I read so many books in February! I’m honestly surprised by how many I read and hope I can continue to read a lot throughout the year.
Lore Olympus Vol. 1 by Rachel Smythe
Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love—witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology’s most well-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe. Featuring a brand-new, exclusive short story, Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated web-comic Lore Olympus brings the Greek Pantheon into the modern age with this sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.
I loved this graphic novel and can’t wait for the second volume to come out this year!
How To Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan
Grace Travis has it all figured out. In between finishing school and working a million odd jobs, she’ll get her degree and her dream job. Most importantly, she’ll have a place to belong, something her harsh mother could never make. When an opportunity to fix up—and live in—a little house on the beach comes along, Grace is all in. Until her biggest roadblock moves in next door. Noah Jansen knows how to make a deal. As a real estate developer, he knows when he’s found something special. Something he could even call home. Provided he can expand by taking over the house next door–the house with the combative and beautiful woman living in it. With the rules for being neighborly going out the window, Grace and Noah are in an all-out feud. But sometimes, your nemesis can show you that home is always where the heart is.
This book was so good! Ten Rules For Faking It (book one) is still my favorite, but I really enjoyed getting to read about Noah.
I’ve Got You, Babe by Lynnette Austin
Former Marine Tucker Wylder wants nothing more than to work with his brothers in their vintage car restoration business and be left alone with his nightmares and regrets. The last thing he needs is to take on someone else’s troubles. . . Then Elisa Danvers and her young daughter arrive in Misty Bottoms, Georgia. Elisa has reached the end of the line–flat broke, engine trouble, sick in body and spirit. Tucker steps up to the rescue and finds himself reluctantly taking care of a feisty preschooler and her independent mother, who doesn’t seem to want his help. And Tucker isn’t sure he’s ready for the way precocious little Daisy and headstrong, beautiful Elisa herself capture first his bachelor household and finally his carefully guarded heart. . .
This was a sweet book. I really enjoyed it and plan to read more from this author.
Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrian
He comes to her more dead than alive, a towering black-clad stranger riddled with bullets and rapidly losing blood. As she struggles to save him, veterinarian Tess Culver is unaware that the man calling himself Dante is no man at all but one of the Breed, vampire warriors engaged in a desperate battle. In a single erotically charged moment, Tess is plunged into his world – a shifting, shadowed place where bands of Rogue vampires stalk the night, cutting a swath of terror. Haunted by visions of a dark future, Dante lives and fights like there is no tomorrow. Tess is a complication he does not need – but now, with his brethren under attack, he must shield Tess from a growing threat that includes Dante himself. For with one reckless, irresistible kiss, she has become an inextricable part of his underworld realm…and his touch awakens her to hidden gifts, desires, and hungers she never knew she possessed. Bonded by blood, Dante and Tess must work together to thwart deadly enemies, even as they discover a passion that transcends the boundaries of life itself.
It took me a little bit to get into this book, but once I did it was very fast paced. I was glad when their love story finally came together. I still plan on continuing this series at some point in time.
Second Star To The Left by Megan Van Dyke
Tinker Bell, banished from her homeland for doing the unthinkable, selling the hottest drug in Neverland—pixie dust—wants absolution. Determined to find a way home, Tink doesn’t hesitate to follow the one lead she has, even if that means seducing a filthy pirate to steal precious gems out from under his…hook. Captain Hook believes he’s found a real treasure in Tink. That is, until he recovers from her pixie dust laced kiss with a curse that turns the seas against him. With his ship and reputation at the mercy of raging storms, he tracks down the little minx and demands she remove the curse. Too bad she can’t. However, the mermaid queen has a solution to both of their problems, if Tink and Hook will work together to retrieve a magical item for her. As they venture to the mysterious Shrouded Isles to find the priceless treasure, their shared nemesis closes in. However, his wrath is nothing compared to the realization that achieving their goal may mean losing something they never expected to find—each other.
This was so good! This is Megan’s debut novel and I was so excited to get an ARC from her. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with in the future!
Hexes and O’s by Lisa Wells
Inherited: One haunted house; One witch’s manual; One mandatory ‘to do’ list. Not Inherited: One hunky neighbor; One memory-challenged ghost; One set of town gossips When down-on-her-luck costume designer Remington Smith receives a surprise inheritance, she must return to the town she swore to forget. And complete a list of mandatory projects. And learn to cast magic spells. Magic spells? Too bad the hunky guy next door keeps getting in the way. After a tornado ravages a small town, Jason Hart purchases ninety percent of the property as a cooperate training ground for Think Tank Innovations. But his first renovation crew quits. Then another. And another. They all say ghosts are running amok—and the whole town is hexed with an anti-love spell. Except Jason doesn’t believe in ghosts or (anti) love spells. And given how drawn he is to his spunky new neighbor, that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon. While Remington works to complete her inherited to-do-list, avoid falling for her playboy neighbor, and learn how to cast spells that don’t backfire, she discovers a deadly mystery involving the orphanage where she grew up. A mystery so deadly that Jason starts trying to shove her out of town and out of his life. But Remington has never been good at taking orders.
I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and hard to put down. I wish I would have gotten to see more of the couple. I’ll definitely be continuing this series.
The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
The Cruel Prince (book 1) synopsis: Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
I read The Cruel Prince last year and wanted to continue this series so bad. I read book two and three in the same day because I was so obsessed with them…. I already want to reread this series. This is my new favorite.
Raven’s Pass: Curses For Sale by Steve Brezenoff
Weird things happen after Jace buys an old toy car at a garage sale.
This was a good, spooky middle grade. It is very short but fun.
Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren
When Ruby Miller’s boss announces he’s sending her on an extended business trip to New York City, she’s shocked. As one of the best and brightest young engineers in London, she knows she’s professionally up to the task. The part that’s throwing her is where she’ll be spending a month up close and personal working alongside—and staying in a hotel with—Niall Stella, her firm’s top urban planning executive and The Hottest Man Alive. Despite her ongoing crush, Ruby is certain Niall barely knows she’s alive…until their flirty overnight flight makes him sit up and take notice. Not one for letting loose and breaking rules, recently divorced Niall would describe himself as hopeless when it comes to women. But even he knows outgoing California-girl Ruby is a breath of fresh air. Once she makes it her mission to help the sexy Brit loosen his tie, there’s no turning back. Thousands of miles from London, it’s easy for the lovers to play pretend. But when the trip is over, will the relationship they’ve built up fall down?
This was so good and I couldn’t put it down! I really want to read more by this author duo.
Many Bloody Returns- anthology
Never-before-published vampire stories by Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, and many others. Suspenseful, surprising, sometimes dark, sometimes humorous-these all-new stories will ensure that readers never think of vampires (or birthdays) in quite the same way again.In New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris’s “Dracula Night,” Sookie Stackhouse is the only human at the annual commemoration of Dracula’s birth. But this year, the Prince of Darkness actually shows up-and finds Sookie to be a tasty-looking present. New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s crime-solving wizard Harry Dresden, of the Dresden Files novels, heads to a role-playing party to give his vampire brother a birthday present in “It’s My Birthday Too,” only to discover there are some bloodthirsty party crashers who don’t share their brotherly love. In “Twilight,” Cassandra DuCharme, who appeared in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s Dime Store Magic, knows she has to kill to live as a vampire another year-but finds herself disturbingly disinterested in the hunt. Plus ten more bloody good birthday stories that take the cake.
I love anthologies and while most of these stories were really good, there were some weirder ones in there as well. I loved that they all centered around birthdays though.
Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
When Alice sees a white rabbit take a watch out of its waistcoat pocket she decides to follow it, and a sequence of most unusual events is set in motion.
I wanted to like this classic a lot more than I did. It was just a bit too odd for me.
Better Than Chocolate by Sheila Roberts
Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company has been in the Sterling family for generations, ever since Great-Grandma Rose literally dreamed up her first fabulous recipe. But now it looks as if they’re about to lose Sweet Dreams to the bank—and that would be a disaster, not only for the family but for the town of Icicle Falls, Washington. Can Samantha, the oldest daughter and new head of the company, come up with a way to save it? After Samantha does some brainstorming with her mother and sisters, inspiration strikes. They’ll have a chocolate festival! Time’s running out, but the Sterling women are determined and the town’s behind them, so everything’s bound to go smoothly…. Or not. Events seem to be conspiring against Samantha, and her mother’s attempts to help aren’t helping. To make matters worse, the fate of her company is in the hands of her archenemy, Blake Preston, the bank manager with the football-hero good looks. It’s enough to drive her to chocolate. But Blake’s also enough to convince her that (believe it or not) there’s something even better than chocolate.
This was good. I loved the characters and liked getting to read about chocolate. I’ve read from this author before and have liked all her books.
Love In Bloom by Jenny Proctor
I’m basically a golden retriever puppy. I love everyone and want everyone to love me. Cameron is the singular exception to my love-everyone rule, and the hatred goes both ways. First of all, he’s one of those guys, the kind that looks like he belongs on the cover of Yacht Club Weekly. Second of all, he’s way too good at his job. The man is a walking Wikipedia; his walking tours of historic downtown Charleston stay booked weeks in advance. Did I mention I run tours along the same route? When we’re both up for a magazine feature that could kick our respective careers to the next level, our rivalry turns into a heated competition. Then we unexpectedly kiss (it’s a loooong story), and things get really complicated. Now, my blood is boiling over Cameron for an entirely different reason. Only one of us can win. Can I trust a man who used to be my enemy, or is everything—even our relationship—just part of his plan to take me down?
This book was addicting. I loved the banter between the two characters and their love story. I grinned like an idiot throughout this book.
Crescent Moon Vol. 1-6 by Haruko Iida
Mahiru Shiraishi has an uncanny ability to bring good luck to everyone she touches—except herself. She’s constantly haunted by a recurring nightmare that ushers her to a dreamworld. There, she encounters a tribe of demons—a werewolf, vampire, fox and bat—called the Lunar Race. Destiny calls when they need her help to recover their source of power, the stolen “Teardrops of the Moon”. In this fantasy adventure, Mahiru must battle the rage between the human race and the Lunar Race, whose powers are awakened by the dark side of the moon.
I’ve read this manga series before but really wanted to reread it. It didn’t take me long, but really made me happy. I love these characters and really wish more people knew about this series.
Chicken Soup Gone to Hell by Cara Wylde
I’ve always known I’m a terrible cook. But summoning a demon while attempting to make a simple chicken soup? That’s just next level. Asmodeus, King of Hell, ruler over too many demon armies to try counting them, is in the middle of my destroyed kitchen, awaiting an explanation. He says I’m a powerful witch, but that’s just ridiculous. He says he’s bound to me, and he’ll fulfill any wish I have. What do I say? Despite his horns, hooves, and tail, he’s stupidly handsome. And I need to find a way to banish him before he gets under my skin.
This was so cute! I loved it and laughed a ton.
Those are all the books I read in February! Have you read any of these? What did you think about them? Until next time.