Last Book of the Year

 Meet Me Under the Mistletoe  by Jenny Bayliss 

This was very sad for being a Christmas book. This book focuses on Nory and her school friends who are all getting together for a wedding. But one of them isn't there because he killed himself a few years ago. And at his funeral Nory slept with Guy and it wasn't until afterwards that she found out Guy was married so obviously she feels horrible. Fast forward to the wedding week and she now meets the wife how is wonderful and she wants to tell her but doesn't because it's his problem and his marriage so he needs to do it (and his marriage is in enough trouble because he's the worst). They are staying at the castle adjacent to where they all went to school and it's good and bad. The son of the former gardener is now the head gardener and he's hot and Nory is interested in him and they hit it off despite the Marquis no fraternization policy and her older brother trying to keep them apart. Then he shows her his family's big secret; his great great grandmother was a painter and a really rich family took credit for her work. So she tries to help him buy getting Guy involved because he's a great investigative journalist but Guy tries to make a move on her and even though she tries to fight him off Isaac walks in and sees and he ends things with her. They break up and both are miserable. She returns home for Christmas and her brother needs her help to deliver some centerpieces up at the castle which helps them get back together. Fast forward one year and they get married. The friends from the previous year have a baby and name it after their dead friend and everyone is happy. But the undercurrent of their dead friend was prevalent throughout the entire story and it was too real and too sad for a happy holiday story. When you are expecting a cute Hallmark story it's surprising to get a real story with fully developed characters who can have sad backstories and baggage. I think I prefer my holiday books to be more fluff and less real.

Another New Author for a Holiday Book

 Single All the Way by Portia MacIntosh 

This was cute but also a bit of a disaster. The secondhand embarrassment was very real for a lot of this book. I do love a fake relationship that turns into a real relationship which this had. Rex is a stupid name, but I forgive him for that. So, Dani starts the book working for Tom who is her ex boyfriend. And he can't fire her for being his ex, which nobody in the office knew, so he demotes her. Enter Rex. He is trying to empress the new girl, who works in fashion, but it's not working and so he pretends to be dating Dani. Now they have to fake date which has a two fold benefit, first is makes the new girl super interested in Rex and two it makes Tom jealous. But, while fake dating it makes Rex realize that the girl he was into isn't actually worth being interested in because she was willing to break up a relationship because she only wanted him when he was unavailable. So, Dani goes home to visit her parents for Christmas and Rex is headed in the same direction to open up the new office up north. Only, her parents don't know she's coming so they go to France. And he gets stranded in town but doesn't tell her. She reconnects with old friends, including her teenage crush, Ben. She tells the whole town her family knows and have given her permission to host a party while they are gone. Except Ben knows the truth and eventually confronts her about it. They fight. She has already realized she doesn't still have feelings for him because she actually likes Rex. She realizes that Rex is stuck in town and goes to the B&B and finds him and brings him to her parents house. Her parents come home on Christmas and meet him then see the aftermath of the party. Fast forward one year and they are still together; she is hosting another party but bigger and his parents fly in to meet her and it goes wonderfully. It was cute with just enough drama to keep it interesting but not so much that it takes away from being a Christmas story.

Different Author for this Holiday Book

 Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross by Kate Forster

This was not a typical Hallmark style Christmas story. The characters were much more developed and the story more fully formed than you expect from a Christmas book. I normally don't like an age gap, but it didn't bother me in this because both people were fully grown adults instead of the FMC being barely 18 like in most age gap romances. Eve is an assistant for an editor and Serena, the editor is the absolute worst person to work for; she treats her employees horribly and takes credit for other peoples work. Edward is an author on Serena's case who hasn't delivered the promised book so she sends Eve up to him to get him to work. Eve definitely thinks he's cute. But it's weird because she can't tell if he's flirting with her or not. Then there's the issue of his kids; Myles is 14 and his step-son who he never adopted but his mother abandoned him and he is severely depressed. Then there's Flora who is 7 and burying her dolls in the snow so she can rescue them; unlike her own mother who abandoned her and hasn't shown up to rescue her. But Eve bonds with both kids. She takes them to meet her family. She flirts with Edward. They spend Christmas with her family. Then Amber, his ex-wife shows up and starts smashing his car with a hammer. Then she finds out that she's not getting the editor job she applied for to stay working as Serena's assistant because Edward wants to keep working with her. This was really Serena's way to keep her and not promote her. She leaves the house and returns to her apartment with her roommates. She quits her job. Edward calls Serena and asks why she fired her and she tells her she quit. He says, get her back and give her the promotion or he leaves and finds a new publisher. Serena calls and begs her to come back. Eve refuses. She interviews with a small boutique publisher. She is on her way to apologize to Edward and see if he will take her back when she gets a call from her mother. There was a fire. Amber set fire to the house. Edward was the only person there. Firefighters were able to save him and the kitten Flora got for Christmas but Amber died. But he was severely injured. He was in the hospital for a while. Eve was by his side the whole time. His kids were with Eve's parents. He and Myles started looking for new houses and they found the perfect place and showed it to Eve and that's where he proposed. Then she got the email saying that she got the job with the new publisher, which turns out to be the same publisher that Edward moved his new novels to and neither new that the other was talking so it worked out great. He also adopted Myles. The epilogue was three years later. They had a daughter. She reaches out to one of her friends about writing a self-help book. It had a lot of the expected tropes for a romance, but also some unexpected things as well. I really enjoyed this.

Fourth Holiday Book of the Season

 Christmas With the Laird by Scarlet Wilson 

This was one of the better books by this author that I have listened to. It was still very Hallmark, but less rushed. Juilette and Andrew work together on a show about haunted houses. She is the talent and he is the cameraman. She has been recently broken up with. He is single. They have to go and film over Christmas because one of the stars of one of their upcoming episodes has been injured. He has a place they can go in Scotland. Turns out he is a Scotish Laird and owner of a supposedly haunted house that also needs a roof repair that he has to deal with. So they spend Christmas filming and dealing with the ghosts of his past. All while falling in love. And since they have worked together for a while this wasn't rushed. It was cute and appropriately paced for such a short book.

Third Holiday Book of the Season

 A Royal Christmas Princess by Scarlet Wilson 

Everyone loves the idea of finding out you are secretly a princess. It sucks that Holly had to find out that she was also adopted, and that her only living relative, the Prince, is dying. So the only other potential heir to the throne is desperately looking for her because Prince Alfred wants to find his daughter before he dies and she just so happens to have the same baby picture. So she gets swept up in this whirlwind, but an investigative journalist is along for the trip as well and can't figure out why a dog walker is along for the ride because they are keeping her identity a secret. Holly and Felix, the distant heir, spend time together; she meets her father and develops a relationship with him. She spends time out among the people, learning about their customs and charming them without them knowing who she is. The DNA test comes back and it's true, she is the heir. There's a Christmas Ball and Alfred has her wear the family tiara and dances with her then the reporter disrupts everything and spills the secret. Holly runs away. Felix follows with a different reporter. A nice old lady at the airport provides come comic relief. Felix takes her back home. They have both the reporter and the Chancellor escorted out; they should have publicly fired him but having the guards escort him off the premises will have to do. The book ends with Holly and Felix getting engaged right before she gets officially crowned Princess. It was cute, but had an overarching sadness to it.

Second Holiday Book of the Season

 The Jingle Bell Bride  by Scarlet Wilson 

So I'm listening to this book and thinking it sounds really familiar; that's because I've already watched this Hallmark movie. (I liked the movie). But once I realized that I kept hearing the Julie Gonzalo as the narrator even though it wasn't her; but she played Jessica in the movie so that's who I was hearing. When watching a Hallmark movie you expect a short courtship, but reading/listening to it was a little extreme. Four days. That's how long Jessica and Matt knew each other before she decided to completely upend her life. Move halfway across the world. Start a new career. And get married. Four days. Like, be so for real right now. I mean, it was still cute, but that's no way to build a life. Four. Days. I mean, I still love a cheesy Hallmark movie, and this was better than the Runaway Christmas Bride but not as good as the Christmas Contest.

Made for TV cont (again x8)

 Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs 

This was a solid book for this series, better than some but not as good as others. This one centers around NASCAR. We have a couple that have been missing for close to 20 years; are they dead? in witness protection? did they run away? For the majority of the book runaway or witness protection are looking like strong candidates. But, while two FBI agents are here "helping" they aren't actually sharing or helping much. We have a former cop who did time for taking a bribe, but by the end of the book Skinny is thinking that maybe the money really was planted and he was the fall guy. The couple has been dead this whole time; we find their bones. Turns out the guys dad killed them because he 1) didn't like that his son and the girlfriend were leaving the hate group and 2) didn't like the idea of the girlfriend driving NASCAR. He also killed her brother because he was asking too many questions and got too close to the truth. No Ryan in this one. Tempe ended up in trouble. Again. But, not because she trusted the wrong person, but because the bad guy was a bad guy. An interesting premise and case.

Third of Three

 The Duke Meets His Match by Tina Gabrielle 

This was the worst of the three books. I do not like age gap romances. And I do not like an overbearing MMC. This book had both. Michael was supposed to be looking out for Henry and protecting him but instead he ends up falling for Chloe, who he sees as only interested in Henry for his money, which she kind of is. He decides that she needs someone with a firm hand to guide her, someone like him. But he can't get married because of the episodes he has from the war, so he propositions her to be his mistress. She turns him down. Henry is going to propose, she tries to tell him not to but he doesn't give her a chance to speak. Henry catches them kissing and then he starts yelling which triggers one of Michael's episodes and he decides he can't marry, even though he had changed his mind and asked her earlier. He gets drunk. Henry gets drunk. Then Henry shows up hungover to apologize and gives him his permission to marry her. So he goes and asks her. And they get married. It just wasn't. He was too stubborn and arrogant. I will not be reading any more from this author.

First Holiday Book of the Season

 The Runaway Christmas Bride by Scarlet Wilson 

This was very Hallmark but less believable. So, she gets left at the alter except she is the one that does the leaving when she overhears her groom say that he's going to go through with the wedding then leave her later because it will be less painful because he wants kids and it wouldn't be fair to leave her now, this soon after the miscarriage and surgery. So she walks out and drives until she can't drive anymore. She ends up in this small town and meets a hot guy who gives her directions to the nicest hotel in town and she uses her ex-fiance's credit card to charge it. Then she gets a job at the hotel and then moves into the local B&B. Oh, and the hot guy starts basically stalking her but it's fine because 1) he's hot and 2) he just wants to make sure she's safe. So he starts showing her around town. Then they start dating. He falls hard and fast but he doesn't tell her he can't have kids. But, she comes clean and tells him why she ran away from her wedding. A few days go by and he shows up at her work and makes a grand gesture and basically tells the whole town he's sterile and asks her to marry him. After knowing each other for less than a month. And they get married the next day. It just felt very rushed. It was cute, but rushed.

Made for TV cont (again x7)

 Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs 

While this was an interesting premise it wasn't as strong as the previous book and the ending felt rushed. Tempe is in Canada. She has a floater that gets identified by fingerprints. But it can't be him because he died in Vietnam and is buried in North Carolina. So she goes back to NC to exhume the body. Then she goes to Hawaii because that's where J-PAC is and that's what is required of this case. Her daughter comes too because her friend/boyfriend got killed in Kabul and she isn't handling it well. While in Hawaii the Medical Examiner asks for her help with some bones and she gets pulled into a gang issue. Ryan and his daughter come out. Lily and Katie do not get along, until Lily finds out that her mom is leaving and she is going to have to stay with her dad, permanently. Then the girls get targeted by the gangs. This is after Tempe gets ran off the road and almost drowns. She did not put herself in danger this time, which was nice (I know she stopped doing that a few books ago, but I'm not convinced she has actually stopped). Back to the main case. Turns out, the floater is who they thought he was. The guy in his grave was in Vietnam with him and died in the crash that they thought killed him. His cousin, who could have been his twin, actually went to Vietnam instead, and put his dog tags on the dead guy. Then he took on the dead guys name and went back to the states. Now, he's dying and shows up to an interview and says he's not the dead guy he's his cousin (the floater) but Tempe figures out that he's actually the cousin and he finally admits to that. So the floater and the original dead guy both get buried in NC. This one was complicated and had a lot of red herrings.

Second of Three

 Real Earls Break the Rules by Tina Gabrielle 

This was the second book in this series. It follows the middle sister and the best friend from the first book. It was fine. Not great. Not bad. Brandon is hosting a house party for his sister because she is getting married. The whole Huntington family is invited. He asks Amelia to paint his portrait and to paint him a copy of a famous painting so he can keep the copy and gift the original to an American friend. We learned that he is dealing with the financial troubles caused by his late father in the previous book. In this one, we find out just how bad they are. And he tells Amelia, but won't tell his family. His grandmother wants him to marry the daughter of a Duke because she comes with a large dowry, but he can't stand her and he refuses to have a marriage like his parents had. He and Amelia have clandestine late night meetings so she can paint and they fall for each other. He even takes her into town to see the textile mill. She goes twice and on the second trip she uncovers a plot that has been occurring at the mill; his father owes 20,000 pounds and either he pays or he gives up 500 acres of unentaled land and the mill so the new mill manager has been sabotaging the machines so Brandon will have to sell. Turns out the land has coal and he would be rich. All of this Amelia overhears. She barely gets away from the two men. Well, the new manager was being blackmailed by the other guy because his mom is ill so he gets off pretty easy but the other guy doesn't and the IOU manages to disappear before the constable can show up. Brandon digs for coal and finds it. And his money troubles are over. He and Amelia are seen in a compromising position and while the Duke and Duchess thought he was going to be offering for their daughter he says that he was going to be announcing his engagement, to Amelia. The epilogue is three years down the road. They have two children. She is painting under her own name. He is rich. They are happy. It was fine.

History

 Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds

This was history light in the sense that it touched on a lot of history but did not go deep into any of it. Yes, there were some dates (if you study history you know that history loves dates) but that was not the main focus, instead the dates were there to give you the context. This was more about understanding how and why the United States looks and acts the way it does. It focuses on the systems that have been built and who they benefit. It encourages you to look at how you personally benefit from and participate in said systems. It was an interesting and accessible read.

Witch and Witch Hunter Finale

 Gods & Monsters  by Shelby Mahurin 

Reid you brave idiot. This picks up right where the previous book left off. Everyone knows something is wrong with Lou but they just think it's Ansel's death not that she is possessed. Anyway, they are trying to stop Morgane and Josephine and Lou is both helping and not helping. They end up at an abandoned church and Father Achille feeds them and lets them stay the night and he tells them about the monster that's at the lighthouse. Then Celie shows up and tells them she followed them, but took a wrong turn in her carriage. So they go to warn the monster and get her carriage back. But, her carriage is missing a wheel. And the monster turns out to not be a monster, it's actually one of their friends and he points to Lou who is trying to run away. But Reid catches her. Coco feeds her some of her blood and that's how they figure out she's being possessed. So they go to the waters because that's the only way to save her, is by purging Nicholina from her. But at the waters, if you drink you cannot lie. So, Reid, Coco, and Lou drink and tell their truths. Reid struggles but finally faces the truth. Lou struggles against Nicholina, but is able to purge her. Then Morgane and Josephine show up. But so does Angelina, who is Coco's mother who is confined to the waters. There is a battle and Reid pulls on one of the threads which removes Lou from his memory, but also removes her from Morgane's memory. They win, temporarily. He wakes up surrounded by witches and Celie. He runs to the nearest town. Goes to the church. Demands they call the Chaussers. Jean Luc shows up and rescues him, takes him back to Lou, and joins their team. There is a bit where they spend some time "underwater" but not (the mermaids can drain the area and walk) and they get Isla's help and Lou discovers that the triple goddess has removed her blessing from her mother and given it to her instead. Lou is working on trying to help Reid remember, but nothing is working. But, the stops wanting to kill her and just starts wanting her. They devise a plan that is going to have Jean Luc "capture" her, Reid, and Beau so they can free Reid's mom and then she can break them all out of prison. But, the king strips Jean Luc of his captaincy and puts her and Reid in a special cage so the break out plan goes awry. She protects Reid. He starts seeing the patterns, but not enough to use them. They get put on the stake. The rescue happens then. She gets Reid off and takes his pain. That's when all of his memories come back. He pulls the thread. They rescue her. Fighting breaks out. Nicholina ends up helping take down Josephine. Celie stabs Morgane with hemlock which allows Lou the time to slit her throat. one of Beau's twin sisters dies in the fight; no matter how many times he and Reid locked them both up in safe places they kept escaping to fight. The king died at the stake. Beau becomes king. Lou and Coco both become queens of their respective covens and work together. The book ends with Lou and Reid getting married for real and the wedding being told from the perspective of Ansel's ghost. That was bittersweet. Oh, and Father Achille becomes the new head of the Chaussers and girls can join and it becomes what it should have been all along, protection against evil, not against witches. This was a really good ending. It had action, adventure, love, and loss. I adored it.

(Not Quite) Hate Listen part 4

 Kate  by Tate James 

I still maintain that this is not how teenagers act and this would have been more believable if everyone had been aged up a few years. Still, this was a good ending to the story. Everyone survives. Steele is still my favorite. He survives his gunshot to the chest. The plan is to draw out the hit by staging a very public wedding, which they do. Except first, Madison Kate gets proof that her father isn't actually her father and that's why he's been such a horrible parent. Then, at the intimate family dinner instead of the rehearsal dinner, she interrogates him and then kills him. Now, the wedding. The wedding happens and the hit never happens. Until the end when the church explodes. There was some stuff before hand, like realizing that the guards weren't trustworthy and stuff like that, but I'm just hitting the highlights. So, after the church explodes Cody gets her to one of Hades' clubs for the reception and we meet Seph, aka Persephone. And then we retire to the hotel. Oh, her real father, is James, he is the former marine turned gardener who dated her mom for like 2 weeks and then got deployed, and he is very loyal to Arch and now his daughter. Cas calls and says he has the address of the guy who put out the hit, it's her uncle through marriage or something like that, and he wants her dead because she owns a diamond mine that he has been running since his wife's accident, and he wants the money. So Cody and Steele go to meet Cas and then the fire alarm goes off. Archer gives her a necklace and turns out it's a real fire. They start heading down the stairs and are met with firemen who tranq them because it's actually Zane who has decided to try to double cross Arch. Zane takes her to the uncle and there is enough monologueing for the guys to show up and for Steele to kill the uncle and then for Archer to kill his brother. So now Cas is the head of the Reapers. They go home and rest then a few days later her stalked shows up. He gasses the place. She makes it down to panic room but he attacks Arch and says if she doesn't come out he will kill him, so she does. She puts up a good fight so that everyone can converge on her. Turns out her stalker, the person who was stalking her mom, who raped her mom, was Declan, her mom's twin brother who everyone thought was dead. Nope, not dead. Nobody knows how he survived the assassination attempt when he was 17, but he changed his name and then started stalking his sister and raped and impregnated her. Then started stalking his niece. Also, he was the older man that Bri was dating last year. But, Bri followed him home after she found out she was pregnant and was going to tell his wife. She tells MK and Cody all of this in the hospital when they come to visit her. They don't tell her that he was the stalker, just that he was one of the security guards and he died and could she give them the address so they could let his wife know. She does and they go over there, except the pictures aren't of him and his wife they are a completely different couple; he had killed the man and taken the woman hostage and was living in the house. He had set up the basement as a torture chamber. But a "gas leak" took care of that.  Dallas was able to get out of the other gang and join the Timberwolves and Hades isn't being horrible to him so he and Bri can live in peace and raise their child together. Archer and the guys buy her a house and is secluded, in the mountains, with a lake; it's perfect. Fast forward to Halloween. We have come full circle. We are back at the same place the first book started, except now it's a sanctioned fight in a club Hades owns and nobody gets killed. The book ends with her being officially introduced to Hades but Seph says she already knows him and that's where it ends, with us left on a cliffhanger of about Hades identity. So now I'm going to have to listen to this spin off series to find out who Hades is and I had very mixed feelings about this series.

Cozy Fantasy

 Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne 

This was so cute. Cozy fantasy is quickly becoming one of my favorite genres. So we have the Queen's assassin and the Arcandor aka the best mage in the entire world. And they are dating in secret. And the Queen is the literal worst. So assassin (Reyna) has had enough and finally agrees to run off and open a tea and book shop with the mage (Kianthe). Kianthe still has her magic and still has to do Arcandor stuff, like protecting the town where they settle from dragons when they attack. Reyna is still an assassin, so she is dealing with the bandit problem by giving them jobs to help clean up their town and the neighboring towns, but also protecting their new home. They accidentally adopt an orphaned teenage boy when he tries to join a bandit crew by giving him a job, and setting him up with the town blacksmith who is married to the only midwife and he is learning those skills as well. So, the dragons are attacking the town because three of their eggs have been stolen and they are looking for them. Kianthe promises to help find them. Reyna gets found by other assassins and has devised a plan that is a huge lie, but will stroke the Queen's ego and it works. So she gets away with treason and gets to live happily ever after. Also, Kainthe is bonded to a griffin. Visk, said griffin, mates and they have four eggs. His mate doesn't like humans but stops attacking and gives permission for Reyna to take one of the eggs, which Visk picks out. So now Reyna is also bonded to a griffin and it's adorable. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series. I picked this up because the title was cute and the sprayed edges were pretty and I'm so glad I did. I'm obsessed.

Made for TV cont. (again x6)

 206 Bones  by Kathy Reichs 

I. KNEW. IT. As soon as she was introduced I knew that we couldn't trust Brielle; that she was trouble and was going to be behind some of the issues in the book. When the finger bones went missing, I knew she had stolen them. They mysterious gunshot that a seasoned pathologist couldn't find but the new kid could. No way. I definitely expected her to be doing all of the sabotaging because she was the serial killer and she was covering her tracks, so I was wrong about that. But I was correct that she was sabotaging her colleagues to make herself look better. I hope the coroner, who is elected and a lawyer, loses his job and gets disgraced as a lawyer as well for this. I was surprised at how well the killer hid his identity, and only targeted old ladies. It was a clever case. This time Tempe being in trouble wasn't because she ran head first into danger without telling anyone, it was because she thought her new neighbor was messing with her and she went to confront him, but really it was her lab assistant who was tricked by Brielle into hating Tempe and he kidnapped her. This one was really good; it was mystery and crime and high stakes without being depressing.

(Not Quite) Hate Listen part 3

 Fake by Tate James 

This is still not how teenagers act and if she had just aged Madison Kate up a bit I would not be having this much of an issue with this, because this book was much better, plot wise. Like the ending has me on the edge of my seat. I am in such a state over this ending that I can't even. This picks up where the last one left off, and then does a bit of a time jump. She spends winter break in Aspen with Bri and meets Scott who is fun and cute but that's it. But he decides to transfer schools because of her. So that's not creepy at all. And then he continually takes things too far and doesn't listen to or respect her wishes at all. And I cannot stand him. She is living in an apartment owned by Zane who is helping her. She has a meeting with a divorce attorney but until they can find out if there is a prenup and what it says they can't go any further. She makes up with Cody first; he is my least favorite. Steele is unavailable because they catch the hit-man. Archer takes her to a photo shoot for a friend. Then to where Steele is with the hit-man; he got all of the info out of him hours ago and has just been waiting for her. Well, the guy starts taunting her while the guys argue so she shoots him. Steele takes her home. They make up. More story. She ends up at a cabin with Archer for the weekend. They come home. Back to school. At some point she punches Scott in the face. She and Bri leave campus for lunch with Cody following. A hummer deliberately runs a red light and hits them. Cody kills 8 people in broad daylight. She had some bad bruising and a concussion but otherwise is alright. Bri is in bad shape. She, the guys, and Dallas spend forever at the hospital. She makes it. So does the baby. Everyone but Dallas leaves. At some point Archer had a charity fight, he won. They surprised her with giant billboards of the photo shoot. She doesn't like it. The cabin goes up in flames. Pretty sure that happened before the car accident. Anyway, she gets a text from Dallas saying he was on his way over and would be there soon. She tells the guys. They go back to working out. Music is loud. Doorbell rings. She answers. It's not Dallas. It's Scott. He grabs her. He's the stalker. They got proof at the hospital and have been looking for him. So he shows up. She cuts him with the knife Archer gave her. But, it's not deep. She moves to where she knows a gun is hidden. Takes aim. He taunts her. She kills him. Guys hear the gunshot. They clean up and take the body to a pig farm. Then take the plastic wrap to a recycling plant. She sees a blinking red dot. They all get out of the car. Archer gets a text. For her. It's a video of her killing Scott. And it says she got the wrong person and that they don't miss. And than she hits the ground and it sounds like Steele has been shot. While Archer with his dark hair and blue eyes may be my type, Steele is my favorite. HE CANNOT BE DEAD!!! This is stressing me out.

1st in a New Series

 An Artful Seduction by Tina Gabrielle 

This was an interesting premise. He is not only an Earl, but also a well respected art critic. She is the eldest daughter of a notorious art forger. And she just so happens to be a lovely widow too.  This was so predictable. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was obvious she was only a fake widow; that she made up a husband so she could live by herself and have control over her two younger sisters without a scandal. Their chemistry was great. His former lover being highly jealous was so obvious. Her own insecurities being triggered by said former lover, on the nose. The best part was his younger sister being delightful and the voice of reason at 13! His he man routine when her scoundrel of a father showed up and then their honest conversation about why she turned down his first proposal, her father showing up, was wonderful. Them finally getting married and her moving her sisters in with them and all of the girls getting on like a house on fire was great.  I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Made for TV cont (again x5)

 Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs 

This case was SO MUCH BETTER than the previous book. I can handle different religions any day. I was so upset when Eddie was killed. I really liked his calm quiet presence. he was a nice foil to Skinny. And it was sad that the witch was killed when he was not the real bad guy. I understood why he was killed, but unfortunately the father killed the wrong man and it was too little too late to reconcile with his dead son. In her personal life Tempe reconnects with an old high school friend and one time hook up, then in the wake of Eddie's death falls off the wagon and the one time hook up turns into a new hook up. Andrew shows up for the funeral. She gets fired. He tells her that things didn't work out with him and Lily's mother and they are back to living separately. She doesn't know what she wants because she can't keep being his whenever it's convenient girl. New/Old friend tells her he can wait. Skinny gets a new partner. And the killer was a male hooker who the personal assistant to the local representative, who got killed by the hooker, used to pick up. So the representative, who was all fire and brimstone and morals is no more. Everything about this book, from the case to the personal relationships was so much better. I hope the rest of the series continues in this manner! 

Hate Listen part 2

 Liar by Tate James 

While I maintain that this is still NOT how teenagers or college freshmen act, this was better than book 1. It picks up right were book 1 left off, after the attack. Madison Kate wakes up in the hospital. She learns that Archer is not the one who attacked her, but she's not convinced. She is using Bri's credit card and staying in a hotel. But, that doesn't last long as Archer finds her and brings her home. Her father is there and he's being horrible but Archer tells him to go on a world cruise and he does. So, why does Archer have so much power over him? She and Steele make up first. Then she makes up with Cody. Exams are cancelled for a while because of snow. Jace, the guys manager is horrible. She goes to Zane for help, for answers. Archer takes her to meet his grandmother for thanksgiving. Archer has a fight and he wins. At the after party both his uncle and his brother are there. They leave Cody in charge of her but a bang comes from the back room so Cody leaves her with Dallas. But Bri sees Dallas being flirty and she runs to the bathroom. Drew, Cody's ex, makes a bet with Madison, which MK loses, but she doesn't take the offered drink, she takes Drew's. But Drew's drink was spiked with fentanyl. She is picked up, given a dose of narcan, and put in the trunk of Steele's car. Then Archer finds her and she refuses to leave him so he goes in the ambulance with her. She wakes up in the hospital and finds out that Drew was killed, most likely by her stalker, and that she had drugs on her. So Drew was going to roofie her but she took the other spiked drink instead and her stalker killed Drew for trying to hurt her. She has a nightmare and Archer goes to her bed and they fool around. She finally wakes up and hears talking outside. Zane and the boys are out there, and Zane finally spills the beans; her dad sold her to Archer. She and Archer are married. That's why her dad listens to him. Also, she Steele and Cody had a threesome before the fight. But the book ends with the revelation of her and Archer being married.  This was a much better ending than the previous book. And explains so much.

Witches and Witch Hunters

 Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin 

WHAT. IS. HAPPENING. That ending! I cannot!. So Lou is getting stronger in her magic and losing part of herself in the process. Reid is struggling with his love for Lou and his hatred of witches, which means he is repressing his own magic. Coco convinces her Aunt, the head of the Blood Witches, to help. Reid gets some of the werewolves to help, despite the fact that Lou hurt the alpha's son, and caused an ice storm. Reid and Lou fight and she gives him back the ring. Then, he comes to his senses and they talk and make up, but he never gets the chance to give her back the ring. They are being hunted by Morgane. They watch the Archbishop's funeral. Beau tries to get his father, the king, to help but that doesn't work. They realize that Celie has been taken and search for her. Lou saves her but can't save Ansel. Morgane kills him and Lou only cares about vengeance. Then, the head Blood Witch does some weird blood magic and takes control of Lou's brain turning her into a puppet. And that's how the book ends. With Lou and Reid kissing, but Reid doesn't know that Lou isn't really Lou. ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME.  I am obsessed with this series. I cannot wait to read the next one!

Magic, War, and Family part 2

 The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri 

I had the same issue with this that I had with the first book in the series, the random characters getting a chapter or two from the POV changes. Otherwise, this was amazing! We seen Malani in her roll as Empress, fighting a war. We see her followers with varying degrees of faith in her, particularly her main general. I loved how she handled him and his disgrace. I was devastated when Editia sacrificed himself. He and Rao were obviously in love and deserved a long, happy life together. And then we have Priya and Bumica. The Yaxia return and they learn just who their gods really were, and are. Ashok returns from the dead, but he's not really himself; he's a Yaxia who doesn't have complete control yet. That lack of control allows Ashok to come through occasionally, and he uses him time to help Bumica. Priya is instrumental in Malini's success in battle, but it comes at a cost. The Yaxia wants all of her. With the help of the priests Malani is kills her brother, after she lets herself be captured and the priests turn on him. She locks him in a cell and leaves him poison which he decides to drink. And now, she really is the rightful ruler. And the only sibling left. Priya gets called by the Yaxia who tells her she requires her heart so she stabs Malani. It takes Malani literal weeks to recover and when she does Rao is there, telling her that Editia burned and made mother's fire. And Priya is on her way back home, not realizing that Bumica is only a shell of herself now, because Ashok gave her the knowledge of how to kill the Yaxia, but in doing so it erased her completely.  So much happened in this book and I was captivated by all of it. I need a break before I jump into the third and final book because despite the fact that I cannot wait to read it, I need to separate myself from these characters to fully appreciate how engaging this story was.

Educational

 Blueprinting An Inquiry-Based Curriculum by Kathy Swan, S.G. Grant, John Lee

I got this a few years ago from my curriculum lead and just now got around to it. This is the third book in this process, they have been writing more books as they get feedback from teachers. However, it also built on what they developed in the first book. Because of that this book was a little hard to grasp as I did not have the background knowledge to have an in depth understanding. Additionally, I think it would have a better understanding if I worked with the blueprint and created one for my own use. I'm not certain that I want to attempt the blueprint model, but it was an interesting concept.

Made for TV cont (againx4)

 Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs

Skip this book if you can't handle when kids are the victims in crimes.

I'm About to Hate Listen to This Series

 Hate by Tate James 

THIS IS NOT HOW TEENAGERS ACT!!! Madison Kate is a high school senior when the book starts and she is an 18 year old college freshman for the majority of the book. But she was written as someone in their early 20s. The title of this book is apt because this is about to be a hate listen for me. I did not enjoy this book. Steele is the only character that I like, and even then I barely like him. The only good things about this were the two narrators, they were spectacular.

Magic, War, and Family

 The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri 

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the constant POV changes. For the most part it stayed switching between the same few characters, but every now and then you would get a random character who died by the end of the chapter. And those random characters kept throwing me off. Priya is wonderful. I really liked the Regent, until the end; he seemed like he was genuinely trying to do the right thing. But then he refused to listen to his wife, because what does she know, and then he was surprised when she turned on him. Ashok never needed to be in charge of anything; he was entirely too hardheaded and reactionary. And while it was sad that he died, the correct person is leading them now. I like Malini and think she will be a good leader for her people, she was able to unite them easily since her older brother refused to. I cannot wait to read the next one!

Made For TV cont. (againx3)

 Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs 

This was fine. Not great but not bad. Brennan is supervising some students on a dig and they find new bones at a Native American burial ground. We get introduced to a new character, the coroner, Emma, who is obviously very sick when we meet her. I was right that it was cancer, but I was wrong about what kind. Anyway, they are checking out the site because a developer wants to build condos or something, but now that it's being classified as a burial ground he's pissed. Pete, the ex-husband shows up and ends up staying in the same house as her. Ryan shows up and sees him hugging her because she had a really bad day and he drives off without taking to her. When she finally catches up to him days later she isn't nice about it and he admits he overreacted and they are fine and he comes to stay with her. Ryan and Pete were the best part of this book. Then, Pete gets shot. Turns out, the reason that Pete was down there was to look into the finances of a church/cult and find a missing daughter if he can. Well, she used to work at a free clinic and she realized the doctor was spending more than he was making and she went looking into the doctor. He has been killing homeless people and drug addicts and engaging in a black market organ harvesting scheme with a former med school buddy, who does the transplants in Mexico. Ryan gets jealous again when Brennan is struggling because Pete was shot and he goes back to Canada on bad terms. This was pretty good as far as these books go. 

YA

 You Can Go Your Own Way by Eric Smith 

This was a cute, fast paced, duel POV story. It takes place over the course of about one week. It is friends to antagonists to lovers. Adam and Whitney were best friends when they were kids, then his dad died and he fell apart (rightfully so) and pushed everyone away. Whitney gave up because she couldn't get through to him, and she made new friends, popular friends. Her dad got his big break with e-sports cafes while Adam and his mom are desperately trying to keep his dads pinball arcade alive. Her dad is horrible and only values her for what she can do for the business. Her brother and some of his friends end up destroying one of the pinball machines. Adam tweets about it. It goes viral. She responds and looks like the villain because she is in charge of the social media for all of the e-sports cafes. Also, her boyfriend breaks up with her. She and Adam keep running into each other around town. They finally talk and clear the air. There is a big snowstorm and they get snowed in at the pinball arcade, just the two of them. Then, without telling her, her dad sends out a tweet that there's going to be an announcement at the Old Town Winter Fest, and that announcement is that he's buying the arcade. Adam thinks she knew. She didn't. Her supposed friends have been ignoring her, and one even started dating her ex. She realizes they weren't really her friends and were just using her when her dad tells her he hired two of them as interns and that she is in charge of them. She fires them. Confronts her dad and he finally listens. Then she quits. She starts at a new school and joins a horticulture club. She and Adam made up. But there isn't really any clarity on what happens between them. The book either needed to be longer, or it needs a follow up. It was cute, but it felt unfinished.

Made For TV cont. (again again)

 Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs 

I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise was interesting. However, you can very much tell what was going on in the world when it was written based on some of the stereotypes that were used. I'm not a big fan or believer in conspiracy theories and this book was full of them. Bones that could potentially invalidate the story of the Resurrection is interesting, but the different books that have the different theories that are so disparate were too many conspiracies when coupled with the story being set at Masada. Listening to this 19 years after it was written, after the troops have been pulled out of Afghanistan but the genocide in Gaza being in full swing, it seems like this book was trying too hard to be controversial. But, that's looking at this in 2024, not when it was written in 2005. I like history and support the idea of finding and sharing the truth, so the idea that someone found the bones of Jesus is interesting. Again, it was an interesting premise; it just fell flat 19 years later. Also, Temperance is yet again in trouble because she acts without thinking. It's getting a little irritating. She is in her 40s. She should know better by now.  I think I would have liked this more if I had read it when it originally came our, or in the early 2000s time period. But, I will give this series another chance and hope that the stereotyping gets reducing in future books. Also, there was an inconsistency in this book. The bird. She said Andrew got it in a raid. But that's not what happened. They got it from the sister of the woman who was killed in the previous book because neither she nor her daughter could or wanted to take care of it. That was irritating.

Fine but Not Strong

 Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich 

The longer this series goes the more hit and miss each book is. This was more a miss. It wasn't as funny as I have come to expect. The bounty hunting didn't have as many exciting or amusing characters. I am not a fan of Wulf. Adding the paranormal aspect doesn't really fit with the series. The Kidnapping for a reality show was interesting, but when neither Stephanie nor Ranger got taken it was a little disappointing. Overall. it was fine but not great.

Low Stakes Mystery

 The Westing Game  by Ellen Raskin 

I LOVE a mystery. My favorite is a cozy mystery; I don't really like high stakes. And while I wouldn't consider this a cozy mystery, it was very low stakes. I had no idea who the "killer" was. I was surprised at every turn. I also didn't realize Turtle was the "main character" until the very end when she was holding court and figuring out the mystery. I was surprised when it wasn't really a murder but a faked death. I like that the book did a where are they now segment so we got some closure on the characters. Huge fan of this book.

Cozy Fantasy

 Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

This is both a prequel and a sequel all at the same time. This follows Viv and her adventures right after joining her troop. Hence prequel. But, it ends with a flash forward to her life now. Hence sequel. Viv is on her first adventure with the troop she joined and she gets a bad leg wound. They drop her at the nearest town and tell her they will see her when they come back through, as long as she doesn't die first. She has a couple setbacks from not listening to her doctor. She makes some friends, particularly Fern who owns the bookstore and starts up her love of reading. In fact, she spends most of her time with Fern, helping her revitalize her store. We discover how her friendship with Gallina started. We see her first relationship, and watch as it blooms knowing it is destined to fail. We have trouble with a minion of a necromancer. We meet my favorite character, Satchel, a sentient pile of bones that only comes to life when sprinkled with bonedust. He was created by the necromancer to be her servant, but he has a lot of skills. Viv and friends let him out and he gets to make his own choices for the first time ever. He also helps Viv defeat the necromancer. Her defeat grants him his life to live on his own terms. I would burn the world for him. This book had a lot more action than the first, but it wasn't overly gory. It set up a third book nicely and I need it desperately. I loved this book. I love this series. Cozy fantasy is my jam.

Weird. No.

 Five Star Stranger by Kat Tang

I won this from a goodreads giveaway. I can't stop thinking about this book, but I don't think I actually liked it. It was well written, but not what I was expecting, and not one of my normal genres. I thought this was going to be a romcom. It was not. We don't even know the main character's name! He is a friend/lover/partner for hire. He takes on different roles depending on what you want/need him to be for a set amount of time. He has a long term gig as Dad to Lily and husband to Mari. But that falls apart in pretty spectacular fashion causing him to quit his job and move to LA, where he grew up. We get no closure on him. He hooks up with a woman who knew his mom, but he doesn't tell her that she killed herself years ago. Instead, when she asks him if he ever read her play he says no, but something else she said makes it seem like she thinks he did and we never find out what she wrote (we can assume it was an unflattering view of her life as a mother). And we have no idea what he does for work once he moves back to LA. We don't know if he ever mails Lily the cartography kit and letter. We don't know if Mari's new relationship works out. We have no closure.  There were too many unanswered questions in this. I do not think I will be reading anymore from this author, not because they are a bad author but because this book was not enjoyable for me.

Historical Romance, But NOT the Ususal Era Part 3

 Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore

The ending was not as strong as the middle for this book. This book has two of my favorite tropes and I really enjoyed a good portion of it, but I felt let down my the conclusion. Forced marriage and only one bed. Throw in a light enemies to lovers and this book seems like it could have everything that I would want in a book. But it fell flat at the end. So, Hattie goes to an art showing at Mr. Blacktone's house, only she doesn't know it's been cancelled and he doesn't know it was supposed to happen at all and when he walks to greet her he greets her with a kiss. She slaps him and runs away. He realizes who she is and finally agrees to one of the invitations that Mrs. Greenfield has been sending. They see each other at a lunchon and make conversation by the buffet. He opens the house up for the art shows. He plans to be seen with her, alone. But instead, they get caught kissing. She can't even say it was forced because she leaned in. So, they get married and he sells his 30% shares in a Spanish railway for half price. The do not consummate on the first night or the second. On the second day she sees a woman in the parlor with her hand on his face and she assumes that she's his mistress and that he's violating his marriage vows after two days. Really, it was a friend who was trying to help him seduce his wife. She goes to Lucy who gives her the means to run away to France where she could be safe. But, as she is heading to the train he grabs her and moves her to a different train, going to Scotland. It's rough going for a while and then it's less rough. The inn only has one bed and it takes entirely too long for it to work it's magic. In fact, it takes her getting drunk at a wedding, and him not doing anything and her getting to know him before anything happens. Then they are both insatiable. He is falling for his wife and she for him. Meanwhile, he is working on safety for the mine he bought and she is learning how to use a camera. Then, the mine collapses and he gets cold again. She returns to London to find the not mistress who tells her that his mother and sister both drowned in a mine that was owned by the man who he bought this mine from. Later, she hears noise coming from his study but it's not him, it's his man of all affairs and he is searching through his desk. He takes her hostage but her husband shows up and saves the day. They make up and then she tells him she wants to separate because she needs to be wooed, to know if she's in love with her husband because she's in love with him or because he was her captor. She goes to France and ends up teaching the other runaway women about photography. He waits 6 months then comes to get her. To court her. They go back to Scotland so she can take pictures of the miners and the book ends with them married again and her putting on an art show with her pictures of the miners from Scotland.  I enjoyed most of this, so much so that I had to text two different friends about it. But while the end was in line with the motives of the characters, it was lacking.

K-Pop Inspired

 XOXO by Axie Oh

This book was adorable. Giggling, smiling, kicking my feet adorable. I don't know of a single person who hasn't daydreamed of what it would be like to meet and fall in love with their celebrity crush. But, she didn't even realize he was a celebrity when they first met! Like Jenny I don't really know anything about K-pop so this was a new experience for me. But, it was so cute. I loved how Jenny thrived in her arts school in South Korea. She made friends, she learned the importance of being true to herself, she developed a relationship with her grandmother. All of it was wholesome and heartwarming. And Jaewoo. He learned that it's okay to live for yourself and not just for others. I was irritated at the secret nature of the relationship, but how it got resolved was great.  I liked the audiobook narrator; I'm not familiar with Korean so hearing the correct pronunciations of words was informative and enjoyable. I cannot wait to read the next book! Axie Oh is now on my must read list.

Goodreads Giveaway Win

 If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens 

This was not what I was expecting, but I was enthralled. I was expecting a cozy mystery or Scooby Doo style but this was more paranormal and a bit scarier than anticipated. Some parts were a bit repetitive, but I was enjoying the enemies to lovers so much that the repetitiveness didn't bother me; it just was noticeable. Pen is so relatable. While I am not Native and can never understand her experiences in that regard, her need to prove herself and her feelings of not being enough are eminently relatable. I am her and she is me. I liked that Neil was just as multidimensional and realistic. I especially liked that he was not some muscle hunk, that he is described as having a bit of a belly, which would be perfectly normal for an author, someone with a sedentary job. While I classified them as enemies to lovers, it was more a lack of communication and fear of rejection than true enemies. Watching them learn how to open up to each other, in the middle of dealing with literal ghosts, was adorable; like kicking my feet and giggling. I liked that we got a flash forward after the week was over; the 15 months in the future was really sweet. As for the ghost story: it was creepy enough to keep me on edge, but not so scary that I had to sleep with the lights on (I am NOT a horror fan). I liked that Pen and Neil both saw examples of the ghost independently before seeing her together and that her mystery brought them together. That the ghost only wanted to talk to Pen was weird, but it worked. And that they were able to understand her story and put an end to the haunting was nice. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more from this author!

Made For TV cont. (again)

 Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs 

This was better than book 6, but not by much (and a lot better than book 5). This takes place in Canada over the course of about a week. I was irritated with Temperance and Andrew through most of the book and it kept switching who I was most irritated with; but I think it was her. How is she that smart but always making such horrible decisions! Yet again she is in mortal danger because of her own actions, which could have been resolved if she just talked to Andrew. I get she was mad at him because she thought he was cheating, and it's his fault for not telling her from the start what was going on, but she could have told him where she was going. And she not only put herself in danger, but her friend too! Him having a surprise daughter was unexpected, but he could have said something earlier than he did. Now, for the case. I was NOT prepared for stolen identities, kidnapped and tortured girls, and reverse Stockholm Syndrome. This was a lot, and these are crime books and this was still a lot.  It's going to take a while to recover from this story. But the past two have been much better and have me interested in the series again.

Historical Romance, But NOT the Usual Era Part 2

 A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore 

 I liked this more than the first book. It was a bit second chance romance, a bit friends and enemies to lovers. This focuses on Lucy, who while important to the cause does not play a huge part in book one (aside from letting Annabelle live with her for a bit), and Tristan, someone she has known since childhood. We get more of Lucy's backstory; she joined the cause and it led to her estrangement from her family. He is younger than she is and he has been infatuated with her since they were children. Now, with the help of her friends she has raised enough money to buy a publishing house, so they can start putting suffrage materials out to the public, but unbeknownst to her, he buys the other shares and now they have to work together. Also, the biggest book from this publishing house is a book of anonymous love poems that he just happened to write, and he wants to re-release with his name attached. Meanwhile, he is trying to gather a lot of money quickly so he can take his mother and run away to India; his older brother died making him the heir and his mother is not taking it well. Not only that, his father is a tyrant, and he fears he may hurt his mother to get back at him. In fact, he uses his mother as a way to force Tristan to rehabilitate his reputation or he will ship her off to an asylum. Also, he has picked out who Tristan will wed at the end of those 3 months. That turns out to be Lucy's cousin, who is being doted on by Lucy's mother. Annabelle holds a house party because Prince Albert wants to come hunting and Lucy and Tristan both end up there, and they dance scandalously close. Then, suffrage pamphlets get distributed and of course Lucy gets blamed, but her friends rally around her. She wants control of the publishing house and Tristan says he will sell her a share if she shares his bed. She puts him off for a while then finally agrees. And they become lovers. Fast forward, she asks him to go to the fair with her and he says no; he goes with his almost betrothed instead because his mother is missing and he thinks Lucy's mother might be able to help him find her since they were friends. But, he never gets a chance to talk to her. Then Lucy spots them together and she leaves. He follows. They are together all night, but the almost betrothed runs away, cries in a boathouse, and is seen leaving way after curfew wearing his coat. So he ends up at Lucy's parents house about to be married to someone he doesn't want when Lucy shows up to save him. Except the cousin is trying to pretend like something happened, but while she knows of his tattoo and it's location she doesn't describe it correctly and her ruse is over. Then, her father demands that Tristan marry Lucy and she says no because she's not getting married until the Married Women's Property Act is passed. But, they do get engaged and continue being lovers until, according to the afterward, the Act is passed two years later. This was funnier than the previous book. Also, it was nice to see the woman as the older partner in the relationship, by 2.5 years. The epilogue did a good job of setting up the next book and I am looking forward to it (more than I was this one).

Historical Fiction

 The Last Light Over Oslo by Alix Rickloff

I won this from a goodreads giveaway. I am a fan of historical fiction and I really wanted to like this, but it was very slow and felt unfinished. In the Author's Note she talks about the items that she used to research Daisy, but Daisy was not the main focus of the book, Cleo was. And Cleo's story went unfinished. Daisy was the historical part and Cleo (and Baynard) were the fiction part. But the ending made me more curious about Cleo and what happened to her than I was with Daisy getting safely back to America. I want to know if Cleo and Baynard survived and ended up together. I did not care about how Daisy was received at home and if she was removed from her post as ambassador. The book did not seem to flow very well and there were times where I was not sure if we were focusing on Daisy or Cleo. Plus the ending. I enjoy historical fiction but I will probably not read anymore from this author.

Did Not Enjoy

 When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't. Alex was understandable, her fears relatable. But I just did not enjoy this. Part of the reason is because her father was the literal worst, well her step mother might have been worse, but she was so small of a role that it's debatable. Someone should have called CPS. I understand the librarians reasoning for not, but then why didn't she do more to help Alex. And like Alex I was slow to forgive Aunt Marla. She was so selfish. Everyone let down Alex. Everyone. She did a marvelous job taking care of Beatrice and her fear of her dragoning was reasonable. I'm glad Alex finally got a happy ending; she got to study what she loved, she married a woman that made her happy, and she had her dragon aunties, but she was also the only adult in this story, and she was forced to be an adult for the majority of it. I know this is classified as fantasy, because dragons. But, it's also giving sci-fi because of how much study went into the dragons. There were people studying why and how women dragoned. It was very science focused. But, unfortunately, that did not help me enjoy it.

Made for TV cont.

 Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs 

This was more enjoyable than the previous book. There were fewer characters, she spent less time traveling to different places, and there were fewer bodies. Temperance and Andrew finally spent some time together, but it was delayed because she found a body mixed in with the bear bones. Then, he had to go back to Canada because his niece was in the hospital (overdose). But he did come back. Also, like Brennan, I was convinced that her daughter's sort of boyfriend was up to no good, turns out he's just bad at his job. I was surprised at the killer and how involved all of it was. There were some really cute moments that involved her ex-husband's dog (who she was dog sitting). I liked this much better than book 5, and it was better on audio than book 5. I will continue listening to this series.

Do NOT Recommend

 Fablehaven by Brandon Mull 

 I borrowed this from the library to see if it would be something my nephew would be interested in, but I did not enjoy it so I won't be recommending it to him. (He read the synopsis on the back, but didn't ask about it so it's fair to say he wasn't interested). This book was slow. But, it might just have seemed slow because I kept putting it down because Seth is the most irritating character I have encountered in a while. I get that he's a child, but he doesn't listen. Every problem that occurred in this book is directly related to Seth NOT following directions. A fairy preserve is an interesting idea, one I should have liked, but I just could not. I will not be reading any more of this series.

As Good as the First

 Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh 

This book picks up almost immediately after the previous. I am OBSESSED. I spent most of the book worried about Okami; he was the only character I cared about, but as it progressed I began to care about others. Mariko spends a good amount of time trying to play the different members of the court so she can get information, stay alive, and try to help the Black Clan. Then, after dark she goes and tries to break Okami about of prison. Her brother, the Dragon of Kai, is being manipulated by Riordan's mother (he is her fiance). That relationship between the brothers, turns out it's not as strong as we were led to believe, and the consort was right to try to stop Riordan from being close with his half brother because Roku is crazy. He is focused on Okami and not on the country so the consort is able to control the minds of a bunch of people and turn them into a zombie army. Fake Ranmaru (I can't remember what his actual name is, but he was pretending to be Ranmaru because Okami didn't want to go by his real name and be associated with his family) is in love with Okami, but he handle's Okami and Mariko well. Okami's sister is not actually his sister, she is Fake Ranmaru's sister, and she also thought she was going to marry Okami when she was a child. We learn about Okami's family, the death of his parents, and how many people still support him after Dragon helps him escape so the Black Clan can rescue him. Fighting happens. It's dramatic. Roku sentences Mariko to death and puts her in the prison. Riordan confronts her and she stops lying to him. He wants to meet with Okami and together they let her out. Roku shows up and Riordan kills him by pushing him down a flight of stairs. He becomes emperor. Okami becomes Shogun. Riordan tells Mariko that the didn't actually complete the wedding ceremony so they are not married and she and Okami take their own vows. The reason this was 4.75 and not 5 was because the conflict between the consort and the empress (Roku's mom) felt unfinished. We saw a lot of the consort, but none of the empress until the consort kills her with a spider bite. It just felt like not enough. She should have been with Roku, advising him in opposite ways of Riordan or something. She was a catalyst for his quickened descent into madness, but she wasn't around.  I listened to this audiobook, but I might need to buy a copy of it because it was so good. Obsessed! I will definitely read more from this author!

Historical Romance, but NOT the Usual Era

 Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

This story takes place in the more recent past, which is not the time period I am accustomed to for my historical romances (I'm used to Queen Charlotte and Prinny, not Queen Victoria), so it took a while to get myself oriented. Sebastian was the strong, silent type. Annabelle, though older (25), just wanted to go to school. Because her scholarship was supplied by the Suffragists she had to participate in their activities. And because she is from the country, she had no idea who Sebastian was when she first approached him. He was impressed by her fearlessness, which was really just cluelessness. However, through the friends that she made with the Suffragists, she meets and ends up at a house party being hosted by Sebastian's younger brother. Sebastian mistakes her for the paramour of his brother and kicks her out of the house which causes her to leave, on foot, to walk the eight miles to the nearest town with an inn. In the snow. Sebastian is made aware of his blunder, but not until she had already left so he sends a servant to bring her back. She refuses. He then rides out to get her, they argue. She relents, but she does not know how to ride so she must ride with him. Then she gets sick from the exposure. He freaks out. She has to stay with him, at his house, until Christmas. Then he invites her to his New Years Even party, the one he has been instructed by the Queen to have. They spend quite a bit of time together and his widow lady friend is jealous so she tells the Queen, which makes her upset, but also puts the reelection campaign that he's working on in danger for the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, she gets arrested at a protest and he bails her out, and a few others. She gets kicked out of school, until the scandal dies down. She moves in with her chaperone, but he shows up and proposes. She refuses and gets kicked out of the chaperone's home. She tells her friends and the head Suffragist and they decide she will stay with Lucy. Then, it's time for parliament. Sebastian doesn't know she's there watching when he brings up the Married Women's Property Act and gives a moving speech before leaving the Tories for the Liberals. She hears and runs out. He follows. She finally agrees to marry him. They vacation in Greece, near his brother who is acting as assistant to her professor, which is much better than joining the army like Sebastian wanted. This was an interesting take on historical romance, using this time period. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it wasn't the worst. I like the audiobook narrator and will probably be listening to more in the series.

OBSESSED!!!

 Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh 

I listened to the audiobook so there is no way I will correctly spell any name. This book relies heavily on secret keeping, which I normally HATE. BUT, it worked so well for this book, and one of the reveals was SO GOOD. I was smiling, giggling, and kicking my feet. So, she is sent to marry on of the princes (the older one, but not the one that will become king since he was born to the concubine and not the empress). But, on the way they have to go through the forest and their caravan gets attacked. She survives only because they do not look for her because her carriage is on fire. She escapes and assumes that it was the Black Clan, but she doesn't know why they would want to kill her. See sees a wolf who tries to warn her of some danger and a gross, dirty man shows up. She kills him and takes his knife and cloths and then roams until she finds an inn/pub. She waits for the Black Clan to show up and they finally do. But, while there one of the guys accuses the leader of cheating them; he didn't, they just wanted more money. There is a fight, one of the attackers tries to be shady, and she, dressed as a boy, warns them. This gets her "kidnapped" by the Black Clan, but really they are testing him to see if he would be a good new recruit. Okami, the fighter, is unhappy because the new boy rubs him the wrong way. No, he's just feeling things and is confused. It's giving Mulan and Shang. Fast forward, he is sent to find a specific mushroom but while looking finds foxglove and is planning on using it to get away, or get answers about why they tried to kill her. But, he falls, lands in the water, and doesn't get out so Okami has to save him. That's when the first secret is discovered. And they kiss. Okami still has to pretend that she is a boy because nobody else knows. Meanwhile, her brother, the Dragon of Kai, is looking for her. He wakes up covered in blood and surrounded by ashes with the bodies of the pub owner and his kids dead around him. This makes the Black Clan mad and they try to take revenge by redistributing the wealth of her family. But, he gets warned and it's almost a disaster. But, Dragon sees his sister and is confused as to why she's dressed as a boy. Also, the love of his life tries to save people from the burning barn but she dies so he vows revenge on the Black Clan. Okami realizes that she had something to do with it and confronts her, but she asks him why they tried to kill her in the first place and he doesn't answer. He leaves her with his sister who tells her that she didn't really know her brother at all. Then, says she needs to get him a message so she goes back into the forest to try to find them and the forest helps her. They are shocked that she is a girl, but Okami is happy because he no longer has to pretend or fight his attraction. Her brother shows up with her betrothed and she allows herself to be captured/saved and Okami allows himself to be captured to keep her safe, but they are the only  ones who know that. Also, the leader can control the wolf that saved her the first night so he knew she was a girl from the start, but she doesn't get to ask him. Also, the leader took on Okami's real name and pretended to be him to protect him. That was one secret that did not get explained very well and I expect that it will be elaborated on in the next book. Also, the empress poisons her husband because he refuses to get rid of the concubine. The concubine can do magic and she is the one that was behind the deaths of the pub owner. And I am thinking she is the one that had the convoy attacked to stop the marriage. She wants her oldest son to rule and not just run the military, but he doesn't want that; he likes his brother and their roles. So it will be interesting to see how that plays out in book two. I devoured this book and immediately put the second on hold. I cannot wait to find out how this ends!

Dragons! But Cute

 Wings of Fire The Dragonet prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland 

This was so good! We have little dragons, not babies anymore but not yet teenagers either. And we have a prophecy. I love a prophecy. So there are five dragons who are supposed to determine the next queen. They have been hidden and "trained" by the Talons of Peace for like six years. But, one of the eggs was killed so they substituted a different dragon and are just hoping that works. The dragons are raised inside a mountain and the conditions are horrible. Then, the substitute dragon is given a death sentence so Clay, who is the main character, follows the river to escape. He gets hurt and Tsunami luckily followed him. They escape but run into Queen Scarlett, which is bad. They think they get away, but she made it seem like they. They break out the other three dragons, but Scarlett and her guard show up, kill one of the adults that was protecting them and takes the young dragons and one of their caregivers prisoner. Clay makes friends with Peril while he is locked up. Peril is Queen Scarlett's enforcer and she is super brainwashed. There are lots of fights. Glory, the substitute dragon, learns she can spit venom. Clay learns he can withstand heat and fire. Peril develops a crush on him and is jealous of the other dragons so she turns on them because she wants him all to herself. But, they get away and go looking for Clay's family since they are the closest to his current location. But, turns out his breed of dragon aren't exactly good parents and they sold his egg. He meets the rest of the dragons who he was supposed to grow up with and learns about his culture, then he leaves with his friends. They decide they are going to try to find Tsunami's family since they are the next closest. Also, there is Starflight, who was saved by his tribe and then reunited with his friends. In the epilogue we learn that he is supposed to cause havoc from within so that they fulfill the prophecy the way the adult Nightwings want. So that is shady and a bit of a cliffhanger. This had action, adventure, deception, heartbreak, and optimism. I will definitely read more from this series!

Alice in Wonderland Reimagined

 Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor 

It has been a very long time since I read the first book in this series and even after reading my review and the synopsis of the previous book I do not remember anything that happened and the characters were unfamiliar while still being familiar because it's a re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland. I did not enjoy this book. So much so that I question why I put it on my list to check out from the library. Also, I am glad that I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it; I would be upset if I spent money on it with how much I did not enjoy it. But, it had the benefit of helping my local library because every book you borrow helps! As for the book, Arch, the king of one of the neighboring lands is very manipulative and he thinks he's a master but by the end of the book both Alyss's supporters and Redd's supporters have bested him, ruined his plans, and killed him. We discover that Molly is the child of the Hatter, one he didn't know he had. Her insecurities are manipulated by Arch but her parents save her and the day. Redd is amassing an army on Earth and uses the Jack of Diamonds to really unite the tribes controlled by Arch and uses them to take control of him before killing him. Alyss is trying to make a relationship with Dodge, but both are bad at communication. Redd goes through her maze and now has lots more power and the Hatter is the only reason she doesn't defeat Alyss. There was action, adventure, and deception. I should have liked this, but I just didn't. I am not sure if I will finish the trilogy or if I am going to call it after this book.

Child Ghost Hunters

 The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud 

This was well written and engaging. The three main characters were fairly well developed, but not all to the same extent. This is about children who are ghost hunters. Lucy is the narrator, but Anthony is the main character. I know they are children, but Anthony is hard to like. He does not communicate well, he keeps his colleagues in the dark, and thinks he's smarter than everyone else. I do not like any of those characteristics in any main character. Plus, he makes a mistake during the first job they go on and he blames it on Lucy. She was not responsible for his stuff! So, on that job they find the skeleton of Annie Ward, who was haunting the house. But she was very aggressive and they ended up burning down part of the house during the job. But, not before Lucy grabbed her locket. Well, turns out the locket was really the item holding her to the world and not her skeleton. They end up getting sued because of the fire, but they also get a lot of publicity because of Annie's ghost and unsolved murder. A rich, eccentric old man shows up and says he will pay off their debt and give them double their regular salary if they can take care of his super haunted house. While they are researching for the job their house gets broken into but nothing is stolen. They go on the job and Anthony is acting super weird, keeping secrets. The house is really haunted and it manifests in multiple ways. They are able to deal with the source of the haunting. But, they also get trapped by the old man who, as it turns out, is the real killer of Annie. He has his driver hold them at gun point while he monologues and then asks where the locket is. Lucy is wearing it and she takes it out of it's protection and sets Annie's ghost on the old man. This kills the old man and sets Annie free. They get their debt paid and get their salary and go home to celebrate. Lucy goes down to the basement to get refills and the skull in a jar that George keeps to experiment on starts talking to her. She nopes right back upstairs and the book ends with them getting called to deal with a new haunting.  This had a good pace and was consistent. I was engaged and entertained and will read the next book at some point.

Norse Mythology

 A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen 

I am not super familiar with the Norse gods, so this was a nice change for me. It was well written. Slow burn which got on my nerves. I'm glad that the readers didn't know about the secret keeping until Freya found out, because I hate secret keeping as a plot device. Freya was the worst. She was so dumb and so easily manipulated. Some of that definitely comes from her being 20 and her brain not being fully developed and some comes from not having enough experience to deal with anything. I was actively hoping for Snorri's death and was left disappointed that it didn't happen. He is a fanatic and does NOT need let alone deserve to be king. Bodil was my favorite and I am pissed that she died. That was the wrong death. Bjorn was everything. Until he wasn't. He was the one working with Harold. And I don't feel like we got a sufficient explanation from him as to why. And why he considers Harold Father and not Snorri. Not that I blame him; nobody wants Snorri as a father. Book two better get here quick. And it better start with Bjorn giving an real, full, detailed explanation because I'm not ready to forgive him. Also, who is Harold's god blood from? And yes, we find out towards the end that Hel is also part of Freya, not just Hlin, and that's why she makes such bad decisions. But, good grief. Girl needs to grow up and start thinking things through. Book two needs to hurry up and get here. And if it's a good conclusion (I think this is just supposed to be a duology) then I might have to add this to my permanent collection.

Light on the Historical. Heavy on the Fiction.

 The Paris Deception by Bryn Turnbull 

I LOVE historical fiction, I just with this was more historical than fiction. Rose, the only real character of the "heroes" was only a side character in this book. Yes, the art forgeries was an interesting concept. But, unfortunately it didn't happen. And Rose, who really did work at one of the art museums, and who really did work to track all of the art that was stolen by the Nazi's, was not a focus of the story. I get that her work with the resistance was very subtle and would not have made for as exciting of a story, but it would have been interesting. Instead, I am left sat that Sophie, Fabien, and Sebastian were not real.  Despite that, I adored this book. The audiobook narrator was spectacular. I am not a huge fan of time jumps and but the few glimpses of the past were not too jarring and did not take away from the flow of the story. Very much recommend. I would definitely read more from this author.

Made to be Adapted

 House of Secrets by Christopher Columbus and Ned Vizzini 

Three stars because it was well written, but this book was a lot. Like a lot a lot. There was so much happening that it was almost overwhelming. So this family moves into a house that ends up being haunted. Except it's not haunted by a ghost but by a 100 year old witch. She doesn't want them in her house, but she also needs their help to get this magic book. She causes a huge disturbance which kills the parents and send the kids into a world that is a combination of three books written by her father. And then she sets the storybook characters on them to kill them. But, she still needs them to get the book for her. The kids survive with the help of some of the characters. Then, while the witch is going full bad guy, her dad, the Storm King, shows up and they fight. Meanwhile, the youngest of the kids is in a chimney, using the book to end the fight, get them back home, revive their parents, and save one of the characters. And it works. But the Storm King shows up and vows revenge because they hurt his daughter. I could see this being great on TV or as a movie. But, a lot happened. I will probably read book 2, but not any time soon. I need a break.

I LOVE Fake Dating

 Accidentally Engaged  by Farah Heron 

This is a stand alone book, but it also has characters from the previous story. But, I didn't know that until I was about halfway through this one. I LOVE fake dating. It is one of my favorite tropes. But I HATE secret keeping; it's one of my least favorite tropes. Unfortunately, this book had both and the secret keeping is what kept this from a higher rating. Reena is so relatable. Wanting to stand on her own and be a good daughter so she keeps things from her overbearing parents, while also comparing herself to her successful siblings. Nadim is great, but also frustrating because he is so clearly into Reena, but also doesn't want to tell her about himself or his past. And that catches up to them and temporarily breaks them up. Which sucks because they are pretending to be engaged for a cooking competition. It's almost too late when Reena starts communicating; first with her sister, then her parents, and finally Nadim. The eloping was so cute. Using their reception to film their final entry for the competition. And the little epilogue showing they won and that she and her sister are going into business together. This book was charming and funny. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Adventures and Time Travel

 Lost in Babylon by Peter Lerangis 

It's been years since I read the first book in this series, so I forgot a lot. However, it was fairly easy to get back in to after reading the synopsis and my review of the first book. I was too old for the 39 clues books, so I never read those, but you can definitely see the mystery aspect in this book. I have no idea who to trust, but like Jack I am more inclined to trust the KI than the Massa or however it's spelled. Marco is the worst. I know he's 13 and nobody makes good decisions at that age, but it's the lying and manipulation for me. Jack thinks about others and how his decisions will impact them, but Marco is so selfish. I really do not like that kid. And then, Jack spent YEARS thinking his mom was dead just to find out that she is running the organization that we don't trust? Talk about betrayal. This was a strong second book and has me intrigued enough that I will probably not wait years before reading book 3.

Monster, but Pretty

 Fire by Kristin Cashore 

It has been years since I read the first book and I had to re-read my review to know what was going on. But, it really didn't matter since this is a completely separate story from book 1. This has a different cast of characters, who don't even know about Gracelings. This is a land over the mountains where there are monsters and the main character is Fire, a monster girl. Think of the most beautiful person you know, Fire is better. More. Because of this she keeps herself hidden so as to not deal with the issues that come with people seeing her. Her best friend and sometimes lover is Archer, so named because he's the best archer anyone has ever seen. He's also jealous and a whore. Fire travels to the King and during her travel she meets his brother, commander of the military. He gives her a personal guard who are great. She gets to the castle and after a while starts using her powers to interview prisoners trying to discover plots and plans about the upcoming war. She also spends more time with Brigan, the commander. She gets kidnapped by Leck, a grace who fell through the mountains and ended up in the Dells. She escapes him with the help of a horse. Before she gets away she finds out that Archer is dead so she burns his body, and the entire house. She is found by her guard. The war is well underway. She helps in the hospital and with interrogations. She finds out that Brigan is really Brocker's son, not the former king's and that is why Brocker is in the wheelchair. Also, two of the characters are carrying Archer's babies. They win. She confesses to Brigan that she loves him and the queen gives her a house; the same house Brigan has been living in with his daughter. I am expecting that all of this is going to be relevant to the first book in some way in one of the three upcoming books. It was good, fast paced, and enjoyable. I will be interested to see how this links back to book 1.

Not Hallmark

 No, We Can't Be Friends by Sophie Ranald

I thought this was going to be very Hallmark, but it wasn't. I thought the book was going to focus on bad dates and finding the good one, but instead it was all about the destruction of her marriage. Literally 60% of the book was dedicated to watching her marriage fall apart. Then, she gets approached by the woman who her husband had an affair with, not her friend like she thought, and finds out the truth. She did everything right and he cheated. And it takes her a long time to realize that it wasn't her; he was horrible. He lied to his mistress too; she thought he had already divorced her. Then, she meets a good guy and breaks it off with him so she can heal, which is the right thing to do. But, she finds out she's pregnant and he steps up. I hate a pregnancy trope so I'm glad that was only at the very end of the book. I liked the growth she experienced personally and professionally. But this was not great for me. It was well written and engaging, but it was not my cup of tea and I will probably not be reading anymore from this author.

Fast Paced and Full of Adventure

 The Magician by Michael Scott 

It has been a long time since I read the first book in this series so I'm not sure if this picks up right where the previous book left off or not. The twins are in Paris with Nicholas. Pernelle is on Alcatraz. Sophie is dealing with all of the memories of the Witch, and trying to learn how to use her new power of air. Josh is jealous and worried. Machiavelli has entered the chat and has teamed up with John Dee, but unlike Dee he worries about the outcome of actions and does not act rashly. Josh and co end up with St. Geramin who is married to Joan of Arc who is friends with Scatty. There are more attacks. Valkyrie's show up. Nicholas gives Josh a sword. Scatty gets pulled into the Seine and Josh thinks she's dead until the end of the book when Nicholas tells him that she doesn't need to breath and therefore didn't drown. Josh ends up with Machiavelli and Dee and they take him to get awakened by Mars. Sophie shows up and almost brings Mars back to his humanity, but Dee turns him into a statue. Josh is reunited with Sophie and co. Pernelle makes friends with the ghost of the island and then finds the Elder that's a spider and they put aside their issues to deal with the Morrigan. There was a lot of action and adventure in this book. I will read book 3 at some point.

Memoir/Self-Help

 F*ck Your Diet by Chloé Hilliard 

This was more memoir than advice/self-help, so it was not what I was expecting when I started listening to it. However, it did include some good advice and helpful tips. Not, necessarily diet focused, but mentality and self-esteem based. Chloé has a great flow to her writing that is extremely consumable. While the book was not what I was expecting, it was funny and heartwarming.

Pagents and Politics

 Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

This was a social commentary on society's obsession with youth and beauty. I never knew where the story was going. There was no one main character, although some characters had more of an impact on the story than others. Teen beauty queens get stranded on a desert island and have to survive. Their survival is not important to The Corporation so even though they are on the literal same island they let the girls deal with it on their own, hoping they die because it will be better for them if they are dead.  But, the girls not only survive, they thrive. When they discover the hide out the realize they are not going to be rescued, but sacrificed, and they plan their own rescue. I did not like that when the book ended and they characters were getting their where are they now Taylor was not included. She stayed on the island. Did she die? What happened to her? I like that the book addressed real concerns held by the girls and women of the world. It handled the LGBTQ+ characters well; they were fully developed and not just plucky sidekicks. This book also tackled the inherent racism of the beauty industry. And, it focused on the development of female friendships. I was mad at Libba Bray because of how she ended the "Great and Terrible Beauty" trilogy and avoided reading this for years, but I'm glad that I got over that and finally read it.

Time Travel

 Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

This was a time travel book with two POV and multiple narrators. It took me almost half of the book to really get a grasp on what was happening because time travel is such a hard concept. I knew that father had to be immortal, but I didn't realize that he was one of the robots until it was revealed. I was shocked by the actions of Mother. I wanted to like General Citizen and was disappointed when he ended up not being on team Rigg. I like the solider who ended up joining them, and Leaf was probably my favorite character. I'm not sure I enjoyed this book. I read the entire thing and I'm not sure I understand what happened. But, I am intrigued enough that I will be reading the next book in the series.

No Tears, Unlike the First Book

 The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

I sobbed during the first book in this series. I enjoyed it, but I sobbed. And it made me very interested in this book, since Sloan was the reason I was crying in book 1.  Sloan has been in a funk for two years. The book starts with the anniversary of Brandon's accident. She almost gets into an accident, thinks she hit a dog, said dog jumps into her car via the sun roof. The owner of the dog is not responding to any class or texts. The dog brings her back to life. It's been two weeks and she put up fliers, posted in lost dog forums, and has decided that she is keeping him. Then, Jason calls. He has been out of the country, and without a cell signal for two weeks. He thought he left his dog with a a trustworthy person; he was wrong. They develop a friendship over calls and texts until he gets back. Then, they start seeing each other in person. She tells him about Brandon, slowly over time. He is so patient and understanding. She learns about his life; he is a famous musician. He takes her home to meet his family and they love her. He takes her on tour. She gets sick and returns to his parent's house. She comes back and thinks she has caught him cheating. He decides that instead of telling her the truth he is going to lean into it so that they can have a "clean" break because he loves her too much to have her live on the road. The character he "cheats" with is giving Britney Spears, but without the conservatorship. She keeps the dog. Then, he is back in LA for a show. She gets a package from Zane, his assistant (who is amazing and deserves her own book) with a note telling her the truth of what happened and giving her two front row tickets. She grabs Kristin and they leave the double date to go to the show. They trade seats with a couple in row 10 and watch the show. He is just going through the motions. Then, when he should be doing the "so happy to be here" part of the show instead he tells them he was afraid to be here because he met the love of his life here and blew it. Then he dedicates a song to Sloan. Then, he sees her in the audience and jumps off the stage. The crowd rushes him and she can't move, until he points and yells her name then they help them get to each other. She decides to paint on the road and they get back together.  It was very sweet. I like that Kristen and Josh played a decent sized role in this book. I am looking forward to more in this series!

Giveaway Win; the third

 Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle 

I received this copy as a giveaway price from Flatiron Books. I won this as part of a goodreads giveaway. My three least favorite tropes are: pregnancy, secret keeping, and age gap (in no particular order). However, second chance romance is definitely down in the bottom tier of tropes. Despite that I did enjoy this second chance romance. One reason why I liked it was because it was believable. They dated in high school and haven't seen each other since they broke up 15 years ago. They hook up at their reunion. Then struggle to make it work. Both have issues they have to work out before getting to their happy ending; he jumps into things too quickly, she is terrified of love and ruining things. They have failed relationships with other people while they work out their own issues. When they finally get together, she ruins it. But, because she writes rom-com movies for a living she knows that she is the one who needs to make the grand gesture to get him back; and she does in the form of the screenplay. Then, she shows up to talk to him and they have an adorably awkward interaction. This worked because it was real; it wasn't contrived or forced. The reunion worked because it was so applicable to the current times, and to my life because we are the same age. I really liked that they were older, in their 30s by the time they finally got their lives together. Very cute.

Dark Romance

 Hooked by Emily McIntire 

This was my first Emily McIntire and my first real foray into dark romance. (Twisted Love doesn't really count, even though it sort of counts). Anyway, this was dark and violent for a romance, but it wasn't done in a bad or unexpected way. And while James was definitely swoon worthy I would not want him in real life; despite the fact that his description is my kryptonite. So, James goes to live with his uncle after his parents die. And his uncle is terrible; physical, mentally, emotionally, and sexually abusive. Enter Ru. He catches James following him from his uncle's house and instead of getting mad he mentors him and becomes the only adult he can trust. Then James becomes an enforcer for Ru; his favorite method is using a hooked blade, hence his nickname. He kills his uncle and gets away with it because Ru has the feds on his payroll. Then he sets his sights on the man who killed his parents; Peter. Turns out Peter has a daughter, and she's hot. There is an age gap, but it's 5.5 years and she turns 21 not long after they meet so it's not that bad. But, Peter kidnaps and kills Ru when James is helping Wendy move her brother, Jonathan, into a new boarding school. James thinks Wendy was in on it and kidnaps her. Her father doesn't notice. He takes her to a fancy gala and rubs their relationship in Peter's face. But, during the gala he realizes that Wendy didn't know anything about his plans and when they get back to his boat he tells her and they make up. Jonathan calls and tells her that he's coming home for a visit and can she meet him at the house, only Tina, her father's "assistant" kidnaps her and takes her to her father. James finds out where they took her and he shows up. Turns out the guy that has been trying to move in on his territory wasn't Peter, it was Smee; the man that has been taking care of his boat who just so happens to be his cousin. He hates James for killing his father and he's going to kill him. Wendy wakes up, gets loose, and shoots Tina. Peter kills Smee because only he will get to kill James, and he's in bad shape since Smee stabbed him. Then, we find out that Peter hated Jonathan for the same reason he killed James' parents: his father got Peter's wife pregnant; Jonathan is James' half brother. He starts to go after James but Wendy shoots him. There is a funeral. She and James bring Jonathan home. They have at least two kids and are still happy 10 years later.  While it was dark and more violent that I am accustomed to in my romance novels, it was still enjoyable and I will be reading more in this series.