Alli the Book Giraffe

Hello readers! It’s now October and that means it’s time for my September Wrap Up. I read one less book than in August with a total of 20 books across 4841 pages. That was around 800 pages less than August, though.

8 of the books I read were ARCs. I also have 10 more to read in October then I’ll be reeling it way back starting November. I have been taking on too many at this point.

⭐⭐⭐ (ARC)

Ellie Forth embarks on an Alaskan adventure to prove something to herself. Oliver Cole’s routine life is disrupted when Ellie and her brother reappear after years. They must work together to uncover the truth and fight a growing evil that threatens not only Alaska, but the entire world.

I really enjoyed this book overall. The characters really good and so was the writing. It’s not often that you see that good of writing on a debut book! My only issue with it is that I think it was too long for me. I don’t mind long books one bit, but I’m picky about page length. This book kind of ended on a cliffhanger. I am super excited to see what Ellie and Oliver do next!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Court of Hearts and Hunger is the 2nd book in the Wicked Darlings series. We follow characters from book 1 and new characters. I believe this one is a why choose with Alice and a fae version of the White Rabbit (though he isn’t white) and the Cheshire cat. The Queen of Hearts is in the book as well and so is a female Hatter.

This book series is spicy, action packed, and is a little unhinged. What other author is writing books like this? They are so good!

⭐⭐⭐

This is a novella within the Night Huntress series following Cat and Bone basically being bodyguards for this woman whose cousin has put out a hit on her. The hitman hired a Ghoul, so Cat and Bone, who are vampires, keep her with them for protection.

It was a good story, but was very short! It was only 53 pages and it would’ve been a higher rating if it were part of one of the main books.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ARC)

This one follows Jason and Cynthia. They are both lawyers on the opposite ends of a case. They have a one night stand before this and accidentally end up in the same rental property when they are put on this case out of town.

This book has rivals to lovers, a strong female lead (that stays strong), touch her and die trope, forced proximity, and some light BDSM. I did not expect this book to explore darker themes or to have BDSM. The topics involve Jason’s childhood abuse, neglect, drug dealers, and being cycled through the adoption system.

I also LOVE banter and the tension between the two MCs. It has come to my attention that there is a previous book with characters from this book and I can’t wait to pick that up or anything else this author decides to write in the future about other characters!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Treacherous Notion is book 2 in the Prevalent Notion series. I believe it’s a trilogy. This one follows the bassist in a a rock band called Prevalent Notion and his best friend who used to be the bands stylist on their last tour.

This is one of those friends to lovers where everyone can see it except them, but it is pretty quick moving when first book was much more of a slowburn. It just solidified my hatred for theo, the singer. His book is next and I’m not excited to see his romance. He is the catalyst of the 3rd act breakup for both of these books and I don’t like him one bit.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Would you dance for a grumpy gargoyle? I dream of being a stage performer, but I need money to support myself. Dancing for a mysterious monster client seems better than dealing with sleazy humans. I dance alone on a rooftop, and then the statue comes to life, revealing a kind-hearted gargoyle. My dance sets him free, but he warns me that if I don’t stop, he’ll have to keep me forever. Can I show him his worthiness? Will his love for me endure despite the trouble I bring?

This series is perfect if you’re looking for something that is short and spicy. It’s basically plot-less. I’m not complaining at all! I just know some people do care about that.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a romance between a woman and a door. I know, it sounds crazy. That’s because it is. If you like weird stuff, try this one! I really loved it, but the rating on Goodreads is awful.

⭐⭐⭐⭐(ARC)

Lola Rae-Hallows is an 18-year-old witch living in San Francisco. After being away for a year, she returns home and faces challenges as she tries to reconnect with her life. However, she soon discovers a dangerous plot and realizes that there is an ancient evil threatening the city’s supernatural community. They must come together and confront this darkness before it destroys everything they hold dear.

This was such a great read. I was worried I would be lost at the beginning because of all the creatures and characters, but the world-building is blended very well into the story. I also like how different the characters are from one another. I think this would be great for fans of The Mortal Instruments series. I can’t wait to see what happens next with the whole friend group.

⭐⭐⭐ (ARC)

I really loved the other books in this series. I’m glad that Theo’s story came last, though. Theo was always a character I really hated and wasn’t sure if I’d like this story about him. He continued to be the worst. I felt about this book the way I felt about Happy Place. I just wanted the FMC to see her worth and leave this man on the curb and find someone who would treat her well.

I also wish this one were longer. The other two stories felt wrapped up by the end, but this one felt so rushed. I am excited to read other things by this author, just nothing to do with Theo.

All her other books are not on KU, so that sucks. However, I will get them one day on my own and read them if they don’t ever make it to KU.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is absolutely my least favorite of the series, but I still enjoyed it. I miss the action that the previous two books had. She was balancing the spice and action so well in those two books. This one didn’t have that same factor of creepiness or danger either.

However, I love her books still and have another one on this list. These books are so addictive and I can’t wait to read her backlist. It isn’t often that I find indie authors I like that have a large backlist.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jack Frost follows a woman named Emery who is filming penguins in Antatrica when she falls through the ice, into the water, and somehow ends up in this ice cave where Jack Frost is hibernating.

I really loved this book. Rebecca Kenney has some really great characters and stories to follow. This book takes place before and during Christimas, so it’s perfect for that time of year! I am loving making my way through some Christmas romances this year and she has another Christmas romance coming out before the ends!

⭐⭐⭐

I think this author assumes that everyone who will dive into Darius has read the other books in this series. I enjoyed it, but I felt a little lost. This is a prequel though, so I thought it would be best to start the series there.

The actual story is great and the ending was heartbreaking, but the world was confusing for me. There were terms used in the book that I didn’t know what they meant. However, I am intrigued to read more from this series. I didn’t get to know much about the Brotherhood and I’m excited to learn as I go.

⭐⭐⭐

I stumbled into a book that was a little bit more of a monster romance than I’m comfortable with, but it wasn’t a bad read. This book is a paranormal romance where the love interest, so far, are a male siren and Mothman. It was really the scene with Mothman that got me.

However, this book ended on a cliffhanger and I’m not sure if I want to continue or not. The spicy scenes are a bit weird for me, but I liked the thriller aspect of it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(ARC)

I know this isn’t a popular author or anything, but I was so excited to find that I am now on her ARC team. There is something so satisfying about finding an indie author you love and then later being accepted to their ARC team.

Her entire ARC team Discord is full of people thirsting for this FMC. This book follows a witch named Shane and a succubus named Elle.

Shane accidentally joins a sex cult who summon Elle against her will. Shane then realizes what he has gotten himself into and he saves Elle from all of it. Then, romance ensues! It’s really short and I loved every minute of it.

⭐⭐⭐

This is a M/M romance between Santa and Jamie (the Grinch). I found this book because I was looking for a romance with a male character that didn’t look like every other male character in a romance book.

I just thought this book was too short and I am not the biggest fan of age gap romances. I need some plus size men in books that aren’t in an age gap romance! A man does not have to be in his 40’s to not be chiseled.

I am not even sure why age gaps don’t bother me when the woman is 20 and the man is a 300 year old vampire, but it just different for some reason.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tangled in Tinsel is a reverse harem following a woman who gets snowed in with four men while decorating for their party.

This was honestly a great book. It was very spicy, of course. But, I loved all the banter between characters. All four men were easy to tell apart and they had previously been with women as a group before, which made it a bit more realistic. The author also wrote this character in a way where she was intending for the reader to be able to imagine themselves as her, which is something I haven’t seen before.

⭐⭐⭐(ARC)

Case in Truth follows a woman whose childhood best friend Case’s step mother is murdered and she tries to solve it. Case is also on the run and hiding because he thinks he will be framed for the murder.

This was a very quick read. The author labeled it as YA, but the characters are 20. I personally read it very quick, but I thought the killer was a bit obvious based on certain things the character did.

Case in Truth was meant to be released on October 6th, but was released early and is out now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ARC)

I got Locally Love as an ARC, which comes out on the 3rd. She said that you don’t have to read Remotely Love first, but I would recommend it!

Remotely Love follows Hazel and Sam who both work for this company who have employees all over the world, many of which work from home.

They’ve known each other for a long time and they finally confess their feelings for one another. They also have a few problems to overcome including that they have never met in person, they live in different states, and the fact of it being a conflict of interest at work.

Locally Love is sort of like one of those Christmas specials like A Court of Frost and Starlight. We get to see what the characters are up to literally at Christmastime. You don’t technically have to read Remotely Love. I mean, there are no references to the previous book. However I don’t think the ending is as rewarding if you don’t know their whole backstory.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (ARC)

I feel like I was reading this book for so long and for no reason. I was trying to get through too many books at once and this one was a rough read. Not in a bad way! It comes out on the 3rd of this month and I highly recommend you try it out!

Glass and Bone follows Elaenor who is betrothed to a prince and journeys to the other kingdom. She also struggles throughout with memory loss and hallucinations.

You guys, this book was DARK. It is very much a Game of Thrones-esque grimdark book. It’s also loveres to enemies. It’s like I knew that this wasn’t going to be a happy book, but I still wasn’t prepared for how tragic it would be from page one to the very last page. Do not read this book without vigilantly reading the trigger warnings.

Despite all of those things, I cannot wait for book two to come out! She is hoping for July of next year and I cannot wait. If you like dark books definitely check this one out.

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