Katherine

I sense him watching me.

No one will save me from my fate. my step brother torments me, my step mother is cruel and hates me, and I am the only person in this god-forsaken town who won’t be able to go to the masquerade. Won’t anyone please help me? Literally anyone, I am not picky.

He will, but do I want him to? He talks like the sensuous dark devil, but if he will give me one wish I will give him anything. I just want a dress and to go to the masquerade ball to forget who I am. Only, I wasn’t prepared for what that might entail.

WOW. simply wow. I never knew fairy tales could be so steamy and riveting, but here we are with an amazing, dark, steamy retelling of Cinderella and I am completely converted.

This was such a good Cinderella retelling for so many reasons. Reverse Harem angle, step-sibling gender role reversal, stepmother being ‘evil’ in a way that exemplifies ‘cruel’ in its innermost meaning, the ‘fairy god mother’ twist that was so delightfully perfect and dark, the prince overall – it was simply chef’s kiss.

I will say that if you are looking for more plot with sprinkling of spice, this is not the novel – it is more spice than plot, although I felt it worked perfectly with the story as-is.

Elise’s inner trauma, self hatred and self confidence issues, and her journey to discover that it is OK to embrace your darker, spicier desires was so good and honestly relatable. You are not always going to have happiness thrust upon you (no pun intended), you sometimes have to work hard and endure and take it for yourself. You have to stop denying your deepest spicy desires and embrace them – it will only hold you back from true happiness/pleasure if you try to pretend you are someone other than who you are.

I wish we had gotten to see Elise’s inner growth a bit more, even right at the end she still resigned her self to her fate before things went askew, and I would have liked her to put up more of a fight for herself as we progressed through the novel. However, most of the story was told by Rowan and the Prince so I do see why we didn’t get that as much.

Overall Stalking Cinderella by Leann Belle was a great book! I would 100% recommend it to those dark, spicy, erotica-fantasy-romance lovers out there. I will definitely be reading the rest of the Vicious Wonders series!

*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

A Bedtime Story by L.C. Moon was SO GOOD. My first erotica novel but most most certainly not my last. It was dark and twisted and a deep look into the dark side of humanity, love, and lust.

There was a ton of tension between the 2 MC’s and it just kept building and building and building and honestly it was so good I enjoyed it almost more than the rest of the story.

Laura was extremely timid and I wasn’t sure I liked her at first, but the more we learned about her the more I liked her and understood why she was the way she was. I am a sucker for characters with trauma and mental health struggles, it is just so relatable and really draws you into the story.

Kayne was sexy and devilish and twisted and scary but also man was he a great Dom and MC. He had just the right mix of serious scary Dom and caring guy-who-is-falling-for-her. He did not want to be caring and sensitive, but Laura’s innocent nature unwittingly drew it out of him.

My favorite part of this book is that it has an unhappy ending. It was so refreshing to read a dark and twisted story, and then for there to be a dark and twisted ending. I love that Laura turned malicious, and this sounds horrible but I liked that Kayne died. I liked Kayne as a character, but I liked that his and Laura’s relationship did not end happily. It was really good and fit the novel compared to a random happy ending twist.

Overall I really liked this book! It is not for everyone, and also not for the fainthearted. I am not everyone nor am I fainthearted and I LOVED it.

This book has a lot of potential- there were a lot of plot points I was really hoping would be expanded on. It was a good read and I enjoyed it, but it felt like the book was double the length it actually was.

It seemed to drag on and was quite slow for the first half or so, but the last 20% was much better.

I liked Klara as a character, she was feisty and unhappy and willing to do something about it so she could be happy and enjoy life. She was tough, cared about her people, and wanted things to be better. She was relatable in her less than desirable relationship with her parents - tough love, not giving you the time of day, etc.

The romance in this was lacking but that was okay. I think it didn't need to be there, her character development was a good enough plot point for me. I could see what the author was trying to do with Frendell, but it just didn't do it for me.

I liked the angle of the 3 queens, that was really interesting.

The twist of Klara having white angel wings and ending up being part fae, part angel, part demon was really interesting! I am glad she was able to own it proudly in the end, and not have to hide it for fear of her father's disappointment.

I was disappointed that some of my favorite characters died for no reason, that was a bummer.

Overall, I thought it was a nice quick read, just that the author tried to shove too many things into the story all at once. There were several different angles she could have gone, all very interesting. Not to say it was bad because it wasn't! I liked it and once it finally picked up, it was interesting.

**This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review**

If you enjoy Greek mythology you will enjoy Circe!

Circe feels like an intricately written poem and character study, and it truly feels like you are reading from the perspective of a goddess versus a mortal. The way she thinks about things, how she feels and endures; it isn’t how a mortal would think and feel but rather those of being that’s more.

The writing was truly poetic and while some parts were a little slow for me, I appreciated them by the end. From a character-study perspective, the loneliness during her time alone on the island added immensely to how we as the reader see her character as a whole.

Loved the weaving together of many Greek stories and characters into one that is totally different while also keeping the integrity of each character alive.

This was a bit of a different read for me but was immensely enjoyable. Miller’s writing has that classic feel mixed with something new to intrigue the reader and keep us wondering how the story will pan out.

In the Roses of Pieria by Anna Burke was a delightful academically tilted double FF romance story. The plot twists and turns in such a brilliant way that kept me guessing all through the last page, where I remained shocked and intrigued by the end and wishing for the sequel immediately.

I immensely enjoyed the double FF romance, one across history; the other forming in the present as they translate this seemingly timeless undying love. I also loved that the FMC was in her 30's - it is nice to read about a character over the age of 25!

I loved this book! It had fantasy, romance, darkness, LGBTQIAP+ themes, academia, and history all wrapped up into a riveting story about an archivist who gains access to the private historic collection of her dreams.

The story follows Clara Eden, a 30 something archivist specializing in the history of the ancient city state of Nektropolis, who accepts a mysterious dream job to work on a gorgeous estate translating and digitizing Agatha Montague's private collection of historic documents and relics. A dream come true, Clara is immersed in pieces of history never before seen by her archivist counterparts while working alongside Fidah Halloran, Agatha’s assistant. Fidah and Clara’s budding romance forms as they work to translate what seems to be a collection of ancient love letters.The catch? She can't share a single word about it anywhere, ever.

Things are not quite as they seem, and life for Clara quickly takes several surprising turns, leading to a world she never thought existed.

I really enjoyed the uniqueness to how Anna created the workings of the fantasy world. A unique perspective on fae, it was unlike anything on fae I had read before. Fungal Fairies? Heck yes!

I'm so glad Anna included the translators notes at the end of the book, I enjoyed reading through those and referring back to the letters throughout the book to gain more understanding on what was going through Clara's head. It added another level of academia, and I truly appreciated it.

Overall, this was a 5/5 read for me. I would recommend In the Roses of Pieria to anyone who enjoys academic, romantic, and sometimes dark fantasy.

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review*

Unfortunately 'Potent' by Tyler Wittkofsky & Kelsey Anne Lovelady fell flat and was not for me.

There was a lack of world building and character development, I didn’t feel like they were their own unique characters, rather more forgettable than memorable. I was hopeful for the Oberon and Titania retelling, but it seemed like this was more of a ‘what happened next’ type of story rather than a retelling.

The dialogue was not my favorite, it seemed almost choppy/jumpy? Moods changed, people cursed out of nowhere, and there was not a good flow to the dialogue.

Several things I think really caused me to not enjoy the read:

• While I LOVE LGBTQ+ representation, and totally love using non-standard pronouns, I felt like it was moreso added in to be added in, instead of added in a way that felt purposeful and entwined with the character. Puck didn’t have any flavor if that makes sense? I feel like it would have been better if in general for all characters, there was more character development/description/getting to know the character.
• The way Orberon’s mental health issues were portrayed. I truly love books that portray mental health struggles and help expose society to these issues, but this one personally wasn’t for me. Maybe others aligned with this type of portrayal, but it missed the mark in my opinion.
• The modern world. This is a personal thing, but I personally did not like the makeup influencer daughter angle, the references to modern actors/actresses, etc. made it seem like name dropping almost?
• The final thing I will mention is the several negative references to body size. I love representation of all body types, and would love to see more characters with larger bodies but the several mentions of “they are skinny [curse word] and need to put you down because they are threatened” was extremely cringey. If we are going to write about different body types and their struggles, I think personally I receive that better when it isn’t focused on being mean and catty. Not my vibe at all.

Overall, I feel like it had potential, but either due to the length or the writing style, it fell flat with world building, investing the readers in the characters, and portraying the semi-political issues the author was trying to portray.

**this book was gifted in exchange for an honest review**

“Across Both Sides of the Mirror" is a wonderful novel exploring the dichotomy of life experienced by all of us – the reality we live in and the potential life in the realm of our dreams through the use of the enchanted mirror Nova purchases at the beginning of the book. The author did a great job exploring self-improvement, self-realization, forgiveness, processing trauma, and the danger of giving up and using the pleasures of life (the mirror in this instance) as a means for avoidance and escape.

We follow Nova as she navigates life with her lackluster job, lonely home life, and hefty dose of unhappiness and lack of satisfaction with her current state. After purchasing a new mirror from the local thrift store, things get a little weird. The mirror is a portal to an alternate reality where you become the person you most desire to be.

“You must remember that life on that side of the mirror is not real. The mirror can be a useful tool to show you the way to become who you have wanted to be”

I really enjoyed the back and forth between reality and the magical realm of the mirror, it was interesting to read how each different world panned out in the same situations. I really identified with Nova’s internal struggles and lackluster feelings about her current state of life. Her introspection and character development by the end was great to follow throughout the novel, and I also really enjoyed the dialogue, both internal and external between the characters. There was a rawness and vulnerability to it that captured the conversations we have throughout everyday life when things aren’t always going as we want them to.

I couldn’t put this book down, and read it in 2 sittings! When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about what what going to happen next, and felt extremely invested in the character development of Nova. It left me with a fresh look at my own life and gave me the opportunity to have an alternate perspective on how I navigate life. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to other readers.

**This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review**

I have a lot of thoughts about this book – overall it was enjoyable and I liked it. Definitely more murder mystery vs sci-fi than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it.

The good:

• I liked David Blunt, the sheriff and MC of the story. He was accurately depicted as how you would expect a man brought up in a small farm town in a red state. Moral compass, small town manners, stubborn, drinker, and hints of racism and misogyny without being outright horrible.
• Charlotte was an interesting twist/character, I won’t spoil anything but I really enjoyed the angle she played in the book.
• The murder mystery was enjoyable. I was captivated and intrigued, and I liked the angle of the murder being obsessed with the alien/giant.
• The dialogue between the characters was really great – each person had their own mannerisms and voice and I enjoyed that.

The meh:

• It was a little confusing reading about the town itself. Is it a big city/town now? is it still a small town with an adjoining big town? Is one side of the town dubbed ‘old town’ and secluded from the rest? I don’t know, it was very confusing.
• If it was a big town, I find it highly doubtful they would not have reorganized the structural elements of the town. 2 police is not enough, and a volunteer fire department? Even tiny towns have a fire chief.
• The twist/ who the killer was. I was a little disappointed by how this panned out. It was a good story but I felt like it was set up early on and instead of a shocking twist, it was actually who I thought it was early on. It ties in really well with everything, I just was hoping for more of a shock factor – I kinda knew who it was already.
• The lack of sci-fi elements. There was a giant dead alien and a top secret government base and we didn’t really focus on that? what? tell me more!!

Truly I did enjoy this read, it was good! I just felt like things either weren’t wrapped up (the dogs barking/dementia thing??) OR there is going to be a sequel. Personally I would definitely read a sequel if it dove deeper into the alien and the government facility and the things they are hiding there. That would be very interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Godfall by Van Jensen was an intriguing look into a small town community whose world was impacted in more ways than one. I would recommend it to those who enjoy a murder mystery and who also like small town problems.

*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review*

Defiance is not an option. It is simply something not taught within the walls of community 215, and punished severely when it happens. Rhea has only ever known this way of life. The council selects what your occupation is, who you wed, how many children you have, how much you need to eat, and where you live. There is no choice, only blind obedience. It’s better than living amongst the outcasts, those who live in the forest not in any community, operating as savages who hunt and kill and choose everything for themselves, and are a force to be feared.

But are they?

Rhea saves a boy when she is 10 from being outcast and is branded as disobedient via an iron brand on her neck. 8 years later she and the boy (Brooks) are ready to spend their week outside the walls to prove they can be useful contributing community residents. Things don’t go to plan; does Brooks really want to go back? Will Rhea get what she wants and become the next leader? Will Rhea open her eyes to the truth about her life and what she has been taught?

The premise of Community 215 is really interesting, a mix of dystopia, brainwashing and dictatorship used to keep the population under the thumb of the rich. I enjoyed the book but thought it was a little sparse in the text for me, there just wasn’t enough depth in the characters or the world building to leave a lasting impression.

Gael was a potential side story narrative, however he seemed to disappear about halfway through the book which was disappointing. Maybe he will come back around in the next book if this is a series - which I hope it is, because otherwise the ending was just cut off with no resolution.

This was an enjoyable read, and could be improved by more character depth, motive, and world building. Overall, I liked it and would read the second one if there was a sequel.

**This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review**

Narrow Mountain is a good easy read. It was enjoyable and quite short, but I think that lends itself well to the book.

For the most part I enjoyed Victoria/Emma as the MC, she was a bit weird at times but it added to her character. I think the characters and story could use a bit more refinery, some things seemed abrupt while others dragged on, and some character traits and actions seemed to contradict the characters themselves.

I really enjoyed the steampunk industrial world, and the FMC being an intelligent engineer. Very interesting! It had a few touches of romance and also fantasy to give it a magical edge which was enjoyable. Overall I think it was good, if not a bit choppy.

I do think this could benefit from another edit round, I saw a bunch of instances where it said ‘he or him’ instead of ‘she or her’ when talking about Victoria, as well as a few other grammar mistakes.

If there is going to be a second one, I would read it to see what happens next, however I assume the ending was the end. It was a bit abrupt too, I had 15 minutes left and felt like everything quickly wrapped up all at once - the drama of the ending could have stretched out in more detail a bit.

*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review*

ACOTAR follows Feyre, a young woman who cares for her family until she kills a wolf (fae) and is captured by a beast who turns out to be an incredibly handsome but moody/grumpy fae named Tamlin. As she goes through her new life in the Spring Court, she begins to fall for Tamlin, while also realizing things around Spring Court are a bit off - something isn't right. Romance blossoms, problems grow, and she must figure out both what she can do to help and what she is truly feeling for Tamlin.

This was my first dip into fantasy-romance books and it ended with me diving full force into the deep end. I could not put it down, it was fantastic!

I really enjoyed the strong, stubborn, feisty FMC Feyre, she was great! I loved going along with her through her journey. Sarah J. Maas did a great job with world building and descriptions of everything, I felt like I was in the spring court and could visualize it perfectly, as if I was part of the book itself. Tension grew and I was sucked into the story, dying to know what happened next!

Reading ACOTAR opened me up to a whole world of books I never considered and I am so glad I gave it a chance.

If you like world building, fae, heated romance, strong FMC, and general fantasy, this is a must-read!