feel like she was almost too stubborn to live (despite her stubbornness keeping her alive later on in the book). A lot of the times she didn't realize when to back down or just hold her tongue, especially for her survival. Some of the times their arguing and banter was good and there was progress made in them understanding each other. These parts I didn't mind. The next argument however would just make them both angry and set them back. It was constantly one step forward then five steps back. 

I also felt this could've been a shorter book. There was too much happening to these two. I get that it was supposed to cover a large amount of time, but they couldn't get a rest. There was always some sort of outside conflict that just would make the internal conflict between them even worse. The few times they came to an accord and were starting to really enjoy their time together and not argue as much, something drastic would happen, like Brenna getting kidnapped.

I don't know, there were parts I enjoyed and it kept me reading and intrigued, but about 60% in I realized I started checking my percentage quite frequently. Like I said, just too much happened to them and almost all of it was necessary. I also didn't like the storyline with the Anselm. I feel like him showing his regret was an unexpected trait for a Viking chieftan, however it felt like he was just regretful about Brenna. What about the other women forced into slavery? What about all of the innocents killed when they were taken? What about everything that was destroyed by his unhonorable actions? I feel like Johanna tried to redeem Anselm more than Garrick. And I didn't really mention it above, but we do see Brenna get raped by Garrick multiple times. (FYI: She also has an attempt by her second kidnapper.) Garrick really needed to grovel or show regret more than his freaking father.

As far as older romances go, I really didn't mind this one. There were points where it was a 4 or 4.5-star read and others where it was at a 2-star. I do feel like as long as you are aware of what you are going into, the rape and problematic scenes aren't as graphic. You just need to be conscious of what you are choosing to read, especially with books published in the 1970s and 80s. I might at some point pick up the other books in the series, but it's not at the top of my list. I did see that they have pretty a pretty high average on goodreads. I'm can't wait for the live show tomorrow night to see what everyone else thought.

Have you read Fires of Winter?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Fires of Winter, Johanna Lindsey, 3-stars, 0 days, eBook, 362 pages, published in 1980

Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas

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Having some time before needing to start my last book club book of the month, I wanted to continue reading Lisa Kleypas and start my reread of the Ravenels series. The first book in the series is Cold-Hearted Rake. In case you haven't read any of my previous posts, I'm planning on rereading this series leading up to the release of book 7, Devil in Disguise, July 27th. Also a fun note, this was book 100 of the year! 🎉🎉 Update: I have applied this book to the Romancing Summer Challenge for the teal on the cover prompt.

This book kicks off the Ravenels series wonderfully and is a really good 1st book of a series. We get decent introductions for all the Ravenel siblings and cousins (so far) and get enough moments to feel connected to everyone without losing too much focus on our main characters. This book focuses on the new Earl of Trenear, Devon and his cousin's widow Kathleen. For those that don't read historical too often, this might feel a little cringe worthy. Lisa Kleypas however is a master and we see that Kathleen was only married to the former Earl Theo for 3 days before his passing. Also good to note, they got into an argument on their wedding night, so technically it was never consummated. 

I really love Lisa Kleypas's writing and the way she pulls you in. It took 3 days for me to reread this book, but I started it late on a Monday and I don't get too much time to read during the week. Plus we have playoff hockey happening. While I'll read and watch at the same time during the normal season, I'll only read during intermission and commercials now. But back to the book! Despite loving most everything about this book, it is a 4-star read, maybe closer to a 4.25 if I'm super picky. While I loved the connection built between Devon and Kathleen and how they are one of those super passionate couples that bicker all the time, I wish Kathleen wasn't so forceful in her decision to follow all of the mourning rules, even those that are unnecessary and/or ridiculous. The first about third of the book has Devon back in London, after the initial meeting, and we get a little bit of an epistolary romance between them, as they both really come to respect and understand the other through their letters. While I enjoyed that part, I just wish that once Devon was back at the estate it didn't take as long for them to get together and really open up. Especially with the big train crash and Devon being injured. I also wish that we saw more caretaking from Kathleen's end. 

Another thing that bothered me about Kathleen, was her almost deliberate blindness to reality. While I understood that the former Earl left her in the dark about how bad the finances really were, I feel like she should've notice the house falling down around her. There were many mentions of walls starting to buckle and water damage that led to mold and other issues with house. It needed a complete remodel on top of adding updated plumbing and such. If she was supposed to be the lady of the house, she should've taken charge more, even if it was only for 3 days. It just felt like she was in control of the servants and had the relationship with the household that seemed like it was a lot further developed, but that was the only way she was the head outside of taking care of the sisters. 

The biggest thing about their relationship that bothered me was the mis- or lack of communication. There were too many assumptions made from both, but especially Kathleen. Plus she was too set in her belief of Devon as a complete rake. From what I understood she really only had gossip from society and the former Earl to go off of though. She knew that Devon and Theo did not get along at all, but had come to learn that some of the things Theo told her about Devon were misjudged or flat out wrong. I don't know, she's just not my favorite Lisa Kleypas heroine. It constantly felt like Devon had to push her for any sort of growth both personally and together.

I still really loved this book and if anything, Lisa Kleypas's writing style always sweeps you in. I've heard a lot of historical romance readers mention how sometimes it feels like a fantasy, and I feel like Lisa Kleypas really fits that vibe. I also love the families she centers her various series around. They are all unique, but there's always the strong sense of family. Since this is a reread, I can't wait to get to my favorites and can hopefully squeeze Marrying Winterborne (book 2) before the Love in the Night Readathon! I can't wait until July for Devil in Disguise either!

Have you read Cold-Hearted Rake?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Cold-Hearted Rake, Lisa Kleypas, 4-stars, 3 days, paperback, 419 pages, published in 2015

Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas

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The May book for the Historical Hellions book club is Lisa Kleypas's Then Came You. This is the first book in her Gamblers of Craven's series. Now, I have a confession to make. Despite me having read most of Lisa Kleypas's books, this series is one of the few I haven't read yet. Now, if you are at all in the online historical romance community this is a huge faux paus due to book 2, Dreaming of You being one of her most famous books and the hero, Derek Craven, having his own fan club. Now is the time to start to change that. We also get to meet Derek in this book. Update: I have applied this book to the Romancing Summer Challenge for the favorite trope prompt.

First off, I absolutely adore Lisa Klepyas and she is one of the best historical romance writers, ever. A lot of romance readers call her the Queen and I couldn't agree more. This book was written in the early 1990s and didn't really have any problematic content outside of one kind-of forced kiss and Derek's nickname for our main heroine, Gypsy. Even then, the forced kiss didn't bother me at all. This is a little more angstier than I usually prefer, but I still loved it. This also features my favorite trope, wrong sibling!

We meet our heroine Lily (which is also one of my favorite names for a girl). She was left at the alter several years prior and has since received an inheritance from her Aunt and been ostracized from her family. In her freedom she enjoys the more masculine pursuits of gambling, hunting, shooting, etc. She hears from a childhood friend that the man her sister is set to marry is not good for her, but she's following their parents wishes. Lily decides to meet this fiancé for herself and decide if she needs to step in. She meets Alex, Lord Wolverton, on a hunt and their rocky relationship starts.

This book was so good. I loved how complex Lily and Alex where and the layers they both had. Lily has been through some trauma and is currently being black-mailed by her former lover that kidnapped their daughter. Alex is still coming to terms with his grief of his former fiancé Caroline. Caroline and Lily are similar in ways, so he decides he needs a wife that is the complete opposite, like Lily's sister. However he finds himself constantly thinking and worrying about Lily. Of course she's very defensive and perpetrates everyone thinking the worst of her so they don't see past the surface. Despite enemies to lovers being one of my least favorite tropes, I really liked how even though they were antagonistic to each other it really wasn't hate deep down. It felt almost more "I hate you because I want you but can't have you." And once Alex found out that Lily's wandering around the house at night was her sleep-walking and not having trysts with his servants, everything changed.

I did wish that Lily trusted Alex a little more and that we dealt with the plot-line with her daughter a little sooner in the book. I just wanted more family time with the three of them. I liked how realistic it was though, that when she was upset about her daughter, she would cling to other things to bury her grief. For example, being absolutely adamant to save an old circus bear from the dog fighting pits (which I hate was a thing). Alex, having experienced his own grief, recognizes this and knows just how to help her deal with her emotions. He was so patient and understanding with her and I absolutely loved him. Like I mentioned above, Derek Craven has a fan club and there are a lot of people that are obsessed with him and Sebastian (from Devil in Winter). I have to say though, Alex is one of my favorite Lisa Kleypas heroes so far and I'm so happy to find another gem in her backlist. 

I'll definitely be adding Dreaming of You to my summer tbr along with my Ravenels series reread. It'll be a summer of Lisa Kleypas! If you haven't read Lisa Kleypas, I couldn't recommend her more, she's one of my favorites. If you've read my previous reviews, you'd know I just did a reread of my favorite series, the Hathaways. Her writing is just so captivating and I really enjoy the depth of her characters. I always seem to read her books in one setting (if possible) and struggle putting them down for any reason. I'm super excited for the live show later tonight and can't wait to see what everyone else thought! If you haven't followed Jess or Samantha (who host the Historical Hellions) definitely give them a follow and join in the club! They both have fantastic videos!

Have you read Then Came You?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Then Came You, Lisa Kleypas, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 371 pages, published in 1993

Once Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt

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The final book in Elizbeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series is the novella Once Upon a Maiden Lane. This was my favorite of the three novellas and it had what I was missing in the epilogue of Duke of Desire. Update: I have applied this book to the Romancing Summer Challenge for the place in the title prompt.

This book focuses on Mary Whitsun, Lady Caire's kind-of adoptive daughter that we met all the way back in book 1. Mary is enjoying her day off at the bookstore and gets somewhat accosted (in a friendly way) by Henry, Viscount Blackwell. He thinks she looks exactly like his fiancé Joanna and believe she is her long lost twin. This was such a fun and unique novella. Mary ends up finding out that she's the twin and moves in with her found family and also learns she has been betrothed since birth to Henry.

I loved the banter between Henry and Mary and how drawn he was to her fiery nature. She was so different from Joanna and yet they immediately connected. I also enjoyed the little side romance between Joanna and her love. While I didn't enjoy the is she/isn't she the actual missing twin, I loved seeing her finally feeling like she found the place she belonged. I did wish that it had more of an hea with Henry not being cut off by his father and the final result on who was Lady Cecilia. 

The epilogue really was the cherry on top. At Henry and Mary's wedding we see all of the couples and their children. The wedding is held at the home for foundlings and Winter Makepeace himself walks Mary down the aisle. It had me grinning in delight seeing all of the people we've spent 12+ books with together and partaking in a moment of pure happiness. As I mentioned above, this epilogue is really what I was wanting when I got to the end of Duke of Desire. 

There are a couple short stories that are on Elizabeth's website or part of her newsletter, one that I'd really like to read since it's about Peach and Joseph Tinbox. I'm not sure when I'll get to it though or if I'll do a full review post when I do. If you've only read the main books in the series, I would highly recommend if you read any of the novellas, this would be the one. It really wrapped up the series how I wanted (outside of the Lords of Chaos mess) and made me heart all warm and fuzzy. 

I'm glad I joined in with the binge of Maiden Lane with a lot of the booktube and bookstagram personalities. Overall I enjoyed the series, with all books being between 4 and 5 stars. I have found the ones that I enjoyed the most are skipped or not enjoyed as much as others, and my lower rated books are favorites for others. It's nice that we all have differences and experience books differently based on our life experiences, but I do wish not as many people skipped book 2, Notorious Pleasures. It is in my top 3 of the series and Griffin is one of my favorite heroes. If you enjoy historical romances and haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend it. Or even just Elizabeth Hoyt in general. I really enjoy her writing. For me, I like them better when she focuses on the romance and not as many side-plots. I'm excited to get into more of her backlist, especially her Princes series.

Have you read Once Upon a Maiden Lane?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt

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And so we come of the end (~ish) of the Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt. The twelfth, and final full length book in the series is Duke of Desire. This is also the final book, obviously, in the Lords of Chaos storyline.

After meeting Iris in Duke of Pleasure, I was excited to see her as the heroine for this final book. We start off bombastic once again, with Iris being held captive at a special revelry by the Lords of Chaos where she is to be sacrificed. The snag comes when they announce she is the Duchess of Kyle. She corrects them, to their disappointment, but they want to move forward instead. Raphael, the Duke of Dyemore, is there to be reinitiated (ish) and decides that since she didn't marry Hugh, he can finally have her for himself. Raphael is the epitome of the scarred hero. Not only is one side of his face horribly scarred from a knife cut that was meant to get his eye, but as his father used to be the leader of the Lords of Chaos was abused sexually (as well as emotionally) as a child. Thankfully his aunt took him to Corsica right after and was able to save him. Unfortunately we learn for certain that there were other sons and daughters of the Lords that weren't rescued from their fathers. Raphael is given Iris, but told to kill her after his fun.

To save Iris, Raphael suggests they get married, especially since she shot him during her unbeknownst rescue. This book was 5-stars when dealing with the romance. I loved how Iris kept pushing for a real marriage with Raphael and just wanted to understand him inside and out. After her previous marriage that left her away from her husband most of the time, she was hoping that her next marriage would be for love. Since that doesn't appear to be the case at first, a part of her is heartbroken. I loved how accepting she was of how things ended up and kept adapting and trying to make the best of everything. She pushed Raphael, and even when he made it a point to say he wouldn't go all the way with her and give her a child, she suggested they do other intimacies instead. She just wanted that closeness.

Where this book fell flat for me was the Lords of Chaos. First off, it really bothered me that it wasn't more resolved. It would've been okay if they just took down the leader and just had the stragglers, but it was left as more of a "there will always be someone to take his place." I get that's how the world really works and it's difficult to really eradicate criminal groups. This is fiction. I want not only an hea for my couple, but the series as a whole. They finally found the full list of names, but it was in the last freaking chapter! It just really bothered me. I also feel like with how evil the Lords were, it almost could've been it's own spin-off series. The last few books kind of got away from St. Giles and the actual Maiden Lane, which is fine, but it felt almost like main feeling the books pivoted too much. I just was left wanting more for the final book. I don't know if she knew she was going to do a novella after this one, but I would've liked more of a wrap up in the epilogue or a revisitation with the families we've been following for 12 books. 

I am also planning on reading the final novella, which is listed after this one as 12.5 and then my Maiden Lane binge will be done. I'll do a brief rundown of the series and my overall thoughts in that review (I'll link it when posted). The romance in this was great though and there were some great steamy scenes that were almost more intimate since it wasn't full on intercourse. If you love a scarred and damaged hero, this book will definitely float your boat.

Have you read Duke of Desire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Duke of Desire, Elizabeth Hoyt, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 308 pages, published in 2017

Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt

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Moving right along in Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series, my next book was Duke of Pleasure. This is the 11th book in the series and the second in the Lords of Chaos chunk. We also get a throwback to earlier in the series with a new Ghost of Giles!

After meeting the Hugh, Duke of Kyle in Duke of Sin I was super excited to see his book was next. Once again we start off with great action and Hugh escaping from a gang and running into St. Giles. He ends up being helped by the Ghost of St. Giles. When he bumps into him however, surprise boobs! He finds out the Ghost is actually a woman. She ends up kissing him and then escaping back to the rooftops. We follow the Ghost and come to find out our new vigilante is Alf, the urchin boy that's been an informant throughout the series. We have learned previously that Alf was actually a woman, but everyone seemed to leave it be and not confront her about it. 

I really loved this book. The connection between Alf and Hugh was so superbly written. As the Ghost Hugh was so intrigued and tempted by her. As Alf we was drawn to "his" intellect and snark. Alf is one of the few that isn't cowed by his station and is constantly challenging Hugh. Hugh has enlisted Alf as an informant to not only figure out whom was after him, but more information on the Lords of Chaos based off the small list that Val passed along. While there was a lot going on plot wise outside of the romance, it didn't bother me as much this time and was woven really well into the rest of the story. I wasn't expecting a makeover or lady training, but I really enjoyed seeing Alf struggle with letting go of her protection and embrace being a woman for the fist time in her life. I also really enjoyed how she forced Hugh to evaluation what kind of marriage he really wanted. I also enjoyed his two sons and how they immediately connected with Alf and she helped bridge the gap between them.

The boys were done really well. Despite them being more bratty than I prefer, it made sense with them losing their mother not too long ago and her poisoning them against Hugh when he was on the continent working for the King. I loved Lady Jordan and loved the friendship between her, the boys and Hugh. The only thing I didn't like was the over-confidence about defeating the Lords of Chaos at the end. It felt too easy and I feel like they didn't quite do their due diligence. But I also know there is one more book.

I'm super excited to get to the last book and see how Elizabeth wraps up the series. I'm slightly nervous, but I always am when it comes to the end of the series. I just don't want to feel let down and want it wrap up nicely. I do know there's another novella that's listed as 12.5 and a lot of reviews I've seen say that it feels more like the end of the series. We'll see how it goes.

Have you read Duke of Pleasure?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Duke of Pleasure, Elizabeth Hoyt, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 299 pages, published in 2016

Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt

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The next novella in the Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt is Once Upon a Christmas Eve. This is numbered at 10.7. This is actually also my last book for the Heaving Bosom's Reading Embrace, which is one of the main reasons I read this in the middle of May. Novellas are also perfect for me for during the week since most of my reading time is one the weekend.

Once again I wanted these characters to get their HEAs after seeing them in previous books. This is a sweet holiday romance between the Visctount d'Arque and Sarah, the half-sister of our former Ghost of St. Giles, Godric. This was such a sweet holiday novella. While it felt a little more rushed than the previous one, I still really enjoyed it. It wasn't too heavy on the Christmas which was nice since I read this in May. I enjoyed the pull that Sarah and Adam felt. It was also nice that Sarah was able to see past Adam's rake exterior. It was really nice to see him with his grandmother and the caring and love he felt for her. Where I wanted more from this, was the house party with other men (invited by her mother) and the attempted assault on her younger sister. Since this was a novella and so short, I wanted less of the ancillary things and more focus on Adam and Sarah. I still really enjoyed it and despite the shortness, it was nice to see Sarah and Adam find their HEA. If you have read and enjoyed the Maiden Lane series, this is a great addition and it's always fun to see more of the side characters. It was a nice break to read these two novellas as well before jumping back into the overarching plot of the last three books with the Lords of Chaos.

Have you read Once Upon a Christmas Eve?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Once Upon a Christmas Eve, Elizabeth Hoyt, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 92 pages, published in 2017

Love in the Night Readathon TBR

Wrap up posted!!

 Happy Monday!

I hope that you're ready for summer! it's already getting too hot for my pleasure here in Northern Colorado. Today I have another fun tbr and announcement, Love in the Night Readathon! It will run from Monday May 24th through Monday May 31st. This is the second round and has all the same hosts: Shae, Crystal, Izzy, Laura, Temecka and Stef. I actually didn't participate in the first round at the end of last year. It started right after a different paranormal romance readathon and I needed a break. I'm super happy to join in this round, especially with thinking lately I want to read more paranormal. Especially after enjoying A Hunger Like No Other the other month. They have a fun google doc with all the information and it looks like there's also a couple reading sprints planned as well as a bingo board. They also have a sheet with recommendations. I have uploaded the bingo board below.

Once again I want to not have too much of a tbr since I'm a mood reader, but I have some ideas that I've been pondering on since they made the announcement in late April. I am also posting this a little more advanced than usual in case you wanted to join but didn't hear the announcement. I'll list the ideas I have below. I will probably start this readathon early. I hate that it starts on Monday, especially with a lot of my reading time being on the weekends. It is nice that it lasts an extra day so it includes Memorial Day (which I'll have off)! Also, the group read is Deal With the Demon by Chace Verity.

🧛 Demonica series by Larissa Ione - this has been on my tbr for a while and I actually own the first six books in paperback. This would work for the demon prompt at least.

🧛 Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series - this has also been on my tbr for a while and I finally read the first book in the series (linked above) recently. These would cover various prompts including sequel, host favorite, booktube darling, & witch (book 3) prompts.

🧛 I have a couple witchy books that I purchased last year for the Heaving Bosoms reading embrace as they are HB authors: A Kiss for Solstice by Elizabeth Allyn-Dean and Remembering a Witch by Lauren Connolly. Both would cover the witch prompt.

🧛 Talia Hibbert's Mating the Huntress has been on my tbr since last Halloween when it seemed like a lot of people read it for the paranormal romance readathon and first round of Love in the Night. It would work for author of color, host favorite & booktube darling prompts.

🧛 I've also been wanting to reread Juliette Cross's Stay a Spell series lately. They are some of my favorite paranormals and I wanted to reread them both before the third book comes out later this year. They count for booktube darling, witch, sequel (book 2) & host favorite prompts. The audio book for Wolf Gone Wild came out on May 18th, so I might try reading along with the audiobook since that's the only "different format" I have as an option. I have heard several audiobook reader mention that their favorite way to read is to read both at the same time. Reminds me of reading aloud in class.

🧛 I've also been wanting to get into Lord of the Underworld by Gena Showalter. This is one of my sister's favorite authors and has been on my tbr for years (like back in early college). I do own the first book in paperback and it would cover the demon and host favorite prompts.

🧛 I've also had Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series on my tbr forever. This is another author that either my sister or one of my college friends was super into that I just never got around to starting.

🧛 One of my favorite paranormal series is the Jane Jameson series and her spin-off series set in the same world, Half-Moon Hollow. I was looking at some of my favorite paranormals to see what goodreads recommends if you like those and saw that there are two new releases in Half-Moon Hollow I completely missed! I definitely need to read those soon. Molly Harper also has another paranormal series called Mystic Bayou that I've been wanting to start. It started out as just audiobooks so I never really got into them, but I noticed that now there are paperback and ebook options.

🧛 Another idea I have is Karina Halle's new dark vampire romance Black Sunshine. It just came out late March and I've heard things some intriguing things about it. It's also been on my tbr since release.

🧛 A more recent read is After Midnight by Teresa Medeiros. This is a paranormal historical romance that I read for the Rake Appreciation Society. I'm intrigued by the second book in the duology, The Vampire Who Loved Me.

As you can see I have a lot of ideas, but a lot of them are vampire or shifters which aren't prompts for the board. I kind of got away from paranormal, mostly because the series are so long and a lot of them I used to read focus on one couple throughout. I used to prefer that type of series, but as I read more standalones and historicals I realized I want the HEA now and kind of moved away from those type of series. While I still enjoy them, I just got away from them if they are too long; like 6 books or more. I am excited to start some of the paranormal series that are in my new preferred format but I never got to back in the day. I still absolutely adore paranormal and am really excited to read more of them and get back to what really entrenched me in romance. I definitely have more paranormal series on my kindle and my bookshelves that I haven't listed, so I could end up reading something not even in my list of ideas. Who knows?

There is a wrap-up live show on Shae's channel that's scheduled for Friday June 4t at 7pm (mountain time). I'm excited it's later in the evening so I'll actually be able to join live after work! I'm excited to be able to join this round and look forward to getting back to one of my first loves, paranormal romance. 

Will you be joining the Love in the Night Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Once Upon a Moonlit Night by Elizabeth Hoyt

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Continuing on in Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series, I decided to read the novella Once Upon a Moonlit Night before moving on to the next full length novel. This is numbered at 10.5 and directly connects with the previous book, Duke of Sin. Update: I have applied this book to the Romancing Summer Challenge for the diverse main character prompt.

This novella picks up with Hippolyta's escape from the Duke of Montgomery's estate and running through the night. She somehow has lost the pony and the hounds are after her. She stumbles across a carriage and convinces them to take her to the next town. Here is where she meets our hero Matthew. He has just inherited an earldom and is returning from years spent exploring India. Hippolyta is covered in mud and scratches and looks worse for wear after her kidnapping. Matthew doesn't believe that's she of the aristocracy, but his protective nature gets the better of him and he allows her passage.

While I gave this 5-stars, it still doesn't quite have the weight of a full length novel 5-star. For a novella, this was great. It felt like a complete story. I was wanting more, but a big part of that is because I was so intrigued by Hippolyta in the previous books and wanted to just spend more time with her and Matthew. I also loved that he had a pet mongoose, of which Hippolyta always wanted from when she grew up in India. I wanted more from them and also more of Viscount d'Arque's grandmother. Like I said though, taking into fact this was a novella and under 100 pages, it still had great banter, quite a few steamy scenes and a very tangible connection between the main characters. Everything one could want from an Elizabeth Hoyt historical. 

This was a perfect late night read and it always feels nice to sit down and read a book in one sitting, no matter how long. I have one more novella to read next before getting back into the meat of the overarching story. I'm sad it's wrapping up but also excited to finish another series, especially a long one like this!

Have you read Once Upon a Moonlit Night?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Once Upon a Moonlit Night, Elizabeth Hoyt, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 87 pages, published in 2016