Designer Needed - Must Love Horses

 

TITLE: Swift and Saddled (Rebel Blue Ranch #2)

AUTHOR: Lyla Sage

PUBLISHER: Dial Press

PUBLISHING DATE: March 5, 2024

PAGES: 320   

SOURCE: Own 

FROM GOODREADS: She’s the city girl who refuses to be saddled with a man. He’s the cowboy who wants her anyway. 

The last thing Ada Hart needs is a man to take care of her. Not anymore. After failing out of her interior design program and the disaster that was her short-lived marriage, Ada clawed her way up from her rock bottom. Now, the only person she trusts is herself, and that has gotten her further than ever before. She has her own business, and one of the largest ranches in Wyoming just hired her for the most important project of her career. 

When Ada arrives in Meadowlark, she finds herself in a dive bar where she can’t seem to shake the eyes of a handsome cowboy. When she leads him to the back of the bar, he leaves her with a kiss that most people can only fantasize about. She almost regrets that she’ll never see him again . . . except it turns out he’s her new boss. 

Weston Ryder is a happy guy. Even happier now that the mystery woman from the bar is the interior designer for his dream project on his family’s ranch. He feels like he hit the jackpot. It’s too bad she wants absolutely nothing to do with him outside of work. Ada is convinced the pull she feels toward Wes will go away, but Wes can’t stop thinking about her. Even though walls are coming down around Rebel Blue, Ada’s walls are firmly in place. 

Can they make it through this project without giving in? Or will they both put their dreams on the line for a chance at love?

MY THOUGHTS: Time to review another book from my August week-long cowboy romance era.  Swift and Saddled is the second in the series and I have to admit, it features my favorite brother, Wes.  

Ada Hart has come to town to work on a remodeling project on Rebel Blue Ranch.  Her first night in town she runs into a handsome stranger in a dive bar and the two share a kiss which would have led to more had they not been interrupted.  The next day she goes to the ranch to meet her new boss and runs smack-dab into the handsome stranger who isn't a stranger after all.  It is the man who she has been exchanging emails with for months and who hired her for the newest ranch project.  Ada decides then and there the two need to keep their distance which is hard given she is staying with Wes and his father during the duration of the project, which is to take months.

I wasn't sold on Ada at first as she clearly had some baggage and took a hard stance about giving Wes any kind of chance.  However, my feelings quickly softened and as the book progressed, I learned more about her, as well as Wes, which made me like them both even more than I anticipated. Wes also has some issues and suffers from depression, which he never hides from Ada. It was also fun to see Ada interact with Wes's family and other ranch regulars and to watch her become part of the gang.  The ending was also a nice surprise as I expected one would have to give up some dream to make everything work but that ended up not being the case (mild spoiler but you are probably here for the horror anyway).

If you are looking for a fun romance with great disability rep and enjoyable, realistic characters, look no further!

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

I'm Going to Miss This Series...

 

TITLE: Road Trip With a Vampire (My Vampires #3)

AUTHOR: Jenna Levine

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHING DATE: June 24, 2025

PAGES:    

SOURCE: ARC 

FROM GOODREADS: Reformed bad witch Grizelda “Zelda” Watson had hoped to never see another vampire again when she slipped away to sunny California for a fresh start. She'd grown tired of them and their nonsense ages ago. But when a vampire with amnesia unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep with a letter from her old friend Reggie, and asks for her help, she can’t say no. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Peter Elliott is tall and gorgeous, looks great in yoga shorts, and has the kind of dark hair and surly expression Zelda’s been a sucker for hundreds of years. 

Peter isn’t completely harmless—he is fanged, after all—but he’s harmless enough and soon becomes the only person in Zelda’s new life who knows the truth about what she is. If she can help him decipher the cryptic notes in his journal, the only clues to his lost memories, she might as well try before sending him on his way. 

But when an alarming message from Peter's past coincides with a clear sign that Zelda can't keep running from her own, they embark on a cross-country road trip for answers—only to find what they're looking for in each other.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the third and final book in this series and I can honestly say I love it as much as the previous two. Although I also have to admit Reggie is still my favorite character so book two will always be a fave. 

Zelda Watson is co-owner of a yoga studio in California.  You might think her biggest problem is trying to understand the upcoming "yoga with a goat" event her partners are promoting.  However, that is not the case.  Zelda is a 400 plus year old witch who used to love stirring up trouble. Ten years ago, hoping to escape her past, she staged her own death and is now hiding her powers.  But this practice has also complicated her life.  And speaking of complicated, she now has a vampire with amnesia her old friend Reggie has sent her way hoping she can assist him in some way.

Zelda immediately feels an attraction to Peter, but it takes some time before she is convinced to help him.  When she realizes helping him can also serve to help her with her with magic troubles, the two embark on a road trip to Chicago to help Peter uncover his memories.  Neither knows what awaits when that happens but as the miles go by, it becomes increasingly evident that whatever it is, it won't be good.

This series is just so much fun.  I honestly thought the series was only a duology because there were only two vampire main characters, so I was thrilled when Levine made Zelda the witch the focus of book three. I really enjoy a good road trip book, and this one was extra fun because it involved supernatural entities. If you are looking for a fun way to spend a few hours, definitely give this series a go!

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Witches of Dubious Origin

 

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.

October 28, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: When a librarian discovers she’s descended from a long line of powerful witches, she’ll need all of her bookish knowledge to harness her family’s magic, in this enchanting cozy fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.

Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. When a mysterious black book with an unbreakable latch is delivered to the library, Zoe has a strange feeling the tome is somehow calling to her. She decides to consult the Museum of Literature, home to volumes of indecipherable secrets, some possessing magic that must be guarded. The collection is known as the of Books of Dubious Origin.

Here, Zoe discovers that she is the last descendant of a family of witches and this little black book is their grimoire. Zoe knows she must decode the family’s spell book and solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and her grandmother. However, the book's potential power draws all things magical to it, and Zoe finds herself under the constant watch of a pesky raven, while being chased by undead Vikings, ghost pirates, and assorted ghouls.

With assistance from the eccentric staff of the Books of Dubious Origin—including their annoyingly smart and handsome containment specialist, Jasper Griffin—Zoe must confront her past and the legacy of her family. But as their adventure unfolds, she’ll have to decide if she’s ready to embrace her destiny. 

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  First of all we have a library, books and witches.  If that isn't enough, I ADORE this author.  I've read her entire Library Lover's cozy mystery series and even a few of her romance titles.  Can't wait to see what she does with cozy fantasy. 

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

What's Scary is that I Finished It

 

TITLE: The Compound

AUTHOR: Aisling Rawle

PUBLISHER: Random House

PUBLISHING DATE: June 24, 2025

PAGES: 292   

SOURCE: Library 

FROM GOODREADS: Lily—a bored, beautiful twentysomething—wakes up on a remote desert compound alongside nineteen other contestants on a popular reality TV show. To win, she must outlast her housemates while competing in challenges for luxury rewards, such as champagne and lipstick, and communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door. 

The cameras are catching all her angles, good and bad, but Lily has no desire to leave: Why would she, when the world outside is falling apart? As the competition intensifies, intimacy between the players deepens, and it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between desire and desperation. When the producers raise the stakes, forcing contestants into upsetting, even dangerous situations, the line between playing the game and surviving it begins to blur. If Lily makes it to the end, she'll receive prizes beyond her wildest dreams—but what will she have to do to win? 

Addictive and prescient, The Compound is an explosive debut from a major new voice in fiction and will linger in your mind long after the game ends.

MY THOUGHTS: I've seen people talking a lot about this on Booktube and a few other places, so when I saw it on the "New Release" shelf at my local library, I figured I would take a chance.  While I didn't exactly dislike it, it seemed to take forever for me to read such a short book, and it really just reminded me why I don't watch a lot of reality TV.

Lily and 19 other contestants (10 females, 9 males) are participating in a big-brother type game being broadcast across a world filled with desperation and despair.  Apparently, there are wars going on and Earth has become an apocalyptic type of environment.  More about that later. They are competing in individual and community tasks to earn things which will make the home they are staying in more livable and enjoyable, and to earn personal items which will enhance their living experience and possibly earn them influencer status when they leave. In this show, you not only can get voted out of the house, but if you end up sleeping alone at night, when you wake up, you must leave.  This element alone added more vanity to the book than I ever wanted.

One by one people start to form little cliques, and then one by one, they start turning on each other.  The girls are vying for the boys' attention, and the boys are trying to show how "manly" they all are.  As you would guess, there are some real jerks who eventually start showing their true colors and some who are taking the game VERY seriously.  

I thought I might have difficulty keeping track of all the characters, but they whittled down pretty quickly, and it wasn't too hard - a lot of them were basically the same person in a different body. Although we learn quite a bit about a select few, Lily is probably the MC and, in my opinion, didn't add much to the story except being a tool to tell the plot through.  And honestly, my biggest gripe was probably that I wanted to know more about the terrible world that had evolved.  What were the wars over?  How bad was it really outside the compound?  How many people were dying and why was the compound such a fun thing for people to watch on TV while war raged on and people died?

I can see people who really enjoy competition reality shows really loving this book.  I found it well-written and will definitely pick up another book by this author.  I just don't think this is the best subject matter for me and it was sold to me as more of a horror novel when in fact, it is everything but.

MY RATING: 3 PAWS

Am I a Romance Girlie Now?

 

TITLE: Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1)

AUTHOR: Lyla Sage

PUBLISHER: Dial Press

PUBLISHING DATE: October 24, 2023

PAGES: 346   

SOURCE: Own 

FROM GOODREADS: She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules. 

For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape. 

Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her. 

Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?

MY THOUGHTS: If you've followed me for a while, you know I am an eclectic reader.  If a book looks good and interests me, I will consider picking it up.  I just don't review a lot of romance here on the blog unless there is a cute dog.  However, something was going on in August in my personal life where I needed something much lighter than my normal go-to horror.  So, I started the Rebel Blue Ranch series and needless to say, eight days later I had read all four books in the series.  Guess they were just what I needed right?

Emmy is a champion barrel racer who after a traumatic fall, can't get back on a horse.  She returns back home to Rebel Blue Ranch to refocus and figure out her next steps.  Luke is he confident bad-boy best friend of her brother.  He has the reputation of being a player and he and Emmy are like oil and water.  However, once Emmy returns, Luke ends up in her orbit much more than she likes, and even more, she finds that he isn't quite as annoying as she has always thought. Can Luke help her find her way back to her true love of horses?  And better yet, can he keep from falling in bed with his best friend's little sister?

This book was a lot of fun.  Little secret, I LOVE the show Yellowstone.  And once it wrapped up, there was a void in my life.  This cowboy romance series filled that void - at least for a little while.  I love enemy-to-lover tropes which helped kick this first book in the series off strong. Emmy is a head-strong character and Luke is your typical love-to-hate bad boy.  What really sold me on this book and continuing on though is that I love the whole cast of characters.  Each one has their own issues going on but one thing they all share is the love of Rebel Blue Ranch.  Sage also does a wonderful job of writing flawed characters which added a lot of depth to a somewhat simple romantic plot.

Needless to say, these books hit me at the right time.  Look for more reviews on the other three books coming up soon and I hope some of you enjoy a slight change of pace.  But don't worry - horror will be back tomorrow!

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Well, That Was an Interesting Snakebite

 

TITLE: Breathe In, Bleed Out

AUTHOR: Brian McAuley

PUBLISHER: Poisoned Pen Press

PUBLISHING DATE: September 2, 2025

PAGES: 304   

SOURCE: ARC 

FROM GOODREADS: Hannah has been running from her demons ever since she emerged from a harrowing wilderness trip without her fiancé. No one knows exactly what happened the day Ben died, and Hannah would like to keep it that way... even if his ghost still haunts her with vivid waking nightmares that are ruining her life. So when her friend group gets an exclusive invitation to a restorative spiritual retreat in Joshua Tree, Hannah reluctantly agrees in search of a fresh start. 

Despite her skepticism of the strange Guru Pax and his belief in the supernatural world, Hannah soon finds healing through all the yoga, sound baths, and hot springs offered at the tech-free haven. But this peaceful journey of self-discovery quickly descends into a violent fight for self-preservation when a mysterious killer starts picking off retreat attendees in increasingly gruesome ways. As the body count rises and Hannah’s sanity frays, she’ll have to confront her dark past and uncover the true nature of a ruthless monster hellbent on killing her vibe for good.

MY THOUGHTS: I love a good slasher book, and this is one of the best I've read in a while. And those who know me know I'm terrified of snakes so if I found a snake scene interesting and unique, that says something.

Hannah is coasting through her residency high on prescription drugs and fueled by nightmares of her fiancé Ben's death. She makes a potentially catastrophic mistake at work one night when leads her to having some time off which happens to coincide with a spiritual retreat set up by her best friend, Tess.  Ever since Ben's death, Hannah has been avoiding her friends and after some convincing, she agrees to accompany Tess and three other college pals to Joshua Tree.  However, Hannah soon learns this was not a good time to stop her medication cold turkey.  Is someone out to kill everyone at the retreat or has Hannah's demons finally caught up with her. 

This book was so much fun and perfect for spooky season.  It's compared to Midsommar and Scream, and having seen both of those movies, I would say it lives up to those comparisons.  Hannah's friends are a mixed group of personalities and attitudes, and I have to admit, I was actually cheering on some of the deaths which happened.  I also really liked Hannah in the beginning, but towards the end, realized she was not necessarily the victim she had been playing for over a year.  Guru Pax was an interesting character and one of my favorite characters ended up being Kimi, Pax's assistance.

Breathe In, Bleed Out is a great addition to my slasher collection.  I can easily see it playing out on the big screen and my only real complaint was the number of twists thrown out at the end.  They came so fast they kind of gave me whiplash for a moment.  I will definitely be reading more from this author.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Everything Must Go, Including the Demon in the Attic

 

TITLE: Play Nice

AUTHOR: Rachel Harrison

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHING DATE: September 9, 2025

PAGES: 336   

SOURCE: ARC 

FROM GOODREADS: Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in a haunted house. Well, not haunted. Possessed. After Clio’s parent’s messy divorce, her mother, Alex, moved Clio and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon. Or so Alex claimed. That’s not what Clio’s sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped Alex of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent; she even wrote a book about her experience in the house. 

After Alex’s sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Clio and her sisters. Where her sisters see childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity for house flipping content. Only, as the home makeover process begins, Clio discovers there might be some truth to her mother’s claims. As memories resurface and Clio finally reads her mother’s book, the presence in the house becomes more real, and more sinister, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.

MY THOUGHTS: This is third book I've read by Harrison, and I have two others on my shelves. I have to say this one solidified her as a must-read author and I'm anxious to pick up some of her backlist.

The book opens with the reader meeting Clio, one-third of the Barnes' sisters.  Clio is a stylist and influencer who had a rocky childhood living with her mother until her father gained full custody and definitely started spoiling her and treating her like the baby of the family.  Clio's mother Alex, who dies pretty early on in the book, moved into a house following her divorce which she claims is possessed by a demon.  She tried for years to get rid of the demon but really only ended up getting rid of anyone who cared about her because everyone thought her crazy and insane.  She even wrote a book about the experience which the sisters have promised each other to never read.

When Alex dies, the sister inherit the house, and Clio sees this as a great way to learn more about her money and flip the home into something fabulous to chronicle on her Instagram.  However, soon after moving in, strange things start happening and Clio's mental health, starts spiraling.  Just how many demons is the Barnes family hiding?

I really enjoyed this book and found it easy to get into.  I love Harrison's writing and while I can't explain her, her writing style definitely has a unique vibe.  I really didn't care much for Clio, or any of the family for that matters, but I was invested in learning what made them the way they are.  Harrison not only tackles the supernatural in this book, and trust me, her demon loves to play games, but she also tackles family trauma and sisterhood dynamics.

If you are looking for a spooky read with a side of dysfunctional family, this might be the book for you. I felt the ending came on a tad bit rushed which is my only issue with the book.  Oh, and Clio's father - he is definitely a piece of work wrapped in a pretty, albeit fake, package.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS