Bests of June

June is done. Here comes the July sun!

Here are our faves for last month. 

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd - The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates

"I am giving this one best of! Sure DCC is amazing, but some other books needs to shine too."

Carole -  An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong

"Had some stiff competition for June! However, this one was just too good to not give the trophy to."

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole -  Project Hail Mary (2026)

"This was the only movie I watched in June and it was a darn good one that I had to watch it again."

Blodeuedd - Little Brother (2026)

"I watched Little Brother. Was it great? Nah, but it gave a few good laughs."

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Mating Season (s1) & The Mentalist (s3 & 4)

"Mating Season was effed up, lol. And now I have watched s3 and 4 of The Mentalist."

Carole - Off Campus (s1)

"One of the rare times that it was overall better than the book! I loved this show and I'm re-watching it as we speak."

Best Cover of the Month:

B's pick: Cute!

C's pick: Adorable!

Book Review: By His Vow by Tracy Lorraine

Author: Tracy Lorraine

Title: By His Vow

Series: Callahan Billionaires #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format: ebook

Pages: 678

Published: April 21, 2024

Where I got It: My shelf (Bookbub)

Summary: 

As the daughter of a powerful businessman, I wasn’t expecting to inherit much when my father suddenly passed.

There was only one thing I truly wanted.

The cottage— the only place that ever felt like home.

But it turns out that I got a lot more than I bargained for.

Kingston Callahan.

Arrogant, egotistical, power-hungry, demanding and all the other not-so-charming attributes I despised.

He’s also my brother’s best friend.

And now, thanks to my dearly departed father, my husband for the next year.

He’s everything I hate about the life I was born into. Everything I’m not.

One short year...three hundred and sixty-five days in return for the life I've always dreamed of.

It’s a merger, not a marriage, but I’m not prepared for the hunger Kingston uncovers with his touch.

It’ll all be over soon, just so long as I remember not to catch real feelings for my fake husband while we’re pretending.

Review:

I picked this up because 1) freeeeeeee and 2) it fit a reading challenge. It all seemed like the perfect storm. 

Here we have Kingston and Tatum. The two have known each other for years. After the death of her father, she thinks she'll finally get the quiet life of her dreams at the family cottage, and she'll be out of the family business for good. However, her father and Kingston have other plans for her. To get her cottage and be left alone, she has to marry Kingston for one year and, hopefully, give him a baby. Problem? She hates him.

Sighs. 

Sighs again but louder and more eye rolling. 

I hate Kingston. I hate his face. Tatum RUUUUUUUN!!!!

I'm a smut gal, and this had too much smut. It was like every other page. Did they ever really talk? Barely. That is why it took 600+ pages for them to finally get on the same page; they were able to finally talk here and there in between the rolling around on the sheets. UGH.

I powered through because I wanted the credit for the reading challenge, and I had the smallest bit of hope maybe, just maybe, Kingston would grow on me. He finally did...kinda....in the epilogue *faints*

But yes. Not for me. This has a high rating, so people must love it. I guess I'm in the minority on this one. 

2 stars. I give this an extra star because I liked Tatum and her cat. Good kitty! Scratch him again!!!!!

 

Reading Challenges:

- Reading Romance Challenge #15 (Blind Date/Arranged Marriage)

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson

Series: The Cosmere Universe (#19)

Format: 385 pages, Paperback

Published: March 4, 2024 by Gollancz

Sci.fi/own

I did feel like I was thrown into the middle of a story. Nomad is on the run and jumps from planet to planet to escape some bad guys. And this planet sucks. You have to be on the move constantly escaping the sun. It is so powerful that it melts everything in its path. Luckily the planet is small but yes run run run around the planet.

And a crazy guy wants to rule everyone. He also leaves people to burn to death and then collect their souls to power the machines that take them across the world.

Nomad must save the planet....

Interesting world. Scary world. I enjoyed the story, but at the same time. Maybe I am like beginning to tire, everything is good, but not fantastic anymore

Years ago he had comrades in arms and a cause to believe in, but now the man who calls himself Nomad knows only a life on the run. Forced to hop from world to world in the Cosmere whenever the relentless Night Brigade gets too close, Nomad lands on a new planet and is instantly caught up in the struggle between a tyrant and the rebels who want only to escape being turned into mindless slaves-all under the constant threat of a sunrise whose heat will melt the very stones. Unable to understand the language, can he navigate the conflict and gain enough power to leap offworld before his mind or body pay the ultimate price?

Audiobook Review: An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Narrator: Kate Handford

Title: An Ordinary Sort of Evil

Series: A Rip Through Time #5

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance

Format: Audiobook 

Published: May 19, 2026

Where I Got It: Audible

Summary: 

Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Mitchell has grown accustomed to life in Victorian Scotland after travelling 150 years into the past into the body of a housemaid. She’s built a new life for herself. Even though she works as an assistant to forensic-science pioneer Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie, she considers them true friends. And with Gray in particular, perhaps, someday, something more.

Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business, and they assume there's been a death in the household. But instead, they arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Although Gray and Mallory are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter, whether she's dead or alive. But unsure if there's been a murder or not, unable to call out the medium as a fraud, and concerned for the fate of the young maid, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling--and more dangerous--than it first seems

Review:

Been itching to listen to this, but I had a couple of other audios I had planned first. I am loving this series so much. 

We are back with Mallory and the gang! They are called to a seance after a ghost demanded that Gray solve her murder. Problem? Is the former maid ACTUALLY dead or even missing? Even though they are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter. Even if there is no murder, they can call out a medium as a fraud.

EEEEEEE. Big steps are made in the Mallory-Gray love story. I was squealing like a schoolgirl. I won't say anything more, but big leaps have been made. In all the other books and novellas, there have been baby steps and crawls. Maybe a step back here and there, but things are really pushing! 

I NEED MORE!!!! When is the next book??? EEEEE!

All the EEEEEEs with this book. 

This might be one of my favorites of the series so far. The mystery was sooo good. I had zero idea what was going to happen. Who did what and why and when and so forth. All lovely. 

Lots of character growth and fun dialogue. 

And a surprise guest! I will say no more there. 

The narrator is amazing. I hope she continues the series. Her voice is the only voice I hear. 

5 stars 100%. Read the series. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #26