Been trying to not drop into another reading rut, and these chips arriving today inspired me to pick up Sheldrake‘s book. I hope it sticks!

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-Ib

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ of 5 ⭐️s

The horror train continues! Really enjoyed Certain Dark Things so I‘m definitely looking forward to this XD.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-I6

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5 ⭐s

TW/CW for novel: emotional abuse, claustrophobia

#nowreading

Been off the book train for a while, despite what seemed like a promising start earlier this year. Ah well. Hopefully I get to stay on it longer after this attempt.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-HL

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ of 5 ⭐️s

Not the most sympathetic protagonist, to be sure, but that‘s why I found her interesting, and quite human. Did feel quite sorry for poor Alma while reading this though - not least because her music is quite lovely. Makes me wonder what kind of composer she could‘ve grown into, had she been given the chance.

While the basic essentials are important in this time of quarantine and pandemics, non-essentials like sugary treats can be just as important - for the soul, at least, if not necessarily the body. So I'm glad that it's still possible to get some treats (like sourdough doughnuts filled with lemon meringue) delivered even when there's a total lockdown in my part of the world. And fortunately, lockdowns don't apply to ebooks ;D.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-Hy

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ of 5 ⭐s

I read this all the way back in February, but given how stressful life was at the time (double-whammy of work + recovery from the Mt. Taal eruption), this was a nice, bright spot whenever I picked it up. And right, I think we need all the bright spots we can get. Hopefully this is just what some of you need.

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ of 5 ⭐s

So first off: #triggerwarning for sexual abuse - not explicitly depicted, but it's tackled here; stalking's a prominent trope in this one too. I thought they were handled quite well though. I know romance is usually escapist by nature, but I absolutely love it when a romance novel author tackles tough themes and tropes like that, and does it well - all while giving us that uplifting note of hope in the HEA.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐of 5 ⭐s

I liked this A LOT more than the first book, mostly because I prefer slow-burn romances that don't sacrifice any scorching-hot chemistry between the protagonists, and this novel does precisely that. The female protagonist has a history of abuse and PTSD, so trigger warnings for that, but I thought it was handled quite well. Rugby knowledge useful, but not necessary ;).

This was recommended by a close friend of mine who said I might like stories about broken people healing each other, and since she knows my tastes very well, I have full faith that this'll be good :D.

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ of 5 ⭐s.

WHOO-WEE, THIS WAS PRETTY HOT! I chose to go with this series as my foray into #contemporaryromance because I'm familiar and like Singh's #GuildHunter series, and this turned out to be a pretty good intro! Liked the romance, though my eyebrows did go up a bit at how controlling Fox could be. It's not a deal-breaker for me, personally, but I can see how some people might not be comfortable with it.

Summer‘s here in my country, I can feel it - mostly because Sunday was utterly sweltering. Decided to chill out with a #horror novel set in the British moors and a turmeric-galangal cooler, made by mixing cold soda water with a tonic from a local apothecary. I enjoy gingery-citrusy drinks when the weather gets hot, and this and the book really hit the spot.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-Hj

Rating: ⭐ ⭐ of 5 ⭐s

I really wanted to like this, I swear I did. I picked it up because it's an #urbanfantasy and features Maori #mythologyandfolklore, and there weren't any other books that did that. And at first, it was really great, but by the midway point the plot falls completely to pieces and never recovers. Worse, it breaks everything else along the way. *sighs* Oh well.

I'm not so much into contemporary romance, since my intro to the genre was via urban fantasy and historical romances, but on a whim I decided to give this one a shot because it's written by Nalini Singh and oh. My. GODS. Rock music isn't precisely my genre of choice (I'm more into classical or soundtrack scores) but this...was pretty dang hot. Gonna scoop up the rest of the series now.

I keep on discovering new words in this book: things from Maori and to some extent Polynesian mythology that give me a direction in which to point my Google-fu so I can learn many new things. This is one of my favorites. I love it when I find connections to my own culture in places I don't expect to find them 😆

Baybayin Sisil script (c) Lloyd Zapanta (@ lloydiecat on Instagram)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5 ⭐s

Finally, the epic conclusion! There was a moment when something had me screaming a litany of “NO!“s at my Kindle, but all's well that ends well with this series - which is just as I expected, and which pleased me immensely. Still thought Aria was written a little flat, but all the other gods make up for it. Great conclusion to a fun little series.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5 ⭐s

In the last book the stakes were upped significantly, and this book shows just how far they've gone up. Which isn't a BAD thing, since I'm rather enjoying the focus on the plot rather than on the sexytimes (which some people might NOT like, but which I personally enjoy immensely). Aria feels a bit flat at times, but all the other characters are a pleasure to read.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5 ⭐s

This continuation's a little more exciting and a little spicier than the last book, but what I liked most was how it incorporated and used the Norse myths to create an interesting plot and to escalate the stakes. You don't HAVE to know Norse myth to enjoy this, but being aware of it intensifies some of the crucial moments in this book.

Right! So now that I've put up my two-year backlog of posts and reviews, time to bring myself up to speed on what's been going on here while I was gone. So: current book I'm reading, which is The Wind City by Summer Wigmore. Picked it up because Maori mythology and folklore, which I don't see a lot of books about.

Also, a question: what's this #bookspin hashtag I'm seeing?

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-H7

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐of 5 ⭐s

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-GV

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ of 5 ⭐️s