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12

ARC Review: Girls Made of Snow and Glass, a feminist Snow White retelling

September 2, 2017/14 Comments/by Suzanne
ARC Review: Girls Made of Snow and Glass, a feminist Snow White retellingGirls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust
four-stars
Published by Flatiron Books on September 5th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Retelling
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

MY REVIEW:

I have to confess that Snow White has always been one of my least favorite fairy tales because I could never get into the idea of one woman deciding she needed to poison another woman just because she might have taken her place as “the fairest of them all.”  That said, as soon as I heard that Melissa Bashardoust’s Girls Made of Snow and Glass was being advertised as a feminist retelling of the Snow White fairytale, it immediately became a must-read book for me.  I just couldn’t wait to find out what a feminist retelling would entail.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass was everything I hoped it would be and more.  It’s a beautifully written, character-driven exploration of the relationship between two women who are doomed to be rivals.  Lynet is the Snow White character in the story.  She is the 15 year old daughter of the King of Whitespring.  Lynet is a free spirit who loves to run, climb, and have endless adventures.  She has no interest whatsoever in politics or in ever becoming Queen.  Much to her frustration, her father constantly reminds her how much she looks like her beautiful dead mother and how one day she will take her mother’s place and become Queen of Whitespring.  Lynet doesn’t want to hear it because she just wants to grow up to be her own person, not a mirror image of a mother she never even met.  If she had to choose to be like anyone else, she would, in fact, choose to grow up to be like her strong and fierce stepmother, Mina.

Mina is, of course, the stepmother/Evil Queen figure in the story, and she also very unexpectedly turned out to be my favorite character.  Bashardoust writes such a rich and intricate backstory for Mina that even though she eventually ends up on a similar path to the stepmother in the original tale, it’s easy to see how she ends up in such a predicament.  We meet Mina while she is Queen of Whitespring, but the story quickly takes us back to when Mina was about Lynet’s age and being raised by her father, a well-known, often feared, magician in the kingdom. Mina’s father is cold, controlling, and sometimes hurtful.  In a particularly spiteful moment, he tells Mina that she nearly died of heart failure at age 4, and that to save her, he used magic to replace her dying heart with a glass one.  He tells Mina that because she has no actual heart, she cannot love and cannot be loved.  He goes on to tell Mina that all she can hope for is to make people love her because of her beauty.

When Mina’s father uses his magic to help the King one day, the King decides to repay him by offering him a place to live on the royal grounds.  Once living there, Mina comes up with the idea that if she can make the King fall in love with her, she can someday become Queen and thus earn the love of all of those in the kingdom.  Mina’s plan starts to fall into place and she and her stepdaughter Lynet actually become quite close, that is, until Lynet becomes old enough to become a threat to the throne.  Even though Lynet swears she has no interest in becoming queen, the threat she presents to Mina, who is so desperate to be loved, still starts to drive a wedge between them.

Are Lynet and Mina truly doomed to be rivals or can they figure out a way for each of them to get what they most want?

 

LIKES

My favorite part of Girls Made of Snow and Glass is the complexity of the relationship between Mina and Lynet.  Their relationship is ultimately the driving force behind this story and it’s no simple battle about who’s the fairest of them all.  These two women, care about one another, and as Lynet grows up, have truly become like family.  When Mina comes to the realization that Lynet may be the greatest obstacle to her finding that love she is so desperate for, it absolutely guts her.  She doesn’t want to have to hurt Lynet in any way to get what she wants.  Their relationship is just beautiful and heartbreaking.

Equally glorious to the complex relationship between the two main characters is the magic!  Okay, so there’s no dwarves, no poison apple, and no kiss from a handsome prince to break a curse.  A bit of a bummer maybe, but the magic Bashardoust has given to her characters more than makes up for it.  It’s just so creative and well, for lack of a better word, magical, haha!

As I’ve already mentioned, Mina’s father used magic to save Mina by giving her a glass heart.  As you probably also gleaned from the book’s title and synopsis, if Mina is the girl made of glass, then there is another girl who is made of snow.  Lynet is of course that girl.  There’s a very good reason why the King keeps telling Lynet she looks just like her mother.  The King had called Mina’s father to him, desperate to save his Queen, who was dying.  Mina’s father was unable to save her, but at the King’s request, used his magic to create an infant girl in the Queen’s likeness.  Using snow, Mina’s father gave the King what he wanted, Lynet.

Mina’s father somehow transferred a portion of his magic to each girl when he used it on them, thus infusing both Lynet and Mina with powers of their own.  That’s all I’m going to say about the magic for now, but trust me, it’s important and it’s awesome and these two young women are just badass, especially when they start using these powers.

Another element of the story that was really a highlight for me was an unexpected f/f relationship between Lynet and a young female surgeon named Nadia.  The romance comes about and develops in such a natural, low-key way and doesn’t at all distract from the rest of the plot, and I just thought it was beautifully written.   

 

DISLIKES/ISSUES

I only had a couple of issues with this story, the main one being that the men in it are just so UGHHH.  The King was basically a good man and he meant well, but at a certain point, it really started to bother me how much he kept obsessing on how much Lynet reminded him of her dead mother and how she was destined to take her mother’s place someday.  I know he didn’t mean it in an incestuous way, but it was still a little creepy.

Don’t even get me started on Mina’s father.  If you’re one who likes to have characters to hate, he’s your guy.  Aside from the fact that he did save Mina’s life when she was a little girl, there’s nothing else redeeming about him. He’s just a selfish, manipulative jerk.  He also had a creepy obsession with Lynet since he “made” her.  I have to admit, I spent much of the book wishing something horrible would happen to him.

Aside from the horrid men in the story, I did think the pacing was a little slow early on in the story and that it took me a little while to get used to Mina’s narrative being told from a present-day perspective as well as one from when she was 16.  Once I got used to the way Mina’s story was being presented, it was no longer an issue for me.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Girls of Snow and Glass is a book I’d recommend without hesitation to anyone who enjoys stories that are character driven.  I’d also recommend it to those who love fairytale retelling and even to those who say they’re burnt out on retellings. Even though this story borrows the overall idea of a young girl being in the way of her stepmother, Bashardoust has crafted such a creative story that if I hadn’t known this was a Snow White retelling going in, I don’t know that I would have guessed it.  It’s a uniquely fresh take on a timeless tale.

 

RATING:  4 STARS

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Melissa Bashardoust, and Flatiron Books for allowing me to preview Girls Made of Snow and Glass. This in no way shapes my opinion of the book.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

Frozen meets The Bloody Chamber in this feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale

At sixteen, Mina’s mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.

Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.

Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.

four-stars
https://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/snow.jpg 1200 789 Suzanne http://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trimmed-Copy-of-Bookish-Logo-copy.png Suzanne2017-09-02 07:47:112017-09-02 07:47:11ARC Review: Girls Made of Snow and Glass, a feminist Snow White retelling

Top Ten Tuesday – Top 10 Hidden Gems in YA Fiction

August 29, 2017/38 Comments/by Suzanne

top ten tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Hidden Gem Books in X Genre: Pick a genre and share with us some books that have gone under the radar in that genre!

* * * * *

 

I chose to use a broad brush when selecting books for this topic and just went with Young Adult Hidden Gems in general.  I included several contemporary reads that I loved but it seems like not many others have read yet, as well as a couple of fantasy reads, and at least one historical fiction.  I did cheat a bit with my last three entries (sorry!) and have written little explanations for each cheat below.  Can’t wait to see what hidden gems others have come up with.  I feel like this is one of those TTT topics that is going to cause my TBR pile to grow even taller!

 

Top 10 Hidden Gems in Young Adult Fiction

 

1. WORDS IN DEEP BLUE by Cath Crowley

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

2. THE MEMORY OF THINGS by Gae Polisner

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

3.  WE ARE STILL TORNADOES by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

4. ZENN DIAGRAM by Wendy Brant

(Find out what it’s about…)

* * * * *

5. HOW TO MAKE A WISH by Ashley Herring Blake

(Find out what it’s about…)

* * * * *

6. A TRAGIC KIND OF WONDERFUL by Eric Lindstrom

(Find out what it’s about…)

* * * * *

7. AIR AWAKENS by Elise Kova

(Find out what it’s about…)

* * * * *

8. AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by John Green

Okay, I’m kind of cheating on this one.  It’s John Green so how hidden is it really?  But I chose it because out of all of his books, it seems to be the one that gets the least amount of attention even though, for me anyway, it was just as good a read as any of his other books.

(Find out what it’s about…)

* * * * *

9. THE GIRL WITH THE RED BALLOON by Katherine Locke

 

I’m cheating on this one a bit as well, considering it’s just now coming out.  It’s a fabulous read (Check out my 5-star review) and yet it just doesn’t seem to be generating as much buzz as I would have expected it to.

(Find out what it’s about…)

* * * * *

10. LETTERS TO THE LOST by Brigid Kemmerer

  

And here’s me cheating one last time with a book I haven’t even read yet.  This is one of my most anticipated releases for the year and I’ve read several great reviews for it, but it still doesn’t seem to be getting nearly the attention it should.

(Find out what it’s about…)

 

* * * * *

Question:  What are some YA fiction reads that you consider to be hidden gems?

https://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/toptentuesday.png 864 1600 Suzanne http://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trimmed-Copy-of-Bookish-Logo-copy.png Suzanne2017-08-29 08:00:362017-08-29 08:00:36Top Ten Tuesday – Top 10 Hidden Gems in YA Fiction

ARC Review – Mask of Shadows

August 28, 2017/14 Comments/by Suzanne
ARC Review – Mask of ShadowsMask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
three-half-stars
Series: Untitled #1
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on August 29th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

MY REVIEW:

Sallot Leon, the protagonist in Linsey Miller’s Mask of Shadows, is out for revenge.  Sal is the sole survivor of the territory of Nacea.  Nacea and all of its people were destroyed when the land of Erlend started a Civil War with the land of Alona.  Erlend was supposed to protect Nacea but when mysterious and deadly shadows were unleashed during the war, the Erlend lords chose to abandon Nacea and retreat to safety.  Completely alone and forced to live as a thief in order to survive, Sal is determined to make those Erlend lords pay for what they did to Nacea.

When Sal steals a poster advertising a contest to become Opal, one of the Queen’s group of elite assassins, it sounds like the perfect way to gain access to the lords and thus begin seeking revenge.  There’s just one catch – the competition to become Opal is basically a fight to the death, the last one alive wins.  So Sal’s plan is ultimately to get revenge or die trying.

 

LIKES

I’d have to say that Sal is definitely my favorite part of the novel. They are charming, witty, and extremely resourceful.  Sal is also the classic underdog in this competition because the majority of the competitors are heavily trained in combat and other lethal skills, whereas Sal is used to getting by on their street smarts.

You’ll also notice my use of ‘they’ as I’m referring to Sal.  Sal is a gender fluid protagonist, and in most cases is referred to as they, although Sal indicates that what gender pronouns are used should be dictated by what type of clothing is being worn. If Sal is wearing a dress, for example, using ‘she’ is perfectly acceptable.  I had never read a book with a gender fluid character in it before so this made for a unique read.  I don’t know much at all about gender fluidity but I thought Miller did a very nice job portraying it here.  I also liked that it was incorporated smoothly into the overall story and didn’t overshadow other plot points.  A few characters inquired about it in terms of how to address Sal, but otherwise they accepted it without question and moved on. It wasn’t treated as an oddity.

Another aspect of Mask of Shadows I enjoyed was the competition itself.  Yes, it was reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but it was still an exciting, action-packed part of the book regardless.  The rules were basically to kill as many of your fellow competitors as possible, but do so without being caught.  Since the competition is to become one of the Queen’s assassins, stealth is one of the most important qualities needed.  Miller does a fantastic job of building plenty of tension and suspense as the reader follows Sal through the competition, playing this ultra-intense kill-or-be-killed game, never knowing when a potential assassin might be hiding around any corner, or up in any tree, looking for the perfect opportunity to take them out. One distinct difference between this competition and The Hunger Games was that all of the competitors were referred to by numbers and wore numbered masks over their faces at all times.  They were only referred to by their numbers, which added an almost-dehumanizing element to the competition. I had mixed feelings about the masks because there were a few competitors I would have liked to know more about, but it was hard to connect with any of them since they were just faceless numbers.

Also somewhat reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but in a good way (for me anyway) is that each competitor is assigned a servant to help them dress, bathe, ensure they have safe, non-poisoned food to eat each day.  Sal’s servant, Maud, was one of my favorite characters in the book.  She’s not allowed to give Sal any kind of advantage during the competition, but behind the scenes, she is hard core in Sal’s corner.  Why?  Because if Sal wins, Maud gets a reward and a huge promotion.  So she’s very excited each day that Sal doesn’t die.  She’s sassy too, so she adds a much-welcomed element of lightheartedness in the middle of what is otherwise just scene after scene of murders and attempted murders.

DISLIKES/ISSUES

My biggest issues with Mask of Shadows had to do with pacing, which was slow at times, especially when the author was detailing Sal’s backstory and the reasons why they wanted to become one of the Queen’s assassins.  I lost interest a few times along the way and only came away with a vague notion of what the world of Mask of Shadows entailed so I would have loved more world building, but without it being in the form of info dumps.

I also had issues with the romance, which I found to be out of place and unfortunately distracting from the main storyline.  Although I thought Sal and Elise had a lot of chemistry when they first met (while Sal was robbing Elise), as the story went on and they are reunited as part of the competition, I preferred them  as teacher and student rather than romantic partners.

Overall, I think more action-packed competition scenes and little or no romance would have better served Mask of Shadows.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While I did have some issues with it, overall I still enjoyed reading Mask of Shadows.  While parts of the storyline are in some ways reminiscent of The Hunger Games, the similarities did not bother me because there are still enough differences to make it a unique and entertaining read.

RATING:  3.5 STARS

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Linsey Miller, and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to preview this book.  This in no way shapes my opinion of the book being reviewed.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class and the nobles who destroyed their home. 

When Sal Leon steals a poster announcing open auditions for the Left Hand, a powerful collection of the Queen’s personal assassins named for the rings she wears — Ruby, Emerald, Amethyst, and Opal — their world changes. They know it’s a chance for a new life.

Except the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. But Sal must survive to put their real reason for auditioning into play: revenge. 

three-half-stars

About Linsey Miller

A wayward biology student from Arkansas, Linsey has previously worked as a crime lab intern, neuroscience lab assistant, and pharmacy technician. She is currently an MFA candidate represented by Rachel Brooks of Bookends Literary. Her debut novel MASK OF SHADOWS is the first in a fantasy duology coming in August 2017 from Sourcebooks Fire. She can be found writing about science and magic anywhere there is coffee.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

https://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/mask-of-shadows.jpg 1104 736 Suzanne http://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trimmed-Copy-of-Bookish-Logo-copy.png Suzanne2017-08-28 08:32:242017-08-28 08:32:24ARC Review – Mask of Shadows
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About Me

me

Hi, I'm Suzanne. Proofreader by day, book blogger by night, devourer of books 24/7. My reading tastes: Basically you name it, I probably like it. I read a lot of contemporary and historical, both adult and YA, and I've also been enjoying more and more fantasy lately. Hobbies include: buying and hoarding of books, rambling about books to anyone who will listen, and trying to recommend books to my family and friends whether they are readers or not - because seriously, how can you not love to read books?

BOOKSTAGRAM

🎃👻 CANDY CORN BOOK STACK 👻🎃 Happy Fri 🎃👻 CANDY CORN BOOK STACK 👻🎃

Happy Friday, book friends! I’ve been seeing candy corn stacks all over my feed today and they inspired me to create my own stack. This candy corn stack is filled with some of my recent favorite reads from @berkleyromance . Have you read any of these?

BOOKS FEATURED:

👻Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen
🧡 Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler
💀 Happy Place by Emily Henry
🖤 No Ordinary Love by Myah Ariel
🎃If Only You by Chloe Liese
👻Book Lovers by Emily Henry 
🧡 Dust Storm by Maggie Gates
💀Addicted to You by Krista and Becca Ritchie 

❓QOTD - Are you a fan of candy corn? What’s your favorite kind of candy?

AOTD - I’ll eat a couple of pieces of candy corn but I prefer candy with chocolate and peanuts or peanut butter. My favorites are Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. 

👻🧡💀🖤🎃🖤💀🧡👻
Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyrom Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyromance @acebookspub #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

🩷 Review - THE KEEPER OF MAGICAL THINGS 🩷

Author - Julie Leong

Pub Date - 10/14/25

Cozy, charming, and truly magical, The Keeper of Magical Things was everything I hoped it would be and so much more. I’ve been really loving cozy fantasies this year and I think this book is my favorite one yet!

Certainty is a mage-in-training but hasn’t been having much luck with her magic.  What she is good at though is communicating with objects, especially magical ones, in order to find out what kind of magic they do.  When strange things start happening, like people being transformed into cabbages because of encounters with less important magical artifacts, Certainly and Mage Aurelia are tasked with transporting all of these magical artifacts to the village of Shpelling, which is deemed a safer place for long-term storage because it’s dull and nonmagical. 

If you enjoy a grumpy-sunshine romance, you’re going to love this one. Certainty is an absolute sweetheart who just wants to complete this task and finally earned her Mage status, while Aurelia has the grumpiest and iciest of personalities and resents that she has tasked with this menial assignment.  When Certainty and Aurelia arrive in Shpelling, they learn that the residents don’t really trust them or their magic and set out to win them over by using the magical artifacts to bring this dying village back to life. The two of them bond in the process and start having real feelings for one another, and it was all just so cute to follow. 

In addition to the grumpy-sunshine romance, there’s also friendship, found family, a journey of self discovery for both Certainty and Aurelia, and there’s even the most adorable cat dragon. It’s all just cozy perfection!

I did an immersive read and just flew through the pages because I found Natalie Naudus’ narration of the audiobook to be absolutely delightful. She captures the chemistry between Aurelia and Certainty, as well as the overall whimsical feel of the story. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - What was your last 5 star read?
👻 Let’s Get Spooky Collab 👻 Lit’s get 👻 Let’s Get Spooky Collab 👻 

Lit’s get spooky! 🎃📚👻 I opened a haunted book and now a Victorian ghost won’t stop judging my reading. Honestly? Fair. 

To see everyone’s spooky vibes check the hashtag #theseBOOkiesarehaunting 

👻🧡💀🖤🎃🖤💀🧡👻

I’m honestly such a scaredy cat so I’m not a big horror reader, but I do enjoy reading books that have spooky, haunting vibes, especially Gothic vibes or even dark academia.  Here’s a flatlay and spooky bookstack of some of my favorite reads with spooky vibes from recent years.

👻The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
🧡 Gallant by V.E. Schwab
💀 Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
🖤 The Hacienda by Isabel Canas
🎃Vampire of El Norte by Isabel Canas
👻Murder Road by Simone St. James
🧡 Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
💀Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
🖤Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

❓QOTD - Have you read any of these? What’s your favorite spooky book?

👻🧡💀🖤🎃🖤💀🧡👻

This collab & more bookish community fun is hosted by the members of  @bookends.friends 🫶🏻

#bookendsfriends #bookishcollab #bookstafriends  #booklovers  #bookishcommunity #bookishfun
💍 REVIEW - MARRIAGE IS A SHORE THING 💍 Auth 💍 REVIEW - MARRIAGE IS A SHORE THING 💍

Author - Laura Langa

Pub Date - 10/10/2025

Thanks so much to @lauralangawrites for the #gifted e-arc!

Geneva is a boxing instructor who could use a little color in her life. She wears all black, lives in a beige, boring house, and because her trust has been violated in the past, she has really put some walls up and closed herself off from others. While on a trip to Vegas with some friends, she meets Van, a guy who seems like he could use a friend. Even though those walls are up, Geneva still feels her heart go out to Van and they end up hanging out together and then somehow accidentally married by an Elvis impersonator.  Even though the marriage was a mistake, Van doesn’t want to just give up on it quite yet because of a promise he made to his sister who recently passed away.  Geneva reluctantly agrees to stay married to him for 3 months and Van moves into her home in Wilks Beach. 

This book was such a fun read! I loved being back in the charming small town of Wilks Beach and I absolutely loved the black cat/golden retriever dynamic between the main characters. Van is such a sweetheart and he seems like exactly the kind of guy that Geneva both needs and deserves.  I loved the playful banter between the two of them, and I especially loved how Van was so determined to get Geneva to let her guard down and let people into her life.  I also loved that it wasn’t just Van, but that the women in the town also put in the work to make Geneva feel like she belonged.  The found family vibes were fantastic!

Highly recommend for fans of:

✨Small Town Romance
✨Black Cat/Golden Retriever
✨Found Family
✨Accidental Marriage
✨Forced Proximity
✨He Falls First
✨He takes care of her
✨No Spice/Closed Door Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - What new releases have caught your eye this week?
✨25 IN 2025 CHALLENGE MINI REVIEWS ✨ ✨Revie ✨25 IN 2025 CHALLENGE MINI REVIEWS ✨

✨Review - A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6, Book 18 - 25 in 2025)✨

Author - Diana Gabaldon

Pub Date - 9/27/2005

What impresses me most about the books in this series is that even though the books are well over 1,000 pages each and each one takes me about three weeks to read, they never feel like a chore or like they’re just packed with filler. My love for Jamie and Claire and all of the other major characters is just as strong as ever, and my interest in their journey only grows stronger the closer the timeline moves to the onset of the American Revolution.  This book was an emotional roller coaster and was also filled with twists and turns that kept me fully invested every step of the way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Review - Hooked (Never After #1, Book #19 - 25 in 2025)✨

Author - Emily McIntire

Pub Date - 9/5/2021

I have mixed feelings about this book.  It was definitely an addicting read, but I can’t decide if I really liked it or not.  This take on the Peter Pan fairytale was pretty interesting and I enjoyed the twists, but I honestly wasn’t as invested in the couple as I would like to be, and I’m not sure if fractured fairy tales are really my thing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Review - Twisted Love (Twisted #1, Book 20 - 25 in 2025)✨

Author - Ana Huang

Pub Date - 4/21/2021

This is one of those books where I enjoyed it while I was reading it but have already forgotten so much of what I read. I think it’s a me thing because I did enjoy the author’s writing style and had no complaints while I was reading. The highlights for me were that it’s a brother’s best friend, grumpy-sunshine dark romance, that both characters had bad experiences when they were children and it was interesting to follow that storyline and see how it played out, and I especially liked that the male main character is morally gray. Because I did forget most of the story within two weeks of finishing it though, I’m on the fence about whether or not to continue. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

❓QOTD - Have you read any of these series? If so, do you think I should try another book before I give up on the two I’m on the fence about continuing?
Thanks so much to @arndellbooks for the #gifted e- Thanks so much to @arndellbooks for the #gifted e-arc and ALC!

✨ REVIEW - A LOVE LETTER TO WHISKEY ✨

Author - Kandi Steiner

Pub Date - 10/19/21 (Indie), 10/7/25 (Arndell)

A Love Letter to Whiskey is one of those books I’ve been hearing my fellow romance readers rave about for years and I’m so glad I finally read it because it definitely lives up to all of the hype! 

This book took me on such an emotional roller coaster! It’s so full of angst and heartbreak that I had moments where I truly doubted there would be a happily ever after, but I was so invested in B and Jamie’s relationship that I was willing to follow it even if I ended up with my heart broken.

Steiner’s writing is gorgeous, and the emotions these two characters are feeling, particularly the passion and that aching sense of longing, practically jump off the page.

When I finished the book, I originally rated it 4 stars and thought it was a solid read, but that was two weeks ago and I haven’t stopped thinking about these characters and how truly painful it can be to meet the right person at the wrong time.  A story that resonates like that is definitely a five star read! 

I did an immersive read with the e-book and audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by Audrey Obeyn and Edward Black and they both perfectly captured the angst, the tension, and the heartbreak these characters experience as well as their all consuming love for one another.  The story is addicting and the audiobook truly elevates the reading experience.

Perfect for Fans of:

Friends to Lovers
Second Chances
Angsty, Emotional Reads
It’s Always Been You
Right Person, Wrong Time
Slow Burn
Forced Proximity

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - Have you ever changed your mind about a rating you gave a book?  Or what are you reading this weekend?
🩵Friday Favorite - Story of My Life 🩵 Thank 🩵Friday Favorite - Story of My Life 🩵

Thanks so much to @read_bloom and @scorelucy for the #gifted copy and for the invitation to be part of Lucy’s Story Lake Squad! ♥

As we get closer and closer to the end of 2025 (How the heck is it October already?!), I start reflecting on my favorite reads of the year and which books will probably end up on my Best of 2025 list. 

When I think about romance books, and specifically about romcoms, Lucy Score’s Story of My Life is at the top of that favorites list. I first read it back in April and I still think about Hazel and Cam and the town of Story Lake all the time. 

As you can tell from my photo, I’m a huge Lucy Score fan anyway, but Story of My Life quickly became my favorite book of hers. It’s both heartwarming and hilarious and filled with so many of my favorite tropes. 

It also features a main character who is a romance author looking for inspiration for her latest book, as well as a sexy contractor who becomes that inspiration. That was a scenario that I just couldn’t get enough of, and which lent itself to so many fun moments. 

When it first came out, I remember it being described as Gilmore Girls meets Schitt’s Creek, and I think that description is so perfect. The story is filled with cozy, small town vibes, a grumpy-sunshine couple with incredible chemistry and top notch banter, a full cast of lovable quirky characters, hilarious town hall meetings, adorable scene-stealing animals, and over-the-top romcom antics that will have you absolutely cackling.

Story of My Life is the first book in the Story Lake series, and I can’t wait to continue the series and get to know more of the residents from this charming small town!

I highly recommend Story of My Life to anyone who enjoys:

💙Spicy Rom-Coms
🩵Bookish Main Characters
💙Small Town Romance
🩵Grumpy - Sunshine
💙Forced Proximity
🩵Found Family

❓QOTD - What tropes immediately make you want to pick up a book?
🎧 AUDIOBOOK MINI REVIEWS 🎧 Thanks to @macmi 🎧 AUDIOBOOK MINI REVIEWS 🎧

Thanks to @macmillan.audio #macaudio2025 for the gifted ALCs

OVERDUE by Stephanie Perkins

Pub Date - 10/7/25

Overdue is a slow burn romance that features two librarians, Macon and Ingrid. I love books that feature bookish characters and I did enjoy the chemistry between Macon and Ingrid, but the slow burn was a little too slow for me. I actually found myself more invested in Ingrid’s very relatable personal journey than in the romance.  Ingrid’s journey was one of growth and self discovery and I loved watching her move on from a relationship that wasn’t working and also branch out and open her own Indie bookstore.  Eva Kaminsky narrates and I very much enjoyed her narration, especially her portrayal of Ingrid. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

THE SCORE by Elle Kennedy (#17 for my 25 in 2025 challenge, purchased by me)

Pub Date - 1/11/16

I’ve really been enjoying the Off-Campus series and The Score is another bingeable installment. I loved the dynamic between Dean and Allie and it was just so much fun watching their relationship evolve over time, especially since Dean has historically been such a ladies’ man.  It’s a spicy romance and the spice was definitely spicing, but the story also had some nice emotional depth. Savannah Peachwood & Andrew Eiden narrate and they are fantastic, especially when it comes to delivering Kennedy’s banter. So fun! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

GAME ON by Ki Stephens

Pub Date - 9/9/25

Game On is a spicy college sports romance that features Ella, a cheerleader from England who is spending a year at Whitland University in Nashville as part of their elite cheering squad, and Hudson, Whitland’s star quarterback. I enjoyed the chemistry between Ella and Hudson, and I always enjoy a good “He Falls First” story. There was some drama that I wasn’t entirely sold on, but overall, this was a fun, fast-paced read for me that I binged in a couple of days.  Jane Grove and Charlie Valentine narrate and do a wonderful job of capturing that chemistry between Ella and Hudson. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - Describe your current read in one sentence.
🩷 PINK WEDNESDAY 🩷 On Wednesdays, we post p 🩷 PINK WEDNESDAY 🩷

On Wednesdays, we post pink books! 

Hey book friends, I hope your week is going well. I needed an excuse to show off my cute pink ghosts, so I figured Pink Wednesday is as good an excuse as any other. 👻

I also wanted to do a fall-ish, spooky season assortment of books but ran out of books with pink in them so it kind of went off the rails and is now mainly just a mix of recent pink reads I loved and others that are on my TBR.

Books Featured:

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone (TBR)
Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
The Seven Year Itch by Amy Daws (TBR)
The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur (TBR)
Fall into Temptation by Lucy Score

❓QOTD - Do you try to plan your posts for the week (or month) in advance or do you mostly wing it? 

AOTD - I usually have a rough outline of what I want to post each week, but I do wing it if I’m in the mood to post something different at the last minute.  This post was supposed to be another review but I ran out of steam and didn’t feel like writing another one. 😅
Thanks for the free book @berkleyromance #berkleyp Thanks for the free book @berkleyromance #berkleypartner #Berkley

🤠 Review - DUST STORM (Griffith Brothers #1) 🤠

Author - Maggie Gates

Pub Date - 10/7/25

I’m a sucker for a good spicy, single dad romance and Dust Storm by Maggie Gates just completely stole my heart!

The story follows Cassandra, a consultant from NYC whose career takes a hit when one of her clients makes false accusations against her.  To do damage control, Cassandra’s firm exiles her to a ranch in Texas to do work for the Griffiths, another client of theirs.  Cassandra is angry and frustrated but reluctantly agrees to go. 

Christian Griffith is a widower and a single dad of two tween girls.  He is totally focused on being the best possible dad he can be to his girls, even growing out his own hair so that he can practice doing the hairstyles that his daughters want to wear.  Christian also runs the ranch where Cassandra has been sent.  The sparks fly between Cassandra and Christian from the moment they meet, and I was so here for it!  They are opposites in almost every way and really get under each other’s skin.  Cassandra is career-driven and headstrong, while Christian is old-fashioned in many ways and always cool-headed.  At first it seems like they may actually drive one another up the wall, but as with any good forced proximity story, close quarters really helps them to better see and understand one another.

I adored these characters! At first Cassandra comes across as abrasive, but it’s easy to understand why especially as we learn more about her situation. I also just loved how much she grows as a person the more time she spends on the ranch, and specifically the more time she spends around Christian and his daughters. Christian is a total swoonworthy single dad and the scenes where he spends quality time doing his daughters’ hair every morning just melted my heart.  His daughters were also adorable and it was so fun to watch them win over Cassandra, who swears she doesn’t like kids. 

I just loved this book and highly recommend it for fans of:

🤠Single Dad
🤠Forced Proximity
🤠Cowboy Romance
🤠Opposites Attract

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - Do you prefer city life or rural life?
Thanks for the free book @berkleyromance @acebooks Thanks for the free book @berkleyromance @acebookspub #berkleypartner #Berkley

🐦‍⬛ Review - HOLLOW 🐦‍⬛

Author - Karina Halle

Pub Date - 10/7/2025

When I was growing up, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was one of my favorite spooky stories so I couldn’t resist diving into this spicy retelling to see a new twist on my old favorite.  And it did not disappoint. I devoured this book! 

Hollow is not only a Legend of Sleepy Hollow retelling. It’s also part dark academia and part why-choose romance with major Gothic vibes.  It follows Kat Van Tassel, a young woman who knows she possesses magical abilities but has been told by her parents to hide her magic at all costs.

Her parents have also arranged things so that Kat will marry her childhood best friend, Brom Bones, when she is of age.  When Brom disappears from Sleepy Hollow and Kat’s father dies, that plan goes out the window and Kat’s mother enrolls her at the secretive academy that her family runs.  It is here Kat meets and falls for her new and much older professor, Ichabod Crane. Crane is fascinated by dark magic and the occult, and he also expands Kat’s horizons when it comes to sex. 

Brom suddenly reappears as a student at the school, but he is not the Brom Kat grew up with. He’s moody and prone to angry outbursts, and not only that, but his reappearance coincides with several horrific decapitations that have taken place in Sleepy Hollow, which are believed to be the work of the Headless Horseman.  Brom also shares a secret past with Ichabod but doesn’t seem to remember it.

Kat and Ichabod set out to figure out what is going on and how it relates to Brom, and the three of them end up intertwined in a dangerous game of dark magic and desire. 

This book was so good! I thought the chemistry between Kat, Ichabod & Brom was captivating, & I loved all of the spooky Gothic vibes that surrounded Sleepy Hollow, the academy with its dark magic, as well as the terrifying lore of the Headless Horseman. 

If you like spicy romance, dark academia, & Gothic vibes, Hollow is the perfect spooky season read for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫

❓QOTD - Favorite retelling? If you don’t read them, what was your last 5 star read?
🍁 OCTOBER HOPEFULS 🍁 Happy Tuesday, book fr 🍁 OCTOBER HOPEFULS 🍁

Happy Tuesday, book friends! I hope your week is off to a good start and that you’ve already had some great reads this month.  I’m a few days late sharing the books I’m hoping to read this month, but I think I’ve got a pretty good line up and I’ve already finished a couple of these so be on the look out for my reviews. 

There are several in my hopefuls list that were gifted, so I’ve tagged those publishers. Thanks so much to all of them for their generosity! ♥

📚 Physical Copies: 📚

Hollow by Karina Halle (Finished, review to come soon)
The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore
Fall I Want by Lyra Parish
The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong
Dead & Breakfast by Kat Hillis and Rosiee Thor (Currently reading)
Witches of Dubious Origin by Jenn McKinlay
The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur
Last on the List by Amy Daws
Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Dust Storm by Maggie Gates (Finished, review to come soon)
Backslide by Nora Dahlia
Anne of Avenue A by Emily Harding and Audrey Bellezza
Never Over by Claire Gilmore
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (25 in 2025 book)
Twisted Love by Ana Huang (25 in 2025 book)
The Italian Secret by Tara Moss

🎧📱E-ARCs/ALCs: 📱🎧

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison (Finished, review to come soon)
The Bone Thief by Vanessa Lillie
Yours for the Season by Emily Stone

❓QOTD - What are some books you’re hoping to read in October? Do we have any in common?
Thanks for the free e-book & #gifted ALC @berkleyp Thanks for the free e-book & #gifted ALC @berkleypub @acebookspub #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

🔥 Review - COLIN GETS PROMOTED AND DOOMS THE WORLD 🔥

Author - Mark Waddell

Pub Date - 10/7/2025

Colin is a low-level employee at Dark Enterprises, a Hell-like corporation that uses questionable methods to solve many of the world’s most difficult problems. Colin spends most of his days getting bullied by his coworkers and desperately wants a promotion and the power that he thinks comes along with it.  To get said promotion, he makes a deal with a mysterious shadowy figure, not realizing at the time that making this deal unleashes an ancient evil capable of bringing about the end of the world. No worries though!  Colin has a great plan. Since no one knows he’s the one who has doomed the world, he’ll just figure out a way to recapture the evil he has unleashed so that he can take credit for saving the world, and in the process, really impress his bosses. What could possibly go wrong?

This was such a fun read and just an all around wild ride!  Colin is this fascinating mix of underdog and anti-hero.  So many of his actions are questionable and completely motivated by self interest and getting revenge against those who have bullied him, and every time there’s a choice to be made, he seems to choose wrong, yet you really can’t help but root for him to pull off his crazy plan. 

The worldbuilding is also phenomenal! Dark Enterprises is such a frightening place. There are monsters who eat people living in the stairwells and being terminated is often done quite literally with a “firing squad.” I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why Colin even wanted to work there, but I was fascinated by the place every time he stepped foot inside or visited a different floor of the mysterious building. 

I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Pete Cross.  If you’re into audiobooks, I highly recommend giving this one a listen because Cross is absolutely hilarious and had me laughing out loud even when destruction and death is everywhere. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - What was your first read of October? How was it?
📚 MESSY MONDAY - SEPTEMBER WRAP-UP 📚 Hey bo 📚 MESSY MONDAY - SEPTEMBER WRAP-UP 📚

Hey book friends! I hope your October is off to a great start. Was September a good reading month for you? 

I had another really solid reading month.  I was able to finish 24 books, including almost all of the books from my list of September hopefuls, 2 more books from my 25 in 2025 challenge, and a couple of other books that have been on my physical TBR for a while. 

My photo features all of the physical copies I read, but I also read a few e-arcs and listened to several audiobooks as well. I am somewhat behind on posting reviews, but will be playing catch up this week so you can expect to see quite a few review posts from me in the upcoming days.

❓QOTD:  How was your reading month? What were some of your favorite September reads?

❤️ 5 STARS ❤️

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6) by Diana Gabaldon (25 in 2025 book, review to come)
Wild Side by Elsie Silver (Review to come)

🧡 4.5 STARS 🧡

It Had to be Him by Adib Khorram
Pitcher Perfect by Tessa Bailey
We Met Like This by Kasie West
The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover
Roadtrip with a Vampire by Jenna Levine

💛 4 STARS 💛

A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner (Review coming this week)
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell (Review coming this week)
Soul Searching by Lyla Sage
Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca
Love Walked In by Sarah Chamberlain
People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young
Obsession Falls by Claire Kingsley
The Princess and the P.I. by Nikki Payne
Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie (Review to come)
Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood
A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love by Ann Rose

💚 3.5 STARS 💚

Storms and Secrets by Claire Kingsley
Overdue by Stephanie Perkins (Review to come)

💙 3 STARS 💙

Hooked by Emily McIntire (25 in 2025 book, review to come)
Game On by Ki Stephens (Review to come)

💜 2 STARS 💜

NONE

1 STAR or DNFs

NONE
Thanks for the #gifted ALC @prhaudio #prhaudiopart Thanks for the #gifted ALC @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

👻🎧 Audiobook Review - SOUL SEARCHING 🎧👻

Author - Lyla Sage

Pub Date - 9/30/25

If you’re a small town romance fan, Lyla Sage’s new book Soul Searching is the perfect spooky season read for you! It has all of the cozy, small town charm of her popular Rebel Blue Ranch series, but with a ghostly twist added into the mix.

Collins Cartwright has reluctantly returned home to Sweetwater Peak after unexpectedly losing her job as a photographer. She says she’s there to help her parents with their antique shop, but Collins is also really just trying to figure out what comes next for her.  She’s also feeling off kilter because she has always been able to communicate with ghosts, but now suddenly she can only see them, not actually connect with them.  Collins ends up renting a room from Brady Cooper, the new guy in town who happens to have a spare room above his upholstery shop. 

I love a good forced proximity story, and this one doesn’t disappoint, especially since this is also a black cat/golden retriever romance. The sparks fly between Collins and Brady from the moment they first meet and things only get more interesting once they’re under the same roof.  I especially enjoyed the paranormal element as there are meddling ghosts who are trying to push the two of them together.  The romance itself is a slow burn, as both characters are working on themselves and growing, but the payoff is spicy and worth the wait. There are also plenty of fun moments along the way so the overall read is just such a good time.

Samantha Brentmoor and Jason Clarke narrate the audiobook and these two are truly the dynamic duo when it comes to narrating romance audiobooks.  They made these characters and their chemistry just leap off the page for me, and I binged the whole audiobook in a day. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - What’s a trope you’ve been enjoying lately?
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