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It’s my birthday month, so I gave myself leave to buy as many books as I wanted!

I also got a massive TWO books for review, which pretty much seem to me like the book world is also wishing me a happy birthday 🙂

I have been buying, but I haven’t really been reading this month. I think I was pushing myself to read some really popular books in the hope of figuring out why they’re popular, and I just can’t see why they’re so hyped. I’m essentially not really listening to myself and my own reading desires, so during August, I had quite a few books on the go at once without any one of them really grabbing my attention, because I felt like I had to finish a library book before returning it.

I’ve been feeling really burned out at work recently, and I took some time off before starting a new job. I think the combination of being burned out, reading something for research purposes rather than something I’m legitimately interested in, and having had a few really good months leading to an inevitable downer where I don’t really feel like reading because it’s too much effort (due to burnout, perhaps), has led to this month being a bit harder for me. The only reason I finished 3 books this month was because they were all audio books. I’m just too tired to hold a big physical book.

Although I’ve been doing really well over the past few months, I’m still working on listening to what I really want to read as opposed to what I think I SHOULD be reading, and unfortunately, this was just one of those months where I forgot that reading is a hobby, not a job.

I also had a very scary incident with one of my cats. I had to rush him to the emergency vet on a weekend, but after a very close call and with some dedicated attention from the amazing vets and nurses at the animal hospital, he’s pulled through and is recovering remarkably well.

However, it has really affected my mental health. He’s my baby, and now I’m just obsessed with watching him breathe and having as many cuddles as I can.

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme created by Tynga’s Reviews and hosted by Reading Reality.
It’s all about sharing the books we’ve picked up for the week, whether they are bought, borrowed, gifted, galleys, physical or virtual.
Share your shelves and remember to visit Reading Reality to find more great books!

For Review

Thanks to Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a review copy of this book!

Apprentice to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #2) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office.

But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs – Kingsley’s included – point to catastrophe. Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor vulnerable to their enemies … including their nemesis, the king.

Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie.
It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work. Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun.

But what happens when the assistant to The Villain is ready to become his apprentice?

After thoroughly enjoying Assistant to the Villain and all of its delightful charming black comedy, I was eager to also get my hands on the sequel.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for this review copy!

A Five-Letter Word For Love by Amy James

A heartwarming and humorous romance in which an unlikely couple fall in love over Wordle.

Twenty-seven-year-old Emily doesn’t have a lot going well in her life right now. She dreams of a creative career but works as a receptionist in an auto shop. She longs for big city life but lives in a small town on Prince Edward Island. She craves a close group of friends but is stuck with irritating, car-obsessed coworkers.

What Emily does have is a 300+ day streak on the New York Times Wordle. But one day, with only one guess left and no clue what the answer is, she’s forced to turn to one of her irritating, car-obsessed coworkers, John, for help—and in doing so, realizes that he might not be so irritating after all.

As they make their way, word by word, toward a 365-day streak, Emily is drawn into a surprising romance that will take her outside of her comfort zone—and challenge everything she thought she knew about happiness, success, and love.

I am stepping into my adult romcom era and I like it.

This just sounds really adorable, and to be honest I’m kind of feeling a bit ‘same’ in my life at the moment, so I’m looking to get something out of reading this.

GIFTED

Thanks to my darling husband who gifted me these books for my birthday, after confirming they were what I wanted.

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

From New York Times best-selling author Lexi Ryan, Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this sexy, action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes.

Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she’ll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court.

Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie’s only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm.

Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.

So I’m not into Fae. That’s established, right? I just don’t like them. However I do love a ‘infiltrate the royal court in disguise’ plot, and I actually don’t mind a good love triangle, especially if it involves royalty.

These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows #2) by Lexi Ryan

Brie finds herself caught between two princes and two destinies while the future of the fae realm hangs in the balance.

After Abriella’s sister was sold to the fae, she thought life couldn’t get any worse. But when she suddenly finds herself caught in a web of lies of her own making - loving two princes and trusting neither – things are not quite as clear as she once thought.

As civil war wages in the Court of Darkness, Brie finds herself unable to choose a side. How can she know where she stands when she doesn’t even know herself anymore? In this darkly romantic thrill ride, the more Faerie is torn apart from the inside, the clearer it becomes that prophecies don’t lie and Brie has a role to play in the fate of this magical realm – whether she likes it or not.

PURCHASED

Reckless (The Powereless Trilogy #2) by Lauren Roberts

The kingdom of Ilya is in turmoil…

After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King, and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.

Kai Azer is now Ilya’s Enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice.

Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts – and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.

I am putting so much faith in this trilogy, and I really hope I enjoy it because I own but have not read (story of my life) the first book, and I’ve seen SO MANY really mixed reviews from people that love it and people that hate it. It just sounds like my kind of YA fantasy! With a non-magical female lead, it reminds me a bit of Ruined, which I absolutely loved.

What Happens After Midnight by KL Walther

Lily Hopper has two more weeks until she’s officially finished with boarding school. With graduation quickly approaching Lily is worried that she’s somehow missed out on the fun of being in high school. So, when she receives a mysterious note inviting her to join the anonymous senior class Jester in executing the end-of-year prank, Lily sees her chance to put her goody-two-shoes reputation behind her.

When Lily realizes the Jester is none other than Taggart Swell, her ex- boyfriend, she’s already in too deep to back out. Lily might’ve dumped Tag, but she still has major feelings. Plus, his brilliant plan to steal the school’s yearbooks, targets none other than Lilly’s prom date: the Senior Class President, Daniel.

As the group of pranksters hide cryptic clues across campus for Daniel to find, Lily and Tag find themselves in close quarters. As the exes dodge Campus Safety guards, night owl teachers, a troop of freshmen, and even Daniel himself, new sparks fly. But old hurts and painful secrets refuse to be ignored. And with graduation on the horizon, Lily can only hope that breaking the rules will help mend her heart.

When I picked this book up, I was intrigued by the cover which didn’t really seem to match the thriller vibe I immediately assumed it would be based on the title, so I wanted to see what the book was about. as I read the blurb, I was still half expecting it to be a thriller with a non-thriller cover: I was expecting the nice girl to get dragged into this dark underworld of pranks and murdering other students, I think. So I was pleasantly surprised to see it was instead hinting at a love triangle and didn’t seem at all to be a thriller. I am also really drawn to the idea of having to work with an ex, mostly because when I break up with someone I literally never see them ever again and they completely cease to exist.

Also, it’s Sourcebooks Fire book, and they’re one of my favourite publishers.

The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston

Blood is survival in Bly’s world – any human can compete in the Revenant Games, an annual fight to the death between witches and vampires. The prize: resurrection or immortality. But Bly didn’t bargain on her mortal enemy, a vicious vampire, being able to steal her heart.

I’ll admit, I’m not normally into vampires in general or witches in paranormal (witches in fantasy are another thing entirely and I am so here for it), but the idea of having to work with your enemy for resurrection as a prize, and a tournament/game I can only think must be like The Hunger Games, really appeals to me.

Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston

Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home.

But it’s been ten years since anyone’s seen a vampire, and Ava has lost hope that she’ll ever find one…until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where she witnesses impossible illusions. The magicians may not be the bloodsuckers she’s hunting, but Ava is convinced something supernatural is at play, so she sneaks backstage and catches them in acts they can’t explain.

But they’ve been waiting for her.

The magicians reveal they’re part of an ancient secret society with true magic, and Ava has the same power in her blood that they do. If she joins them, they promise to teach her the skills she needs to hunt vampires and avenge her mother. But there’s a if she wants to keep the power they offer, she needs to prove she’s worthy of it. And to do so, she must put on the performance of her life in a sinister and dangerous competition where illusion and reality blur, and the stakes are deadly.

Yes, I accidentally bought two books by the same author in the same month…

I don’t know where all the vampires in fantasy resurgence came from, but this sounds decent.

A Ruinous Fate by Kaylee Smith

Enter a world on the brink of war where one more Roll from a magical dice may set a witch with a secret down a dangerous path.

Fate does not choose the weak. Fate chooses the ready.

Illustros is a cursed realm ruled by the ruthless Gods of Fate, and no one understands the Fates’ wrath more than Calliope Rosewood. Blessed with unspeakable powers that terrify even the most dangerous witches and fae, Calla hides her forbidden magic in shame and fear that one wrong touch could send her to her death. With only her two best friends in tow, Calla deserted her coven and has been on the run ever since.

Worse, Calla is concealing an even darker fate has chosen her as the final prophesied Blood Warrior, the being destined to start the Fates’ War, which will decimate her people and eradicate their magic.

After a betrayal from her infuriating ex Ezra leads her one step closer to fulfilling that age-old prophecy, Calla is desperate to do whatever it takes to reset her fate. So when a mysterious and charming witch offers to help Calla do just that, she immediately agrees to his plan. Only catch? That plan includes journeying into the deadly Neverending Forest with Ezra and said witch, who just so happens to be Ezra’s tempting older brother. Torn between her past desires and alluring new possibilities, Calla brings along her best friends to fight what lies ahead.

As the group ventures into the enchanted woods together, they’ll all soon learn that choosing your destiny comes with dire consequences . . . and the Fates are not to be tested. Calla believes the Fates have it out for her, while others believe they have chosen her for a reason. But in the end, Calla will have to fight to forge her own destiny and decide if the risk of choosing herself is worth the possibility of damning everyone else.

I’m really drawn to the concept of this fantasy world and the main character herself, as well as the plot of her being forced to team up with her ex and his hot brother.

The Darkness Within Us (The Shadows Between Us #2) by Tricia Levenseller

Chrysantha Stathos has won.

By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl, she has gathered important secrets, earned her father’s constant care, and become a wealthy duchess—all by age nineteen. Now, she is only one elderly, dying duke away from having all the freedom, money, and safety she’s ever wanted.

Or so she thought.

Turns out her little sister somehow snatched the true victory away from her: Alessandra is wedding the Shadow King, the most powerful man in the world. Meanwhile, after the death of Chrysantha’s no-good, lecherous husband, a man claiming to be the duke’s estranged grandson turns up to inherit everything that should be hers.

Chrysantha is enraged. There is no way that she’s going to let some man take everything from her. Never mind that he’s extremely handsome and secretive and alluring with mysterious powers… No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants.

Way back in 2020 I read the first book of this series, The Shadows Between Us, and fell in love with Levenseller’s writing and amazing characters. I never expected a sequel, but at this point Levenseller is a go-to author that I can trust with plot, character, and romance. I ordered the US hardcover, since I have the special edition version of the first book.

Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

Every serial killer needs a friend.
Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

I did it, I ordered this little baby since I on-purpose purchased the sequel already.

Monthly Wrap Up

Book Stuff

Number of books read: 3
- See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon (see review below)
- Morning Glory Milking Farm by CM Nacosta (no review)
- The Grace Year by Kim Liggett (see review below)
Finished a series: No
Started a series: No
New to me authors: Rachel Lynn Solomon, CM Nacosta, Kim Liggett
Favourite book: See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon