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:
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 reading in bed or wish you had time to read today!
I’ll spend the rest of my Sunday in bed reading Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell. This is the second book set in the same world as Maxwell’s first book which I finished yesterday and loved! I’m enjoying this one a lot too!
But… One of the MCs is a bit of a douche canoe and I’m just trying to understand what happened with him to make him so combative and abrasive. I don’t dislike him but he’s testing my patience a bit! ๐
The Witcher meets Naomi Novik in this fast-paced fantasy rooted in Slavic folklore, from an assured new voice in genre.
As a witch in the walled city of Chernograd, Kosara has plenty of practice taming rusalkas, fighting kikimoras, and brewing lycanthrope repellent. Thereโs only one monster Kosara canโt defeat: her ex the Zmey, known as the Tsar of Monsters. Sheโs defied him one too many times, and now heโs hunting her. Betrayed to him by someone close to her, Kosaraโs only hope is to trade her shadowโthe source of her powersโfor illegal passage across the Wall to Belograd, where monsters canโt follow.
Life in Belograd should be sweet, but Kosara soon develops a fast-acting version of the deadly wasting sickness that stalks shadowless witchesโand only reclaiming her magic can cure her. To trace her shadow, sheโll have to team up with the suspiciously honorable detective investigating the death of the smuggler who brought her across the Wall.
Even worse than working with the cops is that all the clues point in a single direction: one of the Zmeyโs monsters has found a crack in the Wall, and Kosaraโs magic is now in the Zmeyโs hands.
The clock is ticking, the hunt is on, and Kosaraโs priorities should be clearโbut is she the hunter or the hunted? And in a city where everyone is out for themselves, who can Kosara trust to assist her in outwitting the manโthe Monsterโsheโs never been able to escape alone?
TL;DR:I’m not sure what I expected going into this but it wasn’t what I got and I absolutely mean that in the best way! Foul Days is dark and full of monsters but the “horror” aspect is light enough that those who are scared of dark and scary things (it’s me) can read it in bed alone at night. It’s heavy in Slavic lore and it’s action-packed from start to finish. I loved Kosara and her acerbic nature. She’s crabby and witty but vulnerable enough for us to see past that exterior to the damaged young woman she still carries inside. Her banter with Asen was A+ and their “copper vs. charlatan” dynamic was one of my favourite parts of this story. I was so pleasantly surprised by this fantasy debut and I’m already itching to get my hands on the second book (*please bless me, Tor gods*)!
Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits, and it’s where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each otherโs posts! Check out all the past topics if you want to join in the bookish discussion fun.
This week’s topic is actually a mid-year reading check-in but since I just posted my Mid-Year Check-In Tag earlier this week, I’ll be doing last week’s topic:
Prompts: Diversity and diversity in reading are often huge topics of conversation. Do you actively seek out diverse books? What kind of representation do you look for? Do you feel that diverse books are often spotlighted, or that it takes more of an effort to find diverse books? What recommendations do you have?
Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by The Write Reads Tours I’m shining a spotlight on The Light Between Us by Elaine Chiew. Click the banner below to check out the other bloggers on tour!
Special thanks to the author for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Change of Heart Publication Date: 25 June 2024 Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating: (4.5 pandas)
๐SYNOPSIS
Greyโs Anatomy meets a gender-swapped Wedding Crashers in this spicy rom-com about a one-night stand with The One, walking the tightrope of love and workplace ethics, and knowing which rules are worth breaking.
Every summer, superstar surgeon Whitney Aldritch crashes weddings with her best friend. The first one was an accident though after a decade of dropping in uninvited, theyโre masters of their craft. They keep the rules simple and they never go to bed alone.
Then thereโs Henry Hazlette, best man and the best one-night stand of Whitโs summer. She never imagined sheโd see him again but now heโs one of her new surgical residentsโand completely off-limits.
Whitney has staked her reputation on leading the hospitalโs new ethics initiative. While Henry is under her supervision, they have to keep it professional. But it doesnโt help that she canโt turn around without running face-first into his offensively broad chest or rubbing up against him in crammed elevators. Also not helping: the way he smiles at her like he can hear her every not-safe-for-work thought.
All they have to do is survive this residencyโand the accidental tarot card readings that hit too close to home, a few uninvited houseguests, and the hospitalโs hyperactive rumor millโbut only if theyโre prepared to bend some rules as the feelings go from just for tonight to get it out of our systems to mine.
โ ๏ธCONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Parental estrangement and abandonment; parental divorce; chronic illness (secondary character); brief mention of suicide (in the past, not detailed, not a central character); mention of infidelity (secondary characters); frequent medical, hospital, and surgical discussion (no blood, no gore); discussion of donor organ retrieval and organ transplant surgeries (no blood, no gore); brief discussion of mountain rescue situations (not detailed); discussion of workplace bullying (off-page)
TL;DR: I didnโt think I would feel a little weepy reading Change of Heart but that’s how much I loved these characters and their romance. Canterbary somehow manages to do this to me every time and let’s be real: I would willingly let her keep doing it, too! I adored Henry and Whitney and their relationship journey but as much as I loved Whitney and her boss energy, I LOVED Henry! Oh, my granola, this man had my heart ready to burst with his acts of service, loyalty and big golden retriever energy. Help, THE FEELINGS! Also, I’m 100% here for the Greyโs Anatomy vibes and I sincerely cannot wait until Canterbary gives us more of this hospital crew because they are amazing.
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:
Somehow we have already made it to the mid-year mark of 2024. Where have the months gone? I feel like I say it ever year now but the past six months have felt too long and somehow not long enough. How quickly are the next six months going to pass before it’s time again to usher in a new year? But I digress…
Making it to June means it’s time to bring out one of my favourite annual tags: The Mid-Year Check-In!