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 was as though someone had entered the chamber and joined us, and yet no door had opened. No one had stepped inside. I stared at the same people as before. Except I felt a new gaze upon me. The scrutiny of someone I could not see. Could only sense. Feel. Taste." p 26

TITLE: A Fire in the Sky
AUTHOR: Sophie Jordan
PUBLISHER: Avon
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
RELEASE DATE: September 24, 2024

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 Satisfying Book Series

*in no particular order

10. VAMPIRE ACADEMY SERIES by Richelle Mead--this series was AWESOME! It was the series that drew me back to YA when I thought the idea of a YA Paranormal title was a pipe dream. But this one opened that door I feel like!

9. THE GHOST HUTNER MYSTERY SERIES by Victoria Laurie--a paranormal mystery series that I ate up one book at a time! She did release a bonus novel a year or two back that I still need to read but sadly the sales didn't go great so THAT is the final one! But this was basically a fun cozy paranormal mystery series with a woman who can see ghosts solving mysteries with her BFF who's afraid of ghosts!

8. THE ARCANA CHRONICLES by Kresley Cole--this was another unique series featuring the Tarot cards come to life and human form. It's a big long game where there can be only one winner and one survivor. This was of course in the day and age of love triangles and this was by far one of the hardest choices a reader ever had to make! Lol.

7. IN EVERY GENERATION TRILOGY by Kendare Blake--a Buffy spinoff/continuation/new generation! I mean how can it get more satisfying than that?! This book had the right amount of nostalgia and still giving us a fresh new storyline that was in familiar tones! It was perfect!

6. STALKING JACK THE RIPPER SERIES by Kerri Maniscalco--I mean that tile alone had me itching to read this series and it did not disappoint! Each book had a new mystery with a new "villain" we all knew of. This series was incredible!

5. DOMINIONS TRILOGY by Abigail Owen--a perfect slice of YA Fantasy! Twin sisters who trade places on the regular to fool the kingdom. Throw in an evil neighboring king itching to steal their kingdom and a kidnapping with a very dangerous stranger and this trilogy will have you hooked before the end of the first book. Speaking from experience! Lol.

4. CRAVE SERIES by Tracy Wolff--so satisfying! This was packed with so much paranormal goodness that I couldn't contain myself!

3. THE MEDIATOR SERIES by Jenny Carroll/Meg Cabot--an OG for YA Paranormal! A teenage girl who sees ghosts and who's new roommate in her new house is the ghost of a really hot cowboy! Starting as a YA series and ending with an adult finale this series was just freaking awesome! Think Veronica Mars but if she saw ghosts!

2. THE LUX SERIES by Jennifer L. Armentrout--another OG series here I feel like! This was what every blogger/reader was reading back in the day and it was awesome! It had the feels of Roswell but with a new generation and a book lover/reader/blogger so what wasn't there to love?

1. CARAVAL SERIES by Stephanie Garber--I mean obviously! And I want to extend this to include OUABH because that's a extension of this world, so we're talking World Series here! Lol.

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:

Druid Cursed by C.J. Burright (4.5 stars)

Reviews That Were Posted:

 Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber (ARC) (5 stars)

The Devouring Light by Kate Ellis (ARC) (4.5 stars)

Currently Reading:

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

What I Plan to Read Next:

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #216
Challenges Monthly Wrap-up: September
Books from the Backlog #155
Book Blogger Hop #378
Stacking the Shelves--The Doubles and SIGNED Editions Edition

Stacking the Shelves--The Doubles & SIGNED Editions Edition!

 

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.

Another week come and gone! Work is still pretty busy and will likely stay that way for the rest of the month with it dying down ever so slowly in November. It's a day by day basis then! I started my week off with a signing with Holly Black and it was awesome! Way more crowded than I anticipated which in some sense irks me as there was a time I waited too long to buy a ticket and it was sold out, none shall enter. It seemed like this one they just let them all in in droves! I write this post early because on Saturday I am doing a daytrip to Arkansas to see Ginny Myers Sain and Linsey Miller! I don't expect to get anymore books...but never say say never! Lol.

This coming week will be REALLY GREAT as Stephanie Garber is coming to St. Louis! So you all know I'll be there with bells on! Lol. That will be the highlight of me week and trying to see if I can get the PO to allow me to pick up the mail at the actual PO that day so I can get the mail in a timely manner as I will be headed to the library well before the signing and looong before the mail ever has a chance of arriving! 

But this was still a pretty awesome week for books. I forgot how many I had preordered, whoops! So yeah it was a great week to get the mail each day!

Here's what I got:

Every Spiral of Fate by Tahereh Mafi--I will start this series one day!

The Sleepless by Jen Williams
Holly by Adalyn Grace--B&N edition
Holly by Adalyn Grace--standard edition because I have to complete my collection!
Witch of the Wolves by Kaylee Archer--just learned exciting news about this one that has me loving it even more and I still need to read it! Lol.
Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray--Target edition
Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray--standard edition because how could I choose? Lol.
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick--I LOVED this book when I first read it and with the B&N preorder sale I just found myself ordering this pretty!

Thief of Night by Holly Black--SIGNED!

The Primal of Blood and Bone by Jennifer L. Armentrout--SIGNED! Will I ever get caught up with this mammoth series? Hopefully!

Swag with my book! A book tote, character cards, and a sticker!

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

Book Blogger Hop #378

 

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

This week's question is: Would you rather accidentally set your favorite book on fire or drop it in the ocean? (submitted by Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove)

MY ANSWER: Oh gosh. Both sound terrible! I guess dropping it in the ocean? Because despite my fear of oceans I'd dive/reach in and grab it. Soaked though it be, I feel like I could at least air dry it or use a hair dryer to help salvage it.

Review--Druid Cursed by C.J. Burright

 

One week of freedom. One cursed druid. One woman who could break the spell or doom them both.

Every fifty years, Kellen Ravenwood escapes his magical prison for seven days. This Samhain is his last chance to break the curse, or he’ll be bound forever. All he needs is a sacrifice: the blood of Maggie O’Malley, the last living descendant of the witch who cursed him.

Maggie, desperate for cash after a brutal divorce, jumps at the chance to win a $500,000 prize at a mysterious Irish estate. She never expected ancient rituals, strange magic, or Kellen, the dangerously charming man who claims she’s the key to his freedom.

But Maggie won’t be anyone’s sacrifice. And if there’s another way to break the curse, she’ll find it.

Because some destinies are meant to be rewritten.

And some love stories are worth defying fate for.

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

Druid Cursed is my first book by C.J. Burright but it will not be my last! This was just want the doctor ordered for a paranormal fantasy lover like myself. I loved that Burright took on a lesser seen character type for this story, that along with witches and century long curses this is a book sure to delight every paranormal reader!

Maggie O'Malley is coming out of a rough divorce, so when her best friend, Wendy, decides to take her to Ireland for a contest/competition, Maggie sees this as her chance to get her life back on track. She's about to lose the house her father built because of her ex and she wants to open up her own business to help her start over and the cash prize that comes from this competition will help do just that.

Then we have Kellen Ravenwood, the man of mystery and a Druid at that. He's been cursed to a dark place for centuries now, only being released for a week every fifty years thanks to a spell his brother concocted. This year will be the last time he can taste freedom unless he can break the curse placed upon him by a witch. The only thing he has to do is kill a witch of his curser's bloodline, which should be easy since she just walked into his brother's mansion to enter a competition for a cash prize. The next kicker is that he is completely infatuated with her.

I initially thought that Kellen was going to be this big brute who would stop at nothing to break his curse, even if it meant killing an innocent. But as it turns out, Kellen is a big ol' marshmallow! He wasn't keen on killing an innocent just to set himself free, so he was ready to resign himself back to the darkness that he lived with for years, but his brother is determined more than ever to help set him free.

The storyline was very intriguing. I enjoy a good simplistic goal but with many twists and turns and that is what we got here. A curse needs to be broken, hopefully without death and dismemberment involved. And then we have Kellen and Maggie...sigh...

Maggie had decided to swear off love entirely after her nasty divorce but of course meeting Kellen changes that, but not right away. Again, we're dealing with a week of time for the most part, so yes, in a handful of days the two are falling for each other, but we get reasoning for that but you'll have to read this to find out because I'm not saying what it is! Lol. But needless to say the brief time the two spend together was hot and fierce!

There were plenty of secrets and puzzles to solve in this one and I get the sense that Burright is leaving a tiny crack in the door to lead us to a possible companion novel. While things wrap up nicely in this one leaving us with a satisfying ending, there was definitely room for more with the other characters and I am salivating to find out what that could be! I have guesses, but as to the next heroine, I'm left with two possibilities and I cannot decide which one I want to see more of! So a third book may even be possible! Lol.

If you're looking for a read filled with paranormal goodness, mystery, romance and incredible characters than Druid Cursed is the read for you! This was a breath of fresh air for the paranormal community and I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

Druid Cursed releases October 7, 2025

Books from the Backlog #155

 

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!

Police Chief Delaney Reed can handle the Valkyries, werewolves, gill-men and other paranormal creatures who call the small beach town of Ordinary, Oregon their home. It’s the vacationing gods who keep her up at night.

With the famous Rhubarb Festival right around the corner, small-town tensions, tempers, and godly tantrums are at an all-time high. The last thing Delaney needs is her ex-boyfriend reappearing just when she's finally caught the attention of Ryder Bailey, the one man she should never love.

No, scratch that. The actual last thing she needs is a dead body washing ashore, especially since the dead body is a god.

Catching a murderer, wrestling a god power, and re-scheduling the apocalypse? Just another day on the job in Ordinary. Falling in love with her childhood friend while trying to keep the secrets of her town secret? That’s gonna take some work.

I added Death and Relaxation by Devon Monk to my TBR pile in December of 2016! I loved Devon's Allie Becktrom series and this was just a new series by her that I decided I wanted to try out. 9 years later and book 1 is still unread and I've forgotten how many books there are now. Too many I am sure! Lol.

Challenges Monthly Wrap-up: September

CHALLENGE 1: 2025 Discussion Challenge

A Random Blogging Thing
Sequel Synopses

Really starting to think that because I started this year out so strong with discussions, I find I am running out of new things to talk about! Lol. This month I only managed two, but that puts me two past my goal of 41 so there's that too! Plus there's still 3 months to go and really this is all bonus points from here on out! So I guess I am still doing good!

CHALLENGE 2: Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge 2025

The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black (3/5/24)
Secrets So Deep by Ginny Myers Sain (9/27/22)
Prince of Thorns & Nightmares by Linsey Miller (10/3/23)
One Last Breath by Ginny Myers Sain (3/5/24)

I didn't do too bad here this month! Considering that I met my challenge already! Lol. I have been reading lots of backlist titles lately as I seem to have at least one or two author signings each month so I try to get as much as I can read of theirs! October is busy so I wasn't able to read all of Ginny and Linsey's books but I only left off 1 each from what I have which isn't too bad at all.

Can't Wait Wednesday #216

 

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.

Batman matches wits with The Riddler and uncovers Gotham’s past in this sequel to Resurrection, set in the world of Tim Burton's iconic Batman.

It’s summer, and Gotham City has cause for celebration. The last vestiges of The Joker’s toxic legacy have finally faded, just in time for the mayor to partner with retail magnate Max Shreck to stage a Fourth of July celebration for the ages. But not everyone is rejoicing. Batman’s eternal vigilance continues as threats from rival gangs and masked criminals escalate by the day. Meanwhile, on the streets, protests grow in opposition to the city’s lavish excesses.

No one is experiencing the struggle between Gotham’s optimism and doubt more than Norman Pinkus. The Gotham Globe’s humble copy boy, he’s the unacknowledged mastermind behind the newspaper’s mega-popular Riddle Me This word puzzles. But Norman harbors a secret. He is the smartest man in Gotham City, using his prodigious skills to solve crimes anonymously for years via the police tip line—before Batman even knows there’s a crime to solve.

While neither fame nor fortune finds Norman, he believes in the promise of Gotham and what’s right . . . until he doesn’t. The man no one notices watches time and again as the city and its leaders cast their eyes high above the rooftops toward Batman. Dejected and unappreciated, Norman devises a With the help of dangerous new friends, he exploits the simmering tensions of the long hot summer to draw the Caped Crusader into a volatile game of riddles to crown Gotham’s true savior. As they clash, Norman—now known as The Riddler—and Batman will uncover hidden secrets about Gotham’s past that will have dire consequences for the city’s future.

I STILL need to read Miller's first Batman book from last year, but these books continue Burton's Batman movies. I loved those first Batman films. Michael Keaton is probably my favorite Batman followed by Christian Bale! Pattinson was okay, never saw the Affleck appearances and Kilmer and Clooney were just all right. Not saying anyone was ever terrible, but yeah, Keaton is the fave! Lol. So I love that the movies get to live on with these two books. Just got to circle back around to reading the first one and then this one! Pretty much my motto for this year, "circling back around!"

TITLE: Batman Revolution
AUTHOR: John Jackson Miller
PUBLISHER: Random House Worlds
GENRE: Comic Book
RELEASE DATE: October 28, 2025

Everyone needs something to hold onto, even if it's a lie.

After Bristol nearly loses Tyghan to the monsters her mother unleashed, their love deepens to a whole new level. Together, Bristol and Tyghan work to understand and reconcile their differences, moving forward with their common goal of saving Elphame. But, when a daring rescue attempt turns disastrous and a beloved knight dies, Bristol is forced to confront the fact that her mother is more powerful than she could ever have imagined – and more dangerous, too.

Meanwhile, Tyghan's heart is laid bare when he re-encounters his betrayer, Kierus, and must wrestle with a new secret that throws everything he thought he knew about his past into question. Bristol is Elphame’s last chance for survival, but where do her loyalties truly lie? If she embraces the magic that has always been her birthright, she could become a monster just like her mother. Is she willing to risk losing the people she loves most if it means keeping them safe?

Discover the stunning second book in the Bristol Keats fantasy duology, from New York Times bestselling author Mary E. Pearson.

I read the first book earlier this year not realizing it was a duology! For some reason I thought it was going to be a trilogy and since Mary was coming to my library for a signing, I thought I have time to read book 1! Then the cover blurb for this one was released and I was like are you kidding me?! Lol. I hate not binging duologies because of my memory issue. Yes, I took notes but they only do so much to jog my memory on things. Oh well. Lol.

TITLE: The Last Wish of Bristol Keats
AUTHOR: Mary E. Pearson
PUBLISHER: Flatiron Books
GENRE: Fantasy Romance
RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2025