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Book Review - Fiction - ARC - Small town - Rom Com - Forced Proximity I just finished It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely and here are my musings. When Banks finds a beautiful woman in a bar.. He never imagines she will be his next job.. So we start with the meet-cute. Banks meets Riley. He saves her from a douche. They have drinks and decide to….. you know… He’s supposed to meet her in her room but a call and an email has him ghosting.. They tell you right here why. I would have liked that it was a mystery. To find out the why when Riley does and that was a major bummer for me. Whenever I read the word sweetheart.. I automatically go to the hunger games and Haymitch and it does not work for Me haha I hate miscommunication and he didn’t even miscommunicate, he literally didn’t even bother to talk face to face so it was hard to forgive him. I loved the lavender farm and I do have a bit of a soft spot for bodyguards… I did like the banter and the tension was tensioning. All in all it was a solid book 4 stars Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy #bookalorian #bookpodcaster #bookcommunity #readersofig #bookinfluencer #bookblogger #bookbusiness #bookishpodcast

Book Review - E-book - Kindle - Paranormal romance - Cozy Fantasy - Small Town I just finished Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell and here are my musings. Rhea likes her life… It’s small and mundane but it is hers. Things change when a grandmother she never met passes away and leaves everything in her will… But it’s not just buildings… It’s a magical legacy. A place her mother begged her not to go back to. Renovating the old video store into a book store, she needs help from the hunky handyman but their families… are enemies and his grandmother has a beef with her dearly departed granny! Can she figure out what happened to the town’s magic and fix the balance in her new home before it is too late? I loved this book! I am a sucker for a small town cozy book and this one had everything I wanted in spades!! A magical legacy Rhea knew nothing about… EPIC! I loved the themes and Hunter was DREAMY!! The writing was so cute and it was exactly what I needed and the fact this is the start of a series… I’M IN LOVE!!! I felt the characters were really well defined and I was totally charmed by this book. 4 stars If you love small town with enemies to lovers… Grab this one! Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy Qotd if you found you had a magical legacy.. would you embrace it or run? #bookishreels #bookcommunity #bookalorian #readingabook #bookinfluencing #bookblog #lionessofliteracy #bookpodcast #bookishpodcast #booklover #bookinfliencer

Book review - Fiction - ALC - Netgalley - Horror Thriller - Supernatural Mystery Title: The Bone Queen by Will Shindler ⭐ Star Rating: 4 🎯 Vibe Check: PASS This book felt like… a spooky ghost story with smashing of a traditional folky horror set in a modern day suspense!! I was hooked… from the first chapter! It had short chapters and a fast pace so I flew! Did I care about the characters? Oh yeah I was for sure invested in what was happening to Jenna and her search for Chloe. It was insane! The book made me feel what it would have been like if I was in her shoes. Tropes included: Missing child, remote island, small town paranoia, fractured reality. Did they deliver? OMG yes. I loved the setting of the book in a small town on a remote island and there were so many sketchy things going on! Narration star rating and feelings.. 5 stars well narrated! I really felt the atmosphere I felt the hairs up the back of my neck a few times. It was full of suspense and intrigue! Writing was amazing! This book made me feel: creeped out! So much dread!! It was excellently executed! This book might make you: Sleep with the lights on!! What didn’t work: I wasn’t really happy with the sister twist. I didn’t need it. Perfect for readers who love….. Horror/thriller lovers who like the story to move quickly. Great for Bob Pastorella fans! 🚫 Not for readers who dislike… books with supernatural elements in thrillers 😈 Petty Complaint… I need a sequel haha All in all superb! Thank you to @netgalley for my gifted copy. QOTD whats something petty that you complain about? #bookinfluencer #booklife #bookcommunity #horrorreader #readersofig

Book review - Fiction - Paperback - Epic Fantasy - Action adventure Title: The Dragon Constellation by James Voorhees ⭐ Star Rating: 4.5 🎯 Vibe Check: DOUBLE PASS This book felt like… a super cozy hug in a high stakes world! I was hooked… right from the prologue. I could tell right away I was going to love this book from the tone of the writing. You could feel the personality shining and I was hooked. Did I care about the characters ? I loved all the characters, they were all important and I connected with them all. Monk was my fave. I actually loved how James kept everyone’s names out of the book. It kept it easy to follow. Tropes included: quest for the lost, loyalty and betrayal, heroism and sacrifice, love and destruction. The chosen one, secret identities. Did they deliver? Oh yes they do! I really enjoyed how they all came together too. I was so invested in where the story was going and I was hit with mythology, beautiful descriptive prose and an adventure I was sad to leave. This book made me feel: like I was with my friends.. I was hooked with the banter! This book might make you: want to go on the kind of adventure that will keep you entertained! What didn’t work: I wanted the pacing to amp in times of peril. The pacing stayed consistent and that did work but I could it wanted to launch. Perfect for readers who love….. readers who love a solid LGBTQ book, epic fantasy with cozy vibes and character driven stories! 🚫 Not for readers who dislike… getting hooked by characters and get too invested. 😈 Petty Complaint… I didn’t already have book 2 in my hands… bad James! Haha All in all well received! Thank you to @jamesvoorhees for my copy .

Book Review - Fiction - ARC - Ebook- Dark comedy - Cozy Mystery - Anti hero I just finished I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig and here are my musings. Carol is so glad to be leaving her tiny prison cell and take her place in a retirement home. Her serial killer life is in her rearview mirror…. What she doesn’t expect is for the place to be full of ex cops…. And when a police commissioner drops dead and people realize who she is… things get even more awkward… She knows she didn’t do it and now she has to prove she didn’t do it… without killing anyone. I just read the Thursday murder club so this book is right up my alley! I love the older sleuths and the fact that Carol is actually a criminal… Just really set this book into a new league. It was such a clever book! The pacing was slower and I think that’s ok for a book like this. It was well written and I was rooting for Carol the whole time. I enjoyed the dark comedy aspects of the book too. I really was charmed by the book and I highly recommend it if you like fun seniors who like to be arm chair detectives!! 4 stars Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for my gifted copy QOTD do you think it would be fun to live in a retirement home? #bookish #booklover #bookinfluencer #booktok #readingallday #lionessofliteracy #bookishblog

Book Review - Paperback - Podcast interview - Fantasy - Romantasy - Check the Triggers I just finished The Pactbound Angel by S J Brown and here are my musings . What would you do for the life you desperately want? Lady Nathalia wants nothing more than to marry and have a quiet and content life but things are never easy. Cursed by mischief hags and unimpressed by all the pool of men… Nathalia decides to take matters into her own hands. A little payback, a fey carnival, and a mysterious pactmaker might be exactly what she needs…. That gave me the shivers again! Star Rating: 4 This book felt like… a midsummer's dream. I was drawn right into the surreal magical moments and I felt like I was waking up after a spell had been placed upon me. I was hooked… page 1. I couldn’t put the book down. I feel like the book started out really strong and just got better and better.. I did not adult all that day, crushed it in one sitting and I had a minor hangover for the next day. SJ has a brilliant writing style with a lot of her personality and humor emanating off the page. Did I care about the characters? Heck yes I did! Nathalia was incredible. She felt grounded and deep. Ramiren - he is an amazing MC with such manners! I loved all the consent requests the book had with him. Swoon!! Raewyn - she was my fave! She’s my vibe! M.A.L.C.O.L.M - best character ever!!! Tropes included: friends to lovers, fated mates, competent heroine, paranormal with a first person POV. Spice level - 4 Stacey was blushing!!! These tropes delivered!!! I adored all the spice! I loved how well it was done without feeling cheesy or overdone. I loved the friends to lovers angle. Pacing? It was well paced. It kept up the excitement all the way through! This book made me feel: everything. It gave me all the feels. There are a fair amount of triggers warning you at the beginning so I went in expecting carnage but honestly… I felt a lot of things while reading the book. I could feel the tension. I could feel the love. My heart broke a little, I laughed a lot! This book WILL make you lose sleep because you won’t want to put it down! ! Perfect for readers who love…mismatched misfit characters like house on the cerulean sea. Readers who love beautiful world building and solid banter Not for readers who struggle with triggers. They are handled really well but check before you read. I loved it! I would have liked to have Raewyns POV.. That would have cinched it for me. Thank you to the incredible @sjbrownauthor for gifting me a copy and coming on my show which drops Thursday 26th March. youtube.com/watch?v=xJJo38KCIAE&t... #reading #bookblog #bookishblog #bookpodcast #readersofig #lionessofliteracy #litdulterous #indieauthor #thepactboundangel

Book review - Fiction - ALC Audiobook - Dark comedy thriller - unreliable narrator A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M.K. Oliver ⭐ Star Rating: 4 This book felt like…fast paced, unhinged drama filled ride I was hooked… after a few chapters. The book took a little to get going but my oh my it launched! Did I care about the characters ? I was invested for sure. Laila went from likeable to unlikeable a lot and it was fun. She made a lot of decisions that don’t make sense to normal people but to sociopaths.. oh yes haha Tropes included: unreliable narrator, sociopath in suburbia, stepford wives, blackmail, incompetent husband, morally grey Narration star rating and feelings.. 4 stars well narrated! The story had a couple of laggy moments but honestly the pacing was on the slower side but it worked for the comedy. It was really well written. This book made me feel: 100% unhinged! Honestly I loved every second of Lalla’s journey. This book might make you lose sleep! Perfect for readers who love… Dexter, Finlay Donovan.. 🚫 Not for readers who dislike… books with no romance 😈 Petty Complaint… I would have liked a bit more carnage haha All in all superb! Thank you to @netgalley for my gifted copy. Qotd what do you need from a book review to keep checking that reviewers other reviews? #booktok #bookcontent #bookcommunity #happyreader #bookalorian 4d

Book review - Fiction - paperback, ebook and ALC Audiobook - Dark Fantasy - Horror - Hidden Magic Only Spell Deep by Ava Morgyn ⭐ Star Rating: 5 This book felt like… a dark monstrous nightmare! It felt like a cold wind wrapping around you.. the smell of the ocean has never felt so dangerous I was hooked… page 1. I couldn’t put the book down. It really started out strong and didn’t let up. Did I care about the characters? Oh yes! I Judeth is incredible. She didn’t want to continue the insanity of her family after they all died and she walked about from the money.. I have mad respect for that. I was so concerned for her. Tropes included: generation trauma, reclaiming power, enigmatic mentor, ancient being, hidden magic, hidden identity, feminine rage These tropes delivered!!! yes they did. The book didn’t just touch on them, they dug deep and delivered a power whammy!!! Narration star rating and feelings.. I read the book and listened. The narration on the audio was a 5. Pacing? It was moderately paced but it didn’t lag at any point. The story kept going! It really built the tension. Honestly it was so well done This book made me feel: terrified! There was something trapped and it wanted to get out so badly it was taking control of people with powers.. once unleashed… ughhhh!! It really was a solid gothic read. This book WILL make you lose sleep! From needing the lights on to being utterly binge able! Perfect for readers who love… Rebecca.. the craft.. anything dark and witchy! 🚫 Not for readers who dislike… being scared. There is nothing warm or fluffy here. I loved it! Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress for my gifted copies. #readertok #booklovers #bookinfluencer #reading #welovebooks #bookcommunity #readingblog #bookreviewer