January 2023 Book Reviews

While you can still see my entire list of books read on Goodreads and at this page, I thought I’d gather my January reads into a single blog post to make things easier. Below, you’ll find the reviews for the books I’ve read this month (and come back at the end of the month for a few more).

At the end of every month, I’ll be picking one book to add to my book bracket - a collection of 12 of my favorite reads of the year - where I’ll narrow down my favorite reads of the quarter and then the year to have a top read of 2023!

So… here’s January:

Queen of Myth and Monsters by Scarlett St. Clair ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I must say I am quite disappointed here. What I enjoyed about the characters became a load of suffering and back and forth emotions with no true direction. I feel like so much of this book had missing pieces that were glossed over and never given time to really settle. While the research into lore is there, the execution and creation of so many things out of nowhere really made this book a drag. I have a slight suspicion that the copy I read from my library was formatted incorrectly because the transitions between past and present were so confusing. But I also worry that there wasn’t anything wrong because the description of action in this book and the last was lacking and left me disoriented.

If there’s another book in the series, either now or down the road, I’m not going to continue.

Quarterback Sneaky by Kandi Steiner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Holden is a dream. Like, make you wanna barf dream. And the steam was even better and totally worth the wait. Tbh it was a short wait comparatively but the set up was perfect. It’s not without a few holes, but I didn’t expect it and it was easy to shrug off in favor of the two MCs being incredible.

Power by Cassandra Robbins ⭐️

Listen, I tried it out. It’s not for me. This is not why I’m giving 1-star

The writing is awful. From a bestselling author, no matter what platform or list, this is really bad. The first chapter started off so disorienting and got worse from there. You can’t tell who is speaking or the action happening.

Steam was actually okay at moments, but the execution left a lot to be desired. Like I said before, the writing made it more difficult to follow than I should be giving a book of this type. But let’s give my biggest ABSOLUTELY NOT moment. Their first encounter is 100% rape. I don’t care if she enjoyed it, I don’t care if she came, I care that the MMC pulled another guy off of her and then proceeded to break her “virgin barrier” without asking for consent where none was given. There needs to be a massive trigger warning about it.

Lastly, I’m all for the alphahole trope. That’s not what we get here, and the characters are not likeable in the slightest. The FMC is absolutely horrible to other people (mentioning that she was out of Brody’s league and that he should have known it because “look at me”) and she is constantly judging other women and calling them degrading names without any context. That is disgusting. Same with MMC calling other women w- — and worse. It went beyond alphahole. I didn’t want either of them to be happy in the end. The characters didn’t reform, money just got them what they wanted and they continued to be awful.

I finished this purely so I could leave a review and a warning. I will not be picking up anything else by this author.

Fair Catch by Kandi Steiner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think the dedication of this book says it all. This is a book for all romance lovers, but especially for those who love football, the female athletes who understand what it’s like competing and fighting for the same rights as men in their arena, and those who know what the grueling life of a college athlete looks like in the face of media/school/social pressure to perform.

I adored Riley and Zeke from the moment they were on the page, even through the conflicted emotions Riley felt and the troubled past that continued to haunt them. Everything felt so genuine, and the dive back into college athletics life was something that really hit home for me. While NBU doesn’t really exist as a D1 school, the accuracy in this sports romance made me enjoy this so much more - from team meals to the exhausting and grueling schedule of an athlete. I understand that wasn’t the focus or point of the book, but I would almost have loved more investment in the challenges of being a student-athlete (emphasis student), especially from Zeke’s dyslexia perspective.

But what I loved most was the view of Riley competing in a male-dominated sport and handling the pressure of being the first female to play. I think the media aspect and the real challenges she would have faced were toned down (this is a romance first, sports story second), but they were still real and she was definitely the character to showcase those challenges. On top of that, having a majority supportive team (majority coming after she proved herself by squashing a male player at his own game) was a relief. The world isn’t going to be like that, but showing a positive reaction is something we can all hope for one day.

Can’t wait for the first ‘Riley’ to show the world who runs the show 😉 and here’s to hoping her experience on the field is as successful as this.

Blind Side by Kandi Steiner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Clay and Giana are absolutely adorable in this installment. I feel like my review for book 1 and 3 (yes, I read them out of order) says it all. I respect the accuracy of college athletics and student-athlete life. Following Giana and Clay was refreshing because they were both so sweet to each other and the friendship they have is evident on the page. You can feel their emotions and it’s so easy to root for them. I absolutely love the trope of admitting feelings earlier and getting (as Giana called it) the cotton candy moments. This series is delightful and I will definitely be looking for other books by this author.

*The Serpent and the Wings of Night ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*In contention for top read of the month

Wow, this was so much fun. I loved Broadbent’s writing in the war of lost hearts series and this one was just as delightful. Oraya and Raihn were stunning on the page, and the thrills of action and tension and banter were just as fabulous. I’m going to have to come back and add to this after I’ve let that ending settle.

Alright, let's start from the beginning - this plot is absolutely gripping. there's so much to unpack, but Broadbent seamlessly introduces us to this chaotic world (she is a master of world building and strong female characters). if y'all need a summary, go read the description, but that's not what i'll talk about here.

I'll talk about the delectable banter between Oraya and Raihn. I'll talk about the beauty of Mische (I hope, but also know, we will get more from her). I'll talk about the action that is so strongly written, you get completely immersed in the action and look up from your kindle to find that you've forgotten what day it is and whether vampires are real or not. I'll talk about the absolute perfection that is the conflicting emotions and struggle between Oraya's humanity, father Vincent, Stockholm syndrome, love, brokenness, fear, desire, desperation, and literally everything else.

I enjoyed so much the ache I felt in my heart (I mean, don't we all want to feel absolutely wrecked by the books we love?) for Oraya's situation. Reading, you know the blow is coming. You know she's about to have her world ripped out from under her feet (as if it hadn't already been). But at the same time, there are twists that you can't fully anticipate. You know something will change, but you don't know what or how. THAT, my friends, is stellar storytelling.

The twisted ropes of the characters' lives - from Ibrihaim to Angelika to Mische - are perfectly entwined to make this story engaging from the first chapter to the last. No part of this felt like a drag. I never wanted this to end, and I almost dreaded those last few chapters because I knew I'd have to wait for more. I have been hooked.

Glint by Raven Kennedy ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was not a drag like the last. It’s obvious to the reader everything that is going to happen as well as the twists, but the emotions are done well. Much better than the bore of the last book. I’ve heard good things, so I guess I’m interested in continuing. Still, a lot of this doesn’t really feel believable - mostly Auren (hey, I remembered her name this time!) and Rip’s relationship shift. No part of their interactions on page really left me feeling any sort of buzz about them, but suddenly she’s changed and notices these things. Meh, forced a bit. Curious to see what the whole point of this briefly mentioned plot point will be.

Also, to note, the reveal at the end of the book was obvious, but also when the prompt to review the book flicked up the second I turned the last page, it shocked me. Not because I was distracted about a good story, but because I had to double check that I really was at the end of the book because it did not feel like it should be over since nothing really happened.

Gleam by Raven Kennedy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I mean, it isn’t much, but it’s something. There are still too many scenes that felt indulgent and wasted, the story moving slow, but there’s such a good final 30% of the book that actually drives the story forward rather than this stagnant boredom I’ve had in the previous books.

Look, I know making touch magic is a challenge, but I feel like so many rules came about in this book rather than being hinted at or explained in previous books. I think that’s what really irks me the most. Or perhaps the forgetting of storylines or casually bringing them up when convenient (Rissa, Mist, Malina, the fae book, Digby). A lot of this world felt like it popped up for this book only to make it busier but also give enough to have the series continue. The extra POVs were interesting. Definitely made you hate characters more (or love them more), and did give this book some depth that the others have been lacking.

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had zero expectations going in. This is one of my husband’s choices for me to read, as he enjoyed them several years ago. I suppose it’s only fair to read since I make him read mine so I can talk to someone about them.

I was thoroughly surprised with how much I enjoyed the humor here. It’s subtle, and very odd, but the adventure was refreshing from the POV of a hero who maybe got in over his head. It left a lot to the reader’s imagination, and Taran was a pretty bad MC, but his companions made up for it. It’s short and easy to finish (I was reading a chapter a night for some time before bed and finally caved to read it all), though there’s definitely room for getting lost and confused with the action. The writing is sub par at best. And the ending left a lot to be desired, though from the eyes of Taran it makes sense but feels cheap to the reader.

Glow by Raven Kennedy ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Half a plot, still not sure where any of this is going or what the purpose is. But that ending was spectacular and I’m impressed. I mean, it definitely shouldn’t take me four books to finally feel like we are getting somewhere. I suppose I understand the hype now, but still I think the story is lacking something substantial to make this a truly good read. The characters are good, auren’s development is very well written, but there’s just no story or purpose for me to stick around. I keep waiting to figure out what the whole point of this series is.

The introduction of Rissa and Osriks POVs was… pointless in the grand scheme of this book and series except to introduce some weird side story. Obviously the trial was going to go that way - unfair and biased - but the end result was impressive (albeit still confusing). Hoping there will be some resolution in the last book that will have a plot to follow and tell us where we were going this whole time.

The American Roommate Experience by Elena Armas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was absolutely lovely. Rosie was a joy in the small snippets we got of her from Spanish Love Deception, so I was excited to hear her story. Lucas was a charmer in all the best ways. I think it was a great follow up, even though some things still fell flat to me. I did notice a few errors, nothing that is bad, but it did jar me out of some of the happenings enough to make me need to go back and reread passages. The writing just wasn't the same, and some of the style used ended more choppy than I remember from SLD. Lucas felt a little formulaic for my taste - not entirely unique to make him stand out. I think giving more time to his story and challenges (they were more of a vague background since the focus was more on Rosie) would have eliminated my hesitations about him.

But the redemption in all of this was the BUILD UP. Holy smokes, did the sexual tension deliver. I was absolutely gripping the edge of my seat with the teases, and it delivered. Steam was good, clean despite being descriptive. Shorter than I prefer my scenes, but that's a personal preference and this was still excellent. Armas is probably an auto-read for me now.

Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rogerson basically just extended an epilogue and gave all her fans exactly what they wanted. It’s a short and cozy follow up to A Sorcery of Thorns in which we get just as much beautiful and hilarious character interactions. I’m actually quite sad that this was just a novella (even though it’s so good). I would pay all the money in the world to just have endless silly adventures with Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas. Is this why people are compelled to write fan fiction? Ugh, I adore this

Obsession by K. Loraine, Meg Anne ⭐️⭐️

I came here for the smut, and I am definitely NOT here for the plot (nor am I staying for the smut, even though it was decent). The story is pretty awful, not that I’m expecting anything grand, but the world and writing was so confusing, I basically just tried to speed through this in hopes of it making sense eventually. An editing pass was definitely missing here - there were so many tense shifts (and a couple POV and head hopping errors) that took me out of a story that wasn’t entirely gripping. There’s really no explanation of the world and what happens via magic and such, so it made it difficult to enjoy. Then there was the starting of chapters in the middle of dialogue and then retroactively explaining what they were talking about. I’m thinking I’m not going to pick up any more of this series, just because why go through mediocrity?

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

audio reread

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

audio reread

A Rival Most Vial by RK Ashwick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As if I wasn’t already going to go bonkers over the chapter titles being potion instructions or the gorgeous graphics. As if I wasn’t going to squeal in delight with the potion diagrams and illustrations. As if I wasn’t going to cry at how precious these two MCs are.

ARMV is a book that you want to showcase on your shelves and brag about it to your friends like Ambrose brags to his customers about Eli. You want to hold hands with it and have tea and curl up with your automaton to read to it. You want to clutch it to your chest and never, ever let go.

I want to crawl into this book and live forever in Rosemond street with these shops and lovely friends. I thought Ambrose was going to be my favorite grumpy boy and then my sweet, sweet boy Eli just had to exist and had to be so perfect for Ames. Oh, to be courted by Eli Valenz… is there anything more romantic?!?

Smooshing these two rivals together for a potion commission was the perfect plot to highlight their joking and absolutely swoon-worthy enemy to friend to love relationship. I cannot handle how freaking precious their growth was, and UGH that ending just had me screaming and shaking and desperately wanting to climb into the pages and hug my new favorite characters. These two are made for each other, and their love is so pure that I had to stop reading so I could take a deep breath. I almost forgot they were fictional.

Not only do we have excellent MCs, we have a cast of absolute perfection (and representation). The shopkeepers are not only diverse and unique, they are genuine and well-written and make this such a well rounded story. They add so much to an already rich plot and provide such heartwarming friendships that this little found family is my new favorite and I could just sit on a bench on Rosemond and watch them forever doing the most mundane tasks like sweeping.

First off, I need a little side story of Tom getting into trouble and going on her own adventure. Second, I need an entire novel of Lily going around and being absolutely iconic. Third, can we please have an epilogue where Eli punches Pearce to defend Ambrose’s honor?

Do you want to know the worst part? That I can’t read it for the first time ever again. Do you know how offensive that is? This book has no right to be so cozy and warm and comforting. How dare this be so utterly incredible that it ruins me so thoroughly.

Anyway, I’m off to beg Ashwick to write her own fanfiction so I can have more Ambrose being grumpy and Eli slaying dragons in Ambrose’s name.

This is an arc read and I’m leaving a review voluntarily, but let me tell you, none of this review is exaggerated in any way.