Silence and Shadow by Erin Beaty

**Sequel**
Netgalley ARC.
Publication Date: Oct 2, 2023
WE GET MORE SIMON CONTENT. SOFT BOI.
✨World building ✨
*Goes and buys the book because the cover is so pretty and because the story is pretty.
Did I want Simon's perspective. Yes. Do I understand why we don't have it. Also yes.
There's another serial killer and there's old school sleuthing.
I know that's an epilogue and it's an ending--and it's a satisfying ending to a duology, but I want more. Because I love them. Short stories....bonus chapters.... I don't care. I just want more fluff.
464 Pages

This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson

I won't have blood spilled on my nice clean floors.
"gentleman and a scholar"
demi representation. demi representation.
It's the cat on the shoulder for me.
lol he has to hold the pinecone
"less dead"
411 Pages

The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

ARC Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Me @ Friend (because I can't remember her name): 
ok but the appearances of the different fairytales.
Honestly should have guessed the wolf
Protect Axel at all costs. I love him.
Also. The book. The wishes. The prophecy/futures. The moving forest. Love it.
352 Pages

TS: Out of the Woods (ironically)

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

ARC. Release Date: October 3

THERE ARE DRAGONS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
This is also on my 2023 Favorites
There's bits and pieces that remind me of Fourth Wing.
I hate you Suite Life

Is this attraction

480 pages

Fractal Nosie by Christopher Paolini

ARC: Publication Date 5/16/23
Ok but like.....a person wanting to avoid conflict and mind their business sometimes doesn't work...
Like...the inaction of the MC to resolve the interpersonal conflict occuring frustrated me. And maybe it's because I would have snapped after a certain point and told them they were acting like toddlers.
304 Pages

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

ARC Publication Date: May 16, 2023
(sequel to Little Thieves)
It's the ace self-reflection thinking that they're broken for me. Like...I feel so seen.
also the way that sex is handled and how it's a conversation and like, they have a system for asking.
And the trauma. It's the trauma and trying to process it for me.
NOT THE PIG FARM
I love my boy. he so nerdy. I love him so much.
I will protect Emeric with my life.
Is this my ideal love story. Is this my perfect boy. Yes.
also. the tax dream
ONE OF HIS POEMS. BRO. yes it's backstreet boys
The casual pop culture references.
Someone throw me in Walt Disney's cryogenic freezer and wake me up when the next book is on Netgalley.
512 Pages

TS: You Are in Love, (unrelated) Tolerate it,

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

ARC, Publication Date: April 4 2023
sfdoasfd;jklsfjklsdafjklajfdlsajfdasj;f
The You've Got Mail vibes, but with magic and war. djsklfajl
and the World War I vibes and the reporting and dsfk;lks
And now I have to wait a year for the next book. I'm fine. I'm not going to be obsessing over this book at all.
I love Roman. I love that we call him Kit. I love Iris. I just. I can't.
Rebecca Ross owns me, and she will continue to do so.
I know we're only in April, but this might be one of my favorite books of 2023.
368 Pages

TS Song: You Are in Love, Invisible String

Do I Know You by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

ARC, Publication Date: Jan 24, 2023
I loved this book so much. Like. Just the entire concept of falling in love with your spouse again as strangers--it's adorbs, and it was used to help mend the actual relationship.
I will protect David with my life. I will also protect Graham and Eliza
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
352 Pages

TS Song: Exile (but only a little bit--like in the hypothetical sense), and like....maybe a little bit of Message in a Bottle. 

EDIT: I’m an idiot. The Story of Us but like. Happy at the end. 

Begin Again by Emma Lord

Publication Date: January 24
It's cute and it's fluffy.
I love Milo. Like so much. his caffeine addiction.
tell me you base your self-worth on how useful you are without telling me.

352 Pages
TS Song: the obvious choice would be Begin Again, but there's a little bit of Dear Reader and Never Grow Up

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Publication Date: April 11, 2023

The Abby-verse. Alexis and Daniel (from Part of Your World).. All the heart eyes. The Vanessa (Life's Too Short) mention.
Sometimes there's a few info dumps about stuff like diaylsis, but I'd say it's necessary.
I really want to put helmets on Briana and Jacob cause like....ER doctors.

Look at the soft boi being all soft with children. 
The fluff. THE LETTERS. I HAVE CAVITIES. A MILLION. I'M DEAD. I DIED DEAD.
LT DAN. I love him.
They mention skunk rehab, and I'm like...don't knock it till you try it. They're like cats.
ALSO. PUPUSAS. Cause El Salvador. sfjkldfjklds
Thank you so much to NET Galley for the ARC!

416 Pages

TS Song: Paris, Cornelia Street, Afterglow, Jump then Fall

The Collagen Diet: A 28-Day Plan for Sustained Weight Loss, Glowing Skin, Great Gut Health, and a Younger You. By Josh Axe.

The Collagen Diet: A 28-Day Plan for Sustained Weight Loss, Glowing Skin, Great Gut Health, and a Younger You. By Josh Axe. 2019. Little Brown Spark (ARC eBook).

Supported by research, Dr. Axe lays out the importance collagen plays in creating and maintaining healthy joints, hair, gastrointestinal tract and more. And as the title suggests, there is a diet plan included which aims to guide readers in which foods to include or eliminate while incorporating collagen-rich foods or supplements into their daily consumption. Overall, The Collagen Diet will act as a good reference book for collagen research and recipes. 

266 pages

Wildcrafted Fermentation: Exploring, Transforming, and Preserving the Wild Flavors of Your Local Terroir. By Pascal Baudar.

Wildcrafted Fermentation: Exploring, Transforming, and Preserving the Wild Flavors of Your Local Terroir. By Pascal Baudar. 2020. Chelsea Green Publishing (ARC eBook).

A colorful and informative foray into fermentation. I was looking forward to learning recipes beyond kombucha and traditional sauerkraut and boy does this book deliver.

304 pages

Z is for Zoom: A Scientific Alphabet of How Things Go, from Alternator to Zerk Fitting (Baby University). By Ashley Malec, Illustrator: Teresa Bellon.

 

Z is for Zoom: A Scientific Alphabet of How Things Go, from Alternator to Zerk Fitting (Baby University). By Ashley Malec, Illustrator: Teresa Bellon. 2020. Sourcebooks eXplore. (ARC eBook).

What a great way to structure a book so that it can be revisited over time, introducing new elements as the child grows. And the illustrations of rabbits, foxes and alligators cruising down the road are adorable and also clearly demonstrate the parts, mechanisms and actions of each A-Z word. 

26 pages

Fair Weather Enemies. By Sawyer North.

Fair Weather Enemies. By Sawyer North. 2020. Entangled: Scandalous (ARC eBook).

After several harsh winters in which crops and mills have suffered, Adam Ashford and Jane Hancock have found themselves in debt to a London creditor and a dismal future awaiting both of them. The Ashfords and Hancocks of Oxfordshire have long feuded between their families and Adam and Jane have vexed each other since they were children, but when secrets of their shared history are unearthed, the two adversaries enter into a contract that has them trekking across England in search of a long lost treasure. Along the way, their respect and attraction for each other grows and they begin to wonder whether it’s too late for new beginnings.
 
Fair Weather Enemies is a delightful debut in the historical romance genre for North. Adam and Jane are such likeable characters and if you like the enemies to lovers trope, road trips, riddles and colorful characters popping up along the way, you’ll want to pick this book up. This was a fun read from start to finish! 

289 pages

 

The Highland Rogue (Lords of the Highlands #7). By Amy Jareki.

The Highland Rogue (Lords of the Highlands #7). By Amy Jareki. 2020. Forever (ARC eBook).

Left by her clan on the desolate Scottish isle of Hyskier, Divana Campbell has survived the last two years on her own by digging up clams and pelting birds with rocks. Now there is an injured man on her beach and she has seen too much of death to not help him.

Sir Kennan Cameron’s ship and crew were set upon by the notorious pirate Jackson Vane and Kennan would not have survived the aftermath if not for the fiery and compassionate Divana. Kennan knows they must leave the isle. Divana deserves a real home within the safety of his clan, and he has every notion to set sail after Vane to get his revenge. As the heir to a powerful chieftan, Divana knows Sir Kennan can not marry someone of her lower station. But she can’t stand to part from him, so she find herself taking to the high seas with Kennan on an adventure full of dangerous pirates and powerful desire.

Looking for a well-crafted Scottish historical romance with a capable and endearingly flirtatious heroine and a rugged Highlander, then look no more. An entertaining read and another great installment in the Lords of the Highlands world! 

352 pages

Scot Under the Covers (Wild Wicked Highlanders #2). By Suzanne Enoch.

Scot Under the Covers (Wild Wicked Highlanders #2). By Suzanne Enoch. 2020. St. Martin’s Paperbacks (ARC ebook).
 

Miranda Harris is known for her charm and good-standing in London society. She is also, as Aden MacTaggert quickly learns, strongly opinionated on gamblers--quite frankly, they are a blight. But when she should be celebrating with her family over her brother’s engagement to Eloise MacTaggert, she is instead horrified to learn that her brother, Mathew, has incurred a devastating debt to Captain Robert Vale, and has promised her hand to the vile man in order to negate the debt. Up til now, Miranda has been able to solve any problem she has encountered, but she is going to need help in order to save her brother’s future happiness, her family’s reputation, and herself..

Miranda approaches the elusive and crafty Aden MacTaggert, her future brother-in-law, and proposes a partnership—she will teach him how to navigate the ton in exchange for him teaching her everything he knows about wagering and how the gambling mind works. With Miranda and Mathew’s secret, Aden has a way to prevent his sister from marrying and thereby escaping his mother’s manipulation, but the more time he spends with Miranda, the more determined he becomes to make her his Sassenach bride.

The first chapter will snare and reel you in with rowdy kilt-wearing, boot-throwing brothers, a scruffy mutt, and a stuffed deer in the foyer collecting ascots and ear bobbers. Scot Under the Covers delivers an engaging pairing with Aden, who is slow to let his heart trust, and Miranda, who always follows the rules. And the plot that plants three highlanders in the midst of London society produces a lively secondary cast and a nice mix of both Regency and Scottish romance elements. Sexiness, charm, and entertaining brogue abound in this fun read by Enoch.

352 pages

All Fired Up (Road to Love #3). By Lori Foster.

All Fired Up (Road to Love #3). By Lori Foster. 2019. HQN Books (ARC eBook).

Working as the office manager at Mustang Transport and considered a part of the Crews family, Charlotte Parrish has seen more than a fair share of trouble follow Brodie and Jack around. And as much as she loves them, she resolved long ago that the man she will give her heart to will be the exact opposite of the “bad boy.” But then Mitch Crews arrives in town.

Mitch is looking for a new start. He’s chosen Red Oak to begin a business and so that he can introduce himself to the two half-brothers he has never met. Mitch is a lot like Brodie and Jack, with a strong physique and protective nature, but he hasn’t had a lot of kindness shown to him in his life. So when Charlotte and the whole Crews bunch rally around him when his past comes after him, he’ll do anything to keep them out of harm’s way.

With this series, Foster delivers on tough, sexy and totally stand up guys. And I’ve loved the dynamic she’s set up between the love interests in each book. And whereas with the first two romances, where the Crews brothers coax their ladies into dropping their shields and accepting love, in All Fired Up it is Charlotte who convinces Mitch, who’s never felt like he belonged anywhere, that he’s found his home.

384 pages

 

Whiteout (Survival Instincts #1). By Adriana Anders.

Whiteout (Survival Instincts #1). By Adriana Anders. 2020. Sourcebooks Casablanca (ARC eBook).

 

As summer at the South Pole is coming to an end, Angel Smith heads out to the supply arch the morning of her planned departure with plans to leave the winter-over crew of Burke-Ruhe a well-stocked kitchen. But in the dark tunnels among preserved food and ice cores, she witnesses a violent scene and barely escapes the attackers.

Suspicious of a series of events that began after he collected some ice cores, glaciologist, Ford Cooper, returns back from the ice fields only to find the station has been abandoned and all communications and power sources sabotaged. When he finds Angel and learns that the attackers did not retrieve what they were looking for, the two have no choice but to set out for another station, as they will soon become the hunted. In the most inhospitable place on earth, Angel and Ford push their strength and resilience to the limits in order to save themselves and thwart the plans of the mysterious Chronos Corporation.

From the first chapter I didn’t want to put this story down. With twists and turns along the way, Anders masterfully layers the tension generated not only by ruthless acts of people, but the very elements that surround Angel and Ford. Snow, ice, wind, frostbite, hypothermia, deep crevasses and the disorienting whiteness the vast Antarctic landscape presents, all works to elevate the world-building and the deepening relationship between two people forced into survival mode. Definitely a must for those who want an edge of your seat suspense with chemistry that burns.

**Does not include bonus novella by Katie Ruggle

412 pages

The Bachelor (Duke Dynasty #2). By Sabrina Jeffries.

The Bachelor (Duke Dynasty #2). By Sabrina Jeffries. 2020. Zebra Books (ARC eBook).

Jefferies’ lively bunch of step-siblings are back and this time it is Lady Gwyn Drake’s turn at finding love. Days away from her long-delayed debut, Gwyn is approached at the Armitage estate by a former suitor who blackmails her over a past affair she has kept hidden. When the meeting turns threatening and Joshua Wolfe, the family’s gamekeeper, intervenes, Gwen’s twin brother, Thorn, asks Joshua to travel with Gwen to London and act as her bodyguard during her debut season. And from there Jefferies delivers a charming romance with a bit of scandal and sabotage.

In The Duchess Project, there was the beginnings of Joshua and Gwen’s interest in each other. And as elusive and temperamental as Joshua proved to be, Gwen was as equally stubborn and provoking, so I was looking forward to their book. And in The Bachelor, Jeffries is deft at transitioning sweet and playful moments into steamy ones between the two.

288 pages

Hero’s Haven (Dark Protectors #11). By Rebecca Zanetti.

Hero’s Haven (Dark Protectors #11). By Rebecca Zanetti. 2020. Lyrical Press (ARC eBook).

For centuries, vampire-demon hybrid, Quade Karys, has been in another dimension, far away from Earth and his family. As a member of The Seven, his purpose was to keep a dangerous enemy imprisoned within a pocket between worlds. But just as Quade feels his body and mind failing and succumbing to delusions of a beautiful woman that visits him, the dimension collapses. He is saved by his beautiful stranger by traveling back to Earth through a portal of her creation. Now, he and Haven Daly are being are being pursued by Ulric’s followers, who want to use Haven’s abilities to return Ulric to Earth.

Quade’s reintegration into a world he has long been parted from leads to some humorous scenes, especially his discovered fondness for eating mint toothpaste. And as the two search for the surviving members of Quade’s family, Haven discovers that she is a part of a world she never knew existed; one that has vampires, demons, shifters, fae and more. All the while, the two of them have to adjust to each other and Haven is as stubborn as Quade is overprotective.

The world Zanetti has created is full of action, romance and humor that will keep readers coming back to this series.

306 pages