#april reading list

[xoxobuckybarnes]

April 2024 Reading List

Completed

The Simple Life (series) by howler32557038

Slow and Steady (Rated: T, Words: 13K) Summary: Moments from the first twenty-four hours of Lincoln's life. Bucky had little sisters. He has experience. Steve has read every book, every website, asked every question, and watched every video. He has all the information he could possibly need. But none of that matters. Just like children, parents have to crawl before they walk and walk before they run. Once Steve and Bucky shut the door to their quarters and find themselves alone with their newborn son, bearing all responsibility for his well-being and happiness, they know nothing. They're terrified. In spite of their best efforts and careful preparation, they're treading water. Gracious, What a Scandal (Rated: T, Words: 2K) Summary: Bucky has a winter morning alone with his son. A bath in the kitchen sink leads to splashing, and splashing leads to singing. Stop Ringing the Bells (Rated: G, Words: 1K) Summary: When Lincoln met Natalie. Three Years Young (Rated: G, Words: 1K) Summary: A one-shot based on The Simple Life. Steve and Bucky's son turns three, and realizes that "turning three" is exactly the same thing as "getting older." He also learns that birthdays are both annual and mandatory. It's a little too much for him to handle. Roll the Bones (Rated: E, Words: 13K) Summary: Five years after the events of The Simple Life, Bucky and Steve are taking turns on active duty with the Avengers. When one takes a mission, the other acts as ground control from home and cares for their son. They're determined to keep doing what they can to save the world, but they won't risk leaving Lincoln orphaned, should things go wrong in the field. But Steve has a bad habit of missing check-ins with HQ. On a risky mission gathering intel on A.I.M and already two days past his ETA at the Facility, he's been radio-silent for 72 hours. And Bucky has been counting. Five years ago, Lincoln was conceived with tearful kisses and tender promises. Brooklyn, on the other hand, was conceived not with a whimper, but with a bang. Well, So It Goes (Rated: E, Words: 7K) Summary: Nearly five years after settling down at the Facility with Steve and earning a place on the team, Bucky gets some unexpected news at the end of a mission. Yeah, So It Seems (Rated: T, Words: 4K) Summary: You can't just have one of these things, apparently. Steve and Lincoln fix burgers at two in the morning, and Bucky gets home at six with a whole lot of good news. All Them Clever Drawings (Rated: T, Words: 6K) Summary: Five years after the events of The Simple Life, Steve and Bucky are faced with the task of telling their only child that's he's not going to be an only child much longer. Put Up the Good Fight (Rated: T, Words: 9K) Summary: Steve and Bucky's little boy has just learned that there's going to be a new baby in the house. He takes it pretty well, until he doesn't. In the meantime, Bucky reminisces on the challenges and joys of having raised his son at the New Avengers Facility, argues with Steve, and then rescues him from an angrily-thrown baseball that could very well have broken his nose. Sam has to help Steve work through some serious anxiety about disciplining his child. Checking in Early (Rated: G, Words: 1K) Summary: Steve gets an early birthday present on his way back from an assignment in Fiji. Something Good Can Work (Rated: E, Words: 63K) Summary: Sequel to "The Simple Life." Lincoln isn't ready to share his parents with a new family member. Bucky isn't ready to have another baby. Steve isn't balancing work and family too well these days. No one is ready for another potentially world-ending event. ***Not all the fics in this series are complete, nor have I read all the fics in the series.***

Every Me and Every You (Rated: E, Words: 74K) by deadto27 / @deadto27

Summary: Bucky Barnes is doing his best. He's getting by after the blip, after Sam became Captain America, after Steve...well, it's best he doesn't think about that. The point is, his life is different now, and he's trying his best. He just wishes the hollow feeling in his chest would go away. ----- Bucky gets blinded by a bright light as the tear seems to implode in on itself and there’s an odd little jolt as the pulling stops, and then Bucky’s blinking, trying to get his vision right again as he loosens his grip on America. “You okay?” he checks, still squinting. He’s probably not blind, he thinks. It just feels like it right now. “I’m okay,” America tells him and he sees her nod shakily as his vision starts to clear, and he carefully lets go of her, seeing that she can support herself, hands pressing onto the floor next to her. “Uh…I don’t think I am,” says another voice, and Bucky turns his head so fast he might give himself whiplash. Because he knows that voice. He knows that voice better than any other voice on the planet and he’s missed that voice, so, so much.

[why-the-heck-not]

the saturday-sunday night diabolical "life is falling apart"- to do list followed by a mad scramble

[the---hermit]

02|09|2024

Since the other week I reorganized my shelves, and I got rid of some books, I decided to write down a list of all the books I own that I haven't read yet. I divided them in three categories: non fiction, fiction, classics from a collection I was getting weekly with newspapers (which are very pretty but of course doing that ment accumulating a pretty high number of books in a small period of time, which made my physical tbr quite big. And since they are classics I definitely go for them way more slowly than other books, which is why they are a whole separate category). If you do read the titles you'll realize my columns aren't super precise bc there's some non fic classics with the fiction, and other weird thing, but I wrote things down following the shelf division. Non fiction is clesrly a category of its own because they are the books I read less during the year, so I know that pile will get smaller in much more time, and it's okay. Overall I am pleased, because compared to the list I made at the beginning of the year there's less books, despite me having added a few new books (both new buys and gifts I got). What making this list made me realize is that 90% of these unread books were gifts, which means do not gift me books. Jokes aside I think this shows that when I am the one buying the books for myself I get things I know I will read right away, or in a short period of time. It makes sense that the unread books I accumulate are books I am gifted because they probably weren't a priority at the time. I made a small list of a few books I'd like to read before the end of the year, so we'll see how I did in a few months.

[tolive1000lives]

We’ve hit the halfway mark of the 2024 reading challenge! These are most of my 2024 reads and I’m excited to add to the stack!

[lonelychicago]

9 books i wanna read in 2025

tagged by @eddiebabygirldiaz

tagging: @honestlydarkprincess @bi-buckrights @maygrantgf @bigfootsmom @devirnis @beyourownanchor6 and anyone else who wants to!

[bookaddict24-7]

NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES! (APRIL 2ND, 2024)

___

HAVE I MISSED ANY NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES? HAVE YOU ADDED ANY OF THESE BOOKS TO YOUR TBR? LET ME KNOW!

___

NEW STANDALONES/FIRST IN A SERIES:

Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens

Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

The Misdirection of Fault Lines by Anna Gracia

The Black Girl Survives this One by Various

Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

The Break-Up Lists by Adib Khorram

Trajectory by Cambria Gordon

Darker by Four by June C.L. Tan

Draw Down the Moon by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Something Kindred by Ciera Burch

No Going Back by Patrick Flores-Scott

Fate be Changed by Farrah Rochon

Call Forth a Fox by Markelle Grabo

Every Time You Hear that Song by Jenna Voris

What if...Loki was Worthy? by Madeleine Roux

NEW SEQUELS:

Wrath of the Talon (Talon #2) by Sophie Kim

___

Happy reading!

[pencilofawesomeness]

Pencil's 2024 Art Summary

It's that time of year again where I look back on everything I've done and go "wut" with varying levels of impressed and horrified. Anyway, I discovered that I really did not draw much at all this year.... o_o Especially in the second half. Whoops. (I think I did way more writing though, especially come Whumptober season, whereas in the beginning of the year it was more being socially dead and some drawing.) I'm calling this my Colored Lights year for the time being.

May I draw more things in 2025~

-

January: oh baby bird [Gojo Fanfic Scene]

Feburary: I had been lost to you, sunlight [Gojo Fanfic Scene]

March: Never take me lightly, silly fool [Lilia Fanfic Scene] (and an honorable mention to the Team Erza Sleep Pile, but Lilia looked cooler in the preview)

April: Sound of Silence Jellal [FT Manga Redraw]

May: Red, the Color of Life [Erza Color Event Piece] (!!! and it won best Canon Artwork in the Guild Awards!!!)

June: Dual Mode: Toxic Sky Dragon [Wendy & Erik Unison Raid]

July: I never posted any art?? Actually? I just slept on that month, but I was doing some personal sketching. Nicest/most polished one that I am 90% sure was from July was a color experiment/sketch for a scene in a Sukuna fic I've been working on all year. I'll do a nicer version of it one day.

August: Ghost King Danny Phantom

September: Shadow Chaos Spear

October: Deception (An Outrage) [TFOne Megatron]

November: TWST x HSR Smoothie Meme

December: Jolly White Boi Wednesday [FT Screencap Redraw]

[bikananjarrus]

with the comics all done, i’ve officially (finally lol) finished the high republic phase 2 content!

(ok minus that quest of the jedi comic one shot that’s impossible to find but i haven’t paid for yet bc i want to keep looking a bit more)

now to catch up on phase3! next up in my list:

tales of light and life short stories (not technically phase 3, but bridges that gap between phases 1 & 2 and phase 3)

tears of the nameless

tempest breaker audiodrama

all current comics

we’re getting close! definitely time to get caught up before the final books come out

[cultivating-wildflowers]

[xoxobuckybarnes]

April 2023 Stucky Fics

Completed

rough edges (Rated: M, Words: 33K) by sparkagrace / @sparkagrace & burning_brighter / @burning-brighter

Summary: Olympic ice dancers Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes have never gotten along. Closeted Steve is in a showmance with his partner Maria as America’s sweethearts, while Bucky and Natasha are the lethal Russian pair whose technical mastery on ice is unrivaled. Now they will all be traveling around America on the Stars on Ice tour for the next two months, which sets Steve on edge in ways he didn’t quite expect.— A collaboration for Stucky Bang 2022

Chase the Lightning From the Sky (Rated: E, Words: 39K) by SilverSlashes / @silverslashes & art by TrishArgh / @frau-argh

Summary: If Bucky has to be stuck doing this ridiculous summer work program before his senior year of college, on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, then at least he’s got a hot as hell cowboy for a boss and host. Steve Rogers, owner of the Truth & Justice Ranch, is what Bucky’s completely theoretical but very imaginative bisexual fantasies are made of. Steve’s a widower though, and a nice guy in need of help, and no doubt 100% straight… so Bucky’s gonna work his ass off and keep his head down. But neither Bucky nor Steve are prepared for the friendship that forms between them as they work side by side. And they certainly aren’t expecting the budding feelings, confessions, and passions that summer heat and the loneliness of the great open plains stirs in each of them. What rages to life between them will shake each man to his core and will linger long after the storms and the summer have passed.

Love Is the Most Important Thing in the World (But Baseball is Pretty Good, Too) (Rated: E, Words: 6K) by Kellyscams / @thebestpersonherelovesbucky

Summary: Once upon a time ago, Steve Rogers was inseparable from his best friend and teammate James "Bucky" Barnes. All of that changed one eventful night near the end of their high school career when Steve kissed Bucky. Tonight, Steve must face Bucky in what just might be the turning point in his minor league career. Bucky's no doubt going to get his call up to the Majors. But if Steve can't face this one batter that's haunted him since high school... he might never catch his break. Does Steve have what it takes to strike his rival out? Or will he only ever see Bucky Barnes, the boy he's loved since high school, sixty-feet away from him?

We Kissed Back Then (Rated: T, Words: 5K) by vespertineflora

Summary: In recovering his past, Bucky stumbles upon certain memories he once thought he'd always leave buried: like the fact that Steve and he had kissed as children, as teens, as adults... They'd been in love far longer than he'd realized.  

Coming Out to the Ball Game (Rated: M, Words: 14K) by TheLostWeasley

Summary: Bucky is the new stat hitter on the Hydras. Steve is a seasoned pitcher on the Avengers. Naturally, they start having sex. The baseball au that literally nobody asked for.

On Thin Ice (Rated: E, Words: 36K) by wintersoldier1989

Summary: Steve Rogers is skilled on the ice but needs all the help he can get in the classroom. Bucky Barnes agrees to help his cousin’s friend get his grades up and in the end both guys get more than they bargained for.

Happy Accidents (Rated E, Words: 32K) by controlofwhatido / @controlofwhatido & art by auntiesuze 

Summary: Bucky sleeps with one superhero one time and now he’s pregnant. Fuck. Good going, James B. Barnes. One unmated omega father, coming right up. Top that off with his metal arm and he’s really going to be an outcast.

between everything, yourself, and home (Rated: E, words: 24K) by napricot

Summary: “This is your home?” asks Bucky at one point. “It’s where I’m living now, yeah.” Bucky comes home. Steve's a little slower on the uptake.

Knife Skills (Rated: 5, Words: 72K) by Hark_bananas / @harkbananas

Summary: The money he'd stolen from Hydra has almost run out when he finds a black piece of card stock with blocky capital letters stapled to a telephone pole: FUNNEL NO. 9 DO YOU HAVE KNIFE SKILLS? WE NEED YOU And then below, there's a phone number. Knife skills? I have knife skills, he thinks. That part is pretty self-explanatory, though he has no idea what Funnel No. 9 could mean. He doesn't really want to get back into the hitman business, but needs must, and Bucky Barnes is a practical man.

I’ll always find my way back (to you) (Rated: T, Words: 4K) by burning_brighter / @burning-brighter

Summary: When Steve reappears on the platform after returning the Stones, he can tell something went wrong. Not only is he alone in the woods, he's also back in his old body. He has many questions, but the only thing he really wants is to make his way back to Bucky.

just our hands clasped so tight (Rated: T, Words: 8K) by Stella959

Summary: The countdown has already begun, and there's less than thirty seconds before this year's Hunger Games begin. Steve has to decide quickly what, if anything, he’s going to grab before he makes a run for it. The tributes are spread out in a circle around the cornucopia, and he can just make out Bucky on the far side. They make eye contact briefly before his gaze returns to the arena. There. A circular metal shield, almost completely hidden in the tall grass maybe ten feet in, propped up on a backpack so that the curved edge just barely sticks up. Steve remembers picking up a similar shield in the Training Center on their first full day in the Capitol: lighter than he’d expected but with a sharpened edge, optimal for defense but not without offensive use. As the final seconds of the countdown pass, Steve thinks that if there can only be one victor, he'll do whatever he can to make sure it's Bucky. Across the field, Bucky's thinking the same thing. If there can only be one victor, he'll do whatever he can to make sure it's Steve.

5 times Bucky and Steve were Unnaturally Comfortable Around Each Other, and the 1 Time They Weren’t (Rated: M, Words: 5K) by  WhatTheBodyGraspsNot

Summary: "Steve gently tosses his book to the side and then places his hands on Bucky’s shoulders, kneading thoroughly against the impressively tense muscles. Bucky sighs, his eyes falling shut and mouth dropping open in a mixture of slight pain but mostly relief. “Oh fuck,” he groans, leaning into the touch. Clint snickers quietly, trying to busy himself with pouring milk into a bowl of cereal before one of his trademark sarcastic comments can escape him and make the situation more awkward than it’s already quickly becoming. "OR: Five times Steve and Bucky should have been uncomfortable but weren't, so Tony and Clint devise a plan to prove that they're sleeping together (even though they aren't, they're just really really oblivious).

A Higher Epsilon (Rated: E, Words: 91K) by  deadto27 / @deadto27

Summary: Bucky has always wanted a dog. Now finally he has one and it’s everything he wanted and more. It opens up his life in ways he never expected. He especially didn’t expect to meet Steve at the dog park. He didn’t expect they’d become friends. He really didn’t expect that they’d be dating. Unfortunately nobody’s clued Bucky in to that last part. ----- He feels frozen in panic. It’s their second day together and he’s lost her. He’s lost his dog. He’s spiraling until suddenly there’s a little yip noise and Bucky snaps his head up to see his dog in front of him, in the arms of someone else. “Ohmygod,” he hisses out in pure relief, breathing hard. He doesn’t think he’s ever been so relieved in all his life. “Is this your dog?” the owner of the arms asks.

WIP

a league of their own (Rated: E, Current Words: 18K) by burning_brighter / @burning-brighter

Summary: Steve’s sixteen-year-old son’s one and only dream is to play in the Major League. He thinks he has a shot when the team get a new coach, retired MLB legend and Steve’s high school crush, Bucky Barnes. Steve hasn’t thought of the man in many years, but seeing him brings back many memories that push Steve to reach out to an old friend and maybe make new ones on the way. What happens when Steve gets to know Bucky properly? What happens when they open up about their darkest secrets and deepest fears? There’s really only one thing that can happen.

Treading Water (Rated: M, Current Words: 114K) by sparkagrace / @sparkagrace & art by Dyslexic_Fetus / @reagy-jay

Summary: Olympic swimmer Bucky Barnes always believed that when the time came to retire, he would walk away with his medals and world records firmly in the history books and never look back. He never thought the water would leave him first.

***Part of the series Lane Lines: Lane Lines (Rated: M, Words: 132K), Lumière (Rated: M, Words: 5K), & New Traditions (Rated: M, Words: 6K)***

Rereads

Full Count (Rated: M, Words: 50K) by Ink_Dancer

Summary: Full Count: a baseball term referring to a situation during a player’s at bat where there are three balls and two strikes on him. As this is the maximum one can have without either walking (base on balls) or striking out, this is generally expected to be a very stressful situation for both the pitcher and the batter. The pitch that is then thrown on this count is expected to be the one that decides the batter’s fate, and carries with it a certain expectation of change. It’s known as the payoff pitch: it’s the payoff for a long wait. or: a stucky au that takes place in the world of Major League Baseball, in which Bucky is a catcher, Steve is a closing pitcher, and their lives are stuck in a perpetual full count—until life throws the payoff pitch and they end up on the same Dodgers team.

The Run and Go (Rated: E, Words: 14K) by  lupus (khaleeseas) / @biharley

Summary:  When Bucky Barnes first meets Steve Rogers, Bucky's standing half-naked in their apartment complex's laundry room. It's 2 a.m. on a Friday night (or is it considered a Saturday morning?) and for once Bucky is way too sober for all of this. The next thing Bucky knows, Steve is everywhere. Being hot and sarcastic and nice and overall perfect and Bucky is kind of totally and completely screwed.

[childofsquidward]

Books I Read In 2022 (and by read I mean actually liked)

Strobe Edge, Vol. 4 by Io Sakisaka

We can find the answer together. That's what being together means, right?

⭐⭐⭐⭐(4.5 STARS)

Oh WOW, I forgot how heavily this volume focused on SayurixDaiki! I genuinely adore their relationship and this was the first time they were given a chance to not only shine as a couple, but as individuals. I think their relationship is so underrated and re-reading the series has really made me see Daiki in a different light. I actually think I've only ever read this particular volume twice as opposed to some of the others that I have done multiple re-reads of, so this was kind of refreshing for me, weirdly enough. Daiki and Sayuri love each other so much and it's not the kind of high school romance that I would find myself rolling my eyes at because their relationship is one where they are open and willing to work through their issues with effective communication, which when compared to RenxMayuka is so bizarre because they're supposed to be this mature couple, but they don't how to communicate properly with one another. I also like how Daiki, who is so loud and goofy, was making the hard choices and trying to be practical whereas Sayuri, who is seen as the wisest and most sensible of them all, is all in and all she wants is to be with Daiki no matter what and wow, are SayurixDaiki my favourite couple? Damn, they just might be. (Shout out to Ninako for being the true MVP and quite literally knocking some sense into her dumb best-friend. I really wish we got more of Ninako and Daiki's friendship.) Also, I completely forgot this was the beginning of the Tsukasa/Manabu shenanigans, I love the little details that are so significant, and yet they're shown in this very 'blink and you'll miss it' sort of way. Manabu's heart is in the right place, but be a little patient and let Ren figure it out before you start plotting to get them together (I hate agreeing with Yū, but alas). Ninako and Ren are that couple that shares the exact same brain cell and you can't tell me otherwise. They're so in sync, like, Ninako's known Ren for a few months and she can tell something's wrong even if his friends can't. Also, Mayuka, sweetie, even DAIKI can see that Ren is probably one of the least mature people in this series, I don't care what the rest of you say.

(Can I just say that the pages of their "kiss" were absolutely gorgeous?! The hands? The leaves? The eyes??? Sheer perfection!)

Certain details that I wanted to point out...

I love how Ninako just lost it and straight-up demanded that Ren stay in bed. Him mentioning his shift was literally the angriest I've seen her!

These girls have no chill, Tsukasa did not hesitate to say that she would never be into Daiki and Sayuri took that personally. Ugh, just let us have an anime for more friendship scenes, that's all I want.

Wow, I'm old, I thought the scarf scene was in volume 5 or 6, my bad.

Kyo looking at their school work was so funny to me, like, same dude, SAME.

[bluewaterhigh2005]

happy 2024 i beat the illiterate allegations

[the-physicality]

Sorry did I say Boston is going to 3 pride nights? I meant 4

[tolive1000lives]

2023 reading wrap up through April!

[fructo]

☂ | my april reads

I don't post on tumblr a whole lot (i think my total posts are less than five) but I just wanted to make a little april book summary for myself :)

I can't guarantee no spoilers, soooo.....

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1) - Marissa Meyer

I rated this a 4 stars out of 5, though in hindsight I'd go back and change it to a 5. I've never been big on the Grimm Fairytales but reading this series did warrant me pulling out my copy of them. Regardless, I loved Cinder as a character and I really connected with her and her desire to do good without her personal gain. I sort of expected the twist with her being Princess Selene, to be honest, which I think is why I took off a star.

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2) - Marissa Meyer

Once again a 4 stars out of 5, and the reasoning was because I didn't particularly feel like Cinder's chapters were all that interesting in the middle of the book. We did get Captain Thorne, and he definitely grows on the reader. Following their escape, the story just fell. HOWEVER, Scarlet and Wolf. Wolf and Scarlet. Oh my goodness. Wolf is so bloody precious that when he betrayed Scarlet at first my heart broke into two. I enjoyed the ending for them :)

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3) - Marissa Meyer

Before I finished this book, I immediately went and watched Tangled. I then proceeded to get the soundtrack stuck in my head and I'll admit it's still sort of stuck. I rated this one a 5 out of 5 because this was definitely where the conflict picked up. Levana was such a wonderfully-written villain. Normally I enjoy morally-gray characters, but she was just pure evil. Cress' first introduction is in the first book, but seeing Meyer expand on her character and show her struggles was beautiful.

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) - Marissa Meyer

I rated this one a 5 out of 5 in spite of the fact that I would've liked to see more of Jacin's perspective and some more elaboration on his character. I know there's not much to him in the first place, although he is a very complex character, but still. Winter immediately become one of my favorite characters in the series, and her desire to know Cinder as her family really connected with me. Her story really nailed Levana's coffin for me, and I just wanted her to get her happy ending with Jacin the entire time.

Blind Faith - Ellen Wittlinger

I rated this one a 2 out of 5. This isn't normally the type of book I would read, but I thought the plot sounded interesting so I tried it out. In my opinion, the relationship between Liz and Nathan would've been more impactful if it had been strictly platonic, because the romance at the end just seemed forced. I disliked Roxy; I understand that she was Liz's best friend, but some of the things she said to Liz were just downright red flags and it was difficult to tolerate. I enjoyed the plot and identified with the struggle surrounding religion, but those two characteristics of the plot overshadowed that in a large way.

It's only three days into May and I've already finished two books so I'm pretty thrilled to share that in June (the books I've checked out from the library are WONDERFUL).

I would definitely recommend checking out the Lunar Chronicles if you enjoy fairy tale adaptations. The characters are so enjoyable and varied in personality that you can see how they work well together :)

[bookaddict24-7]

NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES! (APRIL 30TH, 2024)

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HAVE I MISSED ANY NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES? HAVE YOU ADDED ANY OF THESE BOOKS TO YOUR TBR? LET ME KNOW!

___

NEW STANDALONES/FIRST IN A SERIES:

To A Darker Shore by Leanne Schwartz

The Vanishing Station by Ana Ellickson

Where Was Goodbye? by Janice Lynn Mather

I'll Be Waiting for You by Mariko Turk

Playing for Keeps by Jennifer Dugan

The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge by Matthew Hubbard

The Notes by Catherine Con Morse

Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo

Pillow Talk by Stephanie Cooke, Mel Valentine (Illustrator)

What's Eating Jackie Oh? by Patricia Park

NEW SEQUELS:

Sound the Gong (Kingdom of Three #2) by Joan He

Saint-Seducing Gold (Forge & Fracture Saga #2) by Brittany N. Williams

___

Happy reading!