The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hope you’ve had a good week!

Another week gone and not much happened! And that’s a good thing!

Work has been busy. As a project manager in the pensions industry, the run-up to the end of the tax year is always intense!

Outside of work, I’ve rediscovered something I really love: audiobooks. Which is strange, because at the end of last year I was the complete opposite — I could only read ebooks and struggled with audio!

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🎧 Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

See my reviews soon!

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Stacking the Shelves – January 2026
Book Review – The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
Feature – Monthly Book Stats: Just January

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Unboxing – Illumicrate – January 2026
Calendar – Valentines Day

What have you read lately?

Title: The Enchanted Greenhouse

Series: Spellshop #2

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Genre: Romantic Fantasy

Year of publication: 2025

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BOOKS IN THE SERIES

The Spellshop – my review

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QUOTE

The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.

BLURB

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Oh this book was like a warm hug!

We meet Terlu, the not-sorceress who turned a spider plant into the magical Caz (book 1!). After being tried and punished by being turned into a statue for 6 years, she wakes up on Belde Island…….

The island is full of magical greenhouses, a grumpy gardener named Yarrow, a flying cat, baby dragons, singing flowers, and a talking rose called Lottie!!

Something is going wrong, and the greenhouses are failing and plants start dying. Terlu and Yarrow have to team up to figure out what’s happening and how to stop it.

There was found family, second chances, figuring out who you are and finding love when you least expect it.

The writing is so descriptive and cozy that I completely fell in love with the world. I want to go to Belde Island!

If you love cozy fantasy with plants and magic that gives you the warm fuzzies, then this is the book for you!

⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5

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Sound like something you’d like?

I always keep track of my books read in the year but, for 2026, I decided to keep track of my monthly reading stats as they help me understand my reading habits and to try and stay motivated.

January felt like 59 days so you’d think I would’ve read a lot of books. Alas that is not true!

3647 pages.
8 books (3 rereads).
All fiction — fantasy-heavy
63% audiobooks!

💬 Final Thoughts
Tracking my monthly reading stats keeps me accountable and reminds me why I love reading so much (sometimes!)

How many books did you read this month?

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! And audiobooks. Don’t forget audiobooks!

In other words, if you can read it or if it can be read to you – no matter how you got it – it belongs in Stacking the Shelves.

The Stacking the Shelves meme was originally hosted at Team Tynga’s Reviews. It is currently hosted by Reading Reality.

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New year, new me and my promise not to buy as many books!

Well that failed!

I got 8 books.

Books I Bought

Vicious/Vengeful by VE Schwab (Illumicrate)
My Blade, Your Back by KM Moronova
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (Illumicrate)
We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark (Fairyloot)
Witches Guide to Magical Inkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (Fairyloot)
My Blade, Your Back by KM Moronova
King of Ravens by Claire Sager (Fairyloot)


Advanced Reader Copies

None! (At least I excelled there in my promise!!)

I’d better get reading!

 

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Topic: Book Covers Featuring Cool/Pretty/Unique Typography

I started off thinking if typography actually matters to me. It’s something I don’t pay that much attention to. But am I wrong?!

I did Google about typography on book covers and, basically, it seems I am wrong as the majority of articles say that great typography sells stories before they’re read. So I need to start paying attention!

Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid
Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis
The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains by Reena McCarty
Gold by Raven Kennedy
The Shadow Bride by Shelby Mahurin

A Witches Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin
A Darkness at the Door by Intisar Khanani

What typography is your favourite?

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hope you’ve had a good week!

Happy February!

Thank the book lords that January is done, it felt like 59 days!

Had a 3 day migraine this week and also found out that I was probably misdiagnosed 4 years ago and I don’t have tendonitis in my ankle but it’s caused by a herniated disc in my spine! So now have to go for an MRI scan to see!

Because of my head, I only read 1 book this week but I did say that my goal this year was 1 book a week so I’m on track!

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🎧 Ghostsmith by Nicki Pau Preto
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

See my review soon!

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Book Review – Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff
Book Review – A Scar in the Bone by Sophie Jordan

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Book Review – The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
Feature – Monthly Book Stats: Just January

What have you read lately?

Happy February!

February – the shortest month of the year, associated with love and connection, but it’s also filled with possibilities to kick-start your goals!

‘Though, February is short, it is filled with lots of love and sweet surprises.’ —Charmaine J Forde

‘In the coldest February, as in every other month in every other year, the best thing to hold on to in this world is each other.’ — Linda Ellerbee

Title: A Scar in the Bone

Series: A Fire in the Sky #2

Author: Sophie Jordan

Genre: Romantasy

Year of publication: 2025

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BOOKS IN THE SERIES

A Fire in The Sky – My Review

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BLURB

MAGIC AWAKENS.

DARKNESS SWELLS.

AND A HERO RISES.

It’s been a year since Tamsyn transformed from the enemy in Fell’s bed to the wife he sacrificed himself to save. From an ordinary girl to Penterra’s best hope to keep magic from disappearing forever.

With Fell torn from her side in the dangerous swirling mists of the Crags, Tamsyn is alone among the dragon pride. An outsider learning to survive in her new home, she trains until her muscles burn and her blood spills. And slowly, a warrior emerges.

But is Fell truly beyond Tamsyn’s reach? Their bond pulls at her, as does the fierce drive to protect both humans and dragonkind from a relentless enemy determined to destroy her – and all magic.

Magic stirs in the darkness, strengthening all who believe in it. But will it be enough to save the pride, the kingdom, and a love fated to endure for centuries?

I loved A Fire in the Sky so couldn’t wait to get back into this world!

I must admit, I was confused at the beginning of this book. We were a year on and Tamsyn is with the pride but I was confused at what had happened to Fell. I wasn’t even sure if it was mentioned so I had to try and piece together throughout the book….not sure that’s a good thing!

But….I did like this next installment!

Dragons
Treachery
Old enemies
Tamsyn’s grief
Vetr = cringe
Spice = juicy!

Although my fave, Fell, wasn’t in the book until near the end, I cheered (internally) when I ‘saw’ him!

As well as the beginning being more explained, I do wish we would have heard more about Tamsyn and Fells relationship before he disappeared and also when he came back! It all just seemed to happen quickly!

But to sum up, I liked it and want to read book 3!

⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5

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Sound like something you’d like?

Title: Empire of the Dawn

Series: Empire of the Vampire #3

Author: Jay Kristoff

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Year of publication: 2025

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BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Empire of the Vampire – here
Empire of the Damned – here

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QUOTE

From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hands sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

BLURB

Gabriel de León has lost his family, his faith, and the last hope of ending the endless night—his surrogate daughter, Dior. With no thought left but vengeance, he and a band of loyal brothers journey into the war-torn heart of Elidaen to claim the life of the Forever King.


Unbeknownst to the Last Silversaint, the Grail still lives—speeding towards the besieged capital of Augustin in the frail hope of ending Daysdeath. But deadly treachery awaits within the halls of power, and the Forever King’s legions march ever closer. Gabriel and Dior will be drawn into a final battle that will shape the very fate of the Empire, but as the sun sets for what may the last time, there will be no one left for them to trust.

Not even each other.

I survived….barely! Emotionally? Absolutely not!

Oh what a read! It was absolutely fabulous. This book felt more hopeless than the others, the humour that was in the previous books was there, but muted. The author must have poured everything he had into this whilst writing!

OMG did Gabriel suffer. How much can 1 man take? I’m not going to say anything about the plot, not one detail. Reading this felt like being on a roller coaster with these characters. So you need to experience every word, sentence and chapter.

The twist. Oh the twist. I never saw it coming in a million years. I know, v cryptic, but I am still gobsmacked about it!

So here we are. The conclusion. It gorged on my emotions and left me feeling like I’d be thinking about this book (and series) for a very, very long time. And I think I will. 

⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5

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Sound like something you’d like?