A great read. Ropo is engaging, funny and cynical and realistic in all the best ways. Surprisingly insightful, this manages to be a dystopian novel, a fantasy story, and a mystery all in one — and it works. I wanted to see more of the Library, but hopefully that will come in future books in the series — which I will definitely be reading. Loved it.

I‘ve only read 6, although I‘ve got 4 or 5 on my TBR. I‘m not that bothered about it though…is that a bad thing? Meh.

Okay, I just basically mainlined this book in two big gulps — I would have finished it in one last night except I fell asleep with my kindle on my face😅 Absolutely the perfect cozy fantasy, with a hilarious and tight found family — who need to be found — enemies to friends to lovers, escapades and tribulations and just…yeah. From a fun premise to well-drawn characters to real, deeply felt issues explored, this book is a joy to read.

I seem to be alternating between fantasy, mystery, and romance for the summer, and I‘m not mad about it😅

This book is just an absolute delight. Super cozy and lovely in setting, a cracking mystery, and a wide range of characters, from keen and insightful, to friendly but mysterious, to downright ominous. The world was well-built, a cozy community that was the perfect backdrop. I feel like anyone who likes a classic mystery would enjoy this book. I‘ll definitely read more in this series.

Picking up what might be the coziest mystery in existence today for a lazy day at home. But who could resist? LOOK at that cover😍 The tag quote: “Watership Down meets Mickey Spillane…” I just cannot. I hope it lives up to itself!

What a lovely book. Beautifully written, a meditation on family and relationships and the bonds that we form. Who knew that an empathetic octopus could bring such genuine feeling to a story, or that the simple way of telling it would make it so perfect? There weren‘t really any surprises, but this book doesn‘t need them — it stands on its unique perspectives and characters, and genuine heart. Absolutely loved it.

A beautiful view for reading this most gorgeous Canada Day. Feeling very lucky☺️🇨🇦

Finally getting to this one — I‘ve heard so many good things I‘m really looking forward to it!

This was a fast-paced thrill of a book, with a very twisty puzzle to solve and lots of mystery to dig into. Avery is a good blend of naive, yet suspicious; kind, yet a little selfish; curious, but surprised accepting of things she is told. The Hawthorne brothers are a riot of personalities, but I think I liked Xander best. I also really enjoyed the ending, which was less a cliffhanger and more a new puzzle to think about. Loved it!

Dug this one out of the TBR (literally, there was almost an avalanche!) for my next read. A little deadly competition seemed like a summer read for some reason😂 Brains r weird lol.

That was a fun quiz! They might as well call it what it is — addiction😂 It could be drugs, though…

Thanks for the link, @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks !

A story, in part, about stories and both the benefit and the havoc they can wreak. This is a blazer of a book, a dark fairy tale in a modern time, where your sympathy lies with the monster every time. A unique and complex look at family, love, and motherhood, plus an absolutely ripping plot that had me on the edge of my seat over and over again. The writing was harsh and beautiful, and Devon was a character I‘ll always remember. Just…lovely.

Something off the TBR for a windy unpleasant Sunday afternoon…

How delightful! Almost more of a character study than a mystery story, and lovely at that. The group of puzzle solvers is funny and bright and very enjoyable to spend time with, and the peripheral characters are just as well drawn and entertaining. The solution to it all ended up being sort of sweetly sad (there‘s a word for this I can‘t remember), and partly predictable partly not, which was fun. I‘ll definitely read more in the series.

Changing up my current reads in the hopes of getting over this lil slump — a cozy mystery is almost always a good bet! 🤞🏻

This is a banger of a sequel — everything I wanted with a lot of extra goodies, too! Cin continues to be the heroine I can get behind, kicking ass and not even bothering to take names, and Bebe is still the best sidekick of ever. Possibly playing it a little fast and loose with the Norse pantheon, but it‘s a cracking good story, and ends in another unreal cliffhanger. Now to wait (im)patiently for October!

This book was a riot, honestly. Just the right mix of legitimate plot, action, and magic, while never taking itself too seriously. Bebe the talking cat is just the perfect ride-or-die sidekick, and the tension didn‘t let up from first page to the ULTIMATE cliffhanger of a last sentence. Ridiculous? Possibly. Excellent read? Definitely.

This sequel was pretty much everything I‘d hoped for! Funny and endearing and sweet — serial unaliving regardless, lol. The characters are rich and interesting, and their journey to sort-of enemies to lovers is believable, ESPECIALLY since they communicate well and are honest with each other. More or less. Deducting a star bc I saw the villain as soon as he appeared, but this really is a great read.

What fun! This was an adventurous romp of a book, with JUST enough plot to balance out the smutty bits. The FMC, Corrie, is strong and independent, almost to a fault, and the MMC, Ford, is always trying to do the right thing in the wrong way. They clash as much as they fit, and it‘s pretty entertaining to watch. Definitely has those Romancing the Stone vibes, which was great, and a charming HEA. Enjoyed thoroughly.

I‘ve been neglecting my book tracking! Here‘s one:

This was a great read — an interesting premise, and a more than fun follow through. I LOVED how the characters communicated openly and honestly with each other, and that the problems they had were real, situational or deep-rooted issues that had to be thoughtfully worked on and resolved. All the characters were well drawn and enjoyable, funny and relatable, and all too human. Really enjoyed this!

Been wanting to pick up this one, and found it on Spotify Audiobooks! Started listening today and it‘s my first audiobook since the kid was small! Very much enjoying so far…

This was such a simple story, of a quiet man‘s simple life, but it was also deeply moving and powerfully told. DeWitt has a way of drawing everyday life events in rich colours and textures to make them feel more extraordinary and special — much as they would be to those experiencing those moments. I loved this book, with its love and celebration of words, and its simple, beautiful story.

This hits home…

This was a beautiful book — beautifully written, carefully crafted, and a love letter to books and the magic they bring to our lives. The characters instantly bred empathy, and I was completely engrossed in finding out what would happen next. Emma Törzs is definitely an author to watch…

What really made this book was the writing — quick and clever, with strong characters and a plot that actually sort of made sense through the farcical nature of it all. Samuel is quirky and charming, and we root for him all the way through. A bit more on the horror side than I like, but enjoyable regardless. An excellent potato chip book.

Exactly what I always think when watching Midsomer Murders…😂

Completely random grab off the TBR — I didn‘t even look. Can‘t remember when or why I picked this up but when one of the taglines is “Madeline L‘Engle by way of Douglas Adams”, I know I‘ll enjoy it!

This was just FUN — clever and funny writing, with real characters and a uniquely tricky situation. I appreciated the way the real world was neatly redrawn to include magic and magic users, and Mariel‘s struggles with her magic and her abusive family were very realistic. I guessed what was happening pretty early into the story, but predictability didn‘t really ruin the story for me — it was enjoyable to take the journey with the characters.

So-so, mostly because I have never had to suspend my disbelief QUITE this hard before😅 The characters were well drawn, and the spice was…intense, and overall an enjoyable enough romance, but there was just something about the way it was carried out that didn‘t ring true for me. An affair this illicit needs to be a lot more circumspect than this one is — they might as well have put an ad out. I may just be too cynical, but can‘t help that!

This book was very different from what I expected, but not in a bad way. You don‘t get the detective‘s pov until close to the end of the book, but I think it gives more room to explore the characters and their motivations. It did calm the suspense down some, but the mystery was still a good one, with a side of environmentalism that still hits today. I enjoyed it, and I‘d definitely read more in the series.

A gripping tale of heroes and villains, with a dark look at the morality of the pairing. What makes a villain villainous and a hero heroic? Is it just a matter of perspective, or something more? Victor and Eli are a compelling pair, with a richly drawn history and that perfect split that makes nemesises. Schwab keeps the suspense ratcheted tight with changes in timeline and point of view, and every moment and character counts. I loved it!

Next up in escapist reads… (about all I‘m up for atm😅)

This was a bittersweet story, centring on the joy of the ordinary, the magic of change, and the way love can extend beyond boundaries. Molly is wise and knows too much for her years, while Death is impossibly naive and inexperienced, making an odd couple that brings each other exactly what they need. They emphasized the way that we hate change, and yet seek it out every time. Also, it made me cry, despite the end being inevitable, so a win there.

Soft pick? Enjoyable enough, with a decent plot and enough narrative tension to keep it going, and appealing MMCs. Just…it seems better in conception than execution? If that makes sense. That said, it was a fun read, and I liked it well enough to finish it. Lots of romance tropes, with miscommunication, misinterpretation, saviour complexes, and enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to lovers (phew!). I‘d call it a fair cozy except for the spice.

Something light for lunchtime reading…so far it‘s cozy and fun. Not exactly grumpy/sunshine, more grumpy-slightly less grumpy? It should enjoyable…

This was a pretty, sweetly romantic read. I especially liked how the MCs got to know one another a little more slowly and were (almost) always honest and upfront with each other. No miscommunication trope! I thought the way their respective talents and creativity inspired the other and worked together was lovely, and the denouement was satisfying. A good addition to this series!

What a fun read! This book has been criticized for being silly, but I ask you, what to expect from a book about a vampyre and a werewolf, lol. Total fluff, but also with some surprising insights into loss and abandonment and loneliness, as well as conflict and stereotyping and power politics. I liked watching Misery and Lowe get to know each other and build a real LIKING for one another beyond just attraction, and a satisfying ending.

This was a hilarious good time — sharply funny, keenly insightful, tricky and twisty just a leetle bit deceptive. The characters were cleanly drawn, with a variety of personalities that all had hidden depths, and our narrator was self-deprecating and clever — but not TOO clever. I was caught up almost immediately and can honestly say I didn‘t see that last twist coming. Recommend for an excellent mystery and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I was prepped to love this, and feel super let down that I didn‘t. I just couldn‘t engage with the story or the characters, which left no reason to keep reading. I just didn‘t care about anything or anyone. Maybe I‘m just not in the mood for high fantasy, but I gave it 200 pages and then gave up. Too much of a waste of reading time…

👀 This was fan-yourself spicy, like, almost TOO spicy, but managed to carry it off with juuuust enough plot to get by. As a Tristan and Isolde retelling, it may be carrying it off? Mark is incredibly unlikeable, and Tristan just felt like a blank slate, although it also seemed like he was SUPPOSED to feel that way. I‘m glad I read the prequel first so I had a better handle on Isolde. Waiting for the second now…

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs
Thanks for the tag! 😊

1 - Always be polite and kind, BUT don‘t be afraid to advocate for yourself. Also, a paper trail is a valuable asset.

2 - I‘m a marketer at a small educational publishers.

3 - I honestly have no idea. Something COMPLETELY different, something adventurous. With travel.

It took me a while to truly get involved with this book, but when I did, it was pretty engaging. It spoke really strongly of Susan Cooper‘s Dark is Rising sequence to me, with that Old World magic, Dark-against-Light battle. It built its own mythology, though, with plenty of suspense and a wrenching twist at the end. The characters are vibrant, and even the dislikeable ones really live on the page. I‘ll def pick up the next book.

What a thoroughly lovely book! I loved the characters, the setting, the plot…everything. Nora made me laugh and cry (literally like a baby at the end), and fall along with her. The writing was excellent, the sexual tension was peak, and the spice hit just the right note. My first Emily Henry read, but definitely not my last!

This book was a very fun romp — using Greek mythology as a loose starting point (very loose, lol), it just raced through a plot of jealousy and hate and revenge to get to love. The spice was steamy and the characters appealing — gotta love a grumpy MMC who will do anything to protect those he loves, while at the same time struggling with low self-worth. It was a JOURNEY, and a very enjoyable read. Great fluff, and I‘d read more from this author.

I‘d call this less a retelling of Beauty and the Beats and more a fully-fleshed telling. It was an enjoyable enough read, but didn‘t contain anything new or add anything to the bones of the story. There was magic there, but not fleshed out or explained, and the third act climax felt forced. On the other hand, the descriptions and imagery were lush and beautiful. So it all lands somewhere in the middle for me.

Switching out books today — my cold-addled head cannot handle the utter chaos of Black Leopard and am hoping for a more grabby read…

Magic and mystery together — a great combination! I loved the MC and her quirky family, and the way food, tradition, and legend were woven into the story. The mystery was a good one, even if the culprit was a touch obvious. I will agree with others that there were a couple too many branching offs, but then again, the major theme of the book WAS misdirection. Overall, I enjoyed this, and I‘d definitely read more from this author.

This book was just an utter treat to read. The characters ranged from enviably serene to comically inept to hideously unlikeable, and they all WORKED in wonderful ways. A neat little mystery in a suitably isolated setting, and also a rather unique one, made for entertaining and somewhat soothing reading. I didn‘t love the solution, but weirdly, that feels like a small quibble in the scheme of things. The overall ending was still satisfactory.

This was a fun book, with a tricky little mystery and engaging characters. A nice little spark of romance ran through the story for an appealing tension. One thing missing was sufficient world building to ground the story‘s magic system. I‘m all for jumping right in, but don‘t like to be left guessing as to what exactly is going on or how it works. Not sure I‘m compelled to continue the series.