Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo Wrap Up

 My 2022 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo is officially complete!

I was hoping to get it done earlier this month, but things happened. I did manage to get it complete before the end of the month though! Hopefully if you need a couple more books to close it out this can offer an option(s)! If this is your first time hearing about this reading challenge, it's hosted by the Ripped Bodice, a romance only bookstore in California. They do also offer the chance to enter for prizes, so make sure to fill out your entries here. If you missed my tbr, here is the blank bingo board.

Below is my completed board! I'll list out what I read (with links to my reviews) starting with the upper-left corner and going row by row!

🍦 Second Chance: Walking in a Geeky Wonderland by Allie York

🍦 Bath (Endgland or Tub): Persuasion by Jane Austen

🍦 Amnesia: Lord of Vampires by Gene Showalter

🍦 Cover Has Food On It: Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

🍦 Bicycle: A Captivating Touch by Elsa Winckler

🍦 Superpower: Overlord by Anna Hackett

🍦 Mistaken Identity: Space Junk by Sara L Hudson

🍦 Halloween: My Hallowe'en Heartbreak by Melanie Ting

🍦 Dance: Flawless by Elsie Silver

🍦 Takes Place in a Made Up Country: Master of Crows by Grace Draven

🍦 High Tea: The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens

🍦 Protagonist Smells Like Laundry: Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen

🍦 HEA: Tall, Dork and Handsome by Allie York

🍦 Hawaii: Walking In Fire by Cathryn Cade

🍦 Mafia: Raze by Tillie Cole

🍦 Title Has a Number In It: Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

🍦 College Dorm: Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein

🍦 Widow Protagonist: Dukes Do It Better by Bethany Bennett

🍦 Steampunk: Gaslight Hades by Grace Draven

🍦 Architect: A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman

🍦 Work Rivals: Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross

🍦 Property Inheritance: How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret

🍦 Animal Shelter: Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

🍦 Graduation: Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews

🍦 Ghost: Whispers on the Wind by Donna Fletcher

I had a lot of fun once again and love how some of the prompts they choose can get super specific. I feel like this reading challenge is the one that pushes me the most outside of my comfort zone. Sometimes it's a struggle to find a book, but when I magically stumble across one of the prompts (like smelling like laundry) it's super exciting. I can't wait to see what they do next year!

Did you participate in the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Her Unexpected Roommate by Jackie Lau

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The end has come to Jackie Lau's Cider Bar Sisters. The last book in the series, Her Unexpected Roommate just recently came out (August 9th) and I wanted to pick it up as soon as possible. I was able to use this book to cover the prompt yellow on the cover for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon!

Rose is struggling with her depression and trying not to internalize all of her friends finding their HEAs. When she goes out by herself for a drink, she runs into Cal. They end up going home together, but circumstances happen that leaves them unable to contact each other afterwards. When they come back together months later, it's as Cal becoming Rose's new roommate. As they live together, it's hard to forget the wonderful night they spent together before, but don't want to cause any issues with their living situation.

So, before we get into the review, I do want to talk about some trigger/content warnings. There is a lot of discussion about depression and the different symptoms that come with it. Even more specific though, is depression that is resistant to "normal" treatments. There's also discuss of suicide and stigmas against depression and mental health. That is in the past and not something that is current though. This is mentioned in the author's note at the beginning of the books as well, but the heroine's mother didn't really accept that depression was an issue and ended up committing suicide years before this book is set. There is also a mention that Rose herself was suicidal before, but it's not really gone into too deeply. On a more positive note, the way that suicide and mental health is discussed in this book is really well done. I love the way that Jackie Lau is able to talk about these deep issues but not make it feel preachy or too over-dramatic to get a point across. There is discussion about the stigmas that society put on people that attempt or commit suicide and how there's a skewed perspective a lot of the time. As someone that was diagnosed with depression as a pre-teen and also struggled with suicide when I was younger, this book felt very meaningful to me. It did take me a lot longer than usual to get through (almost a week), but that is because I've been really stressed out with getting ready to move and struggling to find time to read.

Now, usually the books in this series have more of a rom-com feel. There is some humor here, but because of the heavier topics dealt with I would consider this more of a straight contemporary. But let's get onto the other parts of the book. I absolutely adored Cal. He was so easygoing and just adaptable and willing to do whatever he could to help Rose when she was struggling. There were a lot of pieces of Rose that I connected with and it was so satisfying to see her reach her HEA. Even though there was a lot of focus on Rose, Cal had his own issues with his family and having lived his life with undiagnosed dyscalculia. I really enjoyed the way that they felt connected and it was just so cute to see them cuddling on the couch watching C- and K-dramas. This book was heavy, but it also felt really uplifting. I also loved how the "third-act conflict" happened (spoiler: there wasn't really one). The final chapter and epilogue was also really cute to see and it was really cute seeing the cider bar sisters a few years forward. I loved the wrap up of the series!

Okay, now for my usual, "Please read Jackie Lau" blurb. Seriously, pick her up. I loved her and her books. The way that she writes just feels so realistic and I want to hang out with all her characters! She is one of my favorite contemporary authors and also a cozy read for me. Jackie has been teasing in her past few newsletters that she has plans for two new series in 2023. There hasn't been anything announced as of yet, but I have a feeling one might be based around Cal's friend group (that are all from their high school theater group) and the other might be one of Rose's instagram plushie friends (a scientist in Montreal). We'll see what they end up being, but no matter what I'll be picking them up!

Have you read Her Unexpected Roommate?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Her Unexpected Roommate, Jackie Lau, 5 stars, 6 days, eBook, 234 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan

⭐⭐⭐

The August 2022 book chosen for Rake Appreciation Society was Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan. This is not only her debut book, but the first in her Carhart series. Rake Appreciation is hosted by Crystal and Jenn and this month the live show was on the 17th! I was able to use this to cover the prompt new to you series for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

Jenny has been working as Madame Esmerelda, a fortune teller. She is not a real fortune teller and is starting to feel trapped and lonely in her life. When one of her clients, and only friend, brings his cousin Gareth to an appointment, he's only their to scientifically prove that she's a fraud. Jenny, Ned and Gareth end up in a bet where Jenny foretells that Gareth will meet the woman to become his wife at an upcoming ball and if he follows the tasks she sets, can win her heart. Gareth doesn't trust Jenny at all, but in able to see through her disguise finds himself intrigued and attracted to her. His scientific mind wants to figure her out and solve this conundrum, but soon he doesn't think he'll ever be able to stop wanting to be with Jenny in all ways.

Okay, this book was a little bit of a struggle for me. I enjoy Courtney Milan's book and this was one was good as well. I think it was really well paced and I like that she pushes the steaminess pretty quickly. She writes smart and I really noticed it here, probably because this was her debut. Where I struggled is in two main things. First, I am not a fan of the class difference trope; doubly when it's the woman that's the lower class. I very rarely enjoy it and usually find myself not liking a lot of the elements that usually take place when it's the woman potentially becoming the mistress or being brought into society.

Honestly though, I just didn't feel connected to Jenny or Gareth. I found myself start to skim at about the 55% mark. It felt long, even though it's average sized (although I feel like longer than the typical Harlequin). I didn't really feel invested in their relationship and struggled finding something something that I could relate too. I think the character I cared about the most was Ned and Lady Kate. Ned is struggling with depression and it was hard to see him go through the ups and downs. So content warning for that as well as mentions of contemplating suicide. I do feel like Gareth has some sort of social disorder because it's really hard for him to make friends. He constantly finds himself coming across too stern or uncaring and it bothers him, but he's almost unable to stop himself. Maybe I'm reading too much into it though.

I'm happy to have finally read another Courtney Milan, but she's not a top author for me. I love supporting another Asian author, but I haven't gotten that 5-star, blow me away read yet. I will keep trying because overall I do enjoy her works. Hopefully I'll find the one that clicks for me. I'm going to continue to pick up her books for sure.

Have you read Proof by Seduction?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Proof by Seduction, Courtney Milan, 3-stars, 1 day, eBook, 352 pages, published in 2009, traditionally published

Whispers on the Wind by Donna Fletcher

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With a little bit of free time left before needing to pick up one of my book club books for the month, I decided to continue reading to try to finish the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo. I decided to pick up Whispers on the Wind by Donna Fletcher to cover the prompt ghost. This also worked to cover the Summer of Swoon 2nd board prompt photo cover.

Belinda, Billie has ended up inheriting Radborne Manor in Cornwall. With nowhere else to go, she travels from Nantucket to claim her new home. When she arrives, she finds the manor is haunted by the previous Earl, Lord Maximillian. As she works with Max to figure out why his spirit is unable to rest and move him on, she gets dragged into a plot more dangerous than expected. While investigating in the town and around the manor, Billie meets the new local Vicar John. The more time she spends with John, the more she realizes he would make a good husband and can see a life with him. It's not as simple with Max the ghost stoking the passions within Billie the more time they spend together.

This was such a fun read. First off, I do know that this book isn't perfect, things are pretty predictable and the tension is a little off when coming to the big mystery, but I just had to give this 5-stars. I had such a good time reading Whispers on the Wind and was super excited to read one of Donna's early standalones. I also need to put out there that this is a great book when it comes to early historical romances (this was published in 1997). Yes there is a lot of silliness going on, but I didn't take it too seriously and really loved how everything developed.

Now, this is a little spoilery, but since it happens pretty early on, I do want to touch base on a couple things regarding the ghost situation. The blurb on the back definitely leads this towards a love triangle, and Billie also at times does feel like she's torn between the two men. She immediately questions if he's really a ghost and I love how she played along with Max's scheme. She was very much: if he's a ghost, great we'll help him move on; if he's not, I'll help him accomplish whatever it is that he's trying to do. I loved how she just really wanted to help him. I also loved how she integrated herself in the town. While she did try to adapt a little bit to the English customs, there were times where she didn't care and she was going to continue acting the American way because it made sense. Honestly, my biggest gripe was how many head injuries that poor girl went through. There was mention that one of them left her in bed for a couple weeks, but that poor girl probably will end up with CTE or something. 

I had a lot of fun reading this (I know I keep saying it). This had the same easy readability of Donna's other books, but it definitely had a different feel. Maybe it's because it was earlier published, maybe it's because it's not set in the Scottish Highlands. Whatever it is, I can't urge you more to try this book if you've enjoyed her other books. I'm also happy I was able to find this in paperback a little white ago in good condition! My enjoyment of Donna Fletcher continues!

Have you read Whispers on the Wind?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Whispers on the Wind, Donna Fletcher, 5 stars, 1 day, Paperback, 360 pages, published in 1997, traditionally published

Second Star to the Left by Megan Van Dyke

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With a little bit of time to mood read, I looked at what prompts I had remaining in my summer quarterly challenges. I had one prompt left for the 1st bingo board of Summer of Swoon, 2022 debut author! I decided to pick up Second Star to the Left by Megan Van Dyke. This is not only her debut book (she has a couple more out now), but is also the fist in her Reimagined Fairy Tales series.

After Tinker Bell saves her cousin from being captured by Blackbeard, she breaks one of the few laws pixies has to save her. In committing the act of selling her pixie dust she loses the ability to return home in the pixie realm. She is tasked by Queen Titania, the queen of the mermaids, to steal a necklace to gain their trust. She seduces and drugs (with pixie dust) Captain Hook, the current owner of the necklace. He ends up getting cursed as the most recent owner of the necklace by the mermaids. To remove the curse Captain Hook is under and get the pearl that could fix Tink's bracelet (that gives her access to her home), they are tasked with finding a legendary magical item. They are forced to work together to both get what they need, but struggle to keep from forming emotional entanglements.

Guys, guys, guys... this book was soooooo good. First off, I want to preface that I'm not the biggest Peter Pan fan. I don't dislike it, but the only thing that I've really enjoyed relating to it was the movie Hook and the version of Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time (sexy pirate alert). So with that, I know the basic story of Peter Pan, but not all the little details. I cannot tell you how twisted Megan gets with the little details, but not matter how far she goes, I loved this book! I really enjoyed learning about Tink and just pixies in general and their way of life. I thought the magic they had was simple, but also super unique. You could feel the tension between Hook and Tink from the start and I loved that they just kept getting drawn to each other. Even when Hook was trying to be stern and "mean" with her, he just couldn't stop himself from caring. I just loved them together and how they kept stealing kisses and really opened up to each other in ways that they hadn't to really anyone else.

Now the mystery and friction with Blackbeard was a little predictable, but going into a "fairy tale" trope type of book I was expecting some predictability. It didn't bother me at all and I think just made it that much more of a fun and easy read. There really wasn't much that detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I mean the only thing would be I need to know what happened to Tink's cousin Lily and Peter and the lost boys. I'm sure they'll pop up later in the series or in a book of their own, but I want to know how that loose end gets tied up!

I cannot wait to read more from Megan and I'm still a little astounded that this was her debut. I've read her hints and blurb for the 2nd book in the series, The Ugly Stepsister, and I am so excited to read it. It comes out next month (September 13th). Seriously, if you enjoy fairy tale retellings, especially with a twist, definitely check out this series. I think I might have just found another new favorite fantasy romance author!

Have you read Second Star to the Left?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Second Star to the Left, Megan Van Dyke, 5 stars, 1 day, Paperback, 302 pages, published in 2022, small publisher

A Captivating Touch by Elsa Winckler

⭐⭐⭐

The last book I picked up for the Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark was A Captivating Touch by Elsa Winckler. I had this on my tbr as Touched to the Heart, but this was actually republished in 2020 with a new title and now is listed as the 0.5 prequel to the Cavallo Brothers series. This covered the readathon's prompt billionaire, Summer of Swoon 2nd bingo board's prompt set in a country/state I don't live in and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo's prompt bicycle.

Don is participating in a bicycle race with his brothers. When he pulls a back muscle, he heads to one of the phsyio tents. There he overhears Caitlin talking to her friend about how unattractive she finds cyclists. She's instantly proved wrong when she meets Don. He has a house in the small town she's from and ends up finding her after the race for more physiotherapy. There's a lot of sexual tension between them and Don can't seem to stay away from Caitlin no matter how hard he tries.

Oh boy, this was a hard novella for me to get through. There were good moments, but then moments where I was confused of feeling like "that's it?" I enjoyed the beginning and the banter between Don and Caitlin. Where I really was left wanting was this felt very much like insta-lust and not insta-love. Going into novellas I almost expect for it to be more along the insta-love route, but I just didn't quite get the connection between them. On top of that Caitlin was so back and forth about what she felt about Don. There was even a mention near the end of the book by one of her sisters about if they are still hating Don and that it was: we like him, we hate him, we love him and we hate him again. It just didn't quite hit the mark for me in feeling like their HEA was believable to me. I also kind of found it odd that the three sisters and Caitlin's best friend were being paired with the four Cavallo brothers. That kind of thing doesn't bother me as much with historical romances, but it just felt a little ookie to me.

Despite feeling back and forth on A Captivating Touch, I'm certainly interested to pick up a full length novel from Elsa Winckler. I would like to see how she really develops a relationship with 150 (+/-) more pages. I certainly would love to try more even more so since she's my first South African writer. I also think it's cool that she usually writes in Afrikaans but this series was contracted to be written in English.

Have you read A Captivating Touch?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Captivating Touch, Elsa Winckler, 3-stars, 0 days, eBook, 130 pages, published in 2013, small publisher

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I have finally picked up Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau! This is her fist traditionally published book and the first in her new series. I read this during the Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark to cover the prompt celebrity. I also used this for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon to cover the diverse hero prompt and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo to cover the food on the cover prompt.

Ryan is an actor and is struggling with the performance as his first main male lead romcom. It's not doing too well with critics and he's nervous the implications it could have for Asian male leads moving forward. Since he mother passed away a few months ago, he's taking a small break to be there more for his family (his sister is about to give birth). He runs into Lindsay, the co-owner of a local donut shop. He thinks about how pretty she is but doesn't really have an excuse to see her again until he gets offered a role in a celebrity edition of failed baking competition show. He doesn't want to suck too horribly and decides to approach Lindsay for baking lessons.

Oh my gosh, for her first traditionally published book, Jackie really pulled out all the stops. It has the same coziness I expect from this type of traditionally published romcom, but we get the Jackie Lau twist! I feel like we get the tension a little tighter and we went full bore earlier than usual. On top of the fact that we always get good foodie things in her books, but it's even magnified because Lindsay is a baker. I absolutely loved the relationship between Ryan and Lindsay, especially once they started the private lessons. It just felt so natural how they felt more and more comfortable with each other and it slowly progressed from just baking partners to more. They really swept me away and I loved seeing them fall in love and really come to terms with what their relationship would be.

There is a lot of discussion in here as well about Asian representation in particular to Hollywood and film/TV medias. I thought it was really well discussed and covered. The way that Jackie writes never seems preachy to me and is just something that her characters have to come to terms with. There is also a lot of discussion about grief with both Ryan and Lindsay having lost a parent. Ryan's mother passed several months ago while Lindsay's father passed 7-ish years ago. I thought the way that they connected and were able to really open up about their grief with each other was so special. That is something that really can make or break a book for me when it deals with grief, but I think Jackie handles various types of issues so well. I also love how real her characters feel and nothing seems overlay dramatized in their reactions or dialogue. I can see her characters in my mind and can picture hanging out with them. Now, the only detraction I really had was the focus on Ryan's friend. I understand that he is showing a different perspective and pov as an Asian that's Bisexual, but I wish that we didn't get too much into what was going on with him. He's in town to do a comedy show and we get a very long monologue. While it's important to discuss those things, it felt a little off since it was taking away the focus on Lindsay and Ryan. I just wish that it more summarized that part of his monologue and fleshed out more of the jokes he made about Ryan. And since I picked this up so late after release, I already know that he's going to be the MMC in the follow-up, The Stand-Up Groomsman.

Overall this was such a great foray for Jackie and I adored this book so much. I really found myself able to connect to both Lindsay and Ryan and cannot wait for more. If you haven't picked up Jackie Lau yet, please, please do. She's one of my favorite contemporary authors and I cannot wait for whatever books she decides to write next. The only thing I have to warn you about, don't go into her books hungry otherwise you'll find yourself really wanting to snack and read!

Have you read Donut Fall in Love?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Donut Fall in Love, Jackie Lau, 4.5 stars, Paperback, 0 days, 358 pages, published in 2021, traditionally published

Gaslight Hades by Grace Draven

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Wanting a little bit of a change of pace in the Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark, I decided to pick up Gaslight Hades by Grace Draven next. This is the first book in her Bonekeeper Chronicles series and worked to cover both second change and fantasy. Gaslight Hades also worked perfect to cover the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo prompt steampunk and Summer of Swoon 2nd board prompt indie romance.

Lenore has just lost her father and is waiting to make sure his body in properly interred by the graveyard workers. As she waits, the Guardian of this location shows up to observe the proceedings as well. She is frightened by him, but also intrigued. She approaches him to make sure he will be on the lookout to keep her father's body from being stolen by the ressurectionists. Lenore gets a feeling of familiarity with the Guardian, but writes it off. What she doesn't know is that when her former lover Nathaniel died, his soul was moved into a new body and created to be a Bonekeeper Guardian. As they find themselves drawn together again and again, Nathaniel, going by Colin, joins Lenore on an airship test run to watch over her.

This is the first steampunk fantasy I've read in a while and this was so much fun! I loved really getting into this new world by Grace Draven. It was a little bit info-dumpy at times, but it didn't feel too dry for me. Maybe because I read a lot of historical and have read some steampunk before some of it felt more of a refresher. I can see if you are new to either of those sub-genres that it might be a little much, so I just want to put that little warning out there. Otherwise I thought the magic behind the Bonekeepers was super unique and I'm intrigued to read more set in this world. I hope all of the Bonekeepers end up with books (even though we really only meet one or two others). Honestly, the only reason I didn't give this the full five-stars is I wanted more from the romance department. I just wish we saw more of the little moments between them. This is more long novella length though, so maybe if we got a little closer to the 200 page mark I might've gotten everything that I wanted.

This was super fun and I can't wait to read more in this series. There's already a cover for the second book in the series but it hasn't been posted yet. I will pick up anything that Grace Draven writes, but I loved how unique this felt compared to her other works. I can't recommend her enough! If you are working your way through her backlist as well, don't put Gaslight Hades off. I myself am sad I didn't pick it up earlier this year during FaRoFeb.

Have you read Gaslight Hades?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Gaslight Hades, Grace Draven, 4.5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 144 pages, published in 2015, indie published

Summer of Swoon Board 2 TBR

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

Even though we are almost done with the Summer of Swoon reading challenge, I figured I'd do a mini-tbr for the 2nd bingo board. If you want to see what I did for the first, check out my wrap up for that! Just to do a quick recap, it runs through August 31st and is hosted by Shelby Taggart on instagram! Below is the blank bingo board if you haven't seen it yet.

So, I have had to move quite a few books to the second board as I've been reading that didn't work for prompts on the first, so I have 12 books already completed for the board! Below is my updated board. I'll put a few options I have planned for the remaining prompts.

🌊 For summer 2022 release I have a couple options that I plan on picking up as soon as I can, Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews and Her Unexpected Roommate by Jackie Lau. Those could also at least work for yellow on cover, bright colors on cover or author with more than 5 published books.

🌊 Also I have quite a few books to read from Ali Hazelwood. Her new book Love on the Brain also comes out soon. I also need to read the other two books in her STEMinist Novellas series. These should also work to cover 2021 debut author, romcom, published in July and/or bright colors on the cover.

🌊 For set in summer I'm thinking of picking up Katie Rose's Boys of Summer series. It's a baseball sports romance series and want to at least try the first book.

🌊 Some other options are to pick up some historical romances. If it's set during the season, those would cover any set in summer prompts as well as work for a favorite sub-genre.

So I have a few readalong and book club books I'll need to get to by the end of the month, so other than those I'm really looking at only needing to pick up 7 other books, of which some of the options are above. As long as I don't get sucked into too much other things it should be doable. Or I might binge some last minute novellas. We'll see what I end up reading!

Are you participating in Summer of Swoon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wanting to clear up as much as I could of my bingo board for the Romance Take Readathon - Light v. Dark, I decided to pick up Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein. This is the second book in her Dark Obsession series. This was perfect to cover the prompts Virgin Hero, Plus Sized, New Adult and Sports for the readathon! I was also able to use this for prompts college dorm for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo and new adult for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

After being bullied by Tate and his friends in high school, Letty runs into him a couple years later in one of her film classes at college. The last time she saw him his friend had run her over with his truck forcing her off a ravine and hospitalized and recovering for a long time. Tate feels bad and wants to try to make it up to Letty and not cause her any more harm. When they get paired up to do a project covering sex in cinema, Letty finds herself really coming to learn about who Tate really is behind the facade he's worn since high school. As they get closer, they both have to come to some realizations about their situations in the past and now.

So there is definitely bullying situations addressed in this book, so be aware of that if you are at all sensitive. Most of what we see is in the prologue, but then there are recountings of the bullying and how it made Letty feel throughout. Now, it was a little predictable (to me) the why of the bullying from Tate, however we don't really get much clarity about his two main friends in high school. So I feel a little torn on this book, but my enjoyment really came from getting to know Tate in the present day and really see him work through his apology to Letty. We also get to know more about him behind the façade he's put on for so long. I really connected with Tate and thought he was just the sweetest. The way he really felt bad for his actions towards Letty was felt and I loved how he even went out of his way to avoid class for a few days to "stay away from her." I don't know, but I just really felt for him and came to love him as a hero.

Now I did think the reasons why he was a virgin was a little silly, but it is what it is. What detracted for me was actually mostly to do with Letty. I feel bad thinking that, but I really wanted her to make more progress in her mental health. I know that after the big bullying incident (that happens in the prologue) she ends up needing to spend time recovering and getting back to a normal life. I do wish that there was more done both for her and also her doing the work. She was still very triggered and struggled to make even friends with a girl that lived in the same floor as her. I don't know, maybe I'm being too judgmental about it, but I just really wanted to see her work through some of this more. Ideally I would want this to be through therapy, but by the time I got to the big 3rd act breakup, I was wanting more from her in being able to move forward. Also, it's a little spoilery, but when we get to some of the reasons behind the tension they had in high school, it's pointed out that a lot of her insecurities were felt before the bullying really started (or intensified). I understand that the bullying probably made those worse to deal with, but I wanted some sort of acceptance or realization on her end that all these insecurities she was dealing with wasn't just because of the bullying.

Overall I really enjoyed Tate and thought the writing style was good enough to keep me hooked. I just felt like Tate did a lot more of the inner work needed and struggle with believing 100% that Letty will be happy in their HEA. I can quickly seeing it turn into Tate giving up everything to keep her happy and potentially triggering Letty. That makes me think he could live the rest of his life being overly cautious (and walking on eggshells). Outside of that, I am intrigued to pick up something else by Charlotte Stein and checking out the rest of this series.

Have you read Never Sweeter?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Never Sweeter, Charlotte Stein, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 262 pages, published in 2016, small publisher

Summer of Swoon Wrap Up

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

I have finally finished the first bingo board of Summer of Swoon, 2022!

It ended up taking longer than I expected, but I've been noticing that my reading this year has slowed down quite a bit on top of a lot of life things happening this summer. In case you missed my tbr post, check it out! This quarterly challenge was created by Shelby Taggart. She hosts this (and all her challenges) on instagram. Below is the blank bingo board.

Below is my completed board and I'll list out what book I used for which prompt starting, as usual, with the top left hand corner and going row by row. 

🌊 Vacation or Travel Romance: Pipe Dreams by Sarina Bowen

🌊 A Beachy Read: Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews

🌊 White on the Cover: Walking in a Geeky Wonderland by Allie York

🌊 Male Only Cover: Space Junk by Sarah L Hudson

🌊 New to You Series: Overlord by Anna Hackett

🌊 Blue on the Cover: Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

🌊 Set in Summer: Love at First Fight by Carrie Aarons

🌊 2022 Debut Author: Second Star to the Left by Megan Van Dyke [review to come]

🌊 Summer 2022 Release: Bright Like Wildfire by Juliette Cross

🌊 Grumpy x Sunshine: Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

🌊 Published in June: Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

🌊 Plant, Flower or Tree on the Cover: A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman

🌊 Indie Romance: Master of Crows by Grace Draven

🌊 New to You Author: Persuasion by Jane Austen

🌊 Romance Read by Shelby in the Past 2 Years: Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen

🌊 Friends to Lovers Romance: Let's Geek It On by Allie York

🌊 Author Recommendation: Flawless by Elsie Silver

🌊 Author with Less than 5 Published Books: Dukes Do It Better by Bethany Bennett

🌊 Bright Colors on the Cover: Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

🌊 Set Outside the USA: How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret

🌊 Illustrated Cover: Tall, Dork and Handsome by Allie York

🌊 Cover Model has Long Hair: Wildfire by Ilona Andrews

🌊 Spring 2022 Release: Her Favorite Rebound by Jackie Lau

🌊 Enemies to Lovers Romance: Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross

🌊 Trope or Sub-Genre Outside Comfort Zone: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

Of these 25 it's really hard to choose a favorite. I read a lot of really good books and this has ben a pretty good reading summer so far despite having a lower overall number. I am going to attempt to finish the second bingo board as well, so stay tuned for my mini tbr!

Are you participating in the Summer of Swoon?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The 2nd book I picked up for the Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark round was Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood. This is the first book in her STEMinist Novellas series. Under One Roof worked perfectly to cover romcom and forced proximity for the readathon. I also was able to use it for Summer of Swoon to cover the grumpy sunshine prompt and Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo to cover the title has a number prompt.

After Mara's doctorate mentor passes away, she's leaves her half of a house in DC to Mara. The other half is owned by her nephew Liam. Liam is a corporate lawyer for a company that is known to not have enviromental friendly policies. Mara is an environmental engineer, so of course this rubs her wrong before they even meet. Liam tries to buy Mara out, but she decides to stay despite them not getting along. As they become friends, after some squabbles, they start to really learn who each other are.

This is a cute trope centered novella. I enjoyed my time reading this and thought for a novella it was paced pretty well. I also liked that when we got to the end it wasn't a magical "let's get married" but more of a let's have a serious relationship and keep moving forward. It just felt a lot more natural. This wasn't a full five-stars for me though, mostly because of Mara. She felt very childish at times, especially with being almost 30-years old. I didn't understand her actions at times and her excuse to stay in the house was quite a bit flimsy. What really bothered me is when she doesn't accept a package for Liam from UPS after she deduces it's probably something important. Just not okay. Otherwise, once they became friendly I enjoyed the way their relationship evolved into deeper feelings.

This was a decent start to this novella series and I'm certainly intrigued to read more. I think this book helped reset my expectations for these since the only other book I've read by Ali is The Love Hypothesis (which is her only other published book as of now). I can't wait to pick up the other two trope-tasitc novellas and think they'll be a perfect pick-me-up or palette cleanser.

Have you read Under One Roof?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Under One Roof, Ali Hazelwood, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 112 pages, published in 2022, traditionally published

Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark Wrap Up

 Last week was the latest round of the Romance Takeover Readathon! Jenn went with the Light v. Dark theme this time. I go into more depth during my tbr, so if you missed that post definitely check it out for all the details. The readathon was hosted by Jenn, Crystal, Jessen, Rachel, Christi and Caitlin. Jenn, once again, did a build your own bingo board.

Above is the bingo board that I created. I went a little different this time in my creation and looked at books I wanted to pick up to finish the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo. Once I narrowed down those, I then looked at what prompts they matched from Jenn's list and built my bingo board based off of those. I did a pretty good job sticking to my stricter tbr this time and surpassed my goal of five books! Below is my final bingo board followed by the books I read in order read.

1. Walking in Fire by Cathryn Cade - covered paranormal and foodie

2. Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood - covered friends to lovers, forced proximity and romcom

3. Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein - covered virgin hero, plus sized, new adult and sports

4. Gaslight Hades by Grace Draven - covered 2nd chance and fantasy

5. Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau - covered celebrity

6. A Captivating Touch by Elsa Winckler (was previously published as Touched in the Heart) - covered billionaire

It's hard to choose a favorite, but I think it was either Gaslight Hades or Donut Fall in Love. I'm not too surprised by that though since they are two of my favorite authors in their respective sub-genres. I had a historical I could've picked up Sunday to black out the board, but I was ready to kind of go a different direction and do a little more mood-reading. I had a lot of fun and can't wait for the next round!

Did you participate in the Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Walking in Fire by Cathryn Cade

⭐⭐⭐

The first book I picked up for August 2022 round of the Romance Takeover Readathon - Light v. Dark is Walking in Fire by Cathryn Cade. This is the first book in her Hawaiian Heroes series and worked to cover the prompts foodie and paranormal. It also helped me by covering the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo prompt Hawaii and Summer of Swoon board 2 prompt travel/vacation romance. This also fit perfect my Yahtzee Challenge roll this month for Four-of-a-Kind!

Melia is on vacation in Hawaii after breaking up with her boyfriend (they had planned to go together). She runs into a guy who notices she's travelling alone and invites her to join his friends (two other guys and girls) to a bungalow stay in a private cove where there's snorkeling and such. Also on the boat besides one of the bungalow's caretakers is David, also known as Malu. He is accompanying the group because he's secretly investigating a potential drug drop that one of these people might be doing. He feels attracted to Melia and is intrigued by her not being the stereotypical "party girl." When one of the girls ends up being being in the forest, events start happening that threatens them all. As Malu works to figure who is behind the drug running and the beatings, he reveals to Melia that he's not quite fully human; he's the current Guardian of Pele.

Okay, I was super excited for this book and was really intrigued to see what was going to happen. First off, my summary includes the drug running and that wasn't really mentioned in the blurb I had read. Honestly, this doesn't feel like a paranormal book, but a romantic suspense. There was a lot more focus on the drugs and not the powers he gets from Pele. I don't know, it just was really disappointing. Not that I don't like romantic suspense, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. Like when you go to a restaurant and order a burger but receive a chicken sandwich. It stills taste good and fills you up, but you don't quite feel as satisfied. Outside of that, there wasn't much paranormal going on outside of Malu having powers. Even then it wasn't anything too exciting. He heals super quickly and he can call on the earth, so in the big final battle he ends up calling a rock slide. Something else happens, but we end up finding out that it was Pele, not Malu, that caused it. Even the bad guy didn't have any paranormal anything.

I also thought that this was a little too fast for me, even with this being a paranormal. I think if Cathryn Cade had explored the option of it being kind of a fated mates trope, I would've been more on board. Melia knows Malu a grand total of like 3 days and decides to offer her life to Pele to save Malu. Girl, you don't know him that well and a couple hours ago you were still freaking out about him glowing. I just felt so disappointed in a lot of ways. I am leaving my rating at 3-stars though because I was enjoying the story and writing before we got into the romantic suspense. There was some fun banter between them and I also liked the way that Malu treated Melia. This just turned out to be a romantic suspense hiding in a paranormal cover.

I'm not writing off Cathryn Cade at all, but I think if I pick up any more in this series or her other works I'm going to look at reviews and not blurbs. I just hate being done dirty like that and have lost some trust in her. Maybe it's just me, but if you are looking for a paranormal that incorporates Hawaiian mythos, I don't think this will be the book for you.

Have you read Walking in Fire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Walking in Fire, Cathryn Cade, 3 stars, eBook, 1 day, 292 pages, published in 2017, indie published

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For the month of July, the assigned book for the SJM-along was A Court of Mist and Fury! This is the second book in Sarah J Maas's highly popular series A Court of Thorns and Roses. If you haven't heard of the readalong, it was created by Jenn (The Book Refuge) and is a readalong going through Sarah's blacklist in publication order. This month the live show was moved to Jenn's channel. I was able to use this for the booksta rec prompt on the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

After the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre is struggling with what happened. Tamlin and her are trying to get the Spring Court back to normal proceedings, but with both of them still struggling through their trauma their relationship is not the same. After a couple months Tamlin proposes and Feyre sets about learning to be a high lord's consort and planning the wedding with Priestess Ianthe. As Feyre starts wasting away and stops taking care of herself, Rhysand shows up to enact the bargain struck Under the Mountain. He takes her to the Night Court and sets about helping her learn to read and helps her train her new magical powers. As Tamlin gets more and more controlling, Feyre finally breaks and Rhys saves her. He offers her the change to join his court and become part of his Inner Circle as war threatens once again.

I don't know how I'm going to review this book in my layout of two paragraphs and without it just being a ginormous gush fest. First, I have to mention the way that Sarah handled PTSD and the different ways it manifest was really well done. I don't have any direct experience, but it felt real to me and I did hear from others with first or second-hand experience that it was represented well. What blew me away was how it affected Tamlin, Rhysand and Feyre all so deeply, but manifested itself in different ways. Now I know that there is a lot of hate for Tamlin, and I understand it. I do allow him quite a bit of grace though because he is suffering as well. We just don't get to see as much the hows because we don't get his POV. Where I get more frustrated with with the people around Tamlin (outside of Ianthe) not stepping in to help both Tamlin and Feyre. There's servants and guards and friends and I just wish that one of them pushed harder to get them both the help they needed. Not that I wish that Tamlin and Feyre ended up together, because she's fated mates with Rhys, but I did want to see them both be taken care of. They both have changed drastically and it makes sense that they don't necessarily work together as a romantic pairing anymore. It was just sad to see for both of them that they were stuck. 

Okay, so Rhys and his inner court are absolutely amazing. I love them all so dearly and would love to be a part of the their friend group. The way that they all treated Feyre when they met her was so sweet to see and it really helped that they treated her as a person and not the "savior." I also loved how they all tried to take care of Feyre and Rhys as well and did stand up to them when they needed it (unlike Tamlin's court). Once again there were so many cinematic moments in this book that were elevated even more by Graphic Audio. The final ending scene where they are all around the cauldron was so haunting and I didn't want to pause, even to go to the bathroom. I love the evolution of Rhys's and Feyre's relationship and how they really were able to connect with each other on all levels. I was crying when the big thing happened at the end, but then there were a couple more chapters and I was cheering and so happy for them. 

Honestly, my review probably doesn't do this book justice, but I absolutely adored this book so much and so far it's probably my favorite of Sarah's books I've read so far. We have a little bit before getting to A Court of War and Ruin, but I can't wait. I'm nervous about what's going to happen with the war and if we're going to lose any of my favorite characters because let's be honest, it still guts me that Nehemia died in Crown of Midnight. We'll see what happens. For the meantime though, we are jumping back to Throne of Glass and Empire of Storms for August's reading.

Have you read A Court of Mist and Fury?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Court of Mist and Fury, Sarah J Maas, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback & Audiobook, 626 pages, published in 2016, traditionally published

Love At First Fight by Carrie Aarons

⭐⭐⭐💫

With a little bit of free reading time, I decided to pick up Love At First Fight by Carrie Aarons. I remember the cover from when Shelby read it last year and thought it would work for one of the prompts for her Summer of Swoon. I am going to be using it to cover the 1st board prompt set in summer.

Molly was excited to be one of several people taking part in a summer house share in the Hamptons. She originally was supposed to be going with her long term boyfriend, but a month ago he let her know that he was moving to Singapore for his job alone... from the tarmac. She decides to still go despite most of the other people taking part being his friends. Molly ends up staying in the room next to Smith, one of her ex's best friends and someone that has always been rude to her. Smith knew that Molly was his end game from the first moment they met and has spent the last year and a half trying to keep his distance. Now that Molly is spending time with everyone single, he can't keep himself from dropping those surly walls and starting to show her how he really feels.

Okay, so I'm not usually a big enemies to lovers fan, but here it didn't bother me too too much. I did think it was a little silly why he was so rude to her, especially in the past. He knew when they met that they were pretty much meant for each other and decided to be rude to her and try to hate her and make her hate him to stay distanced and not insert himself in their relationship. Now that are neighbors in the house share and both single, Smith finds it harder and harder to keep up his surly facade. I like how naturally he started opening up to Molly, but there were a few issues that ended up detracting my enjoyment of the book overall.

I'm going to try not to get too ranty, but the biggest issue I had was how grief was dealt with. About 6 months before this book starts, Smith's twin sister dies after being hit by a drunk driver. Now there were very touching moments when he discussed his sister and how he felt about her, but most of the time the way that other people, and even Smith himself talked about grief made me angry. It is not okay to tell someone that the way they are grieving is wrong or should be further along in the process than they are. It really bothered my and I found myself unhappy with the situation multiple times. Outside of that, I thought the 3rd act break-up was a little silly to me as well. It felt a little over-reactional on both parts and I really didn't understand why Molly was pushing Smith so much when she was one of the few people that he was able to open up about his sister with.

I think overall I enjoyed Love At First Fight, but it was a couple things that were big detractors in my rating. I'm interested to try something else by Carrie. I just might look at a couple review or go through the blurb before picking it up in case there is something that I might be a little pickier or oversensitive too. I just think that there were some saving moments in the books, so we'll see what happens.

Have you read Love At First Fight?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Love At First Fight, Carrie Aarons, 3.5 stars, 2 days, eBook, 258 pages, published in 2020, indie published

July Wrap Up

 Happy August!

We are moving right along through 2022. I fee like I was a little more on par with my reading in July and did pretty good. I read a few amazing books and some that weren't as much. Things personally are still pretty up in the air, but I'm running out of time and hopefully things end up working out for the best. It's starting to get pretty stressful though. Anyways, there wasn't too much that happened outside of my first readathon that I hosted, my Hockey Champions Readathon! I thought I did pretty good during it and hopefully if you participated also had some fun!

July 2022

💗 I read 18 books for 5,201 pages

💗 I averaged 0.83 days per book
💗 The average page count was 288.94
💗 I read 3 books under 100 pages, 5 in the 200s, 7 in the 300s, 2 in the 400s and 1 in the 600s

💗 I read 7 books for clubs, readathons and readalongs
💗 5 books had diversity
💗 I read 7 new authors
💗 I had 1 reread

💗 I owned 7 books in paperback previously and added 4 to my wishlist
💗 I read 5 paperbacks, 10 eBooks, 2 audiobooks and 1 paperback with the audio
💗 I read 8 traditionally published books and 10 indie published
💗 I read 1 book published in the 1810s, 1 in the 2000s, 8 in the 2010s and 8 in the 2020s

💗 My average rating was 4.39 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 8 books
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 - 2 books
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 4 books
⭐⭐⭐💫 - 4 books

💗 I read 9 contemporaries, 6 fantasies and 3 historical romances
💗 My contemporary spread was 1 dark, 1 romcom, 2 small towns, 3 sports and 2 normals

1. Bright Like Wildfire by Juliette Cross ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2. Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

3. Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

4. A Misunderstanding by Ilona Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐

5. Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

6. Pay Me by Ilona Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

7. The Cool Aunt by Ilona Andrews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

8. Persuasion by Jane Austen ⭐⭐⭐⭐

9. Pipe Dreams by Sarina Bowen ⭐⭐⭐💫

10. My Hallowe'en Heartbreak by Melanie Ting ⭐⭐⭐⭐

11. Offside by Juliana Stone ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

12. The Lady Chosen by Stephanie Laurens ⭐⭐⭐💫

13. Flawless by Elsie Silver ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

14. Raze by Tillie Cole ⭐⭐⭐💫

15. How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton ⭐⭐⭐⭐

16. Her Favorite Rebound by Jackie Lau ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

17. Love at First Fight by Carrie Aarons ⭐⭐⭐💫

18. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

💗 So, my least favorite this month would probably be Pipe Dreams. It just really didn't give me the grovel or discussion I was wanting. My favorite is harder to choose, but it has to be either Emerald Blaze or A Court of Mist and Fury. It's hard to choose between those two, but I also really enjoyed Flawless.

There's a lot going on in August, including the currently running Romance Take Over Readathon. I'll also be working to finish up the first and second bingo boards for the Summer of Swoon and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo. We'll see how much I can get through though.

How was your July reading?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Her Favorite Rebound by Jackie Lau

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

The author I chose for my July TBR prompt for continuing their backlist was Jackie Lau! I've been meaning to pick up the 4th book in her Cider Bar Sisters series, Her Favorite Rebound, since it was released in March and now was the perfect time! I was able to use this for the spring 2022 new release prompt for Summer of Swoon.

Sierra is dating Colton Sanders, the famous billionaire. Despite her family thinking she isn't able to catch a good man as a 34-year old divorcee that owns her own business, she is happy with her life for the most part. When at dinner, they run into Jake, a former lawyer for Colton. Before Jake knows Sierra is there with Colton, he falls in love at first sight and knows in his soul that they are the best match. When he finds out who Sierra is dating, he starts finding ways to show her who he really is. Sierra is struggling in her relationship with Colton and tries to keep herself from thinking about Jake so much. When things come to halt when Sierra catches Colton in a compromising situation, the only person she wants to run too for comfort is Jake and he takes the chance to make her his.

Now, I knew going in that this was going to be more of a love-triangle. This is a trope I really dislike and was nervous about that aspect, but I had more hope because I really trust Jackie Lau as an author. I was pleasantly surprised. First off, we are at the point in Sierra and Colton's relationship where she is really struggling with him liking her for who she really is. The nice things are welcome, but there are times where she feels like he's not seeing her but her race. He does come back a couple times to "win her back" but I loved that Sierra wasn't even interested and never tempted to go back to him. I just really loved the way she couldn't stop thinking of Jake even though she still felt loyalty to Colton. Now, if you are worried about cheating, there is that in here from Colton. There can also be an argument made that Sierra is emotionally cheating Colton, but it's not a trigger for me and didn't bother me at all.

As always with Jackie there are great restaurants and foodie things. It was also really fun to see her working on creating card for her small shop and I would love to visit it. I know I  would spend way too much money getting all the cute stationary things. If you've read her Baldwin Village series, Sierra's shop is mentioned since it's in the same area. Before we wrap up, I do want to mention a couple things that held this back from a full 5-stars for me. First, I wished that we were over the Colton stuff a little earlier. It went on a little longer than I was hoping, but at the same time I thought everything was well-paced. The other minor thing I had an issue with was Sierra pushing Jake away when Colton does his final big gesture. I also didn't like that she pushed him away so much and tried to just keep it physical so long. I would've just wanted her to open up to him earlier, especially with her feeling the "rightness" of their relationship as well.

I am sad but also can't wait to finish the series in August. I'm super excited for Rose's book, Her Unexpected Roommate. Jackie Lau is a favorite contemporary author for me and this one was really good. I also felt like even though it took a little bit longer for Sierra and Jake to get together, once they did it got pretty steamy. If you haven't read Jackie Lau, I couldn't recommend her enough. She is just such a good cozy author for me and I can't wait to see what she has planned next! (She mentioned in a newsletter she'll be starting two new series later this year.)

Have you read Her Favorite Rebound?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Her Favorite Rebound, Jackie Lau, 4.5 stars, 1 day, eBook, 242 pages, published in 2022, indie published