Merry Christmas!

(image borrowed from Freepik)

Hope everyone celebrating today (or not) has a magical and wonderful holiday!

Books from the Backlog #167

 

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!

Remember the places you touched me.

The parts of Mira Cillo that Ben touched are etched on his soul.

Palm. Hair. Chest. Cheek. Lips. Throat. Heart.

It was the last one that broke her. After her death, Mira sends Ben on a quest for notes she left in the seven places where they touched—notes that explain why she and her sister, Francesca, drowned themselves in the quarry. How Ben interprets those notes has everything to do with the way he was touched by a bad coach years before. But the truth behind the girls’ suicides is far more complicated, involving a dangerous infatuation, a deadly miracle, and a crushing lie.

I added Kim Savagae's Beautiful Broken Girls to my TBR pile in June of 2017, though I likely got it when it released in February but forgot to notate it. I find I am STILL doing that! Lol. I had enjoyed the previous books I've read by Kim so I naturally just continue to add whatever book of hers calls to me! This one is still waiting to be read and I still want to read it as it sounded creepy and mysterious and that naturally sparks my interest! Lol.

Review--House of Idyll by Delilah S. Dawson

 

From the New York Times bestselling author of Bloom and Guillotine comes a seductive tale of beautiful rock stars, mysterious cults, and a magical oasis where dreams come true, for a price.

Angelina Yves is a struggling singer/songwriter offered the chance of a lifetime to join the experimental luxury compound sponsored by the most famous band in the world, Black Idyll. With her every need accommodated, she finally has the time and space to perfect her music. Her muse? Reclusive rock star Jesper Idyll, who lives up to her every high school daydream. But when people start to disappear and Jesper's ex turns up dead and mutilated, Angelina begins to suspect that something more than money powers the cult that's grown around the band...

A decadent and wickedly compelling tale of a Hollywood dream turned nightmare, Delilah S. Dawson’s darkly delicious prose will seduce you, tie you up, and never let you go….

Delilah S. Dawson’s House of Idyll is her latest horror novel and it’s another bone chilling tale that will leave you cold and frightened! This was a story that started off with a completely different kind of creepy vibe and as the pages turned it took on a completely different kind of horror. 

Angelina is a struggling musician trying to make it big in California along with millions of other hopefuls. When she manages to lose her two jobs and home in one day, she feels like she’s hit rock bottom until a helpful hand comes and offers her an opportunity of a lifetime.

The globally famous band, Black Idyll, has a reclusive compound type setting where they help aspiring artists of all kinds achieve their dream. Free room and board, free meals, resources to help achieve your goals…it’s an offer Angelina would be crazy to pass up, so she takes it. She was a due-hard fan of the band in her teen years, so this truly was a golden opportunity. 

The next run of the story is where I fell into a lull. We basically follow the trend of seeing Angelina’s new everyday life patterns. It was a bit of a drag, but peppered throughout these mundane moments were odd occurrences. Things that felt off that left you with enough of an itch to keep the story going.

The weirdness only continued to grow as we reached the conclusion and boy was that a wild read! I obviously won’t get into details but things definitely took a darker turn!

There was a bit of romance as well between Angelina and Jesper, the lead singer of Black Idyll. It wasn’t a focal part of the story, so I felt like we weren’t meant to get really into it!

All in all, this was an entertaining read. It did drag a bit for awhile in the middle but there were enough secretive hints and clues to pique my interest that kept me reading until I reached that mind-blowing ending! Yet another entertaining afternoon with THE Delilah S. Dawson!

Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars

Can't Wait Wednesday #228

 

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.

After a group of teens visits a dangerous island where three are left behind, the surviving girls realize they must return to confront the sinister force hunting them. This dark YA thriller is perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

Eight were lost. Five were found. None will ever be free.

For Evie Williams, life is about to get a lot more complicated. Haunted by the events of a school trip to Hollow Lake National Park that went disastrously wrong, Evie and her friends returned changed, their lives forever marked by the mysterious Island they encountered—and the three girls they left behind.

Now, someone is picking off those who were involved, one by one. Their families, friends, and even online investigators are all caught in a deadly game. The stakes are raised when Evie receives a chilling to save her loved ones, she must return to the Island.

As Evie and the other "Lost Girls" navigate the treacherous terrain of the Island once more, they must confront the secrets they’ve buried, the horrors they witnessed, and the person—or thing—that’s hunting them. But some secrets refuse to stay hidden, and the Island demands a price for freedom.

This book sounds sooo good! I love a good creepy supernatural thriller and this one sounds like it will deliver on that!

TITLE: The Girls of Hollow Lake
AUTHOR: Rebekah Faubion
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press
GENRE: YA Thriller
RELEASE DATE: January 27, 2026

An unputdownable romantasy following a young woman posing as fortune-teller at a magical traveling carnival, where the handsome boy who once broke her heart resurfaces and warns her that carnival is more sinister than it appears.

Welcome to the Carnival Fantástico, a spectacle of magic and mischief, and the perfect haven for a runaway. Using her tricks and razor-sharp wit, Esmeralda becomes the carnival’s resident fortune-teller, aiming for the lead role in the Big Top Show. Success would mean freedom from her former employer, the commander of the King’s army.

Ignacio has defected from the army and is on the hunt for evidence of his father’s corruption. But the last thing he expects to find on his father’s trail of lies is the only girl he’s ever loved, spinning false fortunes at a traveling carnival.

Perhaps fortune has thrown them together for a reason. They strike a deal: she’ll help him expose his father if he helps her secure the main act. But old feelings don’t die easily, and the commander’s secret isn’t the only thing they’ll need to confront.

This one sounds amazing too! Yes, the Caraval vibes are what drew me to it, but it still sounds like it will be a perfectly magical read!

TITLE: Carnival Fantastico
AUTHOR: Angela Montoya
PUBLISHER: Joy Revolution
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: February 3, 2026

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

It's that time of year where things are starting to get busy and hectic on the home front! So while I finished this book already, I wasn't into what is likely my current read yet to have a teaser lined up, but I found a good one here while I was reading and decided to share that!

"'Who hurt you?' His voice is shockingly cold, a quaver of restraint rippling through it." p 127

TITLE: Married by Scandal
AUTHOR: Tessonja Odette
PUBLISHER: Crystal Moon Press
GENRE: Fantasy Romance
RELEASE DATE: September 23, 2022

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 10 Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes

*in no particular order
**somewhat randomly chosen from my Goodreads list

10. BOUND TO YOU by Alyssa Brandon--so many good werewolf books being reprinted!

9. REJECTED by Jaymin Eve--after seeing the original cover, I'm wondering if I'm getting in over my head! Lol. But with that blurb and this cover I can't help but be curious!

8. MOONSICK by Tom O'Donnell--this one sounds good! I clearly can't resist a good werewolf book!

7. HOW TO FAKE A HAUNTING by Christa Carmen--love a good ghost story book! Love a good revenge book! Combine those two and this is bound to be good!
6. TO LOVE A GRIMM by Christina Farley--forgot when I learned about this one! But it's got a fairy tale twist so naturally, it speaks to me!
5. THE IMMORTAL'S LIFE by Jade Christy--another one I can't remember how I learned about but this one sounds so good! Love Urban Fantasy! Love Vampires! It's a match made in reader heaven!

4. BITTER MAGIC by Jana Oliver--fell so behind on this series when the author started self-pubbing the rest of it! It may require a series re-read! 
3. THE POSSESSION OF ALBA DIAZ by Isabel Canas--I still need to read what I have from this author but this one sounded so good too!
2. SHADES OF HONOR by Sandy Williams--another series I need to start still but I'm already asking for some serious Santa magic, so why not? Lol.

1. A STEEP AND SAVAGE PATH by J.J.A. Harwood--this one doesn't release until the 30th, but hey, Santa magic happens in this post! Lol.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Book Tag

 

So I saw this fun tag on Instagram @stacisbookishprobs who originally saw it @bingereader page and thought it looked like fun so I decided I would do it here where I have better control of things! Lol. I borrowed the lovely image above from Staci!

CANDY CANE
favorite red book cover

So this is a recent one I saw that I plan to pickup soon! Like as soon as I can get to B&N and use some one of my gift cards! Lol. It's the latest red cover I've seen that caught my eye!

MARSHMALLOW
a sweet read

This one is so sweet! It's such a cute read and it's paranormally based as well! So naturally a perfect read for me!

COCOA POWDER
your go to Christmas drink

Okay, I'm boring. I don't really have a go-to seasonal beverage for any season

WHIPPED CREAM
a book on your wishlist

I forgot where I heard about this one but it's been near the top of my wishlist since October! It sounds so good and it releases next week, so hopefully I will be able to find it in the bookstore soon with my gift card in hand! Lol.

CHOCOLATE SYRUP
a MMC you love

I'll go with one of my more recent reads MMC and that is Tiernon! I love a good friends first kind of romance and Arvelle definitely had that with Tiernon when they were younger and eventually reconnected during the chaos of her current situation!

MILK
a fantasy book you're frothing to read

Yes, I am shameful. Still need to get caught up in this series but I knew there would be a killer cliffhanger to this one when we got 2 books in one year. I was proven correct, but now I know there's another one waiting in Onyx Storm, so I might as well just subject myself to self-torture by getting back to it! Lol.

PEPPERMINT SYRUP
a refreshing read

What made this one refreshing to me was how it brought me back to my paranormal roots. You can't quite call it Urban Fantasy since it takes place in the historical past, but it felt "refreshing" to me because it was the kind of read I started with back in the day when I was leaving the contemporary YA section behind, because, yes, that's pretty much all they had for teens around that time, minus a few gems. But yes, this one was so refreshing because it brought me back to "my roots."

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:

We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark (4 stars)

Apples Dipped in Gold by Scarlett St. Clair (4.5 stars)

Trapped by Neverland by Megan Charlie (3 stars)

Married by Scandal by Tessonja Odette (4.5 stars)

Currently Reading:

House of Idyll by Delilah S. Dawson

What I Plan to Read Next:

A Kingdom This Cursed & Empty by Stacia Stark

Other Posts of Interest:

Let's Discuss: Sneak Peeks
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #227
Books from the Backlog #166
Book Blogger Hop #390
Stacking the Shelves

Review--Married by Scandal by Tessonja Odette

 

She’ll marry a prince if she must.
But fall in love?
Never.

The first time Amelie Fairfield fell in love, she started a war. Now, the part-human, part-fae fashion designer has sworn off romance to focus on her career. But when her name makes headlines in the worst possible way, there’s only one thing she can do to escape scandal—marry a human prince and make everyone forget about the career-killing rumors.

To solidify peace between the humans and fae, Prince Albert must take a fae bride. As sister to the fae queen, Amelie is the perfect candidate. If only she could say the same for the rakish prince she’ll have to marry. At least his devilish charm and good looks keep society fixated on him and not her.

But scandal becomes the least of Amelie’s worries when she embarks upon an engagement tour. She’ll need to convince the aristocracy that her arranged marriage is a true love match…without falling in love. Just when she thinks she has it all under control, the prince reveals a secret that suggests he might not be the man she thought. In fact, he might not be a prince at all…

Can Amelie juggle a world of fashion, unexpected espionage, and dating her not-so-fake fiancé? Or will her closed-off heart prove to be her biggest hurdle yet?

Married by Scandal is the third book in the Arranged Marriages of the Fae series, a multi-author collaboration of romantic fantasy stand-alone novellas, designed to be read independently. Together, they feature arranged marriages in fae fantasy and offer complete romances while also allowing the reader to enjoy a variety of tones and approaches. Perfect for romantic fantasy readers with busy lives who love swoony romance.

Married by Scandal is set in the same world as The Fair Isle Trilogy and the Entangled with Fae series. Journey back to Faerwyvae or start your adventure here for the first time!

Tessonja Odette’s Married by Scandal is a novella that takes place in The Fair Isle Trilogy that I still need to read, but was able to follow along easily enough. There are minor spoilers but I’m sure I’ll forget once I circle back around to that trilogy! Lol.

Amelie’s reputation had been sullied by an amorous client who quite literally couldn’t keep it in his pants when Amelie was trying to get his fitting measurements for new clothing. Her sister Evie is a fae queen and when she offers a solution to her to help mend her reputation Amelie decides to take it. 

The deal is that she’s to marry a fae prince from a neighboring kingdom to foster goodwill between their kingdoms. Amelie makes it clear that it’s to be a marriage in name only, something that is acceptable among the fae kind and it’s a done deal.

When Amelie first meets Albert, she’s not overly impressed as he plays up the drunken frat boy persona very well but he ends up being the opposite of that on their next meeting. Amelie isn’t sure what to think of her future husband as he’s not exactly what she was expecting. And we soon learn that Albert has secrets of his own.

This was such an entertaining story! I am miffed at myself for not remembering that it came from an earlier series of Odette’s but I feel like it’s minor spoilers for it as I get the sense I would’ve figured out enough to know Amelie’s outcome as well. Lol.

The storyline was fairly simple surrounding the fake marriage, scandals, and other cover ups. There’s still a heated romance between Amelie and Albert that’s enough to make your toes curl! This is the kind of novella I love to read! While the plot is simple enough, there’s enough storyline to keep things interesting!

All in all, this was a delightful read! I am looking forward to reading the series this takes place in. I found myself completely immersed and hooked into this story and look forward to returning to this world in the future. 

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

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.

Wow. This month is just flying by! I took some more time off this week, so I only worked on Monday, which made for a good week for me! Lol. So naturally, I developed a head cold on Monday, which luckily wasn't as bad as it could've been. I got some solid reading in and celebrated my birthday relatively healthy like. Not too many bookish birthday gifts this time around, but I suspect I will have that this coming week at Christmastime! Lol. Otherwise the week was pretty quiet and I was getting some good solid reading time in as well as I try to up my game with my challenges these final weeks. Things are shaping out pretty good that I should hit my personal, unannounced goals by the following Wednesday! Just in time for me to put the books down and binge that final season of Stranger Things! Lol. No one spoil it for me now!

So this week on Monday, I received my TBTB Secret Santa gift from Monica @turquoisemango22 on Instagram and loved everything in it!

You Won't Believe Me by Cyn Balog
Super Adjacent by Crystal Cestari
a Christmas spatula and Christmas tree cookie cutter
a cinnamon/vanilla candle
a gorgeous Belle t-shirt
mini Reese's peanut butter trees

THANK YOU SO MUCH Monica!

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

Review--Trapped by Neverland by Megan Charlie

 

A desperate stowaway. A dashing pirate. Their quest to end Peter Pan’s reign of terror.

Wendy Darling has never been called rash. But when she discovers her cruel stepfather intends to separate Wendy from her brothers, she gives in to their wish to run away to Neverland. She’s rewarded in ways she’s never abundant beaches, a ready-made family of Lost Boys to mother, and her first taste of freedom. But Neverland is not all it seems.

The Lost Boys are going missing, and it looks like Peter Pan is to blame. When Wendy stumbles across Pan’s secret, he comes for her, too. She manages to evade him by hiding among a ship’s cargo but when the ship leaves port, Wendy finds herself stranded on the Jolly Roger, the most feared pirate vessel in Jocestrian waters. Worse, her brothers have been left behind.

Captain James Hook is as blackhearted as they come—and Pan’s sworn enemy. If anyone can defeat Wendy’s pursuer, it’s him. But something is strange aboard the Jolly Roger. Sure, Hook is as rude and high-handed as the stories say. But his crew treats him like the savior of the seven seas, not a notorious villain.

If Wendy wants to save her brothers, she’ll have to convince the devilishly (distractingly?) handsome pirate to return to the site of his greatest defeat and face their shared enemy. But Hook is convinced she’s a spy sent to foil his plans. As she works to convince him Wendy begins to realize not only is her life at stake, but so is her heart.

Trapped by Neverland is an enemies to lovers, no spice reimagining of Peter Pan, the third title in the Of Seas and Tides multi-author romantic fantasy series. These novellas can be read in any order and feature a villain who gets their happily ever after in a swoony, swashbuckling romance.

I love Peter Pan stories so naturally, I was drawn to Megan Charlie's Trapped by Neverland in which we are treated to the twisting tale where Peter is the villain. While I love a good Captain Hook is the hero story, I felt like the length of this novella worked against it in some ways, as while the story was good, I felt like there were a few holes here and there that never really got filled in.

We open the story with Wendy running from Peter Pan. She witnessed something horrifying with Peter at the helm and now she's running for her life. She hides upon a ship, hoping to get to land and bring in the authorities to handle the matter with Peter. And right away, I'm reeling! This is not your ordinary Neverland as it's apparently very accessible. There's no flying involved, although Peter does fly with pixie magic involved, but it really never got explained as to how Wendy, her brothers, and the other Lost Boys came to be on Neverland. Obviously Peter did something, but again, the answer was never made clear.

Wendy soon realizes her error in choosing a ship for refuge, for not only is she on a pirate ship, she's on Captain Hook's ship, Peter Pan's ultimate rival and nefarious villain. But Wendy soon realizes how wrong she was to believe Peter's stories about James as he's not at all the man she was led to believe he was. She now must convince James to help her rescue her brothers and the other Lost Boys and put a stop to Peter's dangerous antics once and for all, but luckily, getting revenge on Peter was always in Hook's plan.

I believe this novella was dubbed as a clean romance. There's no spice. And before your mind starts reeling about romance with Wendy and Hook, Wendy is a twenty year-old woman. Another thing that didn't really get explained...why did Peter bring an adult with him when he was bring her brothers to Neverland? Was it just the "mother" thing? I mean, really, as a kid, I thought you couldn't go to Neverland if you were around 13 or whatever, because you're on the cusp of adulthood and Neverland is for children who don't want to grow up. All those years of waiting by ground-floor window for nothing! Lol.

But yes, some of these inconsistencies of not getting an explanation was a bit befuddling. I mean, I get there not being a lot of time in a novella to make these changes known, but I had hoped for something. Like Wendy's age and the lack of flying for all and how Neverland is a known place and Peter was a known person...it was just befuddling. Like where was the magical fantasy element? Yes, it's there in a sense, but that magic of getting to Neverland is just not there and I feel like that took away a bit of Neverland's magic too.

Despite not having some clear answers, the story was still enjoyable. It's a short read, so having things condensed was expected. Like Wendy and Hook's whirlwind romance. They went from being wary of one another to be starcrossed lovers in the next chapter. I mean, again, I realize it's a novella, but just the quick turnaround of how quickly that went was enough to give me whiplash.

Since this is a novella, it ends on a high note and all is well. You can pretty much imagine how things will turn out given its fairy tale background. Charlie does lend an interesting take to her version of Neverland! I always love experiencing a new kind of Neverland, but I almost wonder if this story would've benefited more by being a full length novel, or even a longer novella. I feel like with those missing details and stretching out the romance a bit more this would have been even more phenomenal read! As it was, it was still a really good read and kept me entertained, but I was naturally left craving for more!

Overall Rating 3/5 stars

Book Blogger Hop #390

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

This week's question is: Are you more of a plot-driven reader or a character-driven reader?  (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

MY ANSWER: Ooh, tough question. I think I can be either. I mean I get drawn into a story by both elements. So I can be happy with either as long as one is strong and good!