Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Blood & Steel By Helen Scheuerer 🎧 Narrated by: Mollie Stark and Sebastian Grove The Legends of Thezmarr, Book 1 Book 25 of 2024
Thank you to all of my friends who recommended this one, especially Dom & Marie-Lyne!
✨ On Kindle Unlimited ✨
I absolutely could not put this book down. Plotting wise, it reminded me why I grew up loving fantasy books. Scheuerer manages to build a unique world without dumping a bunch of info on you. The world and conflicts all are introduced while the plot is moving and characters are getting to know each other.
You all know I love a bada$$ FMC, and Althea is absolutely a warrior among FMCs.
And of course, the romance is 🔥🔥🔥. I can’t wait to continue with this series!
🎧 Fantastic narration. I usually need to read a couple of chapters with a print version to get myself really immersed in a new fantasy world, but I felt that this was clear enough that I could just listen to the audiobook without any trouble!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Always Be My Duchess By Amalie Howard 🎧 Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells Taming of the Dukes, Book 1 Book 24 of 2024
I love when the marketing actually matches the book. This says it’s Pretty Woman meets Bridgerton, and that is exactly what was delivered.
The beginning was a little rough for me, how they met wasn’t the cutest of meet cutes, but as they spent more time together I absolutely fell in love with their love story.
I would read an entire book about every single one of the side characters, I loved them all so much. You definitely have to be willing to suspend your disbelief and just go with the concept of the story, but I love a far-fetched romcom, and I thought it was so much fun.
🎧 This was fantastic on audio!
[book synopsis]
Pretty Woman meets the Bridgertons in this witty, vivacious historical take on 90s romcoms by USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard:
Lord Lysander Blackstone, the stern Duke of Montcroix, has only one interest: increasing his considerable fortune. After a series of betrayals, he keeps his emotions buried deep. Money, after all, can’t break a man’s heart—or make promises it can’t keep. But when his reputation for being heartless jeopardizes a new business deal, he finds himself seeking a most unusual—and alluring—solution . . .
Once an up-and-coming ballerina, Miss Geneviève Valery is now hopelessly out of work. After refusing to become a wealthy patron’s mistress, Nève was promptly shown the door to the streets. When she accidentally saves the life of a handsome duke, she doubts the encounter will go any better than her last brush with nobility. But instead of propositioning her, Montcroix makes Nève an offer she would be a fool to refuse: act as his fake fiancée in exchange for fortune enough to start over.
Only neither is prepared when very real feelings begin to grow between them. They both stand to win . . . but only if they’re willing to risk their hearts.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!
Kiss the Girl By Zoraida Cordova Meant to Be, Book 3 Book 23 of 2024
✨ Series Info ✨
The Meant to Be series are all standalones and can be read in any order. They are closed door retellings of beloved Disney movies – this one is The Little Mermaid, and was my favorite so far!
✨ Review ✨
I was so excited for this book, but last year if it wasn’t on audio, I didn’t read it, and this book doesn’t seem to have an audiobook made, which is so heartbreaking!
However, I’ve been working on getting back into reading with my eyes, and I really loved this one, and thought it was such a clever interpretation of the story!
Ariel del Mar has been a pop culture icon since she was a child – her family business has been making her and her sisters pop icons. She meets Eric after sneaking out to a rock concert in Brooklyn. Then, after getting into a fight with her father, she joins his band’s tour to sell their merch at shows. It was fun to watch her join the “real world” after living a life of luxury.
I absolutely adored all of the characters. The band gave major found family vibes, and everyone was so quirky in their own way. But of course the real magic was in the building romance between Ariel and Eric! The tension was exquisite.
✨ Ramblings Semi-Related to the Book ✨
I’ve been on a musician romance kick lately. I think after being so disappointed by The Breakup Tour, this is exactly what I needed and the vibe I wished The Breakup Tour had been!
The connections made with the Disney version of The Little Mermaid were all so cute. I’ve read a few books lately that envision people who work in more pop culture settings – whether it’s musicians, fashion designers, or influencers – as kind of vapid hot messes. And while anyone can be a vapid hot mess, I just find it to be a very boring stereotype. So I really appreciated that Cordova leaned into how hard Ariel had worked and how knowledgeable she was about the music industry, even if she was lost when it came to doing things like laundry. It made her lovable and relatable.
I forgot to post this and one more during Black History Month, but I know we all read Black authors all year long!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
This post feels a little silly because my favorites are all extremely popular and well known titles…but if you’re a fantasy reader and you haven’t read them yet, consider this your sign!! This is absolutely not an exhaustive list, but are just some of my most favorites. And of course, these are amazing books to read all year long!
🖋 = received an arc or pub gift, review on goodreads
The Legendborn Quartet by Tracy Deon – These were two of my absolute favorite books in 2022, and I cannot wait for the next book to come out next year! (🖋 Bloodmarked)
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin – You’re not going to know what’s going on for most of the first book, but it’s absolutely worth the ride.
Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler – Of all the dystopians I’ve read, this one seems the most likely to come true and the most terrifying. I probably need to reread it.
Even More Fantasy: Each of these 4 books have some stand out elements that I enjoyed. Wildblood 🖋 – set in Jamaica, sentient forest A Song of Wraiths and Ruin 🖋 – amazing cast of characters & romance (YA) Dread Nation – elite female zombie fighters Crowned 🖋 – Folk & Fairy tales – gorgeous photography & storytelling
My top TBR: Faebound, Skin of the Sea, & The Gilded Ones
QotD: Do you mostly read new releases or backlist books?
I think about half of my reads are published within the past year, and half are older. Lately I’ve been wondering what I’m doing when I post a review of a book that was written in like…2002…but it’s still fun to get my thoughts down!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
✨ Spoiler Free Review ✨
Have you been seeing The Serpent and the Wings of Night series on Bookstagram and been wondering if you want to get into the series? Here’s why you won’t want to skip the novella Six Scorched Roses!
Six Scorched Roses By Carissa Broadbent 🎧 Narrated by: Amanda Leigh Cobb Crowns of Nyaxia 1.5 Book 22 of 2024
✨ Reading order ✨
I think this book can technically be considered a standalone, but it was recommended to me to read it in between Book 1 & 2, because the characters introduced in this book do show up in Book 2. I think the world building would be a little confusing if I hadn’t read book 1.
✨ Review ✨
I am not generally a novella person – I tend to skip them honestly. However, this was a very purposeful and satisfying novella to me! After all of the fighting and action in Book 1, it was nice to spend time with Lilith and her medical experiments.
Lilith’s town is being ravaged by an illness brought about by a god curse. Her sister is fading before her eyes, but Lilith is committed to finding a cure.
Six Scorched Roses has a really good mix of plot and romance, and tells a complete story in just 187 pages! It’s a great palette cleanser before you dive into what I’m sure will be an action packed The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King!
🎧 You might recognize Amanda Leigh Cobb from her work narrating A Court of Wings and Ruin and A Court of Frost and Starlight! She narrates all of the Crowns of Nyaxia books and I love her work.
✨ KU subscribers can read Six Scorched Roses for free! ✨
[book synopsis ]
Six roses. Six vials of blood. Six visits to a vampire who could be her salvation… or her damnation.
Lilith has been dying since the day she was born. But while she long ago came to terms with her own imminent death, the deaths of everyone she loves is an entirely different matter. As her town slowly withers in the clutches of a mysterious god-cursed illness, she takes matters into her own hands.
Desperate to find a cure, Lilith strikes a bargain with the only thing the gods hate even more than her village: a vampire, Vale. She offers him six roses in exchange for six vials of vampire blood–the one hope for her town’s salvation.
But when what begins as a simple transaction gradually becomes something more, Lilith is faced with a terrifying realization: It’s dangerous to wander into the clutches of a vampire… and in a place already suffering a god’s wrath, more dangerous still to fall in love with one.
Six Scorched Roses is a standalone fantasy romance novella set in the world of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, perfect for those who love dark, romantic tales with bite and fans of Sarah J. Maas or Jennifer L. Armentrout.
February was a great month of reading, but not a great month health wise. I had my worst crash of my Long Covid journey, and have been recovering for most of the month. I’m extra thankful for books and book friends for keeping my spirits up when things were extra hard!
Photo 1: My physical reads
Photo 2: Reading Goal Check in
Reading Goals: 💖 Physical TBR: 7 of 6 💖 Total read: 18 / total brought into my house: 25 – closer to equal but still very much not 💖 Diverse Authors: 9 of 7 planned 💖 ARCs: 6 of 8 planned 💖 BOTM: 1 of 1
Photo 3: ARCs
Photo 4: Diverse Author / Book breakdown (could be diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, physical difference, neurodiversity, or something else!)
Photo 5: March plans
See my Instagram pinned posts for information on the two challenges!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Thank you to the tagged publishers for the gifted books!
What’s on your radar for this week?
🎁 ARC/ ALC / free publisher mail – noted even if I was sent a widget and didn’t accept it. Everything on this list is something I would like to one day read!
📚 The Bride of Death by F.M. Aden Gothic Fantasy | Romantasy | BIPOC author
🎁 Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man by Violet Marsh, Forever publishing Historical Romance | Mystery
🎁 This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan, Forever publishing Contemporary romance | BIPOC author
🎁 Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage, The Dial Press Cowboy Romance
🎁 Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon, Simon Books Modern Hades x Persephone
QotD: Are any of these on your radar? What are you currently reading?
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Thanks again to TLC Book Tours, Harper 360, & Emma Denny for my review / book tour copy – I finally read it!
One Night in Hartswood By Emma Denny 🎧 Narrated by: Tom Alexander, Sebastian Humphreys Book 21 of 2024
*chit chat semi related to the book*
We all know I read more with my ears than my eyes, so I’ve been waiting for my library to get the audiobook of this one…but they took too long so I finally got it from Libro! Some of my amazing booksta friends pooled money for my birthday and got me a year’s worth of credits! (For a normal person. A month’s worth for me, probably. Either way, an incredibly thoughtful gift!) I am really bad about hoarding audiobook credits because I have definitely gone through 4 in a week before. But now I have 15 so I probably should use them.
*review*
I don’t know if it’s because of the 500 times I watched The Princess Bride or the popularity of the vibes in fantasy books, but I find the medieval period to be SO romantic. It is an under utilized time period in romance books, so I was so excited when I was offered a copy of One Night in Hartswood!
This was a little bit of a slow burn with SO MUCH pining. And accidentally cuddling for body heat while traveling through the woods. I absolutely loved it.
Check out the pinned comment for the plot synopsis.
🎧 Raff’s voice is so swoony. Highly recommend.
[book synopsis]
Oxford 1360
When his sister’s betrothed vanishes the night before her politically arranged marriage, Raff Barden must track and return the elusive groom to restore his family’s honour. William de Foucart ― known to his friends as Penn ― had no choice but to abandon his fiancé, and with it his own earldom, when he fled the night before his enforced marriage. But ill-equipped to survive on the run he must trust the kindness of a stranger, Raff, to help him escape. Unaware their fates are already entwined, their unexpected bond deepens into a far more precious relationship, one that will test all that they hold dear. And when secrets are finally revealed, both men must decide what they will risk for the one they love…
Jana and Books 