April has been an interesting month to say the least. I spent half of it off work with a knee injury and the amount of reading I got done shows it. A lot of the month is quite hazy to me now as I spent a lot of it very stressed but I’ll try my best to remember what I thought about everything I read. Please bear with me as this post will be a little all over the place.

With This Kiss by Carrie Hope Fletcher 

Read: 22/03/22 – 04/04/22

The more I think about this book the less I like it. It was honestly quite boring and two-dimensional. I gave it a pretty decent review, which you can read here, but looking back I was being too nice. 

Goodreads synopsis: When their lips touch, will she seal his fate?

From the outside, Lorelai is an ordinary young woman with a normal life. She loves reading, she works at the local cinema and she adores living with her best friend. But she carries a painful burden, something she’s kept hidden for years; whenever she kisses someone on the lips, she sees how they are going to die. But she’s never known if she’s seeing what was always meant to be, or if her kiss is the thing that decides their destiny. And so, she hasn’t kissed anyone since she was sixteen.

Then she meets Grayson. Sweet, clever, funny Grayson. And for the first time in years she yearns for a man’s kiss. But she can’t… or can she? And if she does, should she try to intervene and change what she sees?

A Song Below Water (A Song Below Water #1) by Bethany C. Morrow 

Read: 21/03/22 – 08/04/22

It honestly feels like months since I listened to this. My listening experience was so disjointed I’m finding it hard to remember what I thought about this. It was enjoyable enough and I liked the concept of the world. I may check out the second book, but I’m not sure.

Goodreads synopsis: Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Nevermind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore – soon Portland won’t be either.

The Awakening (Zodiac Academy #1) by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti 

Read: 05/04/22 – 09/04/22

I just reviewed this book a few days ago, as I’ve decided to review everything I read, and honestly it was ok. At no point was I blown away by the writing or the story but it had that fanfic type of feeling to it that was pretty nostalgic. Currently, I’m reading the second instalment so I am continuing with the series but if it doesn’t get better I may have to give up. 

You can read my review here if you are interested in my more in-depth thoughts. 

Goodreads synopsis: You have been selected to attend Zodiac Academy, where your star sign defines your destiny.

If you’re one of the Fae, elemental magic is in your blood. And apparently it’s in ours. As twins born in the month of Gemini, we’re a rare breed even in this academy of supernatural a-holes.

Changelings were outlawed hundreds of years ago but I guess our birth parents didn’t get the memo. Which means we’re totally unprepared for the ruthless world of Fae.

Air. Fire. Water. Earth.

No one has ever harnessed all four of them, until we arrived. And it hasn’t made us any friends so far.

As the rarest Elementals ever known, we’re already a threat to the four celestial heirs; the popular, vindictive bullies who happen to be some of the hottest guys we’ve ever seen. It doesn’t help that they’re the most dangerous beasts in the Academy. And probably on earth too.

Our fates are intertwined, but they want us gone. They’ve only got until the lunar eclipse to force us out and they’ll stop at nothing to succeed.

We never knew we had a birthright to live up to but now that we do, we intend to claim our throne.

We can’t expect any help from the faculty when it comes to defending ourselves. So if the dragon shifters want some target practice, the werewolves want someone to hunt or the vampires fancy a snack then we have to be ready. But we’ve been looking after each other for a long time and fighting back is in our blood.

Today’s horoscope: totally screwed.

Bloodborne Vol. 1: The Death of Sleep by Aleš Kot and Piotr Kowalski (Illustrator)

Read: 09/04/22 – 09/04/22

Bloodborne is one of my favourite games so I of course had to check out the graphic novel, especially as it was free on Kindle Unlimited. Unfortunately, the rest of the series isn’t so I don’t know when or if I’ll get around to them, but this was very enjoyable. My favourite thing about Bloodborne is the art style/direction so seeing it in an illustrated form was great. 

Goodreads synopsis: Awakening in an ancient city plagued by a twisted endemic – where horrific beasts stalk the shadows and the streets run slick with the blood of the damned – a nameless Hunter embarks on a dangerous quest in search of Paleblood… his only escape from the endless Night of the Hunt…

Call Me Maybe (Love Lines #1) by Cara Bastone 

Read: 12/04/22 – 13/04/22

What a delight this was. I’ve recently discovered that this is my favourite type of audiobook, basically just a play that you listen to. I was hooked on the conversation from the get-go and I loved getting to hear everything play out. 

I wrote a full review of this last week so check it out here if you want. 

Goodreads synopsis: Vera Hoffman has just days to make sure her website for her new Date-in-a-Box business launches. When the darn thing glitches, she calls her IT company and connects with Cal Kantola. An intense week of phone calls, DMs, voice messages, and texts ensue, and in between troubleshooting, these two start to develop feelings. But will their systems be compatible when they actually meet face-to-face?

Wild Fires by Sophie Jai

Read: DNF

I wasn’t sure whether to include this as I didn’t finish it, but I think I got through enough that it counts. Plus I’m still not over just how boring it was, sorry Sophie Jai it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

If you want to read my review of Wild Fires you can do so here.

Goodreads synopsis: The only things Cassandra knows about her family are the stories she’s heard in snatches over the years: about the aunt and cousin she never got to meet, about the man from the folded-up photograph in one of her aunt’s drawers, and of course about her cousin Chevy, and his troubled past – but no one utters a word about them any more.

When a call from one of her sisters brings Cassandra news of Chevy’s death, she has to return home for the funeral. To Toronto and the big house on Florence Street, where her sisters are hiding more than themselves in their rooms, where the tension brewing between her mother and aunts has been decades in the making, and where sooner or later every secret, unspoken word and painful memory will find its way out into the open.

Moving between Toronto and Trinidad, Wild Fires is a vivid and compelling story exploring the ways we mourn and why we avoid the very things that can save us.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan 

Read: 12/04/22 – 16/04/22

I vaguely remember reading this, but not what I actually thought. I knew going into this series I would love it so my opinion of it was already made. However, I did enjoy it and liked that it was much more in depth that the movie. Shock horror that I have never read this, I know. I am changing that though. 

Goodreads synopsis: Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse – Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena – Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. 

Sweet Talk (Love Lines #2) by Cara Bastone 

Read: 14/04/22 – 17/04/22

I have plans to do a full review of this within the next few weeks so I won’t say much here other than its a fun listen. 

Goodreads synopsis: It’s officially booty o’clock, I’m alone again in my kitchen choking down a slice of terrible chocolate cake…and I’m pretty sure I just got drunk texted by the man I have a ginormous crush on.

I’ve been daydreaming about Eliot Hoffman’s dimples for two months, and even though I’m sure this was a mistake on his end, it doesn’t mean it’s not an opportunity on mine. It’s the middle of the night, and I just wanna talk to him. So I text him back.

And then somehow we keep talking…ALL NIGHT. We’re both insomniacs, so talking all night soon turns into talking EVERY night.

And talking about nothing soon turns into talking about something.

And here we go from in-depth analysis of reality TV to my relationship with my family to his amazing artwork. There’s no topic we don’t cover…

Except for who I really am. It’s the only question of his I won’t answer.

As my crush turns into an avalanche of Eliot, I think of him all the time now. But if he knew who I was, the entire house of cards we’ve built this relationship on would come toppling down. I want him to be mine, but we might never be more than just a sweet dream….

Seatmate (Love Lines #3) by Cara Bastone 

I couldn’t find a decent picture of this cover that was above like two pixels so for now I don’t have one to include. 

Read: 18/04/22 – 21/04/22

Again I am planning to fully review this at some point so I won’t say anything here. I did really this though and it was super cute.

Goodreads synopsis: I have exactly 5 hours and 10 minutes to get from Boston to New York City or the professional opportunity of a lifetime disappears. My only travel option? The second to last seat on a discount bus. Across from the bathroom. Wearing last night’s clothes (don’t ask). All worth it if I can make it in time.

My nerves almost get the best of me, but then there he is, sitting down in the seat next to me. Tall. Friendly smile. Bright indigo streak in his brown hair. The perfect distraction. Turns out he’s on his way to reconnect with an old flame. The one who got away. We can both make it on time – just barely – if the traffic keeps flowing.

Playing road-trip games, avoiding calls from his mother, and effortless conversation keeps us from clockwatching…until the bus breaks down. And my seatmate turns into my copilot as we wrangle a ride in a car three decades old. And hit all the traffic. And oh, Lord, the detours. And somehow I end up careening cross-town on the handlebars of a Citi Bike carrying a box of kittens. (Yeah, don’t ask.)

He’s my hero every step of the way…and I might be falling for him. But what happens when we reach our final destination? Could my seatmate really be my soul mate?

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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Book Review: The Awakening by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti