Waiting on Wednesday #20: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

One: I'm a sucker for Romeo and Juliet retellings. Two: I'm all-over diverse retellings. Three: Flappers.

Sunday Post #20: One Step Closer!

Yep, I am one step closer to my big reveal! I spent a lot of time doing more research more planning more plotting more obsessing! I am ready to do this! If you follow me on Twitter, you've maybe been spoiled a bit.

Five days until my birthday! Three days until my makeover!

Review: No Proper Lady (Englefield, #1) by Isabel Cooper

I am disappointed. I generally love the combination of Historical Romance and Urban Fantasy, so I was excited to read No Proper Lady. I also love time travel, so that just added to my excitement. Unfortunately, the paranormal and sci-fi elements are lacking and as a Romance, it's simply boring.

Joan is from a Post-Apocalyptic future where demons have taken over and destroyed much of civilization. She's been sent back in time to stop the wizard responsible for unleashing the demons to save her world at her own expense. There she immediately meets Simon who is acquainted to this evil mastermind and wants his own revenge. This all sounds fun and exciting, but it wasn't.

There's a six week time jump, which I assume is just Joan's "training" in etiquette and the like. But after that...still nothing. It's boring. Joan is attempting to seduce this wizard, which seemed to take no effort at all. In the meantime, we're constantly told how aroused Simon is by Joan. Their first sexual encounter was brought on by an aphrodisiac that the evil wizard slipped into Joan's drink for no apparent reason (he didn't even make a move on her, just sent her home). It just wasn't good.

No Proper Lady's only interesting character was Simon's younger sister, Ellie. She's the reason for Simon's revenge. This evil wizard had summoned a demon who then possessed Ellie's body! That is screwed up. She's now dealing with the aftermath of that, and I wanted to know more about her.

No Proper Lady had all the makings of an excellent hybrid novel, but it fell short on all elements. The lovers are boring. The relationship took too long to get going and then wasn't believable. The bad guy was also boring and defeated easily. The ending was beyond cheesy.

Waiting on Wednesday #19: Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

F/F Fake Dating. That's all I needed to see. Plus astrology!

Sunday Post #19: Progress!

I actually got things done this week! I moved from planning and researching to actually implementing. Things are coming along!

Nightly Halloween movies continue to be awesome fun, especially since FreeForm has started their 31 Nights of Halloween.

Series Report: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Ghostbusters, but make it fashion!

Seriously, everybody, this trilogy is so much fun and the covers are actually representative of the contents. Eleanor is a society lady who goes to balls but she also gets tangled up in the occult. She discovers that she's a necromancer and teams up with the Spirit Hunters, who fight the living dead. Or at least the dead who have been risen by another corrupt necromancer set on gaining more power and wealth. Eleanor has to learn how to control her powers while not being corrupted by them along the way. Of course, there's also a romance, but...it doesn't turn out how you think! I was shocked! It's been a long time since I was genuinely surprised by a series ending.

There's ghosts, zombies, MUMMIES, black magic, seances, kissing, sword fights, explosions, airships, demons, betrayal, and lots and lots of excitement! And pretty dresses. Duh.

September 2020 in Review

Another month gone already?! While last week did feel extremely slow, the month as a whole just disappeared! It was more of the same: staying home, only going out for groceries.

I was also watching one or two Halloween movies per night! Did you know I have a movie blog? No? Well I do! Tomorrow kicks off my 32 Days of Halloween! Yes, thirty-two, because one special movie will be posted on November 1st. 

It's my birthday month! Just fifteen days until the big day! Not that I have anything planned. I do want to get some take-out sushi.

Waiting on Wednesday #18: The Duke Effect by Sophie Jordan

I've only read the first two books in the series, but I love Sophie Jordan's romances. Hopefully I can get caught up soon.

Sunday Post #18: Three Fridays...

I thought it was Friday starting on Wednesday, so that's how my week went. But I did get a lot done. I finished some things and got started on others. Making great progress.

I've also been watching a Halloween movie every night, so that's been fun. I don't do straight up Horror, so it's mostly family friendly stuff and just slightly creepy things.

Review: Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst

Dragons, fire, and heists! Oh my! Fire & Heist is a fun, quick adventure starring Sky, a wyvern (or were-dragon). Her family has been recently ostracized after her mother disappeared, and something just doesn't seem right about it. So Sky takes it upon to herself to finish what her mom started, hopefully finding her, and restoring her family's status at the same time. However, it's hard to pull off the ultimate dragon heist when you can't turn into a dragon or breathe fire.

The plot of Fire & Heist is super straight forward. There's no surprise twists or out of left field challenges. Sky discovers what heist her mom was trying to pull off, attempts herself, also fails, but ultimately overcomes and sets things right. I had a lot of fun reading it, because it's just light and adventurous. Nothing too serious or heavy. The idea of gold loving dragons trapped in human bodies was pretty silly and cute (gold toilet handles!).

However, the world-building was a bit confusing and felt incomplete. Sky's family is suppose to be super rich and in the public eye. They're in tabloids, and are I guess kind of celebrities. Does this mean that humans know about wyverns? I didn't get that impression, since Sky's friend Gabriela wasn't suppose to know about her. But it's also mentioned that wyverns donate money to many causes, so perhaps they're like an open secret? I don't know. It wasn't clear how "out" they are.

The other thing that confused me was the heists, which is the main point of the story. Wyverns are suppose to steal gold to grow their hoards, but they don't steal from humans. Just from each other. How does that work? Do they all just take turns breaking into their neighbors' vault? What's the reason for them stealing from each other? Other than just loving gold. It was really weird how normal this was with no explanation.

Other than the questionable dragon lore, I enjoyed Fire & Heist. I would have liked to have known more about the wyvern's social structure, but Sky's heist was exciting and kept my interest.

Waiting on Wednesday #17: The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan

This one came out yesterday and I need it! Diverse Historical Romance? Yes, please!

Sunday Post #17: The smoke is clearing...

 

Another quiet week here in the land of wild fire. The smoke is finally clearing and temperatures are cooling down, so hopefully I can get back to walking Miss Scarlet!

For some reason this time of year makes me want to declutter. I'm itching to do another KonMari marathon!

Series Report: Gemma Doyle by Libba Bray

This series has been on my TBR since 2011, and I just now got to it. And I'm glad that I did! I actually adored the first book! It's like if Mean Girls and the Craft had a baby and then that baby was raised by Sylvia Brown. Basically, it's full of weird magic, a creepy school, and teenage girls who go from enemies to best friends.

The friendship between Gemma and the other girls was actually my favorite part. It was so surprising. I was fully expecting Gemma to stay an outcast, or have the other girls take advantage of her magical abilities. But these girls genuinely become friends and nothing can come between them. Not even death. It's by no means perfect, sunshine, and rainbows. But these girls stick together and save the magical realm together.

The series does go downhill as it goes on. The second book was still fully enjoyable, but the third book was unnecessarily long and unsatisfying. I do think this series could have been one 800+ epic book and have been fantastic. There's just a lot of filler and back-and-forth in the sequels.

However, the one real down point of the series is the period-typical racism against Romani people and Indian people. It might be historically accurate, but...still. Ew.

If you like magical girls, creepy boarding schools, and unlikely friendship, I'd recommend this one.

Waiting on Wednesday #16: Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore

I don't think I've ever read about a beauty pageant before! But I'm all over cheering for the underdog, especially when they're queer girls.

Sunday Post #16: Getting on with life...

This week was pretty quite, but I made quite a bit of progress on Secret Mission: Get My Life Together! So that was good. I also picked up my Degrassi binge and I'm nearly done! Just the final two seasons to go! Then it's time for Halloween!

Review: Odd One Out by Nic Stone

I love love triangles, so I was definitely looking forward to Odd One Out's bisexual love triangle! Jupiter and Courtney have been friends forever. Courtney wants more, but Jupiter is a lesbian. Then Rae moves to town and Jupiter is immediately smitten, but Rae starts falling for Courtney. Clearly, this is going to be a big mess.

Messy is the best way I can describe Odd One Out, and mostly not in a good way. I was certainly intrigued, but everything felt so disjointed. It's almost as if there were three totally separate stories happening here and they got throw into a blender. There's the actual love triangle, which wound up rubbing me the wrong way. Then there's Courtney and Rae's quest which was super weird, but I was oddly into it. That didn't get enough attention though. Finally, there's Jupiter's struggle with her sexuality.

I did not like how Courtney was basically just waiting for Jupiter to reciprocate his feelings. I definitely believed he had feelings for her, but it was kind of gross how he just could not get the fact that she was a lesbian through his head. Of course, this comes into question when Jupiter starts questioning her sexuality. The ending basically felt like straight boy wish fulfillment.

As for Courtney and Rae's relationship, it started out rocky, but then they bond over their childhood hero, Carnival Carl who mysteriously disappeared one day. A day that is etched in both of their memories forever, since that's the same day Courtney lost his father and Rae's mom left. They want to find out what happened to him to find some kind of closure. This could have been its own book with a fun mystery and possibly some high emotions. Instead, it felt kind of thrown in to get these two close to each other and isolate Jupiter.

The last third of the book is focused on Jupiter and her coming to terms with her feelings for Rae and Courtney, and her sexuality in general. This was interesting, but a lot of it felt forced. There is this problem with people assuming lesbians just haven't found the right guy yet, and this is brought up, but it felt like it was mentioned so that it wouldn't look like that's what's happening with Jupiter and Courtney. He didn't "turn" her. It was just very jumbled and like the author was trying really hard to make sure that the reader doesn't think this. That could have been accomplished by spending more time with Jupiter's emotions and confusion over what she was doing with her best friend.

In the end, Odd One Out just didn't work for me. The themes and premise are excellent, but it wasn't pulled together.

Waiting on Wednesday #15: Legendborn by Tracey Deonn

This one is being pitched as City of Bones meets Black Girl Magic, and I am here for it.

Sunday Post #15: I did something crazy...

Yeah, I did something a little nuts on Friday. I booked a trip to Disney World. I couldn't take it anymore. I need to go. So I'm going next month, after my birthday since my coupon didn't work for my birthday week. I had to order more masks so that I can change them during the day. But I feel so much more settled now that I have a vacation planned.

Still waiting on the next step of my life plan. But in the meantime, I've been watching Disney+, as one does. I am ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with The Greatest Showman. I think you all got your musicals about problematic white men confused, because Hamilton cannot even compare to this one.

Ashley (@NoseGraze) announced BookHype yesterday! I was one of her beta testers, so I had been playing around on it all week. I'm excited for all of the features to come! It's like Goodreads, but less noisy. Back to the books!

Series Report: Oak Fast Fated Mates by Rebel Carter

Oak Fast Fated Mates is a super quick and cute Paranormal Romance series. Each of the books is novella length, so I finished the first three books in one day, at just under 400 pages. Now I must wait patiently for the rest of them. This series is set in Oak Fast, Alaska, a small town where humans and magical folk live in harmony. The local college even offers a seminar for the humans so that they can learn about their magical neighbors. Based on the title, I'm sure you can guess that all of the books use the "fated mates" trope. This one is quite hit or miss for me, but it worked for these novellas. While magic pushes these couples together, the final binding must be consensual. These could probably be classified as Rom-Coms, but the humor is wasted on me. I've made no secret of the fact that humor in books simply doesn't work for me. But those of you who can process humor properly will likely get a chuckle out of these books. 
Barista and the Bear focuses on a witch and her bear. She's a Luna has a human and her wolf. Fairy Suited is a fairy and his ex-wolf.

Review: Blended by Sharon M. Draper

I was super excited to discover Blended, because I knew I was going to be able to relate to Isabella. We both have a Black father and white mother, so what does that make us? Isabella has never really thought about her race or what she identifies as until her parents divorce. She notices that she gets odd looks when she's with just her mom, but not with her dad. Then the subject of racial discrimination comes up at school and she wonders if the world sees her as Black or white.

Blended deals with some seriously heavy topics, which surprised me. It's not that I didn't think kids know about this stuff, but I don't know. It just surprised me. After a class discussion, a student puts a noose in Isabella's best friend's locker. A situation which scared everyone and raised a ton of questions. Then something happens to Isabella and her stepbrother toward the end of the book.

I am torn on the ending though. Something super traumatic happens which I never saw coming. But then, everyone goes home and life goes on. That's all well and good, because I do love a happy ending. However, this was huge! There needed to be some kind of after math, discussions, something! There was more time given to the incident which happened with Imani at school.

If the ending had been a bit more fleshed out, this would have easily been a 5-star read for me. It's relatable, eye opening, and relevant in today's world. I'd highly recommend it to everyone.

Review: Parts & Wreck (Parts Department, #1) by Mark Henry

Parts & Wreck is another book where I didn't remember anything that I just read after putting it down. It's a good thing I take some notes for my reviews, because this book is utterly forgettable. Wade is a self-proclaimed playboy; women just can't resist him! I can't see why though, except he's super hot or something. Anyway, he hires Luce as his new assistant, and of course she's another one of those women who can't resist him, except that she does.

There's one very annoying thing about Parts & Wreck: the jokes. I struggle with humor to begin with, but I can normally tell when something is meant to be funny. The jokes here are all sex based, mostly about prostitutes, because apparently sex work is hilarious. Also roofies.They weren't funny and seemed more there for shock value? I don't know. It just wasn't funny at all and it bothered me.

The plot of Parts & Wreck is also pretty darn slow, which is unusually for the Paranormal genre. We don't even know exactly what Wade's job is until about a quarter of the way in, and then nothing plot related happened until...well, ever, honestly. I couldn't even tell you what the plot was suppose to be outside of the budding romance between Wade and Luce. Something about demons and surgery and prostitutes, probably.

Parts & Wreck was simply not my jam. Maybe dudes with raunchy humor, who remove organs from possessed people, is your jam. But don't forget the roofie jokes. Those shouldn't appeal to anyone.

Waiting on Wednesday #14: Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

I've recently read two other books by this author and they blew my mind. I imagine that she's going to be one of the few authors whom I'll read whatever they write.

August 2020 in Review

Did August even happen? I don't remember. For real. Everything kind of runs into July...I know I spent the last few weeks working on my secret project and have entered the next phase of that. Which just means waiting on something, then I can finish up the rest of my to-do list and go live! Exciting! At least for me.

I also spent a lot of time planning vacations that I'm not going to go on, most likely. I wanted to spend the entire month of October in Hilo, Hawaii. But the mandatory quarantine was extended, which makes me believe it will get extended again, so that's a no go. Most likely. Then I figured that I would just suck it up and go to Disney World. Disney is doing a great job of enforcing physical distancing and mask wearing, but no character meet-n-greets, no fireworks, and most restaurants are still closed. I just don't know if I want to spend that kind of money for half a vacation, but the flights are crazy cheap! 

THEN I started getting my hopes up that Disneyland might open up. I'm certainly keeping my eye on that as the state discusses the opening criteria for amusement parks. If Disneyland does open by/in October, I'm going. I've already cancelled two Disney vacations this year and it has me very antsy. It's my happy place. I'm use to going every year for my birthday or at Christmastime. I need this for my sanity.

Sunday Post #14: Entering the next phase...

I am entering the next phase of getting my new life together! I have so much to do now, but it's exciting! I can't wait until it's all done and ready.

If you all haven't watched The One and Only Ivan yet, you need to. It's so cute and made me cry a lot. Disney totally broke me with one scene in this one...

Review: Touch of the Wolf by Vella Munn

Touch of the Wolf had me a bit nervous in the beginning because I wasn't sure if what I was reading was stereotypes or realities. So I did some research. The author is, in fact, a white woman who has a passion for Native American history due to her love of nature. Okay then. That caused me to lean more toward the uncomfortable end of the spectrum, even though it sounds like she probably had done some research. I don't know though. I just know that Jay's brother is an alcoholic and his uncle wears feathers in his hair and communes with eagles. And there's this overarching theme of the "uncooperative Native" since none of the Hoh people wanted anthropologists stomping all over their land. I'm not Native American, so I can't actually speak on any of this, but it all seemed questionable.

What I can comment on is that Jay's brother's alcoholism did wind up being used a plot devise. Winter's professor who was murdered while studying the land admits to hoping to find a Native with a weakness he could exploit. Well, that was Floyd, who he bribed with alcohol to get information and ancient relics. That is disgusting. It's certainly portrayed as being an awful thing to do, but I could have done without that part entirely.

Also, Touch of the Wolf is not the Paranormal Romance that it's marketed to me. There was a brief moment that was reminiscent of The Mask. Winter receives the illegal, ancient artifact, which is a wolf mask. She promptly puts it on, and whoa. Visions and she hears a wolf cry (to the blue corn moon), and then Jay tells her about Wolf. Wolf is totally real and a spirit in the forest. That is not paranormal. Kissing in the forest where a spirit wolf lives does not equal Paranormal Romance. It's just a poorly done Contemporary Romance that attempts to use Native American culture.

Clearly, I did not enjoy Touch of the Wolf at all. Even the big reveal at the end irritated me. The villain spent three chapters monologuing a non-explanation for the murders, which gave the rescue party plenty of time to arrive. On top of what I already discussed, the romance was boring and the sex was cringe-worthy. I don't think "her sex juices bathed his penis" is sexy in the slightest. It sounds messy. Like the rest of this book.

Review: Reforming the Cowboy by Marisa Cleveland

Reforming the Cowboy is another "reforming" Romance where there is no reforming. Billy is a washed-up Country singer who's been out of the spotlight for a decade. He's trying to make a comeback, and his first bit of exposure is a weekend gig for the grand opening of Lacey's Cafe. The owner, Lacey, had a crush on Billy when he was still touring, so needless to say, she's quite happy to meet him. Of course, the two start up a whirlwind romance, but when Billy starts getting more opportunities, can they make it work?

One of my least favorite Romance endings is when someone gives up their dream in order to be in the relationship. Reforming the Cowboy almost has this moment, but I was still annoyed because Lacey was more than willing to do it! She spends nearly 200 pages saying how her cafe is her dream and her life and she's going to make it work. But after a week she's ready to move out of state to be with Billy when he says that they don't have to be long-distance? I don't think so! Luckily, the man had a plan that did not involve her closing up her week-old business.

I knew Reforming the Cowboy wasn't going to be my jam, but for different reasons. I actually enjoyed most of it, but toward the end, Lacey just drove me bananas. I had actually been pleasantly surprised at how normal their relationship was going, and then it all went down hill when Lacey purposely misinterpreted Billy's lyrics, didn't even listen to the entire song, and chose to listen to his clearly jealously unhinged ex-girlfriend. All before being too willing to give up her dream for him. Sorry, but no.

Review: Operation Saving Daniel (Melville Sisters, #1) by Nina Croft

For being a Paranormal Romance, Operation Saving Daniel was pretty light on the "paranormal." I mean, Daniel is a werewolf and the ultimate showdown was between him and his pack leader. But most of the build up was Lissa trying to seduce him away from his awful fiancee, and Daniel pretending to be this emotionless robot.

Ten years ago, Lissa and Daniel had one special night together before she ran off. Now, she's back and hopes to get him out of her system for good. I'm not sure how seeing him again after so long is suppose to accomplish that, but okay. The man she finds is certainly not the same one she left a decade ago, but she can tell that something about him isn't right. Meanwhile, Daniel is caught in an engagement of convenience (or so he says) with an awful woman, but he really has no say in the matter if he wants his sisters to live. Of course, all of this is backed by the fact that Daniel and his fake fiancee are werewolves, but the plot could have been exactly the same if they were human.

Once the paranormal elements of Operation Saving Daniel kicked in, it was nearly over. All of the excitement in crammed into the last quarter-or-so, and one of the big bad wolves is killed off the page! That was majorly unsatisfying. At least Lissa and Daniel got their happily ever after...

Waiting on Wednesday #13: Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite

I am still obsessed with vampires, so duh. I need this anthology in my life.

Sunday Post #13: It's wildfire season...

 

My state is on fire, just like every year around this time. But this time it started with LIGHTNING! 100+ degree weather, plus lightning, plus wind, is not a good combination. We've been stuck indoors because it's just smoke and ash out there.

 Last week was also #BoutOfBooks! Well, today is the last day, but it's been fun. I'll finish my sixth book today, which is one short of my goal. That's okay though, since I also completed a beta read and did some studying.

Review: The Cinderella Seduction (Suddenly Cinderella, #3) by Hope C. Tarr

 The Cinderella Seduction is the best of the three, but it still wasn't totally my thing. I'm not big on the devoted single dad and loving wannabe stepmom type Romance. Stefanie is the "ugly duckling" of her family, so she gives herself a makeover in hopes of seducing Nikolaos. He's coming from Greece to possible take over their family business if Stefani's father can't pay his debts. When he arrives, Stefani turns on the charm, but she winds up being the one seduced.

I liked The Cinderella Seduction. I'm always up for an underdog coming out on top, especially when that's a plump woman stepping into her confidence and getting her man. Which is exactly what Stefani does. Nick is a reformed playboy who's just trying to do right by his young daughter, which means no more dating around. He needs a stable relationship. Of course, there has to be a fight because Nick finds out that Stefani was plotting to seduce him. But being the gentleman that he is, he does check in on her rather than disappearing for a length a time before returning.

The Cinderella Seduction was short and sweet. A bit too sweet and family-oriented for my liking, but still an enjoyable read. I just wish there had been more food since Stefani is a chef.

Review: The Cinderella Makeover (Suddenly Cinderella, #2) by Hope C. Tarr

The Cinderella Makeover was giving me The Swan flashbacks. Anyone remember that horrible show? Well, the show in this book wasn't as extreme, but the main them was still there: you're ugly and unlovable without the proper makeover! Greg is known as the "camera-shy CEO" but then he signs up for this reality show where he'll receive a makeover and win a chance at love. One of the coaches is Francesca, who failed to get his photo for a magazine spread, so she's a bit miffed at having to work with him again. But then a bet with a rival coach drives them closer together.

The Cinderella Makeover was definitely better than its predecessor, but still not great. Greg and Francesca are certainly more likeable, and the only part that really got on my nerves was the inevitable fight near the end. It was cute to see Francesca help Greg come out of his shell to help him win the competition (and her wager). He's a classic geek to chic fairy tale! But when he finds out about the bet, he understandable doesn't take it well. However, the bet was that he would WIN. Francesca was helping him WIN. He wanted to WIN. She wanted to WIN. What's the problem. He claims it's because she lied to him, but she didn't. It was just drama for the sake of drama.

In the end, The Cinderella Makeover was quick and cute. Nothing special or particularly memorable.

Review: Operation Cinderella (Suddenly Cinderella, #1) by Hope C. Tarr

Operation Cinderella simply rubbed me the wrong way. It's an opposites attract, nemesis to lovers Romance. Although Ross doesn't know that they're opposites or nemeses, since Macie is undercover to write an expose on him for her magazine after he trashed one of her articles. He's ultra conservative and has some serious issues with teenage sex, and teenage girls in general, so he wants a live-in housekeeper/nanny for his daughter who will uphold his old school values. Macie is anything but old school, but she fakes it to get into his life. Needless to say, her plan fails and they fall in love and live happily every after.

My main issue with Operation Cinderella was Ross himself, and not just because he's a Republican--he actually wins a Republican of the year award, ew. He hires a woman to be a role model for his fifteen year old daughter. As far as I could tell, the only thing the girl did wrong was wear too much makeup, have a few piercings, and wear ripped jeans. Otherwise, she's a normal teenage girl. Later into things, Ross is lamenting about being an awful father because he forgot to pick her up and she wound up in a car accident. Then five minutes later he whisks Macie away to have sex because his daughter probably isn't going to wake up anytime soon. THEN, Macie reveals her issues with sex, and his response is basically that she just hasn't had sex with him (and it works). Gross.

Waiting on Wednesday #12: The Roommate by Rosie Danan

Porn-star Romance! That is all. That's what I want.

Sunday Post #12: Working hard or hardly working?

This week has been #galleyathon! I've knocked out eight ARCs from 2013. Yep, I still have those. In fact, all of my outstanding Netgalley ARCs are from 2013-14, so it has felt good to finally get rid of them.

Other than that, I've spent the week working on my secret project. It's continuing to go very well. But I'm not having any luck with getting more beta reads. I've certainly had authors contact me, and then they back out once they get the invoice. It's not a secret that I charge. This is my job. I'm upfront about it, so it's very frustrating. I know it'll turn around though. I do have one lined up with an author I've worked with before, so that's exciting!

Two months until my birthday! Not that I'll be doing anything, just like everyone else who's had a birthday since March...

Review: Temptation by Fire by Tiffany Allee

Temptation by Fire is a largely forgettable Paranormal Romantic Suspense novel. It has an exciting premise: physic tries to save a man's life after seeing his gruesome death only to be sucked into a world where demons are real, and the hunters are sexy! Ava has always considered her visions a curse, but it's what brings her to Karson, a demon hunter out for revenge. This is all well and good, but I could not keep my mind on this story for some reason.

Every time I sat Temptation by Fire down and picked it back up, I had forgotten what I had read. Nothing would stick. I just was not interested in these characters. Karson was pretty flat for me. All he wanted to do was exorcise demons and kill the one that murdered his entire family. And have sex with Ava.

Ava was just all over the place. First she sees a man die by fire and warns Karson since he was with the man at the time. Karson explains that what she saw was a demon, but she gets it into her dead that Karson is the demon when she walks in on him trying to expel the demon from the man's body. But then she wants to help, so she goes on an "undercover" date with the demon and then freaks out because something is "off" about him. No duh! He's a demon! I was so frustrated with her!

Of course, in the end, good triumphs over evil. I couldn't begin to explain to you how Ava and Karson beat the demons, because like I said, it's totally forgettable it. I can tell you that Temptation by Fire does have the requisite happy ending though. I just didn't care.

Review: Reforming the Playboy (Passion Creek, #1) by Inara Scott

Reforming the Playboy is a second-chance romance between Kira and Max, who fell in love during college, but then she left him one night with just a note. Five years later, Max is an internationally known artist, and Kira is back in her hometown where she had been taking care of her sick aunt. Now, Aunt Polly is dead, and her will has some questionable yet specific terms which require Max and Kira to come face to face for the first time in years. Neither are happy about it, and the reunion certainly doesn't go as either of them planned.

I enjoyed Reforming the Playboy. It has a bit of my favorite trope--stranded together! Of course, it's been snowing, so Max is forced to stay in town longer than he anticipates. He also "has" to stay with Kira for a bit, because of course he does. It's all part of his plan for revenge though! But we all know how that goes. This man is far too emotional to seduce and dump his true love. As soon as he's inside her, it's over. He's gone. Not to say that they don't have some drama, because they do. It's more like all of the words they left unsaid in college come exploding out, and they have to figure out how to put the past behind them.

Reforming the Playboy is less about reforming a playboy and more of comforting the tortured artist. Max was heartbroken, has an estranged family, and was in a car accident that left him completely uninspired. Being back with his teenage love sparks something inside him, which gets his career back on track. He also helps Kira with her own artistic fears. In the end, it's a pretty standard small town, second-chance romance with a side of angst.

Waiting on Wednesday #11: Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

I read the first book earlier this summer and really enjoyed it. Of course I'll be needing the sequel!

Books I Loved but Never Reviewed

I haven't reviewed every book I've read, even ones that I loved. So here are ten books that I loved, but never reviewed... 

Sunday Post #11: Hustlin'

 This week I mostly just continued to work on my secret project. There have been some ups and downs, but I just keep swimming! It'll all be worth it.

Like I predicted, my library closed again. I expected it, and it's probably for the best, but I'm still sad. It was nice to look forward to something every week.

New Books:

From Kindle Unlimited:

From Overdrive Library:

From the Library:

Lots more books! But that's likely it for now. I have plenty of things to read, and plenty of nonreading activities to take care of over the next several weeks.