Beat the Backlist 2019: Check-In No. 1

Remember back in January when I said I was going to join this “Beat the Backlist” challenge so I could finally really all of the books on my shelves that I haven’t gotten to yet?

Haha yeah… about that…

Technically, I have done well in the Beat the Backlist Challenge. The only requirement is to read book which have been published before the current year (2019). I’ve read plenty of books that aren’t new releases! Out of the 22 books I’ve read so far this year, 16 of them were published in 2018 or earlier. Many of which I have been meaning to read for quite some time. The problem is that they aren’t ones I already own…

This is what happens when you put in a ton of requests for books at the library and you forget about them and they all arrive at the same time. Whatever plans you had for books you’ve already purchased go out the window.

Here’s what I’ve read so far though!

* = affiliated link

Certain Dark Things* by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Horror/Urban Fantasy, Published 2016

This is a book where people have been telling me to read it for FOREVER and for some reason I never did. Then, I finally put a hold on at the library and it was wonderful!

One Day in December* by Josie Silver: Contemporary Romance, Published 2018

I saw a ton of people reading this book over the holidays so I had it in my head this was a Christmas book. The first chapter or so is Christmas, but the book actually expands over a 10 year time period. When I learned that I put a hold on at the library. The wait list was FOREVER long, but totally worth it. I loved every moment of this book.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand* by Christina Lauren, Contemporary Romance Published 2018

I’m officially a Christina Lauren fangirl. I’ve read two of their books this year and have been obsessed with both. With this one, I adored the friend group and there were a lot of elements which really hit home for me and got me super emotional in spite of how light and fluffy it is. It was wonderful.

Kill the Queen* (Crown of Shards #1) by Jennifer Estep, Epic Fantasy Published in 2018

This book came out at the end of last year and I’ve been itching to get to it but for some reason I never did until now. However, there’s something to be said about reading books at certain times and when I did read it in April, it was the perfect timing! I’ve been trying to find fantasy authors who have similar writing styles to mine who aren’t YA, and this fit perfectly! It’s dark, rich world building, and wonderful characters. Yet, it doesn’t have the same dense feel as some other fantasy writers like George RR Martin or Patrick Rothfuss. I loved this book SO MUCH and I can’t wait for the next one.

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1)* by Cassandra Clare, YA Urban Fantasy, Published 2016

Lord of Shadows* (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare, YA Urban Fantasy, Published 2017

I’m super late to the train for this trilogy in the Shadowhunter world. But I’ll be honest, it’s not my favorite. I love the concept but something isn’t striking a chord with me.

But it didn’t stop me from reading book two! It almost did because there were a few times I almost DNF’d this one. I kept going though. I”ll get to last one… eventually.

A Hope Divided* (The Loyal League #2) by Alyssa Cole, Historical Romance Published 2017

Then we have the amazing Alyssa Cole! I love everything this woman writes and this was no exception! If you want awesome historical romance set during the Civil War (or just historical in general to be honest…), read The Loyal League series. It’s so amazing.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood* by Rena Rossner, Fantasy Published 2018

This was a book recommended to me because it’s a fairy tale-esque book which features sisters like the one I’m currently writing. I’d seen it around but hadn’t picked it up, so I got it from the library. This book was lovely. If you want a “quiter” fantasy that isn’t all sword fights and dragons and could be comparable to Naomi Novak’s Uprooted or Spinning Silver, you’ll enjoy this one.

Lethal White* (Cormoran Strike #4) by Robert Galbraith, Thriller/Mystery Published 2018

Technically, I started this book last year but read a majority of it this year so I’m totally counting it for this challenge! This one is a beast of a book so it took me forever. I also found the audio went much better for me than reading the physical book. My favorite of the series is still Career of Evil, but I love these characters and the ending was SO GOOD.

The Kiss Quotient* by Helen Hoang, Contemporary Romance Published 2018

This book was on a lot of people’s “favorites” list for 2018 and it’s a PitchWars success story and I knew I had to read it at some point. Oh goodness! I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did! This gender bend Pretty Woman style love story was adorable, sexy, and I couldn’t get enough!

Muse of Nightmares* (Strange the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor, YA Fantasy Published 2018

I finally read the sequel to Strange the Dreamer! It didn’t quite suck me in as much as the first book did, and these books definitely have the feel of being all one book which had to be divided into two parts, vs. being a first book and a sequel. I loved seeing these characters again though and how it all wrapped up!

Alanna: The First Adventure* (Song of the Lioness #1) by Tamora Pierce, Middle Grade/YA Fantasy Published 1983

I feel like I’m the last YA fantasy fan of my generation who hasn’t read anything by Tamora Pierce. I finally did! This book was good. Not an all time favorite, but I wish I’d read it when I was younger and the age it was targeted at. I think I would have adored this book as a young teen or pre-teen. I can see myself keeping this book to hand to my niece when she’s old enough.

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating* by Christina Lauren, Contemporary Romance Published 2018

YES CHRISTINA LAUREN! I love this book so much. I am such a Hazel sometimes and a sucker for friends to lovers romance and aaaaahhhhhh I need more.

A Week to be Wicked* (Spindle Cove #2) by Tessa Dare, Historical Romance Published 2012

If you want straight up historical romance - look no further than Tessa Dare. This is the second book in her Spindle Cove series and it was delightful. At first I thought I didn’t like it as much as the first book, but as I look back I’ve found I think about this couple and they dynamic way more than I did the first book. I love how our heroine is a scientist and a wallflower and our hero is this playboy adventurous type and they are so cute together!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo* by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Contemporary & Historical, Published in 2017

I didn’t plan to read this book this year, but everyone was talking about it and it was the Kindle daily deal one day so I got myself a copy. Then, about a week ago I had a quiet afternoon and was like “I guess I can give it a shot and see how it goes.” Well…. I didn’t want to do anything else once I started. This book was totally worth the hype and now I want to watch all of the golden age of Hollywod movies with glamorous “it girls” of the time.

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel * by Jessica Brody, Non-Fiction, Published in 2018

Can you believe I’ve never read a book about the craft of writing before this one? I know… it’s awful. But this was a fantastic place to start! I’m the worst at plotting and this book helped me figure out what was going wrong and what to do and now I’m shoving it in all of my writer friends faces and being a total pusher. Every writer needs to read this book!

So, there you have it! The 16 books I’ve read so far for the Beat the Backlist Challenge. I haven’t read as many books on my own shelves as I’d liked, but my goal was to have read 16 books published before 2019 by the end of April which I totally accomplished! Now I just need to get to the ones I actually own…

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Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

Beat the Backlist 2019

There’s a constant joke about avid readers and how our “to be read” pile is never ending. Or how they have a million unread books on their shelves and yet they can’t resist going into a bookstore or a library to pick up even more.

I am absolutely not exempt from this joke. In fact, there are days I wonder if it was inspired by me and my life because the amount of books I have sitting at home, and on my Kindle, is not only full - but it’s getting to be embarrassing. I have over 20 unread physical books that I own then on my Kindle… well… let’s say it’s in the 3-digits.

I told you it was embarrassing.

Particularly with ebooks it’s just so easy! You see one that’s only $.99 and you’re all “I’d be a fool to not get it! Only a dollar!” Then before you know it you have a huge list of unread books sitting there untouched. It’s so bad, my friends. SO BAD.

Then when Barnes and Noble sends you coupons all of the time…

I know.

It’s no excuse.

I have a serious, serious, problem, and I’m sorry.

A friend of mine decided she wanted to have all of the books she owned to be read by the time she turned 30. Her birthday is coming up and it’s kind of incredible how far she’s gotten. While it’s been stressful, I’m also slightly envious that in a couple of weeks she’ll no longer have a backlist of books sitting around the house.

Then, a couple months ago, another friend of mine told me about Beat the Baklist hosted by NovelKnight. (You can read all of the details by clicking here!) Apparently, this book blogger/Bookstagramer hosts this challenge every year and people use it to get through all of the books which have been published in previous years that they haven’t gotten to yet. It could be books that they own that they haven’t read yet (like me) or simply books they’ve been meaning to pick up but haven’t gotten around to it.

The only rule is that your books need to be published before the current year. (So for 2019, all of the books for the challenge need to be from 2018 or prior.)

People (like my friend) do their own challenges like this all of the time. But, there’s something about a more organized challenge like this one which helps me with the whole accountability thing. You can sign up, join a Hogwarts House if you want, join in on the Instagram challenge, and even fill out Bingo cards! (All of this is optional of course. Again - you can check out the details on her website here!) It seems like an answer to my problem!

To officially sign up, you need to have somewhere on the Internet your TBR for the Beat the Backlist Challenge then share it on the links provided on her blog. (In case you missed it before… click here!) This TBR doesn’t have to be the one you’ll ABSOLUTELY STICK TO NO MATTER WHAT. Just something to get started. You also can post it anywhere on social media. I just chose my blog because it’s my “main hub.”

My main focus is going to be my physical books. Yes, I’ll absolutely be reading the ones on my Kindle as well, but since that list is so overwhelming, I think I’ll feel much more of a sense of accomplishment with my physical TBR.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to get through all of them, but I’m going to try as much as I can! If I can read at leas 2-3 of them a month all year, I’ll be in good shape.

So… without much further ado, here’s at least part of my TBR for Beat the Backlist! (If you want to see all of them, you can check out my shelves on Goodreads.)

Consider this the official book-shaming of me.

Rose Under Fire (Verity #2) by Elizabeth Wein

• Genre: YA Historical

• Published: 2014

• Format: Paperback

This is most likely the book that has been sitting on my shelf the longest and I have zero excuses for not having read it yet. It’s WW2 which is one of my favorite time periods, it’s all girl power, and I loved Code Name Verity . I picked this book up not long after I finished it…. around when it was published… almost 5 years ago.

I know. I know.

It’s A REALLY BAD PROBLEM I TOLD YOU.

I think what’s been stopping me is that the first book made me cry a lot and had ALL THE FEELS and I’ve been told this one is even worse. But… you’d think after five years I’d be prepared for it by now.

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Alana: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness #1) by Tamora Pierce

• Genre: YA/MG Fantasy

• Published: 2010

• Format: Paperback

I’m fairly sure I’m one of the last people ever to read this series. So many people love Tamora Pierce and I haven’t read a single one of her books. NONE of them. I can almost feel every single one of her fans groaning and judging me right now. I’M SORRY. This book was given to me a couple of years ago by a fellow Booktuber and I was so excited because I finally had no reason to not read it!

Did that happen?

Nope.

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Six Gun Snow White by Cathrynne M Valente

• Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy

• Published: 2013

• Format: Paperback

I won this book a couple of years ago in a giveaway through Booktube and I was so happy! It’s a Snow White retelling! Look at that beautiful woman of color on the cover! It’s short! It looks like a unique take on the classic fairy tale! It looks amazing!

And yet… here it is.

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Scarlet (Scarlet #1) By AC Gaughen

• Genre: YA Historical Fantasy

• Published: 2012

• Format: Paperback

This was another book I got as a gift, I want to say a year ago now. It’s a Robin Hood retelling about a girl in his band of merry men who happens to be posing as a guy.

Sounds amazing, right?

I need to get on it.

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This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis

• Genre: YA Thriller

• Published: 2017

• Format: Hardcover

Yet another gift… and I love Mindy McGinnis! This book was on my wish list! I knew I wanted to read it! When I got it as a gift in the mail I was SO HAPPY!

Then it sat on my shelf for months.

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The Outlaw Knight (FitzWaren #2) by Elizabeth Chadwick

• Genre: Adult Historical

• Published: 2013

• Format: Paperback

Elizabeth Chadwick is one of my favorite authors! Every single one of her books I’ve read so far I’ve completely loved. The first book in this duology was fantastic. Naturally, I picked up the next one.

I guess I just haven’t been in the mood for a more dense historical fiction? Who. Even. Knows.

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Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor

• Genre: YA Fantasy

• Published: 2018

• Format: Hardcover

Now, this one isn’t quite so embarrassing in the sense that it was was released back in October of 2018. Only three months ago!

However… this was one of my most anticipated of 2018. Strange the Dreamer was one of my FAVORITE books last year. It was AMAZING and the way it ended I needed the next one immediately! I went out to the store the day it was released and almost had a heart attack when they said my pre-order hadn’t arrived yet! When it did arrive it was one of the happiest days!

It’s just… so many books came out in October my friends. SO MANY. I couldn’t keep up with all of the new releases and this one for some reason just fell to the side and just…

I’m sorry.

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The Ghost Rebellion (The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #5) by Pip Ballentine and Tee Morris

• Genre: Adult Steampunk

• Published: 2016

• Format: ARC

I really love this opposites attract fun steampunk series. It’s witty and charming and funny and full of adventure! When the authors switched to self-publishing I signed up to donate to them so they could complete the series and in exchange I got an ARC for the next book.

Well… the book after this (which is the final one) was already released and I have a copy of that one too. But have I read this ARC? NOPE.

This is why I don’t request ARCs often.

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Renegades (Renegades #1) by Marissa Meyer

• Genre: YA Sci-Fi

• Published: 2017

• Format: Hardcover

I picked up this book at the start of last year because I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Lunar Chronicles by this author, and I enjoyed Heartless by her as well. But then… I don’t know. It never called to me since then and has been collecting dust.

Your time is coming, Renegades!

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Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

• Genre: YA Fantasy

• Published: 2015

• Format: ebook

I know. I know. I know. I’m WAY LATE to the party on this one. I was to reading The Grisha Trilogy too. I read The Grisha Trilogy last year and it was good. I enjoyed it. But I also wasn’t all OMG BEST BOOKS EVER the way other people were. So, I’ve been dragging my feet with Six of Crows. I know I’ll read it and probably enjoy it. Everyone says it’s even better than The Grisha Trilogy but just… sigh. At this point I feel like it’s been hyped up SO MUCH that there’s no way it’s going to live up to it and I’m just going to have the same reaction I did with the others. It’s good, but not amazing.

But, it was on sale a few months ago for Kindle and I decided to just download it so I had less of an excuse to not read it. I know I said I was going to focus on my physical TBR, but since this one is SO POPULAR and one I know I should get to and Netflix now is making these books a movie or a TV show or whatever… I decided I need to get it done this year.

Okay… enough humiliation for one blog post, don’t you think? This is only the tip of the iceberg though!

I have finished one book so far. It wasn’t one I’d purchased and kept forever, but I had been meaning to start which is Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. It’s the first book in her Dark Artifices trilogy and the final book came out at the end of 2018. I thought it was a good time to just binge the whole thing.

Then, I’ve started the audiobook for Lethal White, the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling). I bought the book last year and I started it, but it went so slow. I’d read two of the others in the series via audio book so I thought I’d give it a shot. So far, it’s much better!

So… at least I’ve made a little progress?

Please bring me some comfort and tell me your backlist is as long as mine! What embarrassing stories do you have to tell about books which have been sitting on your shelves or your e-reader for far longer than any book should? Are you joining the Beat the Backlist Challenge too? Again… in case you missed it… click here for info!

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Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

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If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy…

My 18 Favorite Books of 2018

2018 Year in Review & 2019 Goals

My Most Anticipated Books of 2019

My 18 Favorite Books of 2018

I read 100 books in 2018!

Which amounted to 38,099 pages. The average length of book I read this year was between 300-399 pages.

While it’s not the most amount of books I’ve read in a year… it’s still a lot.

The genres were…

35.2% fantasy

26.7% romance

12.4% contemporary

8.6% urban fantasy

7.6% science fiction

6.7% historical fiction

1.9% graphic novels

As for age groups…

51.4% adult

26.7% young adult

19.0% new adult

2.9% middle grade

But you all don’t care about my nerdy numbers do you? Fine… fine… we’ll get to my favorites of the year.

All in all, I enjoyed a vast majority of what I read. I’ve been able to figure out pretty easily which I’ll enjoy, so it’s rare when I find a book I hate. Let alone, one that I hate and will finish. (Life is too short to read books you don’t like. Aren’t liking a book? Just stop reading and find one you do!) Which is great! But… it does make it difficult to narrow down which ones were my absolute favorite.

Here’s the list I came up with. They’re in no particular order, just what popped up on Goodreads as I looked through to see which ones I’d rated the highest.

If you ask me, it’s a good variety of books. You’ve got a mix of adult, new adult, and young adult, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, romance, historical… it’s all there! I tried to see if there were any similar threads, genres, or plot lines, but there weren’t really. At first I thought that they all maybe had a great romance even if it was a side plot, but even that wasn’t a commonality!

What I did notice was, they all have fantastic characters. Ones that I am fascinated by, root for, or connect to. You could have a fairly predictable plot, but if the characters are ones who stand out and I connect with, I’ll be wanting even more!

The other commonality was that every single book was written by a woman except for one - where it was co-written by a male author and a female author. I have noticed this tends to be a trend with me the last few years. It wasn’t intentional, but the more I notice it, the more I’m actively seeking out female authors. One, because apparently I’m drawn to their writing. Two, particularly in Sci-Fi/Fantasy (adult mostly), it’s still a bit of a boys club. Women for sure are staking their claim and leaving their mark, but as I search for high/epic fantasy, a majority of the books are written by men. I want to let the women shine!

Also - as you’ll notice, I am much more into romance this last year than I have been in previous years, and that genre is mostly written by women.

Men, you need to step up your game. Sorry, not sorry.

I also want to point out how many debut authors I loved in 2018. I made a note of each of them and WOW did they kill it!

So, here you go. My favorites of 2018 in no particular order!

* = own voices

*Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse (Debut author)

Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

Quick Summary: Monster hunter Maggie travels through the rez to investigate mysterious disappearances and discovers something more evil and powerful than she originally thought.

I love the urban fantasy genre, and there’s a part of me that so sad it’s not really in the market right now. Unless it’s this amazing book that is!

This book was super intense right from the start - so not for the feint of heart! Maggie was such a fantastic and bad ass heroine though, Kai was swoony and loveable and amazing, and having all of the Native American lore/setting/themes was such a refreshing take on this genre. The characters were ripping my heart out in the best way, and the end has me BEGGING for the next book.

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*Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi (Debut author)

Genre: Young Adult Epic Fantasy

Quick Summary: Zeile goes on a quest to bring magic back to her land and rebel against the monarchy.

This book was one of the most hyped for YA fantasy in 2018 and it definitely lived up. It is Adeyemi’s debut, was sold for 7 figures AND already has a movie deal.

Oh. And she’s only 24.

So… that slightly puts your life into perspective, doesn’t it? Haha.

But seriously. This was a phenomenal young adult epic fantasy. Think of it as The Hate U Give - but in fantasy with Black Panther vibes. The characters are vivid and complex, and you have your classic fantasy staples of revolution and freeing magic. You all need to hop on board this train before the next book is released in 2019!

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*Song of Blood and Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles #1) by L Penelope (Debut in traditional publishing)

Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance

Quick Summary: After soldier Jack is held captive in Jasminda’s home by mutual enemies, they team together to save Elsira.

I buddy-read this with my friend Caitlin of BookChats and we immediately became obsessed! This is a debut book -but only for the traditionally published realm. L. Penelope originally self-published this book then it got picked up by a publisher and after a lot of editing and revising, it was released in this form. So, if you read the original, I’ve been told this one is much different and her readers should give it a try!

It’s another black lives matters type of a book set in a fantasy world - but this time it’s for adults and there’s more focus on the romance. Which I LOVED. I was completely on board for Jasminda and Jack from the start and I loved this world and concept. I only wish we had a release date for the second book!

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Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufmann

Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi

Quick Summary: The morning Ezra and Katy break up, their planet is invaded and they find themselves on two different spaceships in a race to reach safety before the invaders strike again.

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for over a year, and the ebook version on my kindle for even longer. I knew I would like it, but I also knew I would need to be in the right mindset and have the right focus for it due to the multi-media format. I’m so glad I waited until I knew I had that focus because it was wonderful!

The multi-media format was surprisingly compelling. I was worried it would make me feel removed from the story and the characters, but it didn’t at all. There were some surprisingly dark twists which brought even more to the book, and I was completely hooked!

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*Relationship Goals by Christina C Jones

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance Novella

Quick Summary: After a spontaneous kiss at an airport, Nick and Noah discover something deeper.

This one took me by surprise! Usually when books try to incorporate social media and technology into their story, it feels clunky and forced. The way Jones did it was spot on! Their kiss goes viral and they start to chat via Instagram messages and it all goes from there. Then, our hero has sickle cell disease, and it was handled so well. I was able to connect with so much about his thoughts on living with the disease and her learning to deal with it at his side. Their relationship felt so real and I loved how they actually talked through things. Definitely a great quick read!

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Tessa Ever After (Reluctant Hearts #2) by Brighton Walsh

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Quick Summary: Jason promised his BFF to watch after his sister and niece after he moves away. What he didn’t expect was to fall in love.

This was another pleasant surprise. I read the first book, Caged in Winter, and enjoyed it but wasn’t OMG BEST BOOK EVER. Then when I heard Jason was our hero in book two, I was skeptical.

BUT JASON IS OUR HERO AND GOODNESS WAS I WRONG ABOUT HIM.

Seeing him grow and change through the story was fantastic, and how can you not love a guy who’ll dress up and play tea party with the daughter of his heart’s desire? I mean… seriously. Then Tessa was an awesome heroine and seeing her open up and start to relax around Jason was wonderful to watch.

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*An Extraordinary Union (The Loyal League #1) by Alyssa Cole

Genre: Adult Historical Romance

Quick Summary: A spy for the Union, Elle poses as a slave on a plantation to gather information has to team up with Scotsman Malcom to uncover a plot which could turn the tide of the Civil War.

I have finally jumped on the Alyssa Cole train and I’m so glad I did! I’d heard about this author and this book in particular. It was another that for sure lived up to the hype! I love classic historical romance novels along with everyone else. But, it was refreshing to have one that wasn’t filled with balls and carriage rides, and instead was focused on spies for the Civil War. On top of all of that, we have a Scottish hero who reminded me of Jamie Fraser but without the problematic elements of Outlander.

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A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove #1) by Tessa Dare

Genre: Adult Historical Romance

Quick Summary: Susanna spends her life helping women find their inner strength. Then, a new earl comes into town to form a militia and she must stop him from ruining her utopia.

Another romance author who I’ve finally jumped on the train for! This book literally had me laughing out loud with it’s battle of the sexes theme. It’s ridiculous, funny, and completely swoon worthy. Then, our hero had a disability due to a war injury which is always great to see that representation which didn’t make me want to roll my eyes! Everything about it was great and I literally had zero complaints. I need to read all of Tessa Dare’s books now.

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*The Poppy War (The Poppy War #1) by RF Kuang (Debut author)

Genre: Adult Epic Fantasy

Quick Summary: Against all odds, Rin earns a place at the elite military school in Nikan and discovers unearthly power.

Another book which was so hyped up and it totally lived up to it! Part of what makes this book stand out so much is that the school element is only the first half because the students in the second half are thrown into a war they’re not prepared for.

It’s intense, heavy, and full of inspiration from Chinese history. There are moments when it’s difficult to read because of that, but trust me it’s 100% worth it.

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The Queen’s Rising (The Queen’s Rising #1) by Rebecca Ross (Debut author)

Genre: Young Adult High Fantasy

Quick Summary: When Valenia is not chosen by a patron at her 17th solstice, she waits for months for someone to take her on. Then, she is found in the midst of a rebellion and must decide her loyalty.

This book was on my radar but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it nor not. Then, a friend messaged me and was like “YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK” so I picked it up from the library. Well… she was right.

At first you think it’s going to be a pretty cliche/typical YA fantasy. There’s magic, the characters go to a boarding school, we have a lost queen/princess, the main character is an orphan, etc. But, all of these tropes still feel fresh and new as you read. I loved these characters and the themes of found family and identity. This book could definitely be a stand alone, but there are more coming and I can’t wait!

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Dreamer’s Pool (Blackthorn and Grim #1) by Juliet Mariller

Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy

Quick Summary: Healer Blackthorn has been held in prison for years and will do anything to get her revenge. But when a fae offers her the opportunity for her freedom and in exchange she must help anyone, she must set aside her own goals. At least for the next seven years.

This was a lovely subtle historical fantasy. Blackthorn is a fierce heroine and it was refreshing to have a character who is so bent on revenge being forced to take a step back from it. I love a good dark fantasy along with everyone else. But, having a book where they’re not just ripping apart bodies the whole time was nice to have for a change. Grimm is my precious but also frightening baby that I want to protect from all of the dangers of the world. The prince and his love interest… I’ll be honest were kind of meh. But everything else in the book made up for it!

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*New Heights by Quinn Anderson

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance Novella (M/M relationship)

Quick Summary: While stuck at the airport, Mika and James start a feud, but can’t deny their opposites attract connection.

These novellas for sure show that you don’t need a book to be long to be well done!

I read this in the course of just a couple of hours and it was the most delightful couple of hours ever. I loved the opposites attract chemistry and all of their shenanigans around the airport while they were waiting for their delayed flights. The couple was so cute and perfect for each other, I was shipping them from the first paragraph.

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The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut #1) by Mary Robinette Kowal

Genre: Adult Historical Sci-Fi

Quick Summary: When a meteorite hits the US’s East Coast post WWII and wipes out part of the country, the space race is on so people can colonize Mars, and Elma wants to be on that rocket.

I AM SO OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK.

Mary Robinette Kowal is one of the hosts on the Writing Excuses podcast and she’s one of my favorites. I’ve started her Glamourist Histories series which is a fun magical regency England setting. But this one - WOW. I’m not one for sci-fi usually, but it was so well done. I am completely in love with Elma and her husband Nathaniel (The ultimate relationship goals for real. Nathaniel has raised the bar for all men everywhere and I will never settle for less than him now that I’ve read this book.), it has this great Hidden Figures feel, is basically a handbook for how white authors should handle their privilege, and of course - SPACE.

I mean… freaking real life astronauts helped her write the book and have reviewed it saying how great it is. I read the sequel and the original novelette which inspired the whole series as well and all three are excellent. I’ve heard she’s signed to write more of these books and I cannot wait.

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If I Fix You by Abigail Johnson

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Quick Summary: Jill is the only one who knows the reason her mom walked out on them. Now, months later, she tries to pick up the pieces.

I’d listened to an interview with this author on the Writer Writer Pants on Fire podcast by Mindy McGinnis and I loved her! She has a new book coming out in 2019 that I found the most interesting but decided to check out her debut to see if I liked her writing style. Also, the author is a wheelchair user and I wanted to support her!

This book was such a pleasant surprise! It’s pretty dramatic, but not so much in a way where you feel drained either. Jill is a teen mechanic, which was awesome! She has a great relationship with her dad, and while there is technically a “love triangle” it’s definitely a different twist on it. So, don’t let that scare you away if you typically don’t like that trope.

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Vengeful (Villains #2) by VE Schwab

Genre: Adult Sci-Fi

Quick Summary: Five years after Vicious, a new EO wants to take over the city of Merit.

This is the highly anticipated sequel to the first book, Vicious which made my favorites list a few years ago. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of the sequel, but it was amazing! She introduced awesome new characters and you dug even deeper into the ones we already know. It is more character driven than action, which is a preference of mine. The story keeps moving so you’re not bored, but it’s also not “ACTION SCENES ALL THE TIME!” either. If you want a book to study writing and characterization craft, pick this up.

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Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7) by Sarah J Maas

Genre: New Adult Epic Fantasy

Quick Summary: It’s the final battles for the freedom of Terrasen.

OMG I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THE THRONE OF GLASS SERIES IS OVER.

I can’t go into too much detail because if I did I’d spoil THE WHOLE SERIES for you. But believe me when I say, this was a fantastic conclusion. I cried for basically all 900 pages, yet still felt so satisfied at the end. Which, that’s really hard to do when you’re wrapping up a 7 book series.

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How the Dukes Stole Christmas by Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan, and Joanna Shupe

Genre: Adult Historical Romance

Quick Summary: Four popular historical romance authors share novellas inspired by classic holiday stories all featuring dukes and terrible shortbread.

THIS BOOK WAS SO DELIGHTFUL. I knew I would probably enjoy it because with those authors and that title and that premise? How could I not? But seriously, I loved it way more than I thought I would. The first three novellas were the best, but the last one was also great. (I can’t figure out which holiday story it’s inspired by! If anyone knows, please tell me.) Each one is fast, fun, sexy, and festive. I’ll for sure be adding it to my pile of books to revisit for future Decembers.

*Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha #1) by Tasha Suri (Debut Author)

Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Quick Summary: Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of a governor with magic in her blood and her powers become noticed by the Emperor’s most feared mystics.

This was the last new release I read in 2018 and it was SO GOOD. I have to say, the fantasy debut authors this year really killed it. They were all fantastic and this was no exception.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it because the back of the book doesn’t have a very detailed description. Don’t let that deter you from reading it though because it’s so good! With the dagger on the front, you expect it to be super dark and violent, but it’s not. There definitely dark and violent moments, but it’s much more character driven than you’d think. I loved the India-inspired religion, magic, and setting, but the characters truly were the best. I need more of them in my life!

What do you think of my list? Did you read any of these? Any that you want to check out in the future? What were your favorites of 2018?

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My Most Anticipated Books for 2019

We only have a few more weeks left of 2018! What even is this life? But… it means we have a whole new batch of books to be excited for in the next year! I’m already making my list of books I want to be sure I pre-order and have holds at my library set to go!

Here are my most anticipated books of 2019 in order of release date. (At least the ones I’m aware of thus far.)

Even If I Fall by Abigail Johnson

• Genre: YA Contemporary

• Release Date: January 8

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Library

• Quick Summary: Dana takes a DNA test and discovers she has a secret half brother.

Back in July I read Abigail Johnson’s first book, If I Fix You, and absolutely loved it! In fact, I read it because I’d heard about this one which is being released in 2019 and wanted to get a taste of her writing beforehand. It did not disappoint and I can’t wait to see how this one is!

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

• Genre: YA Contemporary

• Release Date: February 5

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Already pre-ordered

• Quick Summary: Bri wants to follow in the footsteps of her rapper dad who died before he could make it big, but plans change when her mom loses her job.

In case you haven’t heard, the book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is kind of a big deal. I absolutely loved it, but I sadly haven’t seen the movie yet. (I know… I fail at life. I’m sorry.) When I heard she had a second book coming out, I pre-ordered it almost immediately. I thought I heard On the Come Up was a sequel to THUG but it doesn’t say anything about that in the description on Goodreads. Either way, it’s gonna be fantastic if it’s anything like her first book.

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

• Genre: Adult Fantasy

• Release Date: January 5

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Library

• Quick Summary: When Kihrin finds out he’s a long lost prince, he finds it’s not all he expected it to be and instead of saving the kingdom, he needs to destroy it.

This is Jenn Lyons debut novel and OH GOODNESS doesn’t it look epic? It has all of those classic epic fantasy elements, but looks like it’ll have all new spins. I can’t wait.

Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers

• Genre: YA Historical Fantasy

• Release Date: February 5

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: To help protect her sisters, Sybella travels to France with the duchess only to find herself surrounded by enemies and she must find her fellow death handmaidens.

I am obsessed with the original trilogy, His Fair Assassins. I mean… nuns who serve the god of death and work as his assassins? HOW CAN YOU NOT WANT TO READ THAT? All three books are completely fantastic and I fell in love with them. But… then that was it. The trilogy was over and I had to move on with my life.

But then. BUT THEN.

I saw on Goodreads maybe a year or two ago that she was writing another book set in the same world. YEARS LATER! This hardly ever happens! I thought Robin LaFevers had put down her writing hat. NOW WE HAVE A SPIN OFF DUOLOGY AND IT’S FINALLY HERE!

If you can’t tell… I’m really pumped for this book. I can’t wait to be reunited with these characters and meet new ones. It’s going to be amazing.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orisha #2) by Tomi Adeyami

• Genre: YA Fantasy

• Release Date: March 5

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: Zeile and Amari must deal with the consequences of the previous book and unite the maji.

The first book, Children of Blood and Bone was one of the big ones for 2018 and one of those “overnight success” author stories we all dream about. The book was fantastic (think The Hate U Give… but also epic fantasy with multiple POVs and a bit more romance) and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series will go!

The Queen’s Resistance (The Queens’s Rising #2) by Rebecca Ross

• Genre: YA Fantasy

• Release Date: March 5

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: Brianna is settling into her new roles and must learn to balance them as well as prepare for the future.

The Queen’s Rising was a happy surprise for me this year and I immediately became obsessed with the book, the world, and these characters! The quick summary I provided is a poor representation of how great it looks, and I want to see what happens next!

The Women’s War by Jenna Glass

• Genre: Adult Fantasy

• Release Date: March 5

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Library

• Quick Summary (I stole this from Goodreads because it was too good): “In a high fantasy feminist epic, a revolutionary spell gives women the ability to control their own fertility—with consequences that rock their patriarchal society to its core.”

I found this book as I was perusing Goodreads to find 2019 releases for this blog post in case I missed any.

Um… did you read that summary? I read that in the book description and didn’t need to go further to know I had to read it immediately. High fantasy where the women control their fertility and it breaks down the patriarchy?

YES PLEASE!

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis

• Genre: YA Contemporary

• Release Date: March 12

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: Mickey never understood the stories about teens who would overdose. But when she gets into a car accident and can’t play softball, she finds her answers in that small white pill given to deal with the pain.

Mindy McGinnis has become one of my auto-read authors, and there are hardly any other authors I’d trust more than her to handle this sensitive topic.

The Perfect Assassin by KA Doore

• Genre: Adult Fantasy

• Release Date: March 19

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Library

• Quick Summary: Amastan serves the assassins of Ghadid who are now being murdered and she must find the culprit before she’s the next victim.

I’ve been following KA Doore on Twitter for some time now thanks to PitchWars, and I am so excited her debut novel is finally being released and that it’s already being hyped as one of 2019’s most anticipated fantasies!

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

• Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

• Release Date: April 2

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Library

• Quick Summary: Magnus and Alec take a trip around the world while carrying The Book of White, and must evade those who want the book for themselves.

When the Shadowhunter books were first released, I was all about them. (The Infernal Devices are my fave and TEAM JEM FOREVER.) But, I’ve kind of gotten over the hype. I started to re-read them a year or two ago, then never finished.

Do you know who I’ll never tire of though from this series? MAGNUS BANE AND ALEC LIGHTWOOD.

There’s going to be a trilogy about them and written for an adult audience?

Yes please.

Storm of Locusts (The Sixth World #2) by Rebecca Roanhorse

• Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

• Release Date: April 23

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Library

• Quick Summary: Maggie finds out a friend may have fallen in with a cult and goes on the search for them.

The first book in this new urban fantasy, Trail of Lightning, was SO SO good! It was dark, intense, and Maggie is a fantastic leading character. But then how it ended? I couldn’t believe she left it like that and I needed to know what happens next like…. yesterday.

Lady Hotspur by Tessa Gratton

• Genre: Adult Fantasy

• Release Date: April 30

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Library

• Quick Summary: A retelling of Henry IV where centuries after The Queens of Innis Lear, we follow the story of women who are heirs to the thrones of warring kingdoms.

I read The Queens of Innis Lear in October and it was good - but not amazing. However, I did love the concept and I’m totally willing to read this author again. It’s another Shakespeare play I’m not totally familiar with - but I expect a lot of bloody deaths led by three fantastic women.

The Dragon Republic (The Poppy Wars #2) by RF Kuang

• Genre: Adult Fantasy

• Release Date: May 2

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: After the third poppy war ends, Rin is on the run and out for revenge.

I cannot say enough good things about the first book and Kuang’s debut novel, The Poppy War. It’s safe to say I’m 100% here for all of the fantasy novels featuring bad ass women who have intense dark streaks. Rin is a compelling character, the magic is fascinating, and it’s an amazing look into Chinese history and folklore. Also, isn’t this cover completely gorgeous?

The World of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

• Genre: YA Fantasy

• Release Date: September 3

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: It’s a guide to the world of Throne of Glass.

Do I need a guide/encyclopedia for the Throne of Glass books? Probably not.

Do I want one?

Obviously.

Is it just a marketing ploy so they can get more money?

Probably.

Do I care?

Not really.

Besides, there are so many names and places in this series that even ridiculous fangirls like me have a hard time keeping them straight.

Darkdawn (Nevernight Chronicles #3) by Jay Kristoff

• Genre: Adult Fantasy

• Release Date: September 3

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: In the final book of the Nevernight trilogy, Mia goes on a quest to find the origins of the darkin.

AHHHHHHHH THE FINAL NEVERNIGHT BOOK IS COMING!

I don’t know if I can handle it. This trilogy is so intense, but amazing. This book was supposed to come out in 2018 but the release date got pushed back to 2019. (Considering it was supposed to be the same day as Kingdom of Ash, for me personally this was probably a good thing because my feels would be a mess.) If you want a dark fantasy with a unique and snarky voice, you absolutely need to read these books!

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas

No cover has been given yet! Not even a stand in.

• Genre: Adult Fantasy

• Release Date: September 3? Maybe?

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: After her best friend is brutally murdered, Sidhe goes on the hunt for the killer.

Sarah J Maas is writing a new fantasy series but this time it’s not YA and it’s written for adults. (As some of her other books should have been…)

Have you not met me?????

I need it immediately.

I don’t need to know anything else. Just take my money.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

• Genre: Adult Fantasy

• Release Date: November 5

• How I Plan To Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: When graduate student Zachary picks up an old book and is entranced, he discovers a story about his own childhood and a mysterious doorway to a subterranean library.

Sorry Sarah J Maas… in a matter of a single Instagram post, Erin Morgernstern beat you for most anticipated book of 2019.

Some context for you all: Morgenstern’s debut novel, The Night Circus, is my all time favorite book (other than Harry Potter - obviously). She hasn’t written anything in the last 7 years. Then she posted on Instagram that she has a new book being released in November of 2019.

I’m pretty sure I had a panic attack. Or maybe a fangirl attack. I couldn’t really breathe.

I would read this author’s grocery lists. I don’t care what she writes. I need it in my possession. I can’t believe I have to wait a whole year for this book. If someone were to put a gun to my head and demanded I read only one new release for 2019, it would be this one hands down no questions asked.

Wicked Hour (Heirs of Chicagoland #2) by Chloe Neill

• Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

• Release Date: December 3

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: No description yet!

The first book in Chloe’ Neill’s spin off series from the Chicagoland Vampires wasn’t the greatest of all time. However, I still really enjoyed it and I love the world she’s created, and the end did make me curious as to where the series was going. Besides, the characters are all great and even if I just have glimpses of my faves from the original series I’ll be happy!

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

• Genre: YA Fantasy

• Release Date: TBA

• How I Plan to Obtain It: Purchase

• Quick Summary: All we know is that this is the sequel to her book Carry On.

Why yes, I will be singing “Carry On My Wayward Son” and think about the TV show Supernatural every time this book appears or comes up in conversation. You’ve been warned.

Anyway. This book was supposed to release in 2020, but it was bumped up to 2019! Woo hoo! We don’t have an exact date yet, but it’s coming. Carry On isn’t my all time favorite of Rainbow Rowell’s books, but I do love Simon and Baz (aka - Harry/Draco slash fiction) and am totally on board for reading more of their adventures.

What books are you all looking forward to in 2019? What makes something an absolute read for you?

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Merry in Manhattan - Part 2

Welcome back to part 2 of Merry in Manhattan to see some of the adventures Lane and Chris go on. (Even if it’s a little late… Sorry!) It’s been really fun to write so far! If you missed part one, click here.

The room was pitch black save for the shining menorah at the head table and the dozens of glow in the dark sticks, bracelets, and necklaces which the guests wore and lined the tables all in blue and white.

“This is incredible,” I said.

“You’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy,” he answered and passed me a bright blue cocktail rimmed with sugar.

“Definitely not.” I took a sip of the sweet drink while also eyeing the dessert table filled with sufganiyot, chocolate coins, and marzipan. It made my mouth water. “So, who are the traditional guests I need to convince that I’m your girlfriend? I need to be sure that I’m putting on a good show.”

“Well-”

“CHRIS! You made it!”

I almost covered my ears from the shriek that caused everyone in the vicinity to cringe and stop their conversations for a moment. A petite woman with curly brown hair which made her almost a foot taller bounced through the crowd and waved frantically at Chris and I. He promptly wrapped an arm around my waist with his free hand and pulled me close to his side. Her smile only faltered for a moment before returning to it’s startling sparkle which could be seen even in the dark room.

Looked liked my acting career needed to start immediately.

“Alexis, hi. I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

Alexis tossed her hair and playfully swatted at Chris’ shoulder. “Oh you did too! And who’s this?” Her smile remained bright but a thin sheen of ice clouded her eyes when she looked at me.

Huh. Well. This was interesting. People who were “traditional” needing him to have a date my ass. I could watch him squirm a bit and let this woman chase after him all night but… no new office and nothing to do the rest of the month. He’d probably find one of his other girls to tag along.

“I’m Lane,” I said and stuck my hand out for her to shake it. She took it hesitantly then I pulled mine away abruptly let it land on Chris’ arm. I clung to him like fly paper. “It’s so nice to meet you! I can’t believe Chrissy-boo hasn’t mentioned me!” I ruffled his hair for good measure and he tensed under my grip. If this was what he wanted me to do, he was going to get the whole nine yards.

“Lane… I thought we agreed you wouldn’t call me that in public,” Chris said through a grin.

I lay my head on his broad shoulder and looked at him through my lashes. “I just can’t help myself!”

Alexis waved her hand between Chris and I. “So… you’re together?”

“We don’t like to put labels on things…” Chris started to say.

“A few weeks now! And it’s been perfect,” I cooed over him.

Alexis’ smile faltered again but to her credit, she was really trying hard to not let us see. “Wow. That’s… that’s so great! Anyway, it was so good to see you. I’m gonna get a drink. Do you need a drink? I need a drink. Catch up later? Bye!”

She scampered off in the direction of the bar and I gave her a tiny wave. Once she was out of sight I pushed Chris aside. “You liar!”

Chris’ eyes went wide as he tried to keep his drink from spilling. “What?”

I put my hand on my hip. “You said you needed me because the people hosting these parties were ‘traditional.’ You just need someone to be here so that you don’t get any unwanted attention.”

Chris groaned and wrapped his free arm around my shoulders and we walked through the party. He waved and smiled to people he knew as he spoke. “She’s my best friends cousin and we run in the same circles. Especially this time of year and get invited to the same parties. I couldn’t stand another year of her chasing after me.” We pushed past a small crowd and placed our drinks on a tall table wrapped in glow sticks. Chris rested his arm on the table and leaned forward. “It’s not like you are mad about not going home because of their grand Christmas celebrations though.”

My jaw dropped. “Yes I am!”

Chris raised his brows. “And your ex has nothing to do with it?”

I stammered and took a sip of my drink. “I … what? No… how do you know about him?”

“You talk about your hometown a lot. It doesn’t take a genius to put together that Terrance wasn’t a mere acquaintance.”

I took a larger sip of the drink and set it back on the table with a clunk. I really needed to watch what I was saying around the office. “We were engaged. High school sweethearts. The whole nine yards. He does real estate there and is basically a hometown hero.”

“For selling houses?”

“For winning football state championship in high school. Apparently that qualifies him to tell people where to live now.” I traced the rim of my glass with the tip of my finger then licked the sugar off. “We’d been growing apart for awhile, especially when I was in grad school. He never wanted to come to New York and I think that was why I stayed home for so long. Anyway, we broke up and I knew it was a good time to leave. He wasn’t happy that I’d left though and said I’d fail but he’d be waiting there for me when I realized it.”

Chris grimmaced. “Ouch.”

“Yeah. He wasn’t that great of a guy it turns out. So, I was kind of looking forward to shoving my New York success in his face over Christmas.”

Chris raised his glass. “Now that’s true holiday spirit!” He dug around in his pockets until a phone appeared. He came to my side and held it in front of us. “Say cheese!” Before I could smile the photo was taken.

“What is that for?” I pulled away from him and finished my drink.

“You want revenge on your ex? Crawling back home and talking up New York won’t do it. Your family leaving on a cruise is the best thing that could have happened to you because now you can be here and showing off your life without even thinking about Terrance.”

I leaned against the table and considered this. “That doesn’t seem a bit high schoolish?”

Chris scoffed. “You really think any of us have matured past the age of 18? Besides, you know I’m right.”

I looked at the phone and cringed at the awful photo. “Fine. But we take another picture.”

We pulled in close once again and he wrapped his arm around me and just as he took the photo he kissed my cheek. Which… wasn’t awful to be honest. He had really soft lips. He posted it to his social media and a moment later I had a notification that I’d been tagged. It was a weirdly convincing image. I smiled as I looked at it.

“Why are you being so nice?” I asked.

Chris shrugged. “Christmas… well… Hanukkah spirit you can say.”

“Well, thank you.”

“Hey, you’re the one doing me a favor by keeping Alexis away.”

“And you’re giving me your office.” I put my phone away and stood up straight, ready to face the rest of the party. “So, what event do we have next?”

Chris only smiled.

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Merry in Manhattan - Part 1

I saw this on Twitter a few days ago and I might have gotten inspired…

I’m waiting for a reverse Hallmark Christmas Movie about a small town girl who realizes her community’s politics are terrible, moves to Manhattan, gets a high pressure office job, meets a businessman, and they host a non-denominational holiday party at their penthouse.

— Jennifer Wright (@JenAshleyWright) December 1, 2018

Which is great because Flash Fiction Friday has been MIA for a majority of 2018. The story I came up with with a 3-parter (maybe 4, we’ll see how it goes), the word count for each definitely go over the 1,000 word mark, but are still nice and short for you, and not quite the same as described in the tweet. However, I definitely think that city-based Christmas stories are highly underrated. Who says that small towns are the only ones who have the “real” spirit of Christmas?

“What do you mean you’re going on a cruise?” My stainless steel travel mug clattered to the ground and I stooped to retrieve it while processing Mom’s announcement.

“You know how I’ve always wanted to go on one, and the weather here is so miserable this time of year. Besides, Carla found such a great deal!” Mom’s voice was bubbly and cheerful while I crawled around my desk in search of where my mug had rolled underneath it. “Besides, just the other day you were telling me how pretty New York is at Christmas. It’s your first one in the big city and you should enjoy it!”

There it was. Of course it had rolled directly in the middle of the executive size desk where it was most difficult to reach. I put mom on speaker phone and lay on my stomach to nab the bandit coffee mug. “I know but…”

“Aw, Lane, Honey, if I knew you’d take it so hard I would have told Carol I wouldn’t go. Maybe she can get a refund…”

The disappointment in her voice was almost too much to handle. “No, Mom. It’s fine. You’ve always wanted to go on a cruise and you hate the winter so this will be perfect for you. I’ll mail you your gift before you leave and just be sure to send me a picture of you opening it Christmas morning.”

Her tone changed immediately. “Of course! And I’ll do the same. Okay sweetie, I’ll talk to you later. Lots to do! Bye!”

She disconnected the conversation and I slumped against the floor. The damn coffee mug was still out of reach. This was not a day to go without caffeine.

“Having trouble?” a male voice asked.

Damn. I should not have worn a skirt.

“I’m fine.” I bumped my head on the desk and rubbed it gingerly as I attempted to sit as elegantly as possible. While on the floor. While searching for my morning coffee.

My co-worker Chris raised a mocking eyebrow and leaned against the door frame, hands in his Armani dress pant pockets. His blonde hair was perfectly combed with a sweep that didn’t even need any gel to make it stay there.

The bastard.

“You enjoy lying on the floor?” he asked.

“When my coffee has rolled under my desk, yes, I do.” I climbed to my feet and tried have some sense of dignity.

“Want some help?”

“No.” Then I pictured my coffee mug rotting underneath my desk for the next several hours and the coffee going cold because there was no way I was getting back down there to get it. “Yes.”

Chris pushed off the door frame and got to his knees. At least the man had a great ass. Yes, I was checking it out. No, I did not feel guilty because he totally did the same to me when I was on the floor as well.

“You know I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation,” he said.

I was already typing away on my phone with a message to my boss to let her know I was available to work over the holidays. “Hm?”

Chris emerged from under the desk and lifted the mug triumphantly. “Your phone was on speaker. Looks like you’re spending Christmas here.”

The phone binged with an incoming message. THANKS LANE! FEEL FREE TO TAKE THE HOLIDAYS OFF THOUGH. YOU’VE EARNED IT!

I groaned. What happened to the big time city bosses who were absolute Scrooge’s and made everyone work on the holidays? Now I wouldn’t even have that to distract me from how I’d be spending Christmas alone this year. I swiped the mug out of Chris’ hand and slumped in my desk chair. “Yeah… I’ll be here.”

I went back to my phone. NO PROBLEM. LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED ME!

He perched on the edge of the desk. “Don’t sound so excited about it.”

“Sorry, I was looking forward to going home.”

“You hate going home.”

“No I don’t.”

Chris picked up the tiny snow globe I used as a paperweight and shook it. “Yes you do. Leading up to Thanksgiving all you did was complain, then when you got back you kept on complaining.”

I opened my email for the day and started to click through it. “That is not true.”

Chris tossed the snow globe and caught it again. “Yes it is. It’s boring.”

Accurate.

“They have awful politics.”

Accurate.

“They’re closed minded.”

Accurate.

“And you felt suffocated there.”

Also accurate.

I looked away from the computer. “Do I really talk about my hometown that much?”

He placed the snow globe back on the desk. “You really do.”

I took a sip of coffee to hide my embarrassment. My family had lived in a small town for generations, and I never felt like I fit in there. After finishing up grad school, I took a job at a startup advertising business to save up money and make a name for myself, then stayed far longer than anticipated. Finally, I’d had enough of it all and a few months ago applied for a position in New York and was hired.

The truth of it was, moving was harder than I anticipated. New York was wonderful and all I imagined - or was sure it was if I ever had the chance to see it. Work took up most of my time and the little space in my schedule I had free, was spent in my tiny apartment with take out and Netflix. Not having any friends in the city killed one’s social life. The prospect of spending a week back home with all of the lights, carols, and snow and being with my family for a bit was something I was looking forward to.

Although, the delivery guys and I were becoming quite familiar.

I tapped on the keyboard without actually typing anything. “It’s just that Christmas is the one thing my town does right.”

“I spend Christmas in New York every year and they absolutely do it right. Way better than this little town you always moan about.”

I raised my brows. “Obviously, you’ve never watched Hallmark movies.”

Chris crossed his arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I pushed the laptop aside and leaned forward. “What I mean is that Christmas is kind of a small town thing. It’s what all the movies are about. Big city girl goes back to a little village and experiences the true meaning of the holidays.”

Chris threw his head back and laughed. “That’s the biggest piece of bullshit I’ve ever heard in my life.”

My jaw dropped. “It is not bullshit!”

“New York does the holidays better than anywhere else. You just have been trapped in this office too much to bother seeing it.” He gestured toward the window which, if you turned your head enough and stood in the corner you might have been able to have a glimpse of the skyline beyond the brick wall. “Look, I might have a solution.”

I sipped my coffee. “Oh really?”

“Yes, really. The thing is, I have a favor to ask of you.”

I leaned back in my chair and it was my turn to laugh. “You have a favor to ask of me? Is that why you’re being so nice today?”

“I’m always nice.”

He wasn’t.

Chris removed himself from my desk and went to the window. “The thing is, I have a few events I need to attend over the holidays and those who are hosting them are… traditional… let’s say.”

I turned my chair so I could face him. “Traditional?”

“Yes. They require my having a plus one.”

I laughed again. “You want me to be your date?”

He stuffed his hands back into his pockets. “Plus one. If those in attendance assume you are my date, I may or may not correct them.”

“And you couldn’t find any of your other bimbos to accompany you?” He was always bragging about all of the dates he’d been on each weekend, making me want to stuff my ears with cotton.

He raised a finger as to make a point. “First of all, there is no room for girl on girl hate. That’s very closed minded of you to call them bimbos.”

“I didn’t know you were so woke,” I said over my mug and crossed one leg over the other.

He raised another finger. “Second of all, you don’t do anything or meet anyone, so you aren’t in a position to be turning down invitations unless you want to become a hermit.”

“I can meet people if I -”

He raised a third finger. “And third of all, I’ll make it worth your while.”

I strummed my fingers against the coffee mug. “You’ll make it worth my while?”

Chris leaned against the window. “If you come with me to these events, you not only will learn the true spirit of Christmas in a way only New York can teach it, but I’ll also give you my office. You’ve been lusting after it ever since you came on board.”

I almost dropped my mug again. His office was one of the best in the building. Placed in a corner, windows that overlooked the whole city, and a mini bar. It was like walking into Mad Men.

“What?” I stood and joined him at the window. “Your office is huge! Why… what? Why would you do that?”

He shrugged. “Think of it as a Christmas gift.”

“And all I have to do is go to your events?”

“That’s all you have to do. Well… it wouldn’t hurt if assumptions were made about our relationship so, you might have to act a bit.”

“So I need to pretend to be your girlfriend.” It made the offer significantly less appealing.

He rocked his head back and forth. “It would be helpful.”

“And no one else can help you?”

Chris shrugged again. “Everyone else in the office is married or not interested in men.”

Another fact which was completely accurate. I sipped on my coffee and looked Chris up and down. He may have been a self centered lawyer, but he was charming enough, and attractive. More than attractive - he was downright hot. Even I couldn’t deny that. Yet, would this be something he’d lord over me for the rest of time? I didn’t want to get pulled into his shenanigans. Yet, the prospect of spending every night in December alone in my apartment while my parents and their friends were away on a cruise enjoying themselves was not something I looked forward to.

“We’ll need to have a break up plan,” I said.

“A break up plan?”

I nodded. “Once the holidays are over I have zero intentions of being your plus one to other events. When’s the last one?”

“New Years Eve.”

Of course it was.

“Fine. Once New Years is here the plan is over and you’ll have to tell all of these… acquaintances… that we’ve broken up.”

“Sure, why not? I wouldn’t want to go out with you any more anyway. This is strictly professional.”

“Thank God.”

He walked back to the door of my office and out to the hallway. “I’ll send you the details for tonight.” He called over his shoulder. “And be sure you wear something decent so you can at least pretend to be a local.”

Before I could give a reply he was already gone and down the hallway. Well… that took care of my being bored over Christmas at least. I went back to my desk and worked on catching up on everything so I’d have the weekend free. A few minutes later an email from Chris popped onto the screen.

I pinched my brows together as I read. “What the hell am I supposed to wear to a glow in the dark Hanukkah cocktail party?”

To be continued next week!

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November Reading Round Up

Thanks to NaNoWriMo and… life… I read basically nothing in November. I thought I would be able to squeeze in more but it just didn’t happen. One book I started in October then finished at the start of November. One book was one of my highly anticipated and turned out to be a temporary DNF. Then the last one was interesting but didn’t grab me enough to put down my writing and keep reading and ended up finishing at the start of December.

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings #2) by Mackenzi Lee

• Genre: YA Historical/Fantasy (LGTBQIA+ rep)

• Format: Hardcover

• Rating: 4 stars

Quick Summary: Felicity tries to enroll in medical school but isn’t accepted, so she seeks out a childhood friend who is engaged to her idol to obtain her education.

First off, that summary doesn’t do the plot justice at all - but it was really hard to do when I wanted to keep it to once sentence. What can you do?

I adore the first book in this duology, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue a really ridiculous amount. Monty is my precious baby. Needless to say, I was excited for the second book.

In a sense, this could be a companion novel. You may be able to read this one without reading the first and still be able to follow the plot. I don’t recommend it though because you’ll miss out on SO MUCH extra context. Which, in a way was one of the downfalls of the book. I cared about Felicity and this story because I read the first book and I already went into it caring about Felicity. This book relied on trusting that the reader already cared a bit too much. Yes, it’s a sequel, but this is also it’s own story, and it let the first book do too much of the heavy lifting.

For me, the plot didn’t really pick up until about half way through. I enjoyed it the first half, but it wasn’t spectacular. Overall, that was my feeling the whole book. It was good, I loved what it was doing, I liked the themes of feminism and identity and exploring Felicity’s asexuality, etc. But it didn’t have that little extra… spark… Gentleman’s Guide had.

You’ll like this book if you also enjoy: Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, sea dragons, lady pirates, feminism, women in STEM, friendship themes, arranged marriages, historical, a hint of fantasy

Content warnings: addiction, violence, bloody wounds, medical procedures, racism, sexism

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Lethal White (Cormoran Strike #4) by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)

• Genre: Adult Thriller/Mystery

• Format: Hardcover

• Rating: Temporary Did Not Finish

Quick Summary: A disturbed man arrives at Strike’s office with the story of a child who was murdered he claims he witnessed, sending Cormoran and Robin on a twisting trail through Parliament.

UGH. I was so excited for this book. I loved the third Strike book, Career of Evil and it left the audience on such a cliffhanger and we had to wait TWO YEARS to find out what happened.

The resolution of said climax was handled in the prologue and it left me completely unsatisfied. But, I knew it wasn’t really resolved so I kept going. The rest of the book though?

Meh.

I honestly don’t even remember much of what happened of the little I did read. It didn’t grab me and pull me in. I’m definitely going to go back to this book, because when I talked to some friends they said they feel like all of these books are a bit slow but still end up being enjoyable. Also, I love these characters so much that I know I’ll want to read book five when it eventually comes out as well. I just have to come back to Lethal White when I have more time to focus on it.

You’ll like this book if you also enjoy: I honestly don’t know because I can’t remember what happened so far.

Content warnings: Reference to a child being murdered, PTSD, unhealthy relationships

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Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

• Genre: Adult Fantasy (Maybe YA… slightly unclear with this one.)

• Format: Library Hardcover

• Rating: 4 stars

Quick Summary: The daughter of a money-lender gets a reputation for turning pennies into gold and it grabs the attention of the king.

Technically I finished this in December (yesterday) but it was before this post went up so… there we go.

I liked Uprooted by the same author and with this being a retelling I was definitely intrigued. It followed the points of view of three different young women, (more were added through the book, but it mainly focused on them) which I really liked, particularly since my favorite element of Uprooted was the friendship. However, the reader never got a heads up of who’s POV we were in when, which makes it slightly confusing and takes me out of the book. After awhile I got used to it and I was able to get into the book more.

It’s a slower and quieter read, but still enjoyable. What I loved was how it truly captured the feeling of winter. If you want an atmospheric book for these cold months, this is definitely a good one! You read it and want to curl up next to the fire with some hot cocoa and a blanket.

Spinning Silver is a it slower to get into, but I’m so glad I stuck it through to the end. It really was wonderful and I loved how it all wrapped up.

You’ll Like This Book if You Also Enjoy: quieter fantasy, atmospheric books, incredibly slow burn romance, hate to love, winter, fairy tale retellings

Content Warnings: fire, death, burning, child abuse, alcohol abuse, kidnapping, demon possession, poverty

What did you read in November? Any other Cormoran Strike fans who are riding the struggle bus with this most recent installment?

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Book Recommendations- Relateable Characters

When I was looking for a topic for this week, I sought out my friends who run the Monthly Recommendations group on Goodreads to see what their topic was for the month. It was “relateable characters.” I thought that was perfect because there’s a ton of characters I’ve related to in all of the books I’ve read!

It was actually much harder than I thought it would be -especially if I wanted to have a variety of age levels and genres. A majority of the characters I’ll talk about are from young adult contemporary books. It’s not that I don’t relate to characters in other genres and age groups. I completely do! But it’s more of the “I get that emotion” or there’s moments where I relate, but for the character as a whole… not as much. Which I like. So much of reading is putting yourself in the shoes of characters who are not like you. Let’s be real, my life is nothing like most of the ones you’ll read in a fantasy. Yet, even in adult contemporary, a majority of the time my life looks nothing like theirs. Which honestly, should be a blog post in it of itself with my gripes on how adult fiction is written.

But we’ll save that for another time.

Anyways. Here is my list!

Simon from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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Simon was the first character I thought of! While I’m not a 16 year old boy who’s coming out of the closet, there’s something about him I completely connected to. The way he interacted with his friends and family, the insecurities and emotions, they were all things which were so on point not just for when I was a teenager, but even now as an adult.

Molly from The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

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In the same vein as Simon, Molly from Albertalli’s second book was relateable in a way where I could see myself as a teenager, but also as an adult. It was in a different way than Simon though because this premise was 100% me. A girl who has had a million crushes, but never actually dated anyone. This was me in high school to a “t” and it’s still me now. Her reasoning and mindset behind all of it I connected to in a way I never have been able to with other books.

Christy from the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn

My thoughts and feeling on the Christy Miller books have changed drastically since I first read them in high school. But, I can’t deny the impact these books had on me back then and all the way through college. Even as an adult when I read a book in one of the spin-off series, while I didn’t agree with a lot of directions it took, the situations the characters went through I completely connected with. I remember when I first read Summer Promise as a 13 year old, my thoughts were “did this author read my mind? This character is me exactly.”

John from I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

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This one is a bit of a stretch considering that I’m not a teenage boy with sociopathic tendencies. However - he grew up in a morgue and I grew up in a funeral home so I was SO EXCITED to read this. Cause no one else really has much experience growing up around dead people.

Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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My love for Fangirl knows no bounds, and so much of it is because of how much I love Cath. This is one of the first books which really put a focus on people who were “fangirls” (particularly of Harry Potter) and along with it, writers. While fan fiction was never a big part of my Harry Potter fan experience, it still took me back to those days when we were waiting for each book to be released. Then, it was also one of the first books where I connected on the level of being a writer. Most books and movies get pretty eye-rolly when they depict writers (which is weird cause it’s writers writing about ourselves?) but this one I felt really got what it’s like. Beyond that, I also connected to her thoughts and insecurities of starting college. While my experience was slightly more close to her sister’s, there were still a lot of moments where I remembered it all from my own college days.

Bridget from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

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All four of these characters are completely relateable. However, there was something about Bridget which rang true to me. Bridget is extreme, and the reasons for the directions her mind goes are completely different than mine. However, I can see so much of the same thought patterns and while I’m not as extreme as she is, I can see how I could be pushed to be so.

Elide from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas

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I had to pick one person from the Throne of Glass books! It was hard though because as much as I’d love to say I’m like Aelin or Mannon… I’m just not. Elide though, I could for sure see.

She’s one of the few characters with a disability which I actually really liked, which is really rare for me. I loved how she was small and most people tended to look her over and underestimate her abilities. Most of the time, Elide we learn does this on purpose. But, I could connect to the idea of people underestimating you at first glance. Then, we see how she totally has a sassy attitude and ends up having a lot of friends who would surprise others. A lot of “wait… THAT person is your friend? But they’re so scary!”

Elide is amazing, and I relate to her while also wanting to be more like her.

Annith from His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers

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I love all three of these ladies in His Fair Assassin, but when I read Anith’s book (the third one), I truly saw myself when it came to faith. Most books if they ever address issues of faith, a lot of times it’s a “conversion” story. Annith was a character who always had a connection to her faith for as long as she could remember, and I loved seeing that portrayed because it truly was on point for how I connected to my own religion.

Everyone in Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

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No, I could not pick only one character from this book to talk about! This is one of the few adult contemporary novels I could truly see myself and relate to. Lincoln has moved back in with his parents, isn’t dating anyone, trying to figure out his next steps and what he wants to do, and is also a complete nerd. Then, we have Beth and Jennifer and OH GOODNESS do I love their emails! They remind me of messages my friends and I send to one another. They’re complete friendship goals.

Hazel in The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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No, I never had cancer when I was a teen. However, I was in and out of the hospital all of the time as a kid and there were so many things Hazel talked about in connection with her illness that I could connect to in regards to my disability. It was one of the first books where it was honest and real about it, and I found myself nodding “YES! THIS!”

Merit from The Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill

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Okay, so I might not be a vampire and in a relationship with a super sexy vampire master guy and know how to wield a sword. HOWEVER. The Chicago stuff? ON POINT. The Chicago food cravings? ACCURATE. Also, Merit started as a stubborn nerdy girl who loved to read about fairy tales. Um… that’s totally me. If I had randomly been attacked by a vampire and named sential for a vampire house, I could see myself being similar to Merit.

How about you? Which characters have you been able to find yourself relating to?

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October Reading Round Up

October was a sightly different reading month for me than usual. Other years I’m all ready for Halloween and fill up my reading list with books about monsters, the paranormal, urban fantasy books I’ve been meaning to get to, etc.

That was not the case this year for a couple of reasons.

1) Five of my auto-buy/favorite authors had new releases this month. FIVE. I didn’t even get to read all of them. (Bummer, I know.) If the staff at Barnes & Noble didn’t know me before, they sure do now because I was there at least once a week to pick up a pre-order.

2) I want to become more familiar with recent releases for adult fantasy since…. you know… that’s what I write. So, I went to the library and picked up a few. I only got to one of them, and it took me longer than usual to read. I had to renew the others.

3) KINGDOM OF ASH IS LIFE.

So. Let’s get to it, shall we?

*=affiliated link

Vengeful* (Villains #2) by VE Schwab

• Genre: Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy

• Format: Hardcover

• Rating: 5 stars

Quick Summary:  A few years after the conclusion of Vicious a new EO wants to take power in Merit.

If it wasn’t for Kingdom of Ash, this book would take the top spot for my favorite of October. Unless something drastic happens, it will definitely make the list of my favorites for 2018. I read Vicious a couple of years ago and it is my favorite VE Schwab book. When I heard she was working on a sequel, I was ridiculously excited!

I loved the new characters/villains introduced in this one, the additional depth we got for the characters we already knew, and it was beautifully crafted. I was able to see the author speak at a local store and it was so awesome to hear her talk about the process of writing this book!

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  The first book Vicious, super villains, anti-heroes, pissed off women who want to take down the patriarchy, found family

Content Warnings: torture, violence, death (a lot of death), references to sexual assault

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The Queens of Innis Lear* by Tessa Gratton

• Genre: Adult Fantasy Retelling

• Format: Library Hardcover

• Rating: 3.5 stars

Quick Summary: A fantasy retelling of King Lear where 3 sisters fight for the crown.

King Lear is one of the Shakespeare plays I’m not familiar with other than it was a tragedy. Which means don’t get attached to anyone since they’ll probably die a terrible terrible death. I debated if I should read a plot synopsis before diving into it. I decided to just read a quick run-down of the premise.

I truly loved the concept for this book. Three women of mixed race who all could take their father’s crown after he dies. The oldest is asexual, a total bad ass, and prepared to take the throne to be king. (Yes, king. Not queen. She won’t take that s***.) The second oldest is happily married and has this super fascinating arrangement to rule at her sister’s side, has great forest/tree magic, but is also dealing with infertility. Then the youngest is close to her father, is super sweet, and is this star priestess person.

The beginning, I loved. I was interested, it pulled me in, I loved the characters. The ending was also great. It wrapped up everything well, it was intriguing, I wanted to keep going and see it all through. But the middle… meh. It was a struggle to keep going. I had a hunch that the end was going to be better, so I continued on. But that middle section definitely brought down my rating. There was so much potential though!

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  Shakespeare, tragedy and death, stand alone fantasy novels, more pissed off women who want to take down the patriarchy, sisters, star cross lovers

Content Warnings: violence, infertility/miscarriages, a lot of death and blood

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What If It’s Us* by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

• Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance - M/M relationship

• Format: Hardcover

• Rating: 4 Stars

Quick Summary:  Arthur and Ben randomly meet at a post office in New York then go on a hunt to find each other once again.

I love Becky Albertalli a ridiculous amount. (I’ve read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda at least six times.) As for Adam Silvera, I’ve read some of his books and I really appreciate him and his stories and I’m glad they exist, but they aren’t my favorite. When they teamed up to write a book together, I was cautiously excited.

There was no need for the cautious, apparently.

After how intense some of Queens of Innis Lear was, it was great to have this fun romantic book. A bit predictable, kinda corny, but I like those things. I mean, you don’t read a romantic comedy type of book because you want the end to surprise you, let’s be honest.

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  romantic comedy, meet cutes, summer romance, M/M relationships, a lot of Hamilton fangirling, NYC

Content Warnings: not a whole lot to be honest with you. There’s some friend fight, a bit of a divorce worry, cheating, homophobia

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Kingdom of Ash* (Throne of Glass #7) by Sarah J Maas

• Genre: New Adult Fantasy

• Format: Hardcover

• Rating: 5 Stars

Quick Summary:  ITS THE FINAL THRONE OF GLASS BOOK WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

Yes. My most anticipated book of 2018. If not for the last several years. It’s actually here and I finished it. My heart… I don’t even have words.

This book was 992 pages.

I cried for 992 pages.

I’m writing this not even 24 hours after completing the last page and I’m almost ready to start crying again. I’ve been wallowing over how the Throne of Glass series is over ever since I put it back on my shelf.

Literally my only complaint is SO MANY BATTLE SCENES. Which, I can’t even complain about because the whole thing takes place during war so… there you go. It’s just that battle scenes aren’t my particular favorite and I have a hard time focusing on them. Beyond that - I LOVED EVERYTHING. This book also had the most “classic epic fantasy” feel out of all of them.

I’m not going to go on much more (I could if I wanted to- trust me!) because if I share anything about this book, it’ll spoil the entire series for those who haven’t read it yet. If you’re a fellow Throne of Glass fan, please feel free to reach out to me and we can talk and fangirl together. As well as cry.

I will say this though: while I’m so sad that this series is over, I’m completely satisfied with how it ended. It was beautiful, and wonderful. My heart is heavy, but it is also full.

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  Sarah J Maas’ other books, epic fantasy, war stories, bad ass queens, witches, fae, shape shifters, romance, multiple points of view

Content Warnings: on page torture/breaking of bones (this was particularly difficult for me to read), a lot of violence and death, references to past abuse, PTSD, psychological torture/manipulation, loss of loved ones

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The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky (Montague Siblings 1.5) by Mackenzi Lee

• Genre: Young Adult Historical- M/M Relationship - Short Story/Novelette

• Format: ebook

• Rating: 4 Stars

Quick Summary:  We check in on the Montague siblings and friends between The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and The Ladies Guide to Petticoats and Piracy.

This was a freebie for those who pre-ordered The Ladies Guide to Petticoats and Piracy so sadly… I don’t have a link for you all to purchase it yourself. Hopefully it will be available for purchase at some point!

Reading TGTGL was the perfect cure for my “book hangover” after reading Kingdom of Ash. It was fun, light, and I was able to check in on some of these fabulous characters.

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, M/M relationships, navigating a new relationship, historical fiction

Content Warnings: references to homophobia, epilepsy, and past abuse

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Currently Reading:

Kings of the Wyld* (The Band #1) by Nicholas Eames

• Genre: Fantasy

• Format: Library Paperback

Quick Summary:  A former band of mercenaries reunite to save the daughter of one of their members.

I feel really bad for this book because it has to follow Kingdom of Ash. Nothing will be able to live up to that. I planned on reading a lighter book, or one of the other new releases that came out in October. However, I already had to renew this book and one other one from the library and I really need to get to it.

I’m not super hopeful about it though, because I was looking on Goodreads and apparently the author claims that the “only” way to get women in the book was to make them antagonists. This produced a lot of eye rolling from me even though he also claims that all of his characters have a lot of bad qualities. After most of the books I just finished are about pissed off women who want to take down the patriarchy… that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But, I did see that the second book’s main character is a woman so maybe it’s better than I’m anticipating.

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