I find myself slowing down a little on my reading as the year progresses. I really think I need my eyes tested to be honest, but I’ve also started watching a little more tv and because it’s not something I normally do, and I’m enjoying it, which is a little unusual for me, I’m just going with it.

Thinking of doing some tv posts as well but I’m not going to get ahead of myself! 😂

The Slow Burn (Moonlight and Motor Oil, #2) by Kristen Ashley – 4⭐

I KA reread, it’s not my favourite of hers but I much prefer the first book in the series, The Hookup, but I’d read that a couple of times this year so decided to give this one ago in order to get my character fix.

What I dislike about this story is the Margo storyline. Cancer is very fucking real and I get why the author needed to tell this story but it was just too heartbreaking for me and it just bummed me out. It honestly feels like there wasn’t a HEA because she wasn’t there. I get it, it’s life! I just didn’t want that much life in what was a really low stakes love story.

Also, both estranged parents making an appearance was overkill. I could have done without Johnny and Toby’s mother showing up. She added nothing to the story.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – 3⭐

Awww, I’m kind of disappointed to be honest. I’d been saving this thinking it was going to be a slam dunk and it ended up… not.

I LOVE multiverse and this was actually really engaging and clever at times but the writing also felt very clunky and Jason’s POV seemed stilted and weird at times.

Jason was also an absolute head wreck! He was utterly selfish and sure, had I been in his place who knows how I’d react, but I would hope it wouldn’t be the way he did. Thank goodness Amanda fucked off without him, I was only screaming at her to do it FOREVER! 😀 

It’s not a terrible book and I was certainly engaged but I had hoped for better. This is for sure a ‘it’s not the book, it’s me’ kind of deal. Well, mostly. Again, Jason was a MELT! 😀 And Charlie turning on his phone made me irrationally angry at everyone.

Think I’ll watch the series now though!

Dark Restraint (Dark Olympus #7) by Katee Robert – 3⭐

I liked this, maybe not as much as the others, not sure but I think this series is just losing momentum for me. Like I’ll obviously continue to read it with the hope that the pace picks up a bit. 

One of my least favourite, and most annoying characters, is dead though, so I’m really hoping it will get more interesting. 

Ariadne and Minos were hot together though, Minos had the brooding possessive thing down and I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

I was also really impressed with how Ariadne’s abortion was dealt with. Could do with more of that kind of normalisation and respect around abortion in books, especially given how the world of males is trying to control women’s bodies.

Wild Eyes (Rose Hill #2) by Elsie Silver – 4⭐

Elsie Silver is just delightful as was Wild Eyes!

Now, I will say that the bear thing made me really mad at Skylar but it was a pretty good meet cute and she did redeem herself. 

Ollie and Emmy were adorable and something about Ollie and Skylar’s bond actually made me emotional AND THE MUSIC!!! Top tip, listen to the audiobook, they brought in an actual singer and Skylar’s songs are so beautiful, just make sure to put the speed down to 1X when they come up! 😀 

Skylar’s relationship with her family put me in mind of Britney Spears and her family and oh how I wish she could find the peace and happiness that Skylar found with Wes. She deserves it! 

But I digress, even though there is chemistry from the get go I loved the slow burn and I particularly like that Skylar did some emotional healing before diving into it with Wes and then when she did BOOM! Wes like a lot of Elsie Silvers heroes was great at the dirty talk. I’m a fan!

His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae by Graeme Macrae Burnet – 4⭐

Oh this was a clever book. I spent about a quarter of it thinking it was non-fiction! 😀

I really enjoyed the account of the murders as told from Roderick’s POV, we know that it’s most likely a POV that can’t be trusted but getting the insight into his mind was fascinating, his justification for what he did really highlighted what I feel must be some kind of sociopathy. 

What was interesting to me was that one of his victims really did seem to be a horrible man and everyone seemed to paint him as such but when all is said and done, he just seemed to be a man who enjoyed the power that colonists of his land had bestowed upon him, not at all a justification for murder. I think Roddy would have murdered him regardless of the power he held over the community. 

My biggest takeaway from this book is the conditions the inhabitants of the village endured as a direct result of colonial rule. It’s absolutely maddening. 

An interesting and insightful read but overall very depressing. The court case portion was also a bit slow.

Embracing the Change (River Rain #6) by Kristen Ashley – 4.5⭐

So look, this is just a really comforting series for me and yes, it was a little boring at times, but I also don’t care. I adored Jamie and Nora and all the family meddling was delightful, I do wish they’d had more time on the yacht though. 

One of the KA things that bugs me a tiny bit (sometimes a lot) is that she feels it necessary to mention like EVERY character that ever pops up. There were at least 5 characters in this book that didn’t need to show up, I’m not sad they were there but sometimes it can be grating. 

What I LOVED was the whole Swans vibe. I recently watched Capote vs The Swans and I had been craving books with that same vibe and this totally did that. Nora is as classy but WAY more adjusted and a lot kinder than Babe Paley though.

Primal Mirror (Psy-Changeling Trinity #8) by Nalini Singh – 5⭐

Needed a reread, I feel like I can never reread this books enough. Auden and Remi are such a joy to read. Love that we got more RainFire and I’d love some more from them.

The Body in the Backyard (Riley Thorn #4) by Lucy Score – 4⭐

This series is absolutely ridiculous and utterly unhinged and I just love it! 

Riley’s ex-husband is the worst though, I know he is supposed to be, but how did Riley end up married to him? She kind of touches on his head injury that caused him to be more self involved but even before that I don’t understand how these two ended up together! 

Now Riley and Nick? They are so freaking cute and I loved whenever they were together and I loved them both separately. I just love them both so much!

The oldies are all unhinged and can be over the top but they are also funny AF so *shrug*

Can’t wait for the next book!

Paladin (Jericho’s Boys #1) by Onley James – 4⭐

I really enjoy Onley James even though their books are very formulaic, they are still enjoyable and very easy reading but sometimes I find my self a little bored. 

Arsen was a more likable character than most of the Necessary Evils boys and Ever’s story felt a little bit darker which is impressive given the storylines in that series. 

Overall I enjoyed it and looking forward to the rest of the Jericho’s Boys books.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera – 5⭐

This was a birthday gift from Susan and oh boy, this was addictive and I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!!

The buildup and the trail of breadcrumbs left throughout made this book impossible to put down. 

Lucy was a really likable character even though I’m sure many would say the opposite. She is very forthright and took very little shit from people, I found it impossible not to like her. Her grandmother was also an absolute ballbuster and I hope I’m even a tiny bit like her when I get to her age! 

I’m a huge fan of True Crime podcasts so this book couldn’t be more up my alley. An all round great gift!