The best of the series! Up til this one it was a good but not great cowboy romance series, but this one had the best banter and I enjoyed the whole cast of characters. 5⭐️

Here is my #FebruaryTBR! No theme, just books I want to get to and my #Roll100 and book club selections. There is a nice sprinkling of romance in here though. 🥰
I will be, as always be participating in #bookspin #doublespin & #bookspinbingo

Excited to get to these three books in February! I especially like I finally got some short books too!

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
How I‘ll Kill You by Ren Destafano
Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole

This is a thrilling dark sci-fantasy series. This is the second book, continuing many characters from the first book and adding some new intriguing and mysterious characters. The beginning was a little slow, and very political. At the 50% point it switches gears and becomes a mix of a dark sci-fi thriller and epic fantasy adventure. I do recommend checking some content warnings if certain content is triggering.⬇️

This started strong and has a great concept. A mix of reality tv, choose your own adventure and It‘s a Wonderful Life. Sounds fun right? It was actually not at all fun. The twist was ok but all three possible endings were highly unsatisfying. I didn‘t DNF it because I was engaged, but I would not strongly recommend. 2.5⭐️

This is twisty dark thriller that I could not stop listening to. I did have a guess at the ending, but there were additional twists that very much surprised me. It is best to go in knowing nothing. 5⭐️

This mystery was perfectly fine. A locked room mystery with two writers as main characters, which sounds fantastic, but the writing was just clunky at times. The mystery was fun, it was just something with the characterization that didn‘t quite click. 3⭐️

I loved the first book of this series and this was also excellent. You should definitely read Moon of the Crusted Snow first. Both take place in Canada in a post apocalyptic world. It is more of a thriller than anything else and has a wonderful cast of characters. 4.5⭐️

An overall satisfying and entertaining ending to this unique fantasy series. There is one set of POV‘s I just didn‘t care about, which was my only big criticism of this book. I still highly recommend this series (which is complete). 4⭐️

Just not working for me, bummer. #hailthebail

A solid short thriller with a fun twist. Best to go in knowing nothing. 4⭐️

A creepy little novella, a fun fast read. 4⭐️

What a delightful rom-com! A homage to romance tropes, though I think the first grumpy grumpy romance I‘ve read. I definitely recommend! 5⭐️

I really enjoyed this new suspense romance from one of my favorite authors. This features a podcaster who is starting a new investigation in a small town with an unsolved mystery, where she meets a fun cast of characters, and perhaps finds love. 4.5⭐️

This was an adorable fantasy novella. A cosy fantasy written well before it became a trend. T. Kingfisher really never disappoints. 5⭐️
#doublespin pick done!

This was good enough for me to keep reading but not a favorite. It‘s known for its big twist, and maybe because I knew the style of mystery that allowed me to guess the ending. I think I‘m also not the biggest fan of this author, though I liked this better than his other big book. 3⭐️

Bailing on this, I may come back to this later, but I‘m not sure if the writing is for me. #hailthebail

Another fantastic adventure with Carl & Princess Donut! 5⭐️

A fun short Romantasy. A conqueror of 4 realms is presented a possible bride, who may not be exactly who she is presented to be. I liked all the characters, especially our 2 protagonists, I just wish this were actually longer so more world building could be included. However, nice to not be so overwritten like many romances these days. 4⭐️

A heartbreaking mystery that is strongly inspired on the Ted Bundy murders, but from the perspectives of the women whose lives were impacted by his murders. A very excellent read. 5⭐️

Here is my final Goodreads Year in Books total.
I‘m keeping my reading goal at 200 for 2025.
Remember any number of finished books is amazing, whether it‘s 5 or 300.
Note - I listen to a lot of audiobooks and occasionally read manga. 😎

Here is my first #bookspinbingo board for 2025! Excited to use this fun reading prompt created by @TheAromaofBooks again to build and stick to my monthly #TBR.
My #bookspin pick is All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (just finished yesterday as my first read of the year!)
My #doublespin pick is Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher - my goal is to explore her backlist as a new favorite author.

What a great first read of the year! A beautifully written family drama/mystery/thriller. It starts a little slow, and is most definitely heartbreaking. My closest comp would be Demon Copperhead. I highly recommend. 5⭐️

Edit: #bookspin pick done! Yay!

Tagged was my favorite of December-loved the whole trilogy. My top read of the year is Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang - an excellent standalone fantasy everyone should read.

This was a sweet quick romance read. The main female character felt a little under developed, but I really liked the male protagonist. Nice steamy scenes and a cowboy! 3.5⭐️
See comments for a trope some people strongly dislike.⬇️
Another #bookspinbingo!

Oof what and ending/new beginning for Stormlight Archive. I cannot say much as pretty much everything is a spoiler. This is my favorite series of all time, I love the characters and though not perfect, I am overall satisfied with this book. 4.5⭐️

2 #bookspinbingos done!

Here are my first #Roll100 picks for 2025!
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Northern Wrath by Thilden Kold Holdt
The Invasion of Tearling by Erika Johansen

Here is my first #TBR for 2025! I am continuing to participate in #bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo & #roll100

Cowles‘ books are such comfort reads for me. Heartwarming small town romance with a suspense subplot. The characters are just a delight and even though the steamy scenes can be a touch cringy, I‘m there for the love story and the mystery each story brings. 4⭐️

I liked this novella giving us more about Roman - an integral character in the Kate Daniels universe. I wish it was longer though, the first half was great, but then it rushed through the ending. I do look forward to more of this new spin-off. 4⭐️

I really tried, I had it 68% and I‘m DNFing. It is so boring and it feels like NOTHING has happened. I don‘t know if I‘ve read a fantasy that explains so much yet I still have no idea who is whom. Blah. #hailthebail

#roll100 off the TBR!

I really enjoyed this. I loved the characters, which initially seemed basic, but slowly became more interesting and complex. The main character‘s journey seemed authentic and I see why this has been so popular. Definitely recommend and this would be a great book club book. 5⭐️

A great ending to this paranormal trilogy. Epic and heartwarming. Bebe really is the best! 5⭐️

Sad to #dnf this, but I just don‘t like it. The characters are not very engaging and just horrible things are happening to the women/female characters which I just don‘t wish to read about anymore. I think I will just jump to the Fitz & the Fool series and pass on the Rainwilds - which is generally disliked. #hailthebail
#roll100 off the tbr and 1st #bookspinbingo

A cute, completely unoriginal Christmas Rom-com. Not bad, just very basic. 3⭐️

This was a solid mixed media ghost story. I‘m glad I listened to it on audiobook, I definitely would recommend. I don‘t know if I would stuck with it in print. There were a few times I wanted to shake the characters, but good spooky vibes were established. 3.5⭐️

Another great installment of a favorite series. Hard to talk about as this is book 14 of the series and a lot has happened. This was a great Winter read! 4.5⭐️

This was a very mixed bag. A lot of so-so stories, with just a couple stand-outs. My favorites were by Tananarieve Due, Christopher Golden & Stephen Graham Jones. 3⭐️
#bookspin done!

Bailing on this, not because the writing is bad, but it is just not for me. Moving on!
#hailthebail
A #roll100 book off my physical tbr

This was just ok. I didn‘t especially like either character and it was so short it felt rushed. 2.5⭐️
But hey - quick and free on audible.

#doublespin pick done!

A cute quick holiday murder mystery. Not as good as the previous 2 as it feels a bit rushed, but a fun read. 3.5⭐️

Another ridiculous, funny and fast paced adventure! These should definitely be read in order FYI. 4.5⭐️

A very fun second book in this paranormal series. There is some romance, but no HEA yet so I label this as a paranormal first. I love the characters and look forward to reading the next book. This does end on a cliffhanger but all three books are out so you don‘t have to wait. 4.5⭐️

Very much a middle book, full of trademark Nora fun characters and witty banter. Things happened, but it felt like this was longer than it really needed to be. I still look forward to the third book of the trilogy. 3.5⭐️

I am removing this from my tbr due to a review I watched and this has something I really dislike in books. #hailthebail

Here is my #bookspinbingo card for my #DecemberTBR, last tbr of 2024!

My #bookspin pick is:
Christmas and Other Horrora
My #doublspin pick is:
Cruel Winter With You

An absolute delight! The epitome of cozy fantasy with a romance and a lovely cast of characters. 5⭐️

Getting to the end, what will be my favorite of the year?! No idea, though this month my favorite was The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. I also went through my 5 stars for the year and added two standouts for my bonus - Where He Can‘t Find You by Darcy Coates & Ruin Me By Midnight by Ginny B. Moore. #readingbracket2024

A dark erotic collection of stories, that must have been quite scandalous when published. Very flowery but still readable, with some good for her moments. 4⭐️
2 #bookspinbingos! And a #Roll100 pick done

This is a very fun paranormal story that brings me back to the wonderful paranormals of the early 2000‘s. A fun, snarky main character and some equally delightful side characters. I look forward to continuing the story in the next book. 4⭐️