September Book Recs
Take a look at this lovely list and find your next read!
Curse of the Wolf King by Tessonja OdetteMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
the perfect reading slump cure
Full RTC
I am absolutely in love with Gemma and Elliot. Their retelling of beauty and the beast was so impressive and they captured my emotions entirely. I am such a sucker for a grumpy hero and the wolf king was perfect.
0.5 🌶️/5 for a veeeeeery mild scene that was vague
I had such a fun time reading this book. The writing flowed easily and while I was a little hesitant about the main character at the beginning of the story, she quickly grew to a lovable disaster. She's getting into a bargain with a fae wolf for all the wrong reasons, and at the end, both characters were able to change and understand their flaws. It was a lovely tale and I will definitely be looking into the rest of this series.
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Bound by Stardust by Angela J. FordMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Thank you to the author for an eARC, and I am leaving a voluntary review.
Wow, this little novella was spectacular! The story felt complete and the world was rich and well-developed in such a short amount of time. I loved the plot and felt like all of my questions were answered. Everything wrapped wonderfully and we got a lovely HEA from our characters.
Asira was so delightful, and I loved that despite her being a healer and not being trained to fight, she had such a strong desire to heal and protect that she was willing to face her fears and stand up for herself. And Drazhan was a great lead as well, even better that we got his actual POV (I love dual POV stories).
There was still an element missing that led me to give 4 stars instead of 5. In such a short time, it is really hard to show characters who don't know each other fully falling for one another. Time has to be skipped and scenes and growth between them has to be passed over in order to forward the plot in a short novella. There was just a lack of emotional connection between them -- not that they didn't care for one another or anything, but because there was not enough time to see that development on page, I just couldn't quite 'feel' for them even though I was rooting for them and thought their story was cute.
In the end, this is a spectacular novella and a complete story. I am very thankful to have gotten this ARC and I know many will enjoy this story!
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Bewitched by Laura ThalassaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
she’s done it again
I’m sure I’ll be coming back to add, but here’s the gist:
I absolutely adore Thalassa’s writing and getting back into the Bargainer world is seriously a treat. It’s so fleshed out and the take on magic is fun and unique.
Here we have a wonderful take where Selene actually loses memory every time she uses magic. I’m always a fan of costs to a magic system and this is done spectacularly. She’s easy to root for and you want the best for her. I love her magic and enjoy seeing her struggles. I think it’s fun to see a character not fully capable of their potential right away and see them grow through stubbornness, determination, and sometimes still muck it up.
Props to the whole witches sticking up for one another and no girl drama or pitting them against one another.
Memnon was okay, but does not quite live up to my Desmond expectations right now. Not in a personality or demeanor kind of way, but in the way he was written. Des from the bargainer series was complicated and delightful, but Memnon didn’t quite feel genuine to me. I know there’s a lot more in store, and I’m definitely curious to find out more, but I think the plot line of their romance left a lot to be desired for me.
All in all this was a wonderful read. I was able to pick up on some clues but I definitely found more interest in the murder mystery rather than the romance. I think there were a bunch of hints dropped here that will resolve later, but with almost no completion of a plot line in this book, I feel antsy but not completely satisfied to reach the end of this book. There were a lot of situations and descriptions that left me a little too disoriented to give this a full five stars but this doesn’t detract from the enjoyment I had reading.
Nero is my favorite. I cant wait for the next book!
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A Kiss of Iron by Clare SagerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
~~Book friends are the best because you can be all "read this, it will absolutely crush your soul and tear your beating heart into a million little pieces and you will literally never recover from it" and they'll be like omg yaaaasssss~~
That is what this book is.
I’ve said it before and I will say it until the end of time - Sager is a queen of writing large casts with everyone being unique and distinguishable. I cannot put into words how wonderful her writing is and how gripping her characters are, and KOI is no exception.
Okay, the fact that we get to be in Albion (from her Beneath Black Sails series) but see a different side of the world? The BEST. Kat gets to show us the courts and politics while still having action and intrigue and… romance. Yes, because where would we be without that smoochie smoochie we love so much? But of course, there’s so much more, and the weaving of that romance into the plot is just icing on the cake (and Bastian says we can eat as much as we want, so I’m gonna take the whole thing thank you very much).
Kat’s past is messy and traumatic, but the reveals and growth she makes here is stunning. She’s strong and determined and such a beautiful thing. Her inner voice absolutely carries this story, from the sass to the humor to the heartbreaking. And ugh, there are some moments that will have you in tears or have your stomach in knots. But there are also great moments we’re I was fanning myself and laughing and squealing, desperate to get more.
Bastian is everyone’s new book boyfriend/husband/mate, because DAMN HE IS A SNACK. Any man who volunteers to be crushed by your thighs should immediately be proposed to. He’s not just there to break noses to anyone who judges us for eating that aforementioned cake and frosting. No, he’s gonna lift you up on the pedestal you deserve to be on (or throne, because you deserve that too) and happily bow at your feet. Then, like I said, worship your head-crushing thighs.
Their adventure throughout - Kat spying on him and trying desperately not to fall in love with the perfect specimen of a fae - was breathtaking. I could not put it down, and when I reluctantly was forced to pay attention to the non-fictional world I live in, I was still thinking about them and what might happen next.
Now I will not gush about the (much too) brief appearance of Knigh, Vice, and Perry. I need a million more stories of them, but I’ll gladly live vicariously through Kat and Bastian. Especially after that ending!!! Crush my soul, why don’t you?!?
Cruel woman Clare is with that cliffy, this book is absolutely amazing and I cannot recommend it enough. Please give me more.
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A Rival Most Vial: Potioneering for Love and Profit by R.K. AshwickMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
STOP IT WITH THIS PERFECT COZY
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.
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