The gift of Audible made it possible for me to devour NINE books in September; I can't believe it! Granted, only two of the nine on this list were audiobooks... the other seven I read, holding the book in my hand - my personal favorite way to read.
Heat of the Everflame by Penn Cole - After her disastrous coronation, Diem finds herself at the center of the conflict between the Descended and the Guardians. With her newfound friends and the man she's falling for on one side, and the mortals she has vowed to protect on the other, Diem must walk a careful line to save the people she loves... even from each other.
The mystery of her unusual heritage begins to unravel, sending Diem and Luther on an unexpected journey across the realms. The answers may hold the key to winning the war, but finding them will require her to face painful truths about her mother, her bloodline and her fate.
Meanwhile, the Crowns have set Diem in their sights. Some could be her greatest allies - while others want her dead. To end their oppressive reign, Diem must sort friend from foe and risk it all to build an army of her own. But a powerful figure in the north has plans that could change everything...
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of five - I continue to really enjoy this series; and the third book was incredibly entertaining, and offered a look at more of the realms that make up the land in this series. I loved the progression of the story, learning more about some of the characters (especially Diem), and getting to see the love story progress. It was a wee bit long - but still really great. Can't wait for the final book!
Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli - Lor has endured twelve long years of torment under the Aurora King's rule. Her only desire is to escape and pay him back for every moment of misery she's endured. When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the rival Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight as she competes against nine other Tributes for the role of Queen.
If she wins his heart, she'll earn her freedom and finally get her revenge. But Lor doesn't belong in the Sun Queen Trials. Not only does she not understands why she was freed, she isn't a citizen of the Sun King's court. The other Tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lor is removed from the competition, permanently. Now Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she'll be returned to the evil - and now vengeful - Aurora King.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 of five - This was an Amazon freebie and so I figured I'd give it a shot since it has been on a reading list I've made for myself. The story was really unique and interesting; it was described as a combination of The Bachelor and The Hunger Games - and that was really accurate! I enjoyed it enough that I want to read the other three books that make up the series and see what happens with Lor.
Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham - Twenty-two years ago, Claire Campbell's older sister, Natalie, disappeared shortly after her eighteenth birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was arrested, and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, Claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist... until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come back home and face it all anew.
With the entire summer now looming ahead - a summer spent with nothing to do in her childhood home, with her estranged mother - Claire decides on a whim to accept a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard in coastal South Carolina less than an hour away from where she grew up. At first glance, Galloway is an idyllic escape for Claire. A scenic retreat full of slow-paced nostalgia, as well as a place where her sister seemed truly happy in that last summer before she vanished, it feels like the perfect plan to pass the time.
However, as soon as Claire starts to settle in, she stumbles across an old diary written by one of the vineyard's owners, and what at first seems like a story of young rebellion and love turns into something much more sinister as it begins to describe details of various unsolved crimes. As the days stretch on, Claire finds herself becoming more and more secluded as she starts to obsess over the diary's contents... as well as the lingering feeling that her own sister's disappearance may be somehow tied to it all.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five - I enjoyed this read and it was a quick, easy read as well but it didn't hook me quite as much as Willingham's other books have. The storyline was good, if a little bit predictable and while I didn't see the twist at the end coming, it also didn't blow me away. It was a good thriller - only good, and not great.
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas - Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin's Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.
When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes - and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn's orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn's clutches - and if they fail, they'll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of five - This was an Audible read and while it took me a minute to really get back into the Throne of Glass headspace, and especially back to calling Aelin "Celaena" - this collection of stories from when Celaena was Adarlan's assassin really do add so much to the incredible story that is told in the Throne of Glass series. The stories flesh out characters you only hear about here and there in earlier books and help the reader understand Celaena much more too. A great little read!
The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O'Clover - Louisa Walsh emerged from a tumultuous childhood with a degree in counseling, a wealthy boyfriend, and her sunny outlook on life mostly intact. But that optimism is tested when she's dumped and left unable to afford rent on their gorgeous house in the mountains of Colorado. Even with her life in disarray, Lou knows losing the one stable place she's ever called home is not an option.
She asks her reclusive landlord, Henry Rhodes, to let her stay for free in exchange for renting out the house's many rooms as a bed-and-breakfast. She's shocked when he agrees to her terms, and even more surprised to discover Henry is a handsome thirtysomething veterinarian with silver at his temples and sadness in his eyes. One who does not take it well when Lou starts marketing her B and B as a retreat for the recently heartbroken.
But as the Comeback Inn opens its doors to its weary, hopeful guests, Lou and Henry finds themselves dancing around both their undeniable connection and the closely held secrets that threaten to topple their fragile new start. A chance at love, here, could be too close to home... or it could be exactly where their hearts finally heal.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 of five - I loved this little rom-com in book form! I don't have a broken heart, but I would love The Comeback Inn to exist in real life, just to go spend a week there! The book's descriptions of Estes Park and the Colorado landscape made me yearn to be taking a hike through the aspens, and then cozying up by a fire with a cup of coffee or tea. *sigh* And the love story was perfection - real and precious!
What in the World by Leanne Morgan - From dealing with your mean teenage daughter to rebelling against the latest diet trend, America's newest standup sensation packs a hilarious punch with her real talk about what it's like to be a regular woman today. For a long time, no one pulling the strings in the comedy world thought that an over-fifty woman from rural Tennessee could make it in the industry. But Leanna Morgan has defied the odds, reaching millions with her musings on menopause, Weight Watchers and her opposites-attract relationship with her husband, Chuck,
In her charming, Southern-accented voice, Morgan brings readers inside her quest to find her calling after so many years trying to figure out what that meant. Along the way, she discusses everything from growing up as a butcher's daughter, to her strategy for landing a husband with health insurance, to the glories of aging and the comfort of wearing big old grannie panties. Equal parts warm and hilarious, this book is a must-read by one of comedy's rising stars - reminding you that every time life leaves you asking "what in the world?", something good is going to come out of it someday.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of five - Y'all! If you haven't ever watched her comedy special, or her sitcom on Netflix - what are you doing? She is hilarious! I read this book in essentially twenty-four hours and it made me giggle the entire way through! She speaks with such heart and honestly about the ups and downs of her life, and the importance of trusting that the Lord has a plan for us all - even if sometimes as it unfolds, you're saying "What in the world?"
Rule of the Aurora King by Nisha J. Tuli - Freed from the golden clutches of the Sun King, Lor now finds herself in the hands of Nadir, the Aurora Prince. Convinced she's hiding something, he's willing to do whatever it takes to make her talk. But Lor knows the value of secrets - she's been keeping them her entire life - and she's not letting hers go without a fight.
When Lor and Nadir team up to search for a lost item that holds the key to her past and her future, she isn't sure she can trust him All she knows is she won't fall for another royal fae's promises again. With the Sun King determined to reclaim her, Lor must keep on the move, but nowhere is safe. Not until she destroys him and the Aurora King. But she soon learns that the future of Ouranos depends on much more than her avenging her shattered legacy.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 of five - An interesting second book; this one really provides insight into Lor's backstory and more about who she is/what her story truly is. It ends on a cliffhanger, so I'm sure I'll end up "reading" the other two books in the series.
The Hunting Wives by May Cobb - Sophie O'Neill left behind an envy-inspiring career and the stressful, competitive life of big-city Chicago to settle down with her husband and young son in a small Texas town. It seems like the perfect life with a beautiful home in an idyllic rural community. But Sophie soon realizes that life is now too quiet, and she's feeling bored and restless. Then she meets Margot Banks, an alluring socialite who is part of an elite clique secretly known as the Hunting Wives.
Sophie finds herself completely drawn to Margaret and swept into her mysterious world of late-night target practice and dangerous partying. As Sophie's curiosity gives way to full-blown obsession, she slips farther away from the safety of her family and deeper into this nest of vipers. When the body of a teenage girl is discovered in the woods where the Hunting Wives meet, Sophie finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and her life spiraling out of control.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of five - I have not watched the Netflix show and don't plan to, but the book was a twisting and turning delight of suburban deceit and suspense, and bored housewives. What I wouldn't give to be a bored housewife, am I right? I would not want to be a housewife with these women because they are wild, downright dirty and not very nice - and it all goes out of control, with plenty of spice, suspense and surprises throughout! I also read this in essentially one sitting.
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli - On the night Rune's life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for.
Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune's merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow facade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she's the very villain he's been hunting?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five - I really wanted to like this... and it was entertaining, but it just didn't hook me completely! I will probably read the second book to finish out the series, but I'm not in a big rush... if that makes sense? It was a good read, just not a great read like I was hoping!
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Only three months left for 2025 - and so many books I still want to read! I know I have nine to go to reach the goal I set for myself, so I think I'll get there! I'm currently listening to an audiobook and reading a book... so that's two already, ha-ha!
