“When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…”

The last BA Paris book I read, I found was very predictable and not that thriller like, so I was a little hesitant coming in reading this book. I am happy to report that this book did feel like a thriller and was suspenseful. It kept me really engaged with listening to this on audio. I did not expect who the person was and their motive. I never could even guess The Who it was at all to be quite frank. Also, I would be invested in wanting to know why and how someone died in my house, but at the same time I would be really freaked out. How would you respond to finding out someone was possibly murdered in your own home?

“Trained from birth in swordplay and combat, a young knight named Siris has journeyed to the Dark Citadel with a single purpose: fight through the army of Titans to face the tyrannical God King in one-on-one combat. This was his father’s sacred mission, and his father’s before him, going back countless generations in an effort to free their people from enslavement. But when Siris somehow succeeds where all those from his bloodline previously have failed, he finds himself cast into a much larger world, filled with warriors and thieves, ancient feuds and shifting alliances, Deathless immortals and would-be kings. His quest for freedom will take him on an epic journey in search of the mythical figure known as the Worker of Secrets – the one being in the world who can unravel the secrets of the Infinity Blade.

Based on the bestselling video game from ChAIR Entertainment and Epic Games, this all-new adventure from acclaimed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson digs deeper into the fantastical world of Infinity Blade, a world of mystery and intrigue where magic and technology are indistinguishable, and even life and death are not what they seem.”

I was perusing through the library app by looking under what the library had for Brandon Sanderson books. For those who do not know, Brandon Sanderson is my absolute favorite author and I just have to read everything by him. I decided to pick this up on audio. Wellllll, I was a smidge confused on this book, but I really enjoyed it and found out it was based off a video game. I did think this was action packed and just a fun, quick story. You can never go wrong picking up a Brandon Sanderson book. I need the next installment.

“In the near future, humans choose life - for a price. Injectable nanite technology is the lifeblood that flows through every individual wishing to experience the world through the lens of their own theme. While death from mortal wounds is still possible, life is made easier in a socially liberated society where automation and income equality allow passion pursuits to flourish over traditional work. Renewal stations are provided to every law-abiding citizen for weekly check-ins, which issue life-sustaining repairs in exchange for personal privacy. But what becomes of those who check out, of those who dare to resist immortality and risk being edited under the gaze of an identity-extracting government surveillance system?

When Holly Winseed wakes up in a hospital room, her memory compromised and a new identity imposed on her, a team of government agents wastes no time stating their objective. With intent to infiltrate and defeat the terrorist group ICON, the agents tell Holly that she is now a Provisional Replica and has one week to hunt down and kill her Original for the murder of her husband, Jonathan. If she succeeds, she’ll assume her Original’s place in society. If she fails, her life will end. Holly’s progress is monitored by an assigned contact that feeds her information as she confronts the blank, robotic world around her, discovering that others view life through the theme of their own choosing.

With her newly implanted combat and deduction skills, Holly fends off both attacks by terrorists and doubts about her own trustworthiness as clues lead her to her Original - and to the truth about Jonathan. In the end, one body remains and one walks away. Although questions persist, one thing is certain: Life will never be the same. “

Once again, I read another Brandon Sanderson book. Shocker there. :) I was perusing Libby once again under audiobooks with my search under Brandon Sanderson and came upon this lovely gem. I never even heard of it until I saw it on Libby. Guys, it’s so freaking good and suspenseful. You all have to give it a listen. I was invested the whole time and needed to know what her original did and what happened to her husband. She barely has no memory and has to figure out what will happen and you have no idea how this short story is going to go. I totally recommend this and just anything by Brandon Sanderson. You can never ever go wrong reading a book by Brandon.

“Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire—a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she'll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what's real and what's been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch's family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch's girlfriend again...and it doesn't feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans—and open her heart—for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.”

I am going to be upfront and honest right here. This is my least favorite out of the series. Also, it took me a while to finish this book. Yes, I had to finish other books first, but it sometimes felt like a chore to pick up this book, but overall I did end up really enjoying the story. In addition, I wish there was more Ren Faire in this story. Also, I felt like April was very immature for her age, yet I can also can see why she was so guarded because of past things in her life and being burned. I did enjoy seeing these characters from April’s perspective as well as the Faire since she ends up volunteering in the ticket booth instead of as a character. I thought Mitch and April were sweet with their romance and first as friends.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

This is a feminist story and I am all for that, but if you see by my rating, something went wrong…Anyway, here goes the review. I almost DNFed this book multiple times and it felt like a chore to read. I could only read 30-50 pages at a time and then had to put it down because I was really not enjoying it. The pros. I really love the artwork on the cover. I like how this is a feminist story and how we see our MC rise through the oppression that women are going through because men are put on a pedestal and the best thing ever made. *Eyeroll* Let’s move onto what I didn’t like. I hated, hated, hated the romance I felt like there was no chemistry with any of the characters. It would just be like I think this character like this person and then all of sudden those two characters are kissing. Or let’s not show anything between the characters, but then have the MC say automatically I love this person and they are the best person ever. Then, felt like the magic system, well it is not really a magic system, but kind of is…please help me with the word I am trying to find. Anyway, it was not explored that well or showed the origin or why they can do what they can do. Then, in total conclusion I just hated our MC so freaking much. She was annoying and reckless. I mean I know she is a villain and this is also a villain story, but I found no compassion for her or could empathize for her. I just rolled my eyes so much. The writing was good, but this was not for me and definitely an unpopular opinion. Now, you may ask, Kayla will you be reading the sequel? The answer to that is maybe…I did like how it ended and thought it could lead to a promising sequel, but I am unsure since I really did not like this book. Maybe I’ll pick it up on audio.

“It’s been over two years since Effie’s beloved parents got divorced, destroying the image of the happy, loving childhood she thought she had. Since then, she’s become estranged from her father and embarked on a feud with his hot (and much younger) girlfriend, Krista. And now, more earth-shattering news: Greenoaks, the rambling Victorian country house Effie called home her whole life, has been sold.

When Krista decides to throw a grand “house cooling” party, Effie is originally left off the guest list—and then receives a last-minute “anti-invitation” (maybe it’s because she called Krista a gold-digger, but Krista totally deserved it, and it was mostly a joke anyway). Effie declines, but then remembers a beloved childhood treasure is still hidden in the house. Her only chance to retrieve it is to break into Greenoaks while everyone is busy celebrating. As Effie sneaks around the house, hiding under tables and peeping through trapdoors, she realizes the secrets Greenoaks holds aren’t just in the dusty passageways and hidden attics she grew up exploring. Watching how her sister, brother, and dad behave when they think no one is looking, Effie overhears conversations, makes discoveries, and begins to see her family in a new light. Then she runs into Joe—the love of her life, who long ago broke her heart, and who’s still as handsome and funny as ever—and even more truths emerge.

But will Effie act on these revelations? Will she stay hidden or step out into the party and take her place with her family? And truthfully, what did she really come back to Greenoaks for? Over the course of one blowout party, Effie realizes that she must be honest with herself and confront her past before she’ll ever be able to face her future.”

This book is more literary fiction. Do not expect a rom com! That may be what I thought it was going to be, then it wasn’t so I was mildly disappointed. However, I did not dock off stars because of it. I found this to be quite disappointing because I felt like Effie was an immature character. I hated how she could never be the better person towards Krista and just come out that Krista has been doing things purposefully and just have Effie show herself at the party. Yet, if she did those things then we probably would not have story. I did like the secrets Effie found while she was hiding and crashing the party. The ending was great as well.

Ivy Perkins just got divorced 9 months ago and decided it is time for a change. So, she moves to a small town in an old farmhouse and she buys this farmhouse without actually coming out to the property to check it out. She just bought it on a whim from looking at it online. Once she gets there, she decides it needs a lot of work. Her hot realtor helps her out and she starts making friends in town. However, on her first night in the farmhouse, she is cleaning out the leftover clothes out of her closet and notices a beautiful Santa Suit and it has a card in the pocket. Ivy feels the need to find out what happened to the girl and her family.

I got this from the library and on the day I got it, my husband, Taylor took the book and decided he wanted to read it before me. Mind you this dude never really reads, like it it is super rare. He’s maybe read 4-5 books in my 7 years of marriage to him. Anyway, I just want you all to know he gave this 3/5 stars. I finally got around to this charming book and gave it 5/5 stars even though I guessed the twist within the first few pages. He on the other hand did not guess the twist. He told me not to do the 4.5/5 stars I was originally going to rate because I read a lot of books so it makes it easier to guess things compared to people who may not read so much. Anyway, I gave it 5 stars.

I think this book was a fun holiday read and really, really enjoyed this. It was heartwarming and just so cute. It reminded me of a Hallmark movie. There was friendship, romance, and mystery in this book. I loved all the characters, the misunderstandings, and finding yourself. If you want a short, heartwarming read, then you need this in your life!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Does anyone have any plans this weekend or over the holidays?

“To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters—never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City—whatever the cost?”

This is the third book in The Mortal Instruments and I really enjoyed this, but was so confused with how everything wrapped up because there is three more books in the series so I thought I was reading book 6 by accident, but I tripled checked and I was on the third book. I really liked the growth we are seeing from Clary and Jace. I am still rooting for Clary and Jace and really want to see a romance bloom from them. I want to see a friendship between Simon and Jace. I loved all the interaction and seeing Idris. I can’t wait to continue more on with this series since I have read most of her spin-off series and it is time to have finally read the main series.

“Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina but, as Christmas draws nearer, her dancing days are numbered – she must marry and take up her place in society in the New Year. But, when a mysterious toymaker, Dr Drosselmeier, purchases a neighbouring townhouse, it heralds the arrival of magic and wonder in Marietta’s life.

After Drosselmeier constructs an elaborate theatrical set for her final ballet performance on Christmas Eve, Marietta discovers it carries a magic all of its own – a magic darker than anyone could imagine. As the clock chimes midnight, Marietta finds herself transported from her family’s ballroom to a frozen sugar palace, silent with secrets, in a forest of snow-topped fir trees. She must find a way to return home before she’s trapped in Everwood’s enchanting grip forever.”

I started off this book and was like “uhhhh, I don’t know if I am going to like this because it feels like the writing is dry.” Anyway, once I got to see Marietta in Everwood, I fell in love with this book. I loved Marietta’s bravery and how she plots to get out of Everwood once she notices the evil that seeps into this beautiful place. The growth of Marietta’s character was nicely done since she goes from super naive and wants to follow everyone’s thoughts, but towards the end she becomes badass and think for herself. The magic was gorgeous as well as the world. This was a beautiful and enchanting story that I needed during this Christmas season.

Darcy and Tory are living hard lives and don’t know how they are going to keep a roof over their head. They are twins and they will do anything to get money. One night they find out they are Fae and have been accepted into Zodiac Academy on a Fae world. They find out they are princesses and have a claim to the throne. But, first they need to get through the academy. However, not everyone agrees with their claim to the throne and the Heirs and teachers will do anything to get them to back down and not go to the academy.

Well, this series is super popular and is on kindle unlimited. I wanted to read it due to the hype. I have to really admit, I had the worst time reading this book. This book is known as a bully romance and I thought I would be fine. I never been triggered by a book (I have my triggers in life though), but this freaking book triggered me so freaking bad! I wanted to cry so much and felt my depression ebbing in my mind and there was time I just sat there and just felt horrible. I had a hard time wanting to pick this book up and read it. It actually took me over a month to finish it because it was very hard for me to read. I mean the bullying is so extreme and some events would not happen in our world, but I will admit I was bullied/teased a lot growing up in elementary school and then in my church I attended as a teenager. The bullying was not horrible, but it really killed my self-esteem and I get triggered when I am teased, but this book made me think of my own trauma and feel so bad for Darcy and Tory, even though the handled their bullying very well. This just put a bad taste in my mouth. I may read the next book to see if it gets better, but it may be down the road.