• Link to X
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to Pinterest
  • Link to Instagram
The Bookish Libra
  • Home
  • Review Archive
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Genre
  • Review Policy
    • Review Policy
    • Review Ratings System
  • About Me
    • Contact Me
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu
  • book blog
Previous Previous Previous Next Next Next
12

Hello World!

March 24, 2016/1 Comment/by Suzanne

meThanks so much for stopping by my book blog, The Bookish Libra.  If you’ve clicked this link, you’re obviously looking to learn a little more about the bookworm who runs it.  Well, okay then, here goes…

My name is Suzanne and I’m a 40-something lover of books who also happens to be a wife and soccer mom.

My reading tastes are pretty eclectic.  I’m steeped in the classics from my college days, but I also love contemporary fiction, some historical fiction, and am recently becoming more interested in young adult fiction as well.  I am constantly on the lookout for lists of  ‘Most Anticipated Books’ because that’s where I pull many of my reading selections from.

Some of my all time favorite books include To Kill a Mockingbird, Beloved, Pride and Prejudice, The Poisonwood Bible, Life of Pi, All the Light We Cannot See, The Kite Runner, and The Help.

I love to talk about and recommend books almost as much as I like to read them, so I decided it was time to carve out my own little space on the internet so I can geek out on books in my free time. I’m not sure how frequent my updates will be as I do work full-time and also spend a lot of my non-working hours at the soccer fields cheering on my son, but I will do my best to update as often as time allows.  I hope you enjoy the blog 🙂

http://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trimmed-Copy-of-Bookish-Logo-copy.png 0 0 Suzanne http://thebookishlibra.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/trimmed-Copy-of-Bookish-Logo-copy.png Suzanne2016-03-24 01:04:052019-02-25 06:26:45Hello World!
Page 352 of 352«‹350351352

Follow Me on Social Media

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads

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

🍁📚 MY FALL IS BOOKED 📚🍁 Thanks to @be 🍁📚 MY FALL IS BOOKED 📚🍁

Thanks to @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley and @acebookspub for the free books.  I’m putting together my Fall TBR now and all three of these are highly anticipated reads for me so I wanted to make sure they are on your radar as well, especially if you’re into witches, ghosts, or vampires!

Books Featured:

👻Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca, Boneyard Key #2 (Pub Date 9/9/25) - Clashing ghost tours lead to a sizzling romantic rivalry in the second romance in the new series from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.

🧛🏻‍♂️Road Trip with a Vampire, My Vampires #3 (Pub Date 10/14/25) - A vampire who can’t remember his past and a witch with secrets of her own hit the road in this zany, cross-country romantic comedy from beloved author Jenna Levine.

🧹Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood, Rewitched #2 (Pub Date 9/25/25) - Annie Wildwood is practically perfect in every witch way. Her life is a haze of pink, magic and impossibly high standards. But, when she is tasked with mentoring a troubled teenage witch with extraordinary powers, Annie’s charmed existence is quickly thrown into utter chaos. 

Cute fall mug and bookmarks were purchased from @emilycromwelldesigns. 

❓QOTD - What are some books you’re excited to read this fall?  Are you ready for fall or are you wishing summer would stick around a bit longer?
🪶Birds and the Bees Collab 🪶 From flirty fe 🪶Birds and the Bees Collab 🪶

From flirty feels to full-on swoon, we’re here to tell you about the birds, the bees, and a whole lot of happily ever afters.. 

To see how we’re celebrating life and love in all its bookish glory, check out the hashtag #bfshappilyeverbookies 

🌱🐝🩷🌻🪶🌻🩷🐝🌱

Today I’m sharing a stack of my favorite spicy romance books, plus slides with more information about each book, including tropes. 

🐝 First Time Caller by B.K. Borison
🌱 Technically Yours by Denise Williams 
🩷 Red Card by Maren Moore
🌻 Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston 
🐝 The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
🌱 Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
🩷 Book Lovers by Emily Henry
🌻 This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
🪶 Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
🐝 The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
🌱 The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren 
🩷 Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage 
🌻 The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood 
🪶 You, With a View by Jessica Joyce
🐝 Story of My Life by Lucy Score
🌱 One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune 

❓QOTD - Have you read any of these? What are your favorite tropes? 

🌱🐝🩷🌻🪶🌻🩷🐝🌱

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

#bookendsfriends #bookishcollab #bookstafriends  #booklovers  #bookishcommunity #bookishfun
Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyrom Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

🌸 Review - GABRIELA AND HIS GRACE (Luna Sisters #3) 🌸

Author - Liana De la Rosa

Pub Date - 8/26/25

Gabriela (“Gabby”) is the youngest and most rebellious Luna sister, and she has something to prove, namely that she’s more than just a pretty face and a prize for her father to marry off to a suitable husband for political purposes. 

When she has had her fill of British suitors pursuing her, Gabby decides it’s time to go home to Mexico. Maybe there’s something she can do to help her country since it is still embroiled in the conflict with Europe.  She boards a ship and is not happy to find Sebastian Brooks, the Duke of Whitfield, is also traveling to Mexico. Gabby and Sebastian have a history of verbal sparring, and a bit of a love-hate relationship. Gabby is not thrilled to be stuck with him for 10 days, but that forced proximity is exactly what they need to realize their true feelings for one another. 

As always, the author’s writing is wonderful. I enjoyed how the she threads the historical information of this time period throughout each book. It flows perfectly into each storyline and never feels like an info dump. I also love her character development and how authentically the relationships always progress. 

I also loved the chemistry between Gabby and Sebastian! Their banter is so fun, and I liked that even when trading barbs, you could tell they really did respect one another.  I also loved that Sebastian sees Gabby as she wants to be seen & that he steps up to defend her.  I enjoyed getting to know these characters.  There’s so much more than meets the eye with them both!

The audiobook is 12 hrs, 24 mins & it just flew by. I listened comfortably at 1.7x & Ruby Hunt’s narration was fantastic. The voices were distinct which made it easy to follow the different characters. Her spirited narration was great for Gabby’s sass, but she also perfectly captured the more vulnerable moments as well. 

I’m sad the series is over but couldn’t have asked for a better ending. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - Any series you’re hoping to start or finish this year?
✨25 in 2025 Read #16 - QUICKSILVER by Callie Har ✨25 in 2025 Read #16 - QUICKSILVER by Callie Hart ✨

I have to admit that this romantasy is one I bought because of FOMO but then promptly set aside because I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype. 

Saeris, the female main character, had me rooting for her right from the start. I love an underdog character and she really fit the bill.  Growing up in poverty in a land where even the water is rationed, Saeris has turned to thievery just to survive. She’s brave, strong, clever, and stubborn, and she is also hiding the fact that she possesses powers she is still figuring out.  When we meet her, Saeris has gotten herself into a world of trouble and the only way she escapes with her life is by accidentally opening a portal to another realm, specifically the Fae realm, right in the middle of a centuries old conflict that could easily get her killed. 

Kingfisher is a fae warrior, and he’s just so grumpy and broody.  He can get Saeris back home to her own realm, but he also has his own agenda, which is to try to use her powers to protect his own people.  I love a broody MMC so I was a big fan of Kingfisher. 

Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope, so I really enjoyed watching these two butt heads before they eventually acknowledge their attraction to one another. Between Saeris’ sarcasm and Kingfisher’s grumpy attitude, their banter is very entertaining, but I enjoyed the story even more as their relationship evolved into one of respect and cooperation. 

The story itself is a wild, action-packed ride and I thought the worldbuilding was well done.  I’m hoping we’ll get more details about the actual quicksilver element and about Saeris’ powers in the next book, but I’m pretty happy with what we got in this book. 

I did think the pacing was a little uneven and specifically that the middle of the book felt like it started to drag, especially when compared to the first part of the book and to the final chapters.  Even with that issue, I still thoroughly enjoyed Quicksilver and look forward to the next book in the series. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - What’s a book you have been avoiding for fear it wouldn’t live up to the hype?
🏒⚾️⛳️ SPORTS ROMANCE BOOK RECS 🏈🏀 🏒⚾️⛳️ SPORTS ROMANCE BOOK RECS 🏈🏀⚽️

Hey book friends! Are you a fan of sports romances or have you been looking to start your sports romance journey? I’ve been in my sports romance era for almost two years now and thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites so far.  I seem to have read more hockey and football romances than any other sports, so I’ve done a slide each for those two sports, and then added a third slide for various other sports. I haven’t done specific spice ratings on the individual books, but if I’m remembering correctly, all of these have at least some open door spice in them. 

🏒 HOCKEY ROMANCES 🏒

✨Kiss and Don’t Tell by Meghan Quinn
✨The Deal by Elle Kennedy
✨Behind the Bench by Jillian Arly
✨The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson
✨Powerless by Elsie Silver
✨Always Only You by Chloe Liese
✨Mile High by Liz Tomforde
✨Unsteady by Peyton Corinne
✨Consider Me by Becka Mack
✨The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
✨The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy
✨The Bad Boy Rule by Maren Moore

🏈 AMERICAN FOOTBALL ROMANCES 🏈

✨The Rule Book by Sarah Adams
✨The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
✨Playbook by Rebecca Jenshak
✨Fumbled by Alexa Martin
✨The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon
✨Say You Swear by Meagan Brandy
✨Beauty and the Baller by Ilsa Madden-Mills
✨First Down by Grace Reilly
✨Coach by Devney Perry
✨The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan
✨Too Hard to Forget by Tessa Bailey
✨The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

⚾️ OTHER SPORTS ROMANCES ⚽️

✨Red Card by Maren Moore (Rugby)
✨Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey (Golf)
✨Ride with Me by Simone Soltani (Formula One Racing)
✨Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan (Basketball)
✨Relationship Goals by Brittany Kelley (Soccer)
✨Deep End by Ali Hazelwood (Diving, Swimming)
✨Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner (Soccer)
✨Caught Up by Liz Tomforde (Baseball)
✨The Right Move by Liz Tomforde (Basketball)
✨The Path to Loving Him by Meghan Quinn (Baseball)
✨Burnout by Rebecca Jenshak (Motocross)
✨Homerun Proposal by Maren Moore (Baseball)

❓QOTD - Have you read any of these?  Or do you have any other sports romance recs? I’m always looking for new books to check out.
🌸 MINI REVIEWS - BLUE MOON SERIES 🌸 Thanks 🌸 MINI REVIEWS - BLUE MOON SERIES 🌸

Thanks to @read_bloom for the gifted copies.  I’ve been loving each book in Lucy Score’s Blue Moon small town romantic comedy series.  I binged these in just a couple of sittings and finished each book with a smile on my face. 

Not Part of the Plan (First published 4/10/17; re-released  7/8/25)

This installment follows Niko, a sexy motorcycle-riding photographer from New York, and Emma, Blue Moon’s feisty brewery manager. who is Niko’s opposite in every way.  Niko has a reputation for being a bad boy, while Emma is the kind of woman men want to settle down with. At first Emma is unimpressed with Niko and his charming ways, but when she realizes that he is trying to figure out what is missing in his life and in his photography, Emma can’t resist trying to help him figure it out.  The chemistry between Niko and Emma is off the charts, no matter how hard Emma tries to keep the walls up that she has had around her since ending her last relationship, and it was fun watching Niko eventually get her to let her guard down and then watching their relationship develop the more they got to know and trust one another.  Not Part of the Plan delivered all of the laughs and spicy content I’ve come to expect in this series, but also has a level of emotional depth to it that had me rooting for these characters so hard.  This is my favorite Blue Moon book so far! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Holding on to Chaos (First published 9/25/17; re-released  8/5/25)

Eva is a romance author, who is prone to getting into accidents and finding chaos, and yet she has still manages to charm Donovan (“Sheriff Sexy”), who freely admits he would love to date her.  Eva is hesitant, particularly because of the weird planetary alignment situation that has caused the townspeople to act crazier than usual.  Is the sheriff saying what he’s saying because he really feels it, or is the planetary chaos making him act out of character?  I loved their chemistry, and I also loved how patient the Sheriff was with Eva.  Also fun is that Eva is trying to keep her writing career a secret. Good luck keeping a secret in Blue Moon! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - What are you reading this weekend?
📔 THRILLER THURSDAY - FORGET ME NOT 📔 Thank 📔 THRILLER THURSDAY - FORGET ME NOT 📔

Thanks to @minotaur_books #partner for the great PR package and ARC and thanks to @macmillan.audio #macaudio2025 for the gifted ALC.

Review - FORGET ME NOT

Author - Stacy Willingham

Pub Date - 8/26/25

Stacy Willingham is one of my favorite thriller authors so I was excited to dive into her latest, Forget Me Not and wow, it did not disappoint! 

Claire is an investigative journalist who is haunted by a missing person’s case, that of her sister, Natalie, who disappeared 22 year ago. When Claire loses her job and is called to come back home and help care for her estranged mother, Claire decides to take a summer job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard about an hour from where she grew up in coastal South Carolina and it also happens to be the last place Natalie worked before she disappeared. 
There she discovers an old diary written by one of the vineyard’s owners and starts reading it. 

What starts out as a typical diary soon takes adark and twisted turn as the pages begin to describe a farm that sounds almost cult-like and then gives details about various unsolved crimes in the area. Claire becomes obsessed with the diary’s contents and with trying to figure out if her sister’s disappearance could possibly be related.

I really enjoyed everything about this fast paced thriller. The beautiful isolated vineyard setting really adds to the atmospheric nature of the story, and contrasts with Galloway Farm’s s dark past, and I thought the author did a fantastic job of using the diary entries & Claire’s experiences to build suspense and create tension.  This was such an addictive and truly haunting read and it kept me guessing until the end. I binged this book in a couple of sittings and have been thinking about it nonstop ever since I finished it.

The audiobook was narrated by Karissa Vacker and Helen Laser, and they are both just outstanding. Their narration perfectly captures the atmospheric quality of Willingham’s writing, made Claire all the more sympathetic, and was definitely one of the reasons why I binged this book so quickly. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - Last book you couldn’t stop thinking about?
🔎 THRILLER THURSDAY: THE BREAK-IN 🔎 Thanks 🔎 THRILLER THURSDAY: THE BREAK-IN 🔎

Thanks to @gallerybooks #partner for the #gifted ARC and to @simon.audio #partner for the gifted ALC.

 Review - THE BREAK-IN

Author - Katherine Faulkner

Pub Date - 8/26/25

If you’re in the mood for a twisty domestic thriller, Katherine Faulkner’s latest, The Break-In, might be exactly the read you’re looking for.  It starts off with a bang when Alice, a wealthy London mom, is hosting a playdate with friends in her home and an intruder breaks in. He is armed, behaving erratically, and when he starts heading toward the room where the children are, Alice panics and kills him. The killing is ruled as self-defense but Alice is still haunted by having killed a man and struggles to move on with her life.

When she gets a mysterious phone call telling her all is not as it seems, starts to see online comments implying the same thing, and then people in her life start behaving strangely, Alice becomes obsessed with learning more about the man she killed and why he came to her house.  Her quest for more information takes her into some questionable situations and she ultimately ends up uncovering secrets that hit so close to home, they threaten to destroy everything Alice holds dear. 

I really enjoyed this one overall. As a mom, I was sympathetic to Alice’s circumstances. I think most of us would do whatever it takes to protect our children and could easily find ourselves in a similar situation.  I did want to throttle her at times though because some of the choices she makes along the way as she’s playing amateur detective. Her poor judgment frustrated me. What she ultimately uncovers though? WOW. 

I liked the author’s writing style. The story hooked me right away, it’s filled with suspense and clever twists that kept me guessing. It’s also packed with tension and emotion as Alice unravels the mystery of the man she killed, while at the same time, sending her own life into turmoil. 

The book did start to feel a little long, but Shiromi Arserio’s narration was so good, especially when it came to building suspense, that it kept me interested.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - What’s a book you’re hoping to fit in before the end of the month?
🩷 PINK WEDNESDAY 🩷 On Wednesdays, we read p 🩷 PINK WEDNESDAY 🩷

On Wednesdays, we read pink! Today I’m sharing a book stack that features several recent favorites that all happen to have pink spines.  I just finished Not Part of the Plan and Gabriela and His Grace and will be posting reviews sometime in the next few days, so be on the lookout for those. 

Books Featured:

🩷Not Part of the Plan by Lucy Score 
💖Red Card by Maren Moore
🩷What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
💖Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
🩷Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa 
💖Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady

As you can tell, I’ve started unpacking my fall/Halloween decorations so they are already making the occasional appearance in my photos. The little ghost reading the pink book is Boonard and I purchased him from @emilycromwelldesigns a couple of years ago.  He’s one of my favorite decorations. :)

❓QOTD:  Do you decorate your bookshelves for different seasons/holidays?  Or what color books do you own the most books of?
Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyrom Thanks for the free book & #gifted ALC @berkleyromance @acebookspub #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

🧹Review - THE LATE-NIGHT WITCHES 🧹

Author - Auralee Wallace

Pub Date - 8/19/25

I went into this one blind, going purely off of those cozy cover vibes, and ended up really enjoying it.  It’s one of those stories that has a little something for everyone - it has family drama, witches, vampires, curses, and even the tiniest hint of romance!  It’s kind of hard to describe, but think Practical Magic meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer and you’re in the ballpark.

The family drama drew me in right away because as the eldest sister, I immediately related to Cassie, trying to hold everything together.  She’s raising three kids on her own, has a sister who is a wild child, and is barely surviving as it is, but then it’s dumped in her lap that she is also the “chosen witch” and it’s up to her to defeat a centuries old vampire on Halloween night or the world as they know it will end.  Cassie knows she comes from a long line of witches but her magic has always been dormant, so she has no idea how she can possibly pull this off. I loved Cassie’s journey as she tries to figure out how to unlock her powers, and the role her family plays in her journey, particularly her Aunt Dorcas, a gem of a character.

This was such a fun read. The writing is atmospheric and has just enough suspense with the curse and the threat of the vampires. It does have a tiny bit of gore, but even as someone squeamish, it didn’t bother me.  I loved how the story was so focused on this family of quirky witches and their bond of sisterhood.  Overall, The Late-Night Witches is a warm and humorous story about family, love, and self-discovery.

Robyn Maryke narrates the audiobook and does such a great job voicing this quirky cast of characters and capturing all of the elements of humor, suspense, and emotion that the story has to offer. It’s a charming performance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - If a carved pumpkin with no note showed up on your doorstep at the start of spooky season, what would you do? 👀
✨ WHAT THIS WEEK ✨ Hey book friends! I swear ✨ WHAT THIS WEEK ✨

Hey book friends! I swear it feels like Monday rolls around faster and faster every week. This is our last week of summer as my son will start his first college classes next Monday. I’m excited for him but can’t believe we’re already at this point. Time is just flying!

📚What I’m Reading: I’m finishing up Gabriela and His Grace and Love’s a Witch this week, and then starting The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner.

🎧What I’m Listening to: Some of my reads above are immersive reads, and then I’m also listening to the audiobook of Pucking Around. 

🗓️What I’m looking forward to: I recently purchased a scanner and signed up for a libib account, so I’ve slowly been doing an inventory of all of the books I own. It has been a big project so I’m looking forward to finishing that up so that I only have to scan in new books as I purchase or receive them.  It has been fun feeling like I’m channeling my inner librarian though and I’m curious to see how many books I actually do own.

❓QOTD - Answer any of the prompts above.
🎧 AUDIOBOOK MINI REVIEWS 🎧 Thanks to @libro 🎧 AUDIOBOOK MINI REVIEWS 🎧

Thanks to @librofm #partner, @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner, & @macmillan.audio #macaudio2025  for the gifted ALCs

⛵️IF ALL ELSE SAILS by Emma St. Clair ⛵️

Pub Date - 8/5/25

Length: 11.3 hrs / Speed: 1.8x

I was immediately giddy when I realized this book is set in Kilmarnock, VA, about 30 minutes from my hometown. St. Clair describes the vibes of that area perfectly and it felt like being home. The story itself is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, closed door romance between Josie, a school nurse, and Wyatt, a hockey player on medical leave. The chemistry between Josie and Wyatt is fantastic, and I loved the added emotional depth that Wyatt is also there not just to recover from his injury but to sail the Intracoastal Waterway & spread his uncle’s ashes. It becomes an eye opening trip for them both and I just ate it up!  Andi Arndt & Patrick Zeller narrate and deliver a chsrming grumpy-sunshine performance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

✈️ WINGING IT WITH YOU by Chip Pons ✈️

Pub Date - 6/10/25

Length: 11 hrs, 18 mins/ Speed: 1.75x

This is a spicy romcom about two men who decide to pose as a couple to compete in an adventure-style reality contest right after they meet in an airport & the real feelings they catch along the way.  This book was so cute! Theo gives off major golden retriever energy, while Asher is a man on a mission after being dumped at the airport. The contest itself was hilarious and also provided lots of lovely moments for Theo and Asher to be vulnerable with each other.  Narrators Lee Osorio and Michael Crouch were fantastic in capturing both the humor & the more emotional moments. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎤 FOR THE RECORD by Emma Lord 🎤

Pub Date - 8/12/25

Length: 9 hrs, 55 mns / Speed: 1.8x

I love second chances and that this story was all about them for Mac & Sam in terms of their musical careers and their unresolved feelings for one another from when they were teens. I liked watching them reconnect & navigate new challenges but felt something was missing. I did enjoy the narration of Jesse Vilinsky & Andrew Elden though, which perfectly captured the tension and emotion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - What are you reading this weekend?
🌞 Where the Wild Things Are Collab 🌞 Let t 🌞 Where the Wild Things Are Collab 🌞 

Let the wild reading rumpus begin! Join us daydreaming readers as we celebrate our books and pages that roar with wonder. 

To see how every bookie is celebrating their wild today, check out the hashtag #wherethewildbookiesare 

🌱🐞🌾🌻🍄🌻🌾🐞🌱

This topic made me think of fantasies and witchy reads where nature is key to the magical systems and of course book covers where nature is prominent. I decided to share some of my favorite book covers from my shelves that I thought fit the theme as I envisioned it. 

Books Featured:

🌻The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
🌱The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
🥀Foxglove by Adalyn Grace
🐞Belladonna by Adalyn Grace 
🌾The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
🍄In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker 
🌻A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden 
🌱Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
🥀Realm of Thieves by Karina Halle 

❓QOTD - Have you read any of these? Or what are you currently reading? 

🌱🐞🌾🌻🍄🌻🌾🐞🌱

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

#bookendsfriends #bookishcollab #bookstafriends  #booklovers  #bookishcommunity #bookishfun
Thanks to @readforeverpub and @hachetteaudio for t Thanks to @readforeverpub and @hachetteaudio for the gifted review copy & audiobook!

❤️ Review - RED CARD ❤️

Author - Maren Moore

Pub Date - 8/12/25

Red Card is a rugby romance that follows Cillian Cairney, a British bad boy whose behavior has gotten him kicked off of his rugby team in London. The only team willing to take him now is a team at an Ivy League school in New Hampshire, but they don’t even try to hide the fact that they don’t like or trust him. Cillian has to prove himself, but has no idea that his fate might actually lie in the hands of the coach’s sassy, rugby-obsessed daughter, Rory. 

I absolutely devoured this book! I have a serious soft spot for bad boys who are trying to do better, so Cillian just had my whole heart from the moment I first met him on the page and learned about all he had been through and how he was trying to change. 

I also adored Rory right away and found her to be such a relatable character. Even though she’s in college, she’s always with her dad acting as an unofficial assistant coach and hanging out with the team. She’s just “one of the guys” and so her flirting skills are lacking. When she sees how much Cillian is struggling to fit in with the team, she offers to help pave the way for him if he’ll give her flirting lessons and help get her out of the friend zone. I loved the chemistry between Rory and Cillian, especially once those lessons started and they started to actually catch feelings for one another. 

The romance was fun, flirty, and spicy, and with Rory being the coach’s daughter, forbidden as well, and I loved every page of it.  What I also loved though was that the story also had a lot of emotional depth. Cillian is not only trying to secure this new position in the U.S., but he’s also processing grief and trying to care for his sister. He shows so much vulnerability it was impossible not to root for him. 

I read this one with my ears and eyes and highly recommend both formats. The audiobook is outstanding! Matt Sykes and Stella Hunter narrate, & I loved the contrast of the accents & how well their voices worked together.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

❓QOTD - Have you ever watched rugby?  If not, favorite sport?
Thanks for the free book @berkleyromance #BerkleyP Thanks for the free book @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #Berkley & gifted audiobook @prhaudio #prhaudiopartner

🛸 Review - LOVE AT FIRST SIGHTING 🛸

Author - Mallory Marlowe

Pub Date - 8/12/25

This was one of my most anticipated summer romcoms and it far exceeded my expectations!

El is a social media influencer with a huge following who livestreams herself having an encounter with a UFO. While El’s followers are annoyed because she’s posting “offbrand” content, she catches the attention of Agent Carter Brody, who is a Man in Black and who had an encounter with a similar UFO when he was a child right before his dad, also a Man in Black, was killed. Carter hasn’t been able to look into his dad’s death, but now that he has been assigned to El’s case, this is his chance. After an awkward initial encounter, once El hears Carter’s story, she decides to work with him to get some answers.

Oh, how I loved these two characters! They’re both just so quirky and adorable on the surface, with the most hilarious banter between them, but they also both just have so much going on beneath the surface.  Carter’s backstory just broke my heart, and I really wanted him to get the answers he was looking for since this has obviously haunted him for most of his life. I also loved that he saw El as so much more than just the aesthetic of her social media page. He helped El to better see herself and to want more for herself than just followers, algorithms, and social media clout.  They were just such an amazing team in every way. 

I just loved everything about this book.  I was fully invested in the romance, the personal journeys of the characters, and in the UFO mystery, and ended up binging the book in a couple of sittings.

The audiobook is narrated by Elizabeth Lamont and Iggy Toma, and I had such a blast listening to this one.  Not only do they do a wonderful job bringing these characters to life and making Marlowe’s banter pop, but I love how well done the live stream scene and some of the other action scenes in the book are presented.  It was highly entertaining! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓QOTD - Do you believe in aliens?
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Other Places to Follow Me

Follow The Bookish Libra on WordPress.com

Follow

Recent Book Reviews

The Co-op by Perfect Fit by Holding the Reins (Silver Pines Ranch, #1) by Fragile Sanctuary by Catherine CowlesA Very Bad Thing by The Hitchcock Hotel by Under Loch and Key by Lana FergusonHer Knight at the Museum by Bryn DonovanThe Boyfriend by Original Twin by

Giveaways

Stay tuned for my next giveaway!

Professional Reader

Reviews Published50 Book Reviews
Professional Reader80%
 

Currently Reading

Suzanne (The Bookish Libra)'s bookshelf: currently-reading

The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz
The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz
by Ellie Midwood
tagged: currently-reading
A Reaper at the Gates
A Reaper at the Gates
by Sabaa Tahir
tagged: currently-reading
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
tagged: currently-reading

goodreads.com

Goodreads Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Suzanne (The Bookish Libra) has read 11 books toward her goal of 175 books.
hide
11 of 175 (6%)
view books

2024 Goal – Read More Books From My Own Shelves

I have read 3 books from my bookshelves so far this year. My goal is to read at least 70.

4 %

Categories

  • Audiobook Review (2)
  • Author Interviews (1)
  • Blog Tours (48)
  • Bookish Tags and Memes (347)
  • Challenges and Readathons (19)
  • Discussion Posts and Lists (46)
  • Giveaways (9)
  • Personal (3)
  • Reviews (624)
  • Uncategorized (2)

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Privacy Policy

View Our Privacy Policy, last updated May 21, 2018.

Categories

  • Audiobook Review
  • Author Interviews
  • Blog Tours
  • Bookish Tags and Memes
  • Challenges and Readathons
  • Discussion Posts and Lists
  • Giveaways
  • Personal
  • Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Archives

SEARCH

Search Search
© 2016-2025 - The Bookish Libra - powered by Enfold WordPress Theme
Scroll to top Scroll to top Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies and our privacy policy.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Privacy Policy
Accept settingsHide notification only