2.5 stars. I have mixed feeling for this. I liked the 2nd half of the book more than the 1st half. The main character, Gemma, was a spoiled rich girl. She was not a very likable character. Her love interest, Talan, was very suspicious to me. The insta love was a little too convenient. There is an interesting magic system and world building. The writing style was a little disjointed with chapters ending too abruptly.

This book was infuriating. The treatment of women at the hands of the church made my blood boil. And the betrayal by the men who were supposed to love them. This book follows three different women at three different time periods. They all have a connection that may not be apparent at first. This is a story of women finding their power, and how the men try to constantly destroy them. It was tense at times and I enjoyed reading it.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. I think it was the easy writing style of the author. He wrote clearly and the story was compelling. I couldn't tell if I was reading fiction of fact. The two main detectives, Will and Frank, were great characters. I liked getting to know them. I wish there was a little more explanation into the supernatural events, because we never really saw Cuthgert perform any rituals. Overall this was fun to read.

“Just pretend like you half understand.”

This is me throughout the whole book. WTF is going on?

My top 5 star reads for 2025

This is a great follow up to Live Girls. This book is swimming with violence and sex. A lot of nonconsensual sex. These vampires are brutal. I really loved the addition of the two investigators, Karen and Keogh, to the story. I know these two make an appearance in Bestial, but I don't know if they show up in any other books. I hope so, because they are great characters.

My Christmas book haul. First up, Empire of the Dawn. A 767 page chonker.

This was a pretty cute story. Two people trapped in a snowstorm confess their love for each other. They had good chemistry and I was rooting for them.

The sex scenes took up at least half of the book, and this was a short book. I liked the scenes focusing on the relationship. This was an insta-love situation. Not super relatable, but the characters were nice.

Started out promising as a wealthy girl from the United States moves to Italy for a summer job. She falls in love with an Italian boy and decides to stay. This follows her journey. It was interesting learning about a new culture, but after awhile the book starts to get repetitive. It was hard to relate to Katherine because she had no money problems and a big trust fund. She also married into another family that was wealthy. This is a soft pick.

I received this book as part of my Night Worms subscription book box. When reading the description, I didn't think I would like it very much. Surprisingly, I liked the beginning. It started off with a murder. I like that they didn't waste any time getting to the plot. The book follows the life of Layla, 7 yrs old when it starts ending in her mid 20s. The older she gets, the less likable she is. The ending was crazy and I didn't care for it.

Takes place at Christmas but otherwise not a Christmas story. About an assassin who has a change of heart. This was interesting and I liked the writing style. It was fast paced with a likable main character.

A sweet war time will they or won't they romance. Told entirely through letters written during World War 1 we have two people who obviously love each other but both are afraid to say it. Through the letters we get a look at the horrors of war, and this book does not shy away from showing us the awfulness. The book runs from 1914 to 1918. After reading this, I realize I am not a big fan of epistolary novels. 3.5 stars

I have conflicting feelings towards this. I thought the story was fascinating with lots of tension. But the writing style was too scientific for me. There were a lot of in depth explanations that I couldn‘t understand and felt that I didn‘t need to understand to enjoy the story. Still I would give this a “pick”.

I hate both Nick and Amy so much. It‘s hard to read a book with such unlikable characters. This book was on my shelf for years and I kept avoiding it. I know many people like this but I couldn‘t get into it. The characters bored me. I never watched the movie either.

Very explicit sex. Absolutely not something I could see happening in real life. You just have to suspend belief and go with it. The story moved along briskly and I liked the main characters. About halfway through it changes to a mobster story. I wasn‘t expecting that. I liked the writing style.

I had a fun time reading this. It was interesting and I finished it in one day. Yes it seemed a little more wooden than Katniss‘ story. I couldn‘t get behind Lenore as a character. And I really hated all the songs they kept quoting. They would quote the same song over and over. That seemed very unnecessary. But even with all that, I enjoyed the book and found it entertaining.

I loved the first half of the book as Rin goes off to battle school. Showing her in her classes and interacting with fellow students was interesting to me. The second half takes place as everyone goes to war. This is brutal and violent and many people die. We see Rin change dramatically over the course if the book. I can‘t imagine where the story will go from here.

This book had a lot of explicit sex. I don‘t remember that much in book 1. It felt like there was too much sex and not enough plot. The ending battle felt too simplistic and was over too soon. I enjoyed Blood Orange so much. This was a disappointment.

This book was so much fun. The mystery was well thought out with lots of suspects. I loved that it was set in a drag club. We got to see behind the scenes of the drag shows and how everything comes together. The main character Misty/Joe was so enjoyable to read. I hope we get more books in the series.

We follow three different characters Orka, Varg and Elvar as they are slowly drawn into the political intrigue. This is set in a viking themed fantasy world where magical creatures abound. There is violence and betrayal. I preferred Orka‘s and Varg‘s stories, but all have incredibly hard journeys until in the end they all land in the same bloody, violent battle. I enjoyed this and am looking forward to the second in the series.

Wow, this was quite a ride. I finished it in one day. This is a fast moving murder mystery that evolved into so much more. There was a big twist towards the end that surprised me. The main characters were great. I hope Eli, Marge and Alyssa can get together again to solve more cases.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I think werewolf stories are my favorite type of monster stories. This was a really great anthology and I liked everything in here. These are not romance werewolves, these are the dark and gritty kind. Many of my favorite authors are featured here, including Ray Garton and Jonathan Janz and Jeff Strand. There are also stories by new to me authors that I will seek out in the future.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3
The story started out pretty good, as we follow Detective Delilah Jackson on the job and in her personal life. You can tell from the start that she has mental issues. She holds it together for the first two murders. Then things start falling apart. Unfortunately the big reveal at the end was not a surprise. The plot alternated from excitement to boredom and I didn‘t feel invested in the story.

My mini bookhaul from the Books and Blooms Makers Market today. 2 books and a pair of bookish earrings. I got to meet the authors too.

This book was fun to read, but I was expecting a little more from it. The quest that they go on, I thought it would be a little more difficult, considering how many others had tried and failed. The Diviners was an interesting concept, but they should have figured out what their fate was going to be after 10 years. It felt like things fell into place too easily for Sybil so there wasn't much tension in her story. The ending was a big disappointment

To anyone else who‘s read this book, did you look at Boneback Mountain and think Brokeback Mountain?

I love this series. I still think the first book was my favorite, but the 2nd and 3rd books are great. I liked the way the story wrapped up.
I love the storyline of Xiala the Teek. She is by far the most interesting character.
This was a complex world with lots of clans. I liked how each clan had a spirit animal to help them.
There are so many characters to follow, it became a little difficult to remember who was aligned with who.

A tense, space exploration story. A group of six lands on a remote planet for exploration purposes. I really liked the scenes on the planet. The isolation and harsh conditions led to the eerie atmosphere. The main character is Ophelia, a psychologist there to keep everyone sane. But all of them have secrets they are not sharing, especially Ophelia. There are also evil corporations that view the crew as expendable. I enjoyed this.

The cool thing about this book is that every chapter heading has this blood splatter.

A collection of vampire themed science fiction stories, written from the 1930‘s to the 1980‘s. I didn‘t remember I had this book on my shelf but I‘m reading my physical TBR and this book came up. It was a nice surprise with some pretty good stories. There were stories by Ray Bradbury and Roger Zelazny, two of my favorite authors from my childhood. Really there wasn‘t a bad story in the bunch.

A collection of Winter themed horror stories. 3.5 stars
Cold As Ice - Awww, I really liked this story. It was a sweet ending.
Father‘s Last Christmas - Satisfying
Nice - love the little boy
Thaw - never vacation in an isolated cabin
Those 4 were my favorite stories. There were some stories I didn‘t like as much. It makes me wonder why they were included in this anthology. Like any collection there are hits and misses. More hits this time.

This was a fun, quick read. I liked the characters and their relationships. There is a minor misunderstanding with the boyfriend which is resolved quickly. This is good because I hate when a romance is in peril because of a stupid misunderstanding. There are several suspects at first and I liked how they are eliminated as suspects. I would definitely read more of this series and I hope it continues. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher.

My birthday book haul. Presents from family and friends. First up is Ghost Station.

3.5 stars

A pretty fast read. It only took a couple hours. A memoir of grief and musings on the nature of life and death. Written by a mother whose newborn daughter is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. My daughter was also diagnosed with leukemia at age six, although my daughter had the more treatable variety. I enjoyed reading their story and was happy everything ended well for them.

I first read some of this series 15 years ago and remember enjoying them. This started a little slow for me but turned into a good police thriller. At about the half way point I wondered how they could drag this out much longer, but then it suddenly got interesting. The villains here are terrible people who kill without a second thought. I had no problems with their deaths.

This was a fun book. I really like SCYTHE as an organization of grim reapers. When one of the employees finds out her brother is set to die that day, she takes him on a road trip to try and avoid death. I like their relationship and how they get to meet up with long lost family. There is also a parrot who almost seems supernatural in her behavior and provides some comic relief. I would love to read more about SCYTHE and the people who work there.

This book follows Detective Ben Wade as he works two cases. The death of a migrant teen, and a serial killer who is terrorizing the local community. This is less a police procedural and more an in depth look into Ben‘s mind as he wrestles with personal demons brought on by one of the cases.

I subscribe to the Night Worms book box. I expect to receive horror books. Sometimes they don't sent horror, they send "dark" fiction. This is one of those non-horror books. 14yrold Veronica is about to go to high school, while dealing with a family tragedy. The book was well written, but not what I was looking for. There was a small amount of cannibalism but that was not the main focus. If you are looking for family drama you may enjoy this book.

A cozy mystery with a paranormal twist. The main suspects are a married pair of vampires. The main characters were likable and there are some interesting side characters. I did find the way Sal was so energetic and always cracking jokes, to be very annoying. I would go crazy if I had to be around him very much. Arthur, the other vampire, was a more grounded character. I enjoyed the paranormal elements and wish they played more into the story.

This was a good collection of 3 horror short stories. They all had a strange, horrific element that I found fascinating. I wanted to keep reading, both to figure out what was going on with the story, and to see what would happen next.

This book is told from the point of view of 3 characters, Opaline, Martha and Henry. The chapters alternate between all 3. Opaline in the past, Martha and Henry in the present. I liked all 3 stories and enjoyed reading them. Opaline's made me the most furious with the injustices done to her. At the end of the book all 3 stories converge. There was a bit of magicalness in the lost bookshop that made the book more fun. This was a pleasant book.

I have not read many sports romances, but I really liked this YA hockey romance. This follows High School seniors Dani and Alec, as Dani moves back to town and back into Alec's life. I liked the budding romance between the two, and I liked the depiction of how important hockey was in the small Minnesota town where they lived. This is a YA book, so romance is limited to kissing and hand holding. I enjoyed the writing style. Overall, a good book.

I didn't know much about Queen Victoria so I learned something new. When I think of Queens and Kings I think of older people, so it was interesting to read about Victoria taking the crown when she was 18 years old. This book covers the first two years of her reign, including her meeting with Prince Albert, her future husband. I felt like I was reading a history book. The characters did not have enough personality for me to see this as a fun read.

A detailed look at the life and subsequent murder of Anne Marie Fahey by Thomas Capano. The two had an on again off again affair for years that ultimately ended in murder. Tom Capano was such a manipulator that he was able to string along several women at the same time, with none of them knowing about each other. He was very hateful and made me cringe with his behavior. I did feel like the story went on too long.

I am enjoying this series so much. I like the overall story that is happening. I find some of the fight interludes to be a little boring and repetitive. But the main story is still interesting, and I like trying to figure out what is happening behind the scenes and with the NPCs. Carl and Donut still have a fun relationship, and I love Mongo. I'm also excited to see what Katia will be doing for the team.

While I loved this book overall, there were definitely parts I didn't like so much. The parts discussing the game play of earning points and leveling up were definitely not my favorite. On the plus side, I like the interactions of Carl and Princess Donut. Their banter is entertaining. The overall concept of the book is interesting. I am going to continue on with book 2, but am not sure how far I will be continuing with the series after that.

I've enjoyed reading other books by this author. I loved the thought that Allie is a caterer, but also works in a bookstore with her best friend. The main characters were all likable, but I was annoyed that Allie's love interest was suspicious of her when she was framed for murder. I liked the actual mystery and liked that I didn't guess the murderer until near the end.The setting is nice and makes me want to read more of the series.

I don't want to rate this like a regular book, since this is a reference book. There is not real narrative structure to it. Mostly a small blurb about a book, followed by a spoiler free review of sorts. I read a lot of horror, and I still had not heard of most of these books. The books all tend to blur together after a while and I can't say I found many I want to read because of how bland the descriptions were.

I loved the first book in the series. Book two was not quite as good, but still a great read. I love the world building. The politics get a little hard for me to follow at times, but when we are following the main characters, it's very enjoyable. Currently they are spread apart, but I am looking forward to when everyone comes together.