Walking in Fire by Cathryn Cade

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read Walking in Fire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

Bright Like Wildfire by Juliette Cross

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

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

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

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

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

Have you read Bright Like Wildfire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman

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

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

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

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

Have you read A Daring Pursuit?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

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

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

Parks and Provocation by Juliette Cross

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With a little bit of free time to mood read, I knew I had to pick up Parks and Provocation by Juliette Cross. This is a new release and I actually read it as an ARC (advanced reader's copy). I received the ARC because I am apart of Juliette's patreon and this was the first time I've ever read an ARC! This is the 2nd book in the SmartyPants Romance series Green Valley Heroes. If you haven't heard of SmartyPants Romance, it's a publishing company created by Penny Reid. After her Knitting in the City and Winston Brothers series got so massive, she created a Penny Reid Universe. Via SmartyPants Romance not only does it publish Penny's books, but other authors' works set in the same settings as her series. Green Valley Heroes takes place in Green Valley, the same city the Winston Brothers reside in. Back to Parks and Provocation though. I was able to apply this to the prompts New Release for Love Has Sprung and Bad Blood (enemies to lovers) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge. I was also able to use this for my April roll for the Yahtzee challenge which was the small straight.

Lola is back in her small town of Green Valley after getting laid off from her corporate marketing job in New Orleans. When she does something silly, Jed, her high school nemesis and now fireman is there to rescue her. As they reconnect and realize that the mutual crushes that went awry in high school are still there, maybe even stronger, Lola still plans on finding the perfect marketing job. Jed hopes to make her fall in love with him before she has to leave.

Oh my gosh, this was just the same kind of feeling I get from Juliette's Stay a Spell series and I absolutely loved it! I'm so happy for her that she was able to join SmartyPants Romance and this is her first published contemporary romance! I loved Jed, he was just so freaking swoony. I usually enjoy firefighter and everyday-hero heroes like him, but I absolutely loved Jed. We also got some good representation for Dyslexia. I'm also a huge sucker for mutual pining and we get that in spades here. While I'm not the biggest fan of enemies to lovers, this didn't quite push it that much for me. The reason why they kind of became enemies in high school was the mutual pining/crushes and misunderstandings due to teenage hormones.

I mean this is just pretty much a gush fest for me because I love Juliette both as an author and a person. Parks and Provocation was such a great expansion to Green Valley and I really hope that Juliette is able to write more both with SmartyPants and in this specific series as well. There were quite a few side characters I want books for and they seem a little teased. If I were to pick something that was a little bit of a detraction, I think it would be the third act conflict. It was a little predictable, but it wasn't bothersome to me. I think the grovel that Lola did was pretty special. Also, I should say be prepared to be teased by the sexual tension. It is top freaking notch!

I love Juliette and can't wait to read whatever she has next as well as what I have left on her backlist. She's one of my favorite authors and I know she has a few more releases planned for this year. If you haven't read Juliette Cross yet, please do so! Please, please, please!

Have you read Parks and Provocation?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Parks and Provocation, Juliette Cross, 5-stars, 2 days, eBook, 343 pages, published in 2022, indie published

The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson

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Continuing with my full on mood reading, I decided to pick up The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson. This is the first book in her Opposites Attract series. I first heard about this book thanks to the Smart Women Read Romance podcast! They did an episode on it pretty early on and it's been on my tbr since. Since I knew I needed a foodie romance for Love Has Sprung, so I decided to finally pick it up. I was also able to use this for my March Yahtzee roll which ended up being a large straight. The prompt for that was a book with over 5,000 reviews.

Vera is back to her hometown of Durham after getting out of an abusive relationship and travelling throughout Europe for a year. Now that she's back (thanks to a health scare with her father), she is looking to getting her chef career back on track. Not sure if she'd be able to get a job in a restaurant, she decides to start a food truck called Foodie. When she parks across the street from high end restaurant Lilou and renowned check Killian, sparks start to fly between the two. When Killian starts helping Vera with her recipes and giving his reviews, she gets annoyed but is also happy for the input. As they grow closer, the sparks start to flame.

Oh my gosh, first off it's weird that I ended up picking two books in a row with a hero named Killian. I guess that works though since it's March? Anyways, this was such a fun book and I really enjoyed Vera's story. I feel like I should mention, this is single POV and all from Vera. I do wish that we saw a little of Killian's POV, even as an epilogue or something. I understood that it helped keep the mystique of Killian, but I wanted inside his head. I do think that Rachel did a great job giving nuances so that as a reader we could tell what was going on with Killian before Vera realized.

The beginning was just so perfect and I loved him sending his sous chef over to get her food and then send him back with his notes on the dish. Sometimes I felt so bad for Vera, but I also liked that even though at times it was annoying or a little over the top, it helped her think of her dishes more critically. Oh, I should also mention that there is triggers for abuse and manipulation. We don't see too much of it present day, but Vera is still struggling with her guilt over "letting" it happen to her and how she allowed him to cut out her friends and family. I feel like it is enough for a warning because we spend the entire book in Vera's head and she is still coming to terms. She is near the end of her journey to moving on and past her experiences, but it is talked about quite a bit. 

I really enjoyed this book and am so happy I finally picked it up. You'll see over the next couple reviews, but reading this prompted me to binge the complete series! I just couldn't put them down and had to see what would happen with the next couple. I am definitely going to be looking into Rachel Higginson's backlist and see what else she has written. Another win from Juliette and Jessen!

Have you read The Opposite of You?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Opposite of You, Rachel Higginson, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 302 pages, published in 2017, indie published

Yahtzee Challenge Announcement

 Happy March! Today I'm doing an announcement for another reading challenge! This one is a little different though, so I'm not doing my typical tbr or idea list. Before we get into it too much, let's go over the basic information. I found this challenge thanks to the fun group on goodreads Romance Readers Reading Challenges. They have a lot of different kinds of reading challenges for various amounts of time. I actually participated in one last June for their Wedding Season Challenge. Back to our Yahtzee challenge though! So this is a little different in that you can only do one prompt a month meaning this challenge will from March 1st, 2022 through March 31st, 2023. Everything is explained in the original post, but if you want to learn more before joining, I'll go over the basic prompts and rules.

So with Yahtzee, we are going with the normal roll 5 dice and keep what you want and roll a total of three times. They are keeping all of the normal goals and I'll list those below with the prompts for each roll. You are required to roll and post your result in the forum (just keep using the same post to update). You have to make your roll between the 25th of the previous month and the 5th of the current month and have it recorded. Then you can choose which option you are applying it too (as per usual). They did make a note that each month there will be an alternative roll option if what you roll doesn't match up with any available options (although let's be honest, that shouldn't be the case for the first month since at the very least you'll have the chance roll). Once you've read the book, you just need to record the book done with the date finished.

GOALS/PROMPTS:

Ones: Read a book with a one word title or first in a series
Twos: Read a book with a two word title or second in a series
Threes: Read a book with a three word title or third in a series
Fours: Read a book with a four word title or fourth in a series
Fives: Read a book with a five word title or fifth in a series
Sixes: Read a book with a six word title or sixth in a series
3-of-a-Kind: Read a book with either red, blue or yellow on the cover
4-of-a-Kind: Read a book with either earth, wind, air or fire on the cover
Full House: Read a book with the number 2 or 3 in the page count or publication date
Small Straight: Read a book with less than 5,000 reviews
Large Straight: Read a book with more than 5,000 reviews
Yahtzee: Read any book
Chance: Read a book by a new-to-you author

There are a few other rules to keep note of. First, for the straight numbers there is a requirement to get at least three (so all of the numbers are technically at least three-of-a-kind). Also, if you get more than one Yahtzee, you can apply it using joker rules, which basically means it can almost go anywhere else. If you don't know what joker rules are, it's explained in the information post. There's also a limit of a book being at least 90 pages long.

If you are interested in a more low-key reading challenge combined with a classic dice game, please join us! If you haven't friended me on goodreads, please do! A big spot I learn about new books or decide to pick up a book is if my friends have or will read it!

Will you be participating in the Yahtzee Reading Challenge?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎