I Touch My Shelf by Allie York

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With some more free time I went back to one of my new favorite series, Words for Nerds by Allie York! The next book in the series is the third, I Touch My Shelf. I used this to cover the Ivy (brown on the cover) prompt for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge and also the book with a punny title prompt for the 2nd board of Love Has Sprung.

Tuesday has been in love with her best friend Rae's older brother Leo since she was 10 years old. They have been dancing around each other for a while now, especially after they both came of age. After Leo is a little rude to Tuesday, she loses her temper and let's him have it. Faced with the option that she might have to finally move on, Leo finally makes his move and kisses Tuesday. From them they really start opening up to each other even more. What Leo doesn't know though, Tuesday is actually a popular science-fiction writer. When he reaches out to the author hoping to convince "him" to do a signing at his bookstore to make Tuesday happy, Tuesday fights with opening up to everyone, including her twin sister, about her secret persona.

Guys, guys, guys. This book. This series. They are giving me life. Tuesday and Leo were a mutual pining masterpiece with sci-fi and fantasy twists (Tuesday's main fandom is Lord of the Rings). I loved getting to see them connect in a different way and really push what they want from their relationship. I also loved that even though Tuesday was a virgin, it wasn't made that big of deal. Leo just accepted that he was the first for her but it was more of a sweet moment knowing that she was trusting enough of him to allow that kind of vulnerability for the first time. I also loved the way they connected over reading and books (are we really that surprised?). Some of their time together was spent reading together (either both reading the same book or reading separately while cuddling). It was really sweet and just made me feel so happy.

Now, the big 3rd act conflict was kind of predictable, but I liked how it played out and that it eventually led to Tuesday and her twin sister Greer getting even closer in the next book. Another fun aspect is that Tuesday runs Second Breakfast, the mini-café associated with the Words for Nerds comic shop. It was a fun addition seeing her put together unique sandwiches and coffees and coming up with nerdy and punny names. Another thing that is also touched base on is Leo's OCD. It's been an issue with his previous relationships and I loved how accepting and adaptable that Tuesday was for him. Once again, it wasn't made into some big thing. It just made them both feel so much more real.

If you couldn't already tell, I'm absolutely obsessed with this series and these characters. This the nerdy series of my dreams and I love the strong friendships between everyone. Seriously, if you enjoy any aspect of Nerd-dom culture, check out this series. I'll definitely be looking into Allie's other works after getting through this series.

Have you read I Touch My Shelf?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: I Touch My Shelf, Allie York, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 184 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

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

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And now, the time has come... for A Court of Thorns and Roses. This is the first book in highly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas (hereby referred to as ACOTAR). I have been reading Sarah J Maas's backlist as apart of the SJM-along organized by Jenn (The Book Refuge). The 2nd half of May's assigned reading is this book. I was able to use it for my reading challenges to cover Love Has Sprung board 2's prompt author you think is a nice person and the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge's prompt August (character you want to spend some "hot" time with).

Feyre is out hunting to bring home food to her two sisters and father. They are in severe poverty and rely on what Feyre can catch to live. When hunting a doe, Feyre's hunt is interfered by a giant wolf. She has an inkling at the time, but the wolf is actually Fae and she then owes her life to the Fae after killing him. The High Lord Tamlin shows up to claim her life and forces her to live with him in his Spring Court. As Feyre spends time across the border and living in the land of Fae, she grows close with Tamlin and his people. They have all been cursed by a "blight" and are secretly hoping that Feyre is the key to remove the curse. All that needs to happen is for Feyre to fall in love with Tamlin and express her love to him out loud within 49 days.

Okay, I was understanding the hype with the earlier books I read by SJM, but I see why people are obsessed with ACOTAR and I'm not even to the big books yet. The world SJM has created here is so much more vast feeling compared to Throne of Glass and I feel like she even pushes the mythos for her Fae creatures. Now, I'm not 100% sure if the Fae here are related to the Fae in Throne of Glass, but I'm intrigued to see what the other readers think as we discuss in the readalong. But back to ACOTAR itself. I really enjoyed Feyre and being inside her mind. What's a different aspect compared to Aelin is that she's a painter. A lot of things are referred to with an artist's eye. It led to a different type of description of Feyre's experiences than I expected and really enjoyed it.

Now, I did ask Jenn during a member live show if there was anything I needed to keep in mind before reading ACOTAR for the first time. She said to expect something similar to Throne of Glass where the character we get our HEA is not who you expect and to not get attached. Now, despite not knowing too much about this series outside of people are a huge fan of Rhysand (show me a bookish merch shop that doesn't reference him). I think that helped me temper my expectations a little and I'm hoping that it's Rhysand that's actually endgame for Feyre. Also, I should mention that I read this along in paperback while listening to the Graphic Audio audiobook. Now what's different about this is that Graphic Audio does it more cinematically with different actors/voices for everyone, sound effects and the whole shebang. It was pretty awesome, although I don't recommend doing both at the same time unless you're loosely following along in paperback. I was able to listen to it via my library using the Hoopla service.

I am so excited to continue this series as well! I almost wish we were going series by series instead of publication order because I have a couple books to read before getting the the next in this series. I am understanding the hype and almost kick myself for waiting so long to finally pick up SJM. Although it's super fun to read these books as a first timer and be able to blindly discuss things during the live show. It also helps I'm not the only one reading her for the first time!

Have you read A Court of Thorns and Roses?

(Let's be honest, most of you probably already have!)

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J Maas, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback & Audio Book, 448 pages, published in 2015, traditionally published

Love Has Sprung Wrap Up 2

 Even though I didn't manage to finish or get a bingo on the second board of Love Has Sprung, I decided to do a mini-wrap up. Partly so you could see prompts that work for books I read that covered spots on this board if you're looking for recommendations in the future, and the other part because I was expecting to finish at least two of the boards so I added prompts to each book as it got shifted. Instead of removing that portion from all of their reviews, I decided to just do a mini wrap up!

In case you missed by tbr post, above is the blank bingo board. Below is where I ended up finishing on May 31st. I'll go ahead and list the books I read in order starting from the top left corner and moving row by row.

🌷 "Kiss" in the Title: A Kiss of Venom by Beena Khan

🌷 Tattooed Cover Model: Savage Hearts by JT Geissinger

🌷 Continue Series You Forgot About: White Hot by Ilona Andrews

🌷 One Person on the Cover: How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins

🌷 Published in 2021: The Devil and I by Kay Alastor

🌷 Building or House on Cover: Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews

🌷 Book With Punny Title: I Touch My Shelf by Allie York

🌷 Diverse Hero: Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn and Violet Charles

🌷 Book 2 in a Series: Talk Nerdy to Me by Allie York

🌷 Read a Romcom: Stumbling Into Him by Molly O'Hare

🌷 Book by an Author You Think is a Nice Person: A Court of  Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

And that's all! Hopefully I'll be able to get at least the first board done a lot sooner for Summer of Swoon, maybe even more, but we'll see what happens. So far I've started out strong, but things could change over the next three month. If you'd like more recommendation ideas, check out my wrap up for the 1st board as well!

Did you participate in Love Has Sprung?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

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

All Geek To Me by Allie York

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My mood reading binge continues with All Geek To Me by Allie York. This is the first book in her Words for Nerds series. I picked this up to cover the prompt published in 2020 for the first board of Love Has Sprung. For the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge I used it to cover the prompt Getaway Car (has a vehicle in the story).

Noralee is the owner of Word for Nerds, a comic and gaming shop. When her neighbor gets robbed, she meets local police officer, and single father, Wyatt. Nora is very clutzy and accidentally "assaults" him with the front door the first time they meet. Despite her constantly have issues with gravity, Wyatt is drawn to her. As they find themselves connecting quickly and sneaking away for little dates, their relationship takes a more serious turn. Nora's three friends and business partners help push her to open up to Wyatt and give in to her feelings.

Oh my gosh. Guys, OH MY GOSH! Be still my beating, nerdy heart. This book was more than I expected and I absolutely loved the geeky/nerdiness. I loved that Nora and her friends aren't just in one fandom, but all things nerdy and geeky from video games to fantasy books to tv shows and movies. I loved that I could see myself going to their store and participating in their different gaming activities. Heck, they even host knitting night for a local group! I want to be their friend and live in this world. It just hit all of the right nerdy notes and you can tell that if Allie isn't apart of the club, she knows someone who is. It just felt so real and I loved that while all of the girls are into the same fandoms, they all are also into it in different ways.

As for the romance, I really loved the way that Nora and Wyatt just clicked. He's not really that nerdy, but is a normal person that enjoys the Marvel movies and Batman and things like that. He's learning though because his 4-year son is really into the superheroes. I loved the way that all three of them interacted. The 3rd act conflict wasn't what I was expecting, and my heart hurt for Nora. She really didn't explain herself properly and things came out in the most absolutely horrible way. Then she was so flustered she couldn't re-explain in the moment, not that Wyatt would've been listening. While this was a little insta-lovey, it didn't bother me at all and just felt almost like a fated/soul-mates situation.

If you are a nerd (or geek) like me, definitely check this series out. It's so much fun and really gave me all the nerdiness I've expected and needed. Sometimes when there's a nerdy character it feels a little superficial or as a character quirk, but it just felt so real here and I could see myself hanging out at Second Breakfast (their in house coffee stand) all the time. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series and certainly want to check out other works that Allie has done. Another new favorite author!

Have you read All Geek To Me?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: All Geek To Me, Allie York, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 203 pages, published in 2020, indie 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

Love Has Sprung Wrap Up

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

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

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

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

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

🌷 Slow Burn: The Difference Between Us by Rachel Higginson

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

🌷 Couple on Cover: Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen

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

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

🌷 Booksta Rec: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

🌷 Foodie Romance: The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson

🌷 Diverse Heroine: Learning Curves by Molly O'Hare

🌷 2-Word Title: The Proposal by Mary Balogh

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

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

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

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

🌷 Forbidden Romance: Untouchable by Sam Mariano

🌷 New Release: Parks and Provocation by Juliette Cross

🌷 Updated or Redone Cover: Burn by Suzanne Wright

🌷 Fake Dating: Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee

🌷 Backlist Romance: The Something About Her by Rachel Higginson

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

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

🌷 Shelby Favorite Author: A False Start by Elsie Silver

🌷 Diverse Author: Topaz by Beverly Jenkin

🌷 Office Romance: Hollywood Dreams by Molly O'Hare

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

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

Did you participate in Love Has Sprung?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Fool's Gold by Jenny Bunting

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read Fool's Gold?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

White Hot by Ilona Andrews

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read White Hot?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read Burn for Me?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy

⭐⭐⭐

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read The Marquess Makes His Move?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

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

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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

How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read How to Abduct a Highland Lord?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

A Kiss of Venom by Beena Khan

⭐⭐⭐💫

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read A Kiss of Venom?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

Savage Hearts by J.T. Geissinger

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read Savage Hearts?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read Heir of Fire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The second portion of April's assigned books for the SJM Readalong starts with Crown of Midnight. This is the second book Sarah J Maas's Throne of Glass series. The readalong is being organized by Jenn (The Book Refuge) and each portion will have various other booktubers helping host. The plan is to read SJM's backlist in publication order. I was able to use this book for the Love Has Sprung prompt booksta rec and the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge prompt Wildest Dreams (outside normal romance sub-genre). 

Now that Celaena is the King's Champions, she's been tasked to deal with various "traitors." As rebel forces start to grow stronger with the supposed backing of the missing Terrasen princess, Celaena is torn between helping those and staying alive. As Celaena struggles balancing her true motives, staying on the king's good side, her friendships with Dorian and Fehemia and a burgeoning romantic relationship with Chaol, the king's nefarious plans start to advance. Celaena and her friends are put into tough situations to make the best out of what's going on, but also struggle with being able to fully trust in each other. When a death occurs close to Celaena, all bets are off.

Wow, this was a good continuation of the series. I do have to say, while I really enjoyed this book as well, I think it will be after Throne of Glass on my ranking list. Back to here though. I really enjoyed seeing how Celaena was dealing with actually winning the competition and being forced to follow the King's bidding. I did love though that as the reader we got to see that she wasn't actually killing these so-called traitors, but helping them escape the continent. I loved that we got to see a lot more of Celaena's assassination skills and she was such a badass. I know that she'll just get more powerful from here though and I can't wait.

Now, there were a few detractors for me that kept it from 5-stars. One of the big parts though was the romance with Chaol. I didn't like the dynamic between them and just found myself so uninterested in their romance. I disliked the way he treated Dorian and Celaena in the first book at times, and really disliked how much he kept from her. It just didn't feel like he actually loved Celaena. He was constantly getting on my nerves and I was just over him. Another thing I do want to mention is that there are a lot of hints throughout that are revealed at the end of the book. I saw on the readalong discord that a lot of people were getting blown away by the ending, but because I caught a lot of the hints it was more of a "okay, I'm right" feeling. Not that it wasn't good, but I just want to put it out there since I feel it was a little overhyped for me. I was expecting things to be completely blown open. I have to say, I was more surprised by the fact that Dorian has magic than the reveals we learned about Celaena. But then, once again, she only confides in Chaol even though her and Dorian have more secrets shared between them!

I'm certainly happy to continue reading the story and can't wait to see how this is all going to culminate. As for the romance, at this point I'm really hoping it's with someone we haven't met yet since it seems that Dorian has been friend-zoned. I just don't like Chaol. What makes me the most excited about the next book, Heir of Fire, is that we are leaving Rifthold and heading to a new city. I'm excited to see how the world expands!

Have you read Crown of Midnight?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Crown of Midnight, Sarah J Maas, 4-stars, 2 days, eBook, 432 pages, published in 2013, traditionally published