The Duke's Got Mail - Bookish bridgerton renaissance romcom

 Do you love books? Does the use of a well placed font type send your heart racing? Do colors appeal to you and speak to the sunny side of life itself? Have you longed to be unmatched in your work ethics and be revered by your peers, in a league of your own? Eleanor Wright, is the perfect heroine, witty, smart, ambitious and a strong moral compass to boot. With her friends Lillian and Mabel, she rules the compositors in London.

All until, Peter Montgomery, the Duke of Strafford shows up, with his Linotype machine, ready to cause upheaval in her carefully constructed dominion. With jobs lost, unions in collapse and the Duke smirking all the way to the palace, Eleanor relies on her pen pal, the Captain, to sustain her emotionally fractured self through this turmoil, as she shares her booklore, interesting factoids and other soul searing insights as the BookLover. 

All's fair in Love and war,  especially when the Duke realizes that the BookLover of his dream is the angry, passionate young woman who strictly objects to his progress. 

You had me at the premise, and to watch Peter shed his Duke persona, and embrace a personality that embodies all of his interests, his observations and his fears, made me warm up more to him than I ever wanted to.. In discarded letters, thoughts and just simple actions, this beautiful love story comes together a la an Austen-tacious revel!

So wear your favorite rainbow hues, twirl your skirts, be unapologetic about organizing your bookcases by color and savor this escape into a Bridgerton inspired Bookish renaissance!

My heartfelt thankyous to Forever and Netgalley for sponsoring this romantic read!

The Serial Killer Support Network - Severely slick and stimulating read

 D B Stephens - you absolute beauty!!!

If you derive your satisfaction from a taut, slick thriller with noir undertones and plenty of angst and tension driven chapters - this is absolutely up your alley! I read this as a standalone, but am piqued to go pick up the Serial Killer Support Group, just because.

The Caretaker is a symbol of resilience and retribution against those males whose systematic abuse - physical, mental and otherwise, brings the ladies to domestic violence programs. You have to Love strong, opinionated FMCs who are able to articulate their thoughts and rationalize their emotional and mental states - Jess and Sophie are head of the packs. Jess, coping with survivor syndrome, and Sophie reeling from past mistakes which have caught up with her. 

Looming large is the caretaker, whom Jess is sworn to protect and Sophie, sworn to bring to justice - you could not ask for a better premise; with multiple chapters, the messaging and network caper are all well done, just the way I like my serial killers served. If you are looking for something to replace criminal minds as your binge watch, do pick this up - you will NOT be disappointed!

My support group extends its hearty gratitude to the sponsors of this read - Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and Netgalley! This reader also extends her gratitude to D B Stephens for the perfect storm in a woman-centric hook! well played!

The Arachnid - Tense, languid predator vs prey sequel

 This books BRINGS it - the premise of prey versus predator and the cat and mongoose chases, the thrill of being hunted and the chase of the hunter. Whilst a tad slower paced than its prequel, the character growth, evolution and resolving past hurts or just coming to grips with them are exceptionally crafted. 

In New York, Alina has carved out a Nest for herself, where the Hosts are paid and cared for by the Viperon. They charge amounts whilst Alina carries out her experiments with poison and numbs herself from facing her fears. The cost of destroying his family's Nest has cost Silas as he brokers new Nest with the newly turned and best predators in attendance. To survive, they need to band together and overcome their history, prejudices and reforge alliances with a view to the future. Whilst the growth of new norms in society is encouraged, the past has its way of clawing in...

All this culminates in a marvelously unanticipated turn of events, as in its predecessor...

My thank yous to Simon Maverick books and Netgalley for this opportunity!

Burn the Sea - Culturally Rich and Immersive experience

 This spectacular, stunning and culturally immersive experience of a book is a MUST READ!

Mona Tewari has seamlessly woven mythology, history and the beauty of South Asian religion, food and just plain old flavor. She brings to life the coastal lands, the spices and agriculture that govern the prosperity of a port kingdom. The nuances of managing rumors, political maneouvering and scholarship amongst the royalty are all built into the texture of the story.
The throwback to the young Abbakka and her conversations with the sage Matanta are sheer brilliance - the statecraft, responsibility and gender biases are all lushly embedded into the warm monsoon driven tale. Filled with familial bonds, miscommunication and a wonderfully driven heroine who refuses to bow down to evil machinations and her undying wish to be Queen of Ullal is just so satisfying! Her bonds and distrusts and her wilful non compliance are the stuff of legend!!
I cannot wait for more form the pen of Mona Tewari and my question to Matanta would be when will the sequel be coming out?
My eternal gratitude to Bindery Books and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to enjoy this ARC!

Save the Date - Realism in romance times three!

 Three quake-in-your-boots love stories for real women!! Mallory Kass crafts a potent tale of power, responsibility and prejudices we meet from fear - fear of losing control, fear of rejection and fear of happiness. We wade into the wedding weekend of Mare, her maid of honor Natalie and her elder sister Olivia - for Mare, who is a flighty dreamer, marrying Jonathan is a grown up decision, which would inspire her to be more stable and disciplined. Natalie nurses dreams of authoring her novel but is paralyzed by being the outsider in Mare's posh world, and cannot see her true worth or pursue her ambitions and loves boldly. And lastly Olivia - the alpha female who cannot let anything go - the last laugh, the last word or the last man...

Through embarrassing situations, gossiping wedding parties and the rancor of a dying mother, these sisters by choice, each find their paths to grace, to accepting themselves, one another and realizing their need, and the one another's importance. 

The three love stories are also gorgeous - friendship to love, argumentative love, just magical love at first sight - a breath of romance and a touch of realism woven into the tale.

My long island thank yous to Atria books and Netgalley for providing the ARC!

#Savethedate #atriabooks #lovestories 

The Thorn Queen - World bending sequel!!!

A sequel that quelled the original - this book picks up right after the royal wedding and the downfall of Queen Mor, where Ivy Benton realizes the true evil she has wed, the King of bot the Otherworld and England - Bram. Heartsick and armed with her experience from the earlier trials, Ivy and her handmaids do their best to build allies and not allow the nation to fall into despair and disrepair... In the Otherworld, Emmett de Vere and Lydia Benton find friendship and are making moves to dethrone Bram as King in a country of faes, with friendships, hardships and many a riddle thrown their way...

The book is fast paced with lots of trips and turns and the hot and cold chemistry between Ivy and Emmett was unreal!!! I loved the growth in Lydia and her handling of all affairs in the Otherworld and Ivy is the smart sassy and absolutely stubborn princess and champion we root for!!! The backstory for Bram was a sucker punch - making this series for me! Sasha Peyton Smith stunned me to silence with her evolution of Bram - LIVE for these villains....

If you thought Rose Bargain was delightful - I'll take the bet and raise you tenfold for this successor!

My otherworldly gratitude to HarperCollins Children's Books and Netgalley for this world-bending stunner of a sequel!

Deathly Fates - Devastating debut of deathly proportions!!!!

 THIS is what debuts are made of!!! 

If you want to wander with a death priestess, considered inauspicious by two warring factions, fraught with evil spirits and a prince to restore to life, with vivid adventures and malevolent spirits to contend with, and a slow burn, simmering and sensational bond between the leads, look no further!!

The world building, political machinations, familial tugs and a wondrous school of magic!! You cannot but love the tough as nails, dutiful and practically perfect priestess Siying with Prince Renshu as the light hearted, bantering goof who helps her live a little and in turn learns unequivocal lessons on sacrifice and responsibility. They are perfect foil for each other in this fast paced, furious and fantastic novel!! The grumpy x sunshine trope faces a gender reversal but you can't love them more!!

The adventures and character arcs are so well etched with each pursuit bringing them to acknowledge facets of their own personality and recognizing the missing portion in the other.. masterfully executed!!! Loved it to pieces.. cannot gush enough!! Go, pick it up and start reading.... 

Huge shoutout to St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for granting me the eARC! And my immortal gratitude to Tesia Tsai for penning this remarkable tome!