I'm Dini (she/her) and I'm a thirty-something book lover based in Indonesia. I mostly read romance and SFF though I love to dabble in other genres but tend to stay away from horror and ghosty things because I'm The Ultimate Chicken™️. I'm always happy to meet other book lovers so feel free to chat with me!
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
From the creator of a viral TikTok series about the sunshine assistant to the evil villain and their unexpected romance comes the most hotly-anticipated romantic fantasy book of the the year!
Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, level-headed assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things in General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
ASSISTANT
With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer-naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.
But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain-and his entire nefarious empire-out.
Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work… and ensure he makes them pay.
After all, a good job is hard to find…
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Violence, gore, blood, attempted sexual assault/harrassment (recounted), parental abandonment, family death (recounted), attempted murder, torture, kidnapping, imprisonment/captivity
TL;DR: From start to finish, Assistant to the Villain was an entertaining read. It was amusing, witty, and simple, and I honestly didn’t take it very seriously. This book didn’t try to be more than it was, which is a simple story with silly characters and a slightly meandering plot, but that made it all the more enjoyable to me. It was the perfect no thoughts mostly vibes read that I was in the perfect mood for, and I think that that’s key to enjoying this story. You need to just vibe and go with it to see where it takes you!
We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time curled up reading in bed with or which book you wish you had time to read today!
At this point, I’m kind of stuck on what to read. I’ve not been reading books with much substance this past week but I’ve enjoyed those erotic romance journeys. But I’m not sure if I want to continue on it. I tried picking up a paranormal romance and a fantasy romance but they didn’t click. Here are some titles I’m thinking about maybe trying next:
Song of the Forever Rains, Her Big City Neighbor, The Karma Map, Thornhedge, One Dark WindowRead More »
My Roommate is a Vampire Publisher: Berkley Pub Date: 29 August 2023 Genre: Contemporary Paranormal Romance
Panda Rating: (3.5 pandas)
📖SYNOPSIS
True love is at stake in this charming, debut romantic comedy.
Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch—only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.
Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean…
Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.
TL;DR: My Roommate is a Vampire was a funny and entertaining romance. This was a romcom that had plenty of romance and comedy with an additional paranormal twist in its modern-day setting! Cassie and Frederick were an endearingly awkward and cute vampire and human duo who were simply trying to figure out how to share the same space without giving in to the burning attraction they felt for each other knowing what a bad idea it would be to give in. Ultimately, this was a story that didn’t seem to take itself too seriously and I think if you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud read with cute feel-good moments, plus a couple of steamy ones too, then I would recommend this!
Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly featurefor book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?Here are the rules:
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
First lines:
“Elizabeth Navenby was known for three things: needlework, talking to the dead, and an ill temper at the best of times. These were not the best of times. Seasickness had taken rough shears to the edges of that temper.”
As expected for the last few months of every year, October passed in a blur. I blinked and it was time for my two-week holiday with besties, then I blinked again and the holiday was over, I back to work feeling like I never had a break to begin with and it’s now November. How? I had a great time on my holiday that passed by too quickly and it was such a busy (but fun!) time that I felt like I needed a holiday post-holiday… I feel so spoiled saying that but it’s true, lol! 😂 I’m sharing three pictures here but you can find more in my Sunday post.
This holiday wasn’t all I did this month but the rest of it was just hectic work days and all of that regular jazz. So the holiday was my main highlight but TS also released her version of my favourite album of hers, 1989. I’ve been *thriving*. If you’re a fan, what’s your favourite re-recording and vault track?! I loved Wonderland’s re-recording and my favourite vault track has to be Say Don’t Go… And Is It Over Now? cos you can’t make me choose one! 🤭
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
Diana Quincy returns with a steamy affair between an Arab-American woman who inherits a run-down castle in the English countryside and the duke who asserts the castle is his, in the first book in a brand-new Victorian historical romance series.
Anthony Cary, Duke of Strickland, inherits his spendthrift father’s title and can finally restore the family castle to its former glory. But at the reading of the will, Strick is stunned to learn that his father has secretly disentailed him, leaving the family manor–home to twelve generations of dukes–to Strick’s American stepmother. Everyone knows Strick detests the dowager duchess, and when she dies mysteriously, damning rumors start to surface.
When Raya Darwish unexpectedly inherits her glamorous late cousin’s castle in the English countryside, she clashes with the charismatic young duke who insists the castle is rightfully his. The estate is practically bankrupt, so she must find a way to work with the duke in order to save both of their futures.
The two cannot stand each other, but mutual disdain soon gives way to desire. When questions arise about how her cousin died, Raya cannot help wondering if Strick’s sudden unbridled passion for her is part of a scheme to get his castle back…
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Misogyny, racism, xenophobia, attempted murder
TL;DR: The Duke Gets Desperate was not what I expected in the best way! I have to admit that this got off to a bit of a rocky start for me but my feelings (thankfully) changed along the way. Raya and (eventually) Anthony were so easy to root for. I love it when an MMC falls first and this man falls hard and fast for Raya and not in an instalove way because they properly couldn’t stand each other to start. And the mouth on him was quite a surprise! 😂🥵 Overall, this was a feisty and sexy historical romance and I’m excited to read more by this author.