Maya

💬:N/A

📖Genres: horror, sci-fi, manga, graphic novels, comics

📚Page Count: 188

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

TW - <spoiler>Car accident, Death, Kidnapping, Torture, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Gore</spoiler>

The Drifting Classroom by Kazuo Umezu is a horror manga from the 70's about an entire elementary school disappearing to a seemingly abandoned place in the middle of a desert. The only thing left in the school's place is a hulking crater. Will the inhabitances of the school be able to make their way back to their loved ones? Will they figure out where they currently are? When people start to lose their minds and thoughts to madness, can the others find ways to protect themselves?

This volume was wild! I didn't expect things to start happening the way they did. Like my last review, I don't want to say too much to spoil the story because this is a good story to go into blind.

Overall, The Drifting Classroom volume two was action filled, suspense filled, with wild horror-filled story telling. I'm giving this 5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5

I read this manga for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "I’m a cadet. I’m nowhere close to his rank. I’m also so much more than that and good ol’ boy Radson decided to fuck with me on the right day. I smile at Radson while motioning him forward. Feeling the severe strain of my cheek muscles, I know I appear a little psycho."

Davenport, N. E.. The Blood Trials (The Blood Gift Duology Book 1) (p. 9). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, sci-fi, romance, adult,

📚Page Count: 453

🎧Audiobook Length: 18h 20min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5

----

The Blood Trials by N. E. Davenport is a sci fi/fantasy ADULT story about a Black woman

who lives in a racist and misogynistic society who finds out her grandfather was murdered when she previously thought he died of natural causes. Ikenna is spending her last night as a cadet with friends when she privately gets the news, she instantly decides that she wants revenge. Joining The Praetorian Trials means that Ikenna can get close to the people who might have had a hand in her grandfathers death, so that's what she decides to do. She's sure that she cans survive the challenges, because she was trained by the best (her grandfather) and she has a secret blood gift to help her. Will Ikenna be able to survive the challenges while also figuring out who killed her grandfather?

There were plenty of things I really liked about this book. I love how the main character made impulsive decisions, now these decisions weren't always the best ones but I felt as if the character's personality really shined through and it was consistent. I liked how Ikenna often remembered her grandfather and how she would think about what advice he might give her. The action scenes were really well described in this book. And although some of the twists in the story were predictable, the story was written well so it was still interesting when revealed.

There was only one thing that I didn't like. I couldn't understand why the challenges were so hard, there were characters dying left and right and it felt like the Praetorians reasoning for the challenges being so hard didn't make sense. If no one survives your challenge then who actually wins? Literally no one, because the Praetorians wouldn't gain any new soldiers. There were so many people dying that it no longer became a shock when someone died, and it was no longer impactful. It ruined the immersion for me. Thankfully the story was written well so I was able to re-immerse myself back into the story a few chapters later.

There was one spicy scene, it was written well but I'm uninterested in spicy scenes between young adults. I'm giving the spicy scene a one chili 🌶️ out of five chilies.

Overall, this book was really good. There was so much I enjoyed and very little I disliked. The theme of this book is "revenge" and it really reminds me of "Iron Widow" by Xiran Jay Zhao and I gave that book a 5. This book definitely deserves a 5 as well. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: N/A

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: N/A

🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 33min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5

----

Destined for an Early Grave (Dramatized Edition) is a graphic audio published by the company Graphic Audio and written by Jeaniene Frost, based on the fourth book in her Night Huntress series, Destined for an Early Grave. Cat and Bones decided to take a vacation to France, but all is not well because Cat is now having dangerous dreams about a vampire named Gregor. A vampire that Cat has a history with, but even she doesn't remember that. How can Cat and Bones confront Gregor for his transgressions?

This story started off in a really convoluted way and I was not expecting to like this novel as much as I did. I thought the idea that Cat had a history with a "secret" vampire but she didn't know it was very sloppy writing at first, but when the pieces started to fall into place I could see that the author put much more thought into this book than I had originally suspected. (This of course is the dramatized adaption so it's not exactly like the book, but the execution of this adaption was awesome.)

The spicy scenes were good and I liked them even more after Bones and Cat were reunited (IYKYK [if you know, you know]). I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

After finding out the premise of this addition to the Night Huntress series, I was not expecting the story to be good. The story was great, it had action, it gave me mini heart attacks, and I sat on the edge of my seat while reading this. I'm giving this 5 stars, not only because I really liked it but because it subverted my expectations, and I'm happy about that. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: N/A

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: N/A

🎧Audiobook Length: 01h 06min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

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One for the Money (Dramatized Edition) is a graphic audio published by the company Graphic Audio and written by Jeaniene Frost, based on book four point five (4.5) in her Night Huntress series, One for the Money. Cat and Bones are going to continue their vacation plans (after the mess in France) but before they do Cat promises to do her uncle Don a favor by protecting an heiress who is a friend of the family. Will Bones, Cat, and the Heiress make it out alive?

This was an okay story. I laughed a few times, so it was funny and I was on the edge of my seat towards the end because of all the action, so I had a good time while listening to this. I think my main complaint about this novella is that it's just too darn short. I would have loved more action or spicy scenes but it's a story that's approximately 66 minutes, so I see how there's no room for much else.

There was nothing special about the spicy scene in this novella. I'm giving the spicy scene two chilies 🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

This novella was slightly better than okay, and it kept my attention for the duration of the graphic audio, I enjoyed it overall. I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: N/A

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: N/A

🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 27min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5

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At Grave's End (Dramatized Edition) is a graphic audio published by the company Graphic Audio and written by Jeaniene Frost, based on the third book in her Night Huntress series, At Grave's End. In this book someone new is after our favorite couple, we meet new but also very old vampires, there's a ton of action, and even some sad and emotional bits. This addition to the series was a roller coast, one that I want to continue to ride.

There was only one thing I didn't like, and that was the minor sexual assault that happens to Cat while she's in the club scene. She does end up <spoiler>beating up the people who touched her without permission,</spoiler> so I supposed there was that at least.

There weren't many spicy scenes in this, if I remember correctly there was one. It was done well so I enjoyed it. I'm giving the spicy scenes three chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Each addition to this series is better than the last, and book 3 (Dramatized) is no exception. I'm so delighted to be experiencing this series for the first time. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars instead.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: "“Why did you try to jump in front of the train?” she asked. Blake closed his eyes. That’s right, the last thing he remembered was the train. “Did you stop me?” he asked incredulously. “Damn it, why?” She raised a brow."

Frost, Jeaniene. Devil to Pay (Night Huntress) (p. 7). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: 89

🎧Audiobook Length: 02h 18min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5

----

Devil to Pay is a novella and it's book 3.5 in Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Series. Blake, a human <spoiler>possessed by a demon</spoiler> and Elise, a vampire sired by Mencheres are the main characters of this novella. The story starts off with Blake trying to commit suicide and Elise saves him. I don't want to say much else (just so I don't spoil things) about this story other than, Elise and Blake start to get to know each other after she saves him.

This was just okay. I understand that it's a novella and it's supposed to be short, but it was just too short for my liking. The specific parts of the story were there, like the plot and climax, the problem is that just about every scene/chapter was too short to make me care. I will say that the story did have an interesting start.

There was a singular spicy scene and it started spontaneously and, in my opinion, it was too short. I'm giving it 2 🌶️ chilies out of 5 chilies🌶️.

Overall, this novella was just okay. Although we somewhat got backstory on the main characters of this novella, it was too short to make me care about the characters that were new. I'm going to give this 3 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

March 12th, 2024

I currently just listening to part 1 of the DRAMATIZED version of Fourth Wing. The dramatized version by the company "Graphic Audio" makes the story much more interesting. I actually liked what I was listening to, and I didn't feel like the story was mediocre like I did when I read the novel. There are still some plot hole issues, the main character is still a Mary Sue, and I don't think the author really understood what "enemies to lovers" meant. With all that said, the dramatized version is STILL exciting and entertaining. It's definitely worth the listen, especially if you're like me and you didn't like the novel upon your first read.

I'm giving the DRAMATIZED version 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

----

October 1st, 2023

I wanted to come back and also add that the characters were flat and one dimensional and the main character didn't <spoiler>train with her dragons not once. she had two dragons and we got no training sequences ? yeah , lmao okay.</spoiler> I could deal with her being a Mary Sue but the dragon bit that I just mentioned? Very disappointing. This was just really mediocre.

I'm giving this a 2.5 stars out of 5.

---

July 7th, 2023

I would say that I read this book because I had FOMO (fear of missing out) because almost everyone in my friend group was talking about this book and I couldn't join the conversation, I just had to sit there feeling silly and confused. So I decided to pick up this book!

That being said, I think it was okay. I'm not used to reading long fantasy books so I'm not sure if it was me or the book, but certain parts seemed to DRAGON (drag on - lmao I love puns). The audiobook was about 21 hours and I just remember listening around hour 18 wishing it was already over.

I also had an awkward time with the intimate scenes, not because I'm a prude and don't like sex or intimacy but because I'm a women who is 32 years old (as of writing this review) and the main character was about 20 and her love interest was about 23. I have no interest in reading inmate scenes about characters more than 10 years younger than me, it just felt a bit awkward.

Other than those two issues, I think the book was fine. I enjoyed certain parts more than others, like I really enjoyed the actions scenes and the scenes where "secrets" were releveled. If there wasn't much going on in the story, I was probably a bit bored.

I'm giving this a 3 stars out of 5.

💬: "Bones traced the lines in Cat’s tattoo. Every notch and curve was identical to the one he had on his upper arm. She’d memorized his cross-bones so thoroughly that a picture couldn’t have been more accurate. His emotions fired like the finale of a fireworks show."

Frost, Jeaniene. Both Feet in the Grave: A Night Huntress Novel (pp. 80-81). NYLA. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: 335

🎧Audiobook Length: 10h 06min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5/5

----

Both Feet in the Grave written by Jeaniene Frost, is an alternate perspective book based on the second book in her Night Huntress series, One Foot in the Grave. Both Feet in the Grave was more exciting than the original second book in the series, I really love Bones as a character and his thoughts and decisions are interesting to follow. I'm really excited to read the third book from his perspective (if the author ends up writing it), but for now let's discuss Both Feet in the Grave.

Cat and Bones have been separated at this point for 4 or 5 years, neither of them has contacted the other in this time span. Cat is now working as <spoiler>a special agent in a Supernatural department of a special government agency.</spoiler> By happenstance Cat and Bones end up once again crossing each other's paths.

There were so many cool actions scenes and we all know that Cat is a badass, but these alternate perspective books are definitely where Bones shines. I think both the main characters are really cool but these books tell so much of Bones' background story, it's all so interesting.

The spicy scenes were really enjoyable. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

There was a lot of action in this novel, but there was also a bit of romance. I think the action overweighs the romance, but the story is still a good one either way. I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [Hoopla Digital]

💬:N/A

📖Genres: shoujo, romance, humor, manga, graphic novels, comics

📚Page Count: 186

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

My Love Story!!, Volume 11 by Kazune Kawahara was a delight to read and it reminded me of the same kind of allure that the first few volumes of "My Love Story" has. In this volume, Takeo's, Sunakawa's, and Yamato's schools are having field trips to the same area. Takeo is having thoughts about <spoiler>taking his relationship with Yamato to the next step</spoiler> therefore he's trying to stay close to her but also keep his distance. In the next part of this manga, Yamato has secret that she plans on revealing to Takeo. What could the secret possibly be? In the last part of this manga, Sunakawa makes a new attractive friend, will Takeo get jealous?

This manga was so funny and pleasant to read. After having read volume 9 and not really liking it all that much, I wasn't excited to read volume 11 (especially because volume 9 was my lowest rated book of the series and volume 10 was my second lowest rated book in this series.) I'm so happy that I didn't give up on this manga because this volume was great.

This addition to My Love Story was exactly what the series needed, in my opinion. I'm excited to continue on with the series again after feeling slightly uninterested after having read the two volumes that came before this one. I'm giving this 5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this manga for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "“Some women, some men,” Pam said, dusting her hands together as if she were talking about some infectious pest. “They are like everyone else who has a secret life—most of them are quite pleasant, fairly harmless.” Though Pam didn’t sound too positive when she said that. “But the bad ones tend to contaminate the good.”

Harris, Charlaine. Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse Book 4) (p. 46). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, paranormal romance, shapeshifters, vampires

📚Page Count: 292

🎧Audiobook Length: 9h 59min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5

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Dead to the World is the fourth book in the Sookie Stackhouse Vampire Murder Mystery series, this series is the inspiration for the HBO show, True Blood. This addition to the series was okay, it was interesting for sure. We get introduced to new characters and new magical/mythical/supernatural entities and, of course, there's a mystery to solve. In this novel Sookie's brother goes missing and she's doing everything she can to find him. Meanwhile, Eric has completely lost his memory. Can she find her brother alive and help Eric with his memory loss?

In book four, Sookie ends up <spoiler>finally starting something romantic with Eric, though I'm not sure how I feel about it because he had amnesia and couldn't remember anything from the past. I would definitely say she took advantage of the situation by sleeping with him.</spoiler> Sookie's brother is missing and she uses Eric's as well as some other people's help to try and find him. I love the mystery aspect of these books and that's one of the main things that keeps me coming back to this series (even though I didn't like books 2 or 3.)

The spicy scenes in this were okay, some were fade to black and some were on page. I'd say overall they weren't spectacular but that were alright. I'm giving this 2.5 chilies out out 5 chilies 🌶️ worth of spice.

Overall, this book was just okay. I don't think it was better than book 1 (which has been my favorite so far.) I'm going to give this 3 stars out of 5

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars

I read this for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "The breath slammed out of her lungs. Flames shot through her body, from her breast to her deepest core. The strange roaring was back in her head. Need was on her. Not some gentle emotion, not a pleasant feeling, but a raging tidal wave of hunger, of craving."

Feehan, Christine. The Awakening: The Novella That Introduced the Leopard People (Leopard series Book 1) (p. 51). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, shapeshifters

📚Page Count: 121

🎧Audiobook Length: 3h 38min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️ - 2.5/5

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The Awakening by Christine Feehan is a novella and it's the first story in her series "Leopard People". Maggie inherits a house in the jungle and if I read this correctly, she just "wakes up" or "awakens" in the jungle (I'm unsure of how she actually got there.) Maggie is on the cusps of a physical and mental evolution, and she meets a man named Brandt who's supposed to help, he also says he's her mate.

It was really evident that this was a novella with the rushed pacing. The two main characters talk for what seems like a day and after that, it seems like Maggie already trusts him. At one point Maggie mentions that she used to be asexual (or at least she thought she was asexual) but now she's having sexual cravings for Brandt and she can't explain why. Before evening knowing if she was interested Brandt kind of flashes her while he sits in the nude in her house or bungalow, he claims that she's his mate so I guess he thinks this is acceptable.

The spicy scenes were alright, it was hard to get into them because the male protagonist was so pushy with his sexual advances, the part where he surprises and flashes her with his nude body really bothered me, he didn't even know if she was truly interested at that point. I'm giving the spicy scenes two chilies 🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall this story was a bit strange and baffling. I wish the pacing was a little smoother, and it would have been nice if we saw the characters interact with each other outside of their sexual cravings. I will read the next book in the series and give this series another chance, as of now I'm giving THIS novella 2.5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️ - 2.5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "He didn’t budge. “Plenty of room, Kitten. I’ll stay here.” “Don’t call me Kitten.” My voice was sharper than romance dictated, but I was seriously aggravated. The sooner he was truly dead, the better."

Frost, Jeaniene. Happily Never After (Night Huntress) (p. 83). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: 97

🎧Audiobook Length: 02h 47min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5

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Happily Never After is book 1.5 in the Night Huntress series, it's about a human named Isabella and one of Bones' friends, a vampire named Chase. Isabella somehow was promised to be engaged to a wanna be mob boss, one that she is repulsed by and one that wants to kill her brother. Well, Chance is going to try to make sure this wedding doesn't happen, even if he has to "die" several times to ensure it.

This was okay, it was somewhat interesting so it kept my attention for the short duration of the audiobook (which was about 3 hours long.) I was disappointed to find out that this novella wasn't about Bones but just one of his former acquaintances.

There was one spicy scene and it was okay, I think it could have been more exciting so I'm going to give this scene 2.75🌶️ chilies out of 5 chilies🌶️.

Overall, this novella wasn't as good as the first novella in the series, "Reckoning" the story about Bones. I even Happily Never After has spicy in it and Reckoning doesn't, I still think Reckoning was a more exciting story. I'm going to give this 3 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: N/A

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: N/A

🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 27min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 - 4.25/5

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One Foot in the Grave (Dramatized Edition) is a graphic audio published by the company Graphic Audio and written by Jeaniene Frost, based on the second book in her Night Huntress series, One Foot in the Grave. Cat Crawfield hasn't seen Bones in about four or five years, but after she's targeted for assignation, Bones might be the only one who can help her. After having worked as <spoiler>Special Agent Crawfield</spoiler> for the last four (or five) years she definitely has acquired some new (and old) enemies. Will Bones be able to save Cat from the impending danger? Will they be able to rekindle their lost relationship?

I really enjoyed this addition to the Night Huntress graphic audio series, it was so entertaining. There was so much going on and the music, sounds, and voice actors really came together to help tell an exciting story.

The spicy scenes were okay in this. They weren't the best but they weren't terrible I'm giving the spicy scenes three chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

This was really exciting and all the elements came together to make a really nice dramatized adaption of One Foot in the Grave. I'm giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars instead.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: "There is only one way to fight, and that’s dirty. Clean, gentlemanly fighting will get you nowhere but dead, and fast. Take every cheap shot, every low blow, absolutely kick someone when they’re down, and then maybe you’ll be the one who walks away.”

Frost, Jeaniene. The Other Half of the Grave: A Night Huntress Novel (pp. 47-48). NYLA. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: 398

🎧Audiobook Length: 13h 14min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5

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The Other Half of the Grave written by Jeaniene Frost, is an alternate perspective book based on the first book in her Night Huntress series, Halfway to the Grave. The Other Half of the Grave was entertaining and just as exciting if not more exciting than it's original predecessor. In this book, Cat and Bones meet for the first time but everything is from Bones' perspective, and even though he makes some interesting decisions, I still like him as a character. I appreciate Cat and Bones' relationship that much more.

There are still outdated scenes in this book, but that's because the original was outdated and had poorly aged scenes. I think the outdated scenes were handled much better than they were in the original story. For example, there were less triggering details about these particular scenes this time around. That might be because it's from Bones' perspective, it might be because the author realized her mistake from the past and maybe she understood that rewriting these scenes was a way to make up for the outdated scenes from the past. I'm unsure, either way they're done better around this time.

The spicy scenes were enjoyable and the audiobook narrator made them even more interesting than they normally would be. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.75 out of five chilies

This was an entertaining story and I enjoyed it a bit more than reading the original from Cat's point of view. There was still an okay amount of triggering content in this story but most of that stuff was glossed over in this version. I'm giving this 4.50 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.50/5 Stars

I used an audiobook credit to buy this audiobook. I was not able to locate the audiobook on hoopla, libbyapp, or everand. (as of 3/4/2024)

💬:N/A

📖Genres: shoujo, romance, humor, manga, graphic novels, comics

📚Page Count: 192

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5

My Love Story!!, Volume 10 by Kazune Kawahara has some of the same charm that the pervious volumes had but I find the plots having to do with adults having crushes on teens makes the story fall flat and I end up feeling uncomfortable. The rest of the manga was cute and I enjoyed it.

The first part of this manga starts up where the last volume left off. The story continues with Takeo's girlfriend, Yamato, working at her summer job at a bakery. The main baker at her job has a crush on Yamato (and he also happens to be a grown man) and he begins to call Yamato by her first name, he's also been referring to her as his "muse". The baker has asked Yamato to help him in a baking competition. The second part of this manga is about a cop themed café that Yamato and her friends are hosting at their all girl's school. Takeo and his friend join to help Yamato and her friends at this cop café. The last part of the manga has to do with Takeo and Yamato potentially taking their relationship to the next step.

Overall, this addition to My Love Story was just okay. I think previous volumes have a bit more charm than the ones including adults having crushes on and trying to date teens. I'm giving this 3.5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I read this manga for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬: "It was past nine when Bones came back. His coat was lined with several knives, both steel and silver. No telling whether Delphine and Louis might have vampiric help with them, so best to have all bases covered."

Frost, Jeaniene. Reckoning: From Unbound (Night Huntress) (p. 34). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: 59

🎧Audiobook Length: 01h 50min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 3.5/5

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Reckoning is book 0.5 in the Night Huntress series, it's about Bones before he meets Cat. I wasn't sure what to expect with this novella, but the audiobook kept me interested throughout. Bones is in New Orleans and he ends up doing some work for real world historical figure Marie Laveau the herbalist, midwife, and Voodoo practitioner. There are tourist that are getting eaten by a couple of ghouls and Laveau wants the issue and the ghouls taken care of.

There's a lot of gore scenes and decapitation going on in this novella. It was action packed. I don't think it's necessary to read this novella before continuing with the series, it's just an interesting sided story about why Bones is no longer allowed in New Orleans.

There were no spicy scenes in this novella, I will not be giving a spice rating. N/A 🌶️.

Overall, this novella was action packed and it revealed a bit of information about Bones' past. It was exciting and a little gross. I'm giving this novella 3.5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 3.5/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: “Well, hey there, little lady,” he said in that fake Southern accent that made her laugh and drove her crazy all at the same time. “I haven’t seen you around these parts before.”

Weatherspoon, Rebekah. A Cowboy to Remember (Cowboys of California Book 1) (p. 306). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: romance, contemporary romance, spicy

📚Page Count: 307

🎧Audiobook Length: 10h 33min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5

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A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon is the first book in the Cowboys of California series, it's the first western I've ever read and it was very cute. Evie Buchanan is a chef who has a spot on a morning show and she has recently lost her memory from a accident at an industry party. After waking up with amnesia she's informed that there's only one person on her emergency contact list, a sexy African American cowboy named Zach, apparently from her past. Zach messed up the first chance he had with Evie, now that he has a fresh start, will he be able to convince her to fall in love?

Evie and Zach were cute together, and almost all of the side characters were really nice. I don't think this was my favorite romance story, but I did enjoy the read. I can not see myself reading this again though, because of the slow pacing in the middle of the book. It feels as if not much happens for a bit and I hate when I feel like the plot is stalling. I did like the epilogue.

The spicy scene was okay, there was only one if I remember correctly. It wasn't my favorite spicy scene and I honestly wish there were more, but I understand that the author is trying to tell an actual story that's not exactly an erotica. I'm giving the spicy scenes two point seventy-five chilies 🌶️🌶️.75 out of five chilies

Overall this romance was okay, there were cute moments, a few moments that were boring, and the one spicy scene was alright. I'm giving this 3 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 3/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: "Zaira wove her fingers into his. “It’ll happen. This is your destiny, Aden.” Her kiss was fire and love and primal possessiveness. “Your parents dreamed too small when they wanted you to become the leader of the squad."

Singh, Nalini. Shards of Hope (Psy-Changeling Book 14) (p. 481). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 484

🎧Audiobook Length: 15h 41min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.75/5

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Shards of Hope is the 14th book in the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh. Two Psy Arrow soldiers, Aden and Zaira are the main characters of this book. I love the way this starts out, it was so exciting and chilling, and because this started off so powerfully and with action I was definitely invested for the duration of the book (I also went into this without knowing the synopsis because I didn't read the book's synopsis! So, if you want to go in without knowing the synopsis too, skip the rest of this paragraph.) Both Zaira and Aden <spoiler>wake up in a dark cell, with no memory of how they got there. Neither of them are able to use their psychic abilities and they both know that if they don't fight to get out, it'll cost them their lives.</spoiler> The story goes on from there.

This book really reminded me why I kept reading The Psy/Changeling series after I read the first book in the series, Slave to Sensation. When I first read Slave to Sensation, the story gave me literal chills. This is the third book in the series to give me the chills! When I get the chills while reading, it either means that I'm scared or that I'm really excited and happy with what I'm reading. I don't want to spoil anything other than the synopsis so I'll just talk about the spicy scenes and I'll mention that so many elements from previous Psy/Changeling novels have finally come together to paint a picture that I know Singh has been planning since that first book, Slave to Sensation.

I enjoyed the spicy scenes. I think Aden and Zaira are so cute together. I'm happy the first scene basically cut to black because <spoiler>I'm not a fan of scenes where the heroine is a virgin and then she has to go through all that pain and the bleeding. Ugh.</spoiler> I did like the spicy scenes that game afterward though. I'm giving it three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

The 14th book in the Psy/Changeling series was exciting and it kept my attention for the duration of it's 15 hour + audiobook. It was exciting, surprising, emotional, and just damn good. I'm giving this book 4 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.75/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [Hoopla Digital]

💬: N/A

📖Genres: fantasy, romance, urban fantasy, paranormal, vampires

📚Page Count: N/A

🎧Audiobook Length: 09h 30min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 - 4.25/5

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Halfway to the Grave (Dramatized Edition) is a graphic audio published by the company Graphic Audio and written by Jeaniene Frost, based on the first book in her Night Huntress series, Halfway to the Grave. This was my first time listening to a production by the company Graphic Audio and I was not disappointed. Catherine Crawfield is a half-vampire and she's made it her mission to kill other vampires because one vampire in the past, destroyed her mother's life. Bones, a full fledged vampire agrees to help train Catherine and help her find her father as long as she agrees to help him take out some of his vampire enemies.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

The story itself was outdated at certain parts, but it was very exciting otherwise. There was a very outdated and poorly aged part where <spoiler>these two guys at the club try to drug Catherine to date rape her. Because she's a half-vampire, the drugs don't fully work on her so they end up triple dosing a human woman after it didn't work on Catherine. The human woman died, Bones found the perpetrators while they were assaulting the victims dead body. Further spoilers, Bones kills the perps for their crime.</spoiler> This entire scene made me uncomfortable. I see a trend with older (circa - mid 90's - late 2000's) paranormal or urban fantasy stories where the author includes copious amounts of sexual assaults'. Other than the issues with date rape and sexual assault, the graphic audio was enjoyable because the story's twist and turns were so interesting. This audio is action packed and it really has me excited to read the second installation.

The spicy scenes were good, I enjoyed them and I really liked the voice actor for Bones. He has a very attractive voice. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall, disregarding the sexual assault issues I found this graphic audio to be really riveting. If the outdated parts in the story weren't there, I would definitely have to give this the max stars, but because of the triggering content, I'm giving this 4.25 out of 5 stars instead.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.25/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: “Laughing in the intimate space between them, she rose up against him, kissed him in sweet little sips, her hands on either side of his face. Every muscle in his body tense, Vasic surrendered to the kiss, to the possession that may as well have been steel chains around his body."

Singh, Nalini. Shield of Winter (Psy-Changeling Book 13) (p. 374). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: paranormal romance, romance, urban fantasy, adult

📚Page Count: 450

🎧Audiobook Length: 15h 47min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

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Shield of Winter is the 13th book in the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh. Two Psy, Ivy Jane and Vasic, one of the central members of the Arrow Squad, are the main characters. I really enjoyed their romance story. Vasic is tasked with protecting Ivy after [SPOILER] the fall of Silence.

There's a lot of action in this novel, but there's also a good amount of romance as well. I really love the balance between the Romance and Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genres, Singh is so good at making the stakes high and interesting while also making sure to naturally make the characters fall in love. I don't want to spoil too much by going into detail about the "threat" in this book, though I will say I was hooked and didn't want to stop reading until I had finished.

The spicy scenes were so good in this. I especially liked how things were made interesting because of one of Vasic's abilities. I'm giving it four chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

I really enjoyed the 13th main book in the Psy/Changeling series. It had action, romance, good spicy scenes, and a handsome brooding MMC! I'm giving this book 4 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on the library app [HooplaDigital.com]

💬: ““It’s a sex chair,” Xeni blurted out. “A sex chair for a sex witch,” Mason joked. “Pretty much.” He walked over and examined it more closely. “May I?” he asked.

Weatherspoon, Rebekah. XENI: A Marriage of Inconvenience (Loose Ends Book 2) (p. 206). Rebekah Weatherspoon Presents. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: erotica, romance, contemporary romance, interracial romance

📚Page Count: 217

🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 13min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

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Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon is the second book in the "Loose Ends" series. Xeni's famous aunt Sable Everly passes away and leaves most of her estate to Xeni. Due to Xeni's mother and her other aunts having a decades-old feud with their sister Sable, Xeni has a limited amount of time to clean out her aunt Sable's house alone. That is until she finds out that to claim her inheritance she has to marry her Aunt Sable's young friend and protégée. Well, now Xeni and her new husband Mason can clean out Sable's estate together. They're being trying to make the best of the situation, maybe that includes falling in love.

This was a really cute romance and I enjoyed the read. Both Xeni and Mason seem very attractive. I think the narrator did an okay job on the audiobook. I didn't have very many issues with this book and even though I liked it, it's not my favorite romance. I would recommend this book to a friend though.

*SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT*

The issue I had with the book was with the miscommunication trope at the end. The two separated for a while before Finally getting back together and that was a bit frustrating to me, though I understand they both wanted to work on their separate lives and issues for a bit.

*SPOILERS OVER*

I loved the spicy scenes! There's even a pegging scene in here and that was enjoyable. I like that the couple used condoms until they had been together for a while. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall this romance was sickeningly cute. I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬: “You can try to fight it with all your might, but unless you're some all-powerful being and forgot to tell us, you can't stop every bad thing from happening. You're doing your best, and everyone loves you for it. That's all you can ask yourself for."

Cole, Alyssa. Radio Silence (Off the Grid Book 1) (p. ?). Carina Press. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: romance, contemporary romance, interracial romance, dystopian, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic

📚Page Count: 308

🎧Audiobook Length: 07h 34min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5

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Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole is a dystopian romance and it was surprisingly good. For some reason I didn't think dystopian and romance genres went together (I guess I wasn't paying attention while reading The Hunger Games.) I thought this was cute and some what action packed, the story kept my attention for the duration of the book.

Arden, a Black woman, and John, a Korean man, were roommates in college when suddenly all the power went out, technology stopped working, and water stopped running (no one seems to know why). John comes up with the idea to walk the 100 miles from the college to his family's home with Arden, but on the way they come upon some trouble. It's John's brother, Gabriel, who helps Arden and John out of a dangerous situation. Now Arden, John, Gabriel, and Maggie (John and Gabe's teen sister) are tasked with surviving the apocalypse. Gabriel is stubborn, mean, and treats Arden like she doesn't know anything. How long can they last going at each other's throats? Or will they eventually notice each other's softer side?

I think some of the decisions the character's made were really not well thought out. One example is at the beginning of the book, John and Arden make some questionable decisions and that ends up with them being in danger. Later on in the story, Maggie makes a really silly decision and that ends up putting the entire family at risk to being harmed in the apocalypse. In dystopian and apocalyptic stories, I expect the characters to try harder to live.

The spicy scenes were enjoyable and I liked that condoms were used, because that's what makes sense in an apocalypse. I'm giving the spicy scenes three point five chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of five chilies

Overall this dystopian romance was cute. I'm giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - 4.5/5

💬: “She had to wonder when she would be able to look at his well-toned form and his sprawling tattoos, and not want to start drooling."

Weatherspoon, Rebekah. RAFE: A Buff Male Nanny (Loose Ends Book 1) (p. 212). Rebekah Weatherspoon Presents. Kindle Edition.

📖Genres: erotica, romance, contemporary romance, interracial romance

📚Page Count: 258

🎧Audiobook Length: 06h 16min

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 - 3.75/5

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Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon is the first book in the "Loose Ends" series. This book is about Dr. Sloan Copeland, M.D who is a single mother to two twin daughters, Avery and Addison. Dr. Copeland needs to find a new babysitter and she gets a recommendation about a male Nanny named Rafe. Well, his references are good and he has the experience so he might be the right person for the job, it also helps that he's very handsome and fit. Will Dr. Copeland and Rafe keep things strictly professional, or will they pursue each other due to mutual attraction?

This romance/erotica felt cozy and wholesome for the most part, it's advertised as low angst and I definitely agree with that assertion. Although the story was cute, it wasn't one of my favorite romance stories but I'm glad I read it, though this isn't a book I could see myself reading again. I did however like the little surprise in the epilogue. I'm a 30 year old non-binary women who is child free by choice, so it's possible that's the reason this story didn't resonate with me.

The spicy scenes were nice, I appreciate that the couple used condoms until they've been dating for a while. I'm giving the spicy scenes three chilies 🌶️🌶️🌶️ out of five chilies

Overall this romance/erotica was cute. I'm giving this 3.75 out of 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 - 3.75/5 Stars

I listened to this for free on [Hoopladigital.com]

💬:N/A

📖Genres: shoujo, romance, humor, manga, graphic novels, comics

📚Page Count: 192

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5

TW - <spoiler>adults having crushes on teens, stalking</spoiler>

My Love Story!!, Volume 8 by Kazune Kawahara is mostly lighthearted like the other volumes in the series. There were definitely some laugh out loud moments, but I didn't like this as much as I liked the other volumes. I tend to not love the volumes with the character Ai in them, because the author likes to focus on that the fact that she, as a college adult student, has a crush on the main character, high schooler Takeo.

In the first part of this manga, Takeo meets Yamato's family, finally! The second part of the manga is about Ai being followed home for the summer by her college peer, Oda. (I get creepy vibes from Oda, it feels like he's stalking Ai. He definitely won't take no for answer either.)

The third part was about Takeo and Yamato getting summer jobs.

Overall, this manga was okay. It wasn't my favorite, I'm giving this 3.5 stars out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I read this manga for free on [Libbyapp.com]

💬:N/A

📖Genres: fiction, fantasy, young adult, LGBT, queer

📚Page Count: 474

🎧Audiobook Length: N/A

👩🏾‍🏫My Rating: DNF

TW - <spoiler>Abandonment, Gun violence, Death, Cursing, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Blood, and Grief</spoiler>

Thank you so much to NETGALLEY and the PUBLISHER for my arc (advanced reader's copy) of this book.

This story is about Venus, a Witcher (a person who controls a type of magic) and her family of Witchers. Venus is a powerful brewer and her and her mother sell illegal potions to people for money. At around 25% of the way through the book someone <spoiler>kills Venus' mother.</spoiler> Eventually Venus is offered a chance at revenge, will she take it?

The pacing in this book felt slow and I had a hard time caring about the characters. The side characters all seemed one dimensional but I'm putting this novel on hold until the audiobook releases, so I can't be for sure. The world building felt very heavy but not in a good way.

The world building was interesting but the way it was delivered felt really clunky. At the beginning of each chapter there was exposition in the form of a newspaper article, an email, or some other source. On top of that at the beginning of every chapter, there was exposition littered throughout the conversations and through the narrator's comments. The information overload became too much.

What I read of this book was just okay, I'm going to DNF for now and then finish it once the audiobook is released.

DNF until later date.