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Great Big Beautiful Life

by Emily Henry / 4.5 stars

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It's definitely different from Emily Henry's I've read in the past.

There's Margaret's story, told in pieces as she's interviewed. About her family, their lives and ambitions. The media, the press. Their lives half lived and the secrets. And I'm just left feeling sad, and wanting to fight for these imaginary people. Wanting more for them, sorry for all that was taken from them, the way their lives were ruined and the losses the suffered. What they had to give up.

Then there's Alice and Hayden. They were more what I expected of Emily's writing. The banter, the irresistible force that has them meeting again and again, the damn waiting. >.< Why must there be so much pining and resistance??? I know I haven't read all of her books yet, and she's masterful at a slow burn, but for once I would love for the couples to just fall into things. Though of course, that's probably going to fall into a "be careful what you wish for" scenario. sigh

Anyway. Happy Place is still my favorite of hers, but it's Emily Henry and I can't pass up reading or recommending! I'll definitely be reading this one again!

Book Club pick for July 2025

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Save the Date

by Allison Raskin / 4 stars

Emma Moskowitz is getting married. Until her fiancé decides to leave her and their many un-refundable deposits 6 months before the wedding. After a few days of crying, Emma decides she can still have a wedding - on time, on budget, as planned. As a couples therapist, Emma has never believed in there being a "one" for everyone. Relationships take work, and people being committed in working towards the same goal. So if she can find the right man, who wants to get married, why shouldn't she be able to make this work?

Add in the fact that she has a book deal and a popular youtube channel - meaning an editor she has to fess up to, and a public following she has to admit to the break-up and inform of the new plan, the stakes are even higher.

Her first few candidates don't work out, but then she meets someone she really connects with. Before she falls completely in love with him, she has to clue him into her plan. And hope he agrees to it.

I'll admit, about a third of the way into this one, I thought I might have to give it up. Things were spiraling and it looked like Emma had epically bad taste in men. This book made me laugh, I loved how different her family members were - enjoyed her sister a lot less - and I loved that Emma owned her own issues. She accepted her overstimulation and sensitivity to fabrics, instead of trying to work around things that would make her uncomfortable. Same with her acid reflux, something she couldn't control but that she'd grown past letting embarrass her.

I really enjoyed this one, though I feel like my contemporary romance break is over and I'm ready to jump back into fantasy and mystery again!

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It’s probably apropos to mention that I instantaneously spin elaborate fantasies about almost every man I’ve ever met. Not to say this guy isn’t special; I have just fallen in love, after all.

— Promise Me Sunshine

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Reblog if you’ve made amazing friends online and are grateful for their existence

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Give Me Butterflies

by Jillian Meadows / 5 stars

I adored this book!

Two people dealing with their own traumas. Millie, who is finding herself and her confidence after ending a relationship with a man who loved to tear her down, to find subtle and overt ways to break her down until she didn't know who she was anymore. And Finn, who's sister died and left him to raise her twin daughters. Who has no idea if he's doing anything right, his own parents only an example in how to withhold and berate.

When the two collide at work, literally, Millie spilling her coffee all over Finn, it's only the start of their orbit of each other. Both work at a science museum, him in astrology, her in entomology. Millie is less than pleased to find that Finn is on the interview panel when she's applying for the head of department position, wearing the same glare as when she spilled coffee on him, and accidentally ran into his bumper…

Unbeknownst to Millie, Finn's glare is his way of hiding his attraction. When his girls, Avery and Eloise, come for the science camp and Millie manages to get them to come out of their shells, he isn't ready for the moment to end. His mention that he doesn't know how to make cookies and invitation was just a gamble, but it turns into a tradition - Friday nights, cooking with Millie. Watching the girls bond, getting meals and treats much better than he could have provided, but more than that, the dance parties and coloring, watching them come alive. The trust and openness.

I love the game nights. Finn being prepared to buy Millie a library. His devotion to his girls, but also to Millie. The very real setbacks along the way. There were moments that both had to deal with as an individual, before they could go back to being a couple, and I felt like that was a very real way to handle things. The communication was great, it had it's stumbles, but came back strong.

This is a book that was just pure joy to read, even when I wasn't having the best time physically, which made me appreciate it even more. From the sneak peek chapter, I will admit I'm a little bummed that we're not getting a Fable and Theo book next ,but I will read anything Jillian Meadows writes! I'm excited for the next book regardless! .

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The Man Who Swore He'd Never Go Home Again

by David Handler / narrated by Joel Richards / 4 stars

I picked this one up not knowing that it was the 16th in a series. However, it was the perfect one to pick up late in the game, since it happens to travel back in time to Hoag and Lulu's first case.

We're taken to a time in Stewart Hoag's life when everything was easy. He'd just written his bestselling novel. He meets Merilee Nash and quickly falls in love with her. After their first night together, they decide to move in together. The next day spends packing his apartment and procuring a ragtop speedster, money no issue. Then they go pick up Princess Flavia, soon to be renamed Lulu, a Basset Hound puppy.

Their third day news reaches Hoag. Mary McKenna, the librarian who inspired him to become a writer, has died. And not from natural causes. Stewart had sworn to never return to his hometown, but for Mary, he feels like he has to go back.

An almost cozy mystery, with plenty of comedic moments, I loved the pacing and tone of the narration. Once I got into the rhythm of it, I couldn't think of anyone who could have done it better. At the final pages, I found myself wanting to pick up the first book in the series and go to the real start, where things weren't so easy. A wonderful audiobook I would definitely recommend, one that's great for casual listening!

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Language of Birds & Update

by K.A. Merson / 4 stars

While I enjoyed this adventure of ciphers and scavenger hunts, it was way beyond my comprehension. But I think that every now and then I fully enjoy books that are way too smart for me. xD

Arizona prefers dogs to people, can't handle loud noises or fluorescent lights. Her brain works a little differently, but she understands puzzles. That was always something she and her dad enjoyed. Following the loss of her dad, her mom is kidnapped, and she is left to solve a series of ciphers and puzzles, all hinting at a deeper mystery.

I feel like it's easy to feel overwhelmed by this book, by the math, the riddles, the circular way Arizona's mind works. Yet it's so fulfilling to see her come to the solutions. To see the strangers she meets along the way come to mean something to her. For Arizona to take the even greater test of trusting another person.

----

As for a general update, I know I haven't been posting reviews lately. I don't know if I've been reading lately. I think I have, but not in terms of finishing books, or having the energy and brain capacity to talk about them.

June kicked my butt. I irritated my neck somehow, and some 20+ days later it's still pissed off at me. So it's been a long road to feeling well enough to sit up and read, but hopefully I'll be back with lots of book recs and reviews in the near future.

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Silently, he slid from his seat to kneel before her, her hands caught inside his own. “I will never tell you not to be angry. When the world has taken so much from you, sometimes anger is all you have left. But if you do nothing with it, it will consume you.”

His eyes were bright in the firelight as he said, “So be angry, my lion, and let the world tremble in your wake.”

— This Dark Descent

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Taunting Gravity

by Jessica Kaye / 4.5 stars

Ok, so before I talk about this book, I want to gush again about how I found Jessica Kaye as an author - "Beyond the Wall". The journey/quest book that I absolutely enjoyed and had no right being so good. It was in my top 5 favorite reads for 2024, and I cannot recommend it enough. It also made Jessica Kaye an instant read author for me.

So, onto Taunting Gravity - this one was more on the sci-fi than I usually read. The kind of books I always have waiting in the background, but think will require too much brain power. That said, I feel like the balance between easy to follow, and fully operational space travel that makes sense was very well done. I wasn't bogged down by technical speech, and was able to fully enjoy the genre.

Gemma is a young, female pilot who's the top of her class. That still hasn't helped her get a job, and she's spent a year waiting for a chance to prove herself. An unexpected accident lands her a spot on Captain Trevor Lee's crew. Even though he doesn't need the distraction of a female on the ship.

Trevor was raised in space. He's always been steady and calm, he had enough earning to buy his ship outright upon becoming a captain. He's used to the risks, the ups and downs of running cargo and working for Omni Authority. He's not prepared for the chaos a young blonde pilot is about to bring into his life.

I love the crew so much. Zane made my day every time I needed it, and I feel like a side story about Chase is something that should very much be a thing! One thing I've noticed about Kaye's writing is how much a friendship and dialogue develops before any romance. It's not insta love, and you get to see the journey through the ups and downs.

I'm almost tempted to say that it's slow at times, but it never truly felt that way. Days that should be routine space travel, getting to know the crew, never felt like filler. The story flowed so well, and it could just be me and my love of her writing style. But I never felt like it was dragging, or I was waiting for the next big thing to happen, I was content to stay in the moment.

I received an ARC copy from the publisher through BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

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Once Upon an Enchanted Castle

by Michelle Miles / 4 stars

I loved this take on Beauty and the Beast, especially how it really brought Bella's love of books into play.

As a translator, Bella is used to working with nobles to translate obscure volumes for them. She has a knack for languages, and it allows her to read books she never would have dreamed of. She lives a comfortable life, while her father is often away with their small merchant fleet, bringing her home treasures from his travels.

When he brings home a book for her, unlike anything she's ever seen, written in a language of thorns and roses, their life changes. Whispers of shadows on the docks, and then their home in town burns down. Forced to move to their country home, worse news come. Their two ships in the harbor also burned, and her father is imprisoned, thought to be at fault.

Bella feels that all their misfortune is tied to the book, and she tries to get rid of it. The bookshop owner recognizes that it's unique but won't buy it from her. It does pick up the interest of a nobleman who happened to be in the shop. When he learns that she's a translator as well, he offers to not only take the book off her hands, but hire her to translate it for him. With her father in prison and their income destroyed, Bella knows she needs the money to keep her household together.

I loved the little nods and moments that reflect the original story (or original as I know it). Seeing them woven into this masterful retelling was so fun.

I read this as a standalone, and I definitely feel like it's complete as a singular story. However, I am curious to read the other books in the series!

I received an ARC from the author through BookSirens. I'm leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

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Immortal

by Sue Lynn Tan / 4.5 stars

With the beautiful imagery I've come to expect from Sue Lynn Tan, we're introduced to the small kingdom of Tianxia. They are the mortal guardians of the gateway into the Wuhan mountains, and their city is walled beyond any attack. Or any freedom for them to leave.

When her grandfather risks everything to save her life using a divine lotus, Liyen is swept into a world she's thought too weak to navigate. Her counselors expect her to marry soon, and seek to control her through their betrothal prospects. First though, she must go to the immortal realm, and reaffirm her dedication as Lady of Tianxia. Liyen's anger burns at the immortals, for keeping her people trapped, for claiming to protect them when any conflict between immortals means the lives of her soldiers.

She finds an unlikely ally in the God of War, but can she trust him? Can she fight the draw she feels toward him, and put her kingdom and people first?

This one is so beautiful, the Chinese mythology told in a way that's captivating and mesmerizing. While there were parts already established from Daughter of the Moon Goddess, this blend of the mortal and immortal realm gave us such a new landscape. And the distrust and careful alliances between the mortals and immortals, and how Liyen navigates the world as she discovers it, was so flawlessly done. I feel like the romance is a little more at the center of this story, and I loved watching it develop.

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“I’m a practiced blackmailer, sir. It’s usually easier to just tell me what I wish to know.”

“Easier for whom?”

“Well, for me, primarily. But it will be difficult for you either way, so it may as well be easier for somebody.”

— The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

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“I don’t really do living or daylight,” Dorian said. “I’m a Gothic masterpiece.”

— The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

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“Pity,” the man snorted. “I have no pity! The more the worms writhe, the more I yearn to crush out their entrails! It is a moral teething; and I grind with greater energy, in proportion to the increase in pain.”

This, by the way, was the book Charley read cover to cover three times one summer holiday at the beach, when he was eight. Sometimes, I’m amazed he turned out as well as he did.

— The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

Talking about Charley (and Rob) meeting Heathcliff. 😂😂 this book is a thrill, and I can’t wait to see what literary characters we come across next!

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A Taste for Lies

by LC Whitehouse / 4 stars

I really liked the world building in this one, though there were areas that can still be built upon and given more detail.

A thief is set to steal a magical set of pearls. Except the job is only an audition into an even bigger heist. One that takes her back to her home kingdom of Veridia, with the promise of learning more about the past she's got no memory of.

In Veridia, the Elite are protected by the Apex. Once human, in their late teens these individuals have emerged, connecting to an inner animal that gives them a heightened sense. With a rise in feral Apexes, these individuals are no longer trusted, losing their rights and being forced into service to the Elite.

Until the Beast Prince. No one knows who will emerge, so when the crown prince becomes Apex, there's more attention. An Elite of the highest order no longer completely trusted, will he be given the ability to marry? To gain rights for the Apex through his royal blood?

But what is really causing the Apex to go feral? This is what Alora, the thief known as the Lynx, is enlisted to help find out. An unexpected bond connects her to the Beast Prince, Taran, but she's as untrusting of him as the rest of court.

The lore was a bit murky, with the origin of the Apex and any research on them having been obscured. I'm hoping that book two really delves into this. Definitely a magic system I'm interested in, and can't wait to see how things turn out in book two! This book does have romance, but it is a very slow burn. Something else I'm looking forward to seeing develop in the next book. An interesting series starter, I'm glad this one was brought to my attention!

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“Touch her again and you’ll die.” Zhangwei’s voice was dangerously taut as he lifted his blade, pointing it at the captain. “But for what you did, I’ll kill you anyway.”

I straightened, unsheathing my sword. “I’ll kill him myself.”

— Immortal

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"I know you want to serve the Wellspring," the Pontifex says. "You don't want to continue to poison a power that was never yours to hold."

It isn't posed as a question, but an answer, writing over any she might give. He sounds like Enis when he said they were meant for each other, like the man in Leta's ballroom when he commanded her to dance. All different men, but their words served the same purpose. To tell her who she is, what she is for. To drown her voice.

-- Nightbirds