It’s been a year and Cin has returned home, bringing with her a hoard of demons that claim to be safe. But they’re causing a ruckus in Brie’s hometown. Especially a specific werewolf that might be reacting to the love potion Brie accidentally hit him in the head with after a very obsessed human tried to get her to drink it. But why does she have to be the one to suffer for that idiot’s horrible actions? Now the werewolf won’t leave her alone, claiming that it’s not the love potion making his heart beat. He’s really in love with her. Actually, mated is the term he used. Brie is forced to wait out the potion’s effects as her town begins to spiral from the disappearances of three women from the town. Could the new demon neighbors be to blame, or is something more sinister hoping to tear down the thin line of peace between humans and demons?
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Book Review | Five Broken Blades | Mai Corland
When the king is a god, how do you kill him? You employ a poison maiden, a strong arm, a thief, his brother, and the crown’s spymaster. But from the beginning, their plan is fraught with peril. From pirates to assassins, the crew struggles to even arrive at the king’s side to pull off the coo of the century — putting the king’s brother on the throne. Questions begin to swirl about trusting each other as each one has their own reason for seeking the king’s death. Can vengeance keep them united? Can they bring harmony to their home where the rich rule and the poor barely survive?
Read MoreBook Review | The Ladies Rewrite the Rules | Suzanne Allain
Diana Boyle, a wealthy young widow, has no desire to ever marry again. Particularly not to someone who merely wants her for her fortune. So when she discovers that she’s listed in a directory of rich, single women she is furious, and rightly so. She confronts Maxwell Dean, the man who published the Bachelor’s Directory , and is horrified to find he is far more attractive than his actions have led her to expect. However, Diana is unmoved by Max’s explanation that he authored the list to assist younger sons like himself who cannot afford to marry unless it’s to a woman of means. She gathers the ladies in the directory together to inform them of its existence, so they may circumvent fortune hunters’ efforts to trick them into marriage. Though outraged, the women decide to embrace their unique position of power and reverse the usual gender roles by making the men dance to their tune. And together… the ladies rewrite the rules. - Goodreads
Read MoreBook Review | That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon | Kimberly Lemming
In a world where demons are feared, what do you do when you accidentally save one and he shows up to family breakfast the next day? Or when the same demon tells you that your entire society is wrong? That demons aren’t the bad guys. No. It’s just the goddess you’ve been worshipping for centuries. Or that he’s hot as hell and loves your cooking? As the only human who knows the truth, Cin is tasked with helping the demon kill the sorceress that’s been enslaving his people. Either that, or he kills her family. And he says that demons aren’t the evil short.
Read MoreBook Review | Funny Story | Emily Henry
Daphne has a new roommate, but not by choice. After getting dumped by her fiance after his bachelor party for his “I’ve never had feelings for her” best friend, Daphne has been forced to move in with the “best friend’s” ex, Miles. Now she’s counting down the days till she can leave town while trying to live around the other lost soul in the apartment. This town had never been hers — she moved there for Peter. She never had friends of her own — they were Peters. And now she’s hunting for jobs back home. But she’s not prepared to be sucked into Miles’s orbit when she lies about a new relationship to her ex. Or kissing Mile’s when they run into Peter. Or spending every Sunday with Miles so he can show her his version of the town. Suddenly, the lines between what is fake and what is real blur as their shared trauma bubbles to the surface. Both suffering from abandonment, they might be the only two people who can save each other.
Read MoreBook Review | Bride | Ali Hazelwood
Misery has always been considered collateral. As a child, she was used to keeping up vampire and human relations. And now it comes as no surprise that she’s being put up for collateral again, but this time it’s to strengthen relations with the Were, a group of hot-blooded shifters that have hated vampires for centuries. After marrying their Alpha, she has no idea what to expect in were territory. She doesn’t expect to find the alpha charming or to find his little sister adorable. Especially not to be considered an actual living being. While the rest of the world uses Misery as a pawn, they’re not ready to learn that she’s using them back. She didn’t just agree to marry the alpha for the good of the vampires. She married him to find out what happened to her best friend who went missing a few months ago. Her only clue is a piece of paper with the were alpha’s name written on it.
Read MoreBook Review | Butcher and Blackbird | Brynne Weaver
Sloane isn’t in the best position. She’s stuck in a cage in the middle of nowhere and there’s a dead body decomposing next to her. Luckily, another infamous serial killer happens to stumble upon her predicament. Her name proceeds her though — Orb Weaver. A serial killer that kills serial killers. The man is ecstatic, coming up with a devilish competition. A competition, Sloane has a hard time refusing. They meet up once a year to kill a serial killer and the first one to get the kill wins. The competition brings new light into Sloane’s life. She’s having fun again. She’s finding a purpose. And the hot guy she’s hanging out with isn’t so bad either. He’s one of the first people to accept her for what she is — an artist. But their line of work doesn’t always allow for a happy ending. As their killer ways catch up to them, there might be no future left for them.
Read MoreBook Review | Divine Rivals | Rebecca Ross
What could a war with the gods, a magical typewriter, and a rival journalist have in common? Well, Iris… When her brother, Forest, is compelled to fight in the war the god, Dacre, started, Iris is left to fend for herself and her mother. She even dropped out of school, going to work in the city’s newspaper. But when there’s only one slot for a full-time columnist available, Iris is pitted against a rival employee, Roman. Iris copes with her brother's leaving by writing letters to him and slipping them under her closet door. Every time she opens the door they’re always missing and she doesn’t question the small wink of magic, hoping they could be getting to her brother, until someone responds. This isn’t Forest. Iris’s world begins to fall apart, taking her to the front in search of her brother. But the magic continues and Iris soon learns what the war really means and who might be her mysterious correspondent.
Read MoreBook Review | Roomies | Christina Lauren
Holland can’t stop listening to the subway performer. She’s even named him, floating down the steps every time that she knows he’ll be there, riding the subway when she doesn’t need to. Then her friend drags her to a bar and she sees the same man on stage. Could her actions be seen as stalking? Fate decides to bring them together anyway when she’s attacked in his subway station and then her uncle is desperate to find a replacement musician for his Broadway play. Holland wants to save the day more than anything, so when she finds out that the man in the station is actually undcumented, she offers a marriage proposal to help him and to save her uncle.
Read MoreBook Review | An Enchantment of Ravens | Margaret Rogerson
Painting may seem like the best career for an extremely talented artist like Isobel, but not when your clients are the dangerous faerie who will try anything to trick you. Still, they need humans to do craft. Isobel takes great care with each of her clients, making sure to use their payment to protect her family. That is, until she angers one of her most important clients, Rook, by painting him as she sees him. Rook will not have it. Kidnapping her in the middle of the night to stand trial for her crimes, they end up far from their intended destination, realizing that the very thing Isobel painted, is the truth that lies beneath Rook’s glamored skin.
Read MoreBook Review | Meg and Jo | Virginia Kantra
The classic Little Women is retold in this contemporary version, bringing those timeless characters to the modern day and age. Which means that they also deal with the modern issues of our time. When her mother gets sick, Meg’s world flips on its head as she’s forced to balance motherhood, her sulking husband, and the need to take care of her mother. Especially as her father flits in and out of the picture, spending his time taking care of the local veterans. Jo, struggling to keep her head above water after getting laid off from her writing job, works long hours in a kitchen. Her time gains her insights to the world of food for her blog. But not everyone approves of food blogs. In the end, the two girls must find their way back to their roots to see the way home.
Read MoreBook Review | The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer | Michelle Hodkin
Mara Dyer is struggling to hold herself together after she wakes up in a hospital room, her closest friends now dead. Everyone tells her it was a tragic accident, old buildings do collapse, but nothing soothes Mara’s mind. Instead, she gets visions of her friends. She can’t look in a mirror. She can’t think about them too much. Forget about that night. It’s all a dark spot in her memory. Not even a move to South Florida rids her of the ghosts. They keep coming stronger and stronger until the very emotions and thoughts that she has begin to manifest into real life, leading her to a boy that might be a lot like her.
Read MoreBook Review | After Series | Anna Todd
College is a moment of change for us all, but when good girl Tessa shows up and sees her roommate, she knows she’s in for a lot more than she’s used to. Especially when her roommate's bad boy friend, Hardin, shows up. Caught in his radar, she’s forced to endure his attentions as she tries to manage her new life and long distance boyfriend. However, there’s a fire between them that no one can put out. Could Hardin’s attention be all for show as his past catches up to him, or does he really love this sweet girl.
Read MoreBook Review | Bossman | Vi Keeland
So he called you out on your behavior outside the ladies’ restroom as you tried to get your friend to pull you out of your bad date. Then invited himself and his perfect date to your table. But you never expected the creative story he makes up on the fly about your childhood together. And you’ve never met him before. Reese doesn’t know what to do with the man flung into her life that one night. She didn’t expect him to get stuck in her head, or that she’d run into him at her boyfriend’s gym, or that she’d be working for him. Chase on the other hand, knew exactly what he wanted, and he didn't stop at making it very well known.
Read MoreBook Review | The Bride Test | Helen Hoang
Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.
As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection. With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love. - Goodreads
Book Review | The Kiss Quotient | Helen Hoang
Stella has heard it over and over from her mom, it’s time to get settled down and make some grandchildren. But with someone with Aaperger’s, that’s no easy feat. Stella has her routine, her system, and every encounter she’s had with a guy hasn’t been enjoyable. When she’s given the idea to try escorting, she jumps at the chance. This could be a way to be taught how to be a good girlfriend. What she never expected to find was a guy that fit her in every way. A guy that didn’t judge her for being different. A guy that made kissing enjoyable. Can they convince each other that this is more than a lesson on dating?
Read MoreBook Review | Roar | Cora Carmack
In a world where having the power to control storms means life or death, a princess born without that power to protect her people is a bit of a problem. All her life, Aurora has hid this though, using her upcoming marriage as a way to keep her kingdom safe. But as the marriage approaches and Aurora finally meets her groom, she learns that selling herself to save her kingdom might be the end of her own life. She’s giving up one chain for an overpowering, manipulative husband. However, there may be a chance that she can become what her kingdom needs. She meets a group of storm hunters that have learned to capture magic without being born with a lick of it themselves. Aurora works with a trusted friend to make it appear like she’s been kidnapped in hopes that when she leaves, her groom will stay and help protect her people. But it’s turned into something much worse when the truth behind her groom’s marriage contract becomes clear.
Read MoreBook Review | "Emergency Contact" | Mary H. K. Choi
Penny has her ticket away from her mom - college. It’s far enough away to stop daily visits but close enough to keep an eye on her. Sam is trying to keep his head above water. He’s just thankful to have a roof over his head and a job. A job that won’t be able to support the baby his ex-girlfriend says is his. Thrown together through a weird family connection with Penny’s roommate, Penny finds Sam on the side of the road feeling like he’s dying. Unable to pay for an emergency room visit, Penny agrees to play his emergency contact. But their little phone messages become so much more as they navigate the rough world of adulthood.
Read MoreBook Review | Cruise Reading | Romance
Have a trip on the horizon? If you’re like me, you don’t want to read anything too heavy. Here are three quick reviews of the books I got through on my trip this month.
Read MoreBook Review | "Red, White & Royal Blue" | Casey McQuiston
Alex’s life is the perfect blend of dreams come true and chaos - his mother is the first female President. With his life now on a stage and his mother up for re-election, nothing can go seriously wrong. Like an altercation with a Prince across the pond. After a horrifying tabloid scandal, Alex and Henry are forced to play nice and convince the world that they’re friends. But the more time they spend together, the more they learn that there’s something behind all the angst. The two set down a dangerous path that could ruin their lives and Alex’s mother’s re-election.
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