Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst

Series: Spellshop (#3)

Format : 384 pages, Paperback

Published: January 1, 2026 by Pan Macmillan

Cozy fantasy/library

I like this series, it is so sweet and cozy. Sure the Empire has fallen, the king was thrown out an window. But we do not really see all of that. Instead we have Marin, she left a bad marriage, her parents equipped her ship and now she is doing jobs between islands.

Dax is the golden composer. The city is falling apart but he knows nothing about that. They have met before and then she helps him flee.

She has a sea dragon friend and a talking plant as crew. Dax has never left his safe little bubble. She has debts to pay, he has dined with the king.

They have adventures, they get closer and they will get that happy ending. And we meet people from previous books, yay. I think these islands will be just fine.

I enjoy these, fun times

Her boat. Her rules. His music. Their hearts . . .

Marin has always belonged on the great blue sea. Betrayed by love, she lives and works as a supply runner, sailing from island to island, delivering an array of goods with Perri the sea serpent and Ree the sailor shrub as her crew.

On one of her routine trips to the capital, Alyssium, Marin finds a revolution underway - and a friend in the line of fire.

What starts as a rescue evolves into a deal: Marin will keep Dax on as a member of her crew if he pretends to be her boyfriend at the End-of-Harvest Festival back home.

But against her better judgment, Marin finds herself intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, his charming smile - and realizes that perhaps she isn't saving him. Maybe it's the other way around.

Audio: After Anne by Renata McMann and Summer Hanford

By: Renata McMann, Summer Hanford

Narrated by: Benjamin Fife

Series: Pride and Prejudice Variation

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Release date: 09-08-26 by Tantor Media

Categories: Literature & Fiction

PP variation time!  In this one Lizzy gets to know Anne a bit better, but no one else knows. Darcy still asks Lizzy to marry him and that goes badly. And here is where it takes a new turn, Anne grows a backbone and just ups and leave. The whole place is in an uproar! Where is Anne!?

And Lady Catherine gets this crazy idea and hires Lizzy as her companion, tells Darcy he must come too and they set off to find Anne. And Darcy and Lizzy must spend a lot of time together trying to find Anne, and no one must know she is missing.

It will be awkward, but it will also give them the time to come to terms with their feelings as she learns he is not the man she thought he was.

Wickham is an ass as always. But he will learn his lesson.

Anne is awesome, I liked that she learnt to take what she want.

Darcy was humbled, I liked that.

I enjoyed this variation. It has its twists and turns and you know they will get there in the end.

The narration was well done and I do not know if I have listened to this narrator before, but he does it well

Elizabeth Bennet cannot believe the effrontery of Mr. Darcy's proposal to her, but before she can firmly decide to despise him, he hands her a letter. Unsure what he could possibly have to say to redeem himself, she sneaks off to read his words, only to witness the flight of Miss Anne de Bourgh. Now, despite the array of turbulent emotions between them, Lady Catherine de Bourgh insists that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy form a team to search for her daughter. Though Lady Catherine has motives of her own, being thrown together may help Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth better understand each other, all while they go after Anne.

Itch by Gemma Amor

Format: 352 pages, Hardcover

Published: October 9, 2025 by Hodder

Horror/borrowed

Ohh I like weird. Josie left her ex after said ex put her in a coma. She went home with her widowed dad, she works at a pub, and life is just pretty shitty. Then she finds a dead body and everything becomes effed up.

It itches, the ants from the dead body are inside her. There is an legend from the woods that there is something there, something that demands offerings.

But it is also a murder mystery. As she is spiraling out of control she tries to figure out what happened to the dead woman.

I liked it. Messed up, creepy and good

Something moves on the forest floor...

Josie is at rock bottom. Burned out, heartbroken and recovering from an abusive relationship, she lives a haunted existence after returning to her isolated hometown on the edge of the Forest of Dean.

But the tall, dense pine trees are not the only things casting shadows across her skin.

Josie's hopes of a fresh start are horribly derailed when she stumbles across a dead woman's decaying, ant-infested body in the woods. The grim discovery sends her into a downward spiral, forcing her to face uncomfortable truths about the victim and her own past - all whilst battling the swarming black ants that seem to have burrowed into her mind... and her flesh.

As Josie struggles with infestations of all kinds, she scratches the surface of an age-old mystery - a masked predator stalks the forest around Ellwood, a place deeply gripped by ancient folklore and strange customs. So when the village dresses up for its annual festival, Josie gets closer and closer to unveiling a monster, and begins to ask

Are these dark crawling insects leading her to uncover the truth?

Or is she their next victim?

TMST

 

10/13/2026 What animal do you think best represents your personality?

Hmmm, a cat? A cat will spend time with those it likes, but be rather aloof with others. They go their own way and do not give many effs. A cat hates making mistakes and will totally pretend that stumble did not happen. And they like sleep, and warmth

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