The Orc From the Office by Kate Prior

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After reading Love, Laugh, Lich, I immediately had to jump into the 2nd book in the Claws and Cubicles series by Kate Prior, The Orc From the Office. I was able to use this for the prompts Cinnamon Roll Hero for Fall in Love, Indigo (nerdy/geeky/brainy character) for Color Me Romantic and #BeastMode (monster romance) for Bang in the Night. My theme song for Bang in the Night was Frank Sinatra's Moment to Moment from Reprise Rarities Volume 3.

Janice works for Evil, the company, in Human Resources. When she is struggling to open a file cabinet, Khent, an orc that works in IT, is walking by and offers to help. Janice accidentally elbows Khent in the face during their encounter and it's hard enough to draw blood. What she doesn't realize is in drawing blood from Khent, she's initiated a mating bond between them. They have to meet with MR (monster resources) and sign some paperwork that it was accidental. They are pushed to stay away from each other and not complete the bond, but as the mating instinct starts to affect them, Janice starts to do some research. After stumbling across some "videos" of mating between orcs, Janice finds it harder and harder to stay away from Khent.

Oh my gosh, this book was so good. I absolutely loved Khent, the cinnamon roll nerdy orc that works in IT. He was just so freaking sweet but when it came to the bedtime he definitely turned it up. I loved the way that he really just stepped back and let Janice do what she felt she needed even though he was really struggling with wanting her as his mate and feeling the relief that he found someone he could mate with. Honestly, the only thing that made me dock this down from a full 5-stars was the 3rd act conflict. I know that Janice was struggling and had baggage from her previous relationship, but I just felt like there was enough internal conflict between them that was worked through them getting together in the first place that the extra conflict wasn't needed. That and there was a little bit of confusion for me when they get back together and they may or may not be getting physical on the side of a building (the physics just got a me a little).

Even though I had some issues with Love, Laugh, Lich, I'm so happy I continued this series. You definitely don't have to read it first before this one (I just like to read in order). This book was so fun and I cannot express how much I love Khent. This book really outshone the first and I highly recommend this if you enjoy monster and/or office romance. It really helped too that they weren't in a power dynamic because of their employment. Seriously, check this book out!

Have you read The Orc From the Office?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Orc From the Office, Kate Prior, 4.5 stars, 0 days, eBook, 143 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Gold Rush by Jenny Bunting

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After reading Fool's Gold earlier this year in May, I've been wanting to continue the series. The 2nd book in Jenny Bunting's Finch Family series is Gold Rush. I was able to sneak this into my Bang in the Night challenge to cover PSL Vibes. The Frank Sinatra Reprise Rarities song I chose for a theme was You Brought a New Kind of Love To Me from Volume 1. This also worked perfectly to cover the Author Rec'd by Shelby prompt for Fall in Love and Gold prompt (gold on the cover and a character that is wealthy) for Color Me Romantic.

After divorcing her husband, Whitney is headed back to Goldheart. After visiting her friend Annie is Fool's Gold, she is back to write more of her next novel. The local cafe has the sort of magic and vibe that she needs right now to meet her writing deadline. The only drawback is Reid, the Finch brother that had a contentious relationship with her back in college. They were in the same creative writing class and ended up being at odds with each other. Annie is stuck in the middle, being friends with Whitney but also being best friends with Reid since they were young (and the fact that she's dating his brother Cameron). As they try to stop the antagonistic jabs between themselves, they start to notice and act on the spark between them. Whitney is nervous though since she is child-free by choice and doesn't want to have children. She is nervous about Reid wanting the same thing and starts to second guess herself after her divorce.

Okay, I will start off by saying that I really struggle with enemies to lovers. There was a point where I was really getting over the enemies portion of the story, but thankfully things started to change shortly after. It still went on a little longer than I preferred, but it was more that sometimes Whitney would say some really hurtful things and it just made me a little uncomfortable. Once they got past that though, I loved the relationship that Reid and Whitney were able to build. The moments when they were able to just sit together and do writing sprints was so cute and I could just picture them cozied up in a cafe typing like madmen. I also loved how once Whitney opened up about what she wanted out of life and that she was child-free how Reid responded. He really took the time to really think if he wanted to be a father himself or if it was just societal norms that he was unconsciously fitting into. 

I also loved to see Annie and Cameron continue their HEA in the background and seeing more of the entire Finch Family. I love the way that Jenny has crafted their family dynamics and can't wait to get the other siblings books! I particularly loved that we got to see more of the older, broody brother Jackson, especially since he had a closer relationship with Reid. The way that Whitney was able to integrate into their family was so beautiful to see. I should also mention, there's also some heavy talk about abandonment, particularly when dealing with Whitney's mother. She also wasn't really one to want to be a mother, but ended pregnant and kind of didn't create the best situation for Whitney. I thought it was really nice that we saw the beginning of a reconciliation between them, but it wasn't magically all better. Another thing I should mention that did pull this back from a full 5-stars was the 3rd act breakup. I didn't really like how it played out and would've preferred if Whitney stayed in town and actually sat down and discussed things with Reid about what he wanted. I know she has trauma from her previous marriage, but it felt a little out of character for her to completely flip out suddenly and then leave on short notice. I did get a little miffed that it seemed like Reid was the one that was going to grovel to her (I hate when the man is always the one to grovel even if he's not the one that instigated or was the main cause of the "break-up"), but Whitney ended up being the one to come back and apologize to Reid. That helped soften the blow, but I wish she at least would've stayed in town and not let it go on so long. They still ended up at their HEA though.

I can't wait for the next book in the series to come this December! I'm not sure who it'll be yet, but I really feel like the groundwork was laid for Jackson's book. There is also a mention of something that happened to Thumper (Cameron's friend) when he was at the bank when it got robbed. Jenny actually recently released a 2.5 story in the series called Safe With You that's his book. Hopefully I'll have time to pick it up before the third book.

Have you read Gold Rush?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Gold Rush, Jenny Bunting, 4.5 Stars, 3 days, eBook, 286 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

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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

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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

Her Favorite Rebound by Jackie Lau

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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

Offside by Juliana Stone

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read Offside?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

Space Junk by Sara L Hudson

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So, as part of my revamp of my Booktube Channel, I decided for June 2022 to start doing a tbr. I went with just three options, backlist author, new to me author and continue a series. The June pick for new to me author was Sara L Hudson! I've been wanting to pick up her Space series for a bit now, so had to start with book one, Space Junk. I was able to use this for the male only cover prompt for Summer of Swoon and mistaken identity prompt for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Jackie works at Nasa is a geek to utmost degree. Having graduated early from high school and going through college at an early age, she isn't too good in social situations. When her friend, and astronaut, kind of blackmails her, Jackie starts Operation Social Life. She goes to a local bar and there ends up sitting alone drinking a coke (no alcohol) and somehow ends up taking her new friend Rose home. She was there to celebrate her 21st birthday and got ditched by her friends. Rose directs her to her brother's house and it's there that Jackie sees the man she was ogling at the bar. Rose adopts Jackie, and her waitress Trish, as her new friends and "accidentally" dents Jackie's car the next morning. She directs Jackie to a local car repair shop, owned and run by her brother Flynn. As Flynn and Jackie work through their first-impressions, Jackie also struggles with her insecurities. When Jackie gets accepted in the astronaut training program, Flynn gets worried since his parents were both adrenaline junkies that led to them ignoring their children a lot and eventually led to their deaths.

This book, guys this book was so freaking good. I really enjoyed my time reading this and stayed up way too late the first night reading. I loved and adored Jackie. She was so awkward in a lot of social situations, but I also enjoyed that she just wasn't so oblivious. There is the trope here of her not knowing she's pretty, but it also made sense for Jackie. The way she grew up and social interactions she's had throughout her formative years really didn't lead up to her learning a lot of the social cues. On top of the fact she's always felt a little out of place and that others see her as "too smart" to be around. She also knows how to take care of herself though and I loved when we see her bring down someone being a little too forward all from grabbing his finger. It was just so great to see.

Now, with Flynn and the 3rd act conflict you could see it coming. It was definitely predictable, but I have to say the grovel and the way the book ended wasn't. While the epilogue wasn't what I expected, it just felt so perfect. Flynn and Jackie were so cute together and I loved how so much of their sense of life and style where well matched. They both appreciate older time periods and architecture. I also loved how much Jackie was willing to learn about things she didn't know and that Flynn teaching her how to hotwire a care ended up being how she saves the space station! Aside from that, I just really loved the relationship between Flynn and Jackie as well as the friendships she makes with Trish and Rose. Also, apparently Rose and Flynn are extremely wealthy as their grandfather was an oil baron. While Flynn isn't apart of the social life that comes with his level of wealth anymore, it was nice to really see how he kept thinking to himself the worst of what Jackie was saying or doing but then pleasantly surprised when it was actually coming from a good place. I did wish he didn't quite focus as much on it after the first few times, but the twist about the money situation at the end was pretty fun!

I cannot wait to read more by Sara and if I'm not careful I can see myself bingeing the rest of the series. I'm super excited for the rest of the books and I feel like I can pretty well guess who's going to be paired with who. Give me more of the nerdy/geeky romances and add a whole heap of science on top! I'm so happy I finally picked up this book and cannot wait to read more!

Have you read Space Junk?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Space Junk, Sara L Hudson, 4.5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 298 pages, published in 2020, indie published

Let's Geek It On by Allie York

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And my binge continues! Next was the 5th book in Allie York's Word for Nerds series, Let's Geek It On. I was able to use this to cover the prompts Love Story (romance) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge and friends to lovers for Summer of Swoon.

Amelia and Simon have been coworkers and friends since Amelia got hired on at the bookstore across the street from Words with Nerds. She loves hanging out with the girls and is hoping to join their friend group. When she's helping out with a late night event, her purse goes missing. To help out, Simon offers to let her crash at his place. Even though they've been good friends, Simon has had a secret crush on Amelia for a while and they finally cross that line into more than friends.

As a follow up novella to the previous books, this was such fun addition. I loved seeing our previous heroines and heroes living in their HEAs in the background and also loved seeing more people be accepted and added to their business and friend group. Amelia is younger than the other girls, and it felt like it, but I just loved how they all were able to connect. Amelie and Simon are also huge fans of Firefly and Star Trek so we get a lot of references to those two specific fandoms. Now, I do prefer friends-to-lovers over enemies-to-lovers, but I thought the transition felt natural here and they really just kept hanging out the same, just with sexy times instead of just sleep at the end of a night.

Now this wasn't quite a full five-stars for me. One minor reason is that I just wish it was longer and we got to see a little more depth between them. There was some fast-forwarding at times and a lot of their connection was referenced as being developed before the book took place. The biggest reason I docked (which isn't that big of a reason overall) is at the beginning when in Simon's POV he apologized for his nerdy references or hobbies several times. There wasn't any of that in the previous books, so it just felt kind of off putting and out of place. Especially since a part of what makes this series so great is the acceptance of being nerdy and finding your people.

I've said this in my previous reviews of this series, but I'm very intrigued to read the rest of Allie York's backlist and anything she still has to write! I'm a little sad there's only one more book left in the series, but I'm also excited to finish it. I also really want to find paperback copies of this series since I can see myself rereading most of the books in this series.

Have you read Let's Geek It On?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Let's Geek It On, Allie York, 4.5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 117 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Talk Nerdy To Me by Allie York

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After reading All Geek To Me, I immediately picked up Talk Nerdy To Me. This is the second book in Allie York's Word for Nerds series. I was able to use this to cover the prompts book 2 in a series for the 2nd board of Love Has Sprung and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (self-confident character) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Rae is a popular gaming YouTube and Glitch (think Twitch) star. She has been working with her top competitor AugmentedReality lately to help keep both of them at the top. Slowly they've turned from rivals into friends, and now maybe more. When he notices she's off when they do a stream, he decides to come down and check on her in person. As a streamer that doesn't show his face, August knows who Rae is can't help but be even more attracted to her in person. When Rae unknowingly hits on August, he plays along. It doesn't take long for the truth to come out and their banter to turn more flirty.

This was so reaking good and I'm completely starting to get obsessed with this series. While all four girls are nerdy/dorky/geeky, they all have their niche. Rae, as you can probably guess, is all about the video games. She also does live streaming and vlogging of events held at the store. I really enjoyed how Rae forced them to put the breaks on the relationship once the attraction was acknowledged between them. The banters about if a meeting was considered a date or not was so cute; they're waiting until at least three dates to "go all the way." I also loved seeing a different side of nerdom and reading from the perspective of how it really is work to be a video game streamer. While it seems fun and games, there is a lot of "work" that has to be done.

Now, this wasn't quite a full 5-stars for me, and mainly for the 3rd act conflict. We see Rae and August get into an argument, and while one of them steps away to cool off, they don't leave the apartment. I loved the way that they really communicated with each other afterwards and hashed through why the argument happened and what each other needed to move past. Almost immediately we see August back track and then he does something incredibly stupid, he goes full ghost. And then, to top it all off, Rae is the one that goes to him and does more groveling. While I understand why he initially is upset with Rae and she does have something to apologize for, I felt like most of the situation should've been addressed by August. That tiny little thing (which is becoming more and more of an item I'm a stickler on), is why I docked the rating.

I cannot wait to continue the series and am so hyped up for the next couple books. I know that at some point we'll have Tuesday and Rae's older brother, whom she has pined after since she was 10-years old. I am going to be digging into Allie York's backlist for sure and can't wait to see what else she has written. If you are at all interested in nerd culture of any type, certainly check out this series!

Have you read Talk Nerdy To Me?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Talk Nerdy To Me, Allie York, 4.5-Stars, 2 days, eBook, 166 pages, published in 2020, indie published

How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read How to Abduct a Highland Lord?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

The Assassin and the Healer by Sarah J Maas

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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

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

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

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

Have you read The Assassin and the Healer?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen

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As we approached the end of April, it was time to pick up the Smart Women Read Romance pick of the month! April's theme was hockey romance and the book that won was Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen. This is the second book in her Brooklyn Bruisers series. I did want to read the first book in the series before this one, but I ran out of time. I was able to use this for the prompts couple on the cover (the other cover has it) for Love Has Sprung and Welcome to New York (set in New York) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Patrick O'Doul, captain of the Brooklyn Bruisers is suffering through some hip flexor strain. The team has a resident massage therapist and yogi named Ari and he continuously cancels his appointments. Patrick doesn't liked to be touched, but is forced by owners and coaches to stop cancelling and heal up. Ari works with O'Doul to get him to properly flex out and treat his muscles. As they find themselves around each other more and more, a connection quickly sparks between them. When Ari's horrible ex enters the picture things get a little more dangerous for Ari. Thankfully O'Doul is there to help her out where needed and give her a safe place to stay.

First off, this was my first Sarina Bowen and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm pretty picky and critical of my hockey romances and it's hard for me to really enjoy one. Now here I thought the hockey aspect was pretty well done, but while 90% was good, the last 10% really bothered me. The biggest thing that bothered me was the push and pressure on the players to make the playoffs. They're constantly bouncing between being third and fourth in their division. If they are close enough to be constantly switching places, being in fourth pretty much guarantees a spot in the playoffs via the wildcard. I just didn't like that the wild card wasn't even mentioned and they kept acting like if they got fourth they were immediately out. There is a miniscule chance that they would miss the playoffs in that scenario, and that's only if the top 5 teams in the other division of their conference have more points in the season. Highly unlikely, but there is a chance. There were a couple other hockey things that bothered me, but that was the biggest. I think had the hockey aspects been off or wrong for most of it I could excuse it easier, but since it was so well done in other aspects that really stood out to me.

As for O'Doul and Ari, I really enjoyed their relationship. Sarina writes steam really well and I loved Patrick. I liked the progression of their relationship for the most part, but I do have to say that Ari was frustrating at parts. One, she wouldn't really accept that her ex was dangerous and she was putting herself (and those around her) in danger by denying how bad it was. I also didn't like the weird conclusion she arrived at when it came to the "third act breakup." It just wasn't very logical and didn't make sense to me at all why her brain jumped there. I also do want to say that her ex is very stereotypical and his whole plot line felt unnecessary. 

Despite all these little pieces, I still enjoyed this book. It just wasn't quite a full 5-stars for me. I'm definitely intrigued to read more both in this series and by Sarina Bowen in general. I was urged during the live show to read book 4 Brooklynaire by Jessen, Juliette and Jenn. I'll try to get to it soon, but I kind of want to go back to reading in order. We'll see what happens, but I have some readalong and book club books to get through first. I definitely will be picking up more Sarina Bowen.

Have you read Hard Hitter?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Hard Hitter, Sarina Bowen, 4.5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 336 pages, published in 2017, traditionally published

Untouchable by Sam Mariano

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Once the Dark Romance Readathon started, I put my current book on hold and looked through my tbr. I decided to finally pick up Untouchable by Sam Mariano. I picked this up thanks to the Dark Romance Readathon and it covered the prompts touch her and you die, public sex, bad ass heroine, and obsessive hero. I also applied it to the prompts forbidden romance for Love Has Sprung and The Last Great American Dynasty (wealthy character) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

After Zoey reported a football player at her high school for groping her, things have taken a turn for the worse. Being at a small town high school in Texas means football is king. She's just hoping to get through senior year at escape to college out of state. When her previous perpetrator corners her in an empty classroom, he threatens to assault her again with two of his buddies. Carter, the quarterback and most popular man in the school and town decides he wants to take the lead. After their encounter, Carter finds that he can't get Zoey out of his head and pushes her to pursue a relationship. Carter has rewired his brain though and doesn't have the normal personality traits one would expect. Zoey is intrigued in trying to work out the puzzle that is Carter and soon finds herself drawn to Carter's darkness.

Wow. This book... wow! Obviously there are quite a few triggers here, the biggest being assault both on and off the page. Now, I'll pass along what I was told. If you can get through the first few chapters, then it really kicks off and isn't quite as distressing. Now for me what was "triggering" was that she didn't really have a support system at all. I really hated that nobody was there for Zoey 100% and even her mother and "best friend" were more frustrated that their reputations were tarnished when Zoey reported the first assault.

Now, I did enjoy how Zoey was really interested in why Carter was acting the way he was and trying to figure out how to get him to act a certain way by changing her behavior. I really enjoyed this and was really swept up in also trying to figure out Carter. Now for me why this wasn't quite 5-stars was I wanted a little bit of give or compromise from Carter. He did nice things for Zoey and was more than willing to manipulate things around them to get things to happen that he wanted, but I wanted some sort of recognition or give. Just one scene to show that he could. I also didn't like that they didn't set up a safe word or something similar. It was talked about a couple of times that Carter likes it rough and he wasn't sure at times if the no was for play or for real. As the reader we know that she's done some research and she mentions it once, but I do wish it would've come up again. Otherwise, I loved the banter between Zoey and Carter.

I'm glad I finally got around to reading Untouchable and totally get the hype. If you are okay with dark romance and can push through the first few chapters it really is a gem. Although, it wouldn't be such a gem without those first few chapters. Here you really go through the work between Zoey and Carter to get that HEA and for me, it was worth it. I'm intrigued to read other books by Sam Mariano and if they are quite as dark as this. I'll definitely add her to my list of darker authors!

Have you read Untouchable?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Untouchable, Sam Mariano, 4.5 stars, 1 day, eBook, 541 pages, published in 2018, indie published

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

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I have joined another long-running readalong! This time it is the SJM readalong created by Jenn (The Book Refuge)! Each portion she'll have different people helping her host, but since it'll be constantly changing I'll just focus on linking to Jenn. So the readalong is going be reading through Sarah J Maas's backlist in publication order, hopefully ending around the time of her newest release (which hasn't been announced yet). I have not read SJM before, but I'm excited to finally dive in. For April there are two books and two novellas assigned, but they are being separated into two different live shows. For the first, scheduled for today April 16th, we are to read the first book in the Throne of Glass series, Throne of Glass. I also used this for my two reading challenges. It covered the prompt Fifteen (young adult story, story with teens or a lot of angst) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge and the prompt new to you author for Love Has Sprung.

Celaena is an assassin and one of the best. It has been a year since she has been captured and sent to work in the salt mines of Endovier. When the Crown Prince of Adarlan Dorian arrives, he is hoping to convince Celaena to become his contender in a competition/trial to become the king's Champion. Celaena agrees since once her service is done she'll have her freedom, but things aren't as they seem. As she butts heads with the Captain of the Guard Chaol and other competitors start turning up dead outside of the trials, Celaena knows there more here then meets the eye. When she gets visited by the ghost of the first queen of Adarlan, she is tasked to deal with the evil being being called to this world through Wyrdgates, magic that was thought lost.

Oh my gosh! I really loved this. I've been pretty open about never really reading young adult books and I was a little hesitant coming into this. I've also heard that it's a rough start to the series but that it gets a lot better later in the series. If this is how it starts, my mind is going to be absolutely blown as we get through the series. I really loved this and if this was Sarah J Maas's debut and she grows from here, I'm even more excited to get through her series. Now, I know that the romance gets heavier later on in the series and I really hope it's not a love triangle between Dorain and Chaol. I haven't looked ahead since I don't want to be spoiled for anything, but if I have to choose between the two, I would be team Dorian. I don't know though... I feel like neither of them are the match for Celaena. I'm sure they're all going to grow and the world will expand.

So moving on from the gushing, what dropped this down to a 4.5-stars for me was to do with Chaol and Dorian. I wasn't that big of a fan of Chaol and didn't like his hot and cold reactions with Celaena. I also was confused on his naivete about the world. With Dorian being the crown prince, you would typically expect him to be the one that's not fully aware of what's going in the world. While he doesn't know everything, Dorian was at least aware of things going on and that life wasn't idyllic as the other nobles thought for the commoners. Chaol, even though he was a nobleman turned guard, was a lot more oblivious. I just got confused because if Chaol was one of the only people that Dorian was able to discuss these things with, why was he so constantly surprised by what was going on. While I liked that it was opposite than normal, it just felt odd for him to be so oblivious to some things.

Overall I can't wait to read more and see where the story is going to go. I had so much fun reading Throne of Glass and am so happy this readalong is pushing me to finally read her books! I really am excited to dig into more and it'll be fun, since we are going in publication order, to watcher her writing evolve and grow from book to book. I think I might need to join the Maas fan club now!

Have you read Throne of Glass?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Throne of Glass, Sarah J Maas, 4.5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 433 pages, published in 2012, traditionally published

The Difference Between Us by Rachel Higginson

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After reading The Opposite of You, I immediately jumped into The Difference Between Us. This is the second book in Rachel Higginson's Opposites Attract series. I applied this to the Love Has Sprung prompt slow burn romance.

Molly has been struggling at her 9-5 job. She works for an advertising company as the social media guru, but most of her co-workers aren't up to the current needs of society. As she struggles to show the importance of social media advertising, she is also being harassed by her boss. He's also the CEO's son and she feels like she can't really go to anyone for help. When Ezra comes to her for help for his restaurants' advertising, he starts learning more about her skill set. Molly is also a painter, but struggles with acknowledging her talent and won't sell her paintings. As Ezra and Molly work closer together on various projects, he ends up finagling her to paint a mural at his lowest performing restaurant, Bianca. The more time that they spend together, the more Molly and Ezra can't seem to stay away from each other and eventually give in to their feelings.

This was so good and I really enjoyed it as well, but in a different way than The Opposite of You. So once again, we have a couple triggers, and as you can tell from my summary it's for harassment. Molly's boss starts off with grazes and staring, but constantly is doing double entendre and finding ways for them to end up in meetings together. Now nothing really physical happens outside of one firm boob grab, but I can see how it can be triggering. Even more so since she get's told she's overthinking by HR three separate times. She does have a female friend that walks with her to her car after work and a few other times they buddy up, but I just had to dock a 1/2 star for this situation. I didn't like that no other coworkers came forward or at least banded together to protect each other. Even from the males that saw what was happening but didn't step up. I understand that that was the point of the situation, but it would've been nice that even if nobody was able to stand up to this guy they could at least buddy up as much as possible. Because this was a big deal in the story, I did want my revenge at the end but it was just a few lines in the epilogue. I wanted this guy's head and was felt left feeling a little "that's it?" I liked that Ezra pushed the issue and supported Molly, but I do wish that we could've seen what went down as the reader so we could get that little bit of closure as well.

But let's get to the good stuff. Ezra and Molly, oh my gosh. I loved them both and how they interacted with each other. Molly is one of the only people to talk-back to Ezra and call him out when he's wrong. I just loved how much Ezra wanted her because he needed that and too many people in his life were willing to just roll over. I also love how much he supported her in all aspects of her life, including the fact that Molly can't cook anything. I mean, she frequently burns toast. There was a scene where she tries to cook them dinner and does spaghetti and it ends up a complete disaster. The way that Ezra handled it and an emotional Molly was just so sweet. Honestly, I loved most everything about this book except for Molly's corporate job situation.

Like I mentioned in my review for The Opposite of You, I went on a binge of this series so the reviews for the other two books are coming soon! I can't wait to look into Rachel Higginson's backlist and see what else she's written. I also love that the series is all based around Restaurant people and while the first book was about chefs, here we get Ezra the owner. I loved seeing a different side of the business!

Have you read The Difference Between Us?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Difference Between Us, Rachel Higginson, 4.5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 284 pages, published in 2017, indie published

Level Up by Cathy Yardley

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The final book I read in February was to finish out the second board of Winter's Kiss. I needed something shorter (so I could finish it in time) to cover the prompt cover model wearing a sweater or a hat on the cover. Going through my kindle I found Level Up by Cathy Yardley. This is the first book in her Fandom Hearts series.

Tessa is hoping to get a promotion up to video game engineer. Since she is extremely introverted she struggles connecting with her coworkers. She asks her roommate Adam and former video game engineer for tips to be at the top of the list. When he encourages her to step out of her comfort zone, she befriends temp office gal Stacy. Stacy includes her into her geeky friend group and they all immediately click. When a competition is released for a visit from a famous actor from a Supernatural type show, Tessa suggests making a mini-video game for their submission. She's hoping it's unique enough to win and use the visit to books sales for one of the group's bookstore. When Tessa comes to Adam and the other video game engineers for help, Adam starts to see her in a different light and more than just the respectful roommate that keeps to herself.

Oh my gosh! This was such a great ode to the geeky, nerdy, fandom girls that are out there and I need to find my own group like this. Or join theirs! I loved all the different references and how all of the girls lived such different lives but were able to connect over something as simple as a tv show. I also really enjoyed Adam and Tessa's relationship and the natural evolution. While she had been living with him for a while, they were really keeping to themselves for the most part and not opening up to each other. I loved how their first few kisses went and it was so freaking adorable! What didn't quite work for me was the two different "conflicts." They didn't feel like big conflicts, but I would've been happy to just have Tessa have the possible job offer in a different state. I didn't really need the not-really drama with Adam's ex-fiancé as well.

This was such a fun book and really hit my fangirl heart. I'm so excited that I was finally able to pick up Cathy Yardley and can't wait to dig more into both this series and her backlist as a whole. I glanced through the blurbs for the rest of the series and was pleasantly surprised to see that the other books don't just focus on the the girl friend group, but also the other video game engineers. I can't wait to read more and am more than happy to add another contemporary author to my list!

Have you read Level Up?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Level Up, Cathy Yardley, 4.5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 181 pages, published in 2015, indie published

Warrior's Regret by November Dawn

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Getting back to my FaRoFeb prompts, I went looking for a low fantasy read. Since I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to pick up next, I checked out FaRoFeb's website to see what was on their TBR list for low fantasy. One of the options was Warrior's Regret by November Dawn. I had remembered this from their newsletter and had added it to my tbr. This is marked as the first book in her Demon Hybrid Warriors series. I also used this for the romance published in 2021 prompt for the 2nd board of Winter's Kiss.

Aster has finally hit a point where she's over dating and wants to find her mate. For demon hybrids, there is a DNA test that will connect two mates, if they've both taken the test. When she arrives for her results, she has a match! While Aster waits to meet her match in an interview room, she hears a loud argument and is soon told that her mate has chosen to not meet her. Cole is one of the top warriors for demon hybrids and is currently and instructor. When his friends unknowingly test him for a mate and trick him into showing up, he reiterates his stance that he is not interested in having a mate or a relationship. A few weeks later he becomes curious and suggests Aster for a supplies manager position at his base. When she gets the job and decides to take it, he takes the chance to observe and learn more about her. When he can't seem to stay away, they both struggle with their budding relationship.

Guys, this was soooo good! Honestly, there was so much here that I was a little surprised it was less than 200 pages. I think that there was so much here, and while I wanted more, it didn't really feel lacking to me. From what I can see this is November Dawn's first book and what a great debut! I loved the small moments between Aster and Cole and just loved how they were so comfortable with each other when sitting in silence. I could really feel the fated mate connection. Since it is fated mates, it's definitely a little more on the quick side, but I give (a lot) of leeway for this trope. They still took it slow overall.

I loved Cole's POV and how he kept adjusting how much he wanted from Aster. At first he just wanted to get her a stable job and somewhere he could more easily protect her if needed. Then he just wanted to observe her and make sure she's doing okay. That quickly turned into just meeting her and giving her a tour of the base and then giving her self-defense lessons. The tension between them was built so well. I think the only reason I couldn't go all the way to 5-stars was I wanted a little more of the steamy scenes. It was also a little predictable, but at the same time it there were some mature responses from Cole or Aster.

I can't wait for more in this series and to see whatever November Dawn writes in the future. There weren't really too many hints on who the future books might be about, so I'm even more intrigued on what's to come. If you're looking for a new fantasy author, definitely check out Warrior's Regret. I really enjoyed it!

Have you read Warrior's Regret?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Warrior's Regret, November Dawn, 4.5-stars, 2 days, eBook, 147 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Teased by Tinsel by Molly O'Hare

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After reading Teased by Fire, I decided to pick up the holiday novella set afterwards. Teased by Tinsel, by Molly O'Hare, is listed as book 1.5 in her Teased by Love series. I was able to use this for the prompt holiday novella for the 2nd board of Winter's Kiss.

We pick up a little over a year since the end of Teased of Fire. As we approach Christmas and Hank and Olive's first marriage anniversary (also Christmas Day), Hank has something special planned. He has rented a cabin a few hours away so he and Olive and their kitty can get away from people and everyone for a couple days. Not only do they plan on celebrating their anniversary, but also a little bit of Christmas just with the two of them.

There was actually quite a bit packed into this sweet holiday novella. We get caught up with Hank and Olive and get a little of time passage between the books. What I liked is seeing them as husband and wife and the greater sense of familiarity between them. We still got Olive's quirkiness and the fun antics of Dog the Maine Coon. We also got quite a bit of steam for how short this was. Even though I read this in late February, the holiday coziness was very apparent and it didn't really feel out of season. Or maybe I'm just crazy! There were some fun things that happened up at the cabin with a squirrel and just being in a new setting for Olive. What I also really liked was there was some dealings with the PTSD that Olive still has after her car accident. It felt really normal and I loved that everyone around her was supportive and also suffering through a small amount of PTSD as well.

There were more teasers leading up to Hank's best friend and his sister and this novella just made me anticipate their book even more! I can't wait to dig into more of Molly O'Hare's backlist. It was a great addition to Teased by Fire and I highly recommend reading it if you enjoyed the first book.

Have you read Teased by Tinsel?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

SATISTISCS: Teased by Tinsel, Molly O'Hare, 4.5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 158 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Teased by Fire by Molly O'Hare

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After reading Magic Triumphs, I knew I needed to change pace a little bit to avoid a book hangover. I decided to pick up a contemporary that would help cover my remaining prompts for the 2nd board of Winter's Kiss. I ended up reading Teased by Fire by Molly O'Hare. This is the first book in her Teased by Love series. I used it to cover the Winter's Kiss prompt cursive and print lettering on the cover.

Olive is a romance author that is also an introvert. When her childhood friend and roommate suddenly moves out after getting a job across the country, she sets up Olive with a new roommate. He's her older brother Hank, and the person that has teased Olive relentlessly throughout the years. Hank has been teasing Olive mostly because he has a crush on her and is taking this chance to finally push for more. As Hank and Olive juggle becoming roommates while being attracted to each other, things quickly heat up. When Hank proposes sleeping together for "research" for Olive's books, they both realize that it might just mean more.

I really enjoyed this. Olive was so relatable. I don't mind the teasing trope, but sometimes I do think that the person doing the teasing takes it too far and isn't always made aware of how their teasing is coming across. This is quickly addressed when Hank takes it a step too far. I also really liked that Hank had been pining for Olive since they basically both hit puberty, but didn't know absolutely everything about her. When he realized that she was a writer he immediately bought all of her books and read them right away. He had gotten through their backlist before Olive even knew that Hank knew. I just really liked that it didn't fall into any of the expected tropes or "twists."

There is a big car crash after they have a fight and Olive is very badly hurt. Of course Hank's crew (he's a firefighter) is called to the scene and he ends up going to the hospital with her. It's bad, like really bad. Olive needs to be resuscitated on the way to the hospital and we are told flatlines several times while in surgery. With how much she was injured, I was expecting some sort of amnesia or memory loss on top of her injuries but we didn't go that route. I loved how everything turned out and just really enjoyed the story overall. The only thing is Olive is a little too quirky at times, but I do have to admit that she stays at the same level of quirky all the way through. There's now fading in or out or something silly. The only reason it didn't quite hit the 5-stars for me is I wanted to see more of them falling in love when not in the physical situations. Oh, and I can't believe I forgot to mention one of the best characters, Dog. Dog is a Maine Coon kitty rescued and was the fire house mascot. She was such a fun addition!

I really enjoyed trying another new author and will definitely be looking into Molly's backlist. There are hints here about a future book between Hank's sister and his best friend, so I'm looking forward to that. It hasn't been published yet from what I could tell, but color me intrigued! The comedy hit me well and it was just a sweet and cute contemporary with decent steam. I'm looking forward to more of Molly's works!

Have you read Teased by Fire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Teased by Fire, Molly O'Hare, 4.5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 214 pages, published in 2018, indie published

Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan

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The first book I picked up for FaRoFeb was Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan. This is the first book of her Chronicles of the Warlands series. I found this book thanks to a Instagram post for a trope Tuesday post, so was able to use it for the prompt recommendation from booksta for the 2nd board of Winter's Kiss. It also works for the Heaving Bosom's 2022 Reading Embrace prompt Ancient Egyptian glory hole. For FaRoFeb, I used this for the prompt something you love to hate.

Xylara is the half-sister of the current King of Xy, but as the second child was allowed a little more freedom. She has taken it upon herself to learn the art of healing. When Xy ends up in the being able to skirt the rules, she starts offering help after hours to the barbarians that are coming to takeover Xy. When Lara saves one of the generals, the Warlord Keir is drawn to Lara and her care for everyone equally. He decides to broker a deal with the King to leave him in seat (under Keir of course) but also wants Lara as his Warprize.

Okay, so first things first. When I found this book I didn't see anything mentioned, but this ends in a cliffhanger and the first three books are about Keir and Lara. I hadn't realized since the covers were different enough, so I don't want anyone else to go in not realizing the same thing. Now, this is also a slow burn and not very steamy. I did really enjoy the world building and the way that things evolved. I did want a bit more romance between them, but now knowing that there's three books about them I wasn't quite as strict with my rating. It is a very abrupt ending though, so just be aware.

Where I did have issue was the misunderstandings that went on so long. I do wish that Keir and his people were more open to having conversations with Lara and actually teaching about their culture and what is actually happening. There were also a few moments where it was pretty obvious that Lara didn't know what was going on or how to act, but they just wrote her off or got frustrated with her. It's like because she quickly learned the language everyone forgot that she was from a different culture.

I did speed through the books and immediately continued the in the series. While not perfect, it sucked me in so quickly and kept me so occupied that I had to give it as close to a 5-star as possible. It just had those few little nitpicks that didn't push it over the hump for me. I'll definitely be reading more in the series; at least finishing the first three books. I'm intrigued to read Elizabeth's other series Epic of Palins since it supposedly intersects.

Have you read Warprize?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan, 4.5-stars, 0-days, eBook, 340 pages, published in 2005, traditionally published