February was another good book month. I did feel like I was about to go into a slump at the beginning of the month so I started a reread of The Guild Hunter series and that totally fixed me.
The Gilded Ones (Deathless #1) by Namina Forna – 3.75 ⭐
A good debut that has lots and lots of potential. It was very strong on ‘fuck the patriarchy’ vibes and I’ll ALWAYS welcome a book like that into my life.
Flow (Grip #0.5) – by Kennedy Ryan – 5 ⭐
What a fabulous setup. It’s short but I loved seeing Grip and Bristol meet.
Grip (Grip #1) by Kennedy Ryan – 5 ⭐
Even when they were being stupid and not communicating I really loved Grip and Bristol. There was a lot of frustration for sure but it was worth it in the end. I’m looking forward to reading these books again one day. I think I’ll love them even more when I know how it will end.
Still (Grip #2) by Kennedy Ryan – 5 ⭐
This was a tough read. I absolutely tore through it because I couldn’t cope with not knowing the end of their story but the knowing was really difficult at times. It all worked out in the end though and I so enjoyed their HEA.
Grip and Bristol 4Ever!
Angel’s Blood (Guild Hunter #1) by Nalini Singh – 5 ⭐
One of my all time favourite series. I’ve been thinking about a reread for ages now and not reading it was starting to cause a ‘slump’ feeling. These books are so much fun for me. The final battle in this one is the best.
Archangel’s Kiss (Guild Hunter #2) by Nalini Singh – 5 ⭐
A mortal learning to become an immotral with wings. What’s not to love?
Archangel’s Consort (Guild Hunter #3) by Nalini Singh – 5 ⭐
Elena and Raphael are back in New York and the world is in turmoil as an Ancient wakes. Anyone who thinks their mother in law is a monster should know it could be worse, she could be a powerful immortal who could kill you with the flick of the hand and kind of wants to.
The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert – 5 ⭐
Loved this. Such a nice book for V-Day!
I love a fake dating trope. Can’t be beat. This was also SPICY!!
Talia Hibbert writes fabulously prickly heroines and super sweet heroes. In this book we get the same thing BUT both aren’t exactly what they seem.
Archangel’s Blade (Guild Hunter #4) by Nalini Singh – 5 ⭐
Dmitri is not a favourite in the series for most people but I really loved his story and this is our first story about another character in this series. A little bit of a darker storyline in this one as well.
Archangel’s Storm (Guild Hunter #5) by Nalini Singh – 5 ⭐
The setting for another member of Raphael’ Seven is one of my favourite setting’s in these books and I say that with New York being the usual setting!
A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby (Rogues and Remarkable Women #1) by Vanessa Riley – 3.25 ⭐
I did enjoy this but maybe I wasn’t in a proper historical romance mood? I definitely want to read the next in series.
The Culmination of Everything (Sugar Valley #1) by Christina C. Jones – 4.5 ⭐
Loved this book. Gorgeous writing, lovely characters and a beautiful story. This is a super lovely and at times a funny read but it also deal with heavy themes. I bawled my eyes out but they get their HEA so it was all worth it.
The Point of It All (Sugar Valley #2) by Christina C. Jones – 4.5 ⭐
This was a heavy hitter emotionally and dealt with some hard themes but ones I think are super important. Eva’s choices were hard to agree with but I really respected those decisions. We don’t all deal with life altering new the same way and I think she needed to process and have the proper support while doing that. So much crying but important to mention that there is a HEA.
Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter #6) by Nalini Singh – 5 ⭐
Holy moly!! So exciting. Another of my all time favourite battles in this book.
The Library of Legends by Janie Chang – 4 ⭐
I really enjoyed this. It felt rushed at the end though which was a pity. I found the movement of the universities across China to be fascinating and I’d love to learn more about that. I know there is a stereotype in regards to the importance the Chinese put on education but this seems to me to define how ingrained that importance is. The image of students trekking across China while teachers continue to teach lessons as they go certainly highlights that importance to me.
I loved how myth and history meet and the character development because of both.
Archangel’s Shadows (Guild Hunter #7) by Nalini Singh – 4 ⭐
I love Ash and Janvier so much. This is a little bit of a filler book but I’m happy for any kind of Guild Hunter action so I’ll take a filler.
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey – 5 ⭐
“To survive trauma one must be able to tell a story about it.”
I think this book is very much a case of the author trying to survive her trauma. This is just a really fucking sad story and made sadder by the fact that it really could and should have been prevented. As a poet, it’s not surprising that Natasha Trethewey’s writing is lyrical and this book was a beautiful tribute to her mother. I hop the writing of it helped her heal.
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