I just finished Dawnland by Tess Callahan and here are my musings. Family reunions are supposed to be fun right? Trouble is it's always awkward when you had a disastrous fling with your now brother in law. The families get together every year as tradition. So many secrets… So many lies and when Lochlann, April’s son, starts to unravel, the truth is screaming to come out and it could tear everyone apart. April ends up marrying Oliver’s brother… Propelling us years in the future we get to see the lives that April and Oliver have carved out from themselves. This follows on from April and Oliver but this book standalone just as easily as it does as a follow on from the first book. I had a lot of issues with Al. He isn’t a good husband at all and I spent the whole book hating on him so hard but as I got to the end I realized why he was the way he was. I am not blaming April at all but…. He went in knowing she loved Oliver.. He married her anyway. He was hoping she would love him the way he loves her and the longer they were together, the more he realized he was never going to be who she wants and he acted out. That’s 100% on him but I felt sorry for him at the end. There were so many secrets and everyone was so flawed! I love that Tess made sure no one was perfect and everyone had their problems. I loved the complexities in the family and the drama was done with such gravitas! Tess has a beautiful writing style and as much as I loved the first book…this one was better. I don’t read a massive amount of books that are character driven but this one worked so well. Lochlann was so misunderstood and that was hard to watch and all the things he was carrying… He is so young. That’s a lot to bear. I went through phases of massively disliking April and then feeling bad for her. UGH she is one of the most infuriating characters but her gentle moments had me tearing up… Oliver… I still can’t decide how I feel about him. I feel like he made April better in some ways and worse in others. The ending felt a little open ended… I am holding out some hope that there might be another book? I left a little bit of my heart with these characters and I will carry them with me for a long time. I cannot recommend this book more! 5 stars! #dawnland #tesscallahan #literaryfiction #contemporaryromance #bookreview #bookalorian #bookishreel #booksbooksbooks #reading #readersofig #igreader #bookvlog #bookvlogger #goodreads #paperback #fictionaddiction #booktok

I just finished April and Oliver by Tess Callahan and here are my thoughts. @tesscallahan Can best friends in childhood make it to adulthood without leaving scars on each other? April and Oliver have always felt something more than friendship but their lives moved in a different direction but they are thrown back together again when April’s brother dies.. Can Oliver save April from her grief? Is it even up to him to try? So much to unpack! April is a really richly complex character and you can see how a girl became the emotionally devastated woman we are introduced to. She’s been through it all and her behaviour is erratic. The further you move through the story, the more you understand that April is a product of her circumstances. Looking for love in the only ways she understands and pushing anything good away from her as far as she could get. She loves her grandmother with fierce dedication and Tess really took me on a rollercoaster with April’s development. I wanted to shake her. I wanted to hug her, I wanted to let her cry on my shoulder. She was so broken and Oliver was the only one to really see her but he didn’t really see her either. I think fear drove him a lot. The fear of letting people down. He was a super interesting contrast to April. You could feel the intense passion they had for each other but they still kept each other at arm's length. The writing was wonderful. I was drawn right into the story and I felt deeply connected to the characters, especially April. It was beautifully paced and I felt every single emotion in this book. It was heartbreakingly tragic but it also filled me full of hope. It was a ride and a half. I cannot wait to see where their journey takes them in the next book… Dawnland. Thank you @tesscallahan for trusting me with you masterpiece 4.5 stars #aprilandoliver #tesscallahan #literaryfiction #contemporaryromance #bookreview #bookalorian #bookishreel #booksbooksbooks #reading #readersofig #igreader #bookvlog #bookvlogger #goodreads #paperback #fictionaddiction #booktok

Get lost in you - Sophie Sullivan Jillian runs home to Smile with her daughter after the ending of her disastrous marriage. She’s been thriving over the last 5 years and everything is good… That is until Levi comes home and the attraction between them is still there. All these years later and they still aren’t over the almost kiss. Can they navigate a friendship or will their feelings win out? LEVI IS THE MOST AMAZING MAN IN THE WORLD…. He literally comes home and his feelings for Jillian are insane and he loves her daughter just as much. It melted me in the best possible ways. It’s cute. I love the storyline. It's adorable and done so well. I love the writing and the small town vibes! It’s the second book in the series but I didn’t know that when I read it and it was fine as a standalone. The narration was a bit lacklustre but I still enjoyed it. It was an easy small town romance and I really enjoyed the uncomplicated story and the cuteness that was there in spades. ​​💚Lifelong crush 💚Forbidden romance/ Brothers best friend 💚Single Mom 💚Small Town Romance 4 stars all day long

The Perfect Rom-Com - Melissa Ferguson The cover is what drew me in, I had no idea what it was about and I didn’t care. So Bryony is trying to sell her manuscript… She goes to a writers conference and things do go the way she hoped. She doesn’t sell her manuscript but she is offered the chance to ghost write for a hot author… She never expected to write the kind of books millions of people read but it hurts that she cannot take the credit for her work and yet she can’t give up the hope of publishing as herself… Jack is the only bright side to her current predicament and it's up to him to keep her happy in her contract… It’s cute. Too blinking CUTE!!! Jack… ah Jack!! I love their friendship. I love that he respects her as a person and author and admires the heck out of her. They are such good friends that they wordlessly do things like take the food the other person doesn’t like off their plates and swap it for something else. It’s intense. To build a friendship like that and move seamlessly to love. It’s too cute… SIGHHHHH I am not a massive fan of friends to lovers but I kinda feel like the lover part was always there they just didn’t know it yet ya know. I love books that have book talk within them and this is clean cut and adorable! Great narration and I enjoyed the heck out of it. 4 stars

I just finished Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy and here are my thoughts. This book is all about explorations to the arctic… in an airship. I already see a million things that could go wrong and thanks to Buddy Levy, I know how much can and did go wrong! Never thought this would be the kind of book that would get me going but hells bells this was an intriguing read. The author does a really good job of giving the official narrative without padding it out with the waffle. It’s well researched and beautifully written. The explorers were great and there was a lot of info here about them and how they must have felt but it was the airships that really entertained me! Wow just wow! Am I a dork? Yep. I am a dork! Guilty as charged and 4 stars for this great adventure book. Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. #nonfiction #arctic #adventurereads #buddylevy #airships #realmofsky #Biography #travelliterature #smpinfluencers #stmartinspress #bookreview #bookreel #bookblogger #bookish #readerofig #bookalorian

Compass Points by Jillian Witt @author.jillanwitt I don’t know why I waited so long. I don’t know why I don’t have the next two installments. I think I need to get with the program. Rose ran from the fae court and never expected to go back but when the Mist and Luc arrive in her town at the same time, it's become clear that her weapons are the only hope they have of surviving. Now she has to return to a place that she never had any intention of thinking of again. Rose and Luc are amazing! I love their banter, I love their connection. The plot is amazing! The writing is superb! I have sooo many questions I’m hoping are answered in book 2! The world building was captivatingly beautiful and I am so glad I got the audiobook of this book. I loved the narration, I felt like I was truly there. Ari is my favorite character though. He is such a stinker I loved it. You need to grab this series TODAY. Don’t be a dough head like me and wait… NOW! RUNNNN don’t WALK! :) 5 stars

I just finished Your Unconscious is Showing by Dr Courtney Tracy and here are my thoughts. I know… I’ve been reading a lot of self help books lately and it’s purely because I need to know if there is any help for a weirdo (a happy weirdo) to live a fuller life… Do I feel out of control? I don’t know if I am but this book, if you can admit to being out of control, can help you live a meaningful life. I was hooked. It spoke to my inner fruit! I never spent the time trying to improve myself in ways that I see others improving. I eat right, work out, I don’t drink or smoke. I don’t take prescription meds and I take the time to meditate and do some tai-chi… Now am I healed from my trauma? Doubtful so I cracked this bad boy open and began. The book is loaded with personal stories and didn’t feel clinical and preachy. That was the first win. It’s not a textbook but it's also not not a textbook. It’s written from a very humanist perspective. You don’t feel judged. It’s like being guided by a friend you can trust. You can’t control everything and this book will help you to accept that. I thought it was well written, easy to follow and was brimming with personality. I need that in my non-fiction! Highly recommend it. 4 stars Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy #selfhelp #nonfiction #yourunconsciousishowing #smpinfluencer #stmartinspress #selfhelpbook #igreads #nonfictionbooks #libri #goodreads #bookclub #readmorebooks #literature #readingtime #bookobsessed #nonfiction #currentlyreading #libros #ilovebooks #instagood #livre

I just finished Naples 1944: The Devil's Paradise at War by Keith Lowe and here are my thoughts. Been on a bit of a war kick lately. It wasn’t planned but it just kinda happened that way and I am not sorry. I haven’t read a lot of World War II historical narratives but I was totally intrigued with the concept of this book. It was really well researched. It didn’t feel like the author was padding it out with drivel so that was a huge plus for me but it did drag a bit in spots. Nothing overly concerning but I had to say something negative or you won’t believe what I have to say. It’s bloody heartbreaking. The violence. The endless hunger. Ugh it ripped me apart inside. The book is loaded with information on what happened during threat time. So much chao. The allied soldiers were monsters. They took advantage of the situation, it's black market contraband and it was a real contrast to what they had versus what everyone else had. You always hear about the same countries and what happened to them so this was something different and if you love a good WWII read, you should grab this one. 4.5 stars Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. #naples1944 #nonfiction #worldwar2 #historybook #bookreview #bookishreview #bookloversunite #bookloversofinstagram #bookloverproblems #fictionreader #readerslovebook #readersoninstagram #readingislife #readingtime📖 #bookworm #bookslover

I just finished A Rage to Conquer - Twelve Battles That Changed the Course of Western History by Michael Walsh and here are my musings. I have studied history but I haven’t spent a lot of time studying battles.. This book takes us on a journey through 12 of the most important battles in recorded history. Our history is littered with wars raged over many things over the course of time. Julius Caesar was one of the leaders that was brought up! Firstly, one of my favorite places in my hometown was a place called Caesar’s camp. He was in that area around the time of one of his campaigns and it’s all very exciting! We learned a lot about the Romans in school and one of my favorite teachers was Mr Wright, my history teacher because he was so excited by history and it showed.. I thought this book would be exciting! Now do not get me wrong, this book was obviously well researched, immaculately so but this book was like taking a stereo manual dry. It was loaded with info and told like a lecture from Professor Binns. There was no life to it. If you are looking for a history book of wars with zero personality.. this is it. Right here! A lot of people prefer their books written this way but not me. I like to know the personality of the author and to hear their voice. I learned a lot and I felt I got a lot out of the book though and it started a healthy debate between my husband and I. 3.5 stars. Personality would have sent this one to a near perfect score! Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. #aragetoconquer #stmartinspress #michaelwalsh #nonfiction #militaryhistory #historybook #bookreview #bookalorian #bookfiles #bookish #reader #war #booklover #bookloversoftiktok #bookchat #readingallday