Hi hello and welcome to a very very late wrap-up! I'll be combining both August and September in this post because I'm so behind on these wrap-ups but I still want to share all of the awesome books that I've read over the past two months. As always, the books will be linked if you'd like to add them to your Goodreads TBR and I will be including a mini-review of each book. Let's get started with August's wrap-up!
___________________________________________________________________________

Title: Raven's Song

Author: Charlie Nottingham

Pages: 528

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy

Release Date: 16 August 2022

From Amazon: "A morally gray necromancer, a playful fae, and a kindhearted vampire: all bound by one witch.

When a vengeful demon burned her house down, Rain Carter had no choice but to move into the haven of Copperfield House with her boyfriend, Graham, her other boyfriend, Ezra, and his partner, Warren. She wants to believe she's safe here but considering Warren's a murderer for hire... Well, forgive her for being wary. But the deeper she falls into Warren's demons and desires, struggling to interpret visions from the mysterious woman in black, Rain fights a war within herself. Is blood sacrifice black and white, or could it be a million hues of gray?

Mini-Review:  Thank you a million and one times to Charlie for providing me with an ARC of Raven’s Song!

This was 110% Warren’s book, oh my god. And also The Woman in Black! Not only did we get to learn more about the mysterious Warren, Ezra’s partner whom we briefly met in book one, we got to see the relationship dynamics evolve. I love the exploration of polyamory in this series and the healthy conversations that all four of the characters have. Things like boundaries and expectations are laid out and spoken about and I so appreciated the normalization of it all. It’s not an uncommon thing to read about in romance books, but more often than not, you don’t get the discussions that the characters had in this book. Usually, it’s just like “oh here’s four guys and one girl and they’re all together and it’s cool” which is fine, don’t get me wrong! But I really loved how Warren and Ezra were so helpful with helping Rain and Graham to understand the relationship dynamic and making sure everyone was comfortable. And getting to see the ups and downs of it made things feel even more realistic because let’s face it, no relationship is perfect. I’m just having a fantastic time seeing these four evolve in this series!

I also was so excited to see that we got a ton of backstory on The Woman in Black with this book, oh my gosh. She was such a mystery in book one but so much was revealed about her and it made me love her and appreciate her so much more. She’s a wholesome little bean and I will protect her with my life, okay?

I’m so excited for book three and I know that we’re going to get a crossover with Arcane Gods with that one and I just want to warn you that I will be absolutely feral when that happens. I’m ready and prepared to wait as long as it takes for the next installment!

Title: Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail

Author: Ashley Herring Blake

Pages: 400

Genre: LGBT Romance

Release Date: 22 November 2022

From Goodreads: "For Astrid Parker, failure is unacceptable. Ever since she broke up with her fiance a year ago, she's been focused on her career--her friends might say she's obsessed, but she knows she's just driven. When Pru Everwood asks her to be the designer for the Everwood Inn's renovation, which will be featured on a popular HGTV show, Innside America, Astrid is thrilled. Not only will the project distract her from her failed engagement and help her struggling business, but her perpetually displeased mother might finally give her a nod of approval.

However, Astrid never planned on Jordan Everwood, Pru's granddaughter and the lead carpenter for the renovation, who despises every modern design decision Astrid makes. Jordan is determined to preserve the history of her family's inn, particularly as the rest of her life is in shambles. When that determination turns into some light sabotage to ruffle Astrid's perfect little feathers, the showrunners ask them to play up the tension. But somewhere along the way, their dislike for each other evolves into something quite different, and Astrid must decide what success truly means. Is she going to pursue the life that she's expected to lead or the one that she wants?

Mini-Review:  I recently read Delilah Green Doesn't Care and absolutely loved it. Like, one of my new favorite books ever and one of my favorite books of 2022, loved it. So when I was scrolling on Netgalley and saw that there was not only an ARC but a sequel to one of my favorite books?! I took my chances and luckily, the Netgalley gods smiled upon me. I didn't think I'd love it as much as I loved Delilah Green because it's going to be incredibly difficult to top that book for me, but I honestly didn't expect to love it as much as I did!

Astrid wasn't a super likable character in the first book but oh my gosh this book made me adore her. I got to see why she was the way she was and it was heartbreaking. And watching her journey towards accepting herself and discovering who she really is outside of everyone else's influence made me cry! And I loved the rivalry/friendship/relationship with Jordan, holy crap. Jordan was also a wonderful character and I feel like her story was also wonderful to read. I was shook about a topic involving her previous partner because I feel like it's one we don't see often, but then I just straight up did not like the partner once I realized how things ended. Both characters were lovely and I am a simp for this series and the characters and their stories and I am so ready for Iris Kelly Doesn't Date!!!!!

Title: Motherthing

Author: Ainslie Hogarth

Pages: 288

Genre: Horror/Contemporary

Release Date: 27 September 2022

From Goodreads: "A darkly funny domestic horror novel about a woman who must take drastic measures to save her husband and herself from the vengeful ghost of her mother-in-law.

When Ralph and Abby Lamb move in with Ralph’s mother, Laura, Abby hopes it’s just what she and her mother-in-law need to finally connect. After a traumatic childhood, Abby is desperate for a mother figure, especially now that she and Ralph are trying to become parents themselves. Abby just has so much love to give—to Ralph, to Laura, and to Mrs. Bondy, her favorite resident at the long-term care home where she works. But Laura isn’t interested in bonding with her daughter-in-law. She’s venomous and cruel, especially to Abby, and life with her is hellish. When Laura takes her own life, her ghost haunts Abby and Ralph in very different ways: Ralph is plunged into depression, and Abby is terrorized by a force intent on destroying everything she loves. To make matters worse, Mrs. Bondy’s daughter is threatening to move Mrs. Bondy from the home, leaving Abby totally alone. With everything on the line, Abby comes up with a chilling plan that will allow her to keep Mrs. Bondy, rescue Ralph from his tortured mind, and break Laura's hold on the family for good. All it requires is a little ingenuity, a lot of determination, and a unique recipe for chicken à la king."

Mini-Review:  I don't think this book was for me. And I don't think it's because the book was necessarily bad, but rather a case of mismarketing. This isn't horror, at least not in my opinion. It's a book about trauma and craving a mother figure in your life and how the main character deals with that as an adult. She forms attachments to people (her husband and a lady she cares for at her job) thinking that they can save her, while desperately looking for approval and care that she never got from her mother when she was younger. It's clear that her mother was awful and that it's stuck with Abby for her whole life, and that's really sad to read about for sure. Her mother-in-law was also awful which gave her basically a double whammy on sucky mother figures. Bummer, huh? But...this wasn't horror. Maybe the last 8-10%? And maybe this is just a different style of horror that I'm unfamiliar with and I'm completely reading it wrong and just "didn't get it" or whatever. Maybe it's "elevated horror" and I'm not elevated enough to understand it? But it wasn't for me. Now I will say that there were several times I did laugh out loud while reading and think "Man, this is just like my experience with my MiL!" so that's what made me give this at least 2 stars because those were good experiences I had while reading. But the rest of the book just didn't do it for me, sadly. I can see where this would probably be a good book for someone else, though, and based on the reviews that I've seen, it's a pretty well-liked book! Hopefully, it finds its audience.

Title: Gone to See the River Man

Author: Kristopher Triana

Pages: 182

Genre: Horror

Release Date: 12 March 2020

From Goodreads: "Super fans. Groupies. Stalkers. These people will give anything for the idols they worship, be they rock stars, actors or authors. Or even serial killers.

Lori is just such a fanatic. Her obsession is with Edmund Cox, a man of sadistic cruelty who butchered more than twenty women. She’s gone so far as to forge a relationship with him, visiting him in prison and sending him letters on a regular basis. She will do anything to get close to him, so when he gives her a task, she eagerly accepts it. She has no idea of the horror that awaits her.

Edmund tells her she must go to his cabin in the woods of Killen and retrieve a key to deliver to a mysterious figure known only as The River Man. In her quest, she brings along her handicapped sister, and they journey through the deep, dark valley, beginning their trip upriver. The trip quickly becomes a surreal nightmare, one that digs up Lori’s personal demons, the ones she feels bonds her to Edmund. The river runs with flesh, the cabin is a vault of horrors, and ghostly blues music echoes through the mountains. Soon they will learn that The River Man is not quite fact or folklore, and definitely not human -- at least, not anymore. And the key is just the beginning of what is required of Lori to prove she’s worthy of a madman’s love."

Mini-Review:  I took a break from this for a bit because something just wasn’t clicking, I think. I really enjoyed the writing and the imagery was fantastic. The whole book had such a creepy atmosphere surrounding it and it definitely added to my enjoyment! But even picking it back up, I just wasn’t clicking with it for some reason. I don’t think this was a bad book, but I never really found myself falling super in love with it, unfortunately. I enjoyed it but it was just kind of an okay book for me. I am happy I read it, tho!

Title: Spoiler Alert

Author: Olivia Dade

Pages: 416

Genre: Romance

Release Date: 06 October 2020

From Goodreads: "Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. While the world knows him as Aeneas, the star of the biggest show on TV, Gods of the Gates, he's known to fanfiction readers as Book!AeneasWouldNever, an anonymous and popular poster.  Marcus is able to get out his own frustrations with his character through his stories, especially the ones that feature the internet’s favorite couple to ship, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone ever found out about his online persona, he’d be fired. Immediately.

April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s hidden her fanfiction and cosplay hobby from her “real life” for years—but not anymore. When she decides to post her latest Lavinia creation on Twitter, her photo goes viral. Trolls and supporters alike are commenting on her plus-size take, but when Marcus, one-half of her OTP, sees her pic and asks her out on a date to spite her critics, she realizes life is really stranger than fanfiction. Even though their first date is a disaster, Marcus quickly realizes that he wants much more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. And when he discovers she’s actually Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to hide from her.

With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely canceled?"

Mini-Review:  This was so good. It filled my heart with joy to see a plus-sized main character find love and be accepted exactly the way she is. And, I mean, who wouldn’t want to date their famous crush, right?! This book just had such a good message and overall feeling for me. I also struggle with my weight and body image and seeing how April acted about herself made me feel like maybe I’m not as ugly and unloveable as I feel. She dealt with horrible parents and online bullies but she was still an absolute delight and managed to keep me smiling while I was reading this book! I loved her, I loved the dynamic between her and Marcus, and I was obsessed with the fanfic excepts and random cheesy scripts are thrown in every so often. Those really did make me laugh so much. I loved this book if you couldn’t tell, and I can’t wait to read the next one!"

___________________________________________________________________________

Title: All the Feels

Author: Olivia Dade

Pages: 385

Genre: Romance

Release Date: 16 November 2021

From Goodreads: "Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, God of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he’s dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.

Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness…not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.

When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants—her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all."

Mini-Review: I somehow think I loved this one even more than Spoiler Alert?! I didn't think that was possible after how much I adored that book but something about All the Feels just hit me in all of my feels. It was sweet and cute and funny and the relationship between Alex and Nanny Clegg just killed me oh my gosh. I love slow burn romance, apparently, and this was perfection.

Title: Sinners & Saints

Author: Lana Sky & Molly Doyle

Pages: 264

Genre: Dark Romance

Release Date: 12 August 2022

From Goodreads: "Traumatized by a family tragedy, Frances “Frey” Heywood resorts to committing the unthinkable—only to be saved at the eleventh hour by a man more troubled than even she can comprehend. Daze Keaton is bad news. A criminal and a drug dealer, he’s a far cry from the safe harbor Frey craves, but all her doubts pale in the face of the way he numbs that cold, broken place inside her. If only for a little while. Though Daze’s comfort is a welcome gift, his true motives are far darker than she can ever fathom. While he might have saved her life, her future is in far more danger with him in it. Not that her head will listen. Or her heart."

Mini-Review:  Bless me Father for I have sinned or something like that. I somehow had no idea Molly Doyle had released a new book, shame on me! This was more enjoyable than I thought it would be, and not because of anything negative. I went into this blind, no synopsis read or anything like that. I just knew Molly’s name was on it so I was sold. I loved this writing duo and got hooked almost immediately! I’m absolutely ready to wait for the rest of the books to come out because I am happily addicted to the writing, the world, and the characters.

Title: The Four Leaf

Author: Lee Jacquot

Pages: 106

Genre: Romance Novella

Release Date: 17 March 2022

From Goodreads: "Two best friends grow up together, fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after. But what about the one where the girl gets friend-zoned after an awkward attempt at making a move on her best friend? That’s my story. More than a decade has passed, and while our platonic relationship somehow survived, I still cringe when I think about it. Like now.

I’m supposed to be getting my hotel ready for all the guests from the St.Patrick's Day parades, but instead, I’m staring at my best friend while he repairs one of my sinks. The memory and sting of his polite rejection years ago usually helps get my head on straight, but it’s not working this time. Not when there’s been an obvious shift in the air. And definitely not when he just grabbed onto my hips, growled in my ear, and told me to run."

Mini-Review: First off, thank you BookTok for not letting me down with this recommendation! It was exactly what I was hoping for and then some. And now I need a full-length novel with Sam and Adrian because I loved them! The writing was so easy to just get lost in and I really felt like this was one of the most satisfying novellas I’ve ever read. Did I just find a new go-to author?! I think so!

Title: Carnage

Author: Sarah Bailey

Pages: 394

Genre: Dark Romance

Release Date: 16 July 2021

From Goodreads: "They call us The Four Horsemen. Four friends forged in fire and blood. No one knows where we came from nor how we got our name. Drake, Francis, West and I rule the financial industry like kings. Gods in our own right.

We grew up with a fifth. A girl. Scarlett. She was one of us until she was ripped away from her life. The only trace of her was dust in the wind. One day she returned to the city and sought us out. Scarlett couldn’t remember who we’d been to her, but we recalled her all too well. If she knew what was good for her, she would have never come back. The moment she stepped through the doors of Fortuity, it was the beginning of her end. And the start of our reign over the girl who wanted us dead."

Mini-Review: I had read this previously but apparently never logged it? But it was just as good the second time around! I’m a sucker for this kind of story, I guess. But I really do enjoy Sarah Bailey’s writing, oh my gosh. It’s honestly addictive and I am so excited to continue the series!

Title: Chaos

Author: Sarah Bailey

Pages: 424

Genre: Dark Romance

Release Date: 27 August 2021

From Goodreads: "West Greer - War 
They say violence is never the answer. I beg to differ. There’s no peace without a little pain. Drake, Prescott, Francis and I are monsters who live up to their name. The Four Horsemen. Gods reincarnated as men.

Scarlett returned to the fold, but not as the girl we once knew. The girl I’d been obsessed with my whole life. The one I’d have given everything for. It all changed when she walked into Fortuity and gave us a run for our money. Battle lines were drawn. Flags erected. And we were at a stalemate. If she thought we were backing down, she was in for a wake-up call. It was time Scarlett learnt who she really was. And why we would never let her go again."

Mini-Review: I’m so glad I restarted this series because it just keeps getting better with every book! I love that we’re seeing the characters develop and that little bits and pieces of their past are being revealed. The writing is addictive and so easy to get lost in, and I keep reading huge chunks of these books without even realizing it!

Title: Tastes Like Candy

Author: Ivy Tholen

Pages: 264

Genre: YA Horror

Release Date: 19 October 2020

From Goodreads: "Everyone at Pritchett High wants an invitation to the Senior Scavenge. In 2020, Violet Warren and her friends are the lucky ones. Eight girls will break into the Poison Apple Carnival after hours for a scavenger hunt, then at sunrise, they’ll gather for a celebration in honor of their upcoming senior year. But someone else has another game planned. Minutes after the girls sneak into the carnival, a madman in a rubber mask begins slashing his way through the group and Violet quickly realizes his motives are personal. As she watches her friends die in a series of increasingly bizarre attacks, she must fight to survive while trying to answer the question: What could she have done to earn a fast pass for a roller coaster ride straight to hell?"

Mini-Review: I’m a little torn on how I feel about this. It was an overall fun read and actually reminded me of Scream in a lot of ways! I love Scream (the original, obviously) so this is definitely a positive comparison. I did feel like a big chunk of the beginning was unnecessary and I did find myself getting bored at one point, to be completely honest. But it ended up being a cheesy fun time and again, reminded me of Scream, so I kinda saw why there was that seemingly unnecessary beginning. It was like a throwback to 90’s horror in general (which was a great era for horror) so I did have a good time once things got going. Even the motive was very cheesy teen slasher! I’ll probably read more from this author because I did actually enjoy the writing a lot so I can’t wait to see what else she’s released! Overall, I’d say this is a 3.5-3.75 for me.

___________________________________________________________________________

And that about does it for my August and September wrap-up! I read 12 books total over the past two months and while not every book was a new favorite, I definitely read some amazing books. I hope to try and keep up better with my wrap-up posts for the rest of the year, so keep an eye out for those! Next month is October which means spooky books and (hopefully) Blogtober! I hope you'll be here to see all of the fun and spooky posts that I have planned for next month. Let me know in the comments what your favorite books that you read in August and September were. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you in the next chapter!