March 2024 Book Haul

Another month, another book haul! This month I had enough books to actually make my haul its own separate post. However, I didn't spend a lot this month so I'll consider this to be a pretty successful haul in that regard. I'm pretty excited about everything that I got so let's go ahead and dive right in!

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Up first, I have Saint by Adrienne Young. Adrienne is one of those authors that has snuck her way onto my auto-buy list. I've loved every book I've read by her and Saint is one of the ones that I've not yet gotten to reading. It's set in her world of the Narrows as a prequel to Fable, which is probably my favorite book by her. I was at the bookstore with my mom and this was on one of the bargain tables for less than $7. I knew I had to get it at that point as I was planning on buying it at some point this year anyway. 

The next two books I got this month were my Valentine's Day treats to myself. This was my first Valentine's Day that I've been single since 2019 so I knew it was going to be a bit of a bittersweet day for me. Originally, I was going to treat myself to some nice takeout but I decided that I wanted to spend that money on these next two books instead.

The first of these was Pack Darling: The Complete Duology by Lola Rock. I ordered directly from the author's website which is the only place you can get this hardcover bind-up. Mainly, I wanted a signed copy as I absolutely fell in love with this duology at the beginning of February. Now that it's here, I am just itching to reread it all the time. It's such a fun, addicting set of books with characters that I've completely fallen for. 

I also picked up a signed copy of Redfang Royal by Lola Rock while I was in her shop. This is a sequel/spin-off to Pack Darling and I was quite eager to read it. Each of the books came signed but also came with a bookmark, a sticker, and a little postcard. They're so cute and I can't wait to properly display these on my favorite reads bookshelf in the future.

 

Then one of my most anticipated reads of the year came out: City of Lies and Legends by Kayla Edwards. This is the third book in one of my favorite urban fantasy series, House of Devils. After the pain of the last book's ending, I am incredibly excited to finally have this book in my hands. I definitely need to reread the first two books before I dive into this one but luckily I've been able to avoid spoilers rather easily up to this point. 

I had a gift voucher to a local bookstore so I decided after a particularly long set of shifts to stop in and pick something out. I ended up walking out with three beautiful titles. The first of these is The Way of the Househusband, Volume 1 by Kousuke Oono, which I had to replace after leaving my original copy in London when I moved back to the States. This is a manga about an ex-Yakuza member who has turned into a househusband for his career-focused wife. It's lighthearted, wholesome, and incredibly funny. I've already checked out the rest of the available books from the library and I'm making my way through them whenever I've got a free moment.

I also picked up Spy x Family, Volume 1 by Tatsuya Endo. This is another manga series that I've seen floating around for years and I finally picked up a copy. I don't know much about this one except that the main character is a spy who has to find a family for a cover story and he supposedly ends up with an assassin wife and a kid with special abilities. My plan is to dive into the series after I finish Househusband as my local library has all of them on Libby. 

The last book I picked up was Last Violent Call by Chloe Gong. I absolutely love this little novella bind-up and I've had the US edition on my wishlist since it came out. The US edition has each novella printed separately with different cover art and then housed in this slipcase. I was at the bookstore and this was on one of the bargain tables for less than $8 so I couldn't help myself to finally snag a copy. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Book Review: "City of Souls and Sinners" by Kayla Edwards

Title: City of Souls and Sinners

Author: Kayla Edwards

Series: "House of Devils" #2

Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance 

Page Length: 776 pages

Publication Date: February 21, 2023

Rating: 5 // 5 stars 

Book 1 Review

Goodreads

City of Souls and Sinners was my #1 most anticipated book of this year and the sequel to my favorite book of 2021, City of Gods and Monsters. This book is set just a few weeks after the explosive finale of the first one and, predictably, I loved it. The sheer range of emotions I went through reading this book was insane and I am desperate for the next book already. Without spoiling anything, let's dive in! 

What I was most looking forward to in this sequel was being reunited with characters that I loved so much from the first book. I'm a very character-driven reader and this series has characters that I just absolutely adore with one of my favorite found family driven stories. Of course, I love our main protagonists, Loren and Darien, but I also love the whole range of side characters, from members of other Darkslaying circles to the friends and found family members getting more of a spotlight. 

Let me just say, being back with Loren and Darien was like a warm hug. The sheer joy that these two brought me was unparalleled. Of course, the entire book wasn't just puppies and rainbows and fun times. There was plenty of angst and moments of conflict that really tested their relationship. But at the heart of all of it, their love for each other was so strong and incredibly moving to me. I love them so much that it hurt sometimes. 

Like I mentioned, I love the side characters almost as much as Loren and Darien. In this book, with also got a new third POV character that I was so excited about. He was one of my favorite side characters in the first book so getting to see inside his head and inside his relationship without looking through the lens of another character was fascinating. His POV also wasn't so prominent that I felt it was taking away from my love for Loren and Darien, though. Additionally, we got to see a lot more of the other members of the House of Devils and other circles. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters we'd been introduced to before on a deeper level in this book. I can only imagine that we will continue to get to know them even better in the third book. 

I already knew that this world was complex and fascinating from the first book. This sequel, however, really expanded the world even further for me. It helped that there was a map included in this one for the city of Angelthene so I was able to visualize it a lot better than I previously had. Even then, in addition to the familiar, we were getting to explore new parts of the city while also learning about what the world (and potentially otherworld?) might look like outside of it. 

Not only was the world expanded just in a literal sense but we also got a lot about different types of magic and how it is blended with science and genetics in this world. It was fascinating but also complicated at times in a way that blew my mind. I'm often in awe of how authors can think up complex magic and world systems like these and this was no exception. One of my favorite thing about Kayla's books thus far is that she gives us the basics and builds on them without going too quickly or giving too much at a time. For example, there's plenty we could have learned in the first book if it had been info-dumped or if the characters had just gone into further detail but it would have overwhelmed me and served no purpose to the plot until now. I like that the world building is layering on top of the basics we already know because I find it a lot easier to retain that way. 

In terms of plot, it was a definite step up from the first book when it comes to tension and conflict. These characters are dealing with the fallout of what happened at the end of the first book, both in regards to their trauma around it but also how it impacted the city and their knowledge of magic. The threads that were left for this book opened up all these new paths that I'm eager to explore as the series goes on. I'll also say, this is one of the only books with miscommunication where I actually thought it was done well. Usually I hate it because it just doesn't make sense but in this context it worked well for me. 

It's hard to talk too much about this book without getting into spoilers or just devolving into a fangirl mess. But at the core of my experience with this book is that I couldn't put it down and I never wanted it to end. The first book became and instant favorite for me and this sequel has just proven to me that the first book was not a fluke and this will be a beloved series for me as it goes on. The characters are everything to me, the story and world is fascinating and complex and so brilliantly thought up, and the writing style just pulls me in and keeps me hostage. 

I loved every second, even if so much of it was angsty, and I cannot wait for the third book to come out hopefully in 2024. This series is a new all-time favorite and if you like urban fantasy, romance, intriguing magical systems, found family, the bodyguard trope, and so many more, you need to add these books to your collection. 

February 2023 Wrap-Up

We're already two months into the new year. February was another low reading month for me, though I loved all the books I read. I only read three books, one of those being a reread. The others are new favorites. I'm hoping that I'll be able to read more books in March now that we're mostly settled in our new flat. But, for now, let's dive in! 

July 2022 Wrap-Up

We have blown past the halfway point in this year and are now heading into August! This year simultaneously feels like it's going so fast but also so slow. This month was an interesting one for a number of reasons: I got so sick I couldn't get out of bed/off the couch for a week, I spent hours upon hours in the library churning out my dissertation, I had some social things, and I hit my 50th book read this year! I read a total of eight books in July and I'm really happy. A lot were shorter reads but just having the desire to read this many things, even if they were short, makes me happy. I definitely would have even read more if I hadn't been spending so much time on my dissertation. Let's hope August will be as good a reading month! 

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1. 

Title: City of Gods and Monsters

Author: Kayla Edwards

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Review

2. 

Title: Under One Roof

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Series Review

3.

Title: Incendiary

Author: Zoraida Córdova

Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Review

-reread-

4. 

Title: The Risk

Author: ST Abby

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Series Review

5.

Title: Sidetracked

Author: ST Abby

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Series Review

6. 

Title: Scarlet Angel

Author: ST Abby

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Series Review

7.

Title: All the Lies

Author: ST Abby

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Series Review

8.

Title: Paint It All Red

Author: ST Abby

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Series Review 

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June 2022 Wrap-Up + Haul

Book Review: "City of Gods and Monsters" by Kayla Edwards

Unboxing: Fairyloot's "Chosen Ones" (June 2022)

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag: 2022 Edition

Series Review: "Mindf*ck" by S.T. Abby

Book Review: "Foul Lady Fortune" by Chloe Gong

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Book Review: "City of Gods and Monsters" by Kayla Edwards

Title: City of Gods and Monsters

Author: Kayla Edwards

Series: "House of Devils" #1

Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy Romance

Page Length: 760 pages

Publication Date: January 25, 2022

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

This book is, without a doubt, the best book I've read in 2022 so far. We're halfway through the year and I've read some amazing books and new favorites. This book knocked them all out of the park. It sounds a bit dramatic but it's true. This book, truly, is my favorite book of the year so far. 

CoGaM follows Loren, a human, and Darien, a Darkslayer (a bounty hunter gifted with the Sight, an ability to track people's auras). Loren escapes an attempted kidnapping only for her best friend to be taken in her place. The ransom is simple: Loren gives herself up and her friend goes free. At the same time, Darien is hired to track Loren down. When he finds her, though, he realizes that she is human and decides to flip and protect her instead. He becomes her bodyguard as the two attempt to find her best friend and figure out what's behind a series of missing persons and murders in the city. 

I can honestly say that this book gave me everything I wanted and more. I had heard great things about it going in but the actual book itself blew every expectation out of the water. I expected to love it, but I didn't expect to be wholly obsessed with it like I currently am. 

Here's just a short list of what to expect with this book: bodyguard trope, slow-burn reluctant-allies-to-lovers romance, found family vibes, strong female friendships, hurt/comfort (for those of us fanfic readers), magic, demons, mystery, badassery, and more. Honestly, just read it. 

But actually getting down into the nitty gritty of it all, this book was amazing. The writing was stellar, the world was fascinating, the characters were fleshed out (even the side characters), and the relationships were amazing. 

So let's start with the story itself. This book is long but I didn't feel like it was ever dragging because it felt well-balanced between the mystery plot and the relationships that were forming. I found the main plot to be quite interesting and fun to read. The ending was absolutely mind-blowing! I knew we were building up to a big ending like that and it was...wow. It was so different than what I expected and it truly blew me away.

The world was fascinating. It's an urban fantasy setting in a modern world but with creatures like werewolves, vampires, witches, demons, and more. I never felt overwhelmed with what we were learning. Whenever there was world-building, it felt very natural within the context of where it was happening. Instead of big info-dumps, we got what we needed when we needed it. The magic especially was fascinating to read about. There's still so much I would love to know about this world and I cannot wait to explore it in future books. 

The main reason why I loved this book, though, was the cast of characters and the varying relationships between them. We have our two main POV characters, Loren and Darien, but we also have a whole cast of characters that play a big role in the series. I got major found family vibes and I cannot wait for those to be explored even more in the sequel. I also loved how despite Loren meeting a new group of characters and a love interest that she didn't stray from her strong female friendships she had at the beginning. I love a good girl group. 

The romance itself was great. It's pretty slow burn but I felt like that was most natural within the context of the story and characters themselves. Both main characters have a lot to deal with both mentally and with their overall situation. I liked the slow burn, I liked the pining, I liked the back and forth, I liked how they grew naturally together. I think I prefer slow burn to when they get together very early on. I just loved it. But, of course, we still had those passionate scenes and the will they/won't they going on. 

The side characters were elite. I love them. I cannot wait to know more about them. I know we're getting a third POV in the next book and I am extremely excited for that as they were one of my favorite side characters in this book. I also think this new POV will add a lot to learn about the different character dynamics and just general life in this world. 

Like I said, my favorite thing was the characters. I'm a huge character-driven reader. A book can be five stars for me even if the plot is not as great. This book, however, features such an amazing cast of characters and a well-written and compelling plot. It truly has it all, in my opinion. I loved every element and I don't think I would change a thing.

Now, I can definitely see how this might not be everyone's cup of tea. However, I knew going in what I wanted and I got that plus more. I know not everyone has said they like the main character but I found her to be quite realistic within the overall context of her life and age and experience. I liked that she needed to be protected and taken care of sometimes. I liked how, even though she had badass moments, she was not the biggest badass around. 

Anyway, I just loved it. I cannot stop thinking about. I don't want anything except the next book. I just want to live in this world with these characters forever. It's been a while since I've been this wholly obsessed with a book and I am so grateful that I am. I know that this will be a book I come back to over and over and love just as much each time. 

I cannot wait for the next book, which is hopefully coming later this year or at the beginning of next year. For now, though, I'll have to make do with going back and annotating the heck out of it and trying to shove it into as many readers' hands as possible. If you like urban fantasy romance do yourself a favor and read it! 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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