Wednesday, March 6, 2024

February 2024 Wrap-Up + Haul


Well February was another interesting month reading-wise. I was struggling a lot mentally and so books became a real escape for me. I also had a lot of free time on my hands. I ended up reading 26 books in February and finishing a handful of series. This was also my month to fully dive into the omegaverse properly and it was so much fun. I'm so excited to read more of them. But, without further ado, here's everything I read and hauled...


1. 
Title: House of Flame and Shadow
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 4.25 // 5 stars
Review TK

2. 
Title: Lola & the Millionaires: Part One
Author: Kathryn Moon
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK 

3. 
Title: Lola & the Millionaires: Part Two
Author: Kathryn Moon
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK 

4. 
Title: Pack Darling: Part One
Author: Lola Rock
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK 

5. 
Title: Pack Darling: Part Two
Author: Lola Rock
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK 

6. 
Title: Sweetheart: Part One
Author: Marie Mackay
Rating: 3 // 5 stars
Review TK

7. 
Title: Sweetheart: Part Two
Author: Marie Mackay
Rating: 3.5 // 5 stars
Review TK

8.
Title: Three Swedish Mountain Men
Author: Lily Gold
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
Review TK

9. 
Title: Nanny for the Neighbors
Author: Lily Gold
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review TK

10. 
Title: Pack Origin
Authors: Kate King & Jessa Wilder 
Review TK

11. 
Title: Baby & the Late Night Howlers
Author: Kathryn Moon
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

12. 
Title: Butcher & Blackbird
Author: Brynne Weaver
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK

13. 
Title: Black Sheep
Authors: Alexa Harlowe & Brynne Weaver
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

14. 
Title: Fear the Reapers 
Author: Jessa Halliwell
Rating: 3 // 5 stars

15.
Title: Queen of the Reapers 
Author: Jessa Halliwell
Rating: 3 // 5 stars

16.
Title: Wrath of the Reapers
Author: Jessa Halliwell
Rating: 3 // 5 stars

17. 
Title: Strictly Not Yours
Author: Carrie Elks
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

18. 
Title: This Mortal Coil
Author: Emily Suvada
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

19. 
Title: This Cruel Design
Author: Emily Suvada
Rating: 4.25 // 5 stars

20. 
Title: These Precious Scars
Author: Emily Suvada

21. 
Title: This Vicious Cure
Author: Emily Suvada
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

22. 
Title: Bad Alpha
Author: Kathryn Moon
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review TK

23.  
Title: Mile High
Author: Liz Tomforde
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

24. 
Title: Bride
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK

25. 
Title: A Tempest of Shadows
Author: Jane Washington
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
Series Review TK

26. 
Title: A City of Whispers
Author: Jane Washington
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
Series Review TK


I only picked up three books in the month of February. I'm on a book buying restriction that's not a full ban but is a heavy restriction. Let's go ahead and just dive into the three that I did pick up...

The first is the Barnes & Noble edition of A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair. This is one of my most anticipated books of the year and I love the cover of the B&N edition. This is the third book in the Halfling Saga, the first of which was one of my all-time favorite reads of 2021. I'm thrilled to have the third book in my hands and I can't wait to binge the books all in one go. 

The second book I picked up is Angel Unseen by J. Bree. I love all of J. Bree's books and this is the only one I haven't read yet. It's also getting a cover change in the next few months so I wanted to grab this since I still prefer this one. This is in the same Mounts Bay world as the Hannaford Prep series which is one of my all-time favorites. I'm excited to read this soon but I'm also saving it for when I need a new J. Bree book. 

The last book I picked up was the Target edition of Bride by Ali Hazelwood. I've been really excited for this one and February has been my month for reading omegaverse books so it naturally tracked that I picked it up. I've also already read it in one sitting and loved it so much. It was addicting and fun and an easy read, which was exactly what I was needing.  



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Monday, February 12, 2024

Series Review: "Lore Olympus" Volumes 1-7 by Rachel Smythe

Volumes: 1-7
Series Title: Lore Olympus
Author: Rachel Smythe
Overall Rating: 5 // 5 stars
WebToon

An aspect of reading that I've been embracing the last few years has been graphic novels. I never read them much as a kid but began reading them in college (starting with Saga). While I don't read them as often as I'd like, I've loved every graphic novel I've read. And Lore Olympus is no different. In fact, it might just be my favorite graphic novel series I've ever read (though Heartstopper is pretty tough competition). 

Lore Olympus started out on WebToon, the same platform Heartstopper began on. It has over a billion views across 269 episodes. That success led it to being collected and released in a series of volumes from Inklore. Currently, there are five volumes released with a further two coming in 2024 that encompass episodes 1-179. Luckily, though, we can still read it for free on WebToon (which is extra good considering there's almost four more volumes worth of content on WebToon that hasn't been collected into a volume yet). 

All this to say, Lore Olympus is an extremely popular WebToon/graphic novel series and I binged the hell out of it. We follow the Greek Gods in a glitzy modern world of society and drama with a twist on the original story of Persephone and Hades. There's romance, backstabbing, magic, friendship, and so much more. 

I picked up Lore Olympus from the library the first weekend after I moved back to the United States. I'd seen it get talked about when it was first getting published years ago but hadn't yet made the jump into reading it. Then I fell right in and didn't stop until I'd finished the first seven volumes worth of content.

This series is addicting as hell and pulled at my heartstrings so much. I love Persephone and Hades so much and getting to see them grow as characters has been so wonderful. These two and their love drive the heart of the series and it's been so wonderful watching it develop. Of course, the other characters are growing on me a lot. I'm loving seeing the various friendships developed (both with Persephone and with each other). 

The plot is engaging. There's the drama and the glamour but there's also a lot of difficult topics that it addresses in very respectful ways. It's a slower moving plot but it works well as I don't feel like we're missing any important details. It also means the series can continue for a long time and I'll get even more content with everyone :)

Overall, this is just a wonderful graphic novels series and I'm so obsessed with it! I can't wait to continue reading it on WebToon and eventually pick up all the collected volumes. Mostly, though, I'm just glad that this series was here to fall into to distract me from all the difficult issues happening in my life. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Monday, February 5, 2024

Series Review: "Ironside Academy" Books 1-3 by Jane Washington


Series: Ironside Academy
Author: Jane Washington
Genre: New Adult Paranormal RH/Omegaverse
Reading Order & Individual Ratings: 
  1. Plier - 5 // 5 stars
  2. Tourner - 5 // 5 stars
  3. Sauter - 5 // 5 stars
Overall Rating: 5 // 5 stars



Ironside is more than a regular academy. It’s also the biggest reality TV show in the world … and a very elaborate, very luxurious prison.

Their hallowed halls are ruled by the powerful Betas and the middling Omegas, with the plentiful Deltas as their main targets, but this year, the officials are stirring things up.

Isobel Carter—the only rare Sigma to be accepted—is the first sign. But there are others. Many others. A sudden influx of precious Alphas will turn academy life, and Isobel’s life, upside down.

She might be the lowest rung on the ladder, but in order to survive Ironside, where social media is king and consequences are deadly, she will need to make her mark.

She will need to climb.

This isn’t a game for the faint of heart, and those who rise should be prepared for a beautiful, brutal fall.

Beware the pretty posers, because this social media game just got dangerous.



I've been reading Jane Washington for almost a decade now and she's been on my auto-buy list ever since that first book all those years ago. Over a dozen books later, Ironside Academy is her newest series and has instantly become a new favorite of mine. Ironside Academy is an omegaverse why choose series set at a boarding school for Gifted (Alphas/Betas/etc) that's host to a reality TV show competition. 

One thing I've noticed with everything I've read by Jane is that the stories are always unique and like nothing I've read before. Each of her series is so different but they always have the same "Jane Washington" feeling to them. The addicting characters, the romances, the twisting plotlines where you never truly know what to expect. 

Ironside Academy is just addicting. The books are long but I fly through them like they're little chapter books. Between the large cast of love interests, the reality TV competition, and the continuous drama our main character finds herself in, each scene feels engaging and important. 

Obviously my favorite character is Isobel, our protagonist. We've got a lot of love interests (ten Alphas) and we're still getting to slowly know some of them so I haven't been able to pick a favorite out of those yet (though I do have an idea of who could be a favorite in future books). However, it's been a blast getting to see her interacting with them all and slowly getting into it. 

The world is fascinating. There's the human world but then the Gifted community within it who are kept segregated. The Gifted society is set up in a omegaverse hierarchy and they all have different abilities depending on their hierarchical rank and power level. This boarding school Isobel and the Alphas attend is primarily for human entertainment and the reality TV show competition determines who lives a life of luxury and fame after graduation. 

The plot mainly follows Isobel as she begins at this school and gets to know the Alphas. Initially she doesn't want to play into the reality competition but, like everyone, she's eventually drawn in. It's quite difficult to describe what I love about the story without spoiling things but I'll just say that the drama is great, the social element is addicting to read, and the budding romance is so much fun. 

Overall, I just love this series so much. Jane knows how to keep me coming back from series to series and I love this one so much. It's provided me so much entertainment during some difficult months and I can't wait to see how the series progresses in the next few books. 

TROPES
❂ GIFTED ACADEMY
❂ PROFESSOR X STUDENT
❂ FATED/REJECTED MATES
❂ REALITY TV COMPETITION
❂ MC IS A DANCER
❂ SOCIAL MEDIA COMPETITION

TRIGGER WARNINGS: attempted rape, sexual assault, bullying, physical & emotional abuse, trauma, panic attacks 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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