It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson (4 stars)
The Champions by Kara Thomas (4.5 stars)

Review That Was Posted:

The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace (ARC) (4 stars)

Currently Reading:

Meridian Six by Jaye Wells--picking a bunch of short reads until I get my copy of TMOIE!

What I Plan to Read Next (Hopefully!):

The Mirror of Infinite Endings by Stephanie Garber--I should have just requested Tuesday off but due to with recent changes at work, I couldn't bring myself to take off a day during our busy season to go to the store to buy a copy when I have soooo many preordered and eventually on their way to me. So here I am Monday, sad because my book likely won't be coming anytime soon as B&N made sure they were the LAST books they shipped to me. Fate is cruel.

Stacking the Shelves

 

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Reading Reality.

Survived another week. It was yet another rough one. Work is still pretty busy, but luckily we were all there this week. I didn't receive any updates this week regarding my closing date which seemed odd, but because I was so busy at work it didn't really hit me until Friday evening that I didn't have my weekly update or an update on this next round of disclosures that I need to sign that I was told would be updated because besides the address one or two other things needed to be corrected. I still need to know the amount of cash to bring to closing which is Friday as I have to get that taken care of this week at the bank. So yeah. Just headaches all around it seems! Lol. Then it's trying to get things worked out so my parents and I can get things going on the little bit of updating that we want to do before I move in. Mostly replacing the carpeting upstairs and getting the basement ready for my library! Lol. Sadly, it seems the publishers forgot all about little old me when it came to sending out early copies of Stephanie's TMOIE. Seeing those popup on Instagram was the sharpest of knives into my heart. And then all weekend long I was checking my email to see when my copies would ship and of course, every single title OTHER than TMOIE was shipping left and right and even my indie edition wasn't going to ship until release day and I've NO clue when my UK ones would ship as they apparently have to wait until release day too. So yeah...not the best of weeks. But it is what it is. I did get to go to one signing this week to see Victoria Aveyard! I saw her last time around when she came for the end of her Realmbreaker series which I still need to read! I even ran into Rachelle from Shell's Stories! So that was the one bit of fun I had this past week! I've another signing to see Adalyn Grace and Kaylie Smith this week! This will be the first time I get to see Adalyn in a signing like setting and hear her talk since the last two times were at signing only type events. I mean there was a panel at those, but I didn't get to attend as I was usually in another signing line! Lol.

Here's what I got this week:

Deadly Little Lessons by Danielle Valentine
The Emperor's Enemy by Jasmine Mas--really need to read this one asap so I can determine if I need the other editions! Lol.
Tempest by Victoria Aveyard--SIGNED!

Then I got this one for free in Liesl West's newsletter:

Of Ink and Envy by Liesl West

Then I got my Fairy Loot book for this month! This one sounded intriguing enough to get it and I learned the author will be here next month at an event, so I can get it signed at least! The cover is just so-so, I'll have to see if the flipside was better or just keep it as is.

Then I popped into a TJ Maxx and though I've told myself among the many things I do not need more of are tote bags and blankets...I bought another tote bag!

It's a tarot card style of the one we all need: The Reader! It was the good quality fabric bag too. I've gotten plenty of those really lightweight chinsy bags that can barely hold anything, but this one can hold a decent amount of weight, so I had to get it really! Lol.

And that was it for me this week! What did you get?

Review--The Champions by Kara Thomas

 

From the author of The Cheerleaders comes another dark YA thriller set in the same town of Sunnybrook. When a mysterious accident befalls a member of the all-star high school football team, the town's deadly history stands to repeat itself—and the price of discovering the truth is higher than anyone could imagine.

It was the deaths of five cheerleaders that made the town of Sunnybrook infamous. Eleven years later, the girls' killer has been brought to justice, and the town just wants to move on. By the time Hadley moves to Sunnybrook, though, the locals are more interested in the Tigers, the high school's championship-winning football team. The Tigers are Sunnybrook’s homegrown heroes--something positive in a town with so much darkness in its past.

Hadley could care less about football, but shortly after she gets assigned to cover the team's latest championship bid for the school newspaper, one of the Tigers is poisoned at a party, and almost immediately after, Hadley starts getting strange emails warning her to stay far away from the football team.

It's becoming clear Sunnybrook's golden boys have secrets, and after a second player is mysteriously killed, Hadley’s beginning to suspect that someone wants the team to pay for their sins. Or does this new target on the football team have something to do with what happened to the cheerleaders all those years ago?

As an outsider in Sunnybrook, Hadley feels like she's the only one who can see the present clearly, but it looks like she’s going to have to dig up the darkness of the past to get to the bottom of what’s happening now. Luckily, there are still some Sunnybrook High grads who never left--people who were around eleven years ago--and if she can just convince them to talk, she might be able stop a killer before another Tiger dies.

What’s becoming the motto of my reviews: I finally picked up The Champions by Kara Thomas and it was awesome! This was a prolonged companion to The Cheerleaders! I couldn’t really remember much about that one due to time and hundreds of books later, but thankfully it wasn’t something that was necessary to understand this story which is always a blessing! 

Hadley is forced to write an article about the high school football team and how they are on track to be three time champions, which has never been accomplished. Hadley is desperate to be editor-in-chief of the school paper so she’ll do whatever she has to do. She wants to attend Columbia University and this will look really good on her application. But then she starts getting mysterious emails warning her away from the football team and she’s not sure what to make of it.

Everything starts out fine. She ends up talking to Logan who’s on the team and one thing leads to another and they’re attending a party together but it ends in disaster. Logan ends up in a coma due to something in his drink. Her mysterious penpal indicates that Hadley might have been the intended target of the tainted drink and things suddenly get very real.

Soon the mystery begins and Hadley starts digging into the past and uncovers dark secrets that someone tried to keep buried. We do see (familiar) faces from The Cheerleaders, but I can honestly say I only caught onto Monica as she was the heroine that time around! But again, this isn’t one of those books where you need to read the first one to understand or enjoy one! You’ll just be quicker to recognize cameos!

The mystery itself got pretty dark. It was insane thinking these were high school students committing these heinous crimes and how they were kept out of public light. It sadly seems like something that could actually happen because people get a little intense when it comes to athletes and such.

Joining Hadley in her quest to uncover the truth is Peter, who was initially her academic rival. But oddly enough, you don’t really get any vibe that there’s a love connection happening. Honestly, Hadley going on a date with Logan was the only bit of possible romance you get in this one. I was totally fine with this! Romance in thrillers isn’t necessary for me. Sure it’s nice here and there but I’m usually like: there’s a mystery to solve, kiss later! Lol.

In the end with the whodunit reveal I was bit surprised. I had made one guess to a part of the mystery and I was wrong but my guess had merit elsewhere! The twists and turns got pretty chaotic as there were a lot of possible suspects popping up so I wasn’t all that deterred by being wrong!

The Champions was a pretty dark and almost sinister thriller mystery! I feel like it’s the same kind of tone from The Cheerleaders as we did get a shortened refresher about those events. I’m always up for a chilling read though but this almost makes you want to never go out again! Like all thrillers do! If you’re wanting to read something spine-tingling creepy this Spooky Season be sure to add this one or any of Kara Thomas’ books to your list!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

Book Blogger Hop #429

 

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

This week's question is: If you could recommend one overlooked book, what would it be and why?

MY ANSWER: Oh geez. This is hard. I guess since the blogosphere has gotten significantly smaller it's hard for me to figure out what's an overlooked book. I mean, yes, I know what we mean by the term. But I guess because I am just in my own little corner in this universe here, books that might be considered "overlooked" to "outsiders" would just be normal ones to me! Lol. And since I am always falling behind on new releases, it's even harder for me to pick something that could be called "overlooked."

I'll just throw King of Ravens out there by Clare Sager. This was a January release that I absolutely loved and I guess I just didn't see it around a lot at the time so I feel like it missed some of its love considering it's a "romantasy" book.

Books from the Backlog #203

 

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

Love. Obsession. Jealousy. Murder.

No one knows what happened to pop icon Eric Thorn. His Twitter account? Frozen. His cell phone? Cracked and bloody, buried in the snow.

Agoraphobic fangirl Tessa Hart knows the truth, but she's finally left her #EricThornObsessed days behind. She has no intention of ever touching her Twitter app again. But Snapchat... That's safer, right?

After months of living under the radar, Tessa emerges from hiding, forced to face the deadly consequences of her past. But in the interrogation room, answers only lead to more questions in the pulse-pounding conclusion to the Follow Me Back duology.

I added A.V. Geiger's Tell Me No Lies to my TBR pile in June of 2018 because I had added the first book to my TBR pile as well and since it was a duology, I obviously had to wait to get this one before I could start it. Here we are 8 years later and I still need to start it! Lol. It sounded like a good one so I hope to read it still at some point!

Review--Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

 

From the bestselling author of the Truly Devious books, Maureen Johnson, comes a new stand-alone YA about a teen who uncovers a mystery while working as a tour guide on an island and must solve it before history repeats itself.

The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist.

With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition.

Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?

Maybe this job isn’t such a gift after all. Morning House has a horrific secret that’s been buried for decades, and now the person who brought her here is missing.

All it takes is one clue to set off a catastrophic chain of events. One small detail, just like a spark, could burn it all down—if someone doesn’t bury Marlowe first.

Death at Morning House is yet another entertaining and somewhat chilling mystery from Maureen Johnson! I positively love Maureen's voice! In all of her novels, her heroines lead with their own unique persona that just livens up the page and this book is no different!

Marlowe has a very realistic voice of a seventeen year old girl. She tells this story in her own words and I just loved her additional commentary, because yes, she comments (occasionally) on the things she says. It makes for great entertainment, like Marlowe is someone I would be friends with because she's very real.

All Marlowe wanted to do was impress her crush, Akilah, and take her out on a fabulous date so they could fall in love and live happily ever after. But then the candle exploded and she set her neighbor's house on fire which she had been housesitting for them like she did every summer. And things take a dark spiral from there.

Then a teacher offers her a job at Morning House as a tour guide, as the group was short one member and Marlowe is a quick study and has a good memory to be able to give the tours of this historical house which has its own dark history, which we learn of through interspersed flashbacks. These were intriguing interludes between the story happening at large in the present day.

Marlowe learns through her coworkers and fellow teens, that she replaced Chris, who tragically died earlier that summer, leaving them short on guides. Their boss pretty much leaves them up to their own devices as long as they do their job, she's there for moral support as she conducts her own research on things. And then one day, she disappears right before she was to meet with an important guest and a new mystery starts.

To say Death at Morning House was filled with mystery is putting it mildly. This book was the epitome of mysterious as there were quite a few mysteries both past and present that were unsolved. The one from the past gets solved through the flashbacks, but it's the more current mysteries that are the ultimate thinker. Deaths and vanishings...makes you think the killer might be on this little island somewhere and I totally pegged them down! Lol.

Needless to say I solved the mystery but as far as the reasons why that's usually what stumps me! Lol.

There was some touch and go moments of romance in this one. Marlowe starts things off with a romantic date and when she thinks things are over before they even start, she begins to maybe fall for another girl on this little island. I wouldn't call it a love triangle per se, but it's definitely complicated! Lol. But since the romance wasn't super integral to the story, it largely stayed in the background except for little moments here and there.

Pacing wise, this story was pretty good. There were some creepy moments, but I had the feeling going in this would not be a supernatural ghost story on the side. But there were doubts along the way for sure and I won't say what it ended up as because those moments were creepy! Occasionally, I felt like things dragged for a little bit here and there, but just as I got to that "do something" moment, something would in fact happen! But yes, while Marlowe was an entertaining narrator, there were moments of downtime and the mundane that had me craving for some kind of action.

All in all, this was still a rather entertaining novel. Marlowe's voice in particular kept me largely hooked into the story and the mysterious elements were done exceedingly well. I enjoyed the different past and present day mysteries going on even if some of the "why" reasons weren't fulfilling. But as a whole, this was yet another entertaining Maureen Johnson read that was worthy in itself!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

Can't Wait Wednesday #266

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Welcome back to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense, where the line between hunter and hunted has never been thinner.

To rescue someone close to her, Viv Abbot must team up with Reid’s violent, unpredictable older brother, Deacon. Her uneasy truce with him offers Viv something Reid never could: the chance to embrace her darkness.

Viv’s mission takes her to the center of Astera’s seedy underbelly with none other than the White Stag as her guide. But when a bounty on Viv’s head puts those she cares about in danger, Viv will be forced to go to lengths she never dreamed in order to protect them.

With enemies closing in from all sides and a ticking clock on her life, Viv must save the Half City from destruction while surviving a betrayal that strikes at the heart of everything she’s fighting for. Because in a world where monsters wear familiar faces and temptation cuts deeper than any blade, making it through her second semester at Harker will take more than skill—it will take everything Viv has left to give. Who can she really trust in a city that thrives on lies?

Still need to read the first book but I have a feeling I will enjoy it! I enjoyed the first book of her fantasy series that I still need to finish up, so I have high hopes for this series too!

TITLE: Cursed City
AUTHOR: Kate Golden
PUBLISHER: Ace
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: September 29, 2026

Set in a world of insatiable immortals, their eternal rivalries, and the humans trapped between them, MORTAL THINGS is a cinematic and sweeping new fantasy from #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu, perfect for fans of Heartless Hunter and A Darker Shade of Magic.

Rose Lin Fairchild didn’t believe in gods, but one chose her anyway.

Rose despises Raven, the god of Death. His mysterious commands. His mercurial moods. His closed heart. But most of all, she loathes that she was forced to become his Harbinger, a human mercenary tasked to fulfil their god’s every want and whim. Still, she would do it again, because being a Harbinger is the only thing keeping her best friend alive.

When a murder rocks the world of the gods, Rose is suddenly thrust into the immortal realm's spotlight as Raven's heir. This is her chance to free her friend once and for all. But in order for her to ascend, she must first prove herself to the other gods—and the one person standing in her way is a fellow Harbinger.

Étienne Beauchard is notorious for his sly wit and charming good looks. Rose can’t stand that he is the one assigned to test her abilities, but as their initial hostility evolves into an intense attraction, they find that the gods’ secrets go deeper than they ever expected. Something is wrong in the immortal world, something that threatens to break their bond and engulf them all in war.

As Rose and Étienne fight to uncover the truth and trust each other with their hearts, they realize that everything hinges on the same How far would you go to save the person you love?

Love Marie's books even though I am vastly behind on them, but that's pretty much par for the course these days on lots of favorite authors! Lol.


TITLE: Mortal Things
AUTHOR: Marie Lu
PUBLISHER: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: October 27, 2026

They called her a nightmare, so she became one.

Haven Powers has spent years trying to disappear. Once a loud, troublemaking girl who defied every expectation in her small town of Friendship, Texas, now she’s learned to hide her fire behind a quiet receptionist’s smile. It’s safer that way—for her, and for everyone else.

When an unsettling encounter with her predatory boss cracks open the tightly locked box inside her, Haven dreams a terrifying dream about him, only to wake up and discover it’s come true; he’s dead. Desperate to gain control of this deadly power once and for all, Haven returns home.

Welcomed suspiciously with open arms, Haven is immediately met with the ghosts of her past. Under the suffocating pressure of the town and her family who believe obedience is next to godliness, Haven soon finds herself on a path to revenge. She’ll show them what happens when the girl they called too much, too loud, too everything, finally lets her demons loose.

This is one I am keeping my eye on! I never read or saw Carrie (saw parts of it though!), but I do love a good revenge story so yes, I am keep a very close eye on this one!

TITLE: What a Nightmare
AUTHOR: Rebekah Faubion
PUBLISHER: Berkley
GENRE: Horror
RELEASE DATE: October 13, 2026

Top Ten Tuesday #695

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Authors I've Met for the First Time this Year So Far

*in no particular order

10. TESSONJA ODETTE--I got to meet her and Demi in January of this year, so I started this year off right!

9. DEMI WINTERS
8. NIKKI ST. CROWE--I had just picked up West of Wicked on Netgalley when she announced her tour stop to here as well! So I read it AND the sequel ahead of time for the signing and it was awesome! I had told her I read the second one and was already dying for the third! Lol. She said I was the first to tell her about reading it and I was like YAY! Lol.

7. ABIGAIL OWEN--I finally got meet Abigail in May of this year! I loved her YA trilogy and am enjoying her Hades one too! Planning a road trip in November to see her again as well as two other authors! Lol.
6. RACHEL MOORE--I upped this in my queue when I heard she was coming here earlier this year as well! Think it was May too! And I bought her adult debut while I was at it!
5. TARA SIM--another I was prompted to read when I saw Tara headed my way! Finally read her Count of Monte Cristo duology and enjoyed it!

4. CLARE SAGER--Clare was at the signing with Tara that day too! So it was another two-for-one awesome day!
3. BRYNNE WEAVER--had recently binged her books and liked them to an extent and decided to head to Nashville for her signing this past summer!
2. K.A. LINDE--loooving Linde's books so far! The Oak and Holly Cycle is incredible and that last book had me dying and I NEED the fifth one asap! I'll be stalking Edelweiss come 2027! Lol.

1. EMILY VARGA--and Emily makes 10! And this was only from January-June! There's probably another dozen or so of authors I met for the first time (I had that multi author event in Nashville in July) and a handful more for the multiplth time to our present date! Tomorrow I will even be seeing another author for the 4th or 5th time? Basically, if I have unsigned books on my shelf, I go see the author! Lol.

ARC Review--The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace

 

Aurelie Chantelune was born to serve. Raised as a knight in a kingdom ravaged by demons, she's spent her life honing her blade, driven by the memory of the monsters who tore her family apart and by the knowledge that she's one of the few who can stop them.

If Aurelie can claim her first kill, she'll inherit a legacy passed down through the Chantelune a soulbond with Yuriel, an angel whose power is vital to her kingdom's survival. But when those she loves begin turning into the very monsters she's sworn to destroy, Aurelie is forced to seek help from the last place she ever imagined. Desperate, she forges a second and far more dangerous bond with Severin, a demon she can hardly trust, but who claims to know how to end the war for good.

With their lives and fates entwined, Aurelie, Yuriel, and Severin must team up to hunt down a cure capable of turning demons back into humans. But the more they learn about one another and the deeper their relationships grow, the more Aurelie begins to question the war and her place in it. With both of her bonded on opposing sides, she'll have to make a continue to stand with the angels, or risk everything by trusting a demon.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

This Wretched Divine is Adalyn Grace's debut adult fantasy story about a young woman caught in the middle of a battle between angels and demons! This was an extraordinary fantasy story that spanned an epic war and the battle between good and evil. This is not a romantasy, as you've likely heard. This is a straight up fantasy story with a small romance on the side that is evolving into quite the love triangle and oh boy, does it get complicated!

Ever since the death of her mother and brother, Aurelie has trained to be knight to fight in the ongoing battle between angels and demons. The goal is to be able to kill a demon and then once she achieves that goal, she can bond with an angel and then for the rest of her life she will be able to work and communicate with the angel and gain some of their powers to help in the battle between good and evil. It's quite the process in the grand scheme of things, but it's fairly easy to follow along! Of course, when it all comes down to it, Aurelie found herself not being able to kill the demon she was battling for she realized it was bonded and generally with the bond when one dies, the other is soon to follow and for reasons untold, Aurelie couldn't kill the demon. But then everyone thinks she did and soon is she bonded to Yuri.

Yuri is an angel and a soldier. He never really intended to bond with a human, but when he is called to "duty," he has no choice but to follow. He knows eventually, when the human dies her mortal death, he'll be free again. But then he meets Aurelie and everything changes. He didn't necessarily fall in love with her at first sight, but their bond does connect them in a powerful way.

Everything erupts into chaos after their bonding ceremony and soon Aurelie finds herself teaming up with a demon in order to find a cure for a disease that is making humans turn into demons. With lives on the line, Aurelie feels she has no choice but to make a deal with the devil and soon she is bonded with Severin, a demon.

Enter the love triangle! But again, it's not a typical love triangle with our heroine fretting with who she really "loves." You just have a young woman bonded to two immortal young men, one of the light and one of the darkness. So good and evil, the whole she-bang! The story goes into quest mode as the trio looks for the missing piece to a possible cure for this "demon-disease" that is taking over Aurelie's home.

I will admit that this book has a slower pace, but not to the point where I felt like I was slogging through the pages. It still moves at a decent pace for the most part, but it's not what I would say is a fast paced novel. The story feels pretty character driven as we are treated to multiple points of view, giving us quite the inside story to many of the characters' history and plots.

As far as the romance goes, it was pretty subtle for the most part. It wasn't what you would call steamy or spicy even. It was nice and fit the story at large. There's definitely some deep connections happening between Aurelie and Severin and Yuri, but you never really get that "who will she choose" vibe. Yes, at times you feel like she might be leaning one way over the other, but then you will get that guy's point of view chapter and you'll start to think differently. Knowing what everyone is thinking definitely gives the reader a different perspective as to what might be happening romantically.

The ending is definitely where everything starts to happen! Lol. The ending was EPIC! Mind-blowingly bananas! Lol. So much was happening, so much was revealed that everything you thought you knew was happening will be blown into proportions! Now I am understanding why everyone who has read this one already is asking for the next book! While the ending isn't quite what I'd call raging-screaming-throw-the-book-across-the-room and bemoan the pain...it was still pretty shockingly jaw-dropping! Like OMG! And one part I was already kind of guessing, because of the genre and the earlier knowledge, but yeah, it is still always surprising when it's confirmed!

All in all, The Wretched Divine was the fantasy read I didn't know I needed! It made me realize how much I missed the angel/demon books I read in my younger days! This feels like a throwback to my late teens and in an "adult" stylized novel! It was a fun and engaging read that kept me entranced from start to finish! I cannot wait for the next installment!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

The Wretched Divine releases September 22, 2026

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong (5 stars)

Currently Reading:

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

What I Plan to Read Next:

Meridian Six by Jaye Wells

Other Posts of Interest:

Top Ten Tuesday #694
Can't Wait Wednesday #265
Books from the Backlog #202
Book Blogger Hop #428
Stacking the Shelves--The Very Stressful Edition