Happy Halloween!

‘When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, may luck be yours on Halloween.’

‘When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween.’

— Unknown

Title: House of Roots and Ruin

Series: Sister of the Salt #2

Author: Erin A Craig

In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed.

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.

When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.

Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.

But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . .

Oh I absolutely loved this! If you enjoyed House of Salt and Sorrows then you will be overjoyed with this!

I can recommend the audio, it was fabulous! Absolutely perfect for spooky month!

17 year old Verity escapes her family’s estate to paint a portrait. But she leaves with a secret and basically arrives at the  Chauntilalei manor where things aren’t much better!

I dont want to say much about the plot but what follows was dark, intense, quite disturbing and had me on the edge of my seat.

I honestly couldn’t put it down and the ending was shocking and made me go whaaaaaat! Please tell me there is more!

Do yourself a favour and grab this book!

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 had a really good, relaxing week off work and school, just what the doctor ordered!!

We carved our pumpkins today, well I carved 1 and my son painted Roblox faces on the others….and it didn’t go well so he ended up rubbing it off and carving them!

We just have to decorate and then we’re ready for the ghosts and ghouls to come trick or treating!

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What I’ve Read

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas
(reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 A Power Unbound by Freya Marske
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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You might have missed….

Review – Caged Wolf by Caroline Peckham
Humour – Halloween funnies
Spooky Review – Starling House by Alix E Harrow

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What have you read lately?

Happy Halloween 🎃

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!