Hey hey, it’s MJ,

         Well, I read 18 books in March, that’s so many books! I have never read that many books in a month and I bought a Kindle because books are expensive, granted am I going to buy all the books I like so I can have them in paperback, yea, probably and that’s not healthy but I don’t care. 

         I also got Kindle Unlimited because again, why not. Now I can read all the things that are on my list and are on Kindle Unlimited and then see if they are worth buying the physical books. 

         There are some books that I have unhauled this year, not because they weren’t good, but because they were a good one time read and I don’t want them in my personal collection. I know that is something that’s hard for some to understand, if I unhaul it, it doesn’t mean that I had anything against the book. Sometimes it might though. 

I’ll See You in Paris by Michelle Gable (3.5/5)

         This is a good example of my above point; it was a good one time read but I don’t want it to take up space in my permanent collection. I read A Paris Apartment years ago and didn’t enjoy it so I walked into this one with that feeling. I did enjoy it, I called several of the twists throughout and that was fine. It was predictable overall and Annie’s fiancé, that whole plot line felt so unnecessary for the plot to continue. There was just a lot about that that was weird. It was a good story overall; I liked the flips between the present and the past and finding out through so many stories about the characters. It was good, just not one that I feel the need to keep permanently. 

An Heiresses Guide to Deception and Desire by Manda Collins (3.8/5)

         It was cute for what it was. I am glad that there wasn’t a miscommunication or a third act break up because those are my least favorite tropes. I did enjoy the book; it was cute in its own way and it kept me guessing throughout as to who the culprit was. I like Caro and Val; second chance romances are sweet. Was it my favorite? No, but did I enjoy it? Yes, I did. It just sticks really close to the historical romance formula which is fine, but it was not my favorite and that is totally okay because it is still staying in my collection. 

Bow Before the Elf Queen by J.M. Kearl (5/5)

         The cliffhanger!? Come on! I read this one on Kindle Unlimited because it’s been on my want to buy list for a while and I wanted to read it and see if it was worth having a paperback copy in my collection. That is so dangerous, it really is. I really loved Laya and Thane, they are both so much and I love fated. Everyone knows that, seriously. Apparently the next one ends in a cliffhanger as well and I am already upset. The betrayal! The insanity of it all. I want a happy ending for them, that’s all I want at the moment and forever because I want happily ever afters. 

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (3/5)

         3 out of 5 is a generous score, it really is. I wanted to like it; I had such high hopes for this one but there was just too much. It was so dense and because it switched between past and present like a series of letters or whatever it made it so strange to read. The conclusion was not super fulfilling to be completely honest and it was really good up until about part 2, I was actually really enjoying it and then by the time it hit part 2 I was pretty much done. I skimmed because I was so bored and I really dislike being bored while I am reading especially when this was a book that has been on my list for a while.

The Rebel by Sophie Lark (3.9/5)

         I read it on my Kindle because I have a problem. It was good, would I want to buy it in paperback, no not really. It was a really good one time read, I thought it was going to be a bully thing and that would have been a DNF for me. I didn’t DNF it and I really did enjoy it. Will I continue the series? Also, probably not but I have Anastasia in my collection as well and I am super excited to read that later in the year. Miles and Zoe are a lot, there were so many moments where I was just sitting there staring off into space shaking my head at them. They are good for each other though, I am glad that there was at least a happy ending…for now as far as I know. 

Ana-Maria and The Fox by Liana de la Cruz (3.7/5)

         I liked it, but I am not a huge fan of instalove, I never really have been. I liked Ana-Maria and Gideon and I loved the historical aspect of all of it. This was my book of the month so I will have a more in-depth review because I want to talk about it more than just me little blurb. I liked it, but the love story or the plot as a whole didn’t grip me because it didn’t feel like it was deep enough to make me feel for the conflict. 

Rhapsodic by Lauren Thalassa (5/5)

         It was on my Kindle because I have wanted to read it for a while (Then I bought a copy because it was half off.). I really enjoyed it! I will be going to buy the second and third in paperback tomorrow. I will read them eventually and the rest of the series might suck but I am going to read it anyway because Des and Callie are amazing. I know who I am as a person and as a reader and this was right up my alley, so very much right up my alley. The banter had me rolling and I for sure was live texting most of it to my cousin who read it last year. It was so good! 

The Stopover by T.L. Swan (4.1/5)

         This was recommended to me by so many people that I know in real life. Seriously, so many people. I did enjoy the book but there was a lot about it that made the relationship unbelievable. There were so many fights and the miscommunication and the third-act breakup went on way too long. It kind of reminded me of Alex and Ava in Twisted Love where he kind of stalks her to get her back because he messed up so badly. There was a lot of spice, so much spice and I did like their relationship, but I am looking forward to Tristan’s story more. 

Bride to the Fiend Prince by Rebecca F. Kenney (4/5)

         I read A Court of Sugar and Spice in December and holy crap, it was…so much and such a shock to me that I enjoyed it. I like her writing style and this one was fun. I love a strong female character; I also love a good love story with enemies to lovers. I have many questions about myself because of the tropes I enjoy when it comes to reading, but here we are. I am reading A Court of Silver Flames as well and I am enjoying it as much as I can, but I am needing other books to read so I don’t get sucked into how much I dislike a character that is heavily featured. That is a story for another day! I really did enjoy the story though and it was a super quick read, they both need help, but they were ultimately good for one another and the Dreadlord was the worst. 

Wendy Darling by Rebecca F. Kenney (4/5)

         I am on a little bit of a kick because I downloaded this on my Kindle by accident. It was so much fun and Peter and Wendy are a mess. Melanie is the worst and I am already going to read the next one as soon as I can. I really like the fact that she has powers of her own and come on, it was so much fun to read. I couldn’t put it down. 

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (4.5/5)

         I still don’t like Nesta, I am glad that she got her redemption and I liked the story over all, but there was a lot of it that I just didn’t enjoy. She becomes so overpowered throughout the book and that just rubbed me the wrong way. Also, the whole treatment of Feyre in this one was weird, Rhys too. Like I don’t understand the shift in dynamics on this one, I really don’t. The Valkyrie’s are really cool over all, but there was just almost too much going on throughout for me to actually want to love it as much as I loved the rest of the series, this took me six days to read…six days. 

Captain Pan by Rebecca F. Kenney (4/5)

         You are going to be seeing a lot of her this month because I found a series, so this was number four and I did loop back and read number one the next day. It will be below. I have been sick all weekend so between coughing and feeling like I am going to pass out, I have been reading because no other position is comfortable, which is annoying. I might have to sleep sitting up tonight. That’s not what the book is about though, Hook is a lot, but I think most iterations are. Peter and Wendy will always be a couple I enjoy as long as they are both adults. 

King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair (4.3/5)

         It was a great read, so spicy, but it hooked me from really early in, though I didn’t call some of the twists. The big one I did call, the moment the flashbacks started, I called it. I mean, I do love eternal soulmate bonds, I really do. I have the second one so I will read it eventually. Her father though? Like where the heck did that come from. I was shocked. So shocked, everyone in her homeland all were rooting for her to kill him and that just felt so…unnecessary because Adrian seems like a nice guy. I mean, rough around the edges and you know a conqueror, but not a bad guy. 

Jack Frost by Rebecca F. Kenney (4/5)

         I read it in a day, seriously. I finished the one above and started this one, I didn’t stop. I probably should have because I need to stay hydrated and all of that, but this book was so much fun. Jack is such a cinnamon roll, Emery is a little bit of a hard ass, but the past that we are presented with in the book, it makes sense. The stalking was a little much, but he wanted to be near her and she gave the ultimate sacrifice to be with him, though I don’t know if she would see it as a sacrifice. Also, their meet-cute was super cute. 

The Snow Globe by Judith Kinghorn (3.3/5)

         Okay, I liked it well enough. It’s historical British fiction and has been in my collection for a long time, it was time to read it and either love it or unhaul it. I will be unhauling it. I liked Daisy, she was a character learning how to be an adult when everything around you seems to be falling apart. But the moment, the moment it was even thought that her love interest might be her brother, I had to read the end of the book. I had to read ahead to make sure he wasn’t otherwise this would have been a DNF. It was a pretty good read, but not one that I want to keep forever. 

Hades by Rebecca F. Kenney (4.2/5)

         Again, another Rebecca F. Kenney book because that’s all I have been reading on my Kindle this month. I loved Hades and Persephone, they are always in most iterations a mess, a whole mess. The Goddess of Creation was such a good character in this novel and Hades because a little bit submissive to her was really cute. There was so much in this book that I loved and Demeter is still the worst. I loved that everyone was brought back in (still no mention of book 2 which seems to be so out of place with the rest of the series) in the final moments. 

Captive of the Pirate King by Rebecca F. Kenney (4.7/5)

         It was amazing! Like Locke and Veronica were so much throughout the whole book, so much. It was spicy and they were like enemies to lovers to enemies back to lovers. It was a roller coaster of a book. I called the twist of who Locke was, I called it real early when I found out he was the love interest. Because let’s be real I was a little concerned with the appearance because I have read so many of RFK’s books. The plot was really good, I loved the magic system throughout and the building of relationships through trauma and shared experiences. 

Wrecked by C.C. Piper (4.2/5)

         Well, guess who didn’t think they were going to be opening this document twice in one day, it was me. Guess who did open this document twice in one day because they have no control? Also me. It was a really good book, I have never read one with a club aspect, like a bought and paid for sort of relationship. Though I loved the dynamic and the story as a whole. Richard is such a nice guy, like he wants everything for her and it was so cute! The relationship between Chrissy and her sister was so touching and the whole unraveling of the trauma, it really kept me reading and wanting to read more of it. I don’t know if I will continue the series, I might, I don’t know yet. Have a Kindle and Kindle Unlimited is dangerous for me…so dangerous.

Surrender, New York by Caleb Carr (3/5)

         It was fine, it was just so dense. Like it was so much prose, so much description and just a slow story. It was interesting, creepy, but it was slow. The most interesting character was the cheetah. There was a lot of unnecessary stuff that I just felt got piled in to make the book longer and it was just so long. Not every line of dialogue needs a paragraph worth of qualifiers or explanation. There was just too much for me to really immerse myself in the story and the whole grooming aspect really made me cringe throughout. I have had this book in my collection for years and it’s time for it to go and let someone else enjoy it in theirs. 

         So…I read 21 books in April, that’s right 21 books. Half of them were on my Kindle which is something I never thought I would be able to say because I was whole heartedly against e-readers until a few months ago and then I wanted to read and not have anyone question what I was reading, so I got a Kindle. 

         21 books though is insanity and I don’t know how we got here. I enjoyed most of the books that I read this month, four have been unhauled and I only have five others that were physical copies this month. I don’t know how to reconcile that with my post and with the number of books that I don’t have in the stack behind me on my other table in my office where I pile my monthly book piles. 

         I think that I can call this post good though and I will be back next month with more books, probably half on my Kindle half not, I want to get through my physical TBR before the summer so that’s going to be an adventure. If you want to check out all of the other books that I have read this year (since I am at 65 at the moment) you totally can with January, February, and March.

         I will be back with another post eventually, because I have just been all over the place the last couple of months and that means that this has taken a back burner. So until then I hope that everyone stays safe, happy, and healthy! 

         -MJ

Let’s Keep Track Shall We?: 

General Fiction: 6/12 (Someday, Someday, Maybe, White Girl Problems, A Vintage Affair, The Heiresses, I’ll See You in Paris, Surrender, New York, )

Sci-Fi/Fantasy: 5/12 (Howl’s Moving Castle, The Transference Engine, Queen of the Tearling, Prudence, The Historian, )

Historical: 5/12 (The Gown, Secrets of Nanreath Hall, The Wild Dark Flowers, The Harvest Man, )

Free Choice: 7/15 (A Poisoned Season, Dark Horizons, Things in Jars, The City We Became, Twisted Lies, The Demon Tailor, A Court of Silver Flames, )

Memoirs/Autobiographies: 2/2 (You Will Get Through This Night, As You Wish)

General Non-Fiction: 2/2 (Mindset, More Teacher Misery)

Book of The Month: 4/12 (Lunar Love, Georgie, All Along, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, Ana-Maria and The Fox, )

Extras: 24/? (Cocky Roommate, Portrait of a Scotsman, A Touch of Darkness, These Vicious Masks, Loathe to Love You, Book Lovers, A Lady’s Formula for Love, The Little Black Dress, A Soul to Keep, Terms and Conditions, The Umbra King, An Heiresses Guide to Deception and Desire, Bow Before the Elf Queen, The Rebel, Rhapsodic, The Stopover, Bride to the Fiend Prince, Wendy Darling, Captain Pan, King of Battle and Blood, Jack Frost, Hades, Captive of the Pirate King, Wrecked, )

Battle of the Books (it’s for school!): 8/?  (The Lightening Thief, Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian, Friendship According to Humphrey, Peter and The Starchasers, The False Prince, )