Just a little post to wish you a happy September!
“Making your Christmas cake in September is perfect, as too fresh a cake crumbles when cut.” ―Mary Berry
“By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer.”
― Helen Hunt Jackson
Well that’s it, summer is nearly over (thank god!) and so is the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge!
You can read all about the challenge here at Cathy746 Books
I’m a terrible mood reader so I said I wanted to read 20 books for the challenge but only 9 from a named list and the rest mood reads……and……
I did it! Well sort of!
I read 34 books over summer so well over the 20 but I didn’t read 1 of my named books (mood reader brain couldn’t cope!!)
So I guess I’ll take that as a win!
📚Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi ✔️
📚Stealing Infinity by Alyson Noel ✔️
📚Belladonna by Adalyn Grace ✔️
📚Dragons Promise by Elizabeth Lim ✔️
📚The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna ✔️
📚Book of Night by Holly Black ✔️
📚The Wolf and Woodsman by Ava Reid✔️
📚Glow by Raven Kennedy ❌️
📚Heat Wave by TJ Klune ✔️
1 Tall Dark and Evil by Alexi Blake
2 The Never King by Nikki St Crowe
3 Lizzie and Belle Mysteries by JT Williams
4 This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede
5 Krie Captivity by Kora Knight
6 A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab
7 The Darkening by Sunya Mara
8 Longshadow by Olivia Atwater
9 By Virtue I Fall by Cora Reilly
10 Longshadow by Olivia Atwater
11 Air Awakens by Elise Kova
12 Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
13 The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
14 Tragic Bonds by J Bree
15 What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L Woods
16 Her Majesties Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
17 Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
18 Indecent Demands by Marlee Wray
19 Midnight Library by Matt Haig
20 By Virtue I Fall by Cora Reilly
21 A Restless Truth by Freya Marske
22 Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater
23 Cornucopia by Alek L Cristea
24 Mindwalker by Kate Dylan
25 Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim
26 The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
I did also reread the first 4 books of Zodiac Academy and Golden Dynasty by Kristen Ashley but haven’t included them here as they were rereads!
Did you do 20 Books of Summer? How did you get on?
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: School Freebie – books set in a school/education.
📚 Crave by Tracy Wolff – Katmere Academy
📚 Harry Potter – Hogwarts
📚 Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham- same name!
📚 Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac by Caroline Peckham – Aurora Academy
📚 Stealing Infinity by Alyson Noel – Gray Wolf Academy
📚 Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead -St Vladimirs
📚 Percy Jackson – Camp Half Blood
📚 The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic – Palmetto State University
📚 Black Witch Chronicles by Laurie Foster – Verpax University
📚 Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston – Bureau of Supernatural Affairs
What books would you have picked?
Title: Reckless
Series: Adventures in Love #3
Author: Aurora Rose Reynolds
Jade has always been the reckless type. But after her relationship implodes and her business goes under, she realizes it might be time to change her ways. She decides on a fresh start in a new place: Montana.
But shortly after her arrival in Big Sky Country, she meets headstrong wilderness retreat owner Maverick, whose name, fittingly, means “dissenter.” Jade tries to convince herself he’s not the type of man she needs in her life. The problem is, she wants him in her life. She wants him more than anything.
For Maverick, his attraction to this out-of-towner is undeniable. But he’s sworn off relationships—until he gets to know the fiery-haired, fiery-tempered Jade. He can’t help but wonder if it’s worth opening himself up to her. It’s a gamble, sure. But is it reckless?
Or is love a high-stakes game of risk and reward that just might pay off in the end?
This was such a sweet read, a trademark of how great this author is at writing feel good romances.
Jade moves to town to start over and be close to her bestie, Cybil . There she meets Maverick again and the attraction is really instant. But there are bumps in the road!
Maverick was my fave (whenever is a hot man not my fave?!!)
Loved the name of their shop, loved the house, loved the writing and the story so, in short, loved it all!
I haven’t read the others in this series and now I really want to!
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.
Hi everyone, hope you’ve had a good week?
We are back from the beach and it was an experience put it that way! Me and my son are both gluten free as we have celiac disease. The place we went to just had no clue about gluten so I ended up being glutened on our first day and was in loads of pain…..so after that we made our own food (and had to wash it all up) so that bit didn’t feel like a holiday to me!
Apart from food, we had a great time swimming in the sea and at the pool and we explored a really old graveyard too!!!
Mated to the Dark Elf by Celeste King
⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here
The Golden Dynasty by Kristen Ashley (reread)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here
I don’t want to put pictures in case anyone hasn’t received yet but I got my books of the month from Illumicrate and Fairyloot Young Adult!
Review – What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L Woods
Review – The Dragons Promise by Elizabeth Lim
ARC Review – A Restless Truth by Freya Marske
Review – Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
What have you read lately?
Title: Belladonna
Series: Belladonna #1
Author: Adalyn Grace
Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.
However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.
What an utterly fabulous read!
Signa, who has an infinity with Death, has been passed from guardian to guardian after their strange deaths and finds herself at Thorn Grove with her uncle Elijah and cousins, Percy and Blythe.
Blythe has a mystery illness, the same illness that killed her mother and Signa wants to investigate and finds help in 2 unlikely places.
‘You are bolder than the sun, Signa Farrow, and it’s time that you burn.’
Now I can’t say too much about the plot apart from I thought I knew how this was going to turn out. I was sure I knew how this was going to turn out (and I was smug about it!!) But I was wrong, so wrong! Fantastic twist!
So here we go with my list of loves…..
~ Loved Sylas,
~ Loved Blythe,
~ Thaddeus is my kind of guy!
~ Loved Death (he’s a saucy minx!!)
So here we have an historical whodunnit with lonely souls finding each other and families reunited.
Superb. And that cover is just gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what happens next! I already know Foxglove will be another hit!
Title: A Restless Truth
Series: The Last Binding #2
Author: Freya Marske
The most interesting things in Maud Blyth’s life have happened to her brother Robin, but she’s ready to join any cause, especially if it involves magical secrets that may threaten the whole of the British Isles. Bound for New York on the R.M.S. Lyric, she’s ready for an adventure.
What she actually finds is a dead body, a disrespectful parrot, and a beautiful stranger in Violet Debenham, who is everything—a magician, an actress, a scandal—Maud has been trained to fear and has learned to desire. Surrounded by the open sea and a ship full of loathsome, aristocratic suspects, they must solve a murder and untangle a conspiracy that began generations before them.
I absolutely loved Marvellous Light so was so happy when I got my hands on this!
Here we have Maud, Robin’s sister, carrying on the cause of the Last Contract and finding the items.
So Maud gets on a ship called Lyric under the guise of an employee of Mrs Navenby when tragedy strikes. Maud then meets Violet Debenham and catches up with Lord Hawthorn, who we’ve met before, to investigate!
‘We’re not in one place or another. We could be going anywhere, in the darkness. The sun could rise tomorrow and we could be in—Alexandria, or Venice, or among the islands of Japan.’
Loved Maud, she is so self depreciating, quite innocent but very eager to learn and to please and she gets the job done!
Violet so self assured, lives her life how she wants to and good on her. Her free living, not caring what anyone thought (and in those times must’ve been hard for a woman), was a breath of fresh air…..and it certainly impressed on Maud!
Loved how the time period was described, loved the descriptions of the clothing, the ship, the tale of how it all started and loved that different material of rings helps with magic. I especially loved Maud and Violet together. ‘I’ve never had to pretend to want you, Maud Blyth.’
There is just one thing I want in the next book. Lord Hawthorn is so intriguing for me. He is so far removed and closed off so I want him to have a hea, it will be so shocking for him that I’d love to see the look on his face and hear the realisation in his brain!
Title: The Dragons Promise
Series: Six Crimson Cranes #2
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Princess Shiori made a deathbed promise to return the dragon’s pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping that promise is more dangerous than she ever imagined.
She must journey to the kingdom of dragons, navigate political intrigue among humans and dragons alike, fend off thieves who covet the pearl for themselves and will go to any lengths to get it, all while cultivating the appearance of a perfect princess to dissuade those who would see her burned at the stake for the magic that runs in her blood.
The pearl itself is no ordinary cargo; it thrums with malevolent power, jumping to Shiori’s aid one minute, and betraying her the next—threatening to shatter her family and sever the thread of fate that binds her to her true love, Takkan. It will take every ounce of strength Shiori can muster to defend the life and the love she’s fought so hard to win.
Let me just start by saying this……I’m not up for triangles. The reason I’m not is because normally my fave guy loses!! So imagine my surprise in SCC when I loved both. Equally. What would this book do to my heart?
Well lets find out!
‘Make sure he deserves you.’
In this book we went from the dragon city of Ai’long back to Kiata then to a forbidden land with Shori on her adventures to reunite the pearl with its owner and stop the evil Bandur. With him haunting her every step!
Although I found this book slower than the last there were so many things I loved…..
~ Seryu – my dragon prince!
~ Ai’long, the dragon world, it was described so beautifully!
~ A familiar character who bought me a lot of joy!
~ Takkan, what a heartthrob!
~ Kiki – she is up there with my fave sarcastic animal sidekicks with her keeping it real attitude!
And one last mention of a new someone who is a totally new fave! Elang……
‘You’d do well to remember this: your heart is your home. Until you understand that, you belong nowhere.’
I’m hoping next for a book about Elang? Finding his pearl and his HEA?! Please!
In conclusion, my heart wasn’t broke and this was a good read!
Title: What Lies Beyond the Veil
Series: Of Flesh and Bone #1
Author: Harper L Woods
Once, we’d worshipped them as Gods.
For nearly 400 years, the Veil has protected us from the Fae of Alfheimr. In their absence, our lives have shifted from decadence and sin to survival and virtue under the guidance of the New Gods. I’ve spent my entire life tending to the gardens next to the boundary between our worlds, drawn to the shimmering magic like a moth to the flame.
Then, we died on their swords.
All of that changes the day the Veil shatters, unleashing the fae upon our world once again. The magic of faerie marks those of us they mean to take, but the Mist Guard protecting Nothrek will kill us all before they let the fae have us. There’s no choice but to flee everything I’ve ever known, not if I want to live to see my twenty-first birthday as a free woman.
Now, they’ll claim what’s theirs.
But before they capture me, Caelum saves me from the Wild Hunt. Fae-marked and on the run, he is able to fight back in ways I only dream of. From tentative alliance to all-consuming passion, our bond strengthens as the fae close in and evil lurks ever nearer. With my life on the line, he is everything I shouldn’t dare to want and a distraction I can’t afford. I can’t seem to stay away, not even with something greater on the line.
My heart.
Estrella is at the mercy of the Lord of her town, no choices apart from what he wants. And he wants her as his wife. One night Estrella makes all hell break loose, literally!
On the run with her brother from everything they have been taught about the Fae, they bump into Caelum, and he promises to take her somewhere safe and of course their romance ensues (mainly with him being full on constantly!!!)
‘I would burn the world to the ground and lay it at your feet if you so much as asked it of me, and yet you give me nothing. You’ve never once told me that you feel the same way I do.’
I guessed the twist quite early on, how Estrella missed it I do not know! But anyway. Surprise. I love Caelum!
This quick little fae read was action packed, spicy and it’s true, if he aint fae, he ain’t bae!!
CJRTB Books 