Love Has Sprung Wrap Up

Update: My wrap up is posted for the 2nd board!

 I am finally done with the first bingo board of Love Has Sprung!

I know that my reading has gone down a bit this year compared to the last few years, but I wasn't expecting for it to slow down this much. Plus I did have quite a few books that I've had to shift over the the 2nd bingo board since they worked for prompts already covered on the first. If you missed by announcement/tbr, you can check out the original information here. Below is the blank board.

 Let's get to it! I'll list the books for each prompt (with links to my review) starting at the top left corner and going row by row.

🌷 The in the Title: The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate by Cate C Wells

🌷 Slow Burn: The Difference Between Us by Rachel Higginson

🌷 Shelby Favorite of 2021: Fool's Gold by Jenny Bunting

🌷 Couple on Cover: Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen

🌷 New To You Author: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

🌷 Published in 2020: All Geek To Me by Allie York

🌷 Booksta Rec: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

🌷 Foodie Romance: The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson

🌷 Diverse Heroine: Learning Curves by Molly O'Hare

🌷 2-Word Title: The Proposal by Mary Balogh

🌷 Pink on the Cover: The Problem With Him by Rachel Higginson

🌷 First Book in a Series: Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews

🌷 Cover You Love: Written On His Skin by Simone Stark

🌷 Title Starts With R: Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley

🌷 Forbidden Romance: Untouchable by Sam Mariano

🌷 New Release: Parks and Provocation by Juliette Cross

🌷 Updated or Redone Cover: Burn by Suzanne Wright

🌷 Fake Dating: Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee

🌷 Backlist Romance: The Something About Her by Rachel Higginson

🌷 Favorite Author: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

🌷 Cover Model Wearing a Dress: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

🌷 Shelby Favorite Author: A False Start by Elsie Silver

🌷 Diverse Author: Topaz by Beverly Jenkin

🌷 Office Romance: Hollywood Dreams by Molly O'Hare

🌷 Flowers on the Cover: The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy

Now, at this point there is no way I'm going to be able to finish the second board. I will keep applying whatever else I picked up the rest of the month to the 2nd board and do a mini wrap up. That should be posted sometime during the first week of June. I though I would do a mini one since I do these to help show what books I applied to certain prompts for those looking to fill prompts for any readathon/reading challenge. Hopefully I'll be better next season and am excited to start the new round of Summer of Swoon!

Did you participate in Love Has Sprung?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Fool's Gold by Jenny Bunting

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With a little bit of free time, I needed to read a book to finish up the first bingo board of Love Has Sprung. One of the remaining prompts I had left was one of Shelby's favorites of 2021. I went through her top rated books of 2021 and pulled a few ideas. After glancing at blurbs, I decided to pick up Fool's Gold by Jenny Bunting. This is the first book in her Finch Family series. This also worked to cover the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge prompt Story of Us (part of a series or more than one person on the cover). 

Cameron is the playboy in town and never has been one for a serious relationship. When he comes across childhood friend Annie crying in the local bar one night, he proposes to go to her ex's engagement party as her new "fake" beau. When the lines between them start to get blurred, the decide quickly to not be fake-dating anymore and just do what feels right. As Annie helps Cameron plan an event for his family's brewery and they spend more time together, he realizes he wants Annie as his girlfriend and even more long term.

Once again Shelby hits a recommendation out of the park for me. This book was so sweet and swoony and sexy and fun and just a good-feeling overall. I really loved how the fake-dating situation wasn't pushed too far and they both quickly opened up about wanting more. They didn't put labels on the relationship, but they had the conversation about it first. They were just so emotionally together and I could just gush about this book so much. There was some great humor as well and I loved the way that Jenny Bunting really established Cameron's family (I can't wait for the rest of the books).

I know that with the friends-to-lovers trope sometimes people have trouble believing that there wasn't anything there before, but I thought it was really well handled. They both have insecurities and think in different ways that they aren't good enough or what the other person would want. I also really loved that even though they didn't have the super close relationship before the fake dating situation, Cameron was all in and ready to do anything to help Annie. He was just so all-in and in tune with her (for the most part). I did think the 3rd act conflict was little hanky and that Annie should've done more groveling than Cameron, but at she apologized. I was waiting for it and felt a sense of relief when she did. I don't know why, but it just really bothers me when all of the groveling is pushed on the male character whether he was in wrong or not. Our heroines need to take accountability for their words and actions too.

I have a new contemporary author that I can't wait to read more from and will definitely be looking into Jenny's backlist. Shelby really has been giving the best contemporary romance recommendations and I'm am so happy to have another great author to add to my list. If you enjoy small town, family focused romances certainly check out this book. I think it's definitely worth your while.

Have you read Fool's Gold?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Fool's Gold, Jenny Bunting, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 286 pages, published in 2021, indie published

White Hot by Ilona Andrews

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The 2nd book assigned for the month of May for the Hidden Legacy readalong is White Hot. This is the 2nd book in Ilona Andrew's popular series. The readalong is hosted by Heather, Stef, Megan and Izzy. I was also able to use this for the Love Has Sprung and Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge reading challenges covering the prompts continue a series you forgot about (from board 2) and Death By A Thousand Cuts (over 1,000 ratings) respectively.

Nevada is still hurting over how things were left between her and "Mad" Rogan after Burn for Me. When she is asked by an acquaintance to look into his wife's murder, Nevada reluctantly agrees knowing she'll be wading into the mess of Primes and higher houses. While trying to figure out why the house her client's wife worked for is trying to hide the murder, she runs into "Mad" Rogan again. They once again start working together. When Nevada makes the decision to stop hiding her magic as much, Rogan starts to worry that she'll become Prime and want to distance herself from him and his antics. Nevada, no matter where she ends up as she enters the higher echelons of magic, will stay the same person and not allow Rogan to push her away.

Oh my gosh. Now before starting the readalong, I had only read Burn for Me. All I could think of after finishing White Hot was "What was wrong with my past self?" Why did I not pick up the rest of the series the first time I read it? This book was so good. I loved how we just get an expansion and more information about all of our side characters and their magic, but we also get to see a power-up of sorts for Nevada. It's not that she's getting more magic, but just accessing it properly and learning about how it works. It was crazy to learn that her being able to just tell if people are telling the truth or not was a passive ability. Think of it as a fun bonus to having truthseeking magic. Just so freaking awesome and I love that we're going to get to see her really push what she can do not only here, but in the next book as well.

I also love how Rogan and Nevada were thrown back into it again, but with their previous interactions burned hotter quicker this time and it was worth it! Oh my gosh do I love Rogan and how he really just wants the best for Nevada and her family. We get to learn a lot more about him and how he runs his business and house and get to see how much he really does care about those around him. The action was really well done (once again) and we do get to learn a little bit more about this group behind all of the attacks, but they're mostly still a mystery. I felt we got enough information to not feel like it's being dragged out too much and am still intrigued for more.

I cannot wait to finish the first trilogy of the series and see how Rogan and Nevada wrap up their time as main characters. I am so happy that I am finally picking up the rest of the series. I love Ilona Andrews and the way they can build their worlds and magic systems. They really are becoming one of my favorite author duos. So freaking good. I know I've probably said this in each review, but it stands to be said again. If you haven't read Ilona Andrews, please give their books a try. They are fantastic!

Have you read White Hot?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: White Hot, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 389 pages, published in 2017, traditionally published

Summer of Swoon TBR

Update: Wrap up is posted!
Update: TBR is posted for the second board!
Update: Wrap up is posted for the 2nd board! 

 Happy Thursday!

As we're nearing the end of May, it's time for the next seasonal reading challenge announcement! Shelby has been a little quiet lately on Instagram, but she did post new boards for the next round of Summer of Swoon! She once again created 3 bingo boards. I did participate last year and a few of the prompts cross over, so if you are looking for more ideas check out the tag. I did manage to do some last minute binge reading last summer to finish all three boards! It will once again run from June 1st through August 31st. Below are all three bingo boards!

 

As you can see there are a lot of different kinds of  prompts across all three boards. I'm just going to focus on some ideas for the more specific prompts here, but as always things can change since doing these longer challenges allows me to mood read more. I mostly stuck with books that are set in summer time, occur in beach locations or are outdoorsy. Below are some of my top ideas

🌊 Don't Call Me Cupcake by Tara Sheet

🌊 I Married the Duke by Katharine Ashe

🌊 Jetty Beach series by Claire Kingsley

🌊 In Over Her Head by Judi Fennell

🌊 The Catch by Lauren Mae

🌊 Sunrise Cove by Jill Shalvis

🌊 Tents & Tights by Molly O'Hare

🌊 I can also continue my reread of the Lucky Harbor series by Jill Shalvis and pick back up the Barefoot William Beach series by Kate Angell

I'm super excited to participate in another of Shelby's Challenges and hopefully I'll do a little better than I did with Love Has Sprung! Please check out Shelby's instagram (linked above) for more templates and recommendations. I'll also update as I read on my stories and save them in the highlights.

Will you be participating in Summer of Swoon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

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After getting through my Rake Appreciation Book, I had to jump into my next readalong books for the Hidden Legacy readalong. The first book this month is the first book in the series by Ilona Andrews, Burn for Me. The readalong is a continuation of the Kate Daniels readalong I participated in, we've just switched series. It is hosted by the same ladies, Stef, Heather and Megan, but also added is Izzy! I was able to use this for my reading challenges as well covering the prompts building or house on the cover for Love Has Sprung board 2 and Cornelia Street (road or building on cover) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Nevada runs her family's investigation business. When they needed money for her father's medical issues, they joined the conglomerate of House Montgomery. When tasked by their parent company to bring in a Prime fire magic user that's playing rebel, Nevada gets thrust into a larger plot than expected. As she tries to track down the missing Prime and bring him in to his family before the authorities catch him, she runs into one of the most powerful Primes around, "Mad" Rogan. They find themselves working the same case and decide to team up. As a secret group's activities start to become exposed, things get even more dangerous for Nevada and her family. She'll have to embrace her magic, and even "Mad" Rogan to complete her mission.

Oh my gosh! Now, this is a reread for me, but I honestly forgot how much I loved this book. I knew I loved it the first time and remembered that I loved it, but oh my gosh this book is just so good. Now the magic system in this series I do have to say is a little more complex in hierarchy, but is still easy to pick up. Ilona Andrews once again just completely creates such a vivid and expansive world. They are just masters and not only fleshing out our main characters, but all side characters now matter how minor their role. It just feels so encompassing and I think Ilona and Gordon are some of the best at world-building in books. 

We do get a little more romance here compared to the Kate Daniels series, and I am here for it! I love the tension between Rogan and Nevada. The way that they dance around each other and the attraction that's building is so fun and I'm glad that they amped it up for this series. I don't want to go too much into plot because it might spoil some things, but the way that we see Nevada get thrown more into the higher magic user ranks really helps the reader understand what's happening. While she does have truthseeker magic (and is pretty powerful level wise), she has kept it hidden thanks to her father knowing that she would've been taken advantage of from a young age. She knows a lot about the magic world, but is still missing the nuances compared to if she had grown up and taken classes from a young age. It's all just masterfully done.

Seriously, if you've read Ilona Andrews, but haven't read this series yet, definitely pick it up. If you are reading this closer to when I originally posted, please join in on the readalong! The June books will be 3 and 3.5 and the live show is planned for June 17th. If you want to go back and watch the live show for the May books, you can watch it here! I also do want to mention there are two POVs from Rogan that are free on their website. They were super fun and a great extra addition to the books. Especially the first one which is set when Rogan kidnaps Nevada.

Have you read Burn for Me?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Burn for Me, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 0 days, Paperback, 382 pages, published in 2014, traditionally published

The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy

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The Rake Appreciation Society book for the month of May is The Marquess Makes His Move. This is the third book in Diana Quincy's Clandestine Affairs series. Rake Appreciation is hosted by Jenn and Crystal (and is one of my favorite book clubs!). I was able to apply this to my reading challenges as well covering flowers on the cover for Love Has Sprung and Shake It Off (character you want to shake some sense into) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Alex, the Marquess of Brandon, has requested a map of property lines to show that the pond between his and his neighbor's country estates is on his land. When the map comes back wrong and missing an obvious fence-line, he knows instantly there was some type of collusion between the mapmaker and his neighbor. Alex goes undercover as a footman to the mapmaker's estate and finds himself assigned to his wife Rose. What Alex doesn't know is that Rose is actually the one making the maps. As they grow close and secrets are exposed they start to connect in an unexpected way.

So, I have to be honest. There were quite a few things that really bothered me here, but the biggest issue I had was the miscommunications, lies (by omission and not), and the keeping of secrets between Alex and Rose. Now, I get that that is the premise of how they meet, but instead of those just staying as they were, more and more things kept getting added to the the "secrets." At one point, around the 3rd act conflict of they say to each other that they will come clean. Then they allow a few different things to put off being honest with each other, and then Alex gets called away to a fire at his country estate. Then after all that, they don't open up to each other and the secrets get exposed by Alex's family. And then Rose hides something else from Alex. It was just too much for me and I just really didn't like how it was handled.

Now, I will say the technically there's no cheating here if you are worried about that. I don't want to spoil it if you've read the book, but for me I still didn't like how the situation played out. Cheating isn't a big trigger for me, but it has to be done well. Now like I said, technically it wasn't cheating logistically. However, Rose and Alex both hold off because they still think it's cheating in their minds. That's were my issue comes in. There were more things I wasn't too fond of, but I did enjoy the overall premise and though it was pretty unique. I did want the emotional connection between them to be stronger, but I did think it was pretty well written. It's also great to see more representation in historical romance as well.

I'm not sure if I'll pick up more in this particular series, but I'm definitely intrigued to read more from Diana Quincy. I just think I might wait to see reviews of others I follow and trust before picking one up. I did hear that there were a lot of similarities with this book and the others in the this series and that's why I'm more hesitant about picking up those. I'm always ready to try something new though, so we'll see what Diana does next! I also do want to mention that the ratings were pretty varied, so if you want more thoughts check out the live show!

Have you read The Marquess Makes His Move?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Marquess Makes His Move, Diana Quincy, 3-stars, 2 days, eBook, 384 pages, published in 2022, traditionally published

Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn & Violet Charles

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The 2nd book I picked up for the Historical Romance Readathon was the graphic novel Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron. This was written by Julia Quinn and illustrated by her sister Violet Charles. It covered the prompts standalone, single parent and clinch cover. I also was able to apply this to the prompts diverse hero for the second board of Love has Sprung and Mine (book you own) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Miss Butterworth has led a hard life with lots of crazy happenstances. When she ends up as a companion to the "Mad" Baron's grandmother, their paths intertwine once more. This is a graphic novel that's the novel from within the novel. Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Sarah Gorely is mentioned in several books by Julia Quinn.

Okay, so there's not too much to the summary because the graphic novel is really short and a lot of the events are mentioned where the "book" is mentioned in Julia's novels. This was just a fun romp and just as crazy and fun as expected. I loved that it still had an HEA in it's own right. Now, it was really well illustrated, but it's not the type of illustration I'm really drawn too (heh). I did get used to it after a few pages. I think my favorite parts of the novel were when we saw their inner-selves. It reminded me a lot of Skip Beat (my favorite manga) and I always love seeing the inner-struggle/thoughts of characters. It's a great literary technique, especially for graphic novels/comics.

I know I didn't really say too much about Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, but it was super short. If you enjoyed Julia Quinn's books, definitely check this out. It's a great addition to her backlist and just super fun. It's also a super quick read.

I do also want to extend my condolences to Julia Quinn and her family. Before this was published Julia lost her father, her sister Violet and Violet's husband when they were hit by a drunk driver. My heart goes out to her and her family. I've experienced grief before, but to have that many people in your family gone at once and from something that is so stoppable (DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE PEOPLE!), broke my heart when I first heard the news. There is a lovely note at the end of the book were Julia touches on what happened and I love that she's been somewhat open about what she experienced. 

Have you read Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, Julia Quinn & Violet Charles, 4-star, 0 days, Paperback, 144 pages, published traditionally

Historical Romance Readathon Wrap Up

Happy Thursday!

Today we are wrapping up the latest round of the Historical Romance Readathon! It was once again hosted by the lovely Jessica, Lacey and Lisa. The readathon ran from Monday May 9th through the 15th. If you missed my tbr post, below is the bingo board they created.

So, coming into the readathon I was really excited and managed to finish my first book Tuesday night. Then I had a reading slump. I just was dealing with emotional and mental things and needed to spend my time being more actively engaged. I did manage to squeeze in one more book (that's actually a graphic novel) so I at least read two. I'm sad that I didn't read more, but only because I was so excited and as you could probably tell from my tbr had a lot of ideas of books I wanted to get too. Below is my finished bingo board the books I read.

🌺 How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins - Covered second chance romance, in a series, marriage of convenience, rake, highlander and enemies to lovers

🌺 Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn and Violet Charles - Covered single parent, standalone and clinch cover

Even though I only read two books, I was able to at least get a bingo. Usually I try not to set too high of standards for my readathons and only push my reading for what I want. I just really needed to do what felt right for my mental and emotional health. I usually pick up a few historical romances a month anyway, so I'm not too perturbed about needing to take a break. Hopefully when the next round happens I'll be good to go!

Did you participate in the Historical Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins

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After the Mafia Romance Readathon, I immediately jumped into the Historical Romance Readathon! The first book I decided to pick up was How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins. This is the first book in her MacLean Curse series. This covered the prompts second chance romance, in a series, marriage of convenience, rake, highlander and enemies to lovers. This also worked for the prompts one person on the cover and Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince ("heartbreaker" in the story) for Love Has Sprung board 2 and the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge respectively. I also finally found a book to cover the prompt Englandtimes Highlander Vegas for the Heaving Bosom's 2022 Reading Embrace.

After Fiona is struggling to keep her brothers from killing people in Clan Kincaid after their younger brother Callum is killed. There hasn't been that type of warring for a while and it's not time to start. To help keep everybody in line Fiona plans to marry her old flame Jack Kincaid. When she finds him on the side of the road she takes him to the pastor and convinces him to marry them. When Jack sobers up, he's surprised to see the one woman he wanted more than as a mistress suddenly his wife and bucks against the marriage.

This was a lot of fun and I loved how zany the plot was at times. Now, this wasn't quite a full 5-stars for me, but mostly because I felt like I was missing a little bit more of the emotional development. It did feel like a lot of that emotional development between Fiona and Jack happened when they were younger, but we didn't see any of that. I would've loved just a couple (not too many) flashbacks or even a prologue or the first couple chapters set in the past before a time jump. I just was left wanting more emotionally between them at the end.

I pretty much loved everything else. I really enjoyed the push and pull between Jack and Fiona; as well as the mutual pining. Fiona's brothers were hilarious and just as expected as angry older brothers. I also found the curse aspect really interesting. Before each chapter there were a couple lines or little blurbs of an older grandmother teaching three girls about the MacLean curse. I'm not sure if it's going to be resolved in this series, but I loved that they can effect the weather. What made it even better was that even though they could cause rain or hail, it couldn't be controlled. There were moments where local villages would be in threat of flooding and the brothers would have to really control their feelings to keep their tenants and locals safe from sudden thunderstorms. It was just a fun extra element added throughout!

I really loved this book and can't wait to read more in the series. I'm super intrigued to see who the brothers get paired with and have a new series to get into! I'm not sure when I'll be able to pick them up, but I can't wait. This was such a good book to start the readathon with and it gave me a bingo single-handedly!

Have you read How to Abduct a Highland Lord?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: How to Abduct a Highland Lord, Karen Hawkins, 4.5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 313 pages, published in 2007, traditionally published

A Kiss of Venom by Beena Khan

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The second and final book I read for the Mafia Romance Readathon was A Kiss of Venom by Beena Khan. This is the first book in her Black Widow series. This covered the prompts Bratva mafia, new to you author, tattooed hero and outsider to the mafia. I also applied this to the Love Has Sprung board 2 prompt kiss in the title and the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge prompt Out of the Woods (set in an urban city).

Ghislaine is awoken from a three-year coma by a beautiful "prince." He is Alexander, the leader of the Bratva in New York. When she awakens, Ghislaine has a lot of things to work through since not only has she lost three years of her and her daughter's life, but the car accident that put her in a coma took her husband's life. When she gets back to her job as an FBI Agent, she is reassigned the case she was working on with her husband. It turns out that the stranger that kissed her awake isn't a stranger at all, but the man behind the Bratva that they've been trying to take down. When Alexander saves Ghislaine from an assault by the new FBI Director, they become partners and just can't seem to stay away from each other.

So, I was very intrigued by this due to the blurb and seeing that it was a Sleeping Beauty retelling and a romance between a Bratva boss and an FBI Agent. While there were a lot of those points that were intriguing about the story, I was left feeling a little bored and even skimmed/sped read about 35% of the middle of the book. I liked Ghislaine and it was really cool to read a romance where the heroine was Moroccan and still in touch with her culture. I can think of a couple Arab main characters in romance that I've read before, but they were either mixed races or very westernized. Here it was really fun to get a lot more of the cultural nuances in the more day to day feel.

What I wasn't expecting was so much of the beginning was for Ghislaine to be dealing with re-entering society. There were quite a few small time jumps throughout the book, I think I would've preferred having a longer time jump in the beginning and coming back to Ghislaine more re-established in her life but still having small PTSD or issues from her coma. My biggest issue I feel like with the book was though that it was just so long and the writing style was a little long-winded and over descriptive. I just found myself a lot of the times thinking "Okay, let's get to the action." I also really didn't like how back and forth that Ghislaine was about her relationship with Alexander. There were also times where she just really felt dumber than she was telling the reader she was. It just was super weird. 

Even though I said a lot of detractors I found with the book, I was intrigued by the overall plot to keep going. I don't know if I'll pick up more in this series, but I certainly want to try some of her other works to see how the style might differ. I'll have to keep an eye out for any newer releases in a different sub-genre or trope.

Have you read A Kiss of Venom?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Kiss of Venom, Beena Khan, 3.5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 498 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Savage Hearts by J.T. Geissinger

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The first book I picked up for the Mafia Romance Readathon was Savage Hearts by J.T. Geissinger! This is the third book in her Queens and Monsters series. I was able to use this for the prompts Bratva mafia, tattooed hero, captor/captive, next in a series, Irish mafia and outsider to the mafia. I was also able to use this for my other reading challenges and applied it to the prompts tattooed cover model for Love Has Sprung board 2 and Champagne Problems (book with alcohol in the story) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Riley suddenly receives a call from her older sister Sloane and is invited to reconnect with her and meet her new fiance Declan. When she arrives at his secret location in Bermuda, she is also seen by Malek. Malek is an assassin from the Bratva and takes pity on the "poor prostitute" being played with by Declan and his woman. He sneaks in to help her "get out of the business" and finds himself drawn to her. When Malek finds out that Riley is actually the future sister-in-law, things quickly change. When Riley accidentally gets shot, he rescues her by whisking her away to the wilds of Russia to recuperate and get revenge for his brother's death.

Wow. Just wow. I absolutely adored Malek and Riley. I have to say, going into this one I was a little nervous since I was left feeling let down by Carnal Urges. Riley had some of the characteristics that I like about Sloane, but also so much more nerdiness and adaptability. I just really found myself connecting to her and loved all of the moments when Malek kept sneaking into the different safehouses to visit her. Malek is probably my new favorite hero of the series, but I think the book takes a close second to Ruthless Creatures. I also do have to say, I did not like Sloane in the beginning of the book and really didn't like the decisions she was making and forcing upon Riley. I understood why it was like that so Riley could be in the position she was to meet Malek, but I didn't like it. I also could've had less POVs from Declan and Sloane. I do have to say she got a little better in her attitude towards Riley near the end, but I still wasn't happy since I felt like she didn't take as much accountability as needed for her actions.

But back to Riley and Malek because they are the focus here and why I gave this book 5-stars. I just absolutely loved when they were together in Russia and how much wonderful caretaking Malek was doing for Riley. I love caretaking, but having this badass Bratva assassin helping her go to the bathroom, and bathe, and change her dressings and get through the PTSD of getting shot was just so freaking swoony. I love Malek and how much he just couldn't stop himself from staying away from Riley. Even when he pushes her away "for her safety" he's secretly watching and making sure she actually is safe.

I am so happy that this book lived up to the expectations that I had about the series after reading Ruthless Creatures, especially after struggling with Carnal Urges. I can't wait to read the last book in the series and it seems like it'll but a fun story that might be my favorite trope. I'm hoping to get to it before the end of the year, but hopefully more by the end of the summer. We'll see when I can get to it, but I have left it out on my headboard to get too it soon! 

Have you read Savage Hearts?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Savage Hearts, J.T. Geissinger, 5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 392 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

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To start off May, I needed to go through and figure out my timeline with my two readalongs, book club books and the Mafia Romance and Historical Romance Readathons. To make sure I got Heir of Fire read in time for the live show, I decided to pick it up first! This is the third book in Sarah J Maas's Throne of Glass series. I am reading all of Sarah J Maas's backlist for the SJM-along. It's created by Jenn (The Book Refuge), but the first two books for the month of May will be discussed on Tori's (Novel Life) channel. I was able to use Heir of Fire for my Love has Sprung and Taylor Swift Quarterly reading challenges for the prompts cover model wearing a dress and 22 (new adult book) respectively. I was also able to use this for my May Yahtzee Challenge for the Full House (2 or 3 in the page count or publication date) prompt!

Celaena is headed out of Rifthold and towards Wendlyn. When she arrives, she is torn on following the king's orders to be a spy and do her assassination, but she also doesn't want to reach out for help; even though she's related. When Rowan, a Fae Prince, comes upon her he takes her to meet with Maeve. To enter the Fae realms she needs to gain approval from Rowan and undergo training. As they struggle to find trust and learn from each other, things around the world aren't stopping. Dorian is dealing with controlling his newfound magic and Chaol is finally starting to see what the rebels are fighting for and shares Celaena's true identity with her long lost cousin. There's also a new POV that's Manon, an Ironteeth witch that has been granted, along with her sisters, access to wyverns by the King.

Oh my gosh, this book had so much going on and I really loved just watching everyone and everything evolve and I can't wait to see how it all culminates. First off, Celaena. There is something so touching and deep seated about the way Sarah writes about grief. I'm not usually a reader that highlights quotes, but I had to do quite a few here that really just hit me in my soul. I even had to share a couple with my boss at work. I know that people struggle with Celaena, but even in Crown of Midnight I was giving her leeway because I knew she was struggling with her grief and repressing a lot of it. Here we really get to see her work through all that's she's repressed; not only the grief of Nehemia, but even Sam and before then her parents and countrymen and country. The way that she eventually starts opening up to herself is just so beautiful and really touched me. Also, I absolutely adore Rowan and really hope he's end game for Celaena. There's subtle hints of a romance between them, but I can also see them as just really good friends. We'll see what happens there.

As for the other side characters, I'm loving Dorian's story line. I liked him from the first book and I'm really intrigued to see how things are going to go with his magic and dealing with the fallout from his father. He really gets put in a tough position, but is one of the more willing constituants to speak out to his father. Now, Chaol I have struggled with. I do feel like he's kind of waking up and finally taking a stance so I'm not on the full "hate train" anymore. I'm still not sure what to think 100%, but he made some interesting moves and relationships during this book that have me more intrigued about his storyline. We also meet a couple new side characters, the first being Aedion, Celaena's cousin. He was so much fun and I can't wait to see him and Celaena meet up and learn more about him. I have to say, as much as I am swooning for Rowan, I can't decide if he or Aedion is a better book boyfriend for me. I also am absolutely obsessed with Manon and her wyrvern Abraxos. I gushed about them during my vlog and I was just so drawn into the her POV and the connection between her and her thirteen as well as her and Abraxos. Can I just say, Abraxos is my favorite. I absolutely adore him. But I am a dragon girl!

I had so much fun reading this book and cannot wait to jump back into the series. I have a little bit of time before we do though since the readathon is going in publication order. The second portion of May is actually going to be A Court of Thorns and Roses. Another new series that's been hyped, but I'm starting to really trust Sarah J Maas. Plus, even though it's really hyped, I feel like the percentage of people that read it and love it is so astronomically lopsided I'm not too worried. Whatever book comes next, I'm here for. Why oh why have I been sleeping on Sarah J Maas?

Have you read Heir of Fire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Heir of Fire, Sarah J Maas, 5-Stars, 4 days, eBook, 568 pages, published in 2014, traditionally published

Mafia Romance Readathon Wrap Up

 Happy Tuesday!

This past weekend, May 5th through the 8th was the Mafia Romance Readathon. It was once again hosted by Jenn and her friends Jessen, Jessica, Tiffany, Tori and Madison. She did a building your own bingo board once again. Below is my blank board if you missed my tbr post.

I had originally hoped to get a black out, but ended up only getting two books read. I did manage to at least pick two that gave me a bingo and only one prompt short of a black out. Below is my finished board followed my the two books I read!

🩸 Savage Hearts by J.T. Geissinger - covers Bratva mafia, tattooed hero, captor/captive, next in a series, Irish mafia and outside the mafia

🩸 A Kiss of Venom by Beena Khan - covers Bratva mafia, new to you author, tattooed hero and outside the mafia

Even though I only read two books, I read another really good one that will be at the top of my mafia favorites list! Once reviews have been posted I'll be adding links. I can't wait until the next round and definitely need to try to cycle more mafia and dark romance into my normal reading habits. I just commit myself to too many reading challenges and readathons so they don't always work for the prompts. That's okay though, I enjoy doing them!

Did you participate in the Mafia Romance Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

April 2022 Wrap Up

 Happy May!

We are finally getting some rain here in northern Colorado and we have needed it. I don't think I've ever seen so many fire warnings and limitations on outdoor activities in the month of April in my life. It's just been so crazy how dry the snow and early spring has been. But you aren't hear for the local weather, so let's talk books. I've once again had a slower month compared to years past, but it was a little bit of a tick up for this year. I just have more that I'm doing. I did participate in the Dark Romance Readathon again and managed to get two books this time! But let's get to all of my stats for the month.

April 2022

💗 I read 13 books for 3,817 pages

💗 I averaged 1.15 days per book
💗 The average page count is 293.62
💗 I read 2 books under 100 pages, 1 in the 100s, 3 in the 200s, 3 in the 300s, 3 in the 400s and 1 in the 500s

💗 I read 8 books for clubs, readalongs and readathons
💗 7 of the books I read were diverse
💗 I read 3 new authors
💗 I reread 2  books

💗 I previously owned 3 books, added 5 to my wishlist and bought one in paperback already!
💗 I read 3 books in paperback and 10 in eBook
💗 I read 6 traditionally published books and 7 indie published
💗 I read 1 book published in 1990s, 8 in the 2010s and 4 in the 2020s

💗 The average rating is 4.38 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 3 books
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 - 5 books
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 4 books
⭐⭐⭐💫 - 1 book

💗 I read 7 contemporaries, 4 fantasies and 1 historical romance. I also read 1 urban fantasy.
💗 For contemporaries, I read 2 dark, 1 rom-com, 1 small town, 1 sports and 2 normal romances.

1. Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2. Parks and Provocation by Juliette Cross ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

3. Written on His Skin by Simone Stark ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

4. Learning Curves by Molly O'Hare ⭐⭐⭐⭐

5. Hollywood Dreams by Molly O'Hare ⭐⭐⭐💫

6. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

7. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐

8. Untouchable by Sam Mariano ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

9. The Devil and I by Kay Alastor ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

10. Topaz by Beverly Jenkins ⭐⭐⭐⭐

11. Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

12. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐

13. The Assassin and the Healer by Sarah J Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

💗 For my favorite and least favorite this month, it's a pretty easy choice for my. My favorite is hands down Blood Heir. I can't wait to read more from Ilona Andrews and for what they are going to write in the future. My least favorite is my lowest rated, Hollywood Dreams. Enemies to lovers is harder sell for me so for me to really enjoy that trope it really has to knock it out of the ballpark.

There are a lot of reading plans I have coming up in May. We have the Mafia Romance Readathon shortly followed by the Historical Romance Readathon. Outside of my normal bookclubs I also have the continuation of the SJM-along and the Ilona Andrews readalong. Hopefully I'll be able to wrap up the Love Has Sprung first and 2nd bingo boards as well. We'll see what happens!

How was your reading in April?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

The Assassin and the Healer by Sarah J Maas

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The second assigned book for the 2nd April portion of the SJM Readalong was The Assassin and the Healer. This is book 0.2 in the Thone of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. Jenn (The Book Refuge) organized the readalong and will be joined by different hosts for each section. The plan is to read all of SJM's backlist in publication order. I was also able to use this for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge for the prompt No Body, No Crime (cover without a person).

After the events of The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, Celaena is being sent to the Red Desert by her master to train as part of her punishment. While waiting for her ship, she stays a few days at a tavern in Antica. There she meets a barmaid named Yrene that picked up the job when trying to travel to the school for healers, Torre Cesme. She has since felt trapped in this tavern and become stagnant. When Celaena saves Yrene from some mercenaries looking for a fun time, it changes the course of Yrene's life.

This was such a great novella and I loved that it continued shortly after Celaena freeing the slaves. Hopefully the novellas will all link into each other like this so not only are they just fun shorts, but also telling an overarching story between them. I really enjoyed seeing Celaena and Yrene interact and how different, but yet similar they are. We got to see more of Celaena being kickass and I loved it! This is my favorite of the two novellas so far. I just loved the different vibe. Also, I really hope that we get to see Yrene in the future. That would be so awesome! I honestly just wished it was a little longer, but that's a common issue most people have with novellas.

I can't wait to continue the readalong with everyone and am intrigued to see where we go next. I'm actually reading the novellas as part of the anthology/bind up called The Assassin's Blade. I'm having a lot of fun so far and it's really cool to see the past missions and adventures that Celaena experienced and mentions in the main books. I can't wait to see what the next one brings!

Have you read The Assassin and the Healer?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Assassin and the Healer, Sarah J Maas, 4.5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 40 pages, published in 2013, traditionally published