So, I Guess It Did Have a Christmas Tree

 

TITLE: Merry Ever After (Under the Mistletoe #2)

AUTHOR: Tessa Bailey

PUBLISHER: Amazon Originals

PUBLISHING DATE: November 12, 2024

PAGES: 59   

SOURCE: Kindle Unlimited

FROM GOODREADS: A single mother working in a thrift store. A gentle giant farmer who can’t find jeans that fit. When opposites attract, they find themselves making alterations in more ways than one in this smoking-hot short story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey. 

Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.

MY THOUGHTS: I knew I had a readathon coming up so I saved all of the recent Amazon Original Under the Mistletoe Collection specifically for it.  I love Tessa Bailey, so it was a no-brainer that I picked this one up first.

I know Bailey's books can be a bit spicy and I have no problem with that.  And I've pretty much enjoyed everything I've read from her.  However, I don't know that her formula transfers well to short stories/novellas.  Evie has moved to a small Texas town with her infant son Sonny. She is working in a thrift store when she meets Luke, a giant farmer.  I won't go any further because it's only 59 pages, so I don't want to risk giving anything away.  

I really want a full-length book with Evie and Luke's story.  Bailey did a fine job of giving me enough back story that I understood where the story was headed and why, but I guess I just enjoy all the buildup and getting to know the characters before they get to the down-and-dirty. There was a prologue at the end which was definitely needed to wrap things up or else I feel like the whole book would have been "I work in a shop.  I work on a farm. Let's have sex on the floor."  

Of course, I still rated this pretty high because I did enjoy it and I am trying to capture some more Christmas spirit.  That's the other thing, the story takes place in Texas and other than it happening at Christmas and there being mention of an undecorated Christmas tree, it wasn't very festive.  Could they have at least had sex under a Christmas tree?

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

The Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon

 

Once again, I am thrilled to be participating in the Ho-Ho-Ho readathon.  It's hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and she has several people hosting activities as well.  Check out her site for all the details.  I am off on vacation next week so I hope I can get lots of holiday reading done.  Let me show you some of the books I have to choose from this year!

As you can see, I'm making that KU subscription pay off.

Merrily Ever After - Tessa Bailey
All By My Elf - Olivia Dade
Cruel Winter With You - Ali Hazelwood
Merriment and Mayhem - Alexandria Bellefleur
Only Santas in the Building - Alexis Daria

Some Like It Cold - Elle McNicoll

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year - Ally Carter

Puppy Love at Mistletoe Junction - Shannon Richard

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret - Benjamin Stevenson

As you can see, lots of good reading ahead.  There's still time to join so hop over and check it out!

Feed Your TBR - The House of Monstrous Women

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

August 12, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: A young woman is drawn into a dangerous game after being invited to the mazelike home of her childhood friend, a rumored witch, in this gothic horror set in 1986 Philippines.

Josephine del Rosario feels like a pariah in her town. Long ago orphaned after her father’s political campaign ended in tragedy, she’s all alone, taking care of the family home while her older brother is off in Manila, where a revolution brews. And it’s starting to feel like he’s abandoning her.

When she receives a letter from a cherished childhood friend, Hiraya, inviting her to play a game, she jumps at the reason for leaving town. Josephine will have whatever her heart desires if she wins. Maybe she can change her life. It doesn’t matter that dark rumors have always surrounded Hiraya.

Except Hiraya’s house is strange—labyrinthine and huge, and something seems to be following Josephine everywhere she turns. What’s worse is there’s something her old friend isn’t telling her.

There is something insidious about this invitation, and if Josephine isn’t careful, she’ll find that change is sometimes bought with blood.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I want to know more about Hiraya and the maze within.  Plus, the words "witch" and "Gothic" always get my attention. 

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

I Needed a Good Shark Attack...

 

TITLE: From Below

AUTHOR: Darcy Coates

PUBLISHER: Poison Pen Press

PUBLISHING DATE: June 7, 2022

PAGES: 469   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: No light. No air. No escape. Hundreds of feet beneath the ocean's surface, a graveyard waits... 

Years ago, the SS Arcadia vanished without a trace during a routine voyage. Though a strange, garbled emergency message was broadcast, neither the ship nor any of its crew could be found. Sixty years later, its wreck has finally been discovered more than three hundred miles from its intended course...a silent graveyard deep beneath the ocean's surface, eagerly waiting for the first sign of life. 

Cove and her dive team have been granted permission to explore the Arcadia's rusting hull. Their purpose is straightforward: examine the wreck, film everything, and, if possible, uncover how and why the supposedly unsinkable ship vanished. 

But the Arcadia has not yet had its fill of death, and something dark and hungry watches from below. With limited oxygen and the ship slowly closing in around them, Cove and her team will have to fight their way free of the unspeakable horror now desperate to claim them. 

Because once they're trapped beneath the ocean's waves, there's no going back.

MY THOUGHTS: I read this for an upcoming on-line horror book club and have had some experience with the author in the past, so I was pretty excited.  I have very mixed feelings about this book and while I was initially very glad that I had the extra motivation to pick it up, I'm even happier that I managed to finish it.

In the 1920's the Arcadia vanished without a trace. In current day, a few new artifacts have surfaced and they've assisted in pinpointing its location.  Cove has established a crew to go out and investigate the ruins, filming it for an upcoming docuseries.  (Can I insert a side note about the name Cove - I hated it.  Not so much the name itself but that we have a deep diver named Cove.  To me that's like having someone stuck in an avalanche named Snowy, but I digress). The crew plans on going down on three different days.  Due to the depths of the sink, it is basically preserved in a part of the ocean that has little oxygen and cannot support sea life very well.  My first indicator that I wasn't getting any shark action.  The crew ends up finding out that most of the passengers and crews have weathered their watery graves really well - perhaps too well.  The crew keeps disturbing things and those who died on the Arcadia aren't happy about it.  Will Cove and her crew make it out alive or will they join the others?

This book really had a great claustrophobic atmosphere. Coates does a great job making the reader feel like they are deep diving along with Cove, Aiden, Hestie, Vanna and Roy.  And I loved a few of the characters a lot.  Aiden is young and inexperienced and probably shouldn't even be diving but he was endearing and one of my faves.  Roy is a smart-mouthed adventurist who would be fun to have on any trip. The wild card in the book is Vanna.  Early on one of the non-diving crew members discovers a diary with some pretty shady entries so Coates plants a seed pretty early on that Vanna may have some ulterior motives for her trip.  Also, every once in while there would be a chapter counting down the days to the Arcadia sinking. These historical additions really helped the reader understand what might have happened on the ship. 

Now for what didn't work for me - you knew it was coming right?  This book is close to 500 pages long and in my opinion, could have cut out about 150 of them or so.  The first 150 pages were pretty interesting and really set the scene, the middle 200 dragged on and on and left me swearing the book was actually growing the more I read, and finally the last 75 pages or so were pretty action packed and very interesting.  The middle 200 pages could have really used some shark or creature action in my book.

So overall, reading this wasn't a bad experience and I wanted more from the story or less pages. Or maybe even both.  I don't mind Coates' writing and there are a few more books by her sitting on my TBR. She is great at creating atmospheric tales and this one wasn't a complete bust.  Did I mention it needed fewer pages?

MY RATING: 3 PAWS

Farm News - November 18, 2024 (a long time coming)

 

 So, I kind of fell of the face of the earth the past three months.  I did enough to keep the blog going but fell drastically behind on updates.  Now I want to play catch up.  I'm going to do a life update, hopefully a post with reading updates for August, September and October and then a few book hauls.  That's the plan so let's hope I stick to it.  Anyways, here is step one!

SEPTEMBER: This month kicked off with major repairs at the farm.  I mentioned we had to have a big job done which was having all of our plumbing replaced and redone.  Our home is 124 years old and we still had a huge cast iron septic pipe which ran from the attic to the basement.  It was cracking and finally reached the "We need to do this soon" stage.  We threw in all the other plumbing as well because we got a good deal but still, no one likes to spend a high 4 figure amount right?  Also, three days of working in my bedroom with two 100 pound dogs?  Not fun at all. Not much of note for that month although I did have fun reading lots of vampire books for #Vamptember.

OCTOBER: We were full steam ahead of festive mode.  My work bestie came in from out of town to visit for a few days and we enjoyed good food, good games and good movies.  Mr. Barb and I watched tons of horror movies as well as lots of football.  The pups had fun handing out candy and I didn't see as much of my mom as usual because she had a person quit at work and she was working insane hours. I had to go out of town for work for 2 days which always upsets the boys' schedule even though Daddy takes vacation time with them.   

NOVEMBER: The main news so far this month, at least here at Booker T's Farm is that on November 8th, Apollo turned five.  Since it fell on a Friday and we had off on Veteran's Day, we made the whole three-day weekend about him.  He had a birthday party, a giant puppy cookie, gifts, extra walks and lots of cuddling.  And of course, Zekey was right there with him. We are gearing up to celebrate our wedding anniversary soon as well as Thanksgiving.  I have managed to get half of my Christmas shopping done and even made a hand-crocheted blanket for my friend's cat, Baby.

So hopefully I will now feel like doing bi-weekly updates.  I also plan on blog hopping so more so be prepared to see me around!

Forgiven But Not Forgotten

 

TITLE: From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir

AUTHOR: Lisa Marie Presley, Riley Keough

PUBLISHER: Random House

PUBLISHING DATE: October 8, 2024

PAGES: 304   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Born to an American myth and raised in the wilds of Graceland, Lisa Marie Presley tells her whole story for the first time in this raw, riveting, one-of-a-kind memoir faithfully completed by her daughter, Riley Keough. 

In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter to help finally finish her long-gestating memoir. 

A month later, Lisa Marie was dead, and the world would never know her story in her own words, never know the passionate, joyful, caring, and complicated woman that Riley loved and grieved. 

Riley got the tapes that her mother had recorded for the book, laid in her bed, and listened as Lisa Marie told story after story about smashing golf carts together in the yards of Graceland, about the unconditional love she felt from her father, about being upstairs, just the two of them. About getting dragged screaming out of the bathroom as she ran towards his body on the floor. About living in Los Angeles with her mother, getting sent to school after school, always kicked out, always in trouble. About her singular, lifelong relationship with Danny Keough, about being married to Michael Jackson, what they shared in common. About motherhood. About deep addiction. About ever-present grief. Riley knew she had to fulfill her mother’s wish to reveal these memories, incandescent and painful, to the world. 

To make her mother known. 

This extraordinary book is written in both Lisa Marie’s and Riley’s voices, a mother and daughter communicating—from this world to the one beyond—as they try to heal each other. Profoundly moving and deeply revealing, From Here to the Great Unknown is a book like no other—the last words of the only child of an American icon.

MY THOUGHTS: I have never been an Elvis fan.  I can respect that many loved him and that he was an icon, but he was before my time, and I didn't really care.  In fact, I spent one particular year really disliking him - the year he died.  That sound cold but a little backstory.  Elvis died on my mom and dad's wedding anniversary.  And my mom was HUGE fan.  And all she did all day was cry.  And I only young kid of seven years old and I was so pissed at Elvis for ruining my dad's anniversary plans. Years later, I started listening to Lisa Marie Presley's music when she started recording.  Her music was dark and angsty and everything I loved so I guess it all came full circle.  

I picked up this book wanting to know more.  I'm sure no one can imagine what it would have been like to have been Elvis' daughter and to be caught up in that crazy world.  I'm really surprised she survived as long as she did.  And when I saw Riley Keough finished the book for her, I immediately jumped on the library hold list so I could see what Lisa's childhood and life was really like.  And let's just say, it was stranger than I imagined.

Lisa Marie really had a great, loving yet short-term relationship with her father before he passed.  Her teens years were filled with chaos and self-destruction but some happy times as well.  Her adulthood was more trauma (yes, she was married to Michael Jackson and did really love him and yes, she kept her son's body at her home for over a month after he committed suicide) but after reading this, her life comes across much sadder and a lot less freakshow.  

Since this is a memoir and I don't want to rate someone's life, I will base my rating on the book itself.  I felt that the style which included Lisa Marie's POV her daughter took from recorded tapes interspersed with Riley's memories and recollections really did work.  At times the tales were choppy and didn't flow but Riley was working with what she had and what she could remember.  Overall, I flew through it pretty quickly and enjoyed learning more.  It even made me relisten to Lisa Marie's first two albums and I'm pleased to find I still consider them some of my all-time faves.

MY RATING: 5 Paws

Feed Your TBR - Another Fine Mess (Bless Your Heart #2)

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

April 15, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Another Fine Mess is a horror novel that combines mystery, humor, and heart. It follows the Evans women, who have kept the undead from rising in their southeast Texas town for over a century. However, the dead sometimes rise too quickly. In Another Fine Mess, Lenore Evans, Luna, and the new sheriff must uncover what threatens everything they love.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I know there isn't much here on the synopsis but given that it is a sequel, I'm okay with it not giving much away.  I was pleasantly shocked at how much I loved Bless Your Heart and when I saw this cover, I feel in love.  It's gonna be hard to wait so long for this one!

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Death Masks (The Dresden Files #5)

 

It might be a tad bit late but Stormi and I continued our series read of The Dresden Files in October.  It took me a while longer to read this one but I think it's because of other books taking priority.  Once I got into it, it did fly pretty quickly.  It just took a while for me to get into it.  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Storm Reads to see what Stormi thought.

TITLE: Death Masks (The Dresden Files #5)

AUTHOR: Jim Butcher

PUBLISHER: Ace

PUBLISHING DATE: August 5, 2003

PAGES: 432   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he's getting more than he bargained for: 

A duel with the Red Court of Vampires' champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards... 

Professional hit men using Harry for target practice... 

The missing Shroud of Turin... 

A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified... 

Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semi-vampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life. 

Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging.

MY THOUGHTS: So, I'm now five books into this series and I think I see a pattern.  Every book opens with Harry in the middle of a catastrophe where his death is imminent.  It has to be exhausting to be Harry Dresden because I get physically tired reading about his disastrous life.

In this book Harry is continuing to rage war with the Red Court, or maybe more accurately, they are raging war with him.  They have sent a representative to town for a duel and Harry excepts, even when the odds of survival are definitely low.  In addition, Harry has been hired by a new job hired by the Knights to find the ancient Shroud of Turin.  Oh, and by the way, Harry now thinks that the big Chicago mob boss he thought he was on decent terms with has a hit on him.  

I will admit I found this book a bit hard to get into.  Although I know the Knights are an element Stormi really enjoys reading about, they aren't my favorite part of the Dresden world.  I enjoyed seeing Susan return and feel badly for the obstacles that exist that keep them apart.  I enjoyed meeting Butters, the unique character who works in the city morgue and I hope we get to see more of him in the future.  I also enjoyed learning more about the Denarians even though, dare I say it, snake-man.  Ugghh.

Like previous installments, the ending of this novel was satisfying and left just enough unresolved issues to lead into the next book.  I am glad I hopped on board to read this with series and can't wait to find out what trouble finds Harry next!

MY RATING: 4 Paws

Short but Satisfying

 

TITLE: Ushers: A Short Story

AUTHOR: Joe Hill

PUBLISHER: Amazon Original Stories

PUBLISHING DATE: November 1, 2024

PAGES: 29   

SOURCE: Kindle Unlimited

FROM GOODREADS: Martin Lorensen is a twenty-three-year-old counselor for disturbed teenagers. He’s bright, compassionate, attractive, and outgoing. He’s also—and this is the most interesting thing—not dead. Martin has improbably survived not one but two deadly disasters that claimed dozens of lives. The kid is riding one hell of a lucky streak. Two federal agents think there is something darker at play. Now that they’ve arranged to interview Martin, they want answers. Martin is ready to share everything he knows. One thing is for certain: when it comes to escaping death, luck doesn’t figure into it at all.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a short story from Amazon Originals which I was able to snag last month through a bonus First Reads choice.  I think everyone can pick it up as of today and although my review will be short given this is only a short story, I wanted to feature it on my blog.

Joe Hill is hit or miss for me.  I either love his stuff or find it just "meh."  However, I loved the horror short he did last October for Amazon Originals, The Pram, so I wanted to give this one a shot.  I will say I really loved the premise behind this one.  I think it worked great as a short story but will admit, I think I could have hopped on board for a full-length novel of this one.  Martin was a curious character and at the end, I knew where this one was headed.  Definitely one to grab if you are a Hill fan or if you just enjoy horror short stories

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Serial Killer Support Group

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

March 18, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: After her sister is murdered, a woman infiltrates a support group for serial killers in this biting queer feminist debut thriller, perfect for fans of The Final Girl Support Group and My Sister, the Serial Killer.

When Cyra Griffin’s younger sister is murdered by a serial killer, Cyra knows better than to expect justice from the hands of the police department. With the investigation already dying its own slow death, Cyra follows the blood trail and finds her own way forward. 

Using insider information (don’t ask) Cyra infiltrates a support group for serial killers by pretending to be one herself in the hopes of finding the person who ended her sister’s life. Proving herself to them comes at a cost, but it’s one Cyra is willing to pay in the name of revenge.

Unfortunately, the dangerous men in the group aren’t the only obstacle in Cyra’s path for vengeance, and the further Cyra descends into the deadly world of serial killers, the harder it becomes to hold on to her own humanity. 

This dark, witty debut novel is a cunning homage to women’s wrongs that will have you wondering exactly how many monsters walk unseen among us.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I love books featuring serial killers and someone infiltrating a group of one sounds like it could be a lot of fun.  I also have to admit this author's first name caught my attention - such a unique one and I personally love it.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???  

Pretty Drastic Noise Control Technique

 

TITLE: The Blonde Dies First

AUTHOR: Joelle Wellington

PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

PUBLISHING DATE: July 30, 2024

PAGES: 336   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: A group of friends fight to choose their own fates in this trope-savvy, self-referential young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games , about a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in the spirit of the Scream movies. 

Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon? 

But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle. 

Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon's, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?

MY THOUGHTS: I read this as a choice for a Facebook horror book club I belong to.  I've been interested in it for a while, but I have to admit, it wasn't what I expected, and I sort of struggled to get through it.  

Devon is trying to plan an epic summer.  School is out and her twin sister, Drew has graduated a year early.  Devon knows her brilliant sister is moving on to bigger and better things so she wants their friend group to have one last hurrah.  However, the summer starts with a party at the home of Drew's elite private school classmates.  Devon's friends don't know what to expect but attend anyways.  They expected pretentious kids, drugs and some alcohol but never planned for an encounter with a Ouija board which starts the summer off with a demonic filled fight for survival. 

I thought this book was a slasher. I mean, the cover screams slasher right?  However, the friend group is trying to navigate the tropes of a supernatural demon movie, all the time trying to survive.  This book didn't make a whole lot of sense at time.  They were trying to follow the rules of a cult famous horror movie they loved, but every twist and turn throws something in the way.  And while I appreciated the inclusiveness in the book, it also felt like the author was trying too hard to check off all the right boxes.  I didn't really care for any of the kids and the relationship drama between Drew and Devon was oversold and quickly became redundant. The ending was also a letdown and the motivation behind everything weak at best.

I think anyone who enjoys YA horror would be interested in at least giving this one a go.  I think the author did a lot of job talking about classism and provided some good social commentary, but sometimes, this gal just wants some good old slasher excitement.

MY RATING: 3 Paws

Feed Your TBR - Overgrowth

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

May 6, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: This is just a story. It can't hurt you anymore.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has been willing to listen.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen?

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: I can't recall ever having a bad experience reading a Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire book (well, the Wayward Children book featuring the Sugar place wasn't a hit, but I still didn't HATE it). So I'm pretty much game to give anything she writes a try.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

What If Frankenstein Was a Moody Young Adult?

 

TITLE: Helga

AUTHOR: Catherine Yu

PUBLISHER: Page Street YA

PUBLISHING DATE: August 20, 2024

PAGES: 354   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Helga is not the obedient science experiment her father intended. And though she has only just awoken, he leaves her in the care of his lab assistant Penny to go on a business trip. 

Bursting with curiosity, Helga quickly escapes from the well-meaning Penny and heads into Amaris City. There Helga finds she is as untamable as the invasive blackberry vines overtaking the island. And because of the misdeeds of her father’s scientific community, the natural world grows more volatile.

Helga soon discovers the night market, rowdy clubs, delicious food, and cute boys. Enamored with city life, she’ll do anything to find love—but she has only two weeks until her father gets back, and besides there are ominous rumblings from the volcanic island that could put her dating schemes, and even her own life, in grave peril.

MY THOUGHTS: I picked this up because one I was curious about it when I first saw it and two, I need a book that starts with "H" for an October Reading Challenge.  I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting into, but it ended up being a solid read.

As the book opens, Helga awakens in a lab and is met by her "father" and his lab assistant Penny.  Helga is part of an experimental program on the Asian Island, Amaris City.  She quickly becomes acclimated to everything around her due to her "cog" programming which is whole reason her birth was such as a success.  Amaris City is divided into two communities, the elite one and the poorer but more exciting one.  Helgas wants to experience all the island has to offer but her father wants her to become his proper lab assistant and has some pretty intense rules she needs to follow - including the fact that he has named her Marietta and refuses to call her Helga.  Obviously, Helga starts to rebel.  She meets a boy named Clyde who is a loser from day one but has a typical "bad boy" quality.  Even though things don't work out with Clyde, their "relationship" leads her to find her ultimate soulmate, even if she has to create him herself.

Helga shares a lot of social commentary on classism and societal expectations.  Amaris Island is very quirky and its evident that the whole island has been negatively affected by the lab's experiments.  I enjoyed seeing Helga experience the world and really loved the relationship she builds with Penny, who is also trying to find her way in life.  And I dare to say the ending is perfect and sends a perfect message about classism, love and friendship.  

At its core, Helga is also about found family, so if you enjoy that trope, you might want to check this one out.  It really doesn't contain as much horror as I was hoping, but it still hit the mark and is one I would recommend if someone wants to experience a new take on an old classic.

MY RATING: 4 Paws

Feed Your TBR - The Baby Dragon Cafe

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

January 16, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: When Saphira opened up her café for baby dragons and their humans, she wasn’t expecting it to be so difficult to keep the fires burning. It turns out, young dragons are not the best magical animals to keep in a café, and replacing all that burnt furniture is costing Saphira more than she can afford from selling dragon-roasted coffee.

Aiden is a local gardener, and local heart-throb, more interested in his plants than actually spending time with his disobedient baby dragon. When Aiden walks into Saphira’s café, he has a genius idea – he'll ask Saphira to train his baby dragon, and he'll pay her enough to keep the café afloat.

Saphira’s happy-go-lucky attitude doesn’t seem to do anything but irritate the grumpy-but-gorgeous Aiden, except that everywhere she goes, she finds him there. But can this dragon café owner turn her fortunes around, and maybe find love along the way?

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  Cozy baby dragons.  Need I say more?

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Alliance Vampires

 

It took us a while, but Vamptember have Stormi and I the extra push to pick up the next novel in the Alliance Vampire series by Shannon Drake (aka: Heather Graham).  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's at Storm Reads for hers.

 

TITLE: When Darkness Falls (Alliance Vampires #2)

AUTHOR: Shannon Drake (aka Heather Graham)

PUBLISHER: Zebra

PUBLISHING DATE: October 1, 2000

PAGES: 432   

SOURCE: Own

FROM GOODREADS: WHEN DARKNESS FALLS... 

In a windswept Scottish cemetery, Jade MacGregor's carefree vacation abroad is marred by a seemingly random tragedy. A year later, back home on a shadowy French Quarter street, she glimpses an oddly familiar face. Coincidence--or something far more disturbing? 

AND TERROR TAKES HOLD... 

Surrounded by her friends and engrossed in her work, Jade should feel secure. But somebody is dogging her every move. Somebody who knows what she saw on that long ago afternoon. Somebody who will try to rescue her from the evil that is waiting to destroy her. 

INNOCENCE DIES...

MY THOUGHTS: I must have purchased a really old Kindle copy when I was looking for this book (for some reason, none of my Libby cards had access to it) because it was full of typos and punctuation errors, and I found it often pulling me out of the story. However, all that aside, once I did manage to focus on the plot and not the small details (although is proper editing a small detail?) I really liked it.

Jade was visiting Scotland a year before the majority of the book happened, doing research for one of her books.  While on a tour, she and several other people are led to a dark cemetery and an incident happens which ends in major bloodshed and dismemberment for some of the other tourists, and almost death for Jade.  She is basically saved by a mysterious dark man and when she comes to, has a hard time grasping what actually occurred.  Fast forward a year and similar killing sprees are happening in the US.  However, upon closer look, the victims are people who survived the Scotland incident.  Jade keeps having dreams about the man who saved her and soon her shows up in New Orleans and introduces her to a world she never thought existed, one of vampires and ancient vampire history. Can he save her before it's too late?

I won't lie, Jade kind of grated my nerves.  She made some stupid decisions and even when faced with the fact that the man she was falling in love with was a centuries old vampire, refused to believe what was staring her in the face.  I also didn't like that Jade had a perfectly good cop boyfriend who she cheated on with Lucien, her vampire love interest.  On top of that, while he on his deathbed with a mysterious illness.  Yet I did love Lucien, who played a major role in book one, and I did enjoy learning more about his history and seeing him finally fall in love and find a mate.  We get to see the main characters from book one quite a bit which I enjoyed, and I found Jade's family and friend group interesting as well.  

Overall, I'm glad I continued on with this series and would probably have given this a higher rating if it wasn't for the issues I mentioned regarding editing and Jade's cheating.  If you like vampires or enjoy Heather Graham and have never picked up this series, it might be something you want to consider.

MY RATING: 3 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - The Whisperwood Legacy

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

May 27, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Knives Out meets The Hazel Wood in this twisty contemporary fantasy about an amusement park shrouded in dark secrets—and the family desperate to inherit it at any cost.

Welcome to Whisperwood, a sprawling theme park nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where thrilling rides and picture-perfect scenery bring cult-classic fairy tales to life. Or at least they did until eighteen months ago, when the family matriarch, Virginia Strauss, suddenly shut Whisperwood’s gates and the beloved park was left to wither away along with the family’s dwindling fortune.
 
For seventeen-year-old Frankie Strauss, Whisperwood's closure has been a blessing in disguise. After seeing three generations of wealth’s corrupting influence, she is more than ready to shed the Strauss-family's gilded handcuffs.
 
But when Virginia goes missing, Frankie realizes that her family might be guilty of something much worse than mere dysfunction. With the help of the mysterious and handsome groundskeeper, Jem, Frankie sifts through a web of near truths and outright lies, uncovering a reality where nothing is as it seems, and fairy tales aren’t just real—they’re deadly.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: So, I admit it was the cover that initially caught my attention.  And while I am a bit concerned this is YA, it is tagged as horror and does mention a decrepit theme park so that sold me.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????