Pretty sure the name gives it away…reader
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Emily Henry meets Grady Hendrix in the funniest and most and original romantic comedy of the year: a monstrously feel good cozy fantasy full of love, laughter, lore, and limbs.
Darla Drake, Duchess of Death, is a legendary monster who has haunted the woods around Camp Clear Creek for years. Until an existential crisis forces her to take a sabbatical from wreaking havoc on pimply teens while she figures out what she really wants from the rest of her (possibly infinite) life. But what does a monster do when her malevolent days are over? For Darla, it’s spending time with the decapitated―yet still overbearing―head of her mother, reading romance novels she steals from campers, and struggling with one monstrous case of melancholy. Until Jarko Murkvale arrives in Clear Creek and turns Darla’s life upside down.
Jarko is a conceited, arrogant, infuriating, and unfortunately for Darla, kind of hot. And with the Duchess of Death on the shelf, Jarko has staked his claim on Camp Clear Creek. But Darla refuses to go down without a fight, and so in order to reclaim her territory she challenges Jarko to a series of hunts to see who the most fearsome monster really is.
But the more mayhem they cause, the more Darla begins to realize there’s more to this brash monster than she believed…and that Jarko may just be the antidote to her ennui. But there’s a reason Jarko came to Clear Creek, and in order to fill her nine-chambered heart, Darla will have to unravel the mystery of who this closed-off monster really is. And if they can manage to not literally tear each other limb from limb, Darla and Jarko just might find that couples who slay together, stay together.
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly post to share what’s new on your shelf. Check out the rest of the Stacking the Shelves posts on Reading Reality Blog! Here’s info on how to join Stacking the Shelves.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. This post let’s you share what you read last week and what you hope to read next week
The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. This post gives you a chance to share news including books for the week.
The Sunday Salon, it is now being hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
We had work done on the house this week. Lots of prep and post work to deal with. I’m really not a fan of having workers at my house. The dogs are upset and I can’t seem to do anything I want to do. It’s annoying but it needed to be done. Check that one off my summer to do list. I do have a long summer to do list. I need to get on that.
I read Unbound by Penelope Bloom. This book should count for TWO because it’s over 700 pages long! I had mixed feelings about this one. It does have some Fourth Wing elements but I was less concerned about that. I was more worried about all of the flaws in the writing. Those things bug me. Check out my review on the blog this week.
#Fantasy #Romantasy #Dragon #Romance #EnemiesToLovers #Magic
Feature and Giveaway – Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare
Audio Teaser and Amazon GC Giveaway
Blitz & Giveaway – Keeping the Countess
Feature & Giveaway – Pucked by Helena Hunting (Entangled Amara edition)
Unbound by Penelope Bloom – Review
This is why my TBR list never gets any shorter. I see a book that captures my attention and I buy and read it immediately. What can I say, I’m a moody reader.
In addition to Unbound, I received two new digital ARCs from Berkley. Both are romantasy.
Nineteen-year-old Nessa Thorne expects death when she volunteers for Empire’s selection. Instead, she’s thrust into Confluence Academy, where students harness elemental magic and bond powerful beasts—from wolves to ancient dragons—forging themselves into the Empire’s most lethal weapons.
Students are branded by water, air, earth, or fire. But Nessa’s mark is different. A silver spiral—the mark of an unbound. It’s a power so dangerous her kind were hunted to extinction centuries ago—or so the Empire claims.
To survive, she must hide what she is in a castle that reeks of blood, where students kill each other for advantage and failing to tether an elemental means death.
Nessa’s greatest threat may be the only other volunteer—Raith Hollow, a powerful fire affinity whose scorching gaze follows her every move and whose secrets could topple kingdoms.
Alliances are forged in blood, enemies circle like vultures, and forbidden desires close in. Death once seemed like release from her tragic past. Now it’s not an option. She’ll embrace her terrible potential or watch everything she’s fought for burn.
At Confluence Academy, students leave as weapons… or they don’t leave at all.
I have very mixed feelings about this book.
I’ve seen the complaints that it’s a Fourth Wing rip off. That seems overstated. There are some similar elements: a test (trial) to enter a war college, a resistant romantic interest, working towards a tie to a magic creature, students killing each other for the betterment of the effort, something different about the mc that makes her struggle to be successful, friends that gravitate to her and help protect her, and plenty of secrets. But many of these elements are just part of an authors craft to create an interesting book. The war college setting is hardly a problem and of course there has to be something that creates the story. I was less worried about these similarities that the actual writing of the book.
First, this book is over 700 pages long. The story didn’t need to be that long. A good edit could have trimmed it down by a couple hundred pages. It would have been so much better because so much of it didn’t seem to push the story along. Instead it seemed redundant. Which brings me to the second problem. There are places where the story doesn’t align. Raith is one big secret and he lets go of them very slowly. Sometimes one word at a time. Parts of those secrets changed slightly from one part of the story to another. Minor details that don’t really matter at all except they don’t line up with what is said the next time it’s mentioned. Those kind of things jump out at me and bug me. Next there is this strange back and forth between Nessa and her abilities. She’s struggling and can’t do anything right but then she learns something about her affinity that lets her use it only to be powerless to pass a test in class. It swings like a pendulum depending on what is needed for the story. It was just too convenient and it grated on me. I could make an argument about the relationship between Raith and Nessa doing this as well but some of that is slow burn romance and I’m more accepting of that. I can overlook some of these issues in a book but the number of them made the book less enjoyable.
It’s not like the book is bad. It starts strong and definitely keeps you turning the pages. I read the over 700 pages in about 2 days. Those elements that make it similar to Fourth Wing are things that I enjoy in a book. The mystery of Nessa’s affinity, the elemental magic, the risks of the enemies, and the reason Raith is a volunteer all had me turning the pages. When things felt repetitious I found myself skimming to get to the story but I wanted to know the story. I had my guesses and mostly they were correct. I will say at one point I was yelling at the characters because they were missing the very obvious question about what had just happened. They questioned everything but never said a word about the clear problem. A successful author has characters talk about that but find a way to dismiss it so the reader doesn’t have it jumping out at them. All of this just makes it an average book. Not a blockbuster. Not a run and tell everyone you know that they have to read it right now.
The ending was a let down for me. I had heard it was a cliffhanger and I’ve read some brutal ones. The ending to this book clearly sets up the next book but did not end as a cliffhanger in my opinion. There were some doubts cast, one of the manipulators was revealed, but it was hardly an ending that would have you clamoring for book 2.
Overall, I wanted more from this book. It needed a good edit to align the story and shorten it. It needed something to make it feel more unique. And it needed to convince the reader that that one thing the characters where ignoring wasn’t the most important issue of all. If you have time and you enjoy romantasy, then yeah give it a go. But I really don’t think I’ll read book 2.
#Romance #Sports #Hockey
With a famous NHL player for a stepbrother, Violet Hall is well acquainted with the playboy reputation of many a hockey star. So of course she isn’t interested in legendary team captain Alex Waters or his pretty, beat-up face and rock-hard six-pack abs. But when Alex inadvertently obliterates Violet’s misapprehension regarding the inferior intellect of hockey players, he becomes much more than just a hot body with the face to match. Suffering from a complete lapse in judgment, Violet discovers just how good Alex is with the hockey stick in his pants.
Violet believes her night of orgasmic magic with Alex is just that: one night. But Alex starts to call. And text. And email and send extravagant – and quirky – gifts. Suddenly he’s too difficult to ignore and nearly impossible not to like. The problem is, the media portrays Alex as a total player, and Violet doesn’t want to be part of the game.
Keeping the Countess
Lille Moore
Publication date: June 24th 2025
Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance
In this first installation of the DAMSELS IN DISGUISE series, a passionate clergyman on a mission to steal an earl’s secrets finds himself captivated by a cunning and courageous countess.
Charismatic curate Jonah Sinclair survived the deadly streets of south London with two well-trained fists and divine intervention. He will let nothing—not his vocation, nor his yearning to find love—stop him from pursuing the criminals who killed his father. When he learns the notorious Earl of Rochford could hold the key to retribution for his family, he seizes on the chance to become tutor to the earl’s young ward. But the only trace of Rochford he discovers at the mysterious Ravenglass Hall is his abandoned countess, a woman whose fierce strength stirs a forbidden temptation.
Faith Trenton, Countess of Rochford, is on the brink of ruin. Betrayed and abandoned by her husband, she disguises herself as a man to defend her estate from an embezzling steward. Jonah’s arrival threatens her carefully constructed masquerade, and despite the irresistible spark between them, she must send him packing, or risk having him expose the dangerous secrets she keeps hidden. But when a succession of attacks threatens everything that Faith has fought to protect, she’s forced to place her trust in Jonah, and pray he won’t unravel the truth, or her heart.
Helping Faith could sabotage Jonah’s mission. Loving her might cost him everything.
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EXCERPT:
Jonah marched out of the tavern, his vexation blinding him to any semblance of the direction where he headed. It did not take long to realize he was absolutely stranded, alone in a country wilderness.
In the disorienting shadows of the soaking evening, a seed of regret at his impulsivity sprouted. As he contemplated swallowing his pride and turning back to the tavern, a preternatural cry sounded on the moor.
The ground shook, heralding a beast rising out of the fog.
Jonah wouldn’t have dared called the creature a horse; that was far too earthly a comparison. It sped toward him as if it had escaped straight from the ninth circle of hell.
Unholy thoughts clouded his brain. Unholier curses tumbled from his lips. He was pleased to discover the passage of time and years of service in Her Majesty’s Church had not scrubbed them from his memory.
The shriek of the wind rose over the roar of approaching hooves. This was the exact reason Jonah avoided Gothic novels like vermin; he preferred interacting with the supernatural in the controlled boundaries of the King James Bible.
Through the sheets of rain, he spotted a slight figure mounted on top of the enormous steed. Was the rider attempting to bring the monster under control? Or did he urge it on, hoping he might flatten a weary traveler to the ground?
A shrill cry sounded from the rider. Was it a warning? An apology? A prayer?
“MOVE OUT OF THE BLEEDING WAY, YOU DAFT FOOL!”
With a screeching whinny, the beast reared up before him, a black wall of menacing horseflesh. As lightning flashed around them, Jonah braced his arms over his head and curled himself into a protective crouch, precisely as the hell-beast tossed its rider from the saddle.
A moment of raw stillness followed.
The rain relented, revealing where the rider lay motionless on the path.
Jonah staggered across the short distance toward the body. With a deep breath and a short prayer, he kneeled down to examine the fallen man.
The crash of two thick skulls meeting each other upended his balance. He slipped on the drenched ground, falling on top of the rider, who protested wildly by snarling in a manner more feral than a quayside cat. The body entwined with his was as scrappy and slim as one. He had to be a young lad.
“Get off of me!”
“I’m trying!” Jonah protested as they tussled in the mud. Muck worked its way beneath the collar he’d starched himself, to make a good impression for the toffs who’d forgotten him. The potential embarrassment he’d face if he ever arrived at his destination burned energy into his limbs.
An instinct he thought he’d long retired kicked in and he rolled, quickly pinning the rider’s shoulders by pressing his own weight into the lad’s chest.
And therein, he discovered a very distinct set of curves that most decidedly did not belong to a young man.
The body beneath him hissed.
Jonah scrambled away and staggered to his feet. With his last remaining ounce of sense, he extended his hand to the rider.
The woman he’d just groped in the darkness.
Author Bio:
Lille Moore writes romance with a twist on time-honored tropes and tales. Her first career in public diplomacy and strategic communications took her across five continents and six of the Seven Seas and spurred a lifelong love affair with uncovering new worlds through storytelling. She lives with her spouse in Texas
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The 21-Day Boyfriend
A.S. Kelly
Publication date: May 21 2025 (Audiobook)
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
Eric O’Shea needs to make a decision. The annual event his family forces him to attend is just around the corner, and he doesn’t have a date.
Eric never needs help when it comes to finding men. But this time is different – his ex and his new boyfriend will be there, and Eric can’t just bring along one of his usual flings.
His only hope seems to be him: the best friend of his best friend, who he never wanted to meet.
Sean Quinn is a calm, collected, and cultured man; someone who would rather stay at home and read a book than waste his time chasing a date with no future.
Sean isn’t in a rush to find the perfect man, and he certainly doesn’t intend to go out with Eric: his best friend’s other best friend, who he’s avoided meeting for years.
But Sean has a flaw: he can’t say no to anyone, especially not when it comes to his friend Jake, who has a habit of worming his way into other people’s lives.
But it’s just one date, after all: pure fiction. It’s a shame, then, that when Eric needs Sean for another favour, he can’t turn his back. It’s a shame that just when Sean is beginning to understand that Eric isn’t what he seems, he can’t seem to stop before he gets hurt.
Twenty-one days: that’s the agreement.
Twenty-one days of grazing hands, furtive glances, and unexpected kisses.
Twenty-one days where anything goes; except falling in love.
Goodreads / Amazon / Audible / Apple / Kobo / Google Play
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AUDIO TEASER:
Author Bio:
A. S. Kelly writes Rom-Com, Romantic Fiction and Family Saga.
Avid reader, hopeless romantic, lover of yoga, knitting and home baking.
She was born in Italy but lives in Ireland with her husband, two children and a cat named Oscar.Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bookbub / Newsletter
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#Romance #ScienceFiction #LGBTQ #TimeTravel
A multiverse novel about two women who fall in love despite living in worlds that are five months apart, as they try to find a timeline that doesn’t end in disaster, in this debut novel by Annie Mare.
Tressa Fay Robeson has never been shy, which is how she’s made a name for herself as an in-demand hairstylist and social media star. So she can admit that spending her days at her hair salon and her nights with her tight-knit group of friends (and one grumpy cat) is not the kind of exciting life she’d hoped for.
When a misdirected text from a stranger leads to a flirty exchange, she surprises herself by suggesting an impulsive meetup. But the woman, Meryl, never shows. Tressa Fay brushes it off—until Meryl’s sister and friend show up at the salon demanding to know what’s going on. Because, you see, there’s no way Meryl could have texted her. Meryl has been missing for a month.
Tressa Fay and her tight-knit group of friends soon discover they aren’t dealing with a catfish, but a temporal paradox. As they come to terms with the idea of parallel universes, they realize how many times their paths have crossed like this before. But even as they understand the multiverse more and more, nothing keeps Meryl from vanishing.
As it draws closer to the moment of Meryl’s disappearance, there’s only one question Have they done enough to change the outcome, or have they done so much that none of them will make it past that fateful day in September?
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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly post to share what’s new on your shelf. Check out the rest of the Stacking the Shelves posts on Reading Reality Blog! Here’s info on how to join Stacking the Shelves.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. This post let’s you share what you read last week and what you hope to read next week
The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. This post gives you a chance to share news including books for the week.
The Sunday Salon, it is now being hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
It’s been a pretty quiet summer week. I read the ARC of Head Witch In Charge and walked the dogs. I did some work in the yard and spent time on the patio.
I only read this one book this week. This is an advanced reader copy (ACR) of a book that comes out in September. It’s book 2 of the Witchingdom series by Avery Flynn. I had to go back and read book 1, Witcha Gonna Do. I did enjoy book 1 a lot more than book 2 but the are both 3 star reads.
Through the woods sneak peek & giveaway
I received a physical ARC of Seven Deadly Thorn.
I can’t wait to start reading this book!
I purchased this book this week.
An unlucky witch and her know-it-all nemesis must team up in the first of a new, spicy romantic comedy series from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn.
Could it possibly get any worse than having absolutely no magical abilities when you’re a member of the most powerful family of witches ever? It used to be that I’d say no, but then I keep getting set up on dates with Gil Connolly whose hotness is only matched by his ego. Seriously. I can’t stand him. Even if I also can’t stop thinking about him (specifically kissing him) but we’re going to pretend I never told you that part.
So yeah, my life isn’t the greatest right now, but then it goes straight to the absolute worst hell when I accidentally make my sister’s spell glitch and curse my whole family. And the only person who can help non-magical me break the spell? You guessed it. Gil the super hot jerk.
Now we have to work together to save my family and outmaneuver some evil-minded nefarious forces bent on world domination. Oh yeah, and we have to do all that while fighting against the attraction building between us because I may not be magical, but what’s happening between Gil and I sure feels like it.
I received book 2, Head Witch in Charge for review. Thought I should read book 1 first. I do enjoy a good witchy book. This one is a humorous family centered witchy book. I read it quick and it was enjoyable.
I like the premise of this book. Tilda is not your perfect witch in body or craft. She doesn’t have the perfect body. She is the youngest in a very powerful magical family but doesn’t have a drop for herself. Stuck being the social media coordinator for her family, she thinks she has dealt with the lack of magic. But her extra thick glasses aren’t enough to help her figure out her life or dating life. Blind dates aren’t working for her. Everyone watches everything she does waiting for her to mess up again. They love to video her and post on social media immediately. All the time, she is talking to the reader about her life. It is amusing and entertaining.
I do like Gil. He certainly tries to not be the good guy but he is. His inner dialogue is almost as amusing as Tildas. Here’s the deal though, both of them have too much personal negativity. I think it was overstated to make sure we get the point. It was a moral to the story kinda thing. Believe in yourself and you can do anything you set your mind to. I guess that’s not why I read.
The story was slightly predictable. I mean I knew from the moment they had their 3rd, no 4th blind date, that the cards where trying to tell them something. The rest fell in line from that point on. It was easy to work out how it would go. While I don’t mind predictable plots, I found myself thinking there should be a set-back here. And it showed up.
Then there is the ending. I wanted more details about how they got out of the mess they made. The epilogue gave a few hints but mostly gave teasers to upcoming books in the series. It could be that I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately and needed more from this book than was intended. It truly is a lighthearted romcom kind of witch story. It’s an evening snack, not a rich dessert that takes days to enjoy completely. I get that and I’m good with that. Just make sure you know what you are getting into.
Three stars for this evening snack kind of book.
When two witches with a tangled history are forced to team up, it spells disaster in this steamy rom-com from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn.
It’s the curse of every family’s heir to be the responsible one. My family being the most powerful family in all of Witchingdom doesn’t eliminate that fact, it only makes it worse—and that’s why I, Leona Amber Sherwood, never do the unexpected. Except for that one time I did.
Believe me, I have rued the day that I got married in a midnight ceremony under a full moon to Erik Svensen, the heir to my family’s deepest, bitterest enemies, and now, he won’t agree to a divorce unless we return an ancient spell book to his family’s secured facility.
But on our road trip to return the book, I learn more about Erik as we encounter trolls, nymphs, satyrs, and more. The longer we work together, the more I’m convinced that he might not be the evil trickster I assumed he was. Any more time together will leave me even more enchanted with my husband and that’s the last thing I want. And if I keep telling myself that, maybe I’ll start to believe it.
Leona has been raised to take over as the heir of the Sherwood family. It’s her responsibility to marry the right person with enough power to put the council in its place. The three choices for husbands she has been given is not what she wants. She wants the love her parents have. But she understands her duty. Erik has been raised to find the loophole in every agreement. To find a way to win. His family has the opposite reputation of the Sherwoods. His father is a selfish man that will use anything he can to keep the family power for himself. He doesn’t care about his heir or his other children. He uses Erik’s younger brother and sister against him to keep him in line. Erik believes he’s just as bad as his dad but the fact that he protects his brother and sister from his father tells you the real truth. Erik is not on the list of possible husbands .
The story includes a trip to Vegas where things definitely don’t stay in Vegas and a multi day road trip where these two are forced to spend time around each other. They have instant chemistry and struggle to stay away from each other. Erik has a plan to protect his siblings from his father. Leona is trying to live up to her family responsibilities. These two plans won’t work together so they find themselves on opposite sides. And fate has something to say about the whole thing.
The same inner dialogue romcom that played out in book one showed up in this book. Leona is desperate to do the right thing for their family and Erik trying to convince us he’s the bad guy playing through their minds nonstop. Add to that the serious chemistry these two have. Forced proximity creates all kinds of sexual tension between these two. It’s all amusing for a while but I will admit to feeling like we were stuck in a rinse and repeat loop as they went through similar distractions on a quest to get their main goal accomplished. As a result, I sat the book down too many times. And I became less and less interested in picking it back up.
It’s a cute read that’s heavy on the sexy times. But I needed a little more from the story than forced proximity meant to convince them of what the reader knew from the trip to Vegas.
