I've been able to keep to my bookish goal of reading one book off my TBR a week. I realize that it's still early, but I'm hoping to keep it up. Shoot, I'll be happy if I can read even one a month!



Girl Meets Boys by Ari Reavis was an advanced copy involving young characters and a love triangle. Captain by Lauren Rowe was right off of my TBR and is about a hero who is struck by cupid and a girl who doesn't trust herself or anyone else. Stolen by Alison Aimes was also a book off of my TBR and it's a scifi romance that is sure to entertain. The last two covers don't hurt the eyes either!

The Revelation of Light and Dark by Sawyer Bennett

I always knew I was different.

From a young age, my mind has been plagued with things only I could see. Some hauntingly beautiful, others completely terrifying. Never knowing if these visions were real or just hallucinations, I learned how to lock them down and ignore them. I learned to take solace in the relative anonymity of city life and find peace in the rainy days my city of Seattle is known for.

But just when I think my life is getting on track and my dreams are achievable, a moment of weakness causes me to learn a hard and fast lesson.

My entire existence has been a lie.

Now I’m faced with a new reality that’s as implausible as it is fantastical. Filled with realms and veils, light and dark, fae and daemons, gods and angels—things I don’t understand but am forced to acknowledge. It doesn’t help that the man teaching me about my unique gifts is the gorgeously handsome Carrick Byrne, one of Seattle’s richest and most powerful men. He intimidates, annoys, and intrigues me all at the same time. I don’t trust him and yet there’s no one else to help me.

No longer certain who to put my faith in, what to believe, or how I fit into it all, one revelation is clear…

The world as I know it will never be the same again.

The Revelation of Light and Dark is book one of the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series and is best enjoyed if read in series order.


I've been reading the Morgan Brothers series by Lauren Rowe all out of order and now that I've finished Captain, I'm 'keen' to read Keane's book, Ball Peen Hammer. I'm told that his is the best book out of the series and I'm counting on the laughs.

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I've firmly entrenched in reading what I want when I want. I have a big stack of books that have been sitting on my bookshelves and have promised myself to get through as much as I can this year. If I can tackle at least one a week, I'll be happy. I hope you're better able to stick to the bookish resolutions you've made!



Twisted Together by Pepper Winters was a pleasure read while Ruthless King by Alison Aimes and Repeat Offender by Lani Lynn Vale were advanced copies. I've also finished Girl Meets Boys by Ari Reavis, which is a new adult love triangle romance. It was full of drama and teenage heartbreak. All were such amazing reads and my new year has gotten off to an amazing start!

Captain by Lauren Rowe

It wasn’t the way this kind of story was supposed to go . . .
Insta-love isn’t supposed to turn into insta-hate.

But that’s exactly what happened when the hot-as-hell dreamboat I met in a bar turned out to be a lying, cheating scumbag-player-douche looking for nothing but a little side action. Jerk.

And he has the nerve to call me a liar and a “sociopath”? Assh*le.

And now, three months later, through a mind-blowing series of events I couldn’t have predicted in a million years, it turns out my boss is marrying his sister in Hawaii and I’ve got to play nice with him for an entire freaking week.

Okay, sure, I’ll put on a happy face this week and act like I’ve never even met the jerk before--did I mention his sister is marrying my boss?--but that doesn’t mean I’ll like it. And it certainly doesn’t mean I’ll stop secretly hating the cocky bastard’s guts.

Because I do.
I hate him.
I really do.

I just wish my brain would explain the situation to my body . . . because every time he flashes that panty-melting smile at me, it takes all my self-restraint not to jump the bastard’s hot-as-f*ck bones.


I've been reading the Morgan Brothers series by Lauren Rowe all out of order. I've already read Hero, I'm currently reading Captain, and I intend to read the rest. Other than that, I hope to pick up one of the YA Fantasy novels sitting on my shelves.

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We're at the beginning of a new year and I hope you all had an amazingly blessed time ringing it in. I'm sure most of you have made bookish goals and while I haven't made any strict ones, I have made a few 'notes to self'. The most important one is to not pressure myself to read. I'll pick up what I want, when I want, determined to stay in my happy place when it comes to reading what I love. I hope all of your resolutions hold true.



Going into the end of the year, I decided to do a re-read of an old favorite. I read the Monsters in the dark series years ago and reading it again was like going through the horror of this story for the first time. With Tears of Tess and Quintessentially Q, Pepper Winters solidified her place at the top of the dark romance genre. This series reaffirms her right to be on my must-read list forever!

Twisted Together by Pepper Winters

“After battling through hell, I brought my esclave back from the brink of ruin. I sacrificed everything—my heart, my mind, my very desires to bring her back to life. And for a while, I thought it broke me, that I’d never be the same. But slowly the beast is growing bolder, and it’s finally time to show Tess how beautiful the dark can be.”

Q gave everything to bring Tess back. In return, he expects nothing less. Tess may have leashed and tamed him, but he’s still a monster inside.

After surviving the darkness, a new dawn has begun. Twisted Together wades through black to grey, chasing the light of true love to banish the shadows forever.

Pain is a requirement, connection a necessity. But ultimately Q and Tess must face their demons, before they can embrace their future.



I've got ARCs to read and I'm super excited about these two! Ruthless King by Alison Aimes is a scifi omegaverse mafia romance. It sounds hot AF and although she's a new-to-me author, I'm thinking I just might love this. As for Repeat Offender by Lani Lynn Vale is a guaranteed great read. I've loved everything from LLV so I'm sure this will be no different.

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The new year is blinking at us. I can't believe 2020 is almost over. I want to say finally, but seeing as how we're entering the new year and nothing is really better... I'll hold off on celebrating. I envision a very solemn ringing in of the new year in my house. I'll probably try to liven things up, pretending everything's ok, that we don't have a care in the world, that we're choosing to stay in. I've got the alcohol stocked, the ginger ale for the kids, and we're going to do the best we can. I hope you all have a happy and safe time celebrating the new year!



My Beautiful Sin by J. Kenner - 4 ★ - I only kinda liked the first book of this trilogy, but this one was far better. Now I'm actually excited to read the next one :)
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson - 5 ★ - I requested this one from NetGalley because the blurb drew me in. It was a spectacular read for me. Through the eyes of a slave, the reader is shown the horror and depravity of the times and the endless hope of freedom for the oppressed. There's pain and humiliation and desperation and sacrifice and disillusionment and denial and so much love.
The Villain by L.J. Shen - 3 ★ - this book was very hyped and I wanted to see what it was all about. Aside from the hero (and the fact that he was basically copied and pasted from a previous hero), I couldn't see why this book was rated so highly. Then I saw all the drama surrounding this author and her squad and I ran away as quick as I could. I'm always the last to know what's going on in drama llama land and I'm so glad that I'll probably never know. I enjoyed the book well enough.
Confessions of a Bad Boy by J.D. Hawkins - 3 ★ - I have a certain fondness for this author. He seems like a great guy on social media and I've liked everything I've read from him. This obviously wasn't my favorite, but I don't regret buying and reading it.

Monsters in the Dark Boxset by Pepper Winters

“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.
Then it all changed.
I was sold.”

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.

But paradise is shattered.

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.

Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?

A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to hard to read subjects. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.

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We're almost at the end of the year and my reading still hasn't picked up. I'm hoping everything changes in the new year. I'm still reading what I want, when I want, and I'm loving it. That reading buddy thing I was doing with my daughters has been put off until the new year and we still haven't picked a book or series, but I'm optimistic that we'll get it done. I hope you've been having an amazing reading week!



Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - 3 ★ - after all the hype this book got, and for how long I had a hankering to read it, I'm glad I got the chance. It was a bit different than I expected, a bit slower than I liked, but an enjoyable experience nonetheless.
Fear For Me by Cynthia Eden - 3.5 ★ - a thriller about a serial killer known as the Bayou Butcher, who has escaped from prison and is out for revenge.

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson

In the tradition of Wrench and Twelve Years a Slave, this harrowing story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Brown was promised her freedom on her eighteenth birthday. But when her birthday finally comes around, instead of the idyllic life she was hoping for with her true love, she finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half-Acre, a jail where slaves are broken, tortured, and sold every day. Forced to become the mistress of the brutal man who owns the jail, Pheby faces the ultimate sacrifice to protect her heart in this powerful, thrilling story of one slave’s fight for freedom.

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I still haven't picked up the pace with my reading, but I'm absolutely cool with that. I'm loving reading what I want when I want. I've spent a ton of time with my daughters (even more than usual during this forced isolation) and we're going to be starting a group read soon. I am so excited for it! I hope you've been having an amazing reading week and that your next reads are phenomenal ones.



A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe by Crimson Syn - 3 ★ - a dirty MC romance with the author's usual flair.
Dream Chaser by Kristen Ashley - 4 ★ - I enjoyed being back in the world of Rock Chicks and Dream Men that KA has created. Boone and Ryn had their own share of drama and entertained me well.
Cursed by N. Isabelle Blanco - 4 ★ - this was a dark and dirty paranormal story. I've loved everything this author has written.


After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

I hope everyone has had an amazing reading week. I may not be reading as much as I usually do, but at least nothing I've read this week took me back to that deadly slump I was in. I'm counting that as a win. I've been catching up on ARCs and I've been enjoying myself. So here goes...



Depends On Who's Asking by Lani Lynn Vale - 4.5 ★ - it was sweet and yet suspenseful. I can always rely on LLV to give me a story to love.
Straightened Out by Janine Infante Bosco - 4 ★ - if you've read any of the Satan's Knights MC books, then you've already met Rocco. If not, you're in for a treat. It's a mafia romance with the kind of heart only JIB can create.
In For a Penny by Melissa Foster - 4 ★ - a hot and sweet novella in the Whiskey series of books. It's all about Penny and Scott, but you still get all of the characters we've come to love making appearances too.

Dream Chaser by Kristen Ashley

Standalone: Dream Team #2
Release: December 15, 2020

Ryn Jansen has no interest in taking a risk on Boone Sadler. Thanks to a long list of men who've done nothing but let her down, Ryn vows to stay far away from the caring, protective commando. And when Boone confronts Ryn with evidence that her loved ones are conning her, Ryn is less than thrilled -- with her family and Boone. But even as Boone proves he's the kind of guy to meet her every need, she doesn't trust him to stay when life gets hard . . .

Boone Sadler's never been one to back down from a challenge. He's determined to show the funny, sexy Ryn that the irresistible connection between them is worth exploring. But caring for Ryn's heart and body becomes a matter of life and death when Ryn's beloved niece and nephew are put in danger and dirty cops begin gunning for Ryn. Soon Boone realizes their romance is in danger of more than heartbreak -- and to have any future together, they'll have to put their trust in each other.


I'm still not planning on anything. I'm loving being free to choose what I want to read, when I want to read it. It's so liberating!

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I've been going with the flow and actually found some interesting reads. It's been Paranormal/Fantasy week in my house, so all of my reads followed that theme. I think my slump days are over, which might have something to do with the amount of time I've put into playing on my Switch. My kids and I have been playing Animal Crossing New Horizons together and it's made for tons of fun. Between that game and a few others (I still haven't opened my Luigi's Mansion), I've been having an amazing week. I still haven't put together a recap for November, but I've started to work on a list of my favorite reads of the year. So that's something!



Wing and a Prayer by Amy Cissell - ★★★☆☆ - it's a novella that is part of a series (I'm guessing). This story was about a fallen angel who has to decide which side he wants to fight on in the upcoming (possible) apocalypse.
Devil's Claim by Dariel Raye & Muffy Wilson - DNF - I couldn't take one more second reading the heroine's pov. I think it had more to do with my mood than the writing of the authors. I may pick it up again some day.
Before the Fall by Colleen S. Myers - ★★★☆☆ - this was quite the interesting world that the author created. The characters seemed to be birdlike humanoids and they were intriguing. I'm interested enough to probably read something else from the series.
Wings of the Wraith by Khardine Gray - ★★★☆☆ - I really enjoyed this prequel and am a bit disappointed that the author hasn't continued to write this series. If you know any different, please let me know because I would definitely read the next book.
Angels of the Triad: Sariel by Maddie Wade - ★★★☆☆ - I fell in love with the hero of this story and would love the chance to read more about him. The heroine was growing on me and I'm absolutely intrigued by the other angels. The author really needs to write some more of this series.



Straightened Out by Janine Infante Bosco
I'm a mob boss with a tarnished name, leading a kingdom in the shadows of disgrace.
She's a ballerina, the sister of my underboss, dancing her way through life.
Until her, all I wanted was to be straightened out.
But with power comes sacrifice.
With respect comes fear.
With love comes death.
The rule of the streets is to take or be taken.
Some legends are born, others are made.
But not all survive.

Depends On Who's Asking by Lani Lynn Vale
It was the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…nope. No. Nuh-uh. That’s a lie.
The moment that Caro wakes up, she knows that she’s not alone.
One thump-thump from the living room and she quickly moves into action.
One 9-1-1 call later, and she’s ready to defend herself.
Only, she gets more than she bargains for when she steps out into her living room and comes face to face with a living, breathing nightmare.
And isn’t it just fitting that the man that saves her by coming down the chimney with a large black gun in his hand is named Saint Nicholas?
***
It seemed like the start of a bad joke.
Saint Nicholas comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve night, but he isn’t there to bear gifts. He’s there to take out the trash.
When he lands on his silent feet, he has no other choice but to put himself in harm’s way.
One look at Caro’s terrified face, and he can’t stop himself.
He steps in just as the bullets start flying, saving the damsel in distress and taking a bullet to the shoulder for his trouble.
But one thing he can say is, heroes always win the girl.
And Caro is the best Christmas miracle of all.


I'm loving this whole 'going with the flow' thing I've been doing. Now that my reading mood has improved (slightly), I'm hoping to keep it up. I'll probably stick to books by authors I've already read and loved. I would hate to fall into a slump again when we're so close to the new year.

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

The three W’s stand for:

What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

I was suffering the worst slump I've experienced in a long time. I think it's finally over. I found some great reads this past week, lifting my spirits up and encouraging me to try to complete my reading goals before the end of the year. I hope you all have been having an amazing week!


1. Lord of London Town by Tillie Cole - ★★★★★ - like a modern-day Peaky Blinders, this story tore me right out of my reading funk!
2. Die, My Love anthology - ★★★★☆ - this horror piece messed with my head. There were no good guys, a lot of psychotic moments, and in the end, I was laughing because it was horrific. Great job!
3. Son of Chaos by Lexi Foss - ★★★★★ - I found this author's work this year and I'm so glad I did. She writes supernatural stories that are engaging and entertaining and so amazing! I'm in love with these characters and can't wait to continue the series!
4. Torn by Ditter Kellen - ★★☆☆☆ - A fallen angel, desperate to make it back to Heaven, falls in love with a deathly ill mortal. It was sweet, but I was bored for most of it.
5. Unsuitable Companions by Erin Lee - ★★☆☆☆ - loads of potential...
6. Arija and The Burning City by Zachary Paul Chopchinski - ★★★★☆ - this was a suprisingly great read. I've never even heard of this author before, but I really liked what I found here.
7. Chasing Fate by J.R. Thorn - DNF - I was set to dive in until I realized that it was a reverse harem story. Yeah... no.


Devil's Claim by Dariel Raye & Muffy Wilson - Generations ago, he died for her. Now, it’s her turn.

Pride kept them from looking at one another, but their bodies could not lie. Recognition lived in their souls, rekindling memories of passion, love, betrayal….and death.

Apache Elder Aidan Stringfellow, V, is a very wealthy man with one wish – to free his only son, the brilliant, yet abrasive David, from the curse that has plagued his family for generations. When his controversial plan for a cure is revealed, shock and disbelief are only the beginning, for David has deadly, yet beguiling secrets of his own.

Choosing to honor Aidan’s wishes, David and Katala unwittingly awaken an ancient evil desperate to lay claim to the last-born Stringfellow – David. The tumultuous consequences of a vengeful pact spanning generations, defies time, tradition, and death itself.

Katala finds herself falling in love with a man whose gaze and touch ignite long-forgotten passion, propelling her to fight for his life. She unearths one devastating clue after another on her winding journey toward the truth, but unseen forces escalate their attack as truth collides with myth. Clinging desperately to her own sanity, she must find a way to reconcile the two, for even her own identity comes into question. Trust no one. Not even David.

Time is running out. Promises will be kept, and if the devil has his way, souls will be claimed.

• ────── ✾ ────── •

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

The three W’s stand for:

What did you recently finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?