April’s reading wrap up is another quick one. I did manage to read more than the previous month but I don’t have photos for more than half of the books, so I’m not including them in this post (more so because of lack of time rather than laziness – I’m spending multiple weekends away so I’m extremely pressed for time at the moment).
I would say I hope this month’s wrap up will be back to the usual length, but I’m even busier in May.
Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce
Read: 25/3/26 – 8/4/26
Reading this book feels like a lifetime ago. It also felt like a lifetime to get through. After loving the first book in this series of standalones, I was expecting to really enjoy this one. Unfortunately, that wasn’t really the case. I did like it, but I definitely didn’t love it.
One of my biggest issues with this book was it not knowing how mature it should be. The characters are in highschool, and they act like it, but the romance was really intense. I remember book one being more cutesy and less “If I touch you for a second I’m going to want more”. It’s making me wonder if I want to read the upcoming instalment or not.
Synopsis: Quinn Norton is starting over at a new high school and hopes that joining a D&D game will be the trick to making friends. The plan sounds even better when she’s invited into a group that includes Logan Weber, the cute and charming guy she met on her first day of class. But this isn’t your average D&D campaign— this group livestreams their games and enforces strict rules: no phones allowed, and no dating other group members.
Quinn is willing to accept the rules, even if it makes Logan off-limits. And she quickly learns that doing so won’t be a problem, since Logan goes from charismatic to insufferable as soon as she agrees to join. As their bickering—and bantering—intensifies inside and outside the game, Quinn can’t help wondering: Is Logan’s infuriating behavior a smokescreen for hidden feelings? Quinn is risking it all, and the twenty-sided dice are rolling!
A Sea Change by Cassandra Clare
Read: 8/4/26 – 11/4/26
*I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This is the only book in this post that has had its review published already. At the time it was my last remaining ARC to review, but I’ve since got my hands on a few audiobooks – which I’m looking forward to.
Anyway, it was great to get back into the world of the Shadowhunters again. It’s been quite some time since I read a Cassandra Clare book for the first time and getting to spend more time with Matthew was a joy. Well kind of. He’s very much grieving Kit but that doesn’t stop him from getting mixed up in some chaos – I’d expect nothing less from one of the Merry Thieves.
ARC Review: A Sea Change by Cassandra Clare
Synopsis: Most travellers are running from—or searching for—something. But not Shadowhunter Matthew Fairchild and his loyal golden retriever, Oscar Wilde. No. Matthew is searching for himself aboard the Majestic, a grand 19th century ocean liner sailing from Greece to Constantinople.
Matthew wants nothing more than to mourn the death of a friend and peacefully enjoy his travels before reuniting with his friends James Herondale and Cordelia Carstairs at the London Institute of Shadowhunters—a secret society of angel-blooded humans who protect the mundane world from demons and Downworlders. But that’s interrupted when someone is murdered on the ship—and a vampire Downworlder lurks in the darkness.
Together with Sylvain Verlac, a mysterious and captivating Parisian Shadowhunter with a secret grief of his own, Matthew must find the murderer on the Majestic before death strikes again.
The Long Game by Rachel Reid
Read: 22/4/26 – 24/4/26
The Long Game was exactly what I needed. My plan to read it last month worked out perfectly. I’ve been in such a huge slump, and continue to be, but this book gave me so much joy. More for the fact that I love these characters rather than it being a happy read – it’s not. The ending is very bittersweet, but that was to be expected considering Ilya and Shane are getting a third book.
Synopsis: To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything.
Ten years.
That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?
Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all.
It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love.
It’s time to make a call.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: To Be Watched: May 2026