1. Blood of Zeus by Meredith Wild & Angel Payne

This was the very first thing I read for the readathon and honestly it was pretty disappointing. In fact 3 stars is probably generous 😅 Enjoyment/entertainment wise it was a 3 star but technically/writing wise it was closer to a 2.

This is a fantasy/paranormal romance following a demon woman who is falling in love with her college professor. Which is a premise I can totally get on board with.. but it didn’t quite pan out.

The writing was not great in my opinion and it was just so repetitive. They’d see each other, apologize for the previous interaction, chemistry would be intense, then they’d argue and storm off, only to start the cycle over.

But my biggest issue was that you spend the whole book going – okay so the MC is a descendant of Zeus. It’s in the title. It’s obvious. But it’s literally not acknowledged until very last page. Like it was some sort of plot twist… Which left me feeling like this book had literally no plot. Because it didn’t.

The chemistry between the main characters was good but overall this was pretty disappointing and I’m not continuing on.

2. Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

This contemporary was so close to perfect and I completely regret not reading it sooner.

This follows a woman named Grace who just completed her PhD and finds herself married to a woman she doesn’t know after a celebratory night in Vegas.

While this premise sounds like this novel will lean romance heavy, it actually much more focused on the main characters personal journey. It’s really about her learning to accept herself and face her mental health issues head on.

Content warnings for depression, anxiety, and self harm!

But my absolute favorite thing about this was Morgan Rogers’ writing. Just wow. There were so many passages throughout this that hit me right the gut. I had to pause, rewind, and highlight many pages while reading. This book felt so raw and personal and you could feel how much the author poured into this book.

I cannot wait too check out with Morgan Roger’s writes next.

3. To Love and to Loathe (The Regency Vows #2) by Martha Waters

This is a historical romance and sequel to To Have and to Hoax. While this series isn’t my absolute favorite, I do thing they’re fun, witty regency rom-coms.

This one is particular is a hate to love/friends to lovers romance. Which sounds like a weird combo but hear me out.

The hero, Jeremy. has been friends with Diana’s brother since they were kids. But during Diana’s first season, the two strike and odd friendship that consists of endless banter and bickering. While neither is particularly trustworthy of the other, they can’t help but acknowledge they also feel pulled toward each other.

I thought this book had fantastic banter and chemistry between the main characters. I loved the forced proximity of the house party and I loved Jeremey.

This story was fun, witty, and charming.

However, I did think the pacing was a little slow during the middle. This plot relies very heavily on the heroine’s plotting and it got to be repetitive toward the end. However I did appreciate that there was no ridiculous third act fallout. When the conflict did finally come to a head, it was discussed and resolved pretty quickly.

Overall this series is fun, lighthearted read. Martha Waters writes fantastic banter, witty female characters, and strong but lovable heroes.

4. Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder) by Holly Jackson

Currently Listening

I’m currently listening to this on auido and I’m already in love. The first book in this series was one of my favorite books of last year and I’ve been highly anticipating this sequel releasing in the US.

This is a full cast audio with sound effects, music, etc and it’s absolutely amazing.

This is a YA mystery following a high school senior in the aftermath of her solving a local cold case. I don’t want to go any more into detail since this entire story is directly related to what happens in book 1.

But I’m loving it and will hopefully review it soon!