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:
Rookie Mistake (Orleans University #3.5)
Pub Date: 24 September 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating:
(3.5 pandas)
I won my brother’s rival in a Date the Player auction… and had the best night of my life.
Davis Guidry is Orleans University’s starting rookie pitcher.
He’s handsome, charming, and an all-around flirt.
After spending a hot, spontaneous night together, we can’t seem to keep our hands off each other.
But our no-strings fun comes crashing down when my overbearing brother, who happens to be Davis’s biggest rival, catches us in action.
Even that seems to only make the fire burn hotter when we’re together.
And suddenly, our secret fling starts to feel like something more than either of us bid on.
Are these casual hookups between us just a fun way to pass my freshman year…
Or have we made the ultimate rookie mistake and caught feelings?
Rookie Mistake is approximately a 36k word novella in the Orleans University world. It is a complete standalone.
This is high spice, low plot and lots of fun!
Moore describes this as “high spice, low plot, and lots of fun”, which is spot on for this college romance novella. At less than 200 pages, things move unsurprisingly quickly for Zara and Davis but thankfully, even with their instant connection, there are no instant declarations of love. From the go, their chemistry was palpable and I loved seeing them grow closer as friends and romantic partners. Their personalities were complementary and it resulted in some fun and wild times!
Read More » 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:
Do I even remember what I did in November? Not really, LOL! Honestly, this month just flew by and I have no idea at all where the time went.
Most of the month’s highlights had to do with material things. I bought a bunch of stuff online and my parents were able to bring it back from Japan including keycaps for my keyboard and vinyls. Plus, they surprised me with two bags from my favourite brand! I must admit I am a material girl and I love the goods, so these things made me very happy (especially the vinyls)! 🤭
I also went to see Wicked and I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried buckets. I think what surprised me most was the scene that made me the most emotional because while it made me sad when I saw it on Broadway, the movie scene hit so much harder! I won’t share when exactly but it has to do with a certain ballroom (iykyk) and wow, how the tears flowed! 😂 I was trying hard to not be a sobbing idiot in the theatre, haha (I think I succeeded).
Read More » Excuse me, it’s the last Wednesday of November!?
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:
Castles in their Bones (Castles in their Bones #1)
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: 1 February 2022
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Panda Rating:
(4.5 pandas)
The plot: overthrow a kingdom. The goal: world domination. The plan: marriage.
Trained for from birth in espionage and seduction, the triplet princesses of Bessemia must travel to three distant lands to marry three princes and enact their Queen mother’s plan to rule from sea to sea. But when they arrive, each sister discovers her task is not so simple, and their mother’s motives may not be what they seem.
Classism, sexual harassment, paedophilia mentioned, alcohol consumption, murder, poisoning, riots, filicide, assassination attempts, brief imprisonment, mild violence
I first read this book in 2023 but didn’t manage to write a proper review so I’m writing it now on re-read and kind of mashing up my first and second read thoughts. Sorry if it’s a mess! 🤭
TL;DR: I loved this more than I thought I would! With three perspectives to contend with, I was worried that I’d find certain perspectives more boring than others but I ended up feeling incredibly invested in all three sisters, their tasks and their romances too. There is plenty of courtly political drama, expected and unexpected betrayals, tenuous romantic bonds, and fragile friendships but through it all, it’s always about family and loyalty. After that absolutely WILD ending, I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series ASAP. 💜
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Hitched to the Gunslinger (Gunslinger #1)
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Pub Date: 24 August 2021
Genre: Historical Western Romance
Panda Rating:
(5 pandas)
Gray “Quick Shot” Woodson is the fastest gun west of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, he’s ready to hang up his hat. Sure, being notorious has its perks. But the nomadic lifestyle—and people always tryin’ to kill you—gets old real fast.
Now he just wants to find a place to retire so he can spend his days the way the good Lord intended. Staring at the sunset. And napping.
When his stubborn horse drags him into a hole-in-the-wall town called Desolation, something about the place calls to Gray, and he figures he might actually have a shot at a sleepy retirement.
His optimism lasts about a minute and a half.
Soon he finds himself embroiled in a town vendetta and married to a woman named Mercy. Who, judging by her aggravating personality, doesn’t know the meaning of her own name. In fact, she’s downright impossible.
But dang it if his wife isn’t irresistible. If only she’d stop trying to steal his guns to go after the bad guys herself.
There goes his peace and quiet…
Death of parent (off page), gambling, alcoholism (side character), gun violence, extortion, attempted murder
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:
Starling House
Publisher: Tor Books
Pub Date: 3 October 2023
Genre: Gothic Fantasy
Panda Rating:
(5 pandas)
A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can’t stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.
Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland–and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.
Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.
As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.
If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.
Grief, death of a parent (recounted), drowning (recounted), car accident (recounted), blackmail, fire, brief imprisonment, asthma attacks, poverty, racism, slavery, implications of sexual assault/incest/paedophilia, child marriage, gun violence (minor), implications of drugging, violence, blood
Why is it always the hardest to review a book you love? The words are swirling around in my head but they just won’t come out in the way I need them to! So sorry if this is a ‘mid’ slightly nonsensical ramble of a review.
TL;DR: Starling House is a hauntingly beautiful Southern Gothic with a rich fairytale-esque atmosphere. It doesn’t matter that I’ve probably read something similar-ish before because the combination of the author’s lush prose, relatable characters, and well-loved tropes mixed with the creepy foreboding vibe felt unique. I fell in love with Opal, Arthur, and the sentient House with its oddly endearing personality. I loved where Harrow took this story and what it turned into—from a slow beginning that steadily builds to an utterly explosive and ultimately satisfying ending.
This was a buddy read with Leslie and Julie and we had so much to gush about! It was a great group read and I’m so happy to say that all of us really loved it! 😍
Read More » 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:
dinipandareads 