Raze by Tillie Cole

⭐⭐⭐💫

This month the theme for the Smart Women Read Romance exclusive patreon review was contemporary dark romance. Raze won the poll. This is the first book in Tillie Cole's Scarred Souls series. I was able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt new to you author and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo prompt mafia.

Raze was taken as a young boy to live and fight in the Gulog, a Georgian prison with underground fights. It's been years since he was brought here and is known as 818, his prisoner number. When there's a prison break, all Raze knows is that he needs to return to New York City to get revenge against Alik. He can't remember much of his life after being drugged and completely isolated, but he carved into his cell Alik's name and address in case he ever got out. He comes across Kisa and instantly feels a protective instinct towards her. Kisa is the daughter to the head of the local Bratva and engaged to Alik. She is still mourning the death of her soulmate years after her is charged with killing her twin brother (and heir to the Bratva) and ends up dying in a bus crash. Kisa runs The Dungeon, the local underground fighting ring and when Raze joins to take out Alik, they find themselves thrown together more and more. Kisa struggles against the instant connection to Raze and starts to see pieces of her dead soulmate in him.

Alright, first off, let's just get this out of the way. I thought that Kisa was not a good heroine. There were times where she was okay and then she would turn around and make the silliest decision. It just didn't feel like she was actually aware of the peril her life could be in despite her saying it was. There were also a couple other people that made just as silly... alright, let's just say it... stupid decisions that I did not understand at all. Despite my frustrations, Raze and his storyline really made this book for me. I was so intrigued to learning more about him and to really see him work through what he experienced. Although, I do have to say that I feel like we spent a lot more time experiencing Kisa's trauma at the hands of Alik versus dealing with the trauma Raze went through. I also really wish that Alik was dealt with earlier in the book. Most of the plot dragged out getting to the fight between Alik and Raze. While it was nice to see him finally get his revenge, it also didn't feel as vindicating as I wanted it to be. I don't know, it just felt kind of like "that's it?" when he finally kills him.

Another thing I really didn't like was the set-up for Raze's one friend, 392. I was really hoping that we would get to see his book 2nd (and at that point intrigued enough to read his book). Now spoiler alert, but 392 is caught again and forced to fight Raze. For Raze to get revenge against Alik, he has to kill his only friend! I did not like that and honestly, that was the most upsetting part of the book to me. I also didn't like how many times we saw our heroine assaulted. I mean it continues throughout the book and even gets badly assaulted right before the big fight, which is the climax of the book. Also it was very wordy and went into a lot more detail than I'm comfortable with. It's not triggering to me, but it just feels very yucky. That paired with her stupid choices that leads to things escalating was just so exasperating for me.

So, at this point I'm not sure if I will be picking up more in this series. I'm not saying never, but I think with the almost glorified rape scenes it's not something I'm going to gravitate too. From the live show it seems that Tillie Cole can be pretty polarizing, so we'll see what happens. There's just too many other mafia romances out there I want to try. Like I said though, I'm not writing her or this series off.

Have you read Raze?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Raze, Tillie Cole, 3.5 stars, 0 days, eBook, 256 pages, published in 2014, indie published

Flawless by Elsie Silver

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One of my most anticipated releases for 2022 is the spin-off series from Elsie Silver's Gold Rush Ranch series. The first book in her Chestnut Springs series, Flawless, came out June 24th and I've been waiting for the chance to pick it up! I was able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt author rec and Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo prompt dance.

Rhett is one of the top bull riders on the circuit and getting older. After mentioning he doesn't like milk around a hot microphone, his biggest sponsor, a dairy company, pulls away. As his reputation gets twisted in the media, his agent assigns new agent Summer to be his "babysitter." Summer is actually his agent's daughter and is only joining the company to help her father out since she feels indebted to him. When Summer pushes past Rhett's boundaries by being herself, they quickly find themselves succumbing to the spark between them. As the season continues and Rhett finds himself injured, Summer and Rhett struggle to come to terms on what the future is for their relationship.

Elsie freaking does it again. First off, Rhett is one smooth yet dirty talkin' cowboy and I am here for it. Elsie always does such a good job with her heroes really being all in for their heroines and here is not exceptions. There's a slightly different vibe with this book, just it still felt just as cozy and soul-warming as Gold Rush Ranch. Here we get more of the media and public aspect of bull riding and I really loved the way that she really showed how much of a sport it is. I have grown up farm/ranch adjacent so I have been to quite a few different rodeos. It's really crazy seeing it all come down to 8 seconds and I think Elsie did a great job really portraying the mindset of a bull rider in all aspects of their life.

Summer really was such a strong heroine and I was so heartbroken to hear about her horrible relationship with her step-mother and sister. I think the only thing that could've thrown this over the top was maybe her sister reaching out or being open to them working on establishing a better relationship in the future. As someone with some strained familial relationships, it just would've been that extra little pizazz to give Summer hope in that area. Her father was great though and I loved that he fired her so she could go and find a job that really fit her passions.

Another gush fest from me for Elsie Silver! I'm so happy to be reading her spin-off series and can't wait to see the other brothers (and maybe Jasper [grumpy hockey goalie anyone?]) get their HEAs and I think the next book it tentatively set to release in October. It feels far away, but I know it'll be here sooner than we know. If you haven't read Elsie Silver, I couldn't recommend her more. She had my favorite contemporary romance of 2021 and I need more people to read her books so we can gush together!

Have you read Flawless?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Flawless, Elsie Silver, 5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 428 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Romance Takeover Readathon Light v. Dark TBR

Update: My Wrap Up is posted!!

 Time for the next round of the Romance Takeover Readathon! This readathon is organized by Jenn at The Book Refuge. She is mashing it together with her older readathon that was Light vs Dark. There is a lot of pieces at play for this readathon, so the best bet would be to check out Jenn's announcement video for all the details for the different factions and way to build your bingo board. It will run August 1st through the 7th. The hosts are Jenn, Crystal, Jessen, Rachel, Christi and Caitlin.

Above is the bingo board I created. As we are reaching the beginning of August, it's time for me to really start finishing up my reading challenges. The one I'm hoping to mostly finish during this readathon is the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo. Since I have just a few prompts, I tried to focus on books that would help me finish out that and chose from the available light and gray prompts for this readathon. I put them on my bingo board at random. I am mostly a mood reader, so this is a stricter tbr than I usually do, but there's a lot going on in August so if I don't want to feel rushed at the end of the month I want to get through my reading challenge prompts as soon as possible. Below, the top few books are what I plan on picking up the rest are hopefuls.

💡 Walking in Fire by Cathryn Cade - should cover foodie, paranormal and possibly age gap

💡 The STEMinist Novellas series by Ali Hazelwood - should cover rom com, forced proximity, friends to lovers, 2nd chance and/or work place

💡 Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau - should cover celebrity and foodie

💡 Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein - should cover sports, plus-sized, new adult and virgin hero

💡 Touched to the Heart by Elsa Winckler - should cover sports and billionaire

💡 Gaslight Hades by Grace Draven - should cover fantasy and 2nd chance

💡 Whispers on the Wind by Donna Fletcher - should cover historical and possibly paranormal

Hopefully I'll get to the first couple books, I'm particularly excited excited for Walking in Fire. I could end up picking up other books, especially once other participants start posting their tbrs. I'm excited to participate though and am hoping to get at least one bingo!

Will you be participating in the Romance Takeover Readathon Light v. Dark?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens

⭐⭐⭐💫

The regular Rake Appreciation Society book for July is The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens. This is the first book in her Bastion Club series. If you haven't heard of RAS, it's hosted by Jenn and Crystal. I was able to use this to cover prompts for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo for high tea and Summer of Swoon for no people on the cover on board 2.

Tristan, the Earl of Trentham, is at the new club him and other former military men are creating. He is overseeing the renovations at the residence and has found himself entranced by the lady next door. Leonara plans to run into the new owner after being harassed by a solicitor to buy her uncle's place, two failed break-ins and being personally attacked. She approaches Tristan not sure if he was the man behind the situation. Tristan is not, but being a former military spy, he steps in to take point on the investigation. As the newly minted Earl, he is also looking for a wife. In his mind he had pictured a stereotypical debutante, but as they spend more time together, he can't see anyone other than Leonara as his Countess.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this. I did switch to from the eBook to the audio about 40% in because I was running out of time to get it done before the live show. I think that was a good option in the end because I was able to speed it up a little bit and get through the slower parts. What brings this up from a 3-star to a 3.5 is the relationship between Tristan and Leonara. I know that there are downfalls with this book, but in my mind this is a romance and the main factors for my rating should be focused on the romance itself. I loved Tristan and how much he really pushed to be with Leonara. He fell first and really couldn't stay away from her as much as he tried. I did wish that Leonara didn't fight him as much as she did and I did get a little frustrated that she pushed him away for so long (after seducing him). That's why I'd give their relationship a 4-star. The tension was great between them and I 100% understand why people talk about the steamy scenes that Stephanie is able to craft.

With the small issues I had with their relationship and then the mystery not feeling worth the risk, I had to give this another ding rating wise. I wasn't able to figure out what the mystery was, but I feel like partly because it was so out there. Then we get an elder neighbor matron that ends up dying and after all this strife what the attacker was after was so, not really worth it. I don't know, it just didn't feel like the risk met the reward. If it was going to be that much I wish that the mystery was a little more pushed and really kept up the tension in that area.

I'm excited to finally pick up a Stephanie Lauren. She's been on my tbr for a while and I know that her Cynster series is highly popular (and has a lot of spin-offs). I definitely want to continue this and start her other series. She also has a lot of gorgeous stepbacks so I'd love to collect physical copies of her books as well. We'll see when I can get to them though.

Have you read The Lady Chosen?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Lady Chosen, Stephanie Laurens, 3.5 stars, 2 days, audiobook, 440 pages, published in 2003, traditionally published

Offside by Juliana Stone

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The final book I picked up for my Hockey Champions Readathon was Offside by Juliana Stone. This is the first book in her Barker Triplets series and features a woman who plays hockey! I applied this to the prompt for the Stanley Cup (book with an HEA). I was also able to use this for the prompt tear-jerker romance on the cover for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

Billie-Jo is coming home after a stint playing professional hockey in Sweden. After getting another concussion, she is too much of a risk to keep on the ice. When she arrives home, Billie is struggling with a big part of her life missing. When she sees a beer league has started in town, she signs up. It's not listed as "men's only," but she's the first woman to want to join. There is a lot of backlash from the players and the community, including her own sister. Logan, one of the captains, offers for her to join his team and quietly supports her. Billie struggles being around him so much since she was in love with him when they were younger. He never realized though, and even tried to get with one of her twin sisters. The tension rises between them over and over, but when secrets come out they were both keeping, it's hard for them to move past the truth.

Oh my gosh, another 2nd chance romance. At least this is a version of the trope that is a little more easier for me to get into. First off, I absolutely adored Billie. I loved that she was a complete bad-ass when it came to hockey and you could just feel the joy and peace in her soul when she was on the ice. A small part of me wished this would've happened when she was still playing professionally, but I still loved it. Even though it's beer league, there was so much hockey throughout the story and it really gave good insight to what Billie was really grieving after her injuries. I also loved the connection between Billie and Logan. Even though they both had their reasons to stay away from each other, they just couldn't.

Now, there are some things that did drag this down a little bit. The biggest is I felt there was a little too much angst thrown in. We have Billie dealing with the career and life goal for herself, issues with her twin sister, the angst between her and Logan and her father is going through early dementia. This is all on top of the hate Billie is receiving from the players and the community. That's what really got me the most, her sister following in line and saying hurtful things about her wanting to play hockey. It just broke my heart all the hurt she was going through. I do want to mention, in case it's triggering for you, the hate that she gets from the community and players is pretty extreme. Outside of just being ostracized and different men "flexing" on her, there's also a point where her car is keyed with slurs and all her tires are slashed. With how bad it got, I do wish that we saw more of the community turn around and saw more people going out of their way to apologize or make it up to Billie.

Overall though I couldn't put Offside down and can't wait to read more from Juliana Stone. I don't think the rest of the books in the series will have much hockey since her twins aren't hockey players as well, but I'm certainly intrigued to see Bobbi-Jo get her HEA. Another new author to add to my list! If you are looking for a female hockey player, certainly give it a try. Just be warned it gets a little rough and ended up being a tear-jerker for me (but I cry super easy).

Have you read Offside?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Offside, Juliana Stone, 4.5 stars, 0 days, eBook, 222 pages, published in 2012, indie published

My Hallowe'en Heartbreak by Melanie Ting

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With a little bit of free time to read to finish out the Hockey Champions Readathon, I created a spinner wheel of Hockey Romances by authors I wanted to try. I decided to pick up My Hallowe'en Heartbreak first. This is the second book of Melanie Ting's Holiday Hattrick series. I picked this one without spinning since I need a book to fill the Halloween prompt for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo. I applied this to the Hockey Champions prompt Devon Toews (underrated author) as well as the orange on the cover prompt for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

Sophia is having a bad day. She gets pulled off a major case at work, is forced to go to a schmoozey Halloween party by her boyfriend Elliot and then finds him in a bathroom having relations with another woman. She leaves and it starts raining, making her look like a drowned Pikachu. She calls for a ride and her driver ends up being her lifelong crush and childhood next door neighbor Henry. His indie rock band is taking a hiatus since their small record label is struggling and Henry has lost his muse for song writing. As Sophia and Henry rekindle their friendship, they come to rely on each other more than expected and find themselves feeling "at home" around each other. As they slowly push past being more than friends, Henry receives a chance of a lifetime to write music for a popular singer, who's also his ex-girlfriend.

First off, this may seem like it's Halloween themed by the title and series, but there's really not much Halloween vibes here except for the very beginning. I was expecting this to be more centered around the holiday, but I also didn't read the blurb going in. I also added this series because I saw there was beer league hockey in it. While there was a touch of it in this one, I think the other books in the series have more (especially with a former AHL player being the hero in book three). Otherwise I really enjoyed my time reading this. I thought it was a nice change of pace (even though it's another second chance romance, just a different kind). It was pretty slow burn, so just be aware of that going in.

I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more hockey, but that's on me and my assumptions. The bulk of this is really Henry struggling to refind his muse and connecting with Sophia. I loved the way they just were naturally drawn to each other and with their long-standing relationship really able to open up like couldn't with other people. I thought they were just so sweet together. Now this isn't quite a full 5-stars for a couple reasons. There is some ex drama, but I liked that it wasn't Sophia that went off the hook. She does at first, but then reminds herself she wants to be a judge and to wait until she can talk with Henry. What I didn't like is how she reacted when they did talk. It just felt a little overboard. I also wanted things to move a little bit quicker. I can understand a slow burn, but I felt their relationship was a little too stagnant and could've still been developing. Honestly though, if those types of things don't bother you, you'll probably really enjoy this!

I'm excited to finally get a chance to try Melanie Ting and I can't wait to read more from her backlist. I always love finding a new author, and if you're specifically looking for a POC author, she is another great option; Melanie is Japanese-Canadian. Hopefully her other hockey named books and series have more of the hockey the names promise!

Have you read My Hallowe'en Heartbreak?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: My Hallowe'en Heartbreak, Melanie Ting, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 324 pages, published in 2020, indie published

Pipe Dreams by Sarina Bowen

⭐⭐⭐💫

Not only did I want to pick up at least one hockey romance during the Hockey Champions Readathon, but I decided for my July TBR to continue reading in Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers series. Next up was book three, Pipe Dreams. I applied this to the prompt for the Coach Jared Bednar (stays calm under pressure) for the readathon. I also was able to apply this to the prompts travel romance for Summer of Swoon.

After Nate's assistant for his hockey operations ends up with a concussion, he calls back Lauren, his C-suite assistant, to cover while she heals. Lauren used to be the GM's assistant for the Brooklyn Bruisers, but has taken the chance to work for Nate's corporation and run with it. Part of the reason why she's run to Manhattan, was her horrible break up with the team's goalie Mike Beacon. Mike and Lauren were friends for almost 8 years, but when he found his wife cheating on him with her tennis instructor, he started to file for divorce. He takes the chance to make his move on Lauren and they spend over a year together happy. When his soon to be ex-wife finds out she has cancer, Mike moves back in to help take care of her and his daughter. When he does this, he ends his relationship with Lauren and doesn't explain to her why. It's been about a year since Mike's wife has passed and when Lauren ends up travelling with the team during their playoff run, he takes the chance to reconnect.

So, I should preface this review with the fact that I'm not usually a fan of 2nd chance romances, especially one where there's been a break-up. Here, there was a lot of damage done to Lauren. Mike didn't open up to her about anything that was happening (even though he did when they were friends) and then after telling her over the phone that it's over, he then ghosted her. Literally the night before he does this they are looking at apartments to move in when the team moves to Brooklyn. My biggest issue with this book is that there isn't really any resolutions or delving into each of their baggage. Specifically when it comes to what Lauren went through. It took her 2 years to really start to get over Mike and now that she's finally starting to move forward he's back. I just wanted there to be a deep discussion of what happened and for Mike to realize that Lauren wasn't "sad" but deeply hurt.

I feel like there wasn't any real groveling on top of that. The big conflict was more that Lauren wants kids. She is planning on getting artificially inseminated and is on fertility medicine. Mike goes all caveman on her and offers to be the baby daddy (in his mind he wants to marry her). I did not like this and was disappointed quite a few times when she just slept with him. Honestly, it comes down to I don't trust the HEA. There was no emotional work done to actually deal with the break-up and Lauren's subsequent trust issues so they both could move on. When in Mike's POV a couple times he talked about moving or pushing past her sadness and it really started to rub me the wrong way.

Outside of my issues, this was at least well written and it didn't turn me off on the series. I know that I'm very particular about second chance romances like this, but I just didn't feel like the emotional work was done for them to healthily come back together. I will continue to read Sarina Bowen and this series and I'm intrigued to see what happens next!

Have you read Pipe Dreams?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Pipe Dreams, Sarina Bowen, 3.5 stars, 1 day, eBook, 336 pages, published in 2017, traditionally published

Hockey Champions Readathon Wrap Up

 Happy Tuesday!

My first readathon that I've hosted is officially over. I had a lot of fun trying some new authors and even though you didn't have to read hockey romances for the readathon, they had some extra advantages. I did pick up a couple as well! In case you missed my tbr and what I was planning on reading, you can check it out here. Below is the bingo board I created.

I only used one book per prompt this time. Even though I didn't manage to get a blackout, I did at least get a couple bingos! Below is my completed board followed by the books I read. I'll start at the upper left-hand corner and go row by row.

🏒 GM - Joe Sakic - Character that pulls off something crazy: Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

🏒 Forward - Gabriel Landeskog - Character that's a leader: Persuasion by Jane Austen

🏒 Coach - Jared Bednar - Character that stays calm under pressure: Pipe Dreams by Sarina Bowen

🏒 Forward - Logan O'Connor - Fan-Favorite Author: Sapphire Dreams by Ilona Andrews

🏒 Cup - Book with an HEA: Offside by Juliana Stone

🏒 Defense - Devon Toews - Underrated Author: My Hallowe'en Heartbreak by Melanie Ting

I had a lot of fun and hope that more people participate the next time I host a readathon. If you participated, please let me know so I can check out what you read. I definitely had a lot of fun and it was nice to kind of get away from my scheduled tbr for a little bit!

Did you participate in the Hockey Champions Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Persuasion by Jane Austen

⭐⭐⭐⭐

For July, there's a bonus Rake Appreciation Society book! In celebration of the new movie, there is a bonus live show to discuss Persuasion by Jane Austen! A classic with many iterations, I read the Amazon Classic edition since it was free via Prime Reading (as a prime member) and also included free audio. I read this via audiobook off and on at work. I was able to use this for the Hockey Champions Readathon to cover the forward prompt for Gabriel Landeskog (character that's a leader). It also worked to cover the new to you author prompt for Summer of Swoon and Bath (England or tub) for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Eight years after falling in love and then separating, Anne and Captain Wentworth find each other spending time with the same families in Bath. As the continue bumping into each other throughout various social events, it becomes harder and harder to deny they still have feelings for each other. As Anne struggles with her family, she also finds herself more and more watching every little move Captain Wentworth makes to see if she can tell if he feels the same. When rumors run rampant that Anne is set to marry her cousin, Captain Wentworth shuts down. After overhearing her true feelings, he passes along the most loveliest of love letters.

This is my first Jane Austen and the first classic I've read since college. I did read this via audiobook and I do think that helped me get through some of the flowery language. I also wasn't expecting there to be as much humor in here. It's not a lot, but I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. With the overall angstiness of the eight years of pining it was unexpected. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of 2nd chance romances, but I think that Jane Austen did really well in really making you feel the pining and loss and hope of Anne. Now this is was technically written as a contemporary when Jane wrote this, but I will be marking it as historical as well as a classic. Now, looking at this strictly as a romance, I do wish that we got more time of them together. The letter that he writes though, there's not may other things I've read that are that swoony. Jane Austen was really setting the standard and all the bars high back in 1817.

I was nervous that I was going to struggle with Persuasion, but I was so pleasantly surprised. It seems like it's a favorite from a lot of the people that came to the live show. Now I do also want to say that there wasn't really much said positively about the new movie. A lot of people recommended the BBC 2007 version though, so I definitely want to check it out at some point.

Have you read Persuasion?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Persuasion, Jane Austen, 4-stars, 1 day, Audiobook, 259 pages, published in 1817, traditionally published

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

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The second main book we had to read in July for the Hidden Legacy Readalong was Emerald Blaze. This is the fifth book in Ilona Andrews's popular series. The readalong is being hosted by Stef, Heather, Megan and Izzy. I was able to use this for the prompts bright colors on the cover for Summer of Swoon and worked to cover the GM (character that pulls off something crazy) prompt for my Hockey Champions Readathon!

As the Deputy Warden of Texas, Catalina is tasked with continuing the search for the other missing vials of the Osiris serum. On top of whatever house problems and cases Baylor Investigations picks up, she has to drop everything and pursue what Warden Linus instructs. When he demands that she takes over the Morton case from Augustine, she has to finally reveal to him that she is the Deputy Warden. Felix Morton was a part of a reclamation project for the Pit and has been murdered. As per the agreement all members of the board signed, they have to allow the investigation or be shut down. When Catalina learns that one of the missing Osiris serums is involved to one of the largest threats faced, things become a lot more dire. When Alessandro comes back as Felix's father's associate and gets thrown back into it with Catalina. Alessandro has returned a changed man and does his best to convince Catalina he's only here to protect her from the man behind the theft.

Alright, let me just preface my thoughts with this, Emerald Blaze is my favorite book of the series so far and probably my favorite of their books that I've read. I became a huge fan of Catalina in Sapphire Flames and the ante has been upped even more. There's a few months between the two books and just seeing her really come into her role as the Deputy Warden was so freaking awesome to see. I also love that while Nevada was doing it for the good of everyone, I feel like what Catalina's taking on has a lot bigger risks. I mean the "big bad" in this book could potentially take down all humanity. That's a pretty big deal. I just absolutely loved and was mesmerized with how she managed to defeat The Abyss. I couldn't believe it, was rooting for her and super nervous at the same time. While I knew she most likely wouldn't die, I also didn't want to see any of the new side characters we've come to adore to be in danger as well. The final battle scene was just so freaking cinematic and such a fun end to the book.

I should also mention that we get more of Nevada and Connor in this book. Nevada is around most of the time and she is 8 months+ pregnant! Near the end of the book her water breaks and by the end we have her son! It was just so cool to really see her and Connor living in their HEA since they were away in the previous book. Also, the way that Alessandro comes back and has really changed. I loved how Catalina didn't trust it 100% and really pushed Alessandro to really open up to her. Their connection grows so much here and honestly, I feel really solid about where they're sitting. I'm hoping we get some good action of them working together as a couple in Ruby Fever, but if there's not too much relationship-wise I don't think I'll feel too sad about it. Back to Emerald Blaze though, another part I really enjoyed was just the family really being brought into what Catalina's actually doing for Linus. We also get some clarification about what happened when Nevada left the house and at the same time really seeing how much planning Catalina has put into action the past few years and really does have a lot of long game plans.

I also read a couple short stories. There is a short story listed as 4.2 in the series called Pay Me, however it takes place during Emerald Blaze. I waited to read it until done with Emerald Blaze and it's also available for free on their website! This was just a fun short story in Catalina's POV where she and Arabella arrive to close a case and receive payment. There was such a cool moment with Catalina that gave Boss-B* energy and I loved it. The other short story I read was The Cool Aunt. This is listed as book 5.1 in the series and also available for free on their website. At the end of Emerald Blaze, when Nevada goes into labor, Catalina sends Arabella with Nevada to protect her. This short story is from Arabella's POV and what happens from the point Catalina runs to get her and goes through the entire birth of her nephew. I loved this and can't wait to read more from Arabella's POV. It just gave me all the fuzzy feels and I gave both of these short stories 5-stars!

The next day when processing my thoughts about Emerald Blaze, I really wanted to reread. I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait to see what happens. I'm happy we don't have to wait too long for Ruby Fever, but the end of August is still farther away then I would like. I almost want to reread this right before it comes out, but we'll see if I have time. I cannot wait to read more from Ilona Andrews and I couldn't impress upon you more, READ THIS SERIES! It's just so freaking good and I don't know why I didn't read these books earlier.

Have you read Emerald Blaze?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Emerald Blaze, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 392 pages, published in 2020, traditionally published

STATISTICS: Pay Me, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 8 pages, published in 2019, indie published

STATISTICS: The Cool Aunt, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 12 pages, published in 2020, indie published

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As we reach the final few books of the Hidden Legacy readalong, it was time to start book 4, Sapphire Flames. This is also the start of Catalina's trilogy in the series. The readalong is hosted by Stef, Heather, Megan and Izzy. This was able to cover the Summer of Swoon prompt blue on the cover and the Hockey Champions Readathon prompt for Logan O'Connor (fan favorite author).

As the three-year grace period for emerging houses comes to an end for House Baylor, Catalina is trying to get everyone ready for whatever may come. As the new Head of House, she is also taking point as the lead investigator for their business. When she she is urged to take the case of her friend's Runa, she stumbles upon a larger plot. While trying to figure out who murdered Runa's mother and younger sister, she learns that several vials of the Osiris Serum went missing and are connected with the murder. When she approaches "Uncle" Linus for clarification on some things, she is learns about the theft and is named Deputy Warden for Texas. As the assassin house starts coming for Catalina, Alessandro finds himself back in Texas and unable to stay away from Catalina. As they start to get to know each other, Catalina tries to not fall for him too hard. Alessandro is hiding a lot of things and doesn't plan on sticking around.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. This was such a freaking good book and I cannot wait to see what comes next for Catalina and Alessandro. Now, I have to prefece this with saying I loved Nevada. She was such a badass and super cool, but Catalina has stolen my heart. She is a lot more relatable to me and I loved seeing both her "Head of House" persona as well as who she is around her family, and then who is when by herself (and eventually Alessandro). As the reader you really get to see her doubts and struggles with keeping her magic contained. While Nevada was fairly blind to a lot of the workings of magic in the beginning, Catalina has had to study her magic most of her life to keep it contained. With the way her magic works it really broke my heart when she mentioned that she tends to push people away (that aren't family) because when she wants them to like her it's harder to control her magic. She is falling in love with Alessandro and wants him to fall in love with her, but it so worried that it'll be because of her magic (nevermind he's one of the few to be able to negate her magic).

As for the action of this, Ilona Andrews does such a good job. There is about a 3 year time jump from Diamond Fire and Catalina has gotten some training with Connor's mother. It was also nice to see Arabella and Leon also older taking more of larger role in the business. We get to see all most of the same side characters, but there are also some new ones that we really get to see fleshed out. I've said this before about Ilona Andrews, but the way that they create a world just feels so organic and real. Even if you see a character for a few pages, they don't feel one or even two-dimensional. I just love the way that world build and I think that every paragraph, every word, every letter just adds so much to the stories they create. It was also really neat to learn a lot more about Catalina's magic, especially as she's really starting to get comfortable using it.

I also want to mention that there are two short stories available on Ilona Andrews's website for free! 4.1 is A Misunderstanding and is a short scene about where Arabella and Leon are in the beginning of Sapphire Flames. We hear talk about closing out the Yarrow case and that there were some issues. Later on we get to hear more about what went down, but this was fun to really see what happened. This is from Arabella's POV, which is a first for this series. There is another short story listed as 4.2 in the series called Pay Me. It is noted that it takes place during Emerald Blaze though, so I will wait and read it until after I read that. I'll touch base on Pay Me in that review.

I am so excited to start Catalina's trilogy. While I wasn't nervous about the writing going in, I wasn't really sure who Catalina was. The novella Diamond Fire helped, but I have to say that Catalina is a new favorite character for me. The way that she really just holds it all together but isn't 100% bad-ass 100% of the time. She's also a little more bookish and nerdy in her bad-assery and I love that. She just really connected with me and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. We had some heartbreak at the end and I need to know what happens! Thankfully Emerald Blaze is already out!

Have you read Sapphire Flames?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Sapphire Flames, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 0 days, Paperback, 393 pages, published in 2019, traditionally published

STATISTICS: A Misunderstanding, Ilona Andrews, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 13 pages, published in 2019, indie published

Bright Like Wildfire by Juliette Cross

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With a little bit of a break before digging into more of my planned reads for July, I decided to pick up Bright Like Wildfire by Juliette Cross. I did receive an ARC (advanced reader's copy) since I am a member of her Patreon. This is the first book in her new Beauville series! I was able to use this to cover the prompt summer 2022 release for Summer of Swoon. This also worked perfectly for my prompt for July's roll for the Yahtzee Challenge, Ones!

Betty is auditioning for her community theater's production of Barefoot in the Park. She wins the lead role, however will be costarring with Bennett. She has had a grudge against him since she was young and he glitter bombed her during a production of A Midsummer's Night Dream. Top that off with the opening of his new grocery store causing her to be late that morning for work, when they meet again there's some tension. As Bennett and Betty work together, their attraction grows quickly outside of their roles as actors and they quickly can't stay away from each other. As Bennett deals with the opening of his new business and unwanted interjections by his father, Betty is perfect for keeping him grounded and giving him some stress-free times. When they both start to develop deep feelings for each other, Betty gets nervous that it's too quick and easy.

Oh my gosh. Juliette does it again. This was so much fun and I'm so happy to read her first independently published contemporary. The sexual tension between Bennett and Betty was so visceral and as hot as a wildfire ;). Being a big fan of Juliette, watching all the live shows I can with her and following her podcast Smart Women Read Romance (with her niece Jessen), I can see a lot of inspiration from her own life. It felt reading a story that was about people that could be Juliette's neighbors or something similar. The setting just felt so grounded and real and I loved it. It's always that extra little realism that helps me really sit in the story and can picture myself living in the same area (although I have a pretty active imagination).

Honestly, there isn't much I would change or want more of from this story. I thought it was quick paced but felt natural. Sometimes two people just click and you know you're meant to be together. I also loved that there was representation of anxiety issues on Bennett's end. I loved seeing that it was something he had under control for the most part, but certain events could trigger that. While he was embarassed, I loved that he really pushed himself to be upfront and honest with Betty as much as he could. I just loved the way that they both worked through their respective issues and didn't gloss over any flaws. It just felt so good to see them work through things and reach their HEA. Also pairing their love story along with the play was such a fun addition.

Another great book from Juliette and another great start to the series. There are so many side characters I'd love to see get their HEAs, the biggest being Betty's friends/co-workers Lily and Finn as well as Bennett's brother Hale. Every time Juliette announces a new book I get excited and this is just a continuation of that trend. Juliette is one of my favorite authors, and let's be honest, one of my favorite people. I couldn't be more happy that I found her books and the podcast! If you haven't tried Juliette Cross, please check her out.

Have you read Bright Like Wildfire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Bright Like Wildfire, Juliette Cross, 5-stars, 2 days, eBook, 308 pages, published in 2022, indie published

The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J Maas

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The 2nd book to read for the first part of May's selections for the SJM-along is The Assassin and the Desert. This is the third prequel novella (listed as 0.3) in Sarah J Maas's Throne of Glass series. This is also included as part of the collection called The Assassin's Blade. The readalong was organized by Jenn (The Book Refuge), but the live show for this book and Heir of Fire was on Tori's (Novel Life) channel on May 15th. As you can probably tell since this review is up a lot later, I did not read it in time.

After the events of the first novella, Aelin has been beaten by Arobynn and sent to train with the Silent Assassins and their leader the Mute Master. Their home-base resides in the Red Desert. It takes a month to get there, and once she does she butts against the new form of training. As Aelin starts to find her place and the new style of training, she also finds new friends and connection deeper than expected.

This was such a great novella. My favorite of them so far! I just loved getting to see Celaena work to develop new skills and really improve her assassin skills. I also loved seeing the differences of how Arobynn trains his assassins versus the Mute Master. It was just so crazy how much more effective the Mute Master manages to train while also keeping a good sense of culture and family between all of his disciples. The way that the whole situation really enforces the feelings that Celaena has started to have towards Arobynn and that was so nice to see as well. We also get her realizing the depth of her feelings for Sam and really start to deal with those.

A quick review for a quick novella, but this really was so much fun. It was fun, once again, to get the full backstory of things that Celaena has mentioned in the full length novels. While they are getting a little bittersweet since we know that at some point Sam dies and Celaena gets captured and sent to the salt mines as a slave, it's just really neat to see the build up of how she really gets to the point that Throne of Glass starts. If you've read the Throne of Glass series but haven't picked up these novellas, I highly recommend them!

Have you read The Assassin and the Desert?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Assassin and the Desert, Sarah J Maas, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 103 pages, published in 2012, traditionally published

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The main book to read for the month of June for the SJM-along was the fourth book in Throne of Glass, Queen of Shadows. The readalong is created by Jenn and we are reading through Sarah J Maas's backlist in publication order. The live show for this book was on June 30th and hosted by Rachel! I was able to use this for the prompt trope or sub-genre outside comfort zone (young adult (ya)) for Summer of Swoon!

Celaena, now officially going by her real name of Aelin, is back in Rifthold. She hopes to save her cousin Aedion, steal back her family's amulet (that also holds one of the three wyrdkeys), save Dorian (via rescue or mercy killing) and connect with the remaining members of her court. Aelin is making plans and working on getting things into place to retake her rightful place as Queen of Terrasen. While Aelin is manipulating things around Rifthold, Rowan shows up to help out. While they work together with the rebels, Manon is over in Morath discovering more about what the Duke of Perrington is doing in his experiments. As she and her Thirteen struggle against what's expected of them by the Blackbeak Matriarch and her machinations to treat all witches as chattel, Manon befriends a servant to learn more.

Another 5-star read, another great addition to the series. First off, I do want to mention that this book felt a lot more cinematic especially at some of the fight scenes. The confrontation between Manon and Aelin was so well done as well as the big battle that starts off the last 100 pages. I was so tired staying up late to finish this in time and once it got to the last 100 pages I was wide awake and couldn't put it down until I was finished. Everything that was happening was so elaborate and cinematically written and I just had to see what would happen next. We are back in Rifthold for most of this book, and I feel like a lot of the previous plot threads were wrapped up for Rifthold and now we'll be moving back into more of the world. I was surprised by quite a few of the revelations and cannot wait to see what Sarah J Maas does next with the storyline.

I don't want to get into too many spoilers, but I have to say one of my favorite scenes was the rescue of Aedion. It was just so perfectly planned out. A part of me was thinking that something had to go wrong and it wouldn't work out, and while it didn't go exactly 100% to plan, they still got Aedion out fairly quickly. Another favorite scene was the fight between Aelin and Manon. Everything leading up the battle followed by the battle and how it helped Manon deal with what was happening to the witches was such an important part. I also loved seeing Manon and Aelin both be the bad-a** women that they are. The only real detractor for me was I felt there was a regression in Chaol's character growth back to where he was before finally taking a side that wasn't the kings. He was once again frustrating for me and I really hoped that he would be able to move past the actions that Aelin's had to take. He just seemed a little too butt-hurt to me and once again not looking at the whole picture of what's going on. 

I cannot wait to read more from SJM both in this series and in general. I am loving every single addition to this series and have no idea how things are going to go. I'm sure eventually we'll be taking down the "big bad," but seeing that whom we thought was the big bad was taken down this book and we still have three more full length books to go! I'm just really loving that I finally picked up Sarah's work and couldn't be more grateful to Jenn for creating this readalong.

Have you read Queen of Shadows?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Queen of Shadows, Sarah J Maas, 5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 645 pages, published in 2015, traditionally published

Hockey Champions Readathon Announcement & TBR

Update: My wrap up is posted! 

Happy Thursday!

I have a fun announcement today, I have created my own readathon! With my team, the Colorado Avalanche having just won the Stanley Cup, I wanted to celebrate. What better way to do that than with something I love to do, read! I have done an announcement video on YouTube as well as a TBR and recommendations video. I'll also touch on my TBR ideas down below.

The readathon will go from July 10th through the 17th. I plan on mostly hosting it on instagram, so check out my link in the side bar. I'll have all the information saved in my highlights as well as a normal post. I'm not going to go too much into it since I have the posts as well as my video, but I do want to touch base on what I have planned.

It's a build your own roster bingo board. As you can see above there are 9 prompts total. Three of the prompts are the same for everybody, the GM, Coach and Cup. Now is where you build your roster. You will need to select three Forwards, two Defensemen and one Goalie. I have posted the prompts list below. I do go over them all in my video linked above as well as going into why I chose certain prompts for certain players. Outside of those prompts, there are alternatives for each player (all options except for the cup). As you can see in the last photo below, you can also use the players' numbers to clear the square if it is in the publication date, total page number or number in the series. Also, I'm allowing for any hockey romance to clear a square. Technically if you are using a book to cover as many prompts as possible, you could read just one hockey romance and have a blackout!

  

 

Here is the the written version of what I have planned to read as well as who I've chosen for my bingo board:

🏒 I've been working my way through Sarina Bowen's Brooklyn Bruisers series. I plan to read at the very least Pipe Dreams, book 3. If I feel the need to binge, I'll also pick up book 4, Brooklynaire.

🏒 The Rake Appreciation Society is also hosting a bonus live show on July 14th for Jane Austen's Persuasion. I was able to get the audio and ebook versions free through Amazon's Prime Reads. I plan to read the audiobook during the readathon for the live show.

🏒 I also created a spinner wheel to finally pick up a new author that has hockey romances that I haven't picked up yet. Below is what I added:
- On the Surface by Kate Willoughby - In the Zone book 1
- Offside by Juliana Stone - Barker Triplets book 1
- Dirty Secret by Mira Lyn Kelly - Slayers Hockey book 1
- My Halloween Heartbreak by Melanie Ting - Holiday Hattrick book 2
- Change on the Fly by Maren Moore - Totally Pucked book 1

🏒 Also, I added Piper Rayne's Hockey Hotties series to the spinner wheel because I'd like to reread the first couple books before moving on to the newer releases.

There's a lot of options, but I'm hoping to read at least the three books. I am focusing on hockey romances, but like with my plans for Persausion, you don't have to read hockey romance. It's just easier to meet the prompts if you do! I hope you join me in the readathon! I'm nervous since it'll be my first time hosting, but I'm hoping at least a couple people will participate!

Will you be participating in the Hockey Champions Readathon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Overlord by Anna Hackett

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The prompt for suggestions for the June Smart Women Read Romance exclusive patreon review was Alien. Anna Hackett's Overlord was the winner! This is the first book in her Galactic Kings series. I was able to use this to cover the new to you series prompt for Summer of Swoon and the superpower prompt for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo!

Mal and her scientist friend are testing new wormhole technology. Instead of heading to Saturn, they end up on the other side of the universe and crash land on Zhalto. Poppy and Mal get separated and Mal gets rescued by the Overlord of the planet, Rhain. He is struggling with fighting against his dictator and power hungry father trying to take over his and his two half-brother's planets. Assuming that Mal is a spy sent in, he captures her for interrogation. Mal continuously escapes to try to save Poppy. Eventually Rhain figures out she's from Earth and decides to help her save Poppy, who's been captured by one of his father's warlord that's invading the planet.

This was a good starter book for a new series. There was quite a bit of set up here, but I do wish that there was a little more emphasis on Mal and Rhain's relationship. I felt like it was missing some of the romantic elements. A lot of tropes or plot points just weren't quite explored or pushed as much as they could be, but I know that Anna can do it. There were quite a few things that were nit-picky for me in this book, but overall I enjoyed my reading experience and loved seeing a new series start. It's been a bit since I've read Anna Hackett, but I think she is a great starter author if you are interested in trying alien romance but don't want to go full alien just yet.

Let's get back to Overlord. Overall I think this was a fun, fairly low angst, action packed adventure. I do wish we got a little more insight into the culture on this world, a better feel of what it is that Rhain does to rule over the planet and more information about the energy that can be controlled. I thought it was really interesting that there are different ways that energy can be used and it differs from person to person. I also thought it was odd that Mal not only was able to use the energy as well, but more so that it happened so quickly. She was only there a few days, maybe a week and seemed to just magically be able to use it in pretty powerful ways. She also wasn't making the smartest decisions (i.e: running into the barren wasteland that's filled with modified creatures without food, water, or a basic knowledge of the planet). I just was left feeling a bit wanting for Mal and Rhain, but still enjoyed my read. It just was an easy and fun read and I tried to just go along for the ride.

It was fun to get back to Anna Hackett. I am excited to read the next book in the series. I haven't read her in a while so it's fun to go back to an author that helped solidify my enjoyment of Sci-Fi romance. Like I mentioned above, if you are nervous about reading Sci-Fi and/or alien romance and want more humanoid characters that don't feel too alien, definitely give Anna Hackett a try. My favorite series by her is Eon Warriors and the first book is a lot of fun. This series would also be a good option since it's a newer release.

Have you read Overlord?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Overlord, Anna Hackett, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 262 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Master of Crows by Grace Draven

⭐⭐⭐⭐

 I decided for June 2022 to start doing a tbr as part of a revamp of my Booktube Channel. I had prompts with multiple options: backlist author, new to me author and continue a series. For backlist author I ended up choosing Grace Draven! A favorite fantasy author of mine, I decided to pick up Master of Crows. This is the first book in her Master of Crows series (and is set in the same world as The Wraith Kings!). I was able to use this for Summer of Swoon to cover the prompt indie romance and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo to cover the prompt takes place in a made up country.

Silhara is the Master of Crows, a mage with a lot of magic power. He is fighting off becoming the avatar for the god Corruption. As Corruption continues to try to seduce and blackmail Silhara giving in to his power, he starts looking for ways to defeat the god once again. He reaches out to the Conclave for help, specifically an apprentice that can read/translate ancient languages. Martise is brought to be his apprentice, but that's not all. She's also expected to spy on Silhara for the Conclave and report anything they can use to finally be rid of him once and for all. Also asked is for Silhara to try to figure out what Martise's magic gift is and activate it. As Silhara and Martise work together in the library and tending his orange grove, they start to become close. Silhara guessed she was a spy from the beginning, but as he starts to see who she really is, he struggles with falling for the woman sent to spy on him and is worried that if he has to kill her, he won't be able too.

I have to say, this one took a little longer for me to really sink into. I think you can tell it's an earlier book by Grace because it doesn't quite grab you as much as other books I've read from her. I think once we got the setup done and through the first little bit where Silhara and Martise aren't interacting as much, things started to pick up. I loved that they had this push and pull relationship. Silhara is such a grump with Martise, partly because he knows she's a spy and partly because he keeps finding himself drawn to her. Every time they start to get close he gets grumpy and pushes her away, but we see that he is just so torn on wanting her but also trying to protect himself and her from the influence Corruption is trying to enforce. For me, things really starting picking up once they started working together in the orange grove, but really got going once they went to "visit the lich."

I also loved the mystery and delve into what kind of magical gift that Martise had and how it manifests for the first time. I also love how when she finally is able to tap into her magic and Silhara asks her to bond with him so he can learn more about it she completely opens up to him and allows almost too much; she practically drains herself. The way that she pushed back and really forced him to allow her to help, even knowing what could happen was just so awe-inspiring. She was more than happy to make the sacrifice to bring down Corruption. I do have to say though, I do wish there a little more emphasis on the romance and it felt more romantic overall.

I'm so happy to read more of Grace Draven and have another book of her backlist done! She's one of my favorite fantasy romance authors and I always love getting lost in the worlds she creates. While I understand why a lot of people don't like this one as much, especially when compared with Radiance, I think this is a beautiful and special fantasy romance in it's own right. It's just a different vibe and an earlier work. If you've enjoyed a lot of Grace's other books, definitely give this a try. Just try to temper your expectations a little.

Have you read Master of Crows?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Master of Crows, Grace Draven, 4-stars, 4 days, Paperback, 392 pages, published in 2009, indie published

June Wrap Up

 Happy July!

I can't believe we're already half-way through the year. June was a roller coaster of a month for me, both personally and reading wise. We had some things happen with the world and politically that are just really disheartening and disappointing. I started in a really great reading zone and had quite a few good reads already under my belt by the middle of the month. My reading really slowed down after then, but there's been a lot going on with family and suddenly having to find a new place. In happier news though...

🎆🎆THE AVALANCHE WON THE STANLEY CUP!!! 🎆🎆

That's right, my boys, my team won the cup and it was such a fun run. I've already been joking with my boss that I won't know what to do with my free time since it's been all hockey for the last 9 1/2 months. But, we have the draft coming up soon and then off-season starts the 13th. It won't be as constant, but there'll be news and things happening over the summer for sure.

Back to reading though, I read a lot of really good books this month. I'm having fun in the summer reading challenges I've started and the readalongs I'm participating in. I also was able to successfully wrap up the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge earlier in the month! Okay, enough rambling from me. Let's get to the good stuff.

June 2022

💗 I read 15 books for 4,350 pages

💗 I averaged 1.07 days per book
💗 The average page count is 290.00
💗 I read 1 book under 100 pages, 4 in the 100s, 2 in the 200s, 7 in the 300s and 1 in the 600s

💗 I read 4 books for readathons, clubs and readalongs
💗 4 books I read had diversity
💗 I read 2 new authors
💗 I didn't reread any books

💗 I previously owned 8 books and added 6 to my wishlist
💗 I read 8 books in paperback and 7 in eBook
💗 I read 8 books traditionally published and 7 from indie authors
💗 I read 1 book published in the 2000s, 5 in the 2010s and 9 in the 2020s

💗 My average rating is 4.60
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 8 books
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 - 2 books
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 5 books

💗 I read 5 contemporaries, 5 fantasies, 3 historicals, 1 paranormal and 1 sci-fi romances
💗 My contemporary breakdown was 1 normal, 2 rom-coms, 1 sports and 1 holiday

1. Tall Dork and Handsome by Allie York ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2. Let's Geek It On by Allie York ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

3. Walking in a Geeky Wonderland ⭐⭐⭐⭐

4. Dukes Do It Better by Bethany Bennett ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

5. Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

6. How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

7. Wildfire by Ilona Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

8. Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

9. A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman ⭐⭐⭐⭐

10. Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen ⭐⭐⭐⭐

11. Space Junk by Sara L Hudson ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

12. Master of Crows by Grace Draven ⭐⭐⭐⭐

13. Overlord by Anna Hackett ⭐⭐⭐⭐

14. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

15. The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

💗 As you can tell from my rating stats, I had a lot of really great books this month. It's really hard to tell which one is my favorite of them, but I just was really great overall. If I had to pick a most disappointing book, it would probably be Walking in a Geeky Wonderland. It just felt a little disjointed compared to the earlier books in the series, but check out my review if you want to know more about why.

We'll see what July brings. I'm pretty excited for the next books in my Hidden Legacy and SJM readalongs. I'm not sure if there will be any summer readathons starting. I have a lot that will be going on though, so I'm not sure if I'm going to be getting to too much extra reading. At least with the hockey season over for now I should theoretically have more time I can allocate to reading.

How was your reading in June?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎