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“I’m a practiced blackmailer, sir. It’s usually easier to just tell me what I wish to know.”

“Easier for whom?”

“Well, for me, primarily. But it will be difficult for you either way, so it may as well be easier for somebody.”

— The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

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“I don’t really do living or daylight,” Dorian said. “I’m a Gothic masterpiece.”

— The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

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“Pity,” the man snorted. “I have no pity! The more the worms writhe, the more I yearn to crush out their entrails! It is a moral teething; and I grind with greater energy, in proportion to the increase in pain.”

This, by the way, was the book Charley read cover to cover three times one summer holiday at the beach, when he was eight. Sometimes, I’m amazed he turned out as well as he did.

— The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

Talking about Charley (and Rob) meeting Heathcliff. 😂😂 this book is a thrill, and I can’t wait to see what literary characters we come across next!

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A Taste for Lies

by LC Whitehouse / 4 stars

I really liked the world building in this one, though there were areas that can still be built upon and given more detail.

A thief is set to steal a magical set of pearls. Except the job is only an audition into an even bigger heist. One that takes her back to her home kingdom of Veridia, with the promise of learning more about the past she's got no memory of.

In Veridia, the Elite are protected by the Apex. Once human, in their late teens these individuals have emerged, connecting to an inner animal that gives them a heightened sense. With a rise in feral Apexes, these individuals are no longer trusted, losing their rights and being forced into service to the Elite.

Until the Beast Prince. No one knows who will emerge, so when the crown prince becomes Apex, there's more attention. An Elite of the highest order no longer completely trusted, will he be given the ability to marry? To gain rights for the Apex through his royal blood?

But what is really causing the Apex to go feral? This is what Alora, the thief known as the Lynx, is enlisted to help find out. An unexpected bond connects her to the Beast Prince, Taran, but she's as untrusting of him as the rest of court.

The lore was a bit murky, with the origin of the Apex and any research on them having been obscured. I'm hoping that book two really delves into this. Definitely a magic system I'm interested in, and can't wait to see how things turn out in book two! This book does have romance, but it is a very slow burn. Something else I'm looking forward to seeing develop in the next book. An interesting series starter, I'm glad this one was brought to my attention!

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“Touch her again and you’ll die.” Zhangwei’s voice was dangerously taut as he lifted his blade, pointing it at the captain. “But for what you did, I’ll kill you anyway.”

I straightened, unsheathing my sword. “I’ll kill him myself.”

— Immortal

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"I know you want to serve the Wellspring," the Pontifex says. "You don't want to continue to poison a power that was never yours to hold."

It isn't posed as a question, but an answer, writing over any she might give. He sounds like Enis when he said they were meant for each other, like the man in Leta's ballroom when he commanded her to dance. All different men, but their words served the same purpose. To tell her who she is, what she is for. To drown her voice.

-- Nightbirds

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“I never meant to hurt anyone.” A tear streaks down her cheek. “I thought I could control it.”

She thought she could use her power for good.

“It isn’t your fault.” The Pontifex’s voice has the sweetness of fruit just on the edge of turning rotten. “You are a woman, run by emotion. Of course you could not control it. It is a sacred power, too much for you to hold.”

— Nightbirds

😣😣

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Favorite Color: Don't have one - lame, I know

Last Song: Basement Noise by All Time Low (Wake up Sunshine is still my go to album in the car)

Currently Reading: Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan, Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong & Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (buddy read)

— Just started: The Sirens by Emilia Hart & The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton

— Just finished: Underground Royalty, by Mel Torrefranca (5 star)

— (Re)reading: None currently :(

Currently Watching: Naruto Shippuden & The Stanley Cup Finals (hockey)

— (Re)watching: House & always the movie Clue

Response tag @lavendarneverlands

get to know your moots tag game!

* answer the questions, then tag six people

Thanks for the tags @buffy-vanserra + @slytherin-pen 💕

Favourite colour: purple 💜☔️🍇🪻🌂☂️🪁

Last song: Blame It — T-Pain & Jamie Fox (lmao) 🎶

Currently reading: A Kingdom of Flesh & Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout 📚

Currently watching: not actively but House MD 🩻

Currently craving: Like @buffy-vanserra we’ve got a bank holiday in the UK, so 4-day weeks 😂

Food-wise, nothing right now but I had a lovely chicken, chickpea and grain salad for lunch, which I had been craving 😋

Tea or coffee: coffee in the AM, tea in the PM ���️

No pressure tags: @goghwilde @korepio @house-towers-westfall @some-sort-of-firefly @climbthemountain2020 @gwyns 🧡

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Underground Royalty

by Mel Torrefranca / 5 stars

It's rare for a second book to eclipse the first one, but this one manages it!

Set in the days leading up to Yahshi going underground, we explore 4 different POVs, none of them being Yahshi himself. Through these unexpected narrators, we get to experience what's going on in the underground, and in the Nightshade force Yahshi left behind.

I had the experience to beta read this one, and seeing where it went from the early copy to the finished, the work has definitely been put in and the story has grown even more!

At times funny, romantic, heartbreaking, and problematic, I don't know how much I can say about this without giving too much away. If you're just starting the series, I think the novella Maelin is definitely a must read before going to the second - it will provide a lot of extra insight.

I had to stop and catch my breath several times to keep from crying, and I will say that there isn't always happy moments for our favorite characters. Hard choices, knowing what rules are ok to break. What lines we can cross and still be on the right side.

One of my favorite current series, I can't wait for the third one to come out!

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“You’re a good one, Evaris.” He bit his trembling lip. “You’re the greatest.”

— Underground Royalty

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Fleeing Fate

by Fiona Rowan / 4 stars

Emily is a shifter. She's always been small, and loves nothing more than to run in her wolf form. But growing up in the Blood Moon pack has taught her that women are meant to be seen, not heard. Talking back has consequences. She's learned to bury her natural instincts and do everything she can to keep her alpha happy.

Until what her future will really look like clicks. She'll be expected to bring a child into this situation, which is something that has her waking up. She's too small to fight, but she can flee. And she'll have to get far enough away that they can never find her.

Weeks later, her body broken and nearly dead, Jackson finds her. His life has taught him that you can't trust outsiders, so why is everything drawing him to this small, vulnerable woman? Can it all be an act?

As he sees the trauma done to her body, Jackson realizes he can't let her go anywhere without training her to have the ability to escape a similar situation in the future. But will the trauma to her mind be the greater obstacle?

I love Sophie so much. Both for Emily to have finally found a friend, but also in the way that she listens to her and supports her. Some of their moments are tough to stomach, but I love that Sophie is so ready to defend her, and help her gain her own confidence.

The way that Emily's healing journey takes place, and seeing her grow into her own self, unafraid to sass someone, and finding her voice to communicate what she needs in a situation is so fulfilling!

Also, I am so ready for Sophie and Luca in the next book. I know this one isn't out yet, but can we get that one too please?

Expected publishing date June 27, 2025

I read this one so fast! Thank you so much to the author for an ARC!

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If Anything Happens to Me

by R.G. Prince / 3.5 stars

Not your typical romance. Georgia is happy for her friend Valentina's sudden engagement, and more than happy to be part of the whirlwind wedding just a week later. What she isn't expecting is a chance encounter at her favorite coffee shop that feels like something out of a romance novel. The tall, handsome stranger with ocean eyes, happening to pick up a conversation with her, of all people?

Even more, she isn't expecting to meet him again that night. Warren, the best friend of Tom, Valentina's soon to be husband, is the best man and it seems like they'll be spending time together as the wedding weekend progresses. Warren is captivated by Georgia, and he's not about to let her slip through his fingers, even if it means coming on strong.

Georgia is swept away by her handsome stranger, feeling things she thought she'd never experience as she uses every chance to talk to him, long into the nights of dancing for both the bridal party and the wedding itself. Trusting her heart, she agrees to go with him for a week, to meet his son and find out if what's between them is real.

After spending the perfect week with Warren, she returns home, only to find silence from him. Years go by before their given their second chance, but will it be everything she's dreamed of?

A story about how people can change. How addiction can alter people. How you can find yourself in an abusive situation from the last place you expected - and how maybe you can heal despite it all. Maybe you do have the power to save yourself.

Thank you to the author, RG Prince, for the arc. All opinions are my own, expected publishing date June 3, 2025

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The Perfect Rom-Com

by Melissa Ferguson / narrated by Karissa Vacker / 4 stars

I picked this one up for the fact that it was based on the movie Two Weeks Notice, one of those nostalgic rewatches for me that still gets me every time. Boy was it a good one! While I could appreciate the nods to the inspiration, I feel like it improved on the original and was completely its own at the same time!

Bryony Page just wants to be an author. And honor her grandmother, who founded The Bridge, where she teaches ESL and has seen it change lives. Her manuscript - a dense historical fiction, with light fantasy elements, romance and slightly biographical piece - that tells about the founding of the bridge, and how it stands as a pillar in it's community, an homage to her grandmother's legacy. She's at an author event, and the only agent she's managed to connect with is the intimidating Jack Sterling. A man who takes one glance at her manuscript, tells her it would never sell, and then goes back to checking his email. An encounter that almost has Bryony giving up, she's almost out the door when she realizes this is her time, and she'll make Jack listen if it's the last thing she does.

Fast forward two years, and Bryony is a published author. Fans love her books and come for miles around to meet - Amelia Benedict. The publishing heiress who wrote one book herself before being propelled to fame by ghost writers. Like Bryony. When Amelia fumbles at a tour stop, thoughtlessly letting the audience (and Bryony) know that Amelia doesn't even read the books, the publishers have an answer. Send Bryony with Amelia on tour, set up with an earpiece, so when fans ask thoughtful, pointed questions, Bryony can feed Amelia the answers.

The more time she spends with Amelia, the more she's sure this isn't what she wants. The Bridge, where Bryony has been funneling all her book money and continues to teach ESL at, is shutting down. Bryony would much rather be there, taking on more hours and trying to find ways to get more funding, then on this Amelia focused tour. Especially when Amelia starts butchering her current manuscript, forcing her to take out characters she loves, and make it more whimsical. Less potent. Along for the ride is Jack, who has managed to become one of her closest friends, and her supporter in this whole mess. Yes, Amelia is his client, who he needs to keep happy, but he also has Bryony's back. He's still trying to publish her first book, making sure it finds the right audience.

Secrets are revealed, lines are drawn. This one had heart, and I really felt like Jack was there for her the whole time, even if he didn't handle everything in the best way. I loved the narration, and I'll be sure to give Karissa Vacker more listens in the future! And Melissa Ferguson, if I can expect this level of humor, heart, and romance.

Thank you for the audio ARC from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing. All opinions are my own.

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My Big Fat Fake Marriage

by Charlotte Stein / 5 stars

This book was an unexpected delight, and I absolutely adored it!

Featuring the biggest, spiciest cinnamon roll I have met to date. I love that this time the sunshine disposition is the guy, because Beck is so goofy and loveable.

Hazel (who goes by Connie, because she never felt like she was the type of person people would accept as "Hazel") has doubts about her neighbor. Yeah, her best friend Mabel works with him and says he's a great guy, and he drops off desserts at her door like clockwork. He's tall and big, with a big mustache, suspenders and a bowtie. He definitely has to be hiding something.

When an awkward encounter in the hall leads to him leaving a letter under her door, a conversation starts. And it becomes clear that Beck has a problem. He has a work bully who's constantly trying to make him seem incompetent and thinks he doesn't deserve the job he has. In the midst of negative comments that Beck takes on the chin, pleasantly joking to make himself seem even sillier, he made a mistake. He made up a wife. A wife that Doug has latched onto, and is constantly asking questions about.

As it becomes clear to Hazel that Beck might possibly be a genuinely nice human, Doug's comments start to burn. How dare he treat someone so cutely, effortlessly good that way? If Beck needs a wife, then he'll have one.

The plan? Convince Doug that Beck is married, but leave hints that the marriage isn't perfect, so later news of their divorce doesn't seem like a surprise. Except when they get to the writing retreat, Beck is constantly throwing her off. Making her food that she's mentioned offhand is her favorite, complimenting her and encouraging her to give writing a try in a way that gives her a confidence she's never known. She's always been told that she's too much, and she needs to tuck herself away to find a man. That she can't be snarky, or be into sci-fi books. That someone her size can't wear revealing or snug clothes, that she can't express her desires freely. And yeah, her mom is the one who's made most of these comments, and guys have only let her down in the past. So why is her fake husband somehow able to know exactly what she needs to hear?

I loved the inclusion of Mabel and Alfie from When Grumpy Met Sunshine, my first Charlotte Stein book, and again, I loved how heavily the dialogue between these two was featured. There were things going on in the background, but even then, they found their way to keep communicating. Their affection and how they got their was real and left no doubts. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for Stein's next book, because once again I didn't want this one to end!

This one definitely brings the spice too!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for this one. All opinions are my own!

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“Real friends don’t hold each other hostage,” Keiyo muttered.

— Underground Royalty

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“It was for you.”

— Underground Royalty

Ok, I know this is a little known series from an indie publisher… but this moment. Ahhhh. It’s killing me. It’s ok. I’m not crying now.

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I made a promise to myself to be a good one more often than not.

— Underground Royalty