Title: A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting

Series: A Lady’s Guide #1

Author: Sophie Irwin

Follows the adventures of an entirely unconventional heroine who throws herself into the London Season to find a wealthy husband. But the last thing she expects is to find love…

Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. Left with her father’s massive debts, she has only twelve weeks to save her family from ruin.

Kitty has never been one to back down from a challenge, so she leaves home and heads toward the most dangerous battleground in all of England: the London season.

Kitty may be neither accomplished nor especially genteel—but she is utterly single-minded; imbued with cunning and ingenuity, she knows that risk is just part of the game.

The only thing she doesn’t anticipate is Lord Radcliffe. The worldly Radcliffe sees Kitty for the mercenary fortune-hunter that she really is and is determined to scotch her plans at all costs, until their parrying takes a completely different turn…

This is a frothy pleasure, full of brilliant repartee and enticing wit—one that readers will find an irresistible delight.

After the death of her parents and a broken engagement, Kitty sets off to London with her sister, Cecily, to find a husband to support her siblings.

I do absolutely adore a historical romance and this was so good! There was gossip, drama, trying to fit in, lies, deception and all the pomp of the Ton. Oh and also a slow burn romance that was delish!

I loved Radcliffe, he was tortured and delish!

I also loved Kitty. She was so devious but it was all for very good reasons!

Just to finish off, I was so happy to see Cheapside mentioned. It was where my employers offices first started off in 1810 so it brought back memories! Not that I was there of course!!!!

Title: The Flat Share

Series: Flat Share #1

Author: Beth O’Leary

Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met…

Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…

A strange bed arrangement but not what you think! A different take on the one bed trope!

Like ships that pass in the night, Leon and Tiffy share a bed but never meet…..until they do.

What this book has got:
Notes that will make your heart sing,
How scarves really started it all,
Complex characters,
A found family friend group,
A stalkery, deranged ex,
Prison drama, well sort of,
A heartwarming tale of finding someone to love.

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 I Recommend to Others the Most

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Emily Thiede Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
What Hunts Inside The Shadows by Harper L Woods
Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson
A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
Thorn by Intisar Khanani
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
The Extraordinaires by TJ Klune

What would you have picked?

April theme – Be My Enemy

This is what it’s come down to – are you with me, or are you against me? Will you be my friend, or will you be my enemy?

Items inspired by Iron Widow, Throne of Glass, The Poppy War and Robin Hobb.

💛 Sword of Truth Replica – designed by @stacey.mcevoy.caunt : Damaris from ToG
💛 Farseer Pin Banner – designed by @niallcgrant inspired by Realm of the Elderings Robin Hobb
💛 Blaze of Desire papercraft designed by @rosiethorns88 : Rin from Poppy War
💛 Vermillion Bird Tumbler (Iron Widow), designed by @forensicsandflowers

💛 FEATURED BOOK 💛

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Exclusive hardback
Digitally printed edges
Foil embossing on hardback
Endpaper artwork by @carlydraws.illustration

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?

It was Coronation Day yesterday for King Charles and the celebrations are continuing all weekend and into Monday! No street parties here but we had a corrie tea complete with scones, jam and clotted cream!

I was also still ill from my jab going into Tuesday, 4 days of feeling rough! But on Thursday I attended a Tandem Collective online event and added lots more books to my wishlist!!!

---

What I’ve Read

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 The Stolen Throne by Abigail Owen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

---

New arrivals

I went mad on Netgalley 😶

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
Painted Devils by Margaret Owen
Ravensong by TJ Klune
The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara
Never a Hero by Vanessa Len
Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim
Mindbreaker by Kate Dylan
Chasm by Stacey Mcewan

---

You might have missed…..

Review – Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Review – Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent
Review – Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

---

What have you read lately?

Title: Six Scorched Roses

Series: Crowns of Nyaxia #1.5

Author: Carissa Broadbent

Six roses. Six vials of blood. Six visits to a vampire who could be her salvation… or her damnation.

Lilith has been dying since the day she was born. But while she long ago came to terms with her own imminent death, the deaths of everyone she loves is an entirely different matter. As her town slowly withers in the clutches of a mysterious god-cursed illness, she takes matters into her own hands.

Desperate to find a cure, Lilith strikes a bargain with the only thing the gods hate even more than her village: a vampire, Vale. She offers him six roses in exchange for six vials of vampire blood–the one hope for her town’s salvation.

But when what begins as a simple transaction gradually becomes something more, Lilith is faced with a terrifying realization: It’s dangerous to wander into the clutches of a vampire… and in a place already suffering a god’s wrath, more dangerous still to fall in love with one.

Desperation made Lilith visit vampire, Vale, because she was determined to be the saviour of her dying people, her dying land, forsaken by the God of her people.

A tenuous friendship strikes up……and then more!

Even though this was short, I loved the letters between Lilith and Vale:

‘One day, he ended his letter with a drawing of a nightbane flower, and a tiny note beside it: sweet with a bitter bite.’

I wonder if these 2 will make an appearance in book 2 of the series, I can’t remember them from book 1 but I can’t wait to continue on in this world!

Title: The Winter of the Witch

Series: Winternight Trilogy #3

Author: Katherine Arden

Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.

It’s over and I don’t want it to be!

The conclusion, the journey and the battle. What will Vasya pull out of her sleeve now?

She’s really put through the wringer in this book and I really felt for her and her family.

But….my fave….Morozko! I love him!

I also love how this series has a romance but the main focus isn’t romance! But Vasya and Morozko make my life! I even warmed up to Medved!

The ending made me tear up! But this was the perfect conclusion to this amazing story.

‘Love is for those who knows the griefs of time, for it goes hand in hand with loss. An eternity, so burdened, would be a torment. Yet what else to call it, this terror and this joy?’

Title: Fourth Wing

Series: The Empyrean #1

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

Holy moly, what a ride! I haven’t been that invested in a book for ages! Where do I even start?!!!

Violet has been training to be a Scribe her whole life but gets thrown into something different and a whole lot more dangerous by, of all people, her Mum.

There she meets an old friend, makes new friends, a whole lot of enemies and is pushed to her limits. She also meets Xaden Riorson who does not like Violet one bit. Oh and did I mention dragons? There are dragons and they are fiesty (and Tairn is so sarcastic, I loved him!)

I’m not going to say anymore about the plot but prepare yourselves for all the emotions, fantastic character growth, enemies to lovers done in the most delish way and an ending that will make your jaw drop!!

I honestly want to gush about this book more but I’ll go on for hours so I’ll save you!

Also (and I’m hope I’m right with this) but I think that this is the authors first foray into the fantasy world and she has NAILED IT. Perfection.

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: The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf (close your eyes and touch/grab/point to 10 random titles and tell us what they are! And tell us what you thought if you’ve read them!)

This was fun! Stumbling round my bookshelves with my eyes closed!!!!!

The Dead Romantics – different but good!
A Witches Guide to Fake Dating a Demon – 🌶
Last Tale of the Flowerbride – not read yet
Ninth House – fabulous
The Fine Print – not read yet

A Dowry Of Blood – absolutely excellent
A Darkness at the Door – loved
Book Eaters – dnf
Heartless – broke my heart
Foxhole Court – obsessed