The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Series: The Housemaid (#3)

Format: 383 pages, Paperback

Published: June 11, 2024 by Sourcebooks

Thriller/own

This one took some time to finish, because frankly it was boring. The Housemaid should have stayed with 2 books.

I did not feel any twists or turns.

It has been several years and Millie and Enzo are married with 2 kids and move to the suburbs. One neighbor is noisy, another woman is flirting too much. And then noooothing happens. Just Millie wondering if Enzo is cheating on her.

Then when something FINALLY happens, well I do not really care, and when the twists come, eh. Not twisty enough, and the second one, well made no sense when I think of it.

It was ok. But stay with the first 2.

“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…

I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.

Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills…

The Lowells’ maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.

Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?

I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

11/18/2025 Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Mornings suck! I am not a morning person at all. I like to sleep in, not that one can when one has to work, but yeah, I am always tired because I am up late :D

11/25/2025 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Winter? (Dec-Feb)

12/2/2025 What underrated books or authors would you recommend?

12/9/2025 Which superpower do you wish you had?

12/16/2025 Have you been disappointed by the end of a series? If so, did you read that author again?

12/23/2025 What's a song that always makes you want to dance?

12/30/2025 What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2025? 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday: Frosting and Fairies

 

Author: Danielle Garrett

Title: Frosting and Fairie

Series: Sugar Shack Witch Mysteries #4

Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Fantasy, Cozy Mystery

Format: Ebook

Pages: 256 

Published: January 2, 2025

Where I got It: Kindle Unlimited

Summary: 

Small-town journalism isn’t exactly a thrill ride. Between PTA meetings and bake sale bulletins, I was drowning in monotony. But when I begged my editor for a juicier assignment, I should’ve been careful what I wished for.

Enter the Summer Lovin’ Book Festival. BOGO deals on paperbacks with a side of beefcake, as five hunky models vie to become the next Captain Riker Bones, the shirtless swashbuckler adorning Grandma Rose’s favorite bodice-rippers.

Sure, a little eye candy never hurt anyone, but ten minutes of watching grown women cry over washboard abs has me wishing I’d volunteered to write up the waste management ordinances instead.

But when one of our would-be pirates turns up dead in his hotel room, my puff piece transforms into a full-blown murder mystery. And the plot thickens faster than my family’s famous buttercream when a poison-laced cupcake from Sugar Shack is found at the scene.

Now I’m racing against time to catch a killer, clear my family’s name, and keep Grandma Rose from sailing into the sunset with one of the wannabe pirates. Someone pass the rum.

Review:

We forge forward with our gal.

Ella's new role as the small-town journalist hasn't been a thrill ride. Between PTA meetings and bake sales, she has been dying of the monotony. When she asks her editor for a juicier assignment....she gets what she asks for in spades. The Summer Lovin' Book Festival is in town, along with five of their hunky models. When one of them turns up dead in the hotel after eating a cupcake from her family's business. Now she will have to find the killer and clear her family's name.

Yayy for the next book. Plus, Orion is here too! Yayy! Don't get me wrong, I do adore Ella running around doing her thing, but I think they make a better team together. I hope he gets to stick around for a while or at least for these mysteries.

But yes, we have two mysteries at play here. One, our poor dead hunk. Two, the main mystery of finding out who is causing mayhem using magical creatures. However, the mystery of the dead hunk takes over when her family's business is besmirched. NOT THE CUPCAKES NOOOO.

Now...some realness....I did struggle a bit with this. Not sure why. Maybe I've been spoiled with the narration. The narrator is one of my favorites, and I love her. I read the ebook this time because I saw it as a freebie on my Kindle Unlimited. Maybe I'll go back and do the narrator someday.

But yes, I did struggle in the middle. The beginning was fun, and the last third was intense and caught my attention again. What an ending!!!! Again, I'm not sure why I had some struggles.

Other than my issues with the middle part and missing my narrator......I did enjoy our gang and the backdrop of the Book Festival.

I'll stamp this with 3 stars.  

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy

Series: Dearly Beloathed (#1)

Format: 416 pages, Hardcover

Published: July 8, 2025 by Orbit Books

Fantasy/library

First I thought ok this is good, but...it dragged, and I changed my mind.

I would not have cared if the main characters would have died. I think I also felt very disconnected from them because this was from both´s POVS. But they each thought of each other by their last names, so it just made them feel further away.

The world could have been interesting, but was never really explained. The UK are a bunch of kingdoms, then there are these groups, healers, assassins, witches, druids etc. They can travel through portals. There is a plague going on. But yes it felt like we only dipped our toes.

An assassin is dying and needs help so he bribes a healer. They hate each other. But I never felt the hate or growing attraction. The chemistry was zero. I guess people say this is romantasy, but there is no romance. I guess it comes later, but these two do not belong together.

I read something about Dramione fanfic as the author has written just that...I see that now. Like a changed version.

It was ok I guess, but I cant rec it

Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally – such is the grim comedy of fate – the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick - so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for.

A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne's disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.

Graphic Novel: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Powell

Format: 209 pages, Hardcover

Published: August 27, 2019 by First Second

Ya/fiction/library

I read this one for bookclub and it was a great pick. I really liked how it was drawn, and there was even a map at the beginning to show the place where these two worked.

Two besties who are only besties when they worked together at this enormous very US thing. Like Pumpkin land? Anyway I guess they do not go to the same school. And they have worked there for years and Josiah has a crush on someone. This story takes place in one night as they hare trying to find his crush since this is their last year before college.

On the way there they meet others, try all the yummy stuff you can buy, there is a goat on the loose and well it all ends well.

Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.

Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.

But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.

Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .

What if their last shift was an adventure?

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

 11/11/2025 What's a piece of advice you'd give to your younger self?

Be braver. Take that chance. What do you have to loose? Nothing. Travel! Live

11/18/2025 Are you an early bird or a night owl?

11/25/2025 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Winter? (Dec-Feb)

12/2/2025 What underrated books or authors would you recommend?

12/9/2025 Which superpower do you wish you had?

12/16/2025 Have you been disappointed by the end of a series? If so, did you read that author again?

12/23/2025 What's a song that always makes you want to dance?

12/30/2025 What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2025? 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday. That Pumpkin Spice Spell

Author: Erin Branscom

Title: The Pumpkin Spice Spell

Series: Wisteria Cove #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal

Format: Ebook

Pages: 326

Published: September 10, 2025

Where I got It: Kindle Unlimited

Summary: 

In Wisteria Cove, love is messy, magic is real, and pumpkin spice fixes almost everything… almost.

Willa Maren has a bookstore café, two meddling sisters, a witchy mother who swears by candle spells… and a big Tate Holloway is back in town.

Her first love. Her heartbreak. The boy next door, who left, is now back, looking entirely too hot in flannel.

The whole town is matchmaking, her sisters are firmly on Team Tate, and even their mother, Lilith Maren seems to stir up a love spell or two.

But this time, Willa’s determined to protect her heart, even if it takes every ounce of magic she’s got.

For readers who believe in second chances… and a little small-town magic.

Review:

Grabbed this because of the cover and it was labeled as a Halloween romance which I wanted and needed in my life. 

Here we follow Willa and Tate. Tate was Willa's first love and her first heartbreak. When he left, she decided love may not be for her. She only needs her bookstore cafe and her family even if they like to meddle. Years later....Tate is back. And it will take all her willpower and magic power to protect her heart. 

Was there magic? Sure. It was so limited it didn't feel like a paranormal/witchy book at all. We needed more. 

Also, we needed more Halloween-ness. It was there but again...lacking. 

I also didn't buy the chemistry between Willa and Tate. Sure it was there...but we needed more. 

This was entertaining overall, don't get it twisted....but it needed more of everything. It was light on everything. 

All-in-all, I'll give this 3 stars. Not bad. Loved the town and the characters, but it simply needed more on a lot of things.

 

 Challenge(s):

- Library Love #30

- Romance Reading #24 (Non-Xmas setting)

Audio: A rip through time by Kelley Armstrong

Narrated by: Kate Handford

Series: Book 1,  A Rip Through Time

Release date: 05-31-22 by  Macmillan Audio

Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins

Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, historical

Own

Dang it, I thought I had written a review! Now all my feels are gone. I must find them again.

Mallory is cop from Canada. She is in Edinburgh and she hears something, boom! Someone is trying to kill her and she wakes up disoriented and soon realises that this is not her body....this is not even her century! She is Catriona, a maid in 1869. How to talk? How to act? At least she can blame it on the coma.

But there is a serial killer on the loose who had tried to kill Catriona. And her new boss Dr Grey dabbles in being a medical examiner. It takes some time but little by little she starts helping him, but to tell him the truth would make him think her insane.

Oh this was fun! And so good! I really liked this book. Everything was thrilling and great. I really need book 2.

I listened to it and the narrator was great, she really got the feel for it. I mean I have no idea about the accents, but I liked her Scottish ones.

May 20, 2019: Homicide detective Mallory is in Edinburgh to be with her dying grandmother. While out on a jog one evening, Mallory hears a woman in distress. She’s drawn to an alley, where she is attacked and loses consciousness.

May 20, 1869: Housemaid Catriona Mitchell had been enjoying a half-day off, only to be discovered that night in a lane, where she’d been strangled and left for dead . . . exactly one-hundred-and-fifty years before Mallory was strangled in the same spot.

When Mallory wakes up in Catriona's body in 1869, she must put aside her shock and adjust quickly to the reality: life as a housemaid to an undertaker in Victorian Scotland. She soon discovers that her boss, Dr. Gray, also moonlights as a medical examiner and has just taken on an intriguing case, the strangulation of a young man, similar to the attack on herself. Her only hope is that catching the murderer can lead her back to her modern life . . . before it's too late.

Audio: And the trees stare back by Gigi Griffis

Author Gigi Griffis

Narrated by Rachel Yong

Publication date Nov 4, 2025 by Tantor Media

Running time 9 hrs 20 min

To review/ Horror Mystery Fiction

Do not go into the bog, you will not come back. Vik knows this. She knows the trees move, the trees stare at you, the deity Soovana moves through the bog. But one day she goes to close with her little sister, and then, her sister Anna is gone. Just like so many others from this village.

Horror, mystery, but, see many others will fall into the creepiness of this nearby bog. But I am Finnish, my DNA is coded with centuries of trauma so I was all at once; The Russians did it. I could never fall into the spookiness of moving trees, and spotting a strange being with deer antlers on its head. Nope, Russians. That is what they do and always have done.

And Estonia, little brother, did the Soviets mess you up so much that you wanted to burn witches in 1989? It felt more like 1789.

So for me this was more a mystery, because something comes out of the bog, someone finally returns. How, why? What is this? It has been 5 years after all and she has not aged.

There is also the whole Estonia wanting freedom, getting out from under the Iron Fist of Soviet. Wanting to speak their language, being afraid when seeing soldiers. About friendship and family and how loss changes you.

A good book, not much horror when I went all logical, but that is the hazards of living here. But a good mystery. Like what was actually going on? And would they find out before they got killed?

Good narration. I felt she got the tone right for the book. Lots of emotions going on.

, Soviet Estonia. In sixteen-year-old Vik's village—and the cursed forest that looms beyond—danger is everywhere. Soldiers threaten those who so much as dream of dissent. The villagers' words are sharp with accusations of witchcraft. And deep in the heart of the wood, a lantern-eyed spirit lies in wait to disappear those who wander too far past the trees.

Vik knows because five years ago, she led her little sister Anna over that invisible line—and never saw her again.

The only thing Vik has wished for since then is her sister's safe return. So when Anna stumbles back through the tree line on the anniversary of her disappearance, it's a miracle...Or is it a lie?

As unsettling inconsistencies between this girl and the one who vanished reveal themselves, Vik starts to doubt whether this Anna is her Anna—or something else entirely. Whoever she is, one thing is she was never meant to escape the trees.

And unless Vik can uncover the secrets of the forest, it's going to take her back.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

 

11/4/2025 Where do you purchase the majority of your books?

Not the bookstore, sorry, but like no. We have a to some tiny bookstore, at least when it comes to English books. So if they have something it is usually not something that I want. Of course I do not really visit town either except for a few times a year ;)

I order mostly online from this Nordic bookstore. They usually have what I want. And if not, well then I just can not get that book.

11/11/2025 What's a piece of advice you'd give to your younger self?

11/18/2025 Are you an early bird or a night owl?

11/25/2025 Which books are you looking forward to reading this Winter? (Dec-Feb)

12/2/2025 What underrated books or authors would you recommend?

12/9/2025 Which superpower do you wish you had?

12/16/2025 Have you been disappointed by the end of a series? If so, did you read that author again?

12/23/2025 What's a song that always makes you want to dance?

12/30/2025 What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2025? 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole's Monday: The name of the wind

Author: Patrick Rothfuss

Title: The Name of the Wind

Series: The Kingkiller Chronicle #1

Genre: Fantasy, SciFi

Format: Ebook

Pages: 662

Published: March 27, 2007

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.

The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.

Review:

I remember seeing a couple of people read this, but I honestly I forgot about it. When this was a book that was redeemed for me to read by a member of my Twitch community.

The story is told in Kyothe's own voice. He tells his own story. From a magically gifted young man to the most notorious wizard the world has ever seen. 

I love the whole concept and the whole way the story was written. You can't help but love a story told in someone's own words. It makes the story slightly biased and the narrator is slightly unreliable. 

Honestly, this felt like a roller coaster. I would be super into the story and having a blast, but then I would be over it. There were sections that for sure didn't help move the plot along or help any sort of character growth. I think this could've been slimmed down a wee bit. 

I also struggled to like Kyothe. He seemed like a spoiled and entitled snot. Sure, I love a good bad guy and complex characters. Love a character in grey! However, he just was not a nice person at times. It would've been fine if that was how he was in his youth, but I don't think he ever learned any of the lessons he was supposed to learn. No growth. Just idiocy. 

Even though I struggled to like the main character I did become invested in his story. I am curious about book 2. I am curious to see what the idiot does next. 

But yes, I enjoyed this overall. There were sections that needed a heavy red-lines and the character needs to grow up a bit, but I liked it. It is like those Fail videos you can't help but enjoy. I'll give this 3 stars.  

 Challenge(s):

- Library Love #30

Best of October

 

Here are the best of the bests for October!!!! 

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd - A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong

"Best book of the month. A thrilling mystery"

Carole -  Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

"Lots of really good ones this month, but this was just a smidge better. ;)"

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole -  We Have a Ghost (2023)

"Fresh and fun. Humor and feels."

Blodeuedd - The Blackening (2022)

"I wanted something scary for Halloween, but not too scary, so humour and social commentary, perfect."

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Wednesday (s2) & Elsbeth

"I finally watched s2 of Wednesday. Elsbeth was a fun series too."

Carole - The Osbournes (s1-4)

"Revisited this show because...why not? I forgot how much I loved this family!"

Best Cover of the Month:

Carole's pick. 

Blodeuedd's pick

Honorable Mention(s):

Carole's pick(s):

"The last two of this series is just so good and you can't stop reading. When can I re-read the series ;)"

 

Audio: Four days at Netherfield by Jann Rowland

By: Jann Rowland

Narrated by: Harry Frost

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Release date: 10-28-25 by Tantor Media

To review/ Historical fiction romance Pride and Prejudice variation

Seriosuly, JA variations gives me all the feels! I know the story, I have read SO many variations. But they are all different and fun in their ones ways. I must be addicted.

Here the difference is that Elizabeth goes to Netherfield to care for Jane. But Darcy has a softer approach after that first blunder you know. And she gets to know him more and she starts understanding him.

Another difference is that Caroline is, oh my, that venom coming out of that mouth!

Wickham is dealt with in a better way here, he gets what is coming to him that snake.

Variations are the best. I always enjoy them and they always make me happy.

I have listened to the narrator before and he just gets these books too.

Elizabeth Bennet's visit to Netherfield Park to tend to her ailing sister takes a surprising turn when she meets with Mr. Darcy on the grounds, and his manner so altered as to shock her. The gentleman provokes her gratitude when he helps her escape all Miss Bingley's contempt, conveying her to her sister's room and taking the duty of informing the mistress of her presence on himself.

As her stay at the estate lengthens, Elizabeth comes to appreciate him, for this Mr. Darcy is a man worth knowing, his opinions intelligent, his manner deferential. Their newfound amity is not agreeable to all those present, however, for Miss Bingley has long schemed to draw a proposal from the unwilling Mr. Darcy and will not surrender her prize without a struggle.

Before Elizabeth and Jane depart from the estate, Elizabeth has proof of the gentleman's interest in his own words, and she cannot help but wonder how the future will unfold with this who appears so determined to have her good opinion. The arrival of a fool and a libertine in turn throws obstacles in the lovers' path, but the course of true love, though it may not always be smooth, cannot be prevented forever. Those four days at Netherfield Park have changed Elizabeth's perspective, which will change her future.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

10/28/2025 What was your favorite Halloween (or cosplay) costume? *Bonus for photos!

Ok, so we do not really celebrate Halloween...in that way. You know the trick and treat kind. What we do do is well Fall sucks, it is grey, it is rainy and I have no idea when I last saw the sun! So carving a pumpkin is nice, putting up some spooky decorations is cute when you have a kid. Said child has been wearing Halloween themed clothes all of October. And on Friday I do have some like pumpkin/ghost potatoes and more to eat thanks to Lidl. And snacks.

But beg for candy, that is reserved for Easter. You dress up as a witch, and you get your candy.

I still have that blue skirt, is is a short dress in summer now...only at home. A bit see through

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

Carole´s Monday: The Nightmare before Kissmass

Author: Sara Raasch

Title: The Nightmare Before Kissmass

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT

Format: ebook

Pages: 357

Published: October 8, 2024

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make- out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.

But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.

Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand…and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.

It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. And it all leads to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.

Review:

I was scrolling through some Halloween books on my Libby app and then I stopped dead when I came across this one. I knew I HAD to read it!! 

Coal used to love Christmas until Santa, his dad, turned it into a PR facade. He wants to escape it and avoid even, but he is the heir to Christmas. However, duty calls and now duty is making him marry his best friend and the love of his brother's life....the Easter Princess. Things get even worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess' hand.......the prince of Halloween, Hex. Funnily enough this is the same mystery man that kissed him years ago at some seedy bar. This fake competition between the two holiday princes will lead to a messy, but sexy holiday season. 

This was really amusing. I had a good time following Coal around. He is a hot mess but a hot mess with a big heart. Hex was dark and smexy.

This concept was a lot of fun and I loved how holidays are pretty much like countries. So refreshing and different!!

I enjoyed every bit of this story, but I really cringed at the text exchanges. They were aiming to be funny and modern, but it didn't vibe with me for some reason. Super awkward attempt at humor for me. 

Other than the texting threads, I had a lot of fun. I loved watching the fake engagement competition. I loved the princess. I loved Kris. So fun.

Minus the cringey texts, I would 100% recommend this. It was entertaining and you can't help but root for this adorable couple. 

4 stars from me. 

 Challenge(s):

- Library Love #29

- Romance Reading #22 (MC is a royal)

Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole

Series: Kindred's Curse (#1)

Format: 405 pages, Paperback

Published: November 7, 2024 by Headline

Fantasy/library

Wow this one is hard to review. I liked it because it was light and I breezed through it. But the more I think the more I dislike it and wanted to change my rating....

I also assume the library bought this one cos someone has watched booktok, and every booktok book I try is a fail.

The main character is just so dang stupid. Like HELLO, you are obvi one of THEM! Omg, the whole oh she was sick and her eyes changed color...ok so why is she the only person in the world?

I hope people does not tote this as a romantasy. The main character has a bestie, and they have done the deed before, and does it like once. He is a side character of no importance. Because she meets a prince, who is dark and brooding, and lacks personality.

Nothing happens between them except for brooding looks and at the end I am supposed to believe they have feelings for each other?

Oh I changed my mind and rated it a 2 instead. I just do not like the main character at all. I also read that she gets even more stupid so no thank you

All her life, healer Diem Bellator has yearned to escape her tiny village in Emarion, a realm ruled over by cruel demigods known as the Descended. Although her parents have always tried to shield her from their brutality, Diem's world changes forever when her mother goes missing, leading her to uncover a dangerous secret that links her family to the dreaded Descended in ways she never imagined.

The journey to unravel the web of mysteries Diem's mother left behind is long and treacherous, and it soon leads her into the dark domain of those who rule her world: the Descended's royal palace itself.

With the dying king's handsome, enigmatic heir watching her every move, and a ruthless rebel alliance urging her to join the looming civil war, Diem must reevaluate everything she thought she knew to save her loved ones - and finally discover the truth about her world.

Audio: The Lady in Glass by Anne Bishop

Narrated by: Alexandra Harris, Gary Littman

Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins

Release date: 02-27-24 by Penguin Audio

Urban fantasy&fantasy&fairytale/from audible

The Lady and the Glass - A weird tale about humanity that seems to have gone wrong and they find a woman in a glass coffin and stare at her beauty

Bear Trap - It was short, but good. A girl is taken and put in a bear trap.

Not A Princess - A witch wants to be a princess, but it was more about the kid she tried to make into one

The Weapon - About war and being cannon fodder

Hotting Fuggam and the Dragon - A nice little tale about a stranger coming to town and a girl trying to deal with him

Tunnel - This is why I should write reviews for short stories at once cos I do not remember this one

Match Girl - This one I remember because it was a hard listen. It deals with SA, abuse and more. A very very dark and sad fairytale

Rapunzel - Another Rapunzel story and how she came to be

The Wild Heart - Sleeping beauty and another one with a trigger warning. Things go dark

The Fairest One of All - Again, when I listen to many at once some blend in to each other and I only remember the stepmom dying

By the Time the Witchblood Blooms-Which one was this? I remember smex?

The Khaldharon Run - I am just not a Black Jewels fan

The Price - I actually enjoyed this one. Huh. A woman solves a few murders

The Voice - Trigger warning of SA again. Another dark and disturbing one. How one girl in the village is without a voice and takes on other´s feelings, even when she does not want to. And how one girl grows up realising how wrong this is. Good, but yes dark

Home for the Howlidays - Meg and Simon! And the holidays, and danger

The Dark Ship - I have read this one before, but it a good one that takes place in the world of The Others, but in Cal Romano

Friends and Corpses- A freaky place where the dead do not know they are dead so Cecily hunts them down. Throw in a mystery

Truth and Story - Not remembering

Stands A God Within the Shadows - A woman in a tower, why is she there? The story unfolds

She Moved Through The Fair - A ghost story, and someone wants money....

A Strand in the Web - An interesting sci-fi one where spaceships are out fixing worlds to atone, and one girl is stuck on a ship that is failing.

Some are better than other ones, some are a LOT darker than other ones. Some are funny, some are sad. You know, like every anthology out there. Bishop is a great writer so even those dark sad ones are really good. Even if they make you sick to your stomach.

I totally wanted this one for the Simon and Meg story, but even if I liked that one so many other ones shone through.

Great narration, it does have Alexandra Harris too!

A master of bringing fantasy worlds to life, this collection showcases Bishop’s impressive range, from rarities of her earliest writing to the Realms of the Blood, from darker fairytale retellings to the Landscapes of Ephemera, and from standalone stories of space exploration and fantastical creatures to the contemporary fantasy terrain of the World of the Others.

Includes previously published and unpublished tales, as well as two brand-new stories, written especially for this “Friends and Corpses,” a murder mystery in which the corpse has some decidedly unusual qualities, and “Home for the Howlidays,” a heartwarming return to the Blood Prophet Meg Corbyn and the shapeshifting Simon Wolfgard from The Others.