The Captive Merman's Promise by Zoey Castile

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The 2nd book I picked up for the Love in the Night Readathon was the group book, The Captive Merman's Promise by Zoey Castile. This is the 5th book in the multi-author series Peculiar Tastes. Since it was the group book, it cover most of the prompts: Unique Paranormal, Diving Deep, Eat Her Out, Toil and Trouble and New To You Author. This also worked perfectly to cover the prompts Diverse Main Character or Side Character for Fall in Love, Mint Green (Story You Found Refreshing) for Color Me Romantic and I Put a Spell on you for Bang in the Night. The theme song I chose for The Captive Merman's Promise was The Hurt Doesn't Go Away from the 3rd Volume of Frank Sinatra's Reprise Rarities.

Amada is in Scotland to meet with the Grand Master via the Shadow Market. The women in her family have been cursed, for generations, to love their significant other when there's love involved. After losing a lover of her own, she used her magic to take the entirety of the curse into herself to save future generations. It's starting to act differently than usual and is seeking his help to finally break it. When entering the Shadow Market she comes across Ronan, a merman that's been in service to the Grand Master for years. They find themselves drawn to each other and when the Grand Master isn't able to immediately convince Amada to take his deal, he grants Ronan legs to try to convince her sign the contract.

I had thought about The Little Mermaid when going into this knowing it was a merman romance, but didn't realize that it was more inspired than I knew. I thought it was cleverly done and while it didn't feel too direct as a retelling, there were enough hints to make my Disney-loving heart happy (it was my favorite movie growing up). Overall I thought this was really fun and unique and definitely worth the read. I loved getting the chance to read another mer-person romance and definitely need to try to find more; but back to The Captive Merman's Promise. What brought me down to a 4-star for this was a couple things. The main reason was I just wanted more establishment for not only the magic of this world, but also Ronan's history. I was confused on how Amada's magic worked and what she exactly did to take the curse upon herself. I was also super intrigued and wished that we got more backstory about what happened when he was a merman and not just getting into the horrible contract with the Grand Master. With the magic I was also confused on how exactly the cursed worked. I thought it was supposed to steal the life of the lover when they both were in love, but at the end it was only for the person in love with Amada. It just seemed a little odd to me.

I enjoyed my time and definitely want to look into other books by Zoey Castile. I've had her Happy Endings series on my tbr for a while, but those are contemporary. I definitely have another reason to pick them up since I enjoyed her writing style here. I almost might look into other books from this series, but being that they are by different authors I might have to check tropes and reviews first. I'm definitely intrigued though.

Have you read The Captive Merman's Promise?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Captive Merman's Promise, Zoey Castile, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 103 pages, published in 2022, indie published

The Sight of You by Ashley Mack

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The September Smart Women Read Romance exclusive patreon review theme was the broad genre of contemporary. The Sight of You by Ashley Mack won the poll. This is not only the first book in her The Senses series, but also her debut novel! I was able to use this to cover the prompts Book Rec'd To You for Fall in Love and Sky Blue (airport in the story) for Color Me Romantic.

Alina is on vacation in Seattle. Whenever she's on vacay, she always plans for her last night to have one night stand. As the head of security for her father and their company (that has some less than legal dealings), she tends to keep to herself at home. She comes across Brody in a club and they feel an unexpected connection. After they spend a magical night together, he wakes up alone. Not too much later, Alina is prepping for her sister to meet her arranged marriage partner Derick. Their companies are hoping to both strengthen their respective portfolios as well as be able to protect each other as they withdraw form the shadier sides of business. When Derick arrives at their family home, they are both surprised to find out that Derick is Brody. He quickly changes the terms and says he'll only marry Alina. She agrees and they end up getting married within a couple days and she gets whisked back to Seattle. As she struggles to find a new role in her life, things start happening that threatens not only Derick's business, but him and Alina.

First off, this was fairly steamy. I was surprised how steamy this was and do have to say that as we got past the 60% mark, I did start to kind of skim those scenes. They were written well and definitely packed heat, but I was a little bit over them. Now, this book is not written perfectly and you can definitely tell that this is Ashely Mack's debut book. There are some questionable choices made both by the characters and in the plotting in general. However, I enjoyed this book and read it voraciously. There was something about Alina and Derick's characters that just really drew me into their story. I was able to set aside the odd choices and really immerse myself. I could not put it down and stayed up way too late the night I first picked it up (I got through ~85% in one sitting). I liked getting to see Alina really work through her new "societal wife" role and how to integrate her previous training into it. The way she came to really enjoy working on the board of a charity was really nice to see, but she still had that edge and didn't stop training and exercising her skills.

Now during the live chat I know that there were quite a few people that struggled with this book. If you are a reader that finds the writing style to be a big detriment to enjoyment of a book, definitely be cautious picking this up. I really enjoyed my time reading though and usually writing style isn't something that holds me back from enjoying a book. She also had a "their" POV. It was from narrator's position that pulled back to almost talk to reader about what was going on with Alina and Derick. I have to say, it was a little odd. It didn't bother me, but I wish it either wasn't there or was there more. I feel like it could've been a really cool twist to how the story was told but was implemented a little timidly. Part of me felt it was odd and wasn't quite sure, but the more it happened the more I started to enjoy it and ended up wanting to Ashely to really push the device more and just go for it.

Overall I really enjoyed this debut book and cannot wait to read more of the series. It looks like she's planning on doing novellas between the books for side characters, but the second book came out earlier this October and is one of Alina's sisters (the one that may or may not be a serial killer). I can't wait to read more from Ashley and join her in this writing journey. Always love finding a new author, even more so to jump on in the beginning! Definitely check this out if the premise is intriguing, but just remember this is a debut book and temper your expectations.

Have you read The Sight of You?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Sight of You, Ashley Mack, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 326 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Surrender by Amanda Quick

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The Rake Appreciation Society book for September was Surrender by Amanda Quick. This is one of her older standalones and is one of the one's that are popular for Stepback Saturday! I used Surrender to cover the prompts Green on the Cover for Fall in Love and Blue (character that deals with a physical issue) for Color Me Romantic. I also used this to cover the Bang in the Night prompt Published in October and chose the song In the Blue of the Evening off of Frank Sinatra's Reprise Rarities Volume 1.

Victoria is firmly on the shelf. As a lady with a hefty dowry, she has avoided matrimony since a lot of the gentlemen that have been pursuing her have been fortune hunters. When she meets Lucas, the Earl of Stonevale, she can't seem to escape his company. As he finagles more and more chances to be around Victoria, they make a deal. Lucas helps Victoria with the various moonlight escapades she's been wanting to do, and in turn he's going to take the time to charm and seduce her into becoming his wife. When they get caught in a compromising position and forced to wed she finally learns the truth, he is destitute and needs the money. As she travels to his country estate to help get things in order, they struggle to find their footing in their new relationship and with everything out in the open.

Now, I feel like I've said this a lot, but going into a Amanda Quick classic historical, you have to almost expect for things to get a little bit bonkers. I think you just can't go into her books looking to take it super seriously. Not that you can't critique it, but I feel like I get the most enjoyment when I can just go with flow and see what story she's trying to tell. But more specifically to this book, I absolutely adored Lucas. He's probably my favorite of Amanda Quick's heroes so far. I just loved how even though he was going into their situation hoping to seduce her into becoming his wife, he went about it in a way to try to get her to fall in love with him. While I can see others maybe finding this a little bit off, it just really worked for me. Plus Lucas was falling just as much (if not quicker) than Victoria was.

This really only got 4-stars because I really struggled with Victoria at times. She would make some hypocritical decisions that bothered me and then there was her anger that she nurtured throughout the second half of the book. It just bothered me that she would acknowledge society's expectations but then at times act naive or surprised when certain actions were being taken to reign her in or keep her from getting ruined. Honestly though, I could've gotten over that if the second half she really kind of grew up, but I really wanted to throat punch her. Understandably she is angry with Lucas and that he was hiding the true financial status of him and his estate. Where I kind of gave up trying to like her is when she first arrives to the village. She is having a conversation with herself acknowledging that the money he was hoping to receive from her dowry wasn't just to buy fripperies, but actually needed to keep himself and the people that rely on him and his estate living. She recognizes that there needs to be improvements made to get the livestock and agriculture back up to par. She active tries to spend as much as she can in the village to help the local economy. Even though she is realizing that the money he gains from marrying her isn't coming from a greedy place, but one of survival, she actively chooses to deny the reason behind his actions (and the importance of them) and unnecessarily hold on to her anger. She literally tells herself that she doesn't care and she is going to stay angry. It just felt so immature, but the fact that she has this realization when she first arrives on her own but then actively ignores and pretends she didn't drove me absolutely bonkers.

Even though I struggled with Victoria's character, especially during the second half of the book, Lucas really saved it for me and I really enjoyed most of my time reading this book. It's definitely near to the top of my list of favorites of her books so far. I definitely want to continue reading these gorgeous standalones and hope to one day get the full collection with stepbacks! If you haven't participated in Rake Appreciation Society before, it's hosted by Crystal and Jenn on youtube. If you want to check out the live show for Surrender, it was another great meeting. I always have such a fun time discussion historical romance with the other participants!

Have you read Surrender?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Surrender, Amanda Quick, 4-stars, 0 days, Audiobook, 362 pages, published in 1990, traditionally published

In the Arms of an Android by Tracy Lauren

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With a little bit of free reign and wanting to try to pick up a lot of paranormal and sci-fi romances throughout the rest of the year (to fill up some bonus prompts for my year end brackets), I decided to finally pick up In the Arms of an Android. This is the first book of Tracy Lauren's Android series. I was able to use this book to cover the Heaving Bosom's Reading Embrace prompt Jimmi Simpson's Robot Adventure, the Fall in Love prompt Photo Cover and Color Me Romantic prompt for Silver (story with travel).

Valens and his friends are out on an exploratory mission after he finds a ping in his scans. Being an android, he is the only one allowed off the ship to explore the new planet and try to find the source of the signal. When he finally finds it, it looks like an old cryo-chamber. When he opens it up, he finds Andrea. She is just starting to wake up. Once he can get her out of the chamber and back to his ship, they learn the truth. Andrea was kidnapped by a crazy billionaire and sent out to make 2nd contact almost 2,000 years ago. She has to struggle to find a new place in this new life and leans on Valens for support. He starts to feel protective over Andrea, especially when fellow androids start realizing he's feeling emotions that have escaped most of the rest of the them.

I've read cyborg romances before, but I think this is my first full android. I wasn't quite sure how "robot" he'd feel going in and thought it was a really done well. I could believe when he was confused by some things, but starting to understand emotions. Now, they are not 100% like we expect from a robot, but also a lot more advanced. There's discussion about how he has a more advanced learning and computing system (even more than the technology he uses) and it grows and adapts as he learns. I thought it was really interesting how it worked so that it felt natural that he was learning to feel emotions and not a "sudden miracle." It also helped that while he wasn't in love beforehand, he did experience some of the more shallower emotions for his friends and himself.

Now, this wasn't quite a full 5-stars for me for a couple of reasons. The biggest was Andrea. It felt like Tracy was torn in how to balance which direction she wanted to take her. At first there was a lot going on with Andrea, as to be expected, with night terrors and being scared around the other alien species and just dealing with her new situation. She definitely like imprinted on Valens, so I wasn't sure how much was actually love and not dependence on him. Now it could be both, but she went from dealing with all these issues to I'm 90% fine. I just wished that either there was more working through those feelings or even a time jump instead of just a flip being switched. I also wanted there to be more to what happens with the other androids. There could've been more pages to really delve into the issues and what the other androids were wanting to learn. It just felt really quick and then was resolved quickly as well.

It was a great start, but I could tell that this was an earlier work of Tracy's. I'm super excited to have finally read one of her sci-fi books and will definitely continue my way through her backlist while I wait for new books. This was great for my first android and I'm excited to see how it'll continue in the series. If you are looking for a sci-fi romance with an android and not necessarily an "alien," this would be a great option; even more so if you're interested in getting into Sci-Fi romance.

Have you read In the Arms of an Android?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: In the Arms of an Android, Tracy Lauren, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 184 pages, published in 2019, indie published

The Pirate Lord By Sabrina Jeffries

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The August theme for the Smart Women Read Romance exclusive Patreon review was pirate historical romance. The Pirate Lord, the first book in Sabrina Jeffries Lord Trilogy, was the winner of the poll. I was able to use this to cover the prompt favorite trope or subgenre for the 2nd board of Summer of Swoon.

Sara, the step-sister to an earl, has decided to join a ship headed to Australia. There is a lot of women that were prosecuted for various crimes that are being sent there for their sentence. Sara, as a representative for her charity group, is hoping to do an expose on the conditions that the women face not only on the trip there, but once they arrive. While traveling, they come across Captain Gideon and his rag tag pirate crew. They are planning on setting up a home base and one of the only things missing is women. They decide to take the women to make them their wives. Sara barters with Gideon to allow the women to be properly courted. As Gideon's men work to woo a wife, Gideon woos Sarah. When Sara's relation to the aristocracy is exposed, Gideon is forced to put aside his hate for the upper-class if he wants to keep the relationship.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. For being published in the late 1990s, it was excellent. I also loved the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers vibes. It was really fun to watch not only Gideon and Sara fall in love, but the crew members and women as well. I feel like with so many secondary romances, each reader can have one that is their personal ship (yes I made the pun). It was just so much fun. I really loved how Sara really pushed for the women to have more choice in the situation and how her and Gideon would "barter" between them.

The biggest detractions for me were two big things. I was a little put out and annoyed with the "other woman" situation. I get that the other woman was trying to get the best situation and partner with the captain, but I felt that all three of them could've been more open and cognizant of the situation. The other minor thing that bothered me was Gideon's backstory it handled his hate for the aristocracy. I just wanted more from it overall since it felt kind of addressed at the last minute and not fully fleshed out.

I'm excited to have finally read a Sabrina Jeffries novel and it won't be my last. I am intrigued enough to finish the trilogy, but I've been really wanting to read her Hellions of Halstead Hall series as well. I'm not sure which one I'll pick up first though since I have a habit of not finishing series. We'll see what happens, but either way I can't wait to read more of Sabrina's work!

Have you read The Pirate Lord?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Pirate Lord, Sabrina Jeffries, 4-stars, 2 days, eBook, 384 pages, published in 1998, traditionally published

Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter

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Needing one more book to finish the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo, I picked up Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter. This is the first book in the multi-author series Royal House of Shadows. It covered the remaining prompt of amnesia, but also worked perfectly for the Summer of Swoon 2nd board prompt cover model with short hair.

After the Blood Sorcerer killed Nicolai's parents and took over their realm, he was cast out. His father cursed him and his siblings with the need for vengeance. Now living as a vampiric sex slave and missing his memory, Nicolai reaches out for the one person to save him. He summons Jane, a human from the other realm (Earth). Jane has been brought across and is now masquerading as the return of Nicolai's former owner. As they escape, Jane and Nicolai struggle with finding out how to get his memory back and what Jane's route is to return to Earth. As they fall in love during their travels and experiences, things aren't quite as they seem.

This was a super fun and quick paranormal novel. I have been wanting to try Gena Showalter's books for a while now and this was a fun introduction. The way that she kept the reader also somewhat in the fog with Nicolai about his past was super fun. I enjoyed trying to figure out what exactly happened and how things went down. Jane was interesting and it was a little sad to hear how tragic her backstory was. Now, I know that a lot of the times when there's a person dealing with moving to a new world or dimension, they don't typically have an idyllic home life, but it was just so sad. Jane and her family were in a horrific car accident where she was the only one that survived, but was left temporarily paralyzed. She has gone through a lot of surgeries and is just starting to really be able to live with full function of her legs. I did like that when there were portions of time where she wasn't moving very much she talked about how her legs were starting to stiffen since she wasn't able to do her normal stretches and wasn't going to her physical therapist. Even though there was a couple scenes that discussed her mobility issues, I did wish that is was something that was more throughout the story.

Now, the four-stars is because I thought it was a little too twisty, especially with the shorter length. There were just a couple too many turns in the plot for my enjoyment. I also feel like the "curse" that Jane received was unnecessary. It just tried to add some extra tension that wasn't really needed with everything else going on. I do have to say, this definitely felt like an old school paranormal with the way it was written, which isn't a detractor for me. I just want to point it out since others might find it to feel old. Since I love early 2000s paranormals though, it felt more nostalgic to me and didn't hinder my enjoyment.

I am so happy to have finally read a Gena Showalter, but definitely want to pick up one of her full length novels. She has a lot of series I'm interested in, but I just need to pick one. My sister has read her for a while, so it's been an author I am peripherally aware of. I've also probably bought a lot of her books as presents for my sister. I think it's finally time I start to dig in to her backlist!

Have you read Lord of the Vampires?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Lord of the Vampires, Gena Showalter, 4-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 288 pages, published in 2011, traditionally published

Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein

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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

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

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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

How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton

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For my July tbr new author prompt, I ended up choosing Dylan Newton. I had received How Sweet It Is as a gift shortly after it was released and have had it sitting on my shelf. This is technically not part of a series, but Dylan's second book released All Fired Up is about a character we meet in this book. I was able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt 2021 release.

Kate is the queen of HEAs, known for her event planning having the perfect "Aww" moment to make an event even more memorable. When a client cancels their wedding and she ends up with some free time, her friend convinces her to take on the planning for the new book release for the Knight of Nightmares, Drake. He's gearing up to release his 10th book and it's already been optioned for movie rights. Kate is hoping to expand her portfolio to increase her chances of winning a big award for her inudstry, but Drake is very low key. As Kate and Drake struggle to come to terms on what to do for the event, Drake finds a new muse in Kate and wants to spend more time with her to help finish a secret book.

This was really cute and as the title says, sweet. Now, going in I knew this was a traditionally published rom-com, so I was expecting more sweet with not too much steam. I thought it was well done and really a great change of pace after the darkness of Raze. Kate was just so bubbly and loved that when they have their meet cute she really gets thrown for a loop and doesn't start off picture perfect. Even though it was a little predictable, it was just feel good. I don't know, I don't have too much to say about it other than it is what it is and exactly as I expected. I enjoyed my time reading it and it's a solid 4-stars. I just don't really have much to gush about, but also nothing to really complain about.

A quick review, but really all it comes down to is that How Sweet It Is gave me what I wanted and met the expectations I had for it. If you enjoy the traditionally published rom-coms, definitely check it out. I though it was super cute and will definitely be interested in picking up the associated book when I'm in the mood for something like this in the future.

Have you read How Sweet It Is?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: How Sweet It Is, Dylan Newton, 4-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 352 pages, published in 2021, traditionally 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

Persuasion by Jane Austen

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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

Overlord by Anna Hackett

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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

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 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

Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen

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For June 2022 I decided to try doing a tbr. I decided to give myself three prompts with 10 options each. The prompts are new to me author, backlist author and continue a series. The option I chose for continue a series was a newer series to me, Brooklyn Bruisers. I recently read Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen for the Smart Women Read Romance exclusive patreon review and was encouraged to pick up a later book in the series. Instead of going with that recommendation I decided to go back to the beginning and pick up the first book, Rookie Move. I was able to use this for the prompt a book Shelby's read in the past two years for the Summer of Swoon and the prompt protagonist smells like laundry for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Leo had just been traded to his hometown team, the Brooklyn Bruisers. Things aren't an easy assimilation though since the interim PR head is Georgia, his high school girlfriend and love of his life. Also just hired to the team is Georgia's father as head coach, who has harbored some hatred towards Leo since he was in high school. As Georgia and Leo start to reconnect, it comes to light that they both haven't dealt with some of the feelings that manifested their senior year when Georgia was attacked during a tennis camp. With the weird ending of their relationship and the trade deadline looming, Georgia is nervous to restart their relationship if she would lose Leo right away, especially with her father's anger towards Leo.

So, this was a little bit deeper and rougher, emotionally speaking, than I expected. There are triggers with dealing with rape, not only with the victim but her father and boyfriend at the time (it was not Leo that raped her). When it was first kind of mentioned that she was raped in high school, it seemed like it was only because her attack was a factor in the changing of their relationship that led to their break up. I was wrong in my assumption (I know, I try not to assume too much). There is some revelations that her dad still has some anger about the situation on top of Leo feeling even more protective of her (since he wasn't there during the attack). Outside of that, I really enjoyed seeing them reach their hea and reconnecting. I really felt like the reason for them breaking up made sense here and also allowed for them to pretty much pick back up easily. I'm not the biggest fan of second chance romance, but I didn't mind the way it played out here.

I'm excited to continue the series and definitely dig more into Sarina Bowen's backlist. Right now I'm going to focus on working through this series, but I've heard great things about some of her other series as well, particularly True North. Another contemporary author for me to keep my eye on! I'm happy that this was the series I pulled for my tbr, especially my hockey fever has been at a high with my team, the Colorado Avalanche, making it to the Stanley Cup Finals!

Have you read Rookie Move?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Rookie Move, Sarina Bowen, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 336 pages, published in 2016, traditionally published

A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman

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After a late change, the June book selected for the Rake Appreciation Society was A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman. This is the second book in her Ruthless Rivals series. The Rake Appreciation Society is hosted by Crystal and Jenn, but this month featured a guest host, Jessen! I was able to use this for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo for the prompt architect and the Summer of Swoon prompt new to you author. This also worked perfectly for my Twos prompt for the Yahtzee Challenge!

Carys and Tristan have known each other since they were kids. Being neighbors and their family rivals, they have a slightly antagonistic relationship. When Tristan finds out that Carys has been "ruined" and is being blackmailed by the man responsible, he finds it harder and harder to hold back from making the moves on her. Carys is very bold and acts like nothing will bother her in society, but she is hiding not only her secret, but a big part of her true self. When Tristan strikes a deal with Carys during a house party to teach her about true passion and love making, they find it harder and harder to stay away from each other.

This was super cute, low angst and low stakes. I enjoyed myself, but I do have to say I was a little let down by the Ruthless Rivals wording. Even Carys and Tristan called each other enemies, but it didn't feel like there was any real antagonistic relationship between them. They hung out a lot as children and it seems that it was more of a teasing kind of relationship. Outside of that, this was just a quick and easy read. There really wasn't anything particularly wrong here to make me drop it a star; it was just very pleasant. I wasn't really blown away by anything in particular and while reading I found I was okay to put it down when ending a chapter (where I always try to stop) and was missing the urge to binge the book.

I feel like this review is kind of boring, but there just wasn't too much that stood out for me with this book. This is my first Kate Bateman even though I've had her previous series on my tbr for a while. I'm glad to have finally try her out. I definitely would like to go back and read the first book in the series and will be picking up the 3rd book this December, if anything than at least for the gorgeous cover. With they way trends are going in traditionally published historical romance covers, I will support a clinch cover any day! If you've read the book but missed the live show, definitely check it out. there was some great discussions had!

Have you read A Daring Pursuit?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Daring Pursuit, Kate Bateman, 4-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 311 pages, published in 2022, traditionally published

Walking in a Geeky Wonderland by Allie York

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The 6th and final book (for now at least) in Allie York's Word for Nerds series is Walking in a Geeky Wonderland. I decided to pick this up now to not only finish the series, but also because I needed a holiday romance for the prompt 'Tis the Damn Season for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge. I was also able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt white on the cover. I also decided to apply it to the prompt 2nd chance romance for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Jake is still reeling and feeling out of place after stealing Amelia's purse to then return it and get in her good graces. When coming clean and returning her purse, an out of towner named Rory happens to overhear. After getting reprimanded by Amelia, Rory mentions that Jake got off easy and he turns to find himself drawn to the stranger. He suggests she meet him later that day over at the bookstore, and she never shows. Months later Rory and her friend plan to visit Word For Nerds again for their holiday party. Since their first encounter, Rory can't get Jake out of her mind and hopes to run into him at the party.

Now, this is my least favorite in the series. I did wish it was a little longer, but for it being a short holiday novella I though 4-stars was the rating. If I compared it to the rest of the series, it would definitely be closer to a  3.5-stars. I try to not do too many comparisons when I figure out my ratings, so that's why I gave it 4-stars. I liked how Rory and Jake were able to connect and they just had that little bit of extra tension between them. Now, Jake did not make a good decision in trying to get Amelia to see him as more than a co-worker, but I didn't like how off-putting our previous main characters seemed. Their accepting nature of all type of people just felt a little missing here even though I understood why they were angry with Jake. He apologized and Rae and August were friendly with him as well as Amelia. It just felt weird to me. 

What's fun is there could be a spin-off series from this book! Rory not only owns a computer repair shop with her girlfriends, but they are also a top video gaming team. Rae was kind of fangirling over them, which was funny because they were huge fans of Rae as well. I liked how Rory just really understood Jake and was accepting that he wasn't really a nerd. She saw how he was still trying to reach out to be accepted and find friendship. The way that the book wrapped up too was really heartening to see Jake find that acceptance. I do just wish that this was a little longer.

Even though it's my least favorite in the series, I was happy to see everyone get their HEAs. I'm hoping that this really was the potential bridge to a new geeky series or continuation of the series. I recently signed up for Allie York's newsletter, so hopefully I'll see any new releases that she has next. I don't know how long until I start going through more of her backlist, but I can't wait to see what else she's published!

Have you read Walking in a Geeky Wonderland?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Walking in a Geeky Wonderland, Allie York, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 72 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Stumbling Into Him by Molly O'Hare

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After finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses, I needed something to keep me from really getting into a book hangover. With some free reign until the start of June, I decided to completely switch lanes and pick up a contemporary rom-com. I decided to go with my new go-to rom-com author Molly O'Hare and pick up something off of her backlist. I went with Stumbling Into Him, the first book in her Stumbling Through Life series. I was able to apply this to the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge prompt All Too Well (character that's fit). Since it was still May, I went ahead and used this for the 2nd board prompt of rom-com for Love Has Sprung as well.

Holly is a clutz to the nth degree. When walking her corgi with an attitude, Lord Waffles, she gets hit in the face with a frisbee and falls. Ben was the veterinarian that accidentally took out Holly and is immediately enamored by her physical appearance. He takes her to his nearby clinic to help her clean up her lip and they find each other enjoying the banter between them. Ben is able to finagle a date the same day and they quickly find each other falling; and falling hard.

It was really fun to finally meet Lord Waffles. He's been a little Easter egg in Molly's other books, so it was fun to back to the 2nd book in her backlist and see how Holly and Ben met. This was really cute and Holly was really clutzy. It was crazy how often she was tripping over "invisible rocks." I have met people like that, but being a romcom this was a little extra on top. Ben was an "Adonis" to Holly and I did think it was a little too insta-lovey for my tastes. I kind of knew that's what I was getting into, but I think you can tell that this is an earlier book of hers.

Another book is done in Molly's backlist and I can't wait to continue going through the rest of her books. These are just great palate cleansers for me. They're a little shorter, have good humor and a little bit of steam. I used this to keep myself from going into a book hangover after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses and it was exactly what I needed to do so.

Have you read Stumbling Into Him?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Stumbling Into Him, Molly O'Hare, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 214 pages, published in 2018, indie published

Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley

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As I approached the end of May, it was time to pick up the the Smart Women Read Romance Patreon exclusive book for May. The theme was non-aristocratic hero and the book that won the poll was Rules for a Proper Governess. This is the 7th book in Jennifer Ashley's popular MacKenzies and McBrides series. I was also able to use this for the prompts starts with the letter R for the first board of Love Has Sprung and Lover (embrace on the cover) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Roberta aka Bertie is watching the trial of a friend of hers that is being falsely charged for the murder of her mistress. Bertie is upset her friend is going to go down for the murder, but when the barrister turns the tides and surprisingly reveals the real murderer, Bertie can't take her eyes off of him. Once everyone has left, Bertie sees the change from his barrister "persona" to the sadness he deals with day to day after his wife passed several years ago. When she's forced to steal something from him by her father since her father's friend's friend was the murder and now arrested, they are drawn to each other. Bertie can't stay away and "finds" herself at his house. When she sees trouble with his two children and the governess, she steps in. The kids befriend Bertie and hold her hostage until Sinclair comes home and can hire her as his new governess. Sinclair is worried that he'll be even more drawn to Bertie and doesn't want to put her in a potentially bad situation, but Bertie wants it all.

I forgot how much I enjoy Jennifer Ashley's writing. I really loved the connection between Bertie and Sinclair and their tension was really good too. The sass Bertie brought to the table was bringing me everything I could need and I really enjoyed seeing how she maneuvered through everything.  The kiddos were also really well done I loved that they were two completely different characters and felt like real children. His daughter also broke my heart since she was still kind of processing and dealing with her mother's passing.

Overall this was really well done, but there were a couple things that detracted for me a little bit. The biggest was how much the stakes suddenly increased and didn't feel natural. There were life and death stakes a couple of times. Now the first instance was kind of explained away, but even then it just felt like for what the "villains" were using as their reasons for acting out against Sinclair didn't match their fervor or how they were wanting to get revenge. It just felt disjointed to me. Also, while this mostly read well as a standalone, there were a couple of times when I was obviously missing what's going on or all the names of people that were mentioned mean nothing to me (except Ian and Beth). While I know those are meant to be more of an easter egg, because this was book 7, there was a lot of people involved with couples and their kids from the previous 6 books. Plus we had family members that will most likely be in the remaining 5. It wasn't all the time, but it did stick out to me a little bit because there were so many people involved.

I really enjoyed my time and this was a good reminder that I still have the rest of the series on my tbr. I'll need to bump it up on my list for sure. Jennifer Ashley writes so well and this is a good option if you're looking for a historical romance set in a Regency-esque time period but with main characters that aren't apart of the aristocracy. I'm basic and usually prefer to read in the aristocracy, but this series has a lot of aristocracy adjacent characters that would fit the bill!

Have you read Rules for a Proper Governess?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Rules for a Proper Governess, Jennifer Ashley, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 320 pages, published in 2014, traditionally published

Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee

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Continuing my mini-binge to finish the first board of Love Has Sprung, I needed a fake dating romance. I went through a couple different listopia lists and realized I have quite a few on my massive tbr. I randomly chose Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee. This is the first book in her Weekday Brides series. I was also able to apply this to the prompt Cardigan (clothes on the cover) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Sam runs a matchmaking service for the rich and famous. Her new client is Blake, a real life, modern day duke. When Blake is intrigued more by Sam than her prospective matches, he pushes for her to be his wife. They quickly elope and plan how the next year will go. Blake needs her to stay married to him long enough to secure the entailments of his title and be able to support his mother and younger sister. Blake's father's lawyers are looking for it to be a sham, so they must really be a team in all situations. When the attraction between them builds, it becomes easier and easier to "play" in front of the cameras and others.

I haven't read very many modern day royalty books, and that was a fun surprise. I knew there was a bit of fake-dating going in since I selected this specifically for that prompt, but I was really into this. It definitely had a little bit of a quicker pacing and felt a little insta-love, but I didn't think it felt too out of place here. The situations that Blake and Samantha find themselves in really helps them push to stay open and honest with each other to make the best out of their new relationship; the sexual attraction between them certainly helped as well.

Now this wasn't quite a full 5-stars for me because I felt there was a little bit too much extra plot going on, especially for this being a shorter novel. We had the jealous (and manipulative) ex-f-buddy, Blake's greedy cousin (that inherited if Blake didn't get married) and then his father's horrible lawyers. We also found out that Blake's father was horrendous himself and even had secret provisions that were to be revealed when he got married. It just didn't really sound legal to me, but I don't know much about British entitlement law in the modern day.

Overall I enjoyed this quick read and will definitely be checking out Catherine's other books in this series. I think they are all going to be matchmaking type situations, but I'm not 100% sure. I haven't looked at the blurbs, but will when I'm actually looking at picking up the book. There's just too many books and not enough time. I definitely want to try more of Catherine's works though outside this series to see what other tropes and ideas she'll play with.

Have you read Wife by Wednesday?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Wife by Wednesday, Catharine Bybee, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 223 pages, published in 2011, indie published

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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