Best of May

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Happy June everyone!

Here are our best for last month!

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd - I can't seem to settle on a best book. Nothing had been epic. Instead I have had several good books, but I can't choose since they all have been really good.

Carole - How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived by Leslie Jordan

"This literally had everything. Humor, joy, sadness, thought-provoking parts, and motivation."

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole - Shoot...I really didn't watch any movies in May...how did that happen?

Blodeuedd - Senior Year (2022)

"Best movie. Funny."

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Around the World in 80 Days (2021)

"I liked this tv series."

Bling Empire (2021)

"Guilty pleasure bingewatching."

Carole - Candy

"I had to watch this twice! So dang good."

Best Cover of the Month:

Carole's pick: So cool!!

Blodeuedd's pick: Cute!

Audiobook Review: Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews

Author: Ilona Andrews

Narrator: Renée Raudman

Title: Magic Slays

(World of Kate Daniels #5)

Genre: Urban Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy

Format: Audiobook

Published: May 31st 2011

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .

Review:

Been meaning to get back into the series. It's been a minute!

Kate Daniels quit the Order of Merciful Aid and has started her own business. The business has been slow now that the Order is disparaging her good name and many clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of her mate, Curran. Her big chance pops up when Atlanta's premier Master of the Dead hires to ask to rope in a vampire on the loose. However, it turns out this is not an isolated incident and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it before the city and everyone she loves pays the ultimate price. 

I was absolutely glued to this one! Dang, my wedding getting in the way ;) but I didn't want to stop listening. 

I really had zero ideas how everything was going to be saved and solved... including Kate's ward, Julie. I was certainly on the edge of my seat!

We also get a lot of answers about Kate and her parents. We learned A LOT and so much makes sense. I feel so bad for her....I just want her to find peace and happiness with Curran. 

SPEAKING of which, I am still warming up to Curran. I feel like their relationship is finally maturing and they are trusting each other more. WHICH makes me happy. I was not a huge fan of the Curran/Kate love at first. I'm beginning to adore him too. He is still super, duper jealous and super Alpha...but he has relaxed...a tiny bit. 

The ending was SO good. I literally clapped my hands together! Yes, things are okay for now, but there will be more things for Kate to kill in the future. I do worry for them all. 

The narrator was great. Love her voices for all of our characters. Some of the shifter voices make me chuckle still, but they fit fine. 

Issues? Mmmmm. I don't think I had any for this one. I'll give this 5 stars. 

Now, I will say...you have to at least read book 4 before starting this one. There are a lot of references to what happened in the previous book. 

This is a series that keeps getting better! I struggled with book 1, but after that, I really like this series. 

Challenge(s):
- #26 for Audiobook challenge

Blodeuedd's Tuesday Review: Threads of Magic by Monica Fairview

Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon

Series: Mr. Darcy's Magic, Book 2

Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Release date: 05-24-22

PP variation

To review

I do like PP variations, in every shape and form. And in this one there is magic! Darcy is a royal mage and they are a proud bunch. Lizzy coming in from another set of life is not so welcomed. But they married, they found that they are connected in magic, but they still have a long way to go. Darcy being Darcy.

And the French mages are attacking!

This book takes place on Netherfield where they are hiding out. Lizzy is looked at with suspicion. They royal mages are being such asshats!

Magic, danger, war. Something is not right. Who to trust, and how to make them trust her?! Also, Jane shows up in this one. Nice change of things.

I enjoyed it. It was very different from other ones and follows everything loosely.

Good narration, it felt very fitting

Elizabeth Bennet may be a heroine, but by defying some of the most powerful mages in England, she has made enemies who will stop at nothing to embroil her in scandal. So when she is accused of endangering the Royal Mages through her reckless actions, she no longer knows who to trust. Even the gentleman she loves is taking their side. It seems the only person who believes her is the captive French mage who is imprisoned in the cellar at Netherfield.

Meanwhile, Fitzwilliam Darcy is willing to fight to the death to defend Elizabeth, if only she would stop getting herself into trouble. Why does she always have to break the rules? And why does even her sister Jane cause him so many problems?

Join us in this magical Jane Austen Regency variation. Set mostly in Meryton, with familiar beloved characters from Pride and Prejudice, you will once again be captivated by Elizabeth and Darcy as they struggle to find true love against the backdrop of England’s war with Napoleon.

Book Review: Weekend Wife by Erin McCarthy

Author: Erin McCarthy

Title: Weekend Wife

(Sassy in the City #1)

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Humor

Format: ebook

Pages: 231

Published: February 3rd 2020

Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

Billionaire businessman in need of a fake fiancée…

It should be the easiest job ever for an out-of-work actress, right?

All I have to do is pose as Grant Caldwell (the Third)’s fiancé for a fancy-pants weekend in the Hamptons. Easy. Wear designer clothing and sip champagne? Don’t mind if I do. Flirting with Grant? It’s so delicious I should be paying him.

Nothing can go wrong as long as I can keep my hands off of him.

But that’s the hard part. And I do mean hard.

Because Grant is sexy.

And bossy.

And surprisingly sweet, a real rarity in his pretentious family.

Oops. I’m not as good at faking it as I thought. Or maybe they call this method acting. Because it’s getting harder to figure out where my character ends and I begin…

It just might be the role of a lifetime.

Weekend Wife is a standalone romantic comedy with a sexy billionaire, a sassy heroine, and a Happily Ever After.

Review:

Randomly stumbled upon this in the freebies on Amazon and Mellanie had reviewed this a couple years back. It looked cute and it fit one of my reading challenges...so why not? 

We follow Grant and Leah. Grant is a billionaire who needs a fake fiancé for the weekend. Leah is an actress and she agrees. However, it is getting hard to fake the feelings they have for each other. 

I started off really liking this. Grant is a hunk and Leah is a darling. I was hooked. Some humor that had me chuckling. 

However, around page 100 or so....I lost interest. I kept reading because I was hoping I would reconnect, but I really never did. I was happy they finally realized they loved each other. The lust was there from page 1, but the love took a while. Which fit for them and for the story. However, I just skimmed and kept forcing myself to finish. 

Not sure why I really lost interest. Grant and Leah are okay and the humor did have me chuckle.

In the end, I liked the first half and I was hooked, but the last half...I struggled. I can't really pinpoint why, but I was just ready for it to end but I didn't want to DNF because I had hope. Maybe it just wasn't for me. I'll give this 2 stars.   

Challenge(s):

- #20 for Romance Reading Challenge - Fake romance