Title: The Soulmate Equation

Author: Christina Lauren

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. After all, her father was never around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before her daughter was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could launch GeneticAlly’s valuation sky-high, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

Loved this and inhaled it in a few hours!

Jess is a single Mum on the dating wheel but decides to call it quits, waiting for her daughter to grow up. Her best friend gets them into a trial of sorts on a dating app that uses biology to predict the perfect match which Jess scores very highly on and her match is someone involved in the project!

Her match is Dr River Pena who is quiet, broody and apparently his default energy level is cardboard cutout! I loved him!!!!

This book had such hilarious banter that it made me cackle out loud! The person mostly responsible for this was the best friend, Felicity, aka Fizzy! Loved her!!!!

So all in all this was a fab read with added bonus points for the daughter, Juno, who was so cute with her zest for knowledge!

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: 10 books I’d take to the beach!

It’s a freebie this week so because I’m off to the beach soon I’ve chosen books I’d like to read when I’m there! Some of these would be rereads!

Happy Place – because it was so good!
Lessons in Chemistry – Elizabeth Zott, say no more!
Secretly Yours – because Julian is magnificent!
Fourth Wing – because it’s the best book I’ve read this year and I’m itching for a reread!
Liars Crown – because it’s the best underrated book!

The Roommate – spice x 100!
Witches Guide to Fake Dating a Demon – demon!
Loathe to Love You – 3 novellas to gorge!
Legends and Lattes – who doesn’t love cozy fantasy?!
Hook, Line and Sinker – friends to lovers at it’s best!

What about you?

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?

A pretty normal week here apart from a teachers strike for 2 days so my son was home but I still had to work!

I started a readalong with Tandem Collective so that book will be in next weeks update and I reread Fourth Wing because I felt a bit slumpy!!!

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What I’ve Read

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Reread – all the stars!!!!

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New arrivals

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

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You might have missed…..

Feature – Best Books of 23 so far
Unboxing – Fairyloot Adult: June
Review – Painted Devils by Margaret Owen
Review – A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

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What have you read lately?

Title: A Deadly Education

Series: The Scholomance #1

Author: Naomi Novik

Lesson One of the Scholomance: Learning has never been this deadly.

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

Wow, the Scholomance is a dark and fun place to be! (Note – it is dark but certainly not fun – but is fun to read about!!)

So we have a school with no teachers where monsters called maleficaria attack everyone at any point, even whilst they sleep!

Galadriel aka El is powerful student and because of her power, she has to limit herself to make it to graduation, and to make sure everyone else makes it too! She basically has no friends until an Enclave student, Orion, inserts himself in her life.

El is grumpy and snarky and, from what I can gather, a genius! But she makes some, how can I put it, tentative friendships!

So basically this is the story of how they survive on a day to day basis as they battle mals trying to get to graduation! There’s action and a revelation I didn’t really see coming!

This was such a creative story but very full of narrative – the audio helped me there! And that last line had me so intrigued!

One question I am left with though is why parents would ever send their kids to this school is absolutely beyond me!

Title: Painted Devils

Series: Little Thieves #2

Author: Margaret Owen

Let’s get one thing straight—Vanja Schmidt wasn’t trying to start a cult.

After taking down a corrupt margrave, breaking a deadly curse, and finding romance with the vexingly scrupulous Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad, Vanja had one great mystery left: her long-lost birth family… and if they would welcome a thief. But in her search for an honest trade, she hit trouble and invented a god, the Scarlet Maiden, to scam her way out. Now, that lie is growing out of control—especially when Emeric arrives to investigate, and the Scarlet Maiden manifests to claim him as a virgin sacrifice.

For his final test to become a prefect, Emeric must determine if Vanja is guilty of serious fraud, or if the Scarlet Maiden—and her claim to him—are genuine. Meanwhile, Vanja is chasing an alternative sacrifice that may be their way out. The hunt leads her not only into the lairs of monsters and the paths of gods, but the ties of her past. And with what should be the simplest way to save Emeric hanging over their heads, he and Vanja must face a more dangerous question: Is there a future for a thief and a prefect, and at what price?

Back with Vanja and Emeric…..

Vanja has got herself in a bit of trouble with one of her schemes, it has sort of back fired so when Emeric turns up they go on another quest!

This book was so fun! It was everything I wanted, I think I loved this book more than book 1!

What we have here:

~ Villains in all shapes and forms,
~ Family and the best of friends,
~ Young love,
~ Banter and humour,
~ Fabulous character growth,
~ A total readable book!

The reveal had my jaw dropping and the ending broke my heart! I need that next book!!

Fairyloot Adult – June 2023

Theme = The Underworld

A half-vampire, half fox spirit journeys through Hell and mortal Shanghai as she tries to solve the mystery of her heritage.

Shanghai Immortal by AY Chao

Exclusive cover
Digitally sprayed edges
Foiled hardcover by @blanca.design
Endpaper art by @cyt_draws
Bonus content
Digital signature

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 In the Colours of My Country’s Flag (It’s the 4th of July in the USA today, so tell us what country you live in and share book covers that match the colors of your country’s flag!)


I am English so my flags colours are red, white and blue!

Red

White

Blue

What would be yours?

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!

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 92 books so far this year, and these are the ones I’ve loved (not necessarily released this year, I read then!)

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen
Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
The Curse of Saints by Kate Dramis

What have been your best books so far?