bookworm – Page 18 – LairOfBooks

Spoiler Free Review: Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Title: Get A Life, Chloe Brown

Author: Talia Hibbert

Pub. Date: November 5th. 2019

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 373 Pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLES | AMAZON

Chloe Brown has had a near death experience one morning that leaves her pretty shaken while also reinvigorated. She is a chronically ill computer geek who sets out with a list of 7 things she must do in order to give life some meaning…

✔️Move out of mansion & into own place

Enjoy a drunken night out
Ride a motorcycle
Go camping
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage
And… do something bad

We start off with Chloe moving into her own digs & adjusting to life as a tenant. Accomplishing some of the things on her list becomes interesting when she recruits Redford”Red” Morgan the handyman she is constantly at odds with. Red is automatically put off by Chloe’s wealthy background & because of that they are always sparring with words. We follow Chloe & Red as they tackle this list and in turn get to know one another better while breaking past many misconceptions.

Chloe-I truly fell in love with Chloe’s personality! she is a beautiful plus sized black woman who exudes confidence despite the fact that many of her days are spent with chronic pain. She’s single & sort of has her walls up because Chronic pain isn’t something easily explained. Chloe has already experienced heartbreak with her ex who believed her pain was mental & not a real thing. She’s not by any means jaded, she’s just weary of those she lets in her space. A true geek through & through, Chloe works doing web design from the comfort of her home with a Playstation nearby.

Red- Sexy, tattooed, Handyman/Painter Red Morgan won me over for a number of reasons. Not only is Red attentive & nurturing but he’s genuinely just a good guy who has also been through heartbreak. Having experienced a very toxic relationship with a very wealthy woman, Red is not expecting to fall for yet another. What I loved about Red? the fact that he didn’t try to dissect Chloe’s pain, it was written on her face. Instead Red went about finding ways to make their trips outdoors more comfortable for her.

Both Chloe & Red are wonderful characters but so were the side characters. I LOVED reading scenes with Chloe’s fabulous grandmother & her sisters. She’s surrounded by an amazing support system who also happen to be very curious about her new comings & goings now that she has a new lease on life haha!

I read this whole book in a British accent & had such a good time! the flirting between Chloe & Red had me smiling from ear to ear, often times outright laughing out loud at the awkward situations. I loved how dialogue heavy this was because it allows you to get a real feel for the characters. Chloe in particular really came to life on the page as someone I could relate to. She’s very body positive & confident in who she is which I love seeing in my books. Her character will be very hard to forget, besides the fact that she is outright funny as hell she’s also fiercely independent. Chloe doesn’t want to burden anyone & giving love another shot isn’t on the list but she manages to surpass her fears. This book really is about learning how to love again in a healthy way after leaving behind toxic relationships. It’s about taking back control of your life & living each day to the fullest. It’s about breaking past misconceptions surrounding chronic pain & understanding how painful it can be to have your pain dismissed. Adding this one to my list of Romantic Comedies I absolutely adored!

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Spoiler Free Review:All the Stars and the Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Title: All the Stars and the Teeth

Author: Adalyn Grace

Pub. Date: February 4th 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Imprint

Pages: 384 Pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLES | AMAZON

*ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Honestly! the YA Fantasy I’ve been picking up lately has truly been keeping my internal flame for the genre. I just knew All the Stars and the Teeth was a MUST read for me once I heard mention of Pirates & Mermaids cause they happen to be my fave types of fictional characters. I was NOT expecting to love it as much as I did despite it featuring one hell of a unlikeable female MC yet here we are *shoulder shrug* haha! we get this expansive world where kingdoms are separated by the magic practiced by its inhabitants and only 1 magic per Kingdom is allowed. Our MC Amora is soon to be put to the test in order to obtain the title of High Animancer. In this world, a royal title is not inherited but instead the “heir” must prove their worth in claiming the crown. We meet Amora as she prepares for the big demonstration of magic she is to show her people that will in turn solidify her ascension to the throne after her father. Things go ALL the way wrong which then sets off a series of events that place Amora aboard a ship with Bastian, a sassy easy on the eyes Pirate. However, things get further complicated when Ferrick the man she’s been betrothed to also hops on said ship.

Having had her demonstration of magic go terribly wrong, Amora fears she will be killed by her people. She makes a run for it in hopes of making a comeback to convince her people she is worthy of another chance. What Amora doesn’t anticipate is uncovering some unsavory truths about the state of her kingdom & its affairs. Truths about her magic that go back in time to the very beginning & challenge all she’s been made to believe. We see her embark on this sort of adventure that humbles her & redefines what it means to be a good leader. She sees first hand the state of the other lands within her kingdom which ends up having a sobering effect.

Although the adventure itself is A+ as is the magic system, I’ve always been a reader who loves a great cast of characters. Amora may have started off as hella unlikeable but by the end of this story I grew to have a deep admiration for her.She is fiercely protective of her kingdom & confident without a doubt that she is the right person for the job. Bastion & Ferrick may be complete opposites but I found something to love in each of them. While Bastion may have won me over with his quick witted responses, Ferrick with his gentlemanly ways also wiggled his way into my heart. Ferrick is a Suntosan which means he has healing capabilities & seeing his magic at play was pretty cool. Our Mermaid Vatea joins the crew in the latter half of the book but GODDESS she is! her song will call to the hearts of any within earshot & her ruthlessness is never something she shies away from. LOVED seeing Amora find a true friend in Vatea & could only hope we get more from bad a** character *fingers crossed* The character development, I felt was done well across the board.

Lastly, I have to mention how Adalyn Grace seriously nailed pretty gruesome imagery when it came to Amora’s Soul Magic. Our MC’s magic deals with soul binding which means she obtains body parts as a method of binding. These scenes aren’t for theft of heart but personally I felt it really did up the magic system. The duality of magic (light & dark) is always at play in the background which I found SUPER interesting. The inclusion of curses & elemental magic as well really brought this world to life & gave it a rich feel. There were times while I was reading I couldn’t help but think of Avatar the Last Airbender in the sense of world building & that’s a VERY good thing for this Avatar fan. The way we leave off in this adventure has me truly anticipating any news of the sequel, I will be patiently awaiting its arrival 🖤

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January Monthly Wrap-Up

January was a month of much post holiday rest, organization, and goal setting. 2019 was a massive healing year for me which meant I focused more on Quality vs. Quantity reading last year to make room for new life experiences. January however had me back in the saddle with books on my radar for the rest of the year. It was also the month where I participated in my very first Readathon (SMUTATHON Wrap-Up) Challenge & had a blast! It was truly the BEST way to start off the new year, light & fun with a side of steam 😉

Besides a ton of steamy reading, I also found my love for Netflix backlist shows like Schitts Creek and continued with the latest season of Grace & Frankie. I also started Journaling, something I’ve been wanting to get back into for years but never quite took the steps & placed pen to paper. Writing has been truly cathartic in my journey to self alignment & self healing. As the new year takes off, I’m also keeping a small list of places/things I’d like to visit & do. I’ll include snippets of some of these trips in future wrap-ups as a way for me to look back on & share with you lovely readers 🙂

The Loner’s Lady by Jessa Kane – ✨2.5 STARS✨ (SMUTATHON WRAP-UP) This age gap romance just was NOT my cup of tea haha! it felt very primitive & not my idea of a good time with a fake dating trope. I was generous here with my rating but in all reality it was a quick read that left me very underwhelmed.

Grading Curves by Naima Simone -✨4.5 STARS✨ (SMUTATHON WRAP-UP) GOODNESS! SUPER SEXY! who would’ve known a tattoo parlor would host such potential for steam haha! Naima Simone is on my list of go-to authors for smut 😉

The King Maker by Kennedy Ryan – ✨4.5 STARS✨(SMUTATHON WRAP-UP) Kennedy Ryan blew me away with this very heavily researched read. A perfect balance between hardcore relevant topics & romance, this one I definitely plan on reviewing here on the blog. This is a age gap romance I can get behind & best of all it follows our characters over the years from the time they met in their 20’s to present day. Can’t wait to read the sequel in the All the King’s Men Duet, The Rebel King.

The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz – ✨5 STARS✨ (SMUTATHON WRAP-UP) Gothic Romance fever anyone?!? YEA that’s what Tiffany Reisz left me with after finishing Headmaster. I’mnot sure why but it gave me the same vibes I felt while reading Cassie Clare’s The Infernal Devices if only for the steam punk atmosphere. SO worth it especially if you dig Paranormal Romance.

SKYWARD by Brandon Sanderson – ✨5 STARS✨ (MY REVIEW) I wouldn’t be surprised to see SKYWARD make my end of the year TOP 20 of 2020! it gave me such an adrenaline rush & reminded me of my experience with Pierce Brown’s Morning Star. Not just cause of the camaraderie between the pilots but also because of the flight patterns & attacks that really jump off the page and pull you in. I already have secured a copy of the sequel STARSIGHT & a more happier little bean I could not be *jazz hands*

Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden-✨5 STARS✨(SMUTATHON WRAP-UP) This F/F Romance legit transported me to a small beach town & immersed me in every single characters lives like nobodies business! UGH! I did NOT want to leave & the characters who are the epitome of polar opposites had me shipping them so hard all throughout. I have a list of Melissa Brayden backlist books I will be reading throughout the next couple of months… the Next one on my radar is Strawberry Summer thanks to the wonderful Leigh Kramer who I appreciate wholeheartedly! ❤ a whole review will hit this blog in the very near future, currently I’m reading faster than I’m writing SMH! haha!

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord – ✨5 STARS✨ (MY REVIEW) on the Cuteness Meter, this one smashes the scale! This is another read that I may throw into my top 20 of 2020 but we shall see. I laughed & enjoyed the character interactions so much so that I traded in sleep haha! I have a full review linked above.

Ok soooo I may have binged almost all 5 current season of Schitts Creek onNetflix…I say almost cause in typical Lilly fashion I stopped myself from watching the last 3 episodes of season 5. I’m not a fan of endings & even though there is currently a season 6, I have to wait for it to hit Netflix sooo yea LOL! I had HUGE doubts about this show but JEEZ am I so happy I decided to give in & start this show. It appears to be super pretentious & ridiculous but I promise you there’s so much more depth to these characters. Ultimately it’s the reason I’ve fallen back in love with Netflix so if there are any shows that offer up this much comedic relief, please drop them down below in the comments Luvs!

OK! Bragging rights here cause my BF did NOT think this one was worth us going to see in theaters. WHELP! boy was he happy we went cause this was so GOOD! & possibly not the end of this franchise *fingers crossed* the boys are back & although they’ve aged just a bit, that does NOT stop them from getting back behind the wheel & catching them some bad guys…Ok well Marcus played by Martin Lawrence needs a bit of convincing & it is EVERYTHING seeing this duo back in action.

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SPOILER FREE REVIEW: SKYWARD BY BRANDON SANDERSON

Title: SKYWARD

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Pub. Date: November 6th 2018

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 510 Pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLES | AMAZON

Spensa is a young girl who has always been told to reach for the stars by her father, the one person she holds in highest regard. The world she lives in is constantly under attack & all that are left of the human race are fighting to stay alive. Most have been recruited to become Pilots in order to continue growing their fleets & balance the scales against their enemy. Not much is know about the mysterious ships that attack in the sky. The intel that has been gathered lets Spensa’s people know their enemy is more technologically advanced but their motives/agenda remain unclear. Spensa’s path to becoming a Pilot comes with a ton of opposition, her father was labeled a coward for deserting his team during an all out attack. This however does not stop Spensa from pursuing a career as a Pilot & searching for answers behind her fathers fallen legacy…

“𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒚, 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕, 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒖𝒔. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒙 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒓.”

This may be a action packed YA Sci-Fi but make no mistake! the characters are the icing on the cake 🤗 Spensa our MC is a Sun Tzu quit lover with a ton of confidence that may often times come off a arrogance. She means well though & honestly just wants to be accepted amongst her peers & judged fairly w/out the alleged sins of her father being brought up to play. This does mean she puts up with ill treatment from superiors & having to consistently prove her bravery. Spensa is in flight academy along with her flight mates Kimmalyn, Jorgen, BIM, Nedd, Arturo, FM, and others. Her flight instructor Cobb was her father’s wing-mate & goes up to bat for Spensa when the higher ups were opposed to allowing her to enter flight academy because of her dad. Cobb is a seasoned older gentleman with PTSD who has opted to retire from flying & instead teaches future Pilots.

I loved seeing the team in simulated training sessions where their personalities truly came out to play. Kudos to keeping it strictly platonic! I don’t remember the last time I read about a group of teens where there wasn’t some romance so this was refreshing. Of course this will probably not be the case in the sequel but I’m actually excited to see if a certain potential ship takes off. My FAVORITE character who may just make it into my faves of all time is the A.I. M-Bot 😎 who is super advanced & dutiful. M-Bot is part of the ship Spensa discovers & with the help of her best friend Rig brings back to life. M-Bot is perfectly paired with Spensa, both pretty cocky and chatty these two were destined for each other. I had a few good laughs reading interactions between M-Bot & Spensa that left me craving more from this duo.

The last book to give me such an adrenaline rush was Pierce Brown’s Morning Star & so SKYWARD is joining my hall of memorable action packed reads. I could hardly put this book down & could visualize all of the teams calls to action. The fighting sequences & the ships themselves were so detailed in a reader friendly way. I never felt like it was too heavy on the schematics, instead it played out as if I was watching Maverick in the popular movie Top Gun but the female version 🙌🏽 With their being very few books featuring Father/Daughter relationships, SKYWARD already has a special place in my heart. Seeing Spensa follow in her fathers footsteps as a Pilot was heartwarming. We see Spensa battle her love for her dad & the image of him she has engraved in her memory. Character development was A+ as was the story building. We’re left off with a mind blowing revelation & final battle that sent me running for the sequel 🤗

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Spoiler Free Review: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

Title: Tweet Cute

Author: Emma Lord

Pub. Date: January 21st 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 368 Pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLES | AMAZON

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

When Big League Burger steals a small Deli’s iconic grilled cheese recipe created by none other than Jacks’ Grandmother, it starts an all out twitter war. Pepper’s family are the owners of Big League Burger with her mother at the helm of the business. When accusations start flying, it’s Pepper’s snark and quick witty comebacks her mother has her tweet to defend their stance. Pepper & Jack happen to attend the same privileged school but have no idea they are in a war of wits against each other while defending their family businesses. All the while we see them both deal with social pressures in school & navigate expectations from their parents in an interesting way. Jack has taken an interest in app developing & is the anonymous creator of an app that allows students to chat under anonymous names in a main chat room. Eventually the app triggers itself to reveal the identity of the student you’ve been hopefully bonding with. Jack also uses his own app (honorably adheres to his own privacy rules) & somehow ends up chatting with Pepper, not knowing her true identity. This book truly had it ALL & was wildly entertaining! Twitter Wars, cute romance, sweet pastry baking, positive F/F friendships, swimming, sibling rivalries, Parentals who are visible, and also a realistic view of the stress students experience preparing for college/entrepreneurship.

Pepper –Known to many of her peers to be robotic, Pepper is goal focused & getting into a top college is what she strives for. She doesn’t really socialize in school with the exception of engaging in academic wars with her “archenemy” & perfecting her swimming skills. With a whole lot of responsibilities lumped on her plate & handling Big League Burger’s Twitter feud, Pepper finds comfort in chatting with “Wolf” who is also Jack, anonymously.

Jack – Living in the shadow of his very popular Gay twin brother isn’t easy for Jack but he manages. His brother Ethan is expected to go places & do big things after college whereas Jack’s family always saw him taking over the family Deli/business. We see Jack quietly seek out the things that actually bring him joy like app developing & being a member of the Dive team. Jack is hella loyal to his family & will drop anything/everything to help any one of them out.

The levels of enjoyment I experienced with this book are still pretty fresh in my memory. I have no doubt it’s going down as a Top Read for 2020 here on my end of year list. I lost track of the smiles it got out of me & on one or two occasions how it surprised me with teary eyes. Emma Lord brought to life current day teenagers on the page making this such an authentic smart & witty read. I loved how our author highlighted not only their intelligence but the fact that they are essentially capable of taking on a fair amount of responsibility. Both Pepper & Jack have a heavy schedule of academics & helping out with their family owned businesses. There’s a ton of stress but I enjoyed seeing how they came together in this one app to help alleviate those pressures. There’s also some more serious themes in this book like a family experiencing the after effects of a separation. There’s a healing of family issues & self exploration. Discussion on expectations & how college isn’t necessarily the only route to success. We see students choosing their paths to eventually place them in the career path that best suits their wants/needs. This book is packed with so much good & don’t get me started on the sisters who bake & give their deserts all sorts of quirky names on a blog they run together! sitting here eyes WIDE open for the next Emma Lord book *Chefs Kiss*

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December 2019 Monthly Wrap-Up & Book Haul

Yes…Yes I am popping up in your feed with my December Wrap-up & Haul 🙈It was a VERY hectic fast paced end of 2019 but I somehow still managed to read quite a lot along the way. Going into the New Year I will absolutely make it a goal here on the blog to wrap up the month in at the very least a fashionably late manner 😂 at most a week late *pinky promise*

December is my birthday month but as is expected, the Christmas rush is where it’s at haha! January is the month where you finally let out a huge sigh of relief for having made it through the holiday madness. I made great use of my Kindle on the go & also watched some new favorite series on Netflix. I didn’t draft up any end of year posts or resolutions instead opting to just allow the beginning of a New Year with hope. Hope for continued growth in all areas of my life (including this platform), embracing the new, and appreciating every moment of my journey 💜

Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra – ✨4 STARS ✨ (my review) I really enjoyed this modern take on Little Women more than I had anticipated. The March Sisters will suck you into their lives. You’l easily see yourself investing your time into flipping pages just to see how they manage whatever is thrown their way. I hope to see more from this author in the near future 🤞🏽

Mangos & Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera – ✨5 STARS✨ (my review) This LATINX novella based on a F/F romance was everything I never knew I needed & then some. Two very different Dominican Bakers head over to Scotland to participate in a Holiday Baking Challenge. Sparks fly & things gets VERY steamy in & out of the kitchen. I will read ANYTHING & EVERYTHING by this author 💜

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black – ✨5 STARS✨ (my review) I may have waited more than a year to read this book but it DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I had a feeling this would be a favorite & I just couldn’t take it if it left me on a cliff hanger which it did. Thankful though to have waited & jumped right into the last installment soon after. I have no doubt in my mind that Holly Black is truly Fae & that no one can write Fae better than the Fae Queen herself.

The Queen Of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black – ✨5 STARS✨ (my review) The conclusion to this trilogy got 5 stars from me even though It truly wasn’t perfect. Mostly, I do feel this one could’ve benefited from being a bit longer. Everything seemed to be happening a bit too quick for my liking yet with that being said…it was a satisfying conclusion.

HARLEEN Vol 2 – ✨5 STARS✨ I don’t have a review written for HARLEEN but I HIGHLY recommend these for any HQ/Joker fans. Besides the fact that the artwork is STUNNING! the storyline itself is A+ if you’ve ever been fascinated or even curious about the descent of Harley from intern Psychologist to Lover/Right hand to Joker then these are a MUST read 🖤

Reverie by Ryan La Sala – ✨4 STARS ✨ (my review) Ahhh! this odd little gem of a book haha! I find that most who’ve read it either hate it or love it. I happen to have really enjoyed this one as a debut YA Fantasy from this author but it isn’t without saying it had plot issues. Ryan La Sala has convinced me of his skillZ & I’m really looking forward to see what he delivers next. A unique & vivid story like Reverie I have yet to read, this one definitely stands out in a good way.

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The Guinevere Deception | Children Of Virtue & Vengeance | House of Salt & Sorrows | Princess Jellyfish Volume 1 | HARLEEN Vol. 3

The Wives | The Secret History | Long Bright River

Its been years since I’ve watched a movie in a theatre at 3am, it happened & gahhh! it was a challenge haha! The fact that I managed to stay awake at that hour though speaks to my personal enjoyment of this flick. The storyline revolves around the truth behind Rey’s parents & her finalizing Jedi training to face Kylo Ren. We see some interesting turn of events & unexpected revelations. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in my opinion, continues to be the stand out performance & I’m not just saying that cause he’s easy on the eyes haha! I really enjoy Star Wars movies but I can’t say I’m a hardcore fan like say my boyfriend. He felt this film was a big imporovement from The Last Jedi but still left some unanswered questions. All in all, it was a satisfactory conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.

ICONS Lily Tomlin & Jane Fonda have gifted us with 6 seasons of this wonderful series I cannot get enough of! We had Thelma & Louise in the 90’s & now we have Grace & Frankie. This odd couple friendship starts off after their husbands who happen to be business partners, sit them down & let them know after 20+ years of marriage that they’re Gay & in love with each other. They somehow end up moving in together & start a new chapter in their lives. This show is all about friendship, rediscovery, self love, self healing and the shedding of inhibitions. It’s about family & finding your new normal, it’s also beautifully Queer & inclusive. Grace & Frankie has been green lit for a 7th season which will be its last & although it makes me a little sad, I’m glad It found its way into my heart.

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Spoiler Free Review: Reverie by Ryan La Sala

Title: Reverie

Author: Ryan La Sala

Pub. Date: December 3rd 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy/LGBTQIAP+

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Pages: 416 Pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLES | AMAZON

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

Nearly a month has passed since I read Reverie yet it’s still so fresh in my mind & that’s simply because of how unique & wild this book really is! Granted, it won’t be everyones cup of tea but I personally found it to be this odd little gem of a story I could easily get sucked into. Goodreads has it described as Inception meets The Magicians which I find to be pretty accurate. In the world of Reverie the real danger lies in the fantasies created by people, ones that come to fruition with the purpose of claiming their creators. We meet Kane after he’s survived a car accident that left him with Amnesia. His path crosses with The Others, a group of friends with a skilled set of powers & answers to all of the holes Kane has in his memories. With or without his memories, Kan plays an important role with The Others & is quickly thrust into the fascinatingly odd world of Reveries. Fantasies they enter & must unravel by playing whatever role assigned in said fantasy without ever breaking character. We get everything from a Victorian Romance to a futuristic rebel world & a cast of characters who derive their powers from inner based fears.

Content Warning: Talk of suicide, bullying, Homophobia

Of course this wouldn’t be a fantasy without the inclusion of a villain but a more refreshing, colorful, and truly evil villain like Posey we have NOT seen. Posey is a Drag Queen Sorceress who appears to befriend Kane but clearly has ulterior motives. Posey is always ten steps ahead & provides a level of comfort for Kane that he lacks in his reality. Kane is a Gay teenager in a small town were he is bullied & The Others provide escapism from an otherwise cruel world. I LOVED the ingenuity with which this world was created & how it kept me up at night effortlessly reading my hours away. I loved how often I chuckled at some witty banter or ridiculous scene. I loved the friend group & how perfectly they fit together. I also really loved the romance that took place sort of in the background, the mystery behind it & how it evolved. This book isn’t without its flaws, mostly they lie within plot pacing. Sure I can sit here and say certain things didn’t make sense but much of what didn’t I chucked off to the wild trip this story took me on to begin with. I’m a lover of odd stories & worlds created out of thin air which is why Alice in Wonderland will forever be a favorite of mine. Reverie in many ways gave me nostalgic feelings of Alice in Wonderland & allowed me to suspend disbelief while vividly playing out in my mind. For a debut book, this was a solid start & it put La Sala on my radar for any future publications 🖤

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Top Ten Tuesday: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My E-Reader

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This weeks topic is “The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf” which I’ve amended to those that I hauled to my e-reader cause they deserve some love too. I’ll admit some of these I already own physical copies to, but its just easier nowadays to read from my tablet. Ok, this list here is QUITE the mixed bag which pretty much speaks volumes on my undying love for mood reading. These also happen to be the books I’ll be using as palette cleansers as I make my way through my ARC spreadsheet, a lot of which are Fantasy.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman – Our MC works in a bookstore and is pretty much a happy introvert who thinks she’s an only child. When she finds out the father she never knew has passed away & that she’s one of many siblings, her whole life makes a huge turn. Add to this a unexpected romance with her trivia nemesis, I’m all IN!

Kushiel’s Dart (Phèdre’s trilogy #1) by Jacqueline Carey – I’ve heard SO much about this series & finally got my copy. It’s a dark sexy Fantasy where the MC is trained as both a spy & a courtesan. When she stumbles across a plot against her homeland, she sets out to save that which she loves.

“Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel’s Dart-a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.”

The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) by Helen Hoang – this well loves contemporary is about a MC with Aspergers who hires a Vietnamese/Swedish professional to help her in all things dating & bedroom. This eventually turns into more & I’m really just way overdue to read this one.

The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang – The sequel to The Kiss Quotient cause lets face it, I will most likely fall in love with TKQ & crave this one! $1.99 on Kindle last time I checked (1/19/2020) is a steal. Following characters from TKQ, this time our MC is a Vietnamese Autistic guy who feels he’s incapable of loving after experiencing a loss. The MC’s mother travels to Vietname to see if she can find him a bride. The love interest is a Bi-racial (Vietnamese/White) single mom who is willing to take his mom up on her off to marry her son in hopes for a better life.

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite – a F/F Historical Romance that comes HIGHLY recommended by some of my closest bookish buddies. Here we follow Lucy who is hoping to get the job translating a groundbreaking French astronomy text by a deceased Scientist. Recently widowed, Catherine isn’t expecting to fall in love as Lucy spends her nights translating scientific text.

The Queens Of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton – A land drained of it’s magic by a mad King who Is obsessed with property is being circled by enemies who want control over its ideal port for trades. The King must choose an heir on the longest night of the year. His three daughters care not to leave this decision to rituals & instead choose to go to war. Having really enjoyed Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton, I’m really hoping to LOVE this one *fingers crossed*

GUAPA by Saleem Haddad – A coming of age story following a Gay man in a unnamed Arab country during much political and social upheaval. In the course of one night his whole life changes. Caught in bed with his lover by his Grandmother, our MC heads out only to find three of his closest friends to be missing. Ashamed to return home he sets out to find his missing loved ones which takes him throughout the countries seediest slums.

The Walflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke #3) by Tessa Dare – It wasn’t until I sat down to draft this post that I realized this is book 3 in this series SMH! however, it does seem like it can be read on its own as a stand alone. This one features a wealthy ruthless MC who just wants his neighbor to clear out all of the furry animals she’s keeping next door. Lady Penelope Campion however, cannot truncates away any animal in need. She strikes a deal with the Duke, if he can find homes for all of her wounded charges the & only then will she clear out her home. THIS should be innneresting haha!

The Rage of Dragons (The Burning #1) by Evan Winter – “Game of Thrones meets Gladiator in this debut epic fantasy about a world caught in an eternal war, and the young man who will become his people’s only hope for survival.”—> This is an African inspired EPIC Fantasy I’ve heard good things about. I am ALWAYS looking for Diverse/Own Voices high Fantasy reads & so this was a MUST!

Shadow Frost (Shadow. Frost #1) by Coco M

“IN THE KINGDOM OF AXARIA, a darkness rises.

Some call it a monster, laying waste to the villagers and their homes.
Some say it is an invulnerable demon summoned from the deepest abysses of the Immortal Realm.
Many soldiers from the royal guard are sent out to hunt it down.

Not one has ever returned.” —>This is a YA Fantasy I caught wind of last year. Having heard it features a cast of very funny characters, that’s just about all I needed to know I’d give it a go.

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Spoiler Free Review: Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra

Title: Meg & Jo

Author: Virginia Kantra

Pub. Date: December 3rd 2019

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 400 Pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLES | AMAZON

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

Inspired by Little Women, this is the story of the March Sisters…“Reliable Meg, Independent Jo, Stylish Amy, and Shy Beth” told in dual POV we follow Meg & Jo as the oldest of the bunch as they lead very different lives. Meg always wanted the husband, white picket fence, and kids while Jo dreamt of becoming a journalist in NYC. When we meet them they’ve got a lot on their respective plates & things aren’t quite what they had planned. Meg is struggling with married life all while managing her twins. Jo’s writing career is stagnant & instead she’s working in a restaurant kitchen by day & anonymously running a foodie blog by night. When their mother who is the rock in the family falls ill, the March sisters are drawn home. It’s been years since I’ve read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott but its remained a childhood favorite of mine. Character traits from the original cast can still be seen in this modern day story set between North Carolina and New York City. At its core this is a story about familial bonds and the unexpected twists & turns life can take.

Although we do get to meet all four March Sisters, the book is only told from the POV of Meg & Jo. They are the oldest of the bunch & look over the younger ones while managing their own lives…

Meg – Married with Twins, Meg has the picture perfect family set-up but not all is at it seems behind closed doors. Both Meg & her husband have sacrificed perhaps too much of their individuality to make their family unit work. I really admired seeing this couple work through their issues & persevere. Meg lovingly takes after her mother & providing a loving home is her #1 priority. Seeing her handle married with kids life while also trying to stay in touch with her siblings was something I could relate to. She is very much a juggler who sometimes forget to give herself a break which made me really connect with her.

Jo – Having left North Carolina for life in the Big Apple pursuing a writing degree, Jo has big dreams! Except life has a funny way of not always turning out exactly as you’ve planned. Still, Jo settles into NYC as a worker in a restaurants kitchen where her ears stay open for inspiration. By night she is an anonymous food blogger with some success. Things really get hot in the kitchen with an unexpected attraction between Jo & the very handsome black Chef with full sleeved tattoos. Things of course gets a bit complicated when she has to drop everything & head back home to tend to her sick mother.

I’ve come to the realization that I really enjoy stories centered around big families because of all the complexities added to the story. The March sisters all have very different personalities, ambitions, and pursuits but what I loved about them is how they embraced one another. There was a mutual understanding of everyone’s personal lives & how to come together for the head of their family. Marriage (the good & the bad) plays a big part in this story, content warning for separation. The bonds between Father/Daughter are also discussed with regards to the absence the sisters feel even while having their father in their lives. Although they are supporting characters, seeing the parents of the March sisters battle their own rough waters made this story come full circle. This was heartwarming & heartfelt in more ways than one. I will absolutely look out for more from this author in what I hope is the near future.

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WWW Wednesday 1/15/2020

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words and to participate all you have to do is answer the three W’s listed below. Once you’ve posted your WWW, drop a link to your post in Sam’s comments <3’s!

The questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

January has been very good to me & I’m really hoping this streak continues. Hot off the heels from #Smutathon I’ve already started to tackle my ARC spreadsheet while still picking books off my back-list (2020 Resolution). The ONLY real challenge to my reading time has been Netflix, Lé struggle! I walked away from a recent friends dinner with a small list of recommendations & I now live, breathe, speak Schitt’s Creek SMH…

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord –

“All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.” – Goodreads

This was just about all I had to read before requesting it on Edelweiss. I read 25% of this book today & had to pry myself away from my Kindle. It’s witty & addictive, I LOVE jumping into this story when I have time to cuddle up with it. Otherwise I TRULY struggle putting it down. EARLY PREDICTION: This may be 5 star worthy *fingers crossed*

SKYWARD (SKYWARD #1) by Brandon Sanderson –

Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul. -Goodreads

I’m about 20% into Skyward & have already grown fond of Spensa who is fierce & ambitious. When I picked this one up I had no idea this featured a close father/daughter relationship which I’m ALWAYS in search of in my books. Sanderson also happens to be one of the very few male authors who in my opinion writes female characters well. EARLY PREDICTION: This will probably be my first 5 star YA/Sci-Fi of the year *fingers crossed*

BEAUTIFUL DREAMER BY MELISSA BRAYDEN

This past weekend I finished reading Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden (Smutathon Wrap-up), a F/F Romance set in a beach side town I’d HIGHLY recommend to anyone who’d listen *heart eyes* I have a full review coming over the next few days & plans to make my way through Brayden’s backlist. Beautiful Dreamer is a small town romance with a cast of colorful characters you can’t help but get invested in 😉

DARK AND DEEPEST RED BY ANNA-MARIE McLEMORE

Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.

Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes.

With McLemore’s signature lush prose, Dark and Deepest Redpairs the forbidding magic of a fairy tale with a modern story of passion and betrayal.

-Goodreads

Having only read When the Moon Was Ours by McLemore in 2016, my backlist for this author is growing. Lyrical, lush, atmospheric, haunting are just a few of the words that describe this authors writing. I was very lucky to get approved on Edelweiss but could’ve sworn I had another week before publication date. Whelp! I was wrong (unless it was bumped up) & will absolutly be reading this next. EARLY PREDICTION: McLemore can do no wrong in my eyes, only the highest of hopes here for a new favorite.

At the time this post goes live I will probably be making my way through Grace & Frankie season 6 which premieres TODAYYYY!!! *clutches pearls* let’s hope my reading doesn’t take a complete hit this week…