My maternity leave starts soon and I‘m hoping to have a few days to rest before baby girl‘s arrival. So I‘ve done a little shopping. Anyone have any thoughts on these?

Empire of the Damned was one of my most anticipated sequels but something about it just didn‘t hit right for me. I found myself loosing interest every twenty pages or so. I think this could have been shortened a lot to avoid those dead spaces. But nonetheless I kept reading because I love Gabriel as a character. He‘s so witty. But honestly, I‘m not sure if I will continue this series.

I really loved I, Dracula. The author done a great job at fictionalizing the life of the real Vlad Dracula. I could tell that she put so much work into researching not only his life but also Romanian history. It was a great read for this time of year. I highly recommend it.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/11/04/i-dracula/

Just a Rachel Harrison appreciation post. If you‘re still looking for a great Halloween read let me introduce you to a few of my favorites. 🎃🎃🎃

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/10/29/ranking-rachel-harrison-novels/

I feel super productive with all the reviews I‘ve been posting lately. My spooky season reading has been good to me. The Return was Rachel Harrison‘s debut novel and while it leaned more toward traditional horror than her newer books it was still a great read. Plus, you could see glimpses of her unique writing style peaking through.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/10/23/the-return-review/

I was expecting a traditional haunted house story and got so much more. I had a great time reading this. Just when I thought I knew the direction it was going it would switch up on me. Plus, I loved the tongue in cheek humor thrown in.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/10/21/the-september-house-review/

It‘s been way too long since Cj and I have gone anywhere that didn‘t involve a doctor‘s office. So, we decided to take a day over the weekend and explore our beautiful state. And of course I had to squeeze some time in to read by the water.

What did you do this weekend?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/10/22/a-northeast-alabama-fall-outing/

‘Tis the season for all things spooky. Did I need more spooky books? Nope. Did a YouTube video convince me to buy them? Yep. Anyhow, I‘m still trying to find a book that gives me the Dracula vibes that I love. So fingers crossed. 🤞

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/10/16/a-halloween-haul/

Perfection 😍

Rachel Harrison is quickly becoming one of my auto-buy authors. And So Thirsty did not let me down. She took a classic vampire story and turned it into something completely new. I don‘t know how she makes her books horrifying, cozy, and empowering all at the same time but I‘m here for it.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/10/07/so-thirsty-review/

Somehow it‘s monthly wrap up time again. Here‘s what I read in September.

Did you find a new favorite this month?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/09/30/september-2024-wrap-up/

I have a lot of reviews to catch up on so let‘s get started. Head over to the blog if you‘re interested in my full review. In the meantime I‘m just going to do a quick summary of my thoughts

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/09/24/a-witchs-guide-to-fake-dating-a-demon-revie...

It‘s been a tough year all around. My reading has been off and it‘s been easy to forget that I have read some books that I really love. So here are my top five reads of 2024 (so far).

Tell me your top five in the comments. I need more recommendations

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/09/18/top-five-books-of-2024-so-far/

I got good news from the orthopedic doctor. I‘m halfway to complete mobility again. So I celebrated with some books. The spooky book season has begun 👻👻👻

Full haul: https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/09/12/a-celebratory-book-haul/

Spooky season has begun and I‘m craving gothic horror. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was the perfect place to start. It‘s a classic for a reason. It had everything I love about Victorian horror in it. And it still managed to keep my attention even though I knew the premise of the story going into it.

Full review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/09/09/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-review/

The God of the Woods was a middle of the road read for me. I didn‘t love it and I didn‘t hate it. It‘s definitely slow burn. There weren‘t really any shocking twists and the pace stays steady throughout the entire book. But I did enjoy the investigation aspects and the family secrets that came to light. It had enough intrigue to keep me interested and I did enjoy my time reading it. Overall, I would say it was a three star read for me.

🎃Hello Spooky Season🎃

Are you reading anything spooky today?

A couple of weeks ago I fell off of our back door steps and broke my left leg and right ankle. My first concern was the baby but after thorough checking she is perfectly fine so that‘s a blessing in itself. Now that my pain has started to ease up I‘ve picked up The God of the Woods. Does anyone have any thoughts on it? I know it‘s slow burn but I haven‘t made it very far in.

Guys, what did I just read??? This book frustrated me endlessly because it had a ton of plot holes. It made me super uncomfortable and the ending was a little anticlimactic. But yet I couldn‘t put it down. It caught my attention and made me want to read again. After a four month book slump I‘m grateful for that.

I didn‘t love Royal Assassin quite as much as I enjoyed Assassin‘s Apprentice. I think it suffered from a little bit of second book syndrome. And Fitz got on my nerves. But I still enjoyed the atmosphere and setting. Fitz is still young here so there‘s room for development. I‘m still going to continue the series but I‘m going to take a break to start book three with a fresh perspective.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/06/14/royal-assassin-review/

Cytonic has been on my shelf for several years and I finally read it! I think this is the only Brandon Sanderson book that I didn‘t absolutely love. I liked it, don‘t get me wrong, but it just didn‘t hook me like the other books did. I think the departure from the characters I love took me out of the story. But they did make an appearance toward the end of the book, so it gives me hope for Defiant. I‘m interested to see how this series wraps up.

I finally finished a book! This month has been a very slow reading month thanks to a funky reading slump but I finished The Last Mrs. Parrish the other night and let me tell you it shook me to the core. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and it made me angry all at the same time. But trust me that‘s the point. These characters are some of the most dislikable characters that I‘ve come across and somehow that made me like the story even more.

I finished The Duke and I back in February and I totally forgot to review it until today. I enjoyed this book but I don‘t think I enjoyed it enough to finish the series. I liked the fake dating trope. I thought that was executed well but when the relationship started for real there was sooo much miscommunication. I just didn‘t enjoy that. I did love the Bridgerton family though. They were a lot of fun.

One of my favorite genres that I studied in college was the Southern Lit genre. Obviously, I might be biased because I‘m from the American South. But in my personal experience I‘ve found it to be one of the most atmospheric genres around.

So today on the blog I wanted to take a second and share some of my favorite Southern Lit books. This post is just skimming the top of the genre so I‘ll probably have a part two up sometime in the near future.

Hi. Yes. It is time for my March 2024 tbr. Usually, when I make these, I have some idea of what I want to read for the month. Not this time. And usually, when I make my tbrs I have cute little pictures to go with. Also, not this time. It‘s raining like crazy here and frankly I have no clue what I want to read. So honestly, I‘m just going to wing it.

If you want to read my rambling tbr post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/03/01/march-2024-tbr/

Happy Leap Day! I think this is the first post I‘ve ever done on a leap day so that‘s fun. Anyhow it‘s time for my February 2024 wrap up. And let me just say to be such a short month my reading was all over the place. I‘ve had more dnfs than I think I‘ve ever had in a month. But I‘ve also found some new favorites.

What about you? What did you read this month?

Black Sheep was the perfect answer to my book hangover that Rosemary‘s Baby caused. Honestly, it had some of the same vibes as Rosemary‘s Baby. and I enjoyed that immensely. I‘m not going too deep into this because I think you need to go in without expecting anything.This book was perfection. And I‘m afraid to admit it but I might have liked it even better than Cackle.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/02/27/black-sheep-review/

After reading Rosemary‘s Baby I have been in a horror mood. Bone White is a great winter read. I wish I had read it a couple of months earlier to enhance the atmosphere a little. I‘m not going to go into too much detail about this one because it‘s better if you go in not expecting anything. But overall I had a good time with it.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/02/26/bone-white/

I went to a bookstore and only came out with one book. I have accomplished an impossible feat. 😂😂😂

Read about it here: https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/02/22/a-bookstore-and-a-restaurant-the-perfect-da...

My first five star book of the year came from an unexpected contender. I picked up Rosemary‘s Baby on a whim and I was hooked immediately. It check all the boxes that I look for in a thriller. Plus, the ending was totally unexpected. But now I‘m in a total book hangover. 😅

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/02/16/rosemarys-baby-review/

I‘ve had my eye on the Creature Feature. So, it was one of the first things I grabbed when I got it. This collection was all over the place. I enjoyed a few of the stories but then there were several I really didn‘t like. They‘re short books so I‘m glad I gave it a try, but overall, I think this collection was a miss for me. But if you want to know my thoughts on each story head over to Wildwood Reads to check out my mini reviews.

I did it guys! I finally read Tress of the Emerald Sea and I really enjoyed it. I loved the charm that Tress brought to the story and I love that Hoid was the narrator. The humor in this one was unmatched and the Cosmere Easter eggs made it even better. I hope all of the Secret Projects are this good!

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/02/09/7991/

I‘m reading pink and red books in honor of Valentines Day. They‘re not even remotely close to romantic but at least they fit the aesthetic. I can eat chocolate and read scary books just as well as I can with a romance. So, anyhow, here‘s my February 2024 tbr.

What are you reading this month?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/02/02/february-2024-tbr/

Hi. It‘s February. I forgot that yesterday was the last day of January. If that‘s any indication of how this year is going to go, then I better get ready for a wild ride. Anyhow, let‘s get to my January 2024 wrap up.

I read a few good books and a few duds. So I‘m hoping February is a better reading month all around.

Full wrap up: https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/02/01/january-2024-wrap-up/

We went to The Smoky Mountains this weekend. One of my favorite stops to make in Pigeon Forge is the Book Warehouse. It‘s the first bookstore I ever remember visiting. It helped to fuel this obsession. So, it‘s kind of full circle to be writing a post about the place that helped spark this love of reading. I‘m so excited to get to do this Book Warehouse Book Haul.

Full haul here: https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/01/30/book-warehouse-book-haul/

Not me maxing out my Kindle Unlimited loans in the first two weeks of having it. 😅 I better get reading.

Here‘s every book on my Kindle Library right now: https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/01/24/books-in-my-kindle-library/

I joined the Kindle bandwagon and I couldn‘t be happier. The glare on my iPad was killing my eyes. And it made it almost impossible to read outside. But now I need Kindle Unlimited recommendations. Drop a few of your favorites in the comments.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/01/22/i-joined-the-kindle-bandwagon-my-thoughts-s...

I finally finished my first book of 2024. Emily Wilde‘s Encyclopedia of Faires was a light and airy read. I loved the characters and the lore in the story as well. Poe is the best character and you will not convince me otherwise.
The only thing I didn‘t completely love was the romance. It fell a little flat for me. But overall, I had a good time with this one.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2024/01/19/emily-wildes-encyclopaedia-of-faeries/

I‘m excited to tackle my first tbr of the year. I think I‘m most excited for Emily Wilde‘s Encyclopedia of Faeries. What are you looking forward to this month?

https://wildwoodreads.com

Let‘s talk about my best books of 2023. It‘s been a pretty good reading year, so I had to really think about this list. But I finally narrowed it down. And is it really any surprise that a Brandon Sanderson book is at the top of my list?

What books did you love this year?

For my full thoughts check out my blog post: https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/12/29/the-best-books-of-2023/

Santa brought books and the most gorgeous bookends 😍😍😍😍

Did you have a good Christmas?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/12/27/santa-brought-books/

It‘s the first day of winter so it‘s time to talk about some winter book releases that I‘m super excited about. I‘m trying not to bring too many books home next year but these are a must read for me.

🎄House of Flame and Shadow
🎄Bride
🎄The Women
🎄The Warm Hands of Ghosts

What winter releases are you excited about?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/12/21/winter-2023-2024-anticipated-book-releases/

Today I‘m running on caffeine and Christmas spirit. It‘s been a Monday. But, hey, Christmas is a week away and I‘m indulging in all of the Christmas reads and movies. We‘re talking about some of my favorite Christmas movies over on the blog today. So check that out. While you‘re doing that, I‘m going to get more tea because I have a lot of end of year posts to schedule and very little time to do it in. Wish me luck.

I have way too many opinions on Iron Flame to write a full review here. So be sure to check out the link to my blog. But let‘s chat about my thoughts on this one. I really enjoyed it and it was a fun read. However, I think it could have been slimmed down a bit. Andddd there were some issues with the pacing and character development. But I was looking for a spicy, action packed read and I got that. So I still consider it a pick.

What books are you asking Santa for this year?

Here‘s my wishlist:

Emily Wild‘s Encyclopedia of Faeries
Defiant
Black Sheep

https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/12/07/books-on-my-2023-christmas-wishlist/

I don‘t understand where November went. Seriously, it flew by. I guess it‘s time for a wrap up.

What did you read this month? Any new favorites?

I really loved Warbreaker. And I‘m super excited to finally close out that chunk of the Cosmere. Now it‘s time to move on to the Secret Projects.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/11/30/november-2023-wrap-up/

The Puzzle Master took off from the very beginning and didn‘t slow down. It was a great atmospheric read that‘s perfect for this time of year.

My main problem with this one was that the author just tried to do a little too much in one story. But other than that it was a quick, fun read.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/11/15/the-puzzle-master-review/

I finally got my hands on The Sunlit Man which brings my year of Sanderson to a close.

I‘m a little ashamed to admit that I haven‘t read any of the Secret Projects yet. Which one was your favorite?

https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/11/10/the-sunlit-man-unboxing/

And just like that I‘m posting the last review of spooky season. All Hallows was a fun book to read on Halloween night. It had all of the nostalgic Halloween vibes.

However, it did read a bit more like a domestic thriller than a horror I did enjoy it but by the time the monster came around I had lost a little bit of interest. Overall, I‘d probably give it about a three star rating. But it‘s definitely one to add to your list for next Halloween.

QOTD: Are you an advent calendar lover?

AOTD: I am. Cj bought me one a few years ago and I loved it.

We‘re starting Christmas a little early this year. I normally do a bookish Christmas gift guide later in December but I wanted to share a few advent calendars that caught my attention.

I have this particular advent calendar listed over on my Pangobooks Shop. I‘m Wildwood Reads over there