As I have gotten older, I have been more picky as to the books that I have on my bookshelves. I want to own books that I adore and I could easily re-read at any given moment. One series that will always be given a spot is the Well Met series by Jen DeLuca. The Well Met series is a series of romance books that feature romance at a Renaissance Faire. Each book is centered around one of the characters and how they meet their partner. This book focuses on Emily’s older sister, April, and Mitch, one of the fighters in the Chess Match. It’s no surprise that Well Matched was amazing and solidified why I enjoy this series.

April Parker is a single mom living in Willow Creek and preparing for her daughter, Caitlin, to go off to college. April has been prepping for this moment as she’s been preparing to sell her house and move to the city. April could use some help getting her home ready to sell. It’s a no-brainer that when Mitch Malone gives her a proposition to “fake date” at his family gathering in exchange for helping with house projects, April takes him up on it. While April is adamant that she and Mitch are not dating, Mitch starts to fall for her. April has to grapple with her feelings for Mitch and how she can finally be ready to put herself first.

Starting off with the characters, I enjoyed reading from April’s point of view. I think it’s easy to write April off as being a cold-hearted person, but I think her character is more nuanced than that. April has a lot of trauma that I don’t think she has unpacked. She gave birth to Caitlin alone, her husband left her as he didn’t want to be a father, and she moved to a small town where April heard whispers about her being a single mom. I couldn’t imagine going through what April did and not feeling a bit hardened by the experience. April is snarky and gets defensive toward the people she cares about, which I think directly relates to her story. With all of that being said, I liked April as a character, and I was rooting for her to get her happy ending.

Speaking of April’s happy ending, let’s talk about Mitch. Mitch is the Golden Retriever boyfriend in a kilt. Mitch is often judged for his looks and not taken seriously. I appreciated the fact that Mitch calls April out towards the end of the book. Mitch falls for her, and April isn’t ready to go public with their relationship. I see this trope a lot where it’s the female character calling out the male character for this, so I thought it was neat to see this reversed. Mitch is the best and serves as a good foil to April.

Well Matched is no different than the other books in the series since it features the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire in the background. There’s a moment where April gets a She’s All That makeover with her own Renaissance outfit, which I thought helped bring April out of her shell. In between April and Mitch’s love story, it’s fun to see the other characters who were featured in the previous books.

As a complete side note, I like how this series normalizes not having kids. Simon and Emily adopt a dog, but it’s hinted that they are happy without kids. Stacey and Daniel travel a lot, so it’s not clear if they will start a family. April is in her 40s, and she clearly states to Mitch that she isn’t going to have any more kids. I think it’s a nice touch to show happy and healthy couples choosing to not have kids.

Well Matched is everything that I could want in a romance book. I will always recommend this series. If I had to perfectly describe the Well Met series, I would say that this is if Gilmore Girls were set at a Renaissance Faire. I rated Well Matched five stars on Goodreads.

With February in full swing, I am devoting the entire month to reading all romance, including graphic novels and manga. Romance is one of my favorite genres to read, and I think it helps to keep my spirits high for February. Before delving into my romance TBR, I am going to share a quick recap of last month to see if I was able to read everything that I had set out to. From there, I’ll go into more detail about the romance books that I picked out.

In January, I set out to read three books: The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead, The Vanishing by Wendy Webb, and Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine. I wrote two reviews: one for The Last Housewife and Stillhouse Lake. The Vanishing was the last book I read in January, and I rated it one star. I rarely ever give out one-star ratings, but The Vanishing was not it. I think the book was trying too hard to be like Shutter Island with a psychological twist towards the end. The twist felt completely out of left field and seemed improbable. I think the twist ruined the book for me. I don’t enjoy hating on books, so I have no plans on writing a review of The Vanishing. If you’re curious, I did write a full Goodreads review where I give out spoilers as to why I didn’t like the book. While I didn’t like The Vanishing, I’m still glad that I set out to read everything that I wanted to for the month. Now I will break down all the romance books that I want to read this month.

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca

April Parker is a single mom living in Willow Creek who is ready to leave the town and begin a new journey for herself. She asks Mitch Malone for assistance in helping to renovate her house, so it’s ready to sell. In exchange for helping her, Mitch asks April if she can pretend to be his girlfriend in front of his family, so he doesn’t get the same lectures. While Mitch and April are fake-dating, April volunteers at the Renaissance Faire at Willow Creek for the first time. As Mitch and April keep up their facade, they both start to realize that maybe this is becoming a bit too real.

Well Matched is the third book in the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire series. I love this series, it’s probably one of the best romance series that I have read. I like how the Renaissance Faire is the background of all the books. With this series taking place in a small town, it’s easy to connect with the characters and want them all to have their happily ever after.

Wildfire by Hannah Grace

Aurora Roberts and Russ Callaghan have a one-night stand. Aurora quietly leaves before Russ can properly ask Aurora on a date. Aurora and Russ awkwardly run into each other as they both are working as camp counselors for the summer. Aurora and Russ will begin to rekindle what sparks they had a few days ago.

I find a lot of book recommendations on Instagram, and Hannah Grace’s book, Icebreaker, has been making the rounds on social media. I spotted Wildfire at a local bookstore, so I figured it would be worthwhile to give the book a chance. Also, I think the cover is pretty. I like the art style along with the peach-colored background.

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Alexis Montgomery is an ER doctor who is facing pressure from her parents to become a surgeon. Alexis meets Daniel Grant, a hot carpenter, who is ten years younger than Alexis. Alexis and Daniel’s chemistry is apparent. As Alexis spends more time with Daniel, she starts to re-evaluate her own life and what is truly important to her.

Abby Jimenez is a local Minnesotan, whom I didn’t know until I purchased this book. Abby also owns Nadia’s Cakes, a local bakery that has a few locations throughout the Twin Cities metro. It’s cool to see someone local getting so much success both as a writer and a local business owner. I have also been seeing Part of Your World popping up on social media, so I hope that this book is worth the hype.

If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie

Momo Gardner is an introverted, sweet, and quiet person who always puts others above herself. PG is known as being a flirt and is a little more outspoken than Momo. Momo and PG end up meeting and connecting despite their differences. If You’ll Have Me is a meet-cute with plenty of awkward and cute moments.

I didn’t know this graphic novel existed until I saw it at Barnes & Noble. I think what drew me to this was the art. I paged through a few of the panels, and the art is so good. I like the art style a lot, which is important to me when I pick out graphic novels to read.

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon by Shio Usui

Uno Hinako is a young woman starting her professional career. She’s trying to transition into the real world and find her style at her corporate company. She has had trouble with dating in the past, so she feels a little let down at not being able to find someone. Uno meets her coworker, Satou Ashai, who also works at their company. Uno and Satou start a friendship that begins to become far more intimate.

Barnes & Noble has vastly improved their graphic novel and manga selection. I found this in the same section as If You’ll Have Me. I think what gravitated me toward Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon is the title. Do Uno and Satou go on a date at a doughnut shop because that would be lovely?

For those who might be wondering, where is the library book on this list? I had several opportunities these past few weeks to buy books at local bookstores, so I actually don’t have a library book in my current TBR. However, I thought about potentially renting romance-themed graphic novels or manga since I don’t think it will take me a full month to read through If You’ll Have Me, and Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon. I will say, I have already planned out my TBR for March, and I will for sure be renting a book from the library next month.

Reading thrillers in January was a great idea on my part. I feel like this helped to kick-start 2024 to be a good reading year. Stillhouse Lake was one of the more recent thrillers that I added to my TBR. I thought the premise was interesting. A woman on the run with her two kids to hide away from her serial killer ex-husband. Stillhouse Lake lived up to the hype, and I can’t wait to continue on with the series.

Gwen Proctor, formerly known as Gina Royal, is seeking refuge with her two kids. Gwen finds out from a car accident that her husband, Melvin Royal, was a serial killer. Gwen was tried for being an accomplice to Melvin’s crimes but was acquitted. To give her two kids, Lanny and Connor, a normal life, Gwen is constantly moving with them, so no one can put together their identities. While living out of a lakehouse in Tennessee, a young woman’s body is pulled out of the lake. The crime is eerily similar to Melvin’s crimes. The pressure is put on Gwen to prove her innocence, along with finding out who is killing these women.

I loved Gwen. She’s fierce and a fighter. Everything she does is for her kids, even though it’s clear that her kids have been through a lot. In reading the book, I felt Gwen’s trauma in the way she lives her life. She has multiple alarms and security cameras, she owns multiple firearms, and she has help in the form of an ally who creates her fake identities. I kept comparing Gwen to Laurie Strode from Halloween. Both are survivors in their own right, although their trauma has molded them into being aware of their surroundings.

While Stillhouse Lake is a murder mystery, it’s also a book about the residents of a small town. All the characters were interesting to read about. There’s Javier, who owns the gun range and might be dating Kez, a police officer in the town. There’s Sam, a man who moved next to Gwen, who has an aura of mystery to him. These characters come into Gwen’s life at different moments and help shape the direction of the story.

Stillhouse Lake thrives on being as descriptive as possible. If you’re looking for a thriller that’s a bit more fast-paced and to the point, this might not be for you. In some chapters, the narration provides more background into how Gwen interacts with people in the town, how Gwen’s kids start making friends, and how Gwen goes back to visit Melvin in prison. I think adding these scenes helps to enhance the plot of the book. It adds to Gwen’s character background, but also how much her kids have been through. I think it helped me, as the reader, feel more invested in the book.

Stillhouse Lake was a fascinating read. The first book in a series can be tough because it’s developing a story and creating enough intrigue for readers to want to continue on to the second book. I’m looking forward to seeing how the series develops. I rated Stillhouse Lake five stars on Goodreads.

With February underway, I will be posting my February TBR shortly with all the romance books I’ll be reading this month. It will be a nice departure to read something a bit more light-hearted in the next few weeks.

CW: Suicide, rape, physical violence, sexual violence, trauma, self-harm, misogyny, gender essentialism, and drug use.

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead was the first book on my Thriller TBR for this month. I was first introduced to Ashley Winstead when I read her book, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, which was one of the best books I read in 2022. I had high expectations about The Last Housewife, and this book was enthralling. I liked The Last Housewife, but I don’t know if I could stomach re-reading it again in the future, that’s how dark this book was. The Last Housewife was a gripping book from start to finish, but please note the content warnings because this book does not mess around.

Shay Evans has a relaxing life; she lives in a nice home with her husband, and she quit her job to focus on writing. As Shay relaxes, she puts on her favorite True Crime podcast hosted by her childhood friend, Jamie. Jamie covers the potential murder of Laurel, Shay’s best friend from college. Shay has flashbacks from her time at college, as Shay, Laurel, and their other friend Clem experienced something traumatic that bonded them together. Shay assumed Laurel had fled from that. With all of this being said, Shay is committed to helping Jamie investigate Laurel’s death and uncover what happened to her.

If there is one thing that I think Ashley Winstead does so well is that she writes unlikable characters that you end up rooting for. If I don’t like a character, I find it difficult to read about them. Ashley Winstead’s books are an exception. If you couldn’t tell, I was not a fan of Shay. She parades herself as being a feminist, yet she hasn’t stood up for the mistreatment of her friends. If that wasn’t enough, Shay spends her husband, Cal’s, money and then doesn’t think he is going to cut her off. I mean, c’mon. Cal isn’t a great person, but I don’t agree with Shay that she can recklessly spend money either. Out of all the characters, I liked Jamie the best. He is genuinely a good person, and I would love to see a series that focuses on Jamie investigating various crimes.

The Last Housewife is centered on a sex cult, and that’s where this book takes this dark turn. It’s interesting to see how someone can go from lecturing about women’s empowerment to how women need to accept their gender roles and that men are superior. The way that this cult recruits young and vulnerable women is incredibly unsettling. I mentioned previously how dark this book gets, and I’m not kidding. There is so much that happens to Shay when she investigates Laurel’s death. There are moments when this book doesn’t let up, and it seems to get perpetually darker. I will say that I think this is my max. If Ashley Winstead’s books are this graphic in the future, I may have to bow out and recognize this might not be for me.

I was debating what to rate The Last Housewife. My first thought was to rate this five stars because this book had me hooked. I love Ashley Winstead as an author, and this book solidified why I like her books. I think the challenging part for me is the ending, which I wasn’t a fan of. I have the ending under spoiler tags on my Goodreads review if you’re curious about how the book ends. For now, I have left this book unrated. That might change the longer time goes on from the time I read this book, but for now, I’ll leave it open-ended. The Last Housewife was great, but please read the content warnings to determine if this book will be for you.

I have been reading more manga than ever before. I have been reading a lot of first volumes to try to figure out which series I want to continue reading. I spotted the first volume of Crazy Food Truck at a bookstore in Winnipeg. I thought the concept was interesting. It felt like a Mad Max adventure except it featured a food truck. I finished reading Crazy Food Truck, and I felt let down as this volume plays into some of the notable tropes in anime and manga. Crazy Food Truck shows how often female characters are sexualized in manga.

Crazy Food Truck begins with Gordon, a man trying to survive in this dystopian society. He’s driving through the desert looking for his next customers to serve and to make ends meet. He finds Arisa, a young, naked woman in the middle of the road. He takes Arisa in and gives her clothing and shelter. Immediately upon rescuing Arisa, Gordon is chased by Arisa’s captors, as they will do anything to get her back. Gordon and Arisa quickly bond and go off on several adventures throughout the volume.

As mentioned previously, I liked the concept of this. I think there is enough intrigue and unanswered questions that make this series interesting. Gordon has a secretive past, potentially involving the military? Some people are after Arisa, so why was Arisa captured in the first place? I can see why someone would continue the series, as I’d be curious to see how the series unfolds.

This leads me to my biggest gripe with this series, which is the sexualization of Arisa. Arisa is introduced as a naked woman in the middle of the desert. I don’t have a problem with nudity, and I didn’t care that Arisa was introduced that way; it’s in the blurb on the back of the book. With that being said, Arisa ended up being naked often. After being rescued, she complains about being hot and takes off her shirt. There’s another moment where she’s shown showering naked. If that wasn’t enough, Arisa takes her top off in the middle of a fight sequence. It felt like it was too much in such a short book. Why do we have to portray female characters this way? If you take the things that Arisa does and replicate them with a male character, it would come off as being ridiculous, yet we do this with female characters all the time.

If that wasn’t enough, I was reading reviews, and some mentioned how creepy it was that Arisa was underage while Gordon was way older. ICK. When I read this manga originally, I was picturing Arisa as being an adult, so I might have missed the fact that she’s underage. If that’s the case, this makes this manga even worse.

I think another thing to add to this is that Arisa has no personality. She meets Gordon, eats a bunch of food, and that’s about all I know about her. It would be interesting to hear more of Arisa’s story. Does she have a family? What are her hobbies? How did she learn how to defend herself? I think if there were more revealed about her, I probably would have cared more about her as a character. The sexualization of her character would have still bothered me, but it would have made the difference between continuing in this series vs. abandoning it altogether.

Crazy Food Truck was a miss, but I’m still planning on reading other manga series in the future.

I purchased The Paris Apartment at a local bookstore in Dublin. It seems fitting, considering that most of Lucy Foley’s thrillers take place in Europe. The Guest List took place off the coast of Ireland, whereas The Paris Apartment unsurprisingly takes place in Paris. During the Christmas holiday, I was sick, so I wasn’t able to see family. One thing that got me through being sick was reading this book. Lucy Foley is one of my favorite authors as her thrillers are so enthralling. The Paris Apartment was no different. It was full of unexpected twists.

Jess is invited by Ben, her brother, to stay in his luxurious Paris apartment. When Jess arrives, Ben is nowhere to be seen. She sticks around to investigate, including getting to know the various individuals who live in the complex. Jess starts to question the guests staying in the apartment complex to help find clues that will lead her to Ben. The more questions Jess asks, the more sinister things start to appear. Jess realizes that she may not be safe staying at The Paris Apartment.

The Paris Apartment did not disappoint. Lucy Foley is so good at setting the stage for her books. This apartment complex has an aura of darkness to it. There’s a gate that surrounds the building that has barbed wire and glass to prevent people from climbing on top of it. There are various secret passages that Jess starts to explore. There is a general uneasiness throughout the book, and I think that comes from Lucy Foley providing the imagery of this complex.

Jess was the main protagonist, and I liked reading from her point of view. It’s clear that Jess has been through some shit, and she isn’t naive to the world around her. There’s an example where Jess is flirting with one of the residents. It could have been easy for her to sleep with him, but it doesn’t end up working out, as Jess knows that her primary reason for being there is to find her brother. Jess is a survivor, and I think throughout the book, I wanted her to fight her way out of the situation she found herself in. There are times when Jess can be a bit reckless, and she does put her personal safety at risk. I think it adds to Jess’s backstory because of her unstable upbringing and how Ben is the only family she has left.

The way that this book came together was fascinating. I can’t say much without spoiling the book. There was a movie that this book reminded me of, but I can’t say it because it would give everything away. I think the final moments where Jess starts to put the pieces together were so good. My heart started to beat out of my chest, and my jaw dropped at the final conclusion. It isn’t often that a book prompts that type of response from me.

Lucy Foley can do no wrong. I think that’s the trick for having a good reading year: starting the year by reading a Lucy Foley book. I rated The Paris Apartment five stars on Goodreads.

With the start of a new year, I’m feeling positive. I’m looking forward to 2024 and starting the year off fresh. To kick off my reading year, I wanted to go back to TBRs. TBRs (To Be Read) is where I will schedule or plan which books I want to read for the month. I used to do this a few years ago, but got out of the habit of pre-planning my books. Each month, I will write a new post detailing which books I will read, along with the overall theme of the current month’s TBR. This month, I will be focused on reading thrillers. I’m excited to share my TBR as I had a lot of fun picking out which books I plan on reading.

I have two rules that will apply to all TBRs and books I plan on reading. The first rule is that I will pick three books to read in a month. I won’t plan on reading any more than three, but if, for whatever reason, I end up finishing these three books ahead of time, I can always move on to something else. The final rule I have is that one book in every TBR pile has to come from the library, with no exceptions. In this instance, I ended up renting two books from the library, so look at me being an overachiever.

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

I wrote about The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead in a book haul post I made last year, so I won’t go into detail about this book. It apparently revolves around a sex cult, and it’s a dark book. That’s about all I know, but my interest is piqued.

The Vanishing by Wendy Webb

I mentioned how I had fun picking out my books this month. I decided to go through my Goodreads TBR shelf and choose the thriller book that’s been on my TBR the longest, and one of the thrillers that I most recently added to my shelf. I have had The Vanishing by Wendy Webb on my TBR since July 10th, 2015. I think it’s about time that I read it.

Julia Bishop has been hit hard by the death of her husband. Her husband was conniving and spent her life savings, so Julia needs a fresh start. She accepts a job offer to be a caretaker for Amaris Sinclair, a renowned horror novelist. When Julia begins staying at the Sinclair estate, she feels unsettled by the place. She investigates further, which may reveal some haunting secrets that are meant to stay buried.

As a side note, this book takes place in Minnesota, which reminds me that I need to read more from local authors. It’s not often that I get to read a book that takes place in my home state.

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Gina Royal is a stereotypical Midwestern housewife. After a car accident, it’s revealed to Gina that her sweet husband is actually a serial killer. Gina moves with her two kids to escape her husband’s morbid notoriety. After settling in a new home, a dead body turns up in the lake that Gina lives on. Gina is being stalked and receives mysterious letters. If there is one thing that Gina is fully capable of doing, it’s taking on someone who is pure evil.

I added Stillhouse Lake to my shelf on November 29th, 2023, which is a stark contrast to The Vanishing. I am a sucker for tropes where a woman finds out that someone close to her is a serial killer, and then the story continues from her perspective.

I am looking forward to reading these books. Thrillers tend to be fast reads for me, so these three books could last me the whole month, or I might finish them early. We shall see.

2023 was an incredible year, except it wasn’t the best reading year for me. Besides the reading slump, I have had so many DNF (did not finish) books. I was thinking back to other reading years, and honestly, I think this was a new record for me. While 2023 may not have been the best reading year, I think I read a few books that were absolute favorites for me, and I’m ready to spill the tea on the books that I wasn’t the biggest fan of. Let’s get into my 2023 End of Year Book Survey.

As a reminder, I utilize Perpetual Page Turner and their End of Year Book Survey, so check out their information if you want to do your own end-of-year book tag.

2023 Reading Stats

Number of Books I Read: 71

Number of Re-Reads: 2. I re-read the first and second volumes of Nailbiter.

Genre You Read the Most From Romance, does A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas count as Romance, or is that Fantasy? I would say most of my books were Romance.

Best in Books

Best Book in 2023

I had two books that I was going back and forth between. I decided to choose Book Lovers by Emily Henry. This was the first Emily Henry book I read, and it won’t be the last. Book Lovers details the romance between Nora and Charlie as they are rival literary agents who fall in love in a small town in North Carolina. I think what made Book Lovers such a good book is how it’s so much more than a romance story. It illustrates the bond between the two sisters and Nora confronting her grief over losing her mom. This book warmed my heart, and Nora and Charlie are so perfect together.

Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik was a book that I thought would be a five-star read for me. It takes place in a magical school, where sorcerers are fighting to the death. I liked the world-building with all the dark creatures invading the school. With all of that being said, I struggled to read this book. There were a few reasons that I can attribute to why I felt this way. First, the chapters were really long, on average, twenty to thirty pages. I like to read before I go to bed, so I usually like to read 1-2 chapters in one sitting. With A Deadly Education, it felt like each chapter took forever to read, and it distracted me from the story. If that wasn’t enough, the main character was someone I couldn’t click with. She seemed extremely mean for no reason. I don’t need the main characters to be likable as I think it’s interesting to read about someone who has flaws and isn’t perfect. However, I need to care about what happens to them, and I didn’t feel this way while reading A Deadly Education.

When I purchased A Deadly Education from my local bookstore, the person who rang me up made a comment about how I have to have the sequel on standby. I was so looking forward to this book, which made it even more disappointing that this series simply isn’t for me.

Best Series You Started in 2023?

I reviewed every book I read, and the book that stuck out to me for this prompt was A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn. This is the first book in the Veronica Speedwell series. I read this while in Europe this year, and it was the perfect book to read while on vacation. This series centers on Veronica Speedwell, a young woman who is defying social norms by refusing to get married. She’s attacked in what seems to be a random act of violence until she’s sent to live with Stoker, a man who’s been assigned to protect her. When Veronica’s acquaintance is found murdered, Stoker takes it upon himself to keep Veronica safe.

This series gives off Sherlock Holmes vibes, and the chemistry Veronica has with Stoker is FIRE. I’m looking forward to continuing in this series.

Most Action-Packed / Thrilling / Unputdownable Book of the Year?

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay was the other book I was considering as the best book I read in 2023. The Night Shift opens with a crime that occurred in 1999 at a Blockbuster. Years later, another murder happens at a local business, and some think the crimes are linked together. This book tells the perspective of an FBI agent, a woman who survived the Blockbuster massacre, and the brother of the suspect from the Blockbuster killing.

As I was reading The Night Shift, I felt like I was reading an episode of Criminal Minds. Keller is the FBI agent, and I LOVED her. She’s eight months pregnant with twins, along with being successful in her career. I would read a whole series of Keller investigating crimes. In my head, I pictured JJ from Criminal Minds (played by A.J. Cook) whenever I read the story from Keller’s perspective. I loved the other characters and how everything came together when it was revealed who committed these crimes. I did predict who the final killer was, but there were a few other shocking moments that threw me for a loop.

Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2023?

I think whoever illustrates Sarah Penner’s books needs a raise. I have read both The Lost Apothecary and The London Seance Society, and both of the covers are stunning.

Book You Read in 2023 That You Read Solely Based on a Recommendation From Someone Else?

If there is one book series (besides Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros) that has a strong fan base, it’s Sarah J. Maas’s books. I felt like I was missing something by not reading her books, so I figured, why not test the waters by reading A Court of Thorns and Roses? I had no expectations when it came to this series, and I did like the first book. I liked the world that Sarah J. Maas built, along with the fae not being able to remove their masks. It’s funny, once I finished the book, I read online that this book was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and my brain did not put that together while reading the book.

I plan on continuing this series as I think the story and the world that Sarah J. Maas has built are intriguing to me. Apparently, some of the characters evolve into different people (Tamlin becomes the villain and Rhys is someone Feyre falls in love with, ummmmm what??????) and I want to see how that goes.

Book that was the Most Fun to Read?

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is such a cute book. It’s basically if a Dungeons & Dragons campaign had a coffee shop and the players had to run the coffee shop, that’s what this book is about. This was such a soothing read, and I like how there are more low-stakes fantasy books out there to read.

Your Blogging and Bookish Life

Favorite Post I Wrote in 2023

My Europe Comics Haul was easily my favorite post I wrote in 2023. It was cool to visit some comic book stores overseas. I think my favorite store that I went to was Gosh! Comics in London. Gosh! had a big selection with a lot of local comics printed in the UK. They made the best souvenirs from our trip.

Favorite Bookish-Related Photo I Took in 2023

This photo perfectly describes what it’s like to own a cat. Athena loves being in the background of my photos.

Most Challenging Thing About Blogging or Your Reading Life This Year?

The toughest part for me was all the DNFed books that I read this year. In total, I DNFed four books this year, which is a record for me. I’m usually pretty good at picking books that I know I will like. I think this was a great reminder that if I do not like a book that I’m reading, it’s okay to put it down and move on to something else.

Looking Ahead

Book You Are Most Anticipating for 2024?

I think the book I’m looking forward to reading is The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead. Ashley Winstead knows how to write thrillers, and I have heard nothing but good things about The Last Housewife. I have heard that it’s really dark, so I might need a breather after reading it.

One Thing You Hope To Accomplish In Your Reading / Blogging Life in 2024?

I want to get back into a regular routine when it comes to reading. This includes creating TBRs (to be read) posts, so I can pre-plan what I read in the next month. I want to keep utilizing my local library, as that’s helped keep me motivated to keep reading. Finally, I want to make sure that I DNF a book as quickly as possible, rather than trying to force myself to read a book that I’m not interested in.

As always, Happy Reading! Let me know if you end up participating in this end-of-year book survey.

It’s been a hot minute since I last went to my local comic book store. I try to get there every other week if possible. I think it’s been a few months since my last trip. Since it’s been a while, I ended up purchasing quite a bit to read. One series that stood out to me on the shelf was Dark Ride. The image for the first cover is this red, menacing, devil mascot with a roller coaster in the background. Based on that, I gathered that this is a horror series that takes place at a theme park, which piqued my interest. Dark Ride was so interesting and kept me on my toes with what would happen next.

Dark Ride takes place at Devil Land, a horror theme park. The theme park was created by Arthur Dante with the idea of creating an adult theme park experience. Arthur’s current whereabouts remain unknown, which has caused fans to speculate. There’s also something sinister with Arthur as one of his wives mysteriously disappeared. The first issue follows Owen Seasons, a new employee at Devil Land. He’s in training and meets Sam, Arthur’s son, who is trying to keep the park afloat even though it’s losing money. From there, Sam’s sister, Halloween, shows up at the park, which angers Sam. The issue takes an even darker turn towards the end when it’s clear that none of the characters are safe from the secrets at Devil Land.

I loved reading this series. One of the other reasons I picked up Dark Ride was because it was written by Joshua Williamson. If that name rings a bell, Joshua Williamson wrote Nail Biter, which is another series I enjoy. Without spoilers, this series went in a completely different direction than I anticipated it would. I thought I knew who the main character was and how they would interact with the characters in future issues, and then this series did the exact opposite. From a story perspective, I’m curious to see what happens in future issues.

Besides the story, I liked the art. I think the art fits in well with the series. The covers are beautifully designed and clearly captured my eye when I saw the series on the shelf. I liked how, at the end of the first issue, there was a map of Devil Land that broke down all of the attractions at the park. It helped me feel more in tune with the story.

Dark Ride might be one of my favorite comic series that I discovered this year. Usually, when I see a new comic series, I don’t buy more than two issues in case I don’t like the series. I wish I had bought all the Dark Ride issues because I think there were at least the first five consecutive available. With that being said, I plan on visiting my local comic book store again because I want to find out what happens in Dark Ride.