Title: Gothikana

Author: Runyx

An unusual girl. An enigmatic man. An ancient castle. What could go wrong?

An outcast her entire life, Corvina Clemm is left adrift after losing her mother. When she receives the admission letter from the mysterious University of Verenmore, she accepts it as a sign from the universe. The last thing she expects though is an olden, secluded castle on top of a mountain riddled with secrets, deceit, and death.

An enigma his entire life, Vad Deverell likes being a closed book but knowing exactly everything that happens in the university. A part-time professor working on his thesis, Vad has been around long enough to know the dangers the castle possesses.
And he knows the moment his paths cross with Corvina, she’s dangerous to everything that he is.

They shouldn’t have caught each other’s eye. They cannot be. But a chill-inducing century-old mystery forces them to collide. People have disappeared every five years for over a hundred years, and Corvina is getting clues to unraveling it all, and Vad needs to keep an eye on her.

And so begins a tale of the mystique, the morbid, the macabre, and a deep love that blossoms in the unlikeliest of places.

‘For as long as this madness ensues.’

Fabulous! This book got me out my slump so I’ll be eternally grateful!

Corvina Clemm has had an unconventional, sheltered, unusual life so far so when she receives an invitation to study at Verenmore University, she goes for it. In the eerie, spooky castle she starts afresh, makes friends…..and makes something more than friends!

I inhaled this book! It had the fab gothic vibes of dark academia, it had suspense, steam and was totally mysterious, I was hanging on every word!

Just need to mention the morally grey Vad! Delish with a capital D!

I’m off to find some fan art and look for the next book!

Title: Seven Exes

Author: Lucy Vine

A delightful rom-com about a woman who decides to revisit each of her seven exes, convinced that one of them is “the one who got away.” Seven Exes. Seven Missed Chances. Who was the one who got away? Esther is nearing thirty, with a great job and a flat she shares with her two best friends, Bibi and Louise. But her life is missing that special someone. Tired of being single and sick of bad date after bad date, she thinks she’s found the answer to her romance problem in an old women’s magazine. According to the magazine’s dating column, there are seven archetypes a woman will date before finding Mr. Right. It all seems silly at first, until Esther realizes she has exactly seven exes that match the The First Love, The Work Mistake, The Overlap, The Friend with Benefits, The Missed Chance, The Bastard, and The Serious One. Is it so hard to believe that perhaps one of them is The One? Deciding she must have left her true love in the reject pile, Esther contacts each of her old boyfriends. But finding her soulmate isn’t as simple as she hoped it would be. Madness, mayhem, laughs, and tears ensue as she valiantly works her way through her past love life and faces up to her previous mistakes. It’s an odyssey of the heart that will teach her a lot about herself . . . and just might lead her to the man of her dreams.

Ever wonder about the ‘one that got away’?!

Esther does…….

One drunken night, Esther comes across a Cosmour magazine on seven exes and how one of these is the one that got away….The First Love, The Work Mistake, The Friend with Benefits, The Overlap, The Missed Chance, The Bastard and The Serious One. 

What comes next is a hilarious story, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inappropriate, walk down memory lane in the quest to find the one!

But who she chooses will surprise you! And I couldn’t be happier!

You need this one for a summer read…..but it will make you laugh in public!

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 Summer 2023 to-Read List

I don’t really make a tbr because I’m a terrible mood reader but I have some arcs to read so these are my summer reading list!

Ledge by Stacey Mcewan
Chasm by Stacey Mcewan
Ravensong by TJ Klune
The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara
Never a Hero by Vanessa Len

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim
Alone in Ether by Olivie Blake
Mindbreaker by Kate Dylan
Paris by Paris Hilton
Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

What’s on your list?

Title: Ruling Destiny

Series: Stolen Beauty #2

Author: Alyson Noel

The second I stepped through the doors of Gray Wolf Academy, my world disintegrated. Here, time is malleable. It can be manipulated, shifted. Changed. And for those of us who Trip—or travel through time—the possibilities are infinite and perilous.

Now my life is caught in the secrets of everyone around me. Arthur, the eccentric billionaire who rules this school. Killian, who could be the only honest person here…or the biggest liar. And Braxton, magnetic, gorgeous, and unfathomable. The only thing I trust about him is our electric connection.

Whether we’re Tripping through Renaissance Italy or thieving from a ball in Regency England, my life’s become a web of lies and strange truths. And beneath the surface is an elaborate puzzle, filled with cryptic symbols and priceless treasures scattered across history—all somehow connected to my strange ability to see through time.

But Arthur has a dangerously ambitious agenda. And if what my dad taught me is true, I’m not just a threat to everyone at Gray Wolf.

…I’m a threat to time itself.

Back at Gray Wolf Academy!

And it was fabulous!

Natasha, Braxton, Killian and co are on the slippery slope of lies, deceit and there are secrets at every angle – who to trust?!

The above was delivered flawlessly and I ate up every moment! Braxton forevs!!!!

If you are thinking of reading this series then I urge you to because it is a gem!

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?

What a week. It was so hot here, so disgustingly muggy and humid! I spent the week under my fan googling how much air conditioning costs (it’s a lot!!)

Today is Fathers Day in the UK so we saw my Dad (and we had food to celebrate last night!) but apart from work and school, that’s all we’ve done this week!

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What I’ve Read

Seven Exes by Lucy Vine
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Cursed Crowns by Katherine Weber
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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New arrivals

Nothing = woohoo!

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You might have missed…..

Review – Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Review – The Maid by Nita Prose
Review – Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Unboxing – Fairyloot YA: May 2023

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What have you read lately?

Fairyloot Adult – May 2023

Feuding Gods

A historical fantasy romance that’s full of magical letters, mysterious disappearances and malevolent gods.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Exclusive redesigned cover
Digitally sprayed edge
Foiled endpapers @hachandraws
Foiled hardcover
Bonus content
Digital signature

Title: The Spanish Love Deception

Series: Spanish Love Deception #1

Author: Elena Armas

Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.

She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.

Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.

But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.

I do love a fake dating read!

Catalina needs a date for her sisters wedding in Spain after she has told a large white lie about having an American boyfriend!

Enter colleague and arch-nemesis Aaron Blackford! Catalina doesn’t have any other options and Aaron has an alterior motive.

I really enjoyed this book! It wasn’t strung out,  had just the right amount of tension and I loved the banter and I now admit I have a crush on Aaron! He knows what he wants and goes for it!

A good romance read so I say you should go for it! 

Title: The Maid

Author: Nita Prose

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

Oh this was a listen I didn’t know I needed!

Molly is a maid in a hotel and one day there’s a mess she can’t clean!

Armed with some newly found friends, she sets out to put things right…..because things need to be right!

I loved Molly so much. She struggles with social interactions, with people and has her set of ‘rules’ she follows as set by her Gran to help her. I was so mad how people treated her and totally take advantage of her!

I won’t say anymore about the plot but just tell you that you need this book in your life. It was quirky, unique and a total 5 star read. That little twist at the end was superb!

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.

THEME: Bookish Wishes

I don’t normally do stuff like this as it feels a bit grabby but I couldn’t think of another topic so I’m doing it!!!

Artsy Reader Girl says:

This is a popular thing to do on Twitter, but today we’re blog hopping. Include a link to a wishlist so that people can grant your wish. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like.

So my Amazon wishlist is here: https://amzn.to/3cBROSV

I’ll be hopping about and will grant a wish (or maybe 2!)