I’m in England and we don’t have Independence Day here but wanted to wish all my American friends a happy day.
I hear you celebrate with fireworks, food, and family and I can’t think of anything better!
Have a great day!
Happy 4th July! 🎉
Book Review: Nightshade by Autumn Woods
Title: Nightshade
Series: Sorrowsong University #1
Author: Autumn Woods
Genre: Dark Academia
Year of publication: 2025
BLURB
MYSTERY. MURDER. REVENGE. WELCOME TO SORROWSONG UNIVERSITY . . .
He’d burn the world down for her . . . but she plans to burn his to the ground.
Isolated in the Scottish Highlands, Sorrowsong University only welcomes students from the most powerful families. Ophelia Winters doesn’t belong, but a rare scholarship grants her the perfect opportunity to investigate her parents’ ‘accidental’ death near the castle grounds.
Things get off to a rocky start when she runs afoul of the mysterious Alex Corbeau-Green – son of her prime suspect. As far as she’s concerned, he is just a younger version of his billionaire father. A monster hiding beneath a beautiful façade.
When an unknown tormentor begins to stalk Ophelia, she realizes she may not be able to survive Sorrowsong on her own. Alex becomes her unexpected ally – and alibi for murder. And as she begins to fall for the soft heart that hides beneath his hard exterior, her hunger for revenge wavers for the first time.
Can she really bring herself to destroy everything he’s ever known?
I must admit this was a slow starter for me, I wasn’t sure I was going to gel with it and then….BANG….was hooked!
And it was all the doing of that dark, brooding, swoony, Alex Corbeau-Green! The fact that he falls first and so hard was exquisite and the pursuit he gave…..bravo!
Ophelia actually got right on my wick a few times but the fact that she was on a revenge mission did give her more points in my book!
The tension and the chemistry was just soooo good, I ate it all up!
So nothing about the plot here but I will say, I totally get the hype, you must read it and the ending will half destroy you!
This book had the best side characters of Vincenzo and Belladonna so if I don’t hear lots more about them in the next book, I’m going to be very angry! Or ill settle for a whole book for each of them!
⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Sound like something you’d like?
Hello July!
Happy July!!!
Just a short post to wish you a great month and leave you with a couple of quotes!
“If you’re not barefoot, then you’re overdressed.” – Unknown
“July: Just take me to the Ocean.” – Unknown
TTT – Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026
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: Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026
The list on my countdown app has a lot of books on it but I’ve picked these 10 (and it hurt me to only pick 10!)
Spellcast by Sophie Jordan
The Lion and Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent
Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst
The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig
Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo
Last King of Faerie by Cassandra Clare
ACOTAR 6 by SJM
Captive Traitor King by Brigid Kemmerer
Murmuration by TJ Klune
Warrior of the Shards by Sarah Hawley
What are yours?
Best Books of 2026 – half year update!
I love it when a book completely hooks you in, you fall in love with the story, and when you’ve finished, you feel exhilarated!
So I decided to make a list of them! I’ve read 30 books so far this year, and these are the ones I’ve loved (not necessarily released this year, I read then!)
Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff
The Lies That Summon the Night by Tessonja Odette
We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune
What have been your best books of the year so far?
Audiobook Challenge – halfway update!
I promised myself I wouldn’t do any challenges in 2026… but I caved—because I can’t resist the audiobook challenge! 🎧
The 2026 Audiobook Challenge is hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and That’s What I’m Talking About. Grab your earbuds, decide on your goals, and sign up on Caffeinated Reviewer’s blog!
#2026AudiobookChallenge
I said I was keeping it low-key and that I’d aim for Weekend Warrior: 5–10 audiobooks. I wanted to slowly rediscover my love for audiobooks, which somehow slipped away in 2025.
Well, discover my love I did!
By mid-June I’d listened to 20 audiobooks so I smashed my goal! In fact, it seems that all I can listen to is audiobooks this year!
Here are my 20!
1) The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow
2) A Scar in the Bone by Sophie Jordan
3) The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
4) Ghostsmith by Nicki Pau Preto
5) Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis
6) Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer
7) Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer
8) The Lies That Summon the Night by Tessonja Odette
9) Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
10) Silver and Smoke by Helen Scheuerer
11) Alchemised by SenLinYu
12) The Dark Lords Guide to Dating by Tiffany Hunt
13) Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
14) To Cage a Wild Bird by Brooke Fast
15) Your Knife, My Heart by KM Moronova
16) My Blade. Your Back by KM Moronova
17) The Shadow Prince by Helen Scheuerer
18) We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune
19) The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
20) Nightshade by Autumn Woods
Did you join? How are you getting on?
TTT – Books on My Sumer 2026 To-Read List
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: Books on My Sumer 2026 To-Read List
I don’t actually make reading lists but these are the books I’d like to read soon…will see where my mood takes me!
Bullet Proof by KM Moronova
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Half City by Kate Golden
Fury Bound by Sable Sorensen
Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
Silver Elite by Dani Francis
Silvercloak by LK Steven
Bond of Hercules by Jasmine Mas
Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross
What are yours?
The Sunday Post! 2 late nights!
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!
My son has now officially left school!
He had his prom on Friday and then, on Saturday, a leaving party at someone in his tutors house and he came home late both nights! A taste of things to come no doubt!
We are off to Italy on Saturday, Lake Garda and Venice. Cannot wait but am hoping I can do a bit of relaxing!
I don’t know if I’ll be doing a Sunday Post next week but I’ve scheduled some posts in for when I’m away and will catch up with you lovely lot when I’m back!
From Blood and Ash by JLA (reread)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review soon!
Book Review – Princess of Blood by Sarah Hawley
Book Review – Bonds of Hercules by Jasmine Mas
Challenge – Audiobook Challenge Update
Feature – Best Books 2026 Update
What have you read lately?
Book Review: Bonds of Hercules by Jasmine Mas (I’m so sad!)
Title: Bonds of Hercules
Series: Villains of Lore
Author: Jasmine Mas
Genre: Romantasy
Year of publication: 2025
BOOKS IN THE SERIES
Blood of Hercules – review
BLURB
Every hero has their monsters.
And Alexis is bound to hers: tied eternally, irrevocably to the Underworld’s dark heirs in a marriage that has shaken the foundations of Olympus – and everything Alexis once believed. Reeling, she enlists in the Assembly of Death with her mentors, set on wrecking vengeance on her husbands and uncovering the truth behind her deadly powers.
She will soon teach them all that a god can’t be manacled. And a monster can’t be caged…
It really hurts me to say this because I LOVED Blood of Hercules, but I didn’t enjoy this much.
It felt like the book needed a really good edit. The plot was all over the place, and I found it difficult to follow what was happening in the beginning. The story lacked flow and just jumped from one thing to another. The characters were so immature and, Alexis in particular, was frustrating to read, she was so irritating!
I’m so disappointed because I wanted to love this. And I really didn’t.
⭐ Rating: 2 out of 5
Sound like something you’d like?
CJRTB Books 