https://www.romancebookworms.com still has the list up and some books are still $0.00!
The list is long but worth scrolling through to find some new reads and some for free still.

When my current read gives me such a good quote featuring two of my favorite books, I need to gush about it.

Please know that this book is so good I've scared myself a few times already reading this at night!

Oooh the cliffhanger ending left me with more questions and I'm impatient for volume 3.

The art is still beautiful and the storyline had a slow progress which I think is what's stopping me from falling in love with it the way I want to. It's a slow story arc that's being told between the cuteness of En and Ichii's blossoming romance.

I really enjoyed the art style on this one. It's beautiful to look at and compliments the story as it follows newly turned vampire En as he struggles with his new life.

Lucky for him he has tall, dark,and grumpy Ichii who is his guardian to help him navigate this new world and hunger 😉😊

I realized I never posted this for vol. 1 when I read it... hehe my bad ?

The opening, though, hooked me. The tense mystery surrounding the unknown narrator, as she starts with telling the reader, "it was the end of a late night in Brooklyn" leading into a past memory, a brief moment that seems like nothing but is a snippet of a larger picture.

Told across multiple POVs and across days, this volume just grazes the beginning of what's to come.

4.0

It took me a few pages to realize what happened and then I had questions which honestly led to more questions as I kept reading.

Walter is still in the center of everything but there's a melancholy in this volume that adds on to the tension as the group is sill together but oddly enough not the same from volume one.

One can only hope that there's another volume that'll help me find the answers.

This was so worth waiting for it again at the library!

It's a great, fun read full of interesting characters from human to spectors, interesting places and a great storyline that kept me at the edge of my seat.

I absolutely loved that the book is written from Lucy's perspective. It was unexpected for me and I love that the author, from the first paragraph, gave me something unexpected.

#pantone2023 @Clwojick
This collection of short stories took me longer to read in part because after reading the opening short story, I didn't like any of the other short stories and had a hard time getting into them.
Not sure if it was the setup of the short story but I felt disconnected from them and couldn't find anything of interest after the first one so maybe this wasn't a good intro for me to the author but I'm thinking to borrow another.

@Clwojick #pantone2023
Ok so this was way more adorable than I could have imagined from reading the blurb.

My first Emma Lord so I had no clue what I was going to get aside from a cute college room com-esque story so much to my surprise that I got in addition, some great characters, witty and smart dialogue, a few life lessons thrown in that kept me going once I got past the slow start. A solid and fun read!

#pantone2023 @Clwojick #summersong

I've lost count of how many times I've read this because I've been rereading this since before I started keeping track but the dynamic between Min and Cal always get me. They have this great back n forth dynamic, each having their moments together, some highlighting their flaws and others in acceptance as they keep coming together time and time again and I can't help but fall for it every time.

This title isn't in the system but 'The Orc from the Office' was a cute and solid monster romance read.
It's instalust with a great sense of humor and a touch of the mating trope.

I wasn't crazy in love with the female MC but Khent... I loved him. He's such a sweet, adorkable, hot, socially awkward, and muscular Orc that looks like murder but is really a cinnamon bun with a heart of gold.... I want him.

All in all this was cute!
I do wish there was a little bit more in either pages or maybe just backstory to have helped really let the instalust do it's thing and make it a bit more believable for me.
The funniest thing that I remember about this book is the author's choice to mention DJ Khaled at what was such an awkward moment that I had to pause and ask myself, "what did I just read? Why? Why right here?"
#pantone2023 @Clwojick

#pantone2023 #23in2023

This was an mixed bag of emotions for me.
MacLaughlin writes these from the pov of the female characters based on Ovid's Metamorphosis and gives them voices where some women had none, expands on the the few that did, and fleshes out the characterizations of them all.

Each story is vibrant in it's own way, each with a different tone and voice but there were some that I just struggled to get through.

@Clwojick #pantone2023 #taylorswift2023readingchallenge

This was an interesting take on a fairytale retelling and it was different enough to keep me reading along.

A solid read that had a bit of a slow start as I did find that it started a bit slow but once I got going I was all in!

The only reason I didn't rate this higher is that it feels a bit meh in the beginning, good in the middle and abrupt ending that left me meh.

This one picks up sometime after the last one and Josie is way over her head in a new place with her family, trying to keep her profession a secret, finding jobs, and trying to please her dear ol' mother in law before she spills the tea but a unknown surprise is going to change everything.
Story wise, it felt like a good continuation of the last volume and showcases where Josie's at and a bit of the aftermath of her job and the secrets she keeps.

I'm not going to lie, I was suckered in by the cover which got me to read the blurb and this was an interesting read!
The concept of a lady serial killer isn't new but the way the story presented Josie was, at least to me.

Maybe it's the combination of the quintessential 50's looking housewife disguised as a ruthless killer that's got me intrigued in between the panels of kills, blood, and action but it works!
@Clwojick #pantone2023

@Clwojick #pantone2023 #taylorswift2023readingchallenge

A pretty informative book if you happen to own the select plants within the book.

I was hoping it was more of a general guide-to for a wider variety or general info for plant care but for for all the listed plants, I own 2 plants, I now have more hindsight as to how to take care of them so all in all not bad.

@Clwojick #pantone2023

Reading the blurbs, all I got was Eurovision playing in my head because that I know and love but you this book was a great surprise and I loved it. The story starts out heavy in the comedy but then Valente comes in with the world building, the backstory of the characters are eventually revealed and the characterizations come to a good full circle. Miller was instrumental for how much I ended up enjoying this audiobook.

@Clwojick #pantone2023

I was hoping to love this manga from the Beast's POV but I'm saddened to say it felt short.

It's adapting the latest Disney film version, which I was meh about, and then condensing it further so you get some key moments but it's just missing a lot of story to be able to really tell the story effectively and especially from his perspective.

I came to read this after having seen the movie adaptation.

There's a weird tentativeness about it and the overall story had moments where I just was left floundering, and had some time trying to connect with the characters but I found the pacing to be wonky as sometimes it felt non-linear and other times like moments or dialogue were cut out but even then I read it and still enjoyed the overall book.

Late post as I realized I didn't review this when I read it 🤣

What a tense and detailed listen of the variety of incidents and crimes that happen in the open seas! This was worth my wait at the library again for it!

This nonfiction book provided so many different stories, from human trafficking to animal cruelty, each one showcasing the authors dedication to detail, investigative journalism, and chase of adventure.

@Clwojick #pantone2023

There's something so personal about writing letters. Knowing that maybe they'll be kept by the receiver to remember the sender by and this compilation has a little bit of different types of love; romantic, sensual, platonic, familial, practical, one-sided, to name a few.

I do like that before each letter was a bit of background on who the writer and receiver.

@Clwojick #pantone2023
This series! I absolutely love this series.
Liu and Takeda have created a very intricate and vast web of different arcs that involve such a wide cast of characters, plots, treasons, reasons, and emotions that create some amazing moments in the series and I am living for it!
The amount of reveals that I got in this volume was just amazing as is the continuing world building that Liu is working on as we're at the Dusk Court!

@Andrew65 I'm calling it here for #20in4!
And I'm pretty proud of what I managed in between work, cleaning, laundry and running errands since Friday.
Better than I thought I finished 2 reads, more than halfway through on another and I I caught up with some fanfiction so all in all, much better than I thought.

I love when one books ticks off so many reading challenges!
This book was highly detailed, well written and the alternate chapters between mother and daughter really sets the pace to see the similarities between both women even when they didn't have each other at their sides.
Kudos to Gordon for writing a fantastic memoir to both women, highlighting their lives and work and how we almost lost them to history.

@Clwojick #pantone2023 #23in2023

I completed my first book bingo last year and just caught it!
Beyondthedustjacket over on Tumblr had this book bingo going on last year that I decided to join
This reminds me I have books to review and rate 🤣

Overall the story had some great potential but what bothered me, and right from the beginning, is that the MC has been working at the library and "adores" it but it's not until it's threatened, felt a need to do something for it!

The narrator was great. She had a great warmth about her that showed across all the characters and different tones and characterizations as she voiced the whole cast but she couldn't save it.

I've read and listened to this one and it's a favorite to reread!
This full cast version was quite honestly beautiful to listen to. Highly recommend to anyone and all.

It's easy to say that I want more of Gwendolyn Christie and this narration she did has just made me fangirl some more. It's a well done narration from the entire cast and I loved all 57 minutes of it. SO much that I wish there was more to listen to.

For years I honestly thought it was a stand alone within the same universe, years apart from The Three Musketeers, that's what I get for not reading the book blurb 🤣 thanks @SerialReader for this one!
Here are older heroes, showcased in their ages with wisdom, loyalty, and friendship, grounded in that very realism as I heard their weariness as well as their bodies failing them here and there throughout some fight scenes.

#pantone2023 @Clwojick

I should preface this with my love of werewolves. I don't know what it is exactly but I just love books with them and this was no exception!

The duo perspective between Mateo and Evie was great as I got to be in both of their shoes throughout the story and read how they fall for each other through their witty dialogue, quirky and nerdy one-liners, their heartfelt conversations, and getting to know each other for a slow burn shifter romance!

Daphne took me for some twists and turns and even now, to be honest, not sure what to think about the evolution that the MC went through. By the halfway mark, as Daphne started to let her darker thoughts get the better of her, it felt like whatever progression made was for nothing, and Daphne regressed and almost gladly, let go of the pretense of intimacy.

Maybe falling in love isn't for all and Boast explored that in this debut book.

My first Nikita Gill read on my much loved Greek Myths and it didn't disappoint!

I enjoyed all of the poems but nothing brought me such joy as reading her take on Hephaestus 💕

Koutarou, my dude, boundaries!
The boy had never heard of the word, much less its definition, because although Asako is hyper-aware and ashamed of her body odor, it drives Koutarou just batty in the "Where is that scent coming from?!? I need to KNOW!" because rather than drive him away, it entices him.

Which works out because Koutarou is a perfume genius and his run in with Asako leads them into quite a bit of a thing ??

I loved this from the minute I opened the book! The opening illustration had won me over with the depiction of varying body types and people that are so much closer to real life.

Love did a great job of highlighting body shapes and differences as the illustrations do the bulk of the talking here as we watch Julián and his Abuela in a slice of life moment that ensures his imagination.

I found this memoir to be such an eye-opener. I had no idea about her growing years or background aside from being a Latina and the voice behind Cruz in Pixar's Cars 3, which I loved, so listening to her narrate her memoir is a bit heartbreaking to hear.

I really got to know more on Cristela than I ever could have anticipated and I just want to give her the biggest hug after listening to this.

Harris wrote a very magical book that hooked me from the opening paragraph with its lush descriptions and details.

The characters were an interesting mix of views and traits that were real and fantastical within the word building of this sleepy town.

The awkwardness that Linda Šejić created in her Hades character is just precious and I love him. I mean he's been in love with a girl for two centuries and has had made no moves or intentions towards said girl whereas said girl has been crushing on him back and has no idea of his name or who he is, much less that he's Hades so it's beautiful, and realistic, and they're just precious.

It was well written and beautifully inspired by Jane Austen.

Jenner has a beautiful way of writing that depicted different characterizations that reminded me, in some instances of Austen's work, but not to copy or be in comparison of, but just like a nod to them, while creating great depth and characterization to each one that I just couldn't help but find loveable - Except for Jack.

Well done in terms of the back and forth between present and past as well as the character perspectives that shaped how the story unfolded. Foley kept me on my toes trying to guess who it was so the reveal was very well done and I liked that it was presented further in the story, right towards the end.

I absolutely loved reading this one the first time that I went out of my way to go get my own copy.

Howl is just sooooo and then Sophie is just enough of her own person so be able to just deal with him that they work together. Even when they're arguing, there's this undertone of appreciation and respect for the other that I missed the first time but noticed on the re-read.

Out of the whole series, this was probably the funniest one, and that's all due to Vinnie being just Vinnie.

He's a little outrageous, funny, and such a cinnamon roll under all that muscle that I enjoyed reading him fall in love with a woman so the opposite of him, not just in age but characterization.

My second favorite book of the series, hands down!

I read this thinking I was going to get more Angelo or maybe a quick novella featuring him and his first wife, Marissa, but it was a different thing all together.

This was an odd mishmash of the Gallo family and an introduction to their cousins and that side of the family.
This one felt like a throwaway to me. It introduced another branch of the Gallo family that I'm not gravitating towards, so I might look for more of Bliss' work at my library.

finally got around to reading this one! It only too me forever to get to it but that's on me and not the author. I needed to be in the mood for a quick, insta-love kind of book and I was finally in the mood.
Never having read anything by Bliss, I wasn't sure what to expect but the book sounded like a quick read with a damsel in distress trope, sprinkled in with a cinnamon roll of a man that could kill and some flirting and I was sold.

It's been a long time and a lot has happened, all not great so I took the time needed away to get a handle on it and reading was my escape so fair warning I have a lot of books to review and very little pics taken so that's what I'll be doing.

Sorry that I was away for as long as I was but sometimes it's needed. I've missed this community so much 💕

I was super psyched to realize that this was Angelo's book - It was his time to lead one.

I fell in love with Angelo back in book one, Maneuver, and watched him on the sidelines come across as this stoic, quiet guy, which he is, this man has layers! Layers!

Angelo is by far my favorite Gallo, and I am a tad jealous of Tilly. That's a problem since she's fictional, and he's fictional, but there it is.

Chelle Bliss, I can feel, is gonna be one of those authors I can go to when I'm looking for a quick-paced romance.

Not a big fan of the mafia family trope, but this was a solid read with the opposites attract trope added in.

I came into this book because I loved Stjepan's other comics like Sunstone and Death Vigil so I knew what I could have expected in this volume, and he didn't disappoint but what I wasn't ready for was the cameo appearance which was such a fun surprise.
...
#pantone2022 #popsugarreadingchallenge #ReadHarder

⭐⭐⭐⭐
It starts at the end - a tragic end that the writer unravels in reverse for us to read as Kurniawan sets the story of two families, interlocked onto each other that we only understand the further into the book we follow and by then we're back at the ending.

This was such a different book from what I usually read that I couldn't help but be drawn in.

So it's been a while since I posted anything, and that was me taking time away to handle some things and mourn. A lot has happened, and it's been slow going for months, but I'm getting there.

And I have a lot to post and some books to review, and I will but slowly. So coming to the end of March, and this is where I'm at...
February wasn't a great reading month, and March was better, so hopefully, April will pick up.

This volume collects all five single issues, but it feels like there's essential buildup missing. I can't help but feel that from issue 1's, this might be a haunted house idea, to issue 4 in which the house isn't haunted as the MC, finds out since she's not just sharing the space with this entity but maybe dating him? It? Them?

I liked where it was going, but I do feel that a few more issues to create buildup and tension would have helped.