I did not dig Digging Dr Jones. Not at all.

I'm not going to write a TLDR post. Here are a few points why it didn't work for me:

- flat characters
- insta-lust
- mediocre adventure plot
- American FMC with daddy issues
- British MMC who just inserts random British words here and there but isn't consistently British at all

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

A historical fiction novel with gothic mystery elements set at the time of the French Revolution.

There are three points of view, the sisters Sofi and Lara and the aristocratic young woman Hortense. While Sofi and Lara's POV is that of working class women who had to upend their lives after the death of their father, Hortense is the poster child spoilt young woman of the aristocracy, who believes the dirty peasants ⬇️

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1) Yes, but very lazy. I made it through school and university with reasonably good marks. Could have been better if only I had not had my nose in books and computers. 😁

2) aye 😉

#52bookclub25 update 41/52 books

March Wrap-up

Obviously, I've read some books. 🫣🫣🫣

#BookMail

I ran through those two books at the weekend and wanted shelf trophies. The next book in the series is expected late 2025.

#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

Ana and Din are in Yarrowdale to investigate the disappearance of a treasury officer. What seems to be a locked room mystery that might be solved relatively easily, given Ana's skills, turns into more victims and a case of political intrigue.

The world-building continues to be good. Yarrowdale is not part of the Empire, but the Treasury officers working there are, which is why Din and Ana had to be called in. This means that there are some ⬇️

#NetGalley #ARC #audiobook

I liked the story of how Lord Christopher Eden is not only forced out into society to find a wife. In order to secure a wife Christopher needs a valet. But as much as Mister James Harding might be helping Christopher, he's also a huge distraction.

I enjoyed having Christopher's POV only. This way I found out about James' thoughts and feelings alongside Christopher and that made the slow burn romance much sweeter.

I seem to have started this series with the last book. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ Guess I'll park it for the moment and try finding the first. I cannot read a series out of order. 🙄🙄🙄

#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

Joe aspires to be a poet, but has yet to write a poem he truly likes. When he meets Esi his luck is about to turn. Esi is a time-traveller from the future. She jumped on an opportunity to see the famous poet Joseph Greene during his lifetime to make changes to her own past. But to be able to make those changes to her past, she has to help Joe fall in love with his muse Diana.

⬇️

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

Those Who Survive is a dystopian post-zombie-apocalypse YA sci-fi novel that is more enemies-to-lovers romance than military fiction.

The main character Ashley and a few friends try to flee from their district the night before they are supposed to conscribe for what equals as military service. Of course they are caught, of course their parents as legal guardians have to bear the brunt of their wrongdoing, by either being forced ⬇️

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1) anything but read/watch the news - in most cases that means I'll be reading and/or crafting/cooking/baking/walking/...

2) something light, a reread probably. In my case either one or The Chronicles of St Mary's, The Rivers of London, or The Stranger Times series. Or a RomCom like the tagged.

#BandBDay nice idea, Lisa @TheSpineView

My daughter asked to watch Pretty Woman, I've probably seen it a thousand times already, she wanted to see it because of 'that' shopping scene.

Beverage is tap water
Book an ARC

Author Tom Cox got his books back from publisher Unbound (they went into administration). He's currently selling the copies he got from the publisher in lieu of payment.

Here's his post about it on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/tomcox/p/hurray-i-now-own-my-books-again?utm_sourc...

He's asking for postage plus whatever you can afford of the cover price, which I think is more than fair.

#KAL partially

Sitting outside her feline highness #GhostCat sits on my leg. I only have my phone, but it has a few books on it. It's just that I don't like reading on my phone. 🤦🏻‍♀️ First world problems.

#CatsOfLitsy

#ARC #MountARC #NetGalley

Happy first day of Spring!

Pub Day in the UK is March 27th

Really enjoyed book 4 in the Lady Astronaut series. A base on Mars has been established and the first "Martians" have moved in. Among the usual problems of working in an uninhabitable environment the members of the first Mars mission, to establish the base, are keeping a secret.

Another strong entry in this series. Gender, race, but also culture and religion, as well as body autonomy play just as much a role ⬇️⬇️

#Romance

She's a fantasy writer, but nobody knows. He's a billionaire executive and doesn't want to be like his father, but actually is. They've known each other since childhood. She's working for his company, but doing a piss-poor job. He's trying to change her.

They both need to change and both need to address their problems.

Characters with disorders.
Toxic workplace. Harassment and assault.
Stayed for the #audiobook.

It's me!!! I really don't do epic well.

Might be a good book/series, but I was bored

Baseball sports romance.

Baseball player and his wife fall out over him feeling betrayed by her faking it. She wants divorce, he wants to get back together. Fortunately, his teammates have formed a book club where they read romance books as manuals for their own HEA.

Liked it overall, but there were some holes in the main couple's timeline.

#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Thanks for the tag! So happy you are back.

1) snowflakes, they usually started to bloom around my birthday (end of March) where I grew up

2) tagged - the UK edition

Low pick! I liked the Fairies and Gods, but it dragged.

Saphic Regency Romance

Getting another chapter in before I am off to read speaking exam rubrics all day.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

This was not what I expected the novel to be. No, it wasn't bad!

Connie distrusts nice guys, they will do a 180 sooner than later and hurt her. Also, her mother told her what men are looking for in a woman and she tries her best to be that kind of woman (like contacts instead of glasses, heels not flats), although deep down she is a different person.

⬇️⬇️

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

Low pick

Kianthe and Reyna are days away from their wedding day. The whole town is working towards creating the wedding of the century. Now just add a few baby dragons, a coup to overthrow Queen Tilaine, Kianthe's parents and her childhood friend, the dastardly Pirate Dreggs and his crew,... Well, they have made plans, so what could possibly go wrong?

I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the next/last one in the series.

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

#OokBOokClub

Just a friendly reminder that we'll be reading #MrsBradshawsHandbook next! Dig out your books, put in your library holds, or place your orders! The next Discworld adventure continues on April 8th! Woohoo!

If anyone wants to be tagged/untagged for future posts please let me know! Happy to oblige!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyRead

#OokBOokClub-ers, our Discworld adventure continues TODAY with #RaisingSteam!

Looking forward to our discussion next month!

Happy reading!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyRead

Grump and sunshine meet in a rundown cabin in the highlands. There's no bed, in case you were wondering. 😉

#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

#OokBOokClub

Hello friends! Open discussion is in the FOLLOWING POST marked as a spoiler. Find the #MakingMoney post & tap "show me" on the spoiler tag to join in the discussion. Join in whenever you can! Today. Tomorrow. Next month! The post will always be up so just tag each other & we'll jump in to discuss with you. Feel free to chat about anything!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyRead

Elegy lives in the past. Thorne Hall was built 126 years ago and has stayed like this because the Thorne's need to keep their collection of ghosts happy. It's an extremely sheltered life under her father's thumb with only a few servants coming in during daylight hours and the spirits roaming the house.

A burst pipe brings a handsome handy-man, Atticus, into Elegy's life and for the first time she envisions ⬇️

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

Foss, the butcher's daughter, falls under a spell that makes her leave her home and travel to the city to work as a housekeeper for the hot sorcerer Sylvester, who bespelled her, in his magical house. After lots of cleaning of the house, and lots of incidents in which Foss doesn't deserve nice things because she considers herself ugly, and after lots of languishing about on Sylvester's part, the two have to fight the evil villain, ⬇️

#NetGalley

Happy Book Birthday!!

#audiobook pre-order dropped and I'm re-reading this while preparing food for the hungry teenager who had to walk to school due to strikes on public transport.

Second in The Dragon Scales Duology. #SeriesLove2025 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

Fitting conclusion to the story.

My review is here: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ed22d7f7-3edd-4ede-b676-13600f9c5c38

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Slatter's All The Murmuring Bones on audio

Lam's Emberclaw (eARC)

Wrap-up for February.

Not as good as January or February last year, but still more than one book a day. 🙈🙈

The pages/minutes is not accurate, I really need to add the correct editions.

Hazel used to write small town romcoms, but she's been struggling to bring pen to paper ever since her divorce. Maybe she needs to embrace the small town experience herself? On a whim she buys a house in a small town and once there asks one of her contractors to fake date her for research. What could possibly go wrong with a no-strings-attached-fake-dating-with-benefits agreement? And should I mention it's a small town that needs rescuing?

#ARC⬇️

Read mainly because my teenager is a K-Pop fan. Might have been a bit shorter, the third act resolution dragged a bit.

Wanted to be productive. Got the hoover out. Hoovered up the only working lighter in the house. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Honestly, I need to stop doing chores and sit down and read.

#ARC #MountARC #NetGalley

#52bookclub25

After what happened in book 1 and 2, Miss Percy and her growing entourage need to bite the bullet and travel to London. Two growing dragons in London, what could possibly go wrong?

The epilogue hints at further adventures.

4.5/5 stars

#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

When your teenagers go on an outing and bring you back an ass. 😛

#RaisingReaders

Review from a week ago. Forgot to post here.

Book has been re-issued.

Not a typical Klune book, but somehow still a typical Klune book. I enjoyed the story, yet it took me a while to get into the story.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/95a128b0-06a6-4806-bf96-2f227a24956f

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

It's been two weeks and 17 books since I read a book with dragons. Time to enjoy the third book in the Miss Percy's Guide series.

Book not in database, I've tagged the first book in the series.

#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

This hit slightly differently from the first two. Not in a bad way, just different. Not as funny, but strangely wholesome or healing. Yes, I know that sounds weird for a 🌶️Dark RomCom.

#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

Haven't done a #5JoysFriday in a while, @DebinHawaii

Clockwise starting top center:
📷 kefir grains have multiplied and I've run out of friends to donate them to
📷 #GhostCat being extra cuddly
📷 Landlord finished sanding the concrete floors in the flat below mine, took him 3 days. 😫
📷 Teenager exploring her 🎂gifts. Books and I might have splurge on StrayKids™️ merch
📷 Baked the perfectest cheese cake so far

I'm not quite sure what all this #Steampunk story was about, but I liked it.

Piccadilly is a thief. He runs, is shot and ends up on an aether ship that's manned by a very diverse crew. The ship is harvesting phlogiston.

There is some romance. There's some spice. There are monstrous sky-kraken.

The #audiobook was great, especially since most of the story is in Piccadilly's pidgin.

Maggie and Cole meet on the set of a period drama. Maggie has recently changed professions and is the intimacy coordinator on set. Cole is one of the leading actors. There is a spark between them, but both being professionals they opt to not act on their attraction just yet.

I liked this slow-burn romance. It was well-researched and very well written.

A heist on a space station. A diverse crew. Hawaiian representation.

Reminded me a lot of the Ocean's films.

The world-building was good.

The ending felt rushed.

Low pick.

#OokBOokClub

Just a friendly reminder that we'll be reading #RaisingSteam next! Dig out your books, put in your library holds, or place your orders! The next Discworld adventure continues on March 8th! Woohoo!

If anyone wants to be tagged/untagged for future posts please let me know! Happy to oblige!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyRead

#OokBOokClub-ers, our Discworld adventure continues TODAY with #MakingMoney!

Looking forward to our discussion next month!

Happy reading!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyRead