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[hellojenpenworld]

Reading Update!

I have not been reading my books. Ahhhh!

Instead I recently was able to watch (binge watch) the first season of Hazbin Hotel which also pushed me to watch Helluva Boss. I’m obsessed!

So, instead of reading my book collection like I should be doing, I have been reading fanfiction for Hazbin Hotel.

Maybe when I get it out of my system a little I’ll be able to come back to my books. 😁😅

[hellojenpenworld]

Another new book read!

This was another collection of short stories about 3 brothers finding love. It was extremely sweet and enjoyable read, as well as a quick read.

Overall, I really enjoyed it.

[hellojenpenworld]

Another new book I just finished reading!

I need to put myself on a book buying ban or stay off TikTok because I keep finding authors talking about their books and absolutely adore the stories and then buy the books when I already have soooooooo many in my house to read.

This was a collection of short stories about 6 brothers in Alaska running a lodge. Each one follows as they find the One and some are better than others, but all are enjoyable.

I would read this collection again because it gives you sweet, quick stories that you can enjoy one by one or all at once.

[hellojenpenworld]

Book 4 (I think) in my quest to read all the physical books I own. “A Court of Silver Flames” by Sarah J. Maas.

The funny thing about this book is I actually started it a while ago, but because I devoured the others in the series so quickly I started getting a bit burned out of the world.

Didn’t help that I was reading other stories in ebook form that were also set in Fae worlds.

So, I set it aside knowing I’d come back later because I was enjoying it, but just needed a break.

Luckily, I’m able to remember what happened pretty easily so I can pick up where I left off.

Let’s get another unread book off my list!

[hellojenpenworld]

Another new addition to my library!

“Married to the Mahr” by Delilah Dare is a monster romance novella. It was a very quick read (only took a few hours) and had some very spicy scenes while also keeping the story flowing.

I really enjoyed this and plan to pick up more by this author in the future.

If you are looking for a quick, spicy monster romance, this has it. I really enjoyed it.

What to read next?

[hellojenpenworld]

Book 2! I didn’t need it since there are SOOOOO many books in my home that I haven’t read.

However, I was really interested in this world and what was going to happen next. This book was a good read and I really enjoyed it. It picked up right when the other left off and continued the story in a believable and interesting way.

I know that there is a 3rd book coming and I can’t wait to read it next.

[hellojenpenworld]

Just finished “Electra Galaxy’s Mr. Interstellar Feller” by Candace Sams.

This was the 3rd book on my quest to read through my extremely large physical TBR.

This was a cute book that had me guessing a few times. It reminded me of the movie “Miss Congeniality” but with a male beauty pageant and aliens. There was a lot going on and I really enjoyed it.

Was it perfect? No, but it was entertaining and I could read it again in the future. For a book I picked up on clearance on a whim, it was pretty good.

On to the next one to bring my physical TBR list down a bit. What will randomly be selected next?

[hellojenpenworld]

The next randomly selected book in my quest to read all my physical TBR of over 2,000.

“Electra Galaxy’s Mr. Interstellar Feller” by Candace Sams, copyright 2008.

I picked this up on clearance at the bookstore for $1. I liked the idea of a Miss Congeniality story with a male police officer and him being an alien as well is extra fun.

I can’t wait to dive in and see what’s it all about.

[hellojenpenworld]

A new book!!

Did I need a new book when I have over 2,000 unread ones in my home? Probably not. Did I already read this and enjoy it? Yes, yes I did.

I bought directly from the author so it was signed and I wanted to start reading right away, so I did.

I enjoyed the world building of the underwater world and the differences between the two warring groups. It made sense and the enemies-to-lovers was well done. Really I had a hard time putting it down.

I did feel like the romance did go a bit fast, but it didn’t take anything away from the overall plot. I felt like a little more time could have been spend fleshing out a couple more of the side characters relationships with others, such as Arges’ relationship with his brother. Again, it didn’t hurt anything and is a minor thing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and was happy to read a story with a mythical/paranormal creature that wasn’t a shifter, vampire, or Fae.

If you are tired of reading the same sort of stories and want a well developed world with a true enemies-to-lovers story and like reading monster romances, then I highly recommend this book/series.

Ready to read book 2 already. 😁

[hellojenpenworld]

So, in my quest to read all the books I own, I randomly picked up the 1st in this series.

I got about 50ish pages in and have decided this is not for me.

I’m not a fan of the main character and how she acts or the male lead. I felt that the premise was interesting, but the execution (at least starting off) wasn’t working for me.

Sadly going to have to DNF this book and unhaul these 2 books from my collection.

Onto the next one!

[hellojenpenworld]

The next book to read in my challenge to read all my unread books. This will be book 2 of over 2,000.

“Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side” by Beth Fantaskey.

I bought this book after finding it in the clearance section of a local used book store for just $3 back in 2015. It sounded interesting to me at the time so I picked it up, but didn’t read it.

If I like it, I’ll go right into the 2nd book “Jessica Rules the Dark Side” and knock out 2 more books. If not, they will both be directed out of my collection back to the used book store.

Wish me luck!

[hellojenpenworld]

Just finished the first book in the “Reading all My Unread Books” challenge.

“Catch Me if You Can” by Frank Abagnale with Stan Redding.

This was a very interesting read. It kept me intrigued and invested throughout. My only issue was it felt like the story ends before it actually finished, like there was supposed to be more but there wasn’t. Kind of weird way to end it.

Overall, I found it very intriguing and wanted to read more. Very well written.

One down, 2,095 more to go. Onto the next one!

[hellojenpenworld]

Reading every unread book I own in my personal library challenge - #1

“Catch Me If You Can” by Frank W. Abagnale with Stan Redding.

I purchased this after I found it in the clearance section of my used book store. I had seen the movie and was curious about the story. I added it to my collection in May 2022 and never picked it up to read it.

Going alphabetical by author in this challenge makes this the first book to read.

Wish me luck!

[hellojenpenworld]

My 2024 goal is to be more active with writing reviews of books I’m reading so I will remember my thoughts at the end of the year.

This last year, I read 84 books. A lot of them were ebooks and part of series. The problem is that I was devoting them so quickly that now when I look back I only have vague memories of what I was reading when I look at just the title. Other factors come back when I read the synopsis of the book and/or the character names, but a lot of them run together in my mind.

Gonna work on being more on top of that.

[hellojenpenworld]

Sylvia Plath, from The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

[hellojenpenworld]

January 2023 Reading Wrap-Up (Part 1)

So.... I had a lot of reading done in January. I was on an ebook reading kick and just couldn't stop reading., so most of my reads were ebooks with a few audiobooks thrown in. It was a great feeling. It was really fantastic.

Because I read so much this last month, I'm splitting my wrap-up in 3 parts. Here is my first set of January reads. 😁

Be warned: spoilers are ahead.

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"Tempest" by Miranda Bridges and Kyra Snow, book 4 in the Elemental Mates series.

Zoey is having a bad day. Kidnapped, sold, abandoned on an unfamiliar planet, almost sacrificed and then running into a hot, grumpy alien. Kai thought he would never have a mate after his died, but here he is reacting to a human.

This was a fun and fast-paced story. I liked that Kai was fighting his feelings and doing his best to reassure Zoey that she wasn't just going to be a breeder for his people and how their relationship grew.

I do kind of wish that they hadn't found Kai's mother on the same planet that Zoey was abandoned on, but that was a minor issue overall. I loved how Zoey interacted with Kai and all the names she gave him when he refused to give her his actual name. I loved all the twists and turns the story took as well.

I can't wait for the next story as it looks like it will be a lot of fun and drama as well. I can't wait to see what will happen next.

4.5/5 stars - January 5th to January 5th

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"Zephyr" by Miranda Bridges and Kyra Snow, Book 5 of the Elemental Mates series.

This was one of my favorite of the series.

Daxis has issues with being touched or touching others, but when he accidentally comes in contact with the human, Dawn, he is horrified to find that she is his mate. Dawn is attracted to Daxis but isn't sure why he seems to hate her despite them being mates.

I just really loved this story. Daxis has a lot of baggage from his past and it affects his relationship with Dawn. Surprisingly, Dawn was much strong that I anticipated her being and she shows it a lot throughout. Her growth was well done.

I also really enjoyed seeing more of Adam, Hazel's brother from book one, and how life has changed for him.

5/5 stars - January 5th to January 6th

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"Terra" by Miranda Bridges, Book 6 of the Elemental Mates series.

This book was interesting because Ivy, the human, is unaware of the other humans already rescued and everything else that has been going on.

Ivy is found to be "defective" due to her scars and is supposed to be food for what she calls a "Fire Wolf". However, the wolf bonds with her instead. Maxim needs the wolf to help find the Master and discovers that Ivy is also his mate.

I liked this story and thought it was pretty cute overall. I liked the new characters and the mystery behind the Master. I also found the wolf to be really cool as well.

I did wish it was a bit longer to flesh out the romance a bit more, but overall was a quick and cute read.

3.5/5 stars - January 7th to January 7th

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"Amethyst" by Miranda Bridges, Book 7 in the Elemental Mates series.

I couldn't stop reading this book (unless I was forced to due to work).

We follow Ash (aka, the Master) on his quest to take down his uncle when he runs into his mate, Cora. Cora has been away from Earth for so long that she had to find a job as a stripper just to get by.

I loved this one! Ash finding Cora and their romance was so sweet. I also liked seeing all the previous characters returns and how everything came together in the end.

The romance was rushed,. but not as much as the previous book, and I loved that Cora took the lead the first time.

Overall, this was one of my favorite of the series and I would re-read this series again.

4.5/5 stars - January 7th to January 8th

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"A Walk Along the Beach" by Debbie Macomber, Book 2 in the Oceanside series.

What a read!

After loosing their mother, Willa took it upon herself to care for her younger sister, Harper, and their father while her brother, Lucas, was in the military. Three years after Harper beat cancer, Willa has her bakery and lives with Harper in a small apartment. Harper encourages Willa to start dating freelance photographer, Sean, and everything is looking good. But all is thrown into chaos when Harper's cancer returns.

For the most part, this was good. Characters were interesting and I even cried at points (had to really focus when I was driving and listening to this audiobook at the same time). A lot of things kept me guessing and didn't go as expected.

However, I did feel like Willa forgave Sean a bit too easily at the end and that she should have blown up at him more than once. I know that it is just my personal opinion, but I think it was too easy for Sean to get back into her good graces after everything.

Overall, it was a good book.

3.5/5 stars - December 30th, 2022 - January 8th

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"Artek" by Honey Phillips, Book 1 in the Seven Brides for Seven Alien Brothers series.

A very cute read.

Artek and his military brothers settled on a ranch after a senseless war in order to start a new life. Now, 2 years later, Artek is ready for companionship and has his eyes on Nelly, the shopkeeper's daughter. Nelly takes the chance on a change and marries Artek, since she has also been attracted to him for a while as well.

This wasn't the strongest story in my opinion. Artek and Nelly didn't have a ton of conflict and what they did have was resolved so quickly that it didn't do much to the overall story plot.

This felt more like a book set up to introduced all the other characters more than a book about growing a relationship between Artek and Nelly. Nelly and Artek spet very little time communicating to each other, which made it hard to accept that they fell in love. Most interactions were off-page.

Overall, it was cute story with Nelly learning about the ranch and meeting the other brothers (who are all different alien species) and everything. It did make me interested in the other brothers, which I feel was this book's ultimate goal.

3.5/5 stars - January 9th to January 10th

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"Benjar" by Honey Phillips, Book 2 in the Seven Brides for Seven Alien Brothers series.

This was, again, a cute read, but just not very strong in the story.

Benjar kidnaps Ruby to be his bride, which is not what she anticipated when dreaming of an adventure. Now they are stuck together during a snowstorm and may find exactly what they need in each other.

Overall, the story was cute. I really enjoyed as Benjar was attracted to Ruby but thought that she wasn't right for him because she didn't meet his requirements he had planned out. I also liked how they thought of their other brothers, who didn't come to kidnap girls, and kidnapped them brides also.

My problem came with the romance part. I felt like it was way too fast with no idea of how much time was passing, so it all felt like it was same day.

I did enjoy it overall, and I was still interested in continuing the series.

3.5/5 stars - January 10th to January 11th

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"Callum" by Honey Phillips, Book 3 of the Seven Brides for Seven Alien Brothers series.

This is the book where the series picked up for me.

Pearl find her sister, Ruby from book 2, kidnapped and goes after her only to be caught in an avalanche. She is rescued by Callum, one of the aliens who purchased the nearby ranch and who Pearl has been attracted to. The two are stuck together until the snowstorm lets up causing the unspoken attraction between them to come into the forefront.

I loved this! There wasn't anything between these two other than glances until they were forced to spend time together. I loved watching the relationship grown and become more.

Callum and Pearl were both hurt in the past, which they have made peace with alone, but I loved how they found additional peace with each other. We also start to get hints of things going on outside of this small community and that really interested me to know what else was going to happen.

It gave me hope that this series would just continue to improve and be really great.

5/5 stars - January 11th to January 11th

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"Drakkar" by Honey Phillips, Book 4 in the Seven Brides for Seven Alien Brothers series.

Drakkar's story was very sweet.

Drakkar knows that his kind do not mate for life. They come together briefly for procreation and then go back off on their own again. They prefer solitude. Despite this, Drakkar leaves his home planet and joins his military brethren on a new world restoring a decrepit ranch. His is surprised when a vulnerable human, Kitty, awakens his protective instincts. Kitty has made many mistakes in her life, but knows that despite how she came to be her daughter isn't one of them. When things get a bit intense with her daughter's father, Drakkar rescues them and takes them to his cave in the mountains. Kitty isn't sure she can trust him, but that doesn't stop her from falling for him.

I really enjoyed this story because Drakkar was so vulnerable with Kitty and her daughter. Their interactions were sweet.

Like that others in this series, the romance did go a bit fast, but that didn't distract me too much from the story. I really liked it.

4.5/5 stars - January 11th to January 12th

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"Endark" by Honey Phillips, Book 5 of the Seven Brides for Seven Alien Brothers series.

This was one of my favorite in the series so far!

Endark is slowly going crazy and the only thing that he can do is get a mate. A mate will calm the rage within him due to his alien nature, at least he hopes it will and he isn't too far gone. He knows that humans fear his kind so he has no choice but to kidnap his mate. Becky is doing everything she can to support herself and her younger brother. Getting kidnapped wasn't part of the plan. Now she finds herself trapped with an alien that both terrifies and excites her.

I just really loved this story.

Endark really had to work to win Becky's trust because of the mistrust humans have towards his alien race. I also liked that he respected her to wait for her despite his need to claim her as his mate to save himself.

I also liked how Becky's brother was there and was an added complication that Endark didn't expect, but accepted, and how Endark won over both of them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and wanted to go right into the next (which doesn't come out until later in February). Very sweet.

4/5 stars - January 12th to January 13th

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So that is part one of all the books read in January. I'll post part two soon. There will probably be 3 parts to this, but that is just how many books I read in this month.

Thanks for sticking around and Happy Reading!

[hellojenpenworld]

2023 goal is to read at least 60 books with at least half of those being ones on my physical TBR list.

I have over 1500 books on my physical TBR list so it might be helpful to read through those and remove ones that are not for me so they can move on to people who will enjoy them.

Wish me luck!