SO, I thought this was my first time reading AHLNO, but apparently I tried it last year? Whatever, listening to it on audiobook has vastly changed my mind on the experience, as Richard Petkoff is a narrating god! Loved his accents, so good.

Also, I am participating in the "Fated Mates" podcast reread of this IAD series, and the enthusiasm of both hosts has amped me up to plow through this entire series.

*loved the world building, all the different types of "Lore"
*OMG the violence is ridiculous but also kind of funny, but also really violent?! Lots of blood, ripped off limbs, swords, etc.
*There is definitely some WTF sexy times moments (especially when Emma 'takes' from Lachlan's um, private spot, to distract him to try and get away).


I picked this up because it was on Sarah Maclean's list of recommended romances. I typically don't read paranormal (especially shape-shifting) romance so I thought I'd give it a try, but overall I wasn't super impressed. There was an overwhelming amount of different types of paranormal characters that I'm assuming the reader would have met in the first book of the series and I found the whole destined mate thing to be a convenient go-around for the "insta-love" trope.

Basically, our "hero" Lachlain has been chained for decades in a vampire prison and is stuck there until he scents his one true mate, causing him to chew his leg off and break free. He immediately imprisons the timid half-vampire, half-valkyrie Emma who has never been touched by a man (or kissed) and immediately forces sexual acts on her, because duh, she's his. She protests, but eventually falls for her one true mate while they figure out her parentage and why her adopted Valkyrie family has made her not drink blood from the source and basically kept her hidden away.

So, overall not too impressed.

Published in five excerpts on the new Read Me Romance podcast, this was a a fun and steamy instalove romance featuring an ex-Special Forces soldiers falling head over heels for a woman he encounters at a Renaissance Faire.

For the format, it was a fun listen and I'm looking forward to reading the short story on KU when it is released in January 2019. I wasn't much of a fan of the rest of the podcast and probably won't tune in unless it is an author I'm very interested in.

Of course, I always want MORE to my Tessa Bailey, but it was really hot and who wouldn't want a huge, bearded gentle giant competing for their hand in a jousting tournament?!

Bonus points for a brief glimpse of Jason and Naomi and their BABY from Runaway Girl (probably my favorite romance of 2018...).

Set in Alexis Daria's Dance Off series, Dance All Night features a grumpy scrooge and the sexy professional dancer who tries to convince her holiday miracles can and do happen.

After sharing an unexpected but sexy as hell New Years Eve midnight kiss with Broadway hotshot Nik Kovalenko, dancer Jess Davenport thinks that is all it will be, just a kiss. But as the next holiday season rolls in and she runs into Nik at an ugly Christmas sweater party, she realizes he has been thinking about her and that kiss just as much as she has, and Nik wants a chance to date her.

But, Jess is hesitant to start anything with someone who is destined to leave her for the next big thing, the next exciting project so Nik has to convince her, with only six dates, that he's ready to do this for real.

Super fun, really hot and sweet. A perfect holiday novella to get you through the season!

2018. I'm re-listening to this series as Will Patton's narration is my ultimate comfort zone. Stiefvater is a master at crafting tension, foreshadowing, and drama.

-3rd Read 03.29-03.30.2016 in preparation for [b:The Raven King|17378527|The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477103790s/17378527.jpg|24170172]. I find something new to hold in my mind, inspect, and treasure each time I read this book. Stiefvater's prose is so full of imagery and intended meaning, and if you aren't careful with it you might miss something. I love that. And oh, the subtle tension between Blue and Gansey as they both fall for each other feels more intimate than most romance novels, even though it is so innocent and lovely. And man, Ronan. This is truly his book.

-2nd go through of The Dream Thieves (first was audiobook with the amazing Will Patton).

Wow, I really missed a lot of the sub-text of this novel listening to the audio so I am SO glad I re-read right away. Will Patton just swept me away, but Stiefvater's writing brought me home. I am in love with these characters and each of their quests.

When a book/series can make me think, make me continually guess, and make my heart soar and burst, that is the mark of some great writing chops. Everyone should read this right now so I have more people to talk to about it.

2018 - Re-listen! Still adore Will Patton's narration and love how Blue comes into her own in this story. The Gray Man and Maura's romance, in the few lines it gets, is just delicious and awesome. Stiefvater does such a great job of making all the characters important, and the adults are not simply there to foil the youth, they are there to help, or actively hurt.
Gansey and Blue's night time ride in the Pig is still one of the most angsty, romantic, and just ah, I die moments in any book I've ever read. And then they fight, and it is so heartbreaking but real, and I just love it.

3rd Read 03.30-03.31.16 in preparation for [b:The Raven King|17378527|The Raven King (The Raven Cycle, #4)|Maggie Stiefvater|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1477103790s/17378527.jpg|24170172]
Blue Sargent is my hero, and my heart breaks for her. She longs for her missing mother, she is so in love with Richard Campbell Gansey III but is so afraid of what that may mean for her if his fate comes true, and she just wants to be somebody. I'm so glad Blue really comes into her own in this book, and I adore how the various adults are also active, key, and important characters in their own right. That cliffhanger at the end about kills me each time, and I'm longing for 04.26.16. Bring it on Stiefvater, I hope my heart is ready.

Blue Sargent and the Raven Boys search for Blue's mother and the body of Welsh King Glendower in the eerie cavern they discovered at the end of The Dream Thieves. Amidst their search, a new Latin teacher, a growing connection between Blue and Gansey (who she still hasn't told will die before the year is up), and new revelations all threaten to end their quest before it can be completed.

Atmospheric, poetic, and simply genius, this is the series I most press into the hands of willing (and sometimes unwilling) readers. Stiefvater creates a circle of friends that you can only wish that you were a part of, and while Blue Lily, Lily Blue was amazing, it left me breathlessly waiting for Book IV.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC - and I cannot wait to get my copy from Fountain Book Store.


I finished. I'm sad I finished. So good. Review to come when I'm not brain dead.

Thank you for the ARC www.netgalley.com!

Pinky Grover is confused by her attraction to the obviously no good, bad boy motorcycle club enforcer who visits her family's Indian restaurant once a week. Why does she feel so many sparks with someone so obviously wrong for her and why does she think there is more hiding underneath that delicious motorcycle jacket?

After running in to Trucker Carrigan in the parking lot at Walmart, Pinky learns there is something more to Trucker, including that they definitely can both fit into his truck's backseat...

With excellent witty banter, fantastically funny and nerdy references (all hail to the Captain American references and the obvious reference to the Superior Chris), this is a perfect novella to give you heart eyes.

When Bailey finds herself quitting her much needed barista job in protest over the owner's treatment of a John, a homeless person, she's stunned to find the sexy red-haired, tattooed, white boy she's been flirting with over his coffee order jumping into the fray.
Cash Evans tried to limit his visit to Bailey's work, as he's firmly enchanted by the adorable black girl, and he's afraid if he pursues anything futher he'll end up obsessed with her. But, he can't help but offer her a job at his tattoo parlor and help her friend John find a place to live and also a job.
The beautiful spirit of Bailey, which he thought had to be too good to be true, turns out to be even better as he gets to know her. But, the demons from Cash's past prevent him from committing or pursuing anything real.
But, the spirit of the season and true love can't keep these two from falling for each other.
Lovely and steamy holiday novella, with excellent writing and great secondary characters. I'll read anything Talia Hibbert puts out.!

Back in NYC for a well-deserved break from her demanding job managing the affairs of the Prince of Thesolo, Likotsi is also hoping to finally forget the woman she met the last time she was in NYC a year ago.

A stalled subway train and a chance check-in to a dating app puts Likotsi right back where she left off, scared to death the woman she fell in love with a year ago, the woman who was just supposed to be a fling, is going to hurt her again.

Ignoring her head but listening to her heart, Likotsi agrees to a cup of tea with Fabiola, the pin-up pretty accountant who swiped right one year ago. As tea turns into checking off all of the items on Likotsi's NYC list, Fabiola is hoping she'll be able to persuade the diligent Likotsi to delete the last item - forgetting Fabiola forever.

Super sweet, Cole knows how to perfectly craft a novella that captures the spirit, heart, and joy of both characters who each receive ample page time. I also enjoyed the Then/Now time changes, as it led to an extremely poignant HEA. Just the right amount of heat and so much heart. Must read for 2019!

Thank you to Avon for the advanced reading copy!

Gosh, this is only my second re-read of Beginner's Luck HOW!? You all know I'm a dedicated Zoe and Aidan simp but forgive me Mr. Benjamin Tucker but I forgot how thorough you are in both restoring a chandelier and serving up some delicious sex to Miss Kit Averin. I think my favorite part ever is when they FINALLY FINALLY kiss, and he boosts Kit right up on that table, and then oh no Kit's pal Greer interrupts them mid-makeout, and then Ben tries to gracefully exit BUT lays a kiss right on Kit before he goes, leaving everyone speechless. Perfection.

Kate is also so wonderful at creating wonderfully complex secondary characters. I do wish more care was taken to describe them, especially physically.

Isn't it the best when you find a new to you author and you immediately fall in love? I've been hearing about Kate Clayborn on Twitter for a while now, and I finally picked up the audio for Beginner's Luck on Hoopla (yay libraries) and it sucked me in from the first chapter. Carly Robins and Will Dameron did an exceptional job narrating, completely bringing to life this romance between a head hunter and a materials scientist.

Clayborn's attention to details, the secondary characters, and the EMOTIONS she can bring from writing a glance between the two lovebirds was just, ugh. I die. I did spend a lot of this book yearning for that first kiss, that first lovemaking scene, that happily ever after. Definitely a slow-burn, but not one where the heat was absent.

I cannot wait to listen to the next books in the series, in fact I checked out Luck of the Draw immediately after finishing this one.

Highly recommend.

Tell a girl you love her dress and the first thing she'll tell you is "it has pockets!"

Well, if the dress has them!

Maya Rodale's Duchess by Design imagines a dressmaker looking to make her mark on the fashion scene of Gilded Age New York City. She wants to create dresses for women that allow them to flout tradition, and she'll do it one pocket at a time.

Nothing will get in her way except for just maybe, a slightly old-fashioned Duke with marriage on the mind.

Super fun historical for those looking for a different time period and setting and for those looking for women taking names and smashing patriarchal standards.