Oh the March slump. I didn't get as many books read as I would have liked to. Between my 40th Birthday festivities, the nice weather and spending time outside with my feathered babies, and honestly just a plain old reading slump due to some mild depression (who knew it would be so hard to turn 40?!?!?)- I was on the low side of book numbers. However I am still doing good with my reading goal which is set at 75 for the year. I just hit 25 yesterday and started 26 last night.
The Idea Of You by Robinne Lea
4.5/5 Stars
3/5 Spice
I have had this book on my kindle to be read for a long time. However, it just seemed weird to read about a 39 year old woman having a love affair with a much younger man. That was until I saw the trailer for the movie based off this book that will be hitting Amazon Prime in May starring Anne Hathaway and the super cute kid from Purple Hearts. I immediately started this book and was drawn into it. It is nice to read about someone my age for once. Usually most of the books written these days in the genres I read are about the mid to late 20 somethings. While I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, just beware, this book does not have the HEA that most books have. But it also isn't a bad ending. It is a very adult book, with a real life ending. That may or may not piss you off.
One Enchanted Evening by Tara Wyatt
5/5 Stars
4/5 Spice
I have been very blessed to be a part of Tara's Advance Reader Group for many years. This is the second book in the Gossamer Falls series and like the first, I ADORED it. Just when I think Tara cannot create a more perfect MMC, she writes another book and BAM, there he is. Jack Shephard is the kind of MMC we all love, single dad, cop, and man does he have a filthy mouth. This book reads like an X rated Hallmark movie and I am not mad about it. It has a little magic, lots of small town feels, a tiny bit of drama, lots of love, and gobs of spice. The characters in this series are also closer to my age- mid to late thirties, so I really enjoy that also.
King of Wrath by Ana Huang
4/5 Stars
2/5 Spice
I picked this book up on sale one day and it's been sitting on my shelf for about two months. I finally decided to give it a try and I am glad I did. While arranged marriages aren't exactly my favorite trope, this one wasn't bad. Dante wasn't a very likable MMC but I liked the FMC Vivian. She didn't take any crap from Dante. This book had some spice but not a lot. I was expecting more. I did go ahead and buy the rest of the series when they were on sale during Spring Prime Days last week so that I could get to know the rest of the side characters and see them develop. I am a sucker for a good series.
All The Little Raindrops by Mia Sheridan
4/5 Stars
1/5 Spice
I really, really wanted to give this 5 stars. I absolutely love Mia Sheridan's writing. Though this book is completely different than any of her other books I have read. This one is very dark and trigger warnings should be read before starting it. It is about two teens that get kidnapped and held captive together. I won't get into specifics but know that SA, violence, and starvation are mentioned in this book. While the author does not go into graphic detail about things, they are mentioned. I flew through the first half of the book. Someone mentioned in their review that it reminded them of a mixture of Saw and Hunger Games, and I have to agree with that. The resilience of the teens kept you wanting to know what was going to happen next. You wanted the answer to why they were put in there together. However the second half left me wanting more. While the ending gave me the answers I was wanting, I just wasn't as impressed with it as I was the first part of the book. I do think it is a great dark romance/mystery/thriller and if that is your genre, it is a must read.
Hunt On Dark Waters by Katee Robert
3.5/5 Stars
3.5/5 Spice
I feel like I should apologize to my girl Katee. I usually love everything she writes but not this one. I have had this in my cart on Amazon for a month or so but finally picked it up at B&N with a gift card last week. Sadly, it was my most disappointing book of the month. I don't know if it was because it was a lot of fantasy and I have grown out of that or if it was because it is just really out there or if I just genuinely didn't like the story line. However it you like witches, vampires, pirates, and smut....you may enjoy it. I just can't say that I did. But I am not going to give up on my girl Katee. I still have two on my shelf that need to be read by her and those are just the ones I have bought. She is still one of my favorites these days.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
5/5 Stars
0/5 Spice
Ok. I admit. I was wrong. This book was recommended to me LAST January. And I have held off. I was wrong to hold off so long. This book was, well REMARKABLE. I went into it almost blind, only knowing it had an octopus in it. The story follows an octopus Marcellus and the many human characters that have some sort of connection to his life. It is a sad, yet also happy story. I cried, I laughed, and I also learned. I have always thought octopus were phenomenal creatures, and I learned even more from this book. I went directly from this book to a nonfiction book called The Soul Of An Octopus plus starting watching a documentary on octopus last night. I cannot recommend this book enough. It put me in the mind of Jodi Picoult in a way with her writing. Everyone is intertwined and you learn a lesson from this book. It was most definitely my top read of the month of March.
I am looking forward to reading more in April. Turning 40 was a big "turning point" to me, if that makes sense. I am going to be working hard to better my mental and physical health. One of the ways I am going to better my mental health is by incorporating more nonfiction books into my reading. And also going back to reading more.
Happy Reading And Happy Spring Everyone!
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