Title: Starling House

Author: Alix E Harrow

Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland–and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.

Trying to get her and her brother through life, Opal feels the pull to Starling House in Eden, the town she lives in. She decides to give in and go and there she finds the strange, brooding Arthur and the mystery and history of Starling House starts to unravel.

I loved Opal, she was so morally grey but so relatable at the same time. Her love for her brother, Jasper, and the urge for him to succeed was so heartwarming.

Arthur made me want to cuddle him, he had given up everything to end things…until Opal.

It was creepy, dark, gothic, horror lite and full of mystery!

When the story reached its crescendo I read with rapt attention, it was so good! Would totally recommend this for an Autumn/Halloween read!

🤣🤣

No cleaning required!!!!

This is just for the parents – no kids allowed!

What are your plans for Halloween?

Decorating your house? 👻
Halloween party? 🎃
Going trick or treating? 🍬

Title: Caged Wolf

Series: Darkmore Penitentiary #1

Author: Caroline Peckham

What do you do when the guy you’ve loved since you were fourteen is sent to the most dangerous prison in Solaria for saving your life?

Okay, so maybe he doesn’t love me back. And maybe getting sent down would seem insane to some, but I’m Rosalie Oscura, champion underground cage-fighter and alpha werewolf from the infamous Oscura Clan. My family wrote the book on criminal organisations and I’ll be ruling this place by the time the next moon rises.

Then I just need to get to work on busting us the hell out of here. ‘Us’ being me, the lion shifter I’ve loved for ten long years, and the most notorious criminal in here – a sinful incubus who’s been condemned to isolation for committing an unspeakable crime.

What’s the worst that could happen? I mean, short of being rejected by my mate, the black-hearted werewolf who rules over my sworn enemies, or getting myself noticed by the sinister vampire guard who has a dark vendetta against me. But how likely is that?

The trouble is, I need the help of those four alpha males to get out of here. And they happen to hate each other almost as much as they hate me.

But I always did love a challenge. And I never did learn when to back down.

So how hard could it be to make them accept me as their leader?

I’ve started this series from the twisted sisters because a) I loved ZA and b) Ethan Shadowbrook!

What more can I say?!!

So Rosa has had herself thrown into Darkmore purposefully on a job. There she meets Officer Cain (vamp), Ethan Shadowbrook (Alpha wolf), Sin (incubus and her job) and is reunited with Roary Knight (lion shifter and Leon’s older bro).

What follows is all drama and action….and of course that chemistry, anticipation and schexy times!

~ Ethan Shadowbrook is my utter fave and no one can top him!
~ Cain needs to get over himself.
~ Sin is just absolutely bat crazy.
~ Roary needs to let me know why he’s not worthy because he so is. His dad had a lot to answer for!
~ And Rosa is one of the most tough, gutsy heroines I’ve ever read!

That ending though, nearly broke me!

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: Atmospheric Books

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by VE Schwab
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
The Thorns Remain JJA Harwood

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Sabriel by Garth Nix
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

What’s on your list?

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?

This was the last week of term for my son so now he is off until Halloween and…..I HAVE THE WEEK OFF TOO!!! We don’t have any plans so will take it day by day but will obviously be carving some pumpkins!

I do feel a bit lighter as I think I’m making more progress in my new job as I’m learning more and know (sort of) what I’m doing!

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New Arrivals

Can you believe I’ve had nothing! I did a huge unhaul and have promised myself that I won’t just order any old SE anymore, only the ones I’m desperate for (or to complete a set that I loved!)

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What I’ve Read

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab
(reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Look out for my reviews soon!

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You might have missed…..

Review – The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
Review – Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
Review – Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Review – The Cursed by Harper L Woods

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What have you read lately?

Title: The Cursed

Series: Coven of Bones #2

Author: Harper L Woods

Betrayal.

He was the deception waiting in the night; the truth I never saw coming. After a lifetime of manipulation, I finally learned the truth. I was his puppet—even if I never saw my strings.

Even knowing how deep his betrayal runs, I can’t shake the undeniable connection between Gray and I—the way a single glance from him sets my soul on fire. We are not the same. We’re enemies, poised to battle for the future of the very thing I’d wanted to destroy.

With the Covenant gone, the revenge I thought I wanted is no longer my priority. The witches that remain played no role in my aunt’s death, and the only person standing in the way of righting those wrongs is the very man determined to keep me in his bed.

But the remaining members of the Coven will never forgive me for the role I played in their demise and subjugation, and the worst part of all is that I can’t even blame them for it. I’d been naive, believing my own delusions of grandeur when destiny clearly had other plans for me. Plans that had been set in motion centuries before my birth.

But even that had been a lie, and now it is my duty to do everything in my power to undo it.

To protect my Coven from my husband’s hatred—no matter what the cost.

He’d burn the world down for her.. .but would she do the same?

After the ending of The Coven we’re now in the Cursed and Willow is back, struggling with what she did, her attraction for Gray and what she has to do.

Talking of Gray, I loved him as a vessel but I love him even more for what he is now!!!

‘I love you, Witchling. For everything you are and for everything you are not.’

But there is one person who stole the show for me, Leviathan! I really hope we get more on him!!!

So we have action, drama, witches, demons, archangels, spice and an interesting take on religion!

I admit this book felt a bit drawn out in places but then rushed in others and some things did come out of nowhere with no build up (looking at you Michael!) but I still enjoyed it!

So now I’m confused. Is there another book for Gray and Willow or are we moving on to Margot and Beelzebub? I’ll be looking out for news!

Title: Divine Rivals

Series: Letters of Enchantment #1

Author: Rebecca Ross

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Oh wow, this book was phenomenal!

Iris works at a newspaper alongside her rival, Roman Kitt. War is brewing between 2 awoken gods. After a series of events, and some magical letters, Iris finds herself on the war front.

It’s basically a historical, enemies to lovers with warring gods and all the people who are caught up in it, letters that will make your heart soar and a romance you’ll be rooting for from the get go!

I think the contents of this book will be on my mind for ages, it was so beautifully written, it’s one of those books you dont forget!

The ending. Oooooooooh the ending. Say it ain’t so. And tell me when the next book is!

Title: Two Twisted Crowns

Series: Shepherd King #2

Author: Rachel Gillig

Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.

If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom.

And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth’s head. The Nightmare. And he’s not eager to share any longer.

‘The Twin Alders is hidden in a place with no time. A place of great sorrow and bloodshed and crime. Betwixt ancient trees, where the mist cuts bone-deep, the last Card remains, waiting, asleep.’

To say I was excited for this book is an understatement! I was obsessed with One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns did not disappoint!

I was so hooked! It was explosive, emotional,  romantic, atmospheric and I lived for the back stories!

Rayvn: Captain of the Destriers. Highwayman. Traitor. ‘He was alive. Beautiful and alive. And I could not touch him.’

Elm: downtrodden brother, son to the King. ‘I’m a rotten Prince and a piss-poor Destrier.’

Elspeth: trapped, lost and takes a sort of back seat here but she plays her part well.

Ione: made into someone she’s not, trying to find something she’s lost.

The Shepherd King aka Nightmare, but he’s also something else in this book, well 2 things really and the star of the show for me! I absolutely love him, he is grumpy and sarcastic, my type of person!

This was such a beautiful read, multi layered plot weaved together with different pov chapters.

I will shout from the rooftops about this duology until the end of time! This is now a firm fave for me, everyone needs to read it and I know this will be on my reread pile!

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 with Weather Events in the Title/on the Cover

I really struggled with this one although I thought it was going to be easy!!!!

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani
Frost by CN Crawford
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
Heatwave by TJ Klune
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer

What’s on your list?