Maya

💬:N/A

📖Genres: shoujo, romance, humor, manga, graphic novels, comics

📚Page Count: 192

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5

My Love Story!!, Volume 10 by Kazune Kawahara has some of the same charm that the pervious volumes had but I find the plots having to do with adults having crushes on teens makes the story fall flat and I end up feeling uncomfortable. The rest of the manga was cute and I enjoyed it.

The first part of this manga starts up where the last volume left off. The story continues with Takeo's girlfriend, Yamato, working at her summer job at a bakery. The main baker at her job has a crush on Yamato (and he also happens to be a grown man) and he begins to call Yamato by her first name, he's also been referring to her as his "muse". The baker has asked Yamato to help him in a baking competition. The second part of this manga is about a cop themed café that Yamato and her friends are hosting at their all girl's school. Takeo and his friend join to help Yamato and her friends at this cop café. The last part of the manga has to do with Takeo and Yamato potentially taking their relationship to the next step.

Overall, this addition to My Love Story was just okay. I think previous volumes have a bit more charm than the ones including adults having crushes on and trying to date teens. I'm giving this 3.5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I read this manga for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "It was past nine when Bones came back. His coat was lined with several knives, both steel and silver. No telling whether Delphine and Louis might have vampiric help with them, so best to have all bases covered."

Frost, Jeaniene. Reckoning: From Unbound (Night Huntress) (p. 34). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: 59

🎧Audiobook Length: 01h 50min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 3.5/5

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Reckoning is book 0.5 in the Night Huntress series, it's about Bones before he meets Cat. I wasn't sure what to expect with this novella, but the audiobook kept me interested throughout. Bones is in New Orleans and he ends up doing some work for real world historical figure Marie Laveau the herbalist, midwife, and Voodoo practitioner. There are tourist that are getting eaten by a couple of ghouls and Laveau wants the issue and the ghouls taken care of.

There's a lot of gore scenes and decapitation going on in this novella. It was action packed. I don't think it's necessary to read this novella before continuing with the series, it's just an interesting sided story about why Bones is no longer allowed in New Orleans.

There were no spicy scenes in this novella, I will not be giving a spice rating. N/A 🌶️.

Overall, this novella was action packed and it revealed a bit of information about Bones' past. It was exciting and a little gross. I'm giving this novella 3.5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 3.5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: "Zaira wove her fingers into his. “It’ll happen. This is your destiny, Aden.” Her kiss was fire and love and primal possessiveness. “Your parents dreamed too small when they wanted you to become the leader of the squad."

Singh, Nalini. Shards of Hope (Psy-Changeling Book 14) (p. 481). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 484

🎧Audiobook Length: 15h 41min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.75/5

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Shards of Hope is the 14th book in the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh. Two Psy Arrow soldiers, Aden and Zaira are the main characters of this book. I love the way this starts out, it was so exciting and chilling, and because this started off so powerfully and with action I was definitely invested for the duration of the book (I also went into this without knowing the synopsis because I didn't read the book's synopsis! So, if you want to go in without knowing the synopsis too, skip the rest of this paragraph.) Both Zaira and Aden <spoiler>wake up in a dark cell, with no memory of how they got there. Neither of them are able to use their psychic abilities and they both know that if they don't fight to get out, it'll cost them their lives.</spoiler> The story goes on from there.

This book really reminded me why I kept reading The Psy/Changeling series after I read the first book in the series, Slave to Sensation. When I first read Slave to Sensation, the story gave me literal chills. This is the third book in the series to give me the chills! When I get the chills while reading, it either means that I'm scared or that I'm really excited and happy with what I'm reading. I don't want to spoil anything other than the synopsis so I'll just talk about the spicy scenes and I'll mention that so many elements from previous Psy/Changeling novels have finally come together to paint a picture that I know Singh has been planning since that first book, Slave to Sensation.

I enjoyed the spicy scenes. I think Aden and Zaira are so cute together. I'm happy the first scene basically cut to black because <spoiler>I'm not a fan of scenes where the heroine is a virgin and then she has to go through all that pain and the bleeding. Ugh.</spoiler> I did like the spicy scenes that game afterward though. I'm giving it three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

The 14th book in the Psy/Changeling series was exciting and it kept my attention for the duration of it's 15 hour + audiobook. It was exciting, surprising, emotional, and just damn good. I'm giving this book 4 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.75/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [Hoopla Digital]

💬: N/A

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: N/A

🎧Audiobook Length: 09h 30min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 - 4.25/5

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Halfway to the Grave (Dramatized Edition) is a graphic audio published by the company Graphic Audio and written by Jeaniene Frost, based on the first book in her Night Huntress series, Halfway to the Grave. This was my first time listening to a production by the company Graphic Audio and I was not disappointed. Catherine Crawfield is a half-vampire and she's made it her mission to kill other vampires because one vampire in the past, destroyed her mother's life. Bones, a full fledged vampire agrees to help train Catherine and help her find her father as long as she agrees to help him take out some of his vampire enemies.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

The story itself was outdated at certain parts, but it was very exciting otherwise. There was a very outdated and poorly aged part where <spoiler>these two guys at the club try to drug Catherine to date rape her. Because she's a half-vampire, the drugs don't fully work on her so they end up triple dosing a human woman after it didn't work on Catherine. The human woman died, Bones found the perpetrators while they were assaulting the victims dead body. Further spoilers, Bones kills the perps for their crime.</spoiler> This entire scene made me uncomfortable. I see a trend with older (circa - mid 90's - late 2000's) paranormal or urban fantasy stories where the author includes copious amounts of sexual assaults'. Other than the issues with date rape and sexual assault, the graphic audio was enjoyable because the story's twist and turns were so interesting. This audio is action packed and it really has me excited to read the second installation.

The spicy scenes were good, I enjoyed them and I really liked the voice actor for Bones. He has a very attractive voice. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall, disregarding the sexual assault issues I found this graphic audio to be really riveting. If the outdated parts in the story weren't there, I would definitely have to give this the max stars, but because of the triggering content, I'm giving this 4.25 out of 5 stars instead.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.25/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: “Well, hey there, little lady,” he said in that fake Southern accent that made her laugh and drove her crazy all at the same time. “I haven’t seen you around these parts before.”

Weatherspoon, Rebekah. A Cowboy to Remember (Cowboys of California Book 1) (p. 306). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: romance, contemporary romance, spicy

📚Page Count: 307

🎧Audiobook Length: 10h 33min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5

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A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon is the first book in the Cowboys of California series, it's the first western I've ever read and it was very cute. Evie Buchanan is a chef who has a spot on a morning show and she has recently lost her memory from a accident at an industry party. After waking up with amnesia she's informed that there's only one person on her emergency contact list, a sexy African American cowboy named Zach, apparently from her past. Zach messed up the first chance he had with Evie, now that he has a fresh start, will he be able to convince her to fall in love?

Evie and Zach were cute together, and almost all of the side characters were really nice. I don't think this was my favorite romance story, but I did enjoy the read. I can not see myself reading this again though, because of the slow pacing in the middle of the book. It feels as if not much happens for a bit and I hate when I feel like the plot is stalling. I did like the epilogue.

The spicy scene was okay, there was only one if I remember correctly. It wasn't my favorite spicy scene and I honestly wish there were more, but I understand that the author is trying to tell an actual story that's not exactly an erotica. I'm giving the spicy scenes two point seventy-five chilies 🌶️🌶️.75 out of five chilies

Overall this romance was okay, there were cute moments, a few moments that were boring, and the one spicy scene was alright. I'm giving this 3 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: ““It’s a sex chair,” Xeni blurted out. “A sex chair for a sex witch,” Mason joked. “Pretty much.” He walked over and examined it more closely. “May I?” he asked.

Weatherspoon, Rebekah. XENI: A Marriage of Inconvenience (Loose Ends Book 2) (p. 206). Rebekah Weatherspoon Presents. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: erotica, romance, contemporary romance, interracial romance

📚Page Count: 217

🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 13min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

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Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon is the second book in the "Loose Ends" series. Xeni's famous aunt Sable Everly passes away and leaves most of her estate to Xeni. Due to Xeni's mother and her other aunts having a decades-old feud with their sister Sable, Xeni has a limited amount of time to clean out her aunt Sable's house alone. That is until she finds out that to claim her inheritance she has to marry her Aunt Sable's young friend and protégée. Well, now Xeni and her new husband Mason can clean out Sable's estate together. They're being trying to make the best of the situation, maybe that includes falling in love.

This was a really cute romance and I enjoyed the read. Both Xeni and Mason seem very attractive. I think the narrator did an okay job on the audiobook. I didn't have very many issues with this book and even though I liked it, it's not my favorite romance. I would recommend this book to a friend though.

*SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT*

The issue I had with the book was with the miscommunication trope at the end. The two separated for a while before Finally getting back together and that was a bit frustrating to me, though I understand they both wanted to work on their separate lives and issues for a bit.

*SPOILERS OVER*

I loved the spicy scenes! There's even a pegging scene in here and that was enjoyable. I like that the couple used condoms until they had been together for a while. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall this romance was sickeningly cute. I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: “I will fight always for you. Until my breath stops, I’ll fight.” She accepted that to the core, and so she could tell him the rest."

Singh, Nalini. Alpha Night (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 4) (p. 274). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 355

🎧Audiobook Length: 11h 19min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

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TW - <spoiler>Cursing, Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Grief, Animal cruelty, Death, and Violence</spoiler>

Alpha Night is the 19th book in the Psy/Changeling series and 4rd in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series both by Nalini Singh. In Alpha Night alpha wolf Selenka Durev is fierce and protective of those who are under her care. She meets Ethan Night who is a standoffish member of The Arrows, somehow they become fated mates at first sight, even though Selenka believed mattings at first sight to be a myth. What Selenka sort of knows but doesn't is that something is wrong with Ethan, Selenka and sense it through the mating bond. Will they be able to stay mated or with the secrets they're both keeping destroy everything?

This was so fun to read, I was definitely entertained through my read. I loved the chemistry and banter between Selenka and Ethan. I also really tend to love the mystery based Psy/Changeling storylines, I find those to be the most interesting and entertaining. It was nice to see past characters in this story pop up (like the author normally does with her Psy/Changeling books.) This reading experience was so pleasant.

The spicy scenes in here were so nice. I did like that we didn't have to read about a woman and her first time, because this author tends to write about that and I never really like those scenes. This was enjoyable. I'm giving it three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

In my review for the previous book in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series I said that "Wolf Rain" had been my favorite book from the series so far. After having read "Alpha Night" I've changed my opinion. "Alpha Night" is my favorite in the series now. The book was entertaining, exciting, and it depicted such a wonderful love. I'm giving this book 5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: ““Fruitless obsession will lead you to your grave, Canto,” he muttered, repeating words his grandmother had said to him. Ena had also added: “Mercants have a gift for obsession. It’s led to prison sentences, epic heroism, great works of art, and madhouses. Choose your path.”

Singh, Nalini. Last Guard (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 5) (p. 14). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 371

🎧Audiobook Length: 10h 52min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

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TW - <spoiler>Ableism, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail</spoiler>

Last Guard is the 20th book in the Psy/Changeling series and 5th in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series both by Nalini Singh. Payal Rao is the CEO of a major company as well as a cardinal telekinetic and an Anchor (a Psy designation of people working together to stop the PsyNet from collapsing) . She's calm, collected, and mostly emotionless. Canto Merchant is the head of intel for the influential Merchant family, he's an Anchor who's been deemed "damaged" because of a spinal injury he endured as a child. Payal and Canto need to work together, to save the Psy/Net but this isn't the first time they've had to work together. Both of them are still hurting from their intertwined dark past. Will they be able to save the PsyNet and possibly the love that they develop for each other?

This was an okay read, I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. I will say that this is one of the most boring Psy/Changeling novels I've read. I enjoyed Canto and Payal's romance towards the end but the journey of getting there felt long. There wasn't much that was memorable about this book to be honest.

The spice in this was okay, it wasn't really memorable, though I did like the depiction of a physically disabled person being intimate with their partner because we don't see that a lot in media. I'm giving it two point five chilies 🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall, I think Last Guard was just okay. The book felt like it was a little longer than it needed to be, I actually found this to be one of the most boring Psy/Changeling novels. Though I did appreciate the fact that we finally got a romance or relationship between two Psys, the book was just not as exciting as the previous one that came before it (Alpha Night). I'm giving this 3 stars out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: "The Trinity Accord is the fragile foundation of all their hopes and dreams of a future without war, without violence, without shattering loss. It is a noble ambition. But the past is not an old coat that can be discarded and forgotten. It is a scent that clings and clings and clings.

Singh, Nalini. Silver Silence (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 1) (p. 1). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 479

🎧Audiobook Length: 16h 01min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

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TW - <spoiler>Gun violence, Kidnapping, Torture, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Cursing, Violence, Blood, War, and Death</spoiler>

Silver Silence is the 16th book in the Psy/Changeling series and 1st in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series both by Nalini Singh. This book is about Silver Mercant, a Psy and Valentin Nikolaev, an alpha bear. Silver is stationed at Valentin's bear compound where she's been helping keep an eye on things since the Trinity Accord as been established. Silver gets poisoned and almost dies as a result and now Silver along with the Mercant family and Valentin are looking for the culprit.

This book had stuff going on but it really FELT like nothing was happening for the duration of the book. Silver gets poisoned at the beginning so I assumed this book would be about hunting down the culprit and they eventually do that but it takes so long. Valentine courted Silver and it was a cute story but it went by so slowly, this book took me 4 weeks (A WHOLE MONTH) to finish because there was very little action on the page. I'm actually disappointed with how boring this was.

The spicy scenes were below average for me, there were two of them and they weren't my favorite scenes. I'm not a huge fan of the virgin heroine and the painful first time, the second scene was a little better but still just "okay". I'm giving it two chilies 🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall, Silver Silence was just okay but it was definitely on the boring side. I'm giving this book 3 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: "Unlike big, burly bears with their adorably soft hearts that us wild women have to be careful not to bruise, wolves have egos that are titanium over iron. It takes a great deal to insult a wolf, so if you manage it, kudos to you. He’ll probably give you ten thousand orgasms in revenge. You poor, poor thing."

Singh, Nalini. Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity Book 3) (p. 143). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 392

🎧Audiobook Length: 13h 23min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

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TW - Grief, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Murder, Torture, Confinement, Violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

Wolf Rain is the 18th book in the Psy/Changeling series and 3rd in the Psy/Changeling Trinity series both by Nalini Singh. Wolf Rain is about a Psy named Memory, who was found by a wolf changeling, Alexei. Memory was trapped in an underground bunker, confined against her will by a psychopath of a Psy. Now that she's been rescued and freed Alexei comes to find what a strong spirit she has inside of her and he becomes fond of her. Now he has to make a final decision, "risk everything or lose Memory". Will he choose to save her?

I think Memory was a compelling character and I enjoyed reading about her and seeing her grow. I think Alexei showed character growth by the end of the story, but he didn't have much of a personality within the story. If Alexei had more of a personality outside of caring about Memory, I would have given this 5 stars.

I think the spicy scenes in this book were much better than the ones in the previous book (Ocean Light.) I'm still not a fan of the "first time" scenes but the scenes afterwards were nice. I'm giving it two chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall, I'd say Wolf Rain has been my favorite book from the Psy/Changeling Trinity series. I'm giving this book 4 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: “Laughing in the intimate space between them, she rose up against him, kissed him in sweet little sips, her hands on either side of his face. Every muscle in his body tense, Vasic surrendered to the kiss, to the possession that may as well have been steel chains around his body."

Singh, Nalini. Shield of Winter (Psy-Changeling Book 13) (p. 374). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 450

🎧Audiobook Length: 15h 47min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

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Shield of Winter is the 13th book in the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh. Two Psy, Ivy Jane and Vasic, one of the central members of the Arrow Squad, are the main characters. I really enjoyed their romance story. Vasic is tasked with protecting Ivy after [SPOILER] the fall of Silence.

There's a lot of action in this novel, but there's also a good amount of romance as well. I really love the balance between the Romance and Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genres, Singh is so good at making the stakes high and interesting while also making sure to naturally make the characters fall in love. I don't want to spoil too much by going into detail about the "threat" in this book, though I will say I was hooked and didn't want to stop reading until I had finished.

The spicy scenes were so good in this. I especially liked how things were made interesting because of one of Vasic's abilities. I'm giving it four chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

I really enjoyed the 13th main book in the Psy/Changeling series. It had action, romance, good spicy scenes, and a handsome brooding MMC! I'm giving this book 4 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: "“I would take anything she chose to give me—the tiniest fraction or her entire world. I would take her for a single night knowing that I’ll lose her by morning, and I would hold on to her and never let go. I would take her healthy, or sick, or tired, or angry, or strong, and it would be my fucking privilege. I would take her problems, her gifts, her moods, her passions, her jokes, her body—I would take every last thing, if she chose to give it to me.”

Hazelwood, Ali. Bride (pp. 201-202). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: adult, spicy, romance, paranormal, paranormal romance, urban fantasy

📚Page Count: 402

🎧Audiobook Length: 12h 47min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5

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TW - <spoiler>Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail</spoiler>

Bride by Ali Hazelwood is a paranormal romance about a Vampyre named Misery who is sent to be in an arranged marriage to an Alpha wolf named Lowe. Misery doesn't just agree to the arranged marriage only to ensure continued peace between the Vampyres and Weres, she also does it because she's determined to get back what's been taken from her. Even if that means being the only Vampyre in Were territory.

I've never read anything by Ali Hazelwood until now and I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I think it started a little slow and the world building felt a bit jarring at first because the setting is not exactly explained until around 25% of the way through the book (if I remember correctly). I was feeling very impatient during the first 25% of the way through and the main reason why I continued the book is because it was a buddy read between myself and a best friend. I'm so happy I convinced myself to finish it. I'm not big on political romance stories but this hooked me in once I hit that 25% mark. I think it also helps that this book unfolds into somewhat of a mystery on top of all the politics, romance, and the "enemies to lovers" themes.

I want give this book five stars but there were two things I didn't like. I only liked the first half of the last spicy scene, I didn't like what happened after the stuff I liked (LOL 😂😂). Another thing I didn't like was how the "enemies to lovers" trope was really based on a continual misunderstanding. I honestly don't think this book is "enemies to lovers" at all.

I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that the spicy scenes were enjoyable in some parts and then they became "interesting" in other parts. I'll say that I've never read an intimate scene like the last scene, but I'm very hopeful that it'll be the last I read of it's kind. I'm giving it three chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies.

"Bride" is my first Ali Hazelwood book and I was not disappointed, I really enjoyed this book and it was honestly so fun to read. I'm giving this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "“I am old,” she said, masking her fear with anger. “I could be your mother’s mother!” She could have been an ancestor of his mother’s mother. But she kept that to herself. “Who are you?” she demanded. “I could be your mother’s father,” he said. She took another step backward, somehow controlling her growing fear.

Butler, Octavia E.. Wild Seed (The Patternist Series Book 1) (p. 11). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: adult, science fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction

📚Page Count: 404

🎧Audiobook Length: 11h 09min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

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TW - <spoiler>Animal death, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Colonisation, and Death</spoiler>

One of my favorite books of all time. Amazing.

5/5 Stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💬: "I'll let the past burn to ash, Freya, because you are my present. My future. My destiny."

Jensen L. Danielle. A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated Book 1) (p. ?). Del Rey. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, romantasy, mythology (Norse), vikings

📚Page Count: 400

🎧Audiobook Length: 15h 16min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5

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A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen is the first book in the Saga of the Unfated series. This story is about Freya who is a Goddess Blessed fisher man's wife in an unwanted marriage. After her fisher man husband breaks faith with Freya and betrays her to the local Jarl, the local Jarl orders her to fight his son, Bjorn, to the death. Secretly, Freya has the blood of a Goddess on her side, that helps her survive the fight. Soon after she gets the news that she is the shield maiden that is supposed to make this particular Jarl, the King. That was foreseen in a prophecy. The Jarl then forces Freya to bind herself to him and thus begins the saga of Freya learning how to fight and tame her magic. Will she be able to ignore the lingering lust she feels for the Jarl's son?

This book had interesting parts, but it did not do a good job of keeping my attention throughout the book. I had such high hopes for this book. Mostly because it's so highly rated amongst my peers but also because the beginning of the story was really good so I expected the action and the overall story to keep up a good pace. The first 25% was interesting, the next 50% really dragged on and was boring, and the last 25% had everything thrown in there, in an exciting way (spicy scenes, action, fighting, surprises, secrets, and a cliff hanger.)

There was one spicy scene <spoiler> in the middle of the book</spoiler> and there are two more spicy scenes <spoiler>at the end of the book.</spoiler> Yes there are many ways to be intimate with someone but I really hated that we had to wait until <spoiler>the end of the book for the two love interests to have intercourse.</spoiler> I'm giving the spicy scenes two chilis 🌶️ out of five chilies.

Overall, I had high expectations going into this book but it was just okay. The beginning and the ending were very exciting, but the middle of the book was really boring. I'm giving this 3 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "One thing I truly knew—knew it in the pit of my stomach, in the center of my bones, knew it from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, knew it deep in my empty chest—was how love gave someone the power to break you."

Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon (The Twilight Saga Book 2) (p. 219). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires, werewolves

📚Page Count: 566

🎧Audiobook Length: 14h 51min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5 - 2.5/5

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New Moon is the second installment in the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. This book has some of the same issues that the first book, Twilight, has. Bella and Edward seem to still have a toxic relationship, both Bella AND Edward still has some serious dependency issues, and once again, there's a big chunk of this book where nothing really happens. In New Moon, Bella and Edward spend almost the duration of the book separated. This leaves a lot of space for the third part of the love triangle to come in, and that's Jacob Black.

Unfortunately, their relationship is still toxic, or rather Edward still has abusive tendencies. Here's an example,

“No! No! NO!” Edward roared, charging back into the room. He was in my face before I had time to blink, bending over me, his expression twisted in rage. “Are you insane?” he shouted. “Have you utterly lost your mind?” I cringed away, my hands over my ears.

Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon (The Twilight Saga Book 2) (p. 535). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition.

This was towards the end of the book, when Edward got upset about a decision Bella made. Edward also does this.

“Carlisle?” I turned to look at him. Edward grabbed my face in his hand, forcing me to look at him. His other hand was out, palm toward Carlisle.

Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon (The Twilight Saga Book 2) (pp. 535-536). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Kindle Edition.

This is right after Edward starts yelling at Bella and throwing his tantrum. I understand being upset, but I don't think that's really acceptable behavior. He's scaring her and purposefully being intimating.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

In this book, Bella and Edward spend a significant time away from each other and they both act like they're dying because of it. I won't spoil why they spend time apart or how the situation comes to be, but I will say that Bella basically goes catatonic for a while. She has constant nightmares that she awakes from screaming. She goes into a deep depression. Then she starts hearing Edward's voice in her head whenever she would do something deemed "dangerous" or "life threatening". Instead of seeing a doctor or specialist, she decides to keep doing dangerous things so she can continue to hear his voice in her head. Yeah, okay. I always thought this part of the saga was weird, concerning, and not romantic in the slightest.

Once again, this book goes on for about 45% (200 pgs) before anything interesting or exciting happens. This is the second book in the series that has pacing issues that make almost the majority of the book, boring. I always have to remind myself that the movie adaptation is superior to the books, because wow. Most of this was boring.

There were some interesting parts in this story, like the stuff near the end of the book. I shouldn't have to read almost half of your book for anything to happen Mrs. Meyer. I also still hate the dynamic Bella and Edward have, but I do like the side characters a lot. Overall, this book was better than the first. I'm giving this 2.5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️.5 - 2.5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [LibbyApp.com]

💬:Suddenly the page changed before her eyes, the ink bleeding together and reforming into new pictures, faster than she could register. Words appeared and disappeared in languages she couldn’t read. A ringing filled her ears, and she could hear her blood rushing in time with her heartbeat.

Sbrana, Analeigh. Lore of the Wilds: A Novel (pp. 165-166). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, fae, romantasy, adult, magic,

📚Page Count: 339

🎧Audiobook Length: 10:51

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️.5 - 2.5/5

Lore of the Wilds is the first in the series of the same title by Analeigh Sbrana. This story is about Lore, a human who lives in a society of fae. Her village falls on disaster and she has no choice but to surrenders herself to the dark fae Syrelle. Syrelle instructs her to tend to his library in the castle they're in. It's not long before Lore runs away with one of the castle guards, a fae named Asher. Later on Lore ends up meeting and becoming enthralled with another fae named Finn.

This book has so much potential but the pacing is off, there's little character development, there's close to no romance and very little chemistry between the romantic interests and the main character even though there are TWO romantic interests, and this fantasy crosses over from being a fantasy drama to being a cozy fantasy to wanting to be high fantasy, and the spicy scene at the end wasn't gotten to with build up or banter or any sort of romantic development.

Overall, the pacing felt off and there was very little character development when it came to Lore, herself. There was also very little romantic development despite this being marketed as a "romantasy" or romance fantasy. I'm giving this 2.5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️.5 - 2.5/5 Stars

Thank you [NetGalley.com], Analeigh Sbrana (the author), and Harper Voyager (publisher) for the arc (advanced reader's copy.)

Good intro!

My husband is asexual and I got this book to learn more about asexuality. Through this book I learned that I'm demisexual, which is on the asexuality spectrum. This graphic novel truly was short and informative, I enjoyed it. 5/5 stars

Concrete Park Vol 1 is a really interesting sci fi graphic novel about a planet that happens to be home to “criminals” that have been shipped off from Earth. The “New Earth Correctional Colony City Number 2” or “Scare City” is what the area is known as. We follow what seems to be the narrative of two different protagonists or anti heroes. Although there seem to only be two main characters there are lot of side character and that sort of makes things a little confusing at more than one point.

Towards the end though the volume starts to come together and make more sense. I gave this 4 stars because I enjoyed the setting, world building, and some of the characters. I didn't give it that 5th star because the comic was confusing at times and I didn't like the trope that was used at the very start of the comic.

I had to look up what some of these covers were supposed to be in reference to, I sort of wish there was an image of the original album on the side of each rework. Other than that, this artbook was fantastic !

★★★ / 2 ½ Stars rounded up!

This was really confusing and because of that I was left feeling disappointed when I finished reading this. I have little knowledge of what actually was going on in the storyline and the ending was also confusing. This is such a let down because I really enjoyed the first volume.

This volume was trying too hard to introduce new characters every other page, they should have focused on already existing characters.

I also wish we had gotten an answer or explanation about certain things. First example is what happens to Boza, his state of mind isn't explained at all so we don't get a full understanding of why Boza does what he does towarda the end of the comic.

We also never got an explaination as to where Lena is from or what language she speaks. Why is she ethereal and why does she glow blue? No answers, unfortunately.

I enjoyed the art and the world building so I gave this ★★ ★/ 2 ½ Stars rounded up!

Thank you to Chronicle Books, Darian Symonè Harvin, Monica Ahanonu, & NetGalley for this advanced readers copy (ARC) of Black Icons of Herstory in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5 Stars
This is a book about women who are 19th & 20th century icons!
I like the format of this book,
I really enjoyed the illustrations, I think they're beautiful. I love the individual descriptions or “blurbs” that come before the illustrated images. There's so much information packed in just one page!

I expected and was happy to see trans women in this book, we definitely need more trans inclusion in our books. I also liked that there were several Afro Latinas!There were also a few gay women!

💬:“I’ve been trying to breathe underwater too long. It’s time to get some fresh air into my lungs."

Flinn, Alex. Breathing Underwater (p. 189). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fiction, teens, young adult, abuse, romance

📚Page Count: 229

🎧Audiobook Length: 5hrs 09mins

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn is a young adult novel about an abusive relationship that two high schoolers are in, this book is from the perspective of the abuser. This book was first published in 2001, I read this in 2002 at the age of 12. I don't think 12 years old is old enough for this book, I definitely think this book is for older teens/young adults. I will say that I did learn a lot from this book as a pre-teen, I learned what an abusive relationship could possibly look like and that helped me in the long run.

This book would be really helpful for young males in particular, because this story is from the point of view of a young male teen. Some of the readers might see themselves in the main character Nick, or even in his girlfriend Caitlin. It's possible that they might see themselves in Nick's best friend, Tom. There are so many possibilities for how this story could connect to older teens/adult readers.

*MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW*

My only issue with this story is that Nick learns that HE was abusive through journaling, counseling, but mostly the murder/suicide of his friend Leo and Leo's girlfriend, Neysa (two Latine characters). I don't like how Neysa was killed off just for Nick to learn his lesson. Nick even says after he finds out that they're dead that he can't even remember what Neysa looked like, she was just a stand in for Caitlin.

"Neysa. What did she look like, even? But I see Caitlin’s face, Caitlin’s blue eyes, staring."

Flinn, Alex. Breathing Underwater (p. 177). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Overall, I think the story was solid in it's depiction of abusive relationships, abusive behaviors, and child abuse. I'm going to give this 4 out of 5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to this audiobook for free on [Libbyapp.com]

March 12th, 2024

I currently just listening to part 1 of the DRAMATIZED version of Fourth Wing. The dramatized version by the company "Graphic Audio" makes the story much more interesting. I actually liked what I was listening to, and I didn't feel like the story was mediocre like I did when I read the novel. There are still some plot hole issues, the main character is still a Mary Sue, and I don't think the author really understood what "enemies to lovers" meant. With all that said, the dramatized version is STILL exciting and entertaining. It's definitely worth the listen, especially if you're like me and you didn't like the novel upon your first read.

I'm giving the DRAMATIZED version 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

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October 1st, 2023

I wanted to come back and also add that the characters were flat and one dimensional and the main character didn't <spoiler>train with her dragons not once. she had two dragons and we got no training sequences ? yeah , lmao okay.</spoiler> I could deal with her being a Mary Sue but the dragon bit that I just mentioned? Very disappointing. This was just really mediocre.

I'm giving this a 2.5 stars out of 5.

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July 7th, 2023

I would say that I read this book because I had FOMO (fear of missing out) because almost everyone in my friend group was talking about this book and I couldn't join the conversation, I just had to sit there feeling silly and confused. So I decided to pick up this book!

That being said, I think it was okay. I'm not used to reading long fantasy books so I'm not sure if it was me or the book, but certain parts seemed to DRAGON (drag on - lmao I love puns). The audiobook was about 21 hours and I just remember listening around hour 18 wishing it was already over.

I also had an awkward time with the intimate scenes, not because I'm a prude and don't like sex or intimacy but because I'm a women who is 32 years old (as of writing this review) and the main character was about 20 and her love interest was about 23. I have no interest in reading inmate scenes about characters more than 10 years younger than me, it just felt a bit awkward.

Other than those two issues, I think the book was fine. I enjoyed certain parts more than others, like I really enjoyed the actions scenes and the scenes where "secrets" were releveled. If there wasn't much going on in the story, I was probably a bit bored.

I'm giving this a 3 stars out of 5.

💬: "He wiped everything he had typed and began again on a clean form, “YOU MUST ESCAPE! THERE’S AN EPIDEMIC BREWING HERE! WE MUST GIVE WARNING, GET TREATMENT!” She was shaking her head again.

Butler, Octavia E.. Clay's Ark (The Patternist Series Book 3) (p. 57). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: adult, science fiction, speculative fiction, thriller, dystopian

📚Page Count: 214

🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 22min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

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TW - <spoiler>Death, Death of parent, Incest, Sexual assault, Gore, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Rape, Cancer, Car accident, and Abandonment</spoiler>

This is my second time reading Clay's Ark by Octavia E Butler but this is my first time writing a review for it. The first time around I gave it 4 stars, I loved the suspense and the thriller elements of this book so much. This time around I'm keeping my rating the same at 4 stars. I'm not giving this 5 stars though because of the gratuitous sexual violence in the book.

💬: N/A

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, romantasy, dragons, adult

📚Page Count: N/A

🎧Audiobook Length: 11h 39min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5/5

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IRON FLAME DRAMATIZED ADAPTATION - PART 1

TW - <spoiler>Blood, Physical abuse, Medical content, War, Death, Grief, Murder, Animal death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Cursing, Violence, Confinement, Gore, and Kidnapping</spoiler>

Iron Flame Dramatized Part 1 is the first half of the dramatized version of the novel "Iron Flame" written by Rebecca Yarros. The dramatized version of Iron Flame starts off where the dramatized version of the first book in the series, Fourth Wing, left off. It's Violet's second year of Dragon Rider College and there's a new Vice Commandant that's making her life hell, in addition to that she has to deal with the secrets that she learned at the end of Fourth Wing, including <spoiler>the supposedly mythical creature the Wyvern is real and they have been attack towns and outposts on the edge of the country. </spoiler> Will Violet be able to survive her second year and will she be able to help keep the secrets of the marked ones?

I didn't really enjoy my reading of the Fourth Wing novel but I did enjoy the dramatized adaptations. I think this time around, with Iron Flame, I'm going to continue listening to the dramatized adaptations because they seem to be more exciting than the author's writing and the original books. Part 1 of the Iron Flame adaptation was really exciting and it kept my attention for the duration of the audiobook.

There's an intimate scene in here and because I'm a 33 year old woman listening to 22 year old's get it on, I'm not very interested or invested in the scene. Like Fourth Wing Dramatized Part 2, I'm giving the spicy scene 2 chilies 2🌶️ out of five chilies.

Overall, Iron Flame Dramatized Part 1 was really exciting and entertaining. I think I'm just going to wait until part two comes out in two month, I don't want to bother reading the actual novel in this case because I personally do not like the author's writing style at all. This adaptation was great, I'm giving it 5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]