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12
top ten tuesday

Top 10 Underrated Books I Enjoyed Reading

July 5, 2016/6 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 Top Ten Books We Enjoyed That Have Under 2000 Ratings On Goodreads.

One thing this week’s topic taught me is that I don’t read nearly enough underrated books, so I’m very excited to do a little blog hopping after work to see what others are posting so as to expand my reading horizons.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Underrated Books to add to your TBR List


1. Annapurna by Sharr White

03 I don’t know if drama in general is underrated on Goodreads or if Sharr White himself is because I’ve read two wonderful plays by him that both have less than 2,000 reviews. For those unfamiliar with Mr. White, he is a master at writing powerful roles for women. Even if you don’t read the plays, definitely don’t hesitate to check them out on stage. Brilliant stuff!

Synopsis from Goodreads: “Twenty years ago, Emma walked out on her husband, cowboy-poet Ulysses, in the middle of the night. Now hearing he’s in dire straits, she tracks him down in the wilds of Colorado to a filthy trailer, where he’s hooked to an oxygen tank and cooking sausage in the buff. Their reunion, charged by rage and compassion, brings back the worst and best of their former bond.”

2. A Stranger in the Kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher

04 It has been a number of years since I read this so I don’t remember much about it other than that it reminded me a lot of To Kill a Mockingbird because of the themes it tackled.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Howard Frank Mosher has earned both critical acclaim and a wide readership for his vivid historical portraits of northern New England residents in his fictional Kingdom County, Vermont. A Stranger in the Kingdom tells the unforgettable story of a brutal murder in a small town and the devastating events that follow. The town’s new preacher, a black man, finds himself on trial more for who he is than for what he might have done in this powerful drama of passion, prejudice, and innocence suddenly lost . . . and perhaps found again.

3. The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner

01 The Memory of Things actually hasn’t been published yet, so I’m kind of cheating a bit here because I think this should be on everyone’s radar for when it does come out in September. I just recently read it and thought it was such a moving and poignant read.

Synopsis from Goodreads: “The powerful story of two teenagers finding friendship, comfort, and first love in the days following 9/11 as their fractured city tries to put itself back together.” Read More…

4. Burying the Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter

05 This is a suspenseful page turner and a recent release that I’m frankly surprised hasn’t wracked up anymore reviews than it has.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Althea Bell is still heartbroken by her mother’s tragic, premature death—and tormented by the last, frantic words she whispered into young Althea’s ear: Wait for her. For the honeysuckle girl. She’ll find you, I think, but if she doesn’t, you find her. Adrift ever since, Althea is now fresh out of rehab and returning to her family home in Mobile, Alabama, determined to reconnect with her estranged, ailing father. While Althea doesn’t expect him, or her politically ambitious brother, to welcome her with open arms, she’s not prepared for the chilling revelation of a grim, long-buried family secret. Fragile and desperate, Althea escapes with an old flame to uncover the truth about her lineage. Drawn deeper into her ancestors’ lives, Althea begins to unearth their disturbing history…and the part she’s meant to play in it. You can also read my review HERE.

5. All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

06 This book is a fairly recent release that, like Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, so far hasn’t gotten as much attention as I thought it would have. It reminded me a lot of Gone Girl and to The Girl on the Train, except with the added twist that it’s told in reverse.

Synopsis from Goodreads: “Like the spellbinding psychological suspense in The Girl on the Train and Luckiest Girl Alive, Megan Miranda’s novel is a nail-biting, breathtaking story about the disappearances of two young women—a decade apart—told in reverse.

It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched.” Read more…
Read more

https://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/toptentuesday.png 864 1600 Suzanne http://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trimmed-Copy-of-Bookish-Logo-copy.png Suzanne2016-07-05 12:35:472016-07-05 12:35:47Top 10 Underrated Books I Enjoyed Reading
air awakens

Book Review – Air Awakens by Elise Kova

July 3, 2016/2 Comments/by Suzanne
Book Review – Air Awakens by Elise KovaAir Awakens (Air Awakens, #1) by Elise Kova
four-half-stars
Published by Silver Wing Press on August 27th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 377
Amazon
Goodreads

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond…

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.

My Review:

I went into Air Awakens not at all sure of what to expect. I had never heard of the series or the author Elise Kova before and had only purchased the book because it was the topic of an upcoming Books Are My Fandom chat. Sadly, my schedule did not allow me to finish the book in time to participate in the chat, but since then, I have finished reading Air Awakens. So what did I think of it? What a wonderful read this turned out to be! I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. I may not have heard of her before, but Elise Kova is on my radar now and I really cannot wait to read more of her books!

What I Loved:

Fascinating Main Characters:

Vhalla: What’s not to love about a socially awkward bookworm protagonist who learns she has magical powers? As soon as I read the line “Vhalla wasn’t exactly good at relationships as she preferred to spend more time with books than people,” that instantly made her a character I could relate to and I always prefer books where I make that kind of connection with the protagonist.

I also found her overall struggle very compelling. The search for identity and trying to figure out one’s place in the world is one of those universal themes that we can all relate to. In Vhalla’s case, the search for identity is compounded further by the fact that she has been told all of her life that magic is bad, something to be avoided and shunned. To embrace her magic abilities is to fly in the face of everything that she and her family and friends have ever known. How will those she loves react if she becomes a sorceress? As Vhalla says, “she would be eighteen and had never made a decision for herself that mattered.” And now she has to make a decision that could change the course of her entire life!

Aldrik – Aldrik is perhaps one of the most interesting characters in the book. Even though he is the Crown Prince, he is still basically the black sheep of the royal family because of the stigma associated with magic. He’s dark and brooding and can also be condescending and a bit obnoxious. To further cloak him in mystery, throughout the kingdom, there are many rumors swirling around about terrible things he has supposedly done with his magic. Part of the fun of Air Awakens is actually trying to unravel the mystery of who Aldrik really is.

What you realize, especially once he meets and starts to interact with Vhalla, is that there is a lot more to Aldrik than meets the eye. As a sorcerer himself, Aldrik of course has his own motives for wanting Vhalla to embrace her magical abilities and at first, he forges full speed ahead with his agenda. The trouble Aldrik encounters, however, is that when he’s with Vhalla, he always seems to say and do the wrong thing, even endangering her life at one point because he acts recklessly in pursuit of his goal. Aldrik is horrified by his own actions and when he goes to Vhalla to apologize, he starts to let his guard down and we see a whole different side of him – a side that makes him much more endearing both to Vhalla and to the reader.

Baldair – Baldair, or the Heartbreaker Prince, is basically the polar opposite of his brother, Aldrik. Where Aldrik is dark and brooding, Baldair is golden and a huge flirt. Where dark rumors about magic surround Aldrik, gossip about romantic conquests surround the royal family’s golden boy. On the surface Baldair appears to be all fluff and little substance, but yet something about his relationship with his brother really intrigues me. I can’t tell exactly where they stand with one another and that adds a layer of complexity to everything Baldair does, especially when it comes to Vhalla, whom he really has no reason to interact with at all, yet goes out of his way to do so. Does he like Vhalla? Is he being nice to her to get under his brother’s skin? Is there more to it than that? I’m hesitant to boil it down to just being a love triangle, because it seems like something more is going there. I’m hoping future books in the series will unfold the exact nature of the relationship.
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four-half-stars

About Elise Kova

Elise Kova has always had a profound love of fantastical worlds. Somehow, she managed to focus on the real world long enough to graduate with a Master’s in Business Administration before crawling back under her favorite writing blanket to conceptualize her next magic system. She currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and when she s not writing can be found playing video games, watching anime, or talking with readers on social media. She is the author of the Air Awakens Series as well as the upcoming Loom Saga (Keymaster, 2017).

Website | Facebook

https://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/air-awakens.jpg 1059 700 Suzanne http://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trimmed-Copy-of-Bookish-Logo-copy.png Suzanne2016-07-03 09:50:402016-07-05 21:30:03Book Review – Air Awakens by Elise Kova
top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books on My Summer TBR List

June 28, 2016/8 Comments/by Suzanne

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week is “FREEBIE WEEK — topic of your choice or go back and do one you missed!” This is my first week participating so I’m choosing to go back and do an earlier top 10 list, so without further ado, here’s my first Top Ten Tuesday!

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books on My Summer TBR List


A Darker Shade final for Irene 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1. A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab – Nearly everyone I follow has given this one rave reviews, plus I’m kind of intrigued by the idea of London parallel universe style, so I’m super excited to give it a read this summer.

2. Red Rising by Pierce Brown – Back when I read Red Queen, I remember a lot of reviews saying that it was similar to Red Rising but that Red Rising was the superior series. I’ve decided I want to see for myself which is better.

3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas -Again, major rave reviews for this series and the blurb on Goodreads sold me as soon as it mentioned Beauty and the Beast!

4. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante – After starting out with so many fantasy novels, I like to switch gears and read something a little different. I chose this one because I love novels that focus on the bonds of friendship and also because it’s set in Italy and I went there last year and fell in love with the country.

5. Modern Lovers by Emma Straub – This one appeals to me because of all of the positive buzz it has gotten and also when I read the blurb on Goodreads, it sounded like a book I would be able to relate to: “Straub packs wisdom and insight and humor together in a satisfying book about neighbors and nosiness, ambition and pleasure, the excitement of youth, the shock of middle age, and the fact that our passions—be they food, or friendship, or music—never go away, they just evolve and grow along with us.”

6. A Storm of Swords, Game of Thrones # 3, by George R. R. Martin – As much as I enjoy the Game of Thrones series, I can only tackle one of these behemoths a year and it’s that time again…

7. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – The cover of this novel is what initially drew me in – the look of pain on that man’s face. The synopsis sounds pretty compelling as well: “When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.”

8. Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman – The reviews I’ve read on this book have been somewhat mixed, but I’m still intrigued and want to give it a shot. From Goodreads: “Girls on Fire tells the story of Hannah and Lacey and their obsessive teenage female friendship so passionately violent it bloodies the very sunset its protagonists insist on riding into, together, at any cost.”

9. Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa – This book was on a lot of the Must Read lists at the beginning of the year. Although it isn’t my usual reading fare, it sounded very interesting so I entered a Goodreads giveaway and won a copy. I’m excited to give it a try and see if it lives up to the hype. From Goodreads: “The Flamethrowers meets Let the Great World Spin in this debut novel set amid the heated conflict of Seattle’s 1999 WTO protests.”

10. Fire Falling, Air Awakens # 2, by Elise Kova – I just started the Air Awakens series this week and am already so in love with it that the second book in the series bumped another TBR book from my top 10 list.

https://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/toptentuesday.png 864 1600 Suzanne http://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trimmed-Copy-of-Bookish-Logo-copy.png Suzanne2016-06-28 09:36:152016-06-28 09:36:15Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books on My Summer TBR List
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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?

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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 (#18 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?
🍁 Nothing beats a brisk breeze and falling leav 🍁 Nothing beats a brisk breeze and falling leaves... except our monthly spellstack!🍁

My favorite time of the year is fall, specifically the month of October. I love the vibrant colors of the changing leaves, the crisp air and cooler temperatures, all things apple and pumpkins, and of course all of the spooky season reads on my fall TBR.  October is also my birthday month, so it’s special to me for that reason as well. 

For my October book stack, I tried to create one that captured colors that I associate with fall and Halloween. 

Books Featured:

O - Only and Forever by Chloe Liese
C - Cash by Jessica Peterson
T - Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura
O - Once Persuaded, Twice Shy by Melodie Edwards
B - Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
E - Exes & O’s by Amy Lea
R - Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood

❓QOTD - What’s your favorite time of the year and why do you love it?

Check out #OctSpellStack25 for a look at all our O-C-T-O-B-E-R stackers; and if you see this, consider yourself challenged!

Don’t forget to use #OctSpellStack25 to join us, and DM @cynsfictionaddiction to jump into our last few monthly SpellStack challenges of the year.
🧹 WITCHY WEDNESDAY 🧹 It’s officially Octo 🧹 WITCHY WEDNESDAY 🧹

It’s officially October and I don’t know about you, but my spooky season is in full swing! Since I have nothing but fall and Halloween on the brain, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite witchy reads today for anyone who may still be putting together their fall TBR. 

Books Featured:

🧹Wicked by Gregory Maguire
🔮Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (I’m obsessed with this whole series!)
🧹A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
🔮The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
🧹Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper
🔮Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare
🧹The Late Night Witches by Auralee Wallace
🔮 by Lucy Jane Wood
🧹Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood
🔮The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

❓QOTD - What are some of your favorite witchy reads?  Or if you don’t read them, what are you currently reading?
📫 THREE FOR TUESDAY - BOOK MAIL 📫 Thanks so 📫 THREE FOR TUESDAY - BOOK MAIL 📫

Thanks so much to @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley and @acebookspub for the free books!

These are three highly anticipated fall/spooky season reads for me so I can’t wait to dive into them.

Books Featured:

Hollow by Karina Halle (Pub Date 10/7/25) -  From the New York Times bestselling author of River of Shadows and A Ship of Bones and Teeth comes a smutty spooky dark academia gothic romance retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow , where Kat Van Tassel doesn’t have to choose between Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane, and there are worse things haunting them than the Headless Horseman.

Dead & Breakfast by Rosiee Thor & Kat Hillis (Pub Date 10/14/25) - A cozy mystery about two vampires who run a bed and breakfast but end up trying to solve a murder when the town’s mayor turns up dead in their flower garden.

The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong (Pub Date 10/14/25) - An almost-mage discovers friendship—and maybe something more—in the unlikeliest of places in this delightfully charming novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes.

Scroll through the rest of the slides for the full synopsis of each book.

❓QOTD - Are any of these on your radar? Which one do you think I should read first?
Thanks for the free e-arc & #gifted ALC @berkleyro Thanks for the free e-arc & #gifted ALC @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

🎃 Review - A HEXCELLENT CHANCE TO FALL IN LOVE 🎃

Author - Ann Rose

Pub Date - 9/9/25

A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love is a cute sapphic romance that is perfect for spooky season. I loved the unique premise of having a cursed Halloween store that pops up in a new location in town every year and then disappears two days after Halloween as if it never existed, and that Pepper, one of our main characters, is trapped by this curse and tied to the store so that she too disappears without a trace every November 2nd.  If Pepper wants to break the curse, she’ll have to convince someone else to take her place or trick them into doing so.  The idea that not even Pepper’s family would remember that she was missing from year to year requires some suspension of disbelief, but I chalked that up to the nature of the curse and happily kept reading. 

In the five years she has been trapped, Pepper has not really thought about trying to break the curse, but then she meets Christina who has come to the store shopping for supplies to build a haunted house for the school where she works. Pepper falls for Christina and the feelings are mutual, so Pepper hates knowing that after November 2nd, she will disappear and Christina will forget all about her, and thus starts pondering how to break the curse. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the friends to lovers romance between Christina and Pepper. Even though it happens fairly quickly, I thought their growing connection felt authentic, so it was easy to feel Pepper’s dilemma about whether or not to try to tell Christina about the curse. I loved their interactions both at the store and at the haunted house, where Pepper pitches in to help. They have a natural chemistry, which makes it all the easier to root for a way to break the curse & give them both a happily ever after.

Sarah Beth Goer & Imani Jade Powers narrate the audiobook & they made the chemistry between Pepper & Christina palpable & captured both the fun & the more suspenseful moments as the countdown to the store disappearing. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓Do you dress up for Halloween?
👻 SPOOKY SEASON BOOK RECS 👻 Happy Monday, b 👻 SPOOKY SEASON BOOK RECS 👻

Happy Monday, book friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that you were able to fit some quality reading time into your schedule. 

Now that October is almost upon us, I thought it would be fun to share some book recs for Spooky Season.  If you know me, you know I don’t really like to be scared so if you’re looking for truly scary books, this isn’t the list for you. 

Instead, this post is filled with some of my favorite reads that feature paranormal romance (especially romcoms), cozy and and/or magical fall and Halloween vibes, and some of my favorite thrillers.  There are plenty of witchy reads, some ghosts, a couple of vampires, werewolves, cryptids, and even a haunted house or two on my rec list. 

I have also included a slide with my own spooky season TBR so you can see what books I’ll be reading and reviewing throughout October. My most anticipated from that slide are Dead and Breakfast (vampires), Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore (plant witch), Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (vampires), and Witches of Dubious Origin (cozy).

Happy Spooky Season Reading! 👻

❓QOTD - Have you read any of these or are any of them on your TBR?  Do you have any additional recs to add to the list? If so, comment them below.

Shares and reposts are also much appreciated!
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