Blog Tour Book Review: Bayou Baby by Lexi Blake

Author: Lexi Blake
Series: Butterfly Bayou #2
Audience:  +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: August 25th 2020
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Social Butterfly PR

Blurb (from Goodreads):

A heartwarming contemporary romance set in Louisiana's Butterfly Bayou from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.

Seraphina Guidry loves Butterfly Bayou. A young, single mom, she’s trying to find a place for herself in the town she cherishes, but past mistakes have made her wary. She adores her son but has sworn off men. She's dedicated herself to restoring an historic house and building her own business. A quiet life is all she wants.

Harrison Jefferys never expected to find himself in small-town Louisiana, but he has a job to do and a family to reconnect with. After years in the Army, he’s happy to spend time with his Aunt Celeste and his cousins in such an idyllic spot. When he meets Seraphina, he starts to think Papillion might be a great place to call home. But a secret from Sera’s past rears its head and threatens to tear the community apart.


Caught between the woman he’s coming to love and the only family he has left, Harry knows he has to follow his heart and with the help of the crazy, loving, meddling locals find a way to keep them both.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

We're back in Papillon, baby! I've been so excited for a new book in the Butterfly Bayou series, and I'm very happy to end my summer reading with this book. It's one of the most heartwarming books I've read lately. Yes, I did cry, because this is a Lexi Blake book. Are you really shocked by that? No? Okay then. Really though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Let me tell you all about it!

Audiobook Review: The Kissing Contract by Amy Andrews

Author: Amy Andrews
Series: N/A
Narrator: Shirl Rae
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
Length: 9 hours and 25 minutes
Release Date: December 10th 2019 (first published April 8th 2019)
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Spotify, Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Marshall Dyson wants one thing and one thing only: to raze his grandfather’s island to the ground. Everything is ready to go––except for the freakin’ bunnies! Hundreds of the furry critters hopping about and multiplying before his eyes. And then there’s the American Bunny League, along with one distractingly beautiful veterinarian, taking him to court to save them...

Dr. Augusta “Gus” North can’t believe the grumpy–and annoyingly hot–builder she’s facing in court cares more about demo-ing some cabin than the lives of 200 bunnies. But when the judge orders Marshall to stay on the island and help her rehome the rabbits – the entire month – she knows they’re going to need to lay some ground rules.

Like, for example, absolutely no kissing. Might as well go ahead and get that in writing. Sure it’s on a napkin, but that still counts.

How hard could it be to keep their hands off each other amidst all the fighting? Surprisingly, harder than wrangling 200 bunnies...

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As such my review may reference content intended for an adult audience

In my quest to read as many ARCs as possible during this year's edition of ARC August I decided to check and see if I could find any of them as audiobooks, because why not multitask while working? Thankfully one such book was The Kissing Contract. I knew I was going to enjoy it, because it's an Amy Andrews book, but I didn't quite expect the story to be this cute. I remember when I saw it on NetGalley and I knew I wanted to read it, because it was Amy Andrews, and even then I did not look at the blurb. Unfortunately, I'm a mood reader, so sometimes that means I don't read certain stories right away. Thankfully I was in the mood to read it now, and guys, I am very happy I did. Let me tell you all about it!

Comic Book Tuesday: Asterix Omnibus #2 by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo

Author: René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo (Illustrations)
Series: Astérix le Gaulois
Audience: +7
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Papercutz
Release Date: July 14th 2020
My Rating: 3.5 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Asterix mixes it up with everyone from Julius Caesar to Cleopatra in this outstanding Omnibus!

After conquering Europe, where this feisty, little warrior is a true pop culture super-star, Asterix is invading America with another three classic adventures, newly translated into American English. Asterix conquered Europe ironically by keeping his tiny village in Gaul from being conquered by the Roman Empire. Turns out, Asterix and his fellow villagers have a secret weapon, a potion that imbues them all with super strength. But the Romans aren’t about to give up no matter how many times Asterix and his friends fend them off. These classic comics are not only incredibly entertaining, filled with humor, adventure, and great characters, but the historic figures are brought to life in a way that’s exciting and humanizing, providing educational elements to each story, similar to the Geronimo Stilton graphic novels.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Papercutz and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I'm back with another comic book review and guys, this is probably my most anticipated read. Let me give you a little backstory before I begin, shall we? So child Ruby had the chance to discover comic books...erm... over 20 years ago. But she had no idea that girls read comic books, much less that it wasn't just for children. So she didn't take advantage of the chance. Because my first comic book, that I have no idea how I ended up owning, by the way, is Asterix and Cleopatra. Unfortunately I don't have it where I live now, otherwise I probably would have devoured it by now. Which brings us to today's review.

The minute I saw an Asterix comic on NetGalley, I knew I had to jump on it. I was fortunate enough to be granted my request, and here we are. Let's get started!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Should be Adapted into Netflix Shows/Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Hello my dear readers! Finally, my favorite topic. I know, I know, it's not often that book adaptations are just as amazing as the source material, but since we're on a "should be" type of post, we can dream that our favorite books will have 5-star adaptations. Let's dive right in!

Book Review: Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Author: Elizabeth Lim
Series: The Blood of Stars #1
Audience:  Young Adult
Genre: High Fantasy, Fairy tale retelling
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 9th 2019
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Netgalley

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is pitch-perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Spin The Dawn is one of the books I've been deathly afraid to read. The more of my friends were reading it and loving it, the more I was afraid of reading it. Thankfully ARC August happened and Soph @ Bookwyrming Thoughts had been lovingly and gently pestering urging me to add this book to my TBR, and since I also had the sequel, I decided this was the time. I did not expect to love this book as much as I did, and if you take nothing else from my review, know that I am very tempted to double my rating into a 10-cups rating, which I've never done. EVER. In 10 years of blogging. So there you have it. Let's get to it, shall we?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved but Never Reviewed

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Hello my dear readers! We've all done it. We've all read book we loved but never reviewed them on our blogs. I'm guilty of this. There's no real reason why some books end up reviewed on my blog while others don't. It's usually a matter of time. If I read a book just to read it, I usually move on to the next book and then the next, and by the time I remember to review certain books, I end up not remembering the finer details of the first book enough to write a proper review. It doesn't mean I completely forget about it, it just means I don't have enough material to write more than "omg I loved this". Let's start with the post though.

Comic Book Tuesday: Blackbird by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel, Triona Farrell

Author: Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel (Artist), Triona Farrell (Colourist)
Series: Blackbird #1-6
Audience: +16
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: May 14th 2019
My Rating: 3 Cups
Source: Image Comics
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Nina Rodriguez knows a hidden magical world run by ruthless cabals is hiding in Los Angeles. When a giant magic beast kidnaps her sister, Nina must confront her past (and her demons) to get her sister back and reclaim her life. Don't miss the first collection of the smash-hit neo-noir fantasy series from fan-favorite writer SAM HUMPHRIES (Harley Quinn, Nightwing) and red-hot artist JEN BARTEL (Mighty Thor)!

Collects BLACKBIRD #1-6

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Image Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Trigger warning: substance abuse

Aside from books, I've collected some comic book ARCs over the last few months and I thought that it's finally time to read them. First up is this really interesting story by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel, and Triona Farrell. Let's dive right into it.

Book Review: Chasing Bliss by Lexi Blake

Author: Lexi Blake
Series: Nights in Bliss, Colorado #7
Audience:  +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Release Date: April 23rd 2019 (first published August 10th 2012)
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Social Butterfly PR

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Re-released in a second edition with new content.

Gemma Wells came to Bliss, Colorado, after a scandal cost her everything. Utterly lost, the disgraced attorney built walls so high that she thinks no one can get through them. She’s given up on love, friendship, and all matters of the heart.

Jesse McCann and Cade Sinclair have floated through life, enjoying the world around them, but never allowing themselves to become a part of it. One look at the pretty attorney and Jesse realizes he’s finally found a reason to stay put. Cade isn’t so sure. He’s crazy about her, but he also knows he doesn’t deserve her.

As they begin to find their way together, a dark secret from Gemma’s past threatens to wreck their futures. Her ex-fiancé is back, bringing danger with him, and their time is running out. Jesse and Cade have to melt this Ice Queen’s heart, or she might not leave Bliss alive.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

I finally got to read Gemma's story, guys!! I'm so happy! I truly feel like my month is complete, and this is not me exaggerating. I come back to the world of Bliss, Colorado with a giant smile on my face each and every time, and with each book I finish, my smile gets bigger. This series has become sort of like my "reset" series: whenever I need to read something I know I'll love, I go to Bliss. Gemma's story is no different. Let me tell you all about it!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Colors In the Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Hello my dear readers! Today's prompt is very interesting. It also erm...proved to be very difficult. Because you wouldn't believe how much I had to scroll through my read shelf on GR to find books with colors in the titles. I found out that way that I read so many books with "dark", "shadows", and "blood" in the title, and those should count as colors. Anyway. After much searching I found the books. So here we go!

Book Review: Sinner by Sierra Simone

Author: Sierra Simone
Series: Priest #2
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 15th 2018
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Freebie
Blurb (from Goodreads):

I’m not a good man, and I’ve never pretended to be. I don’t believe in goodness or God or any happy ending that isn’t paid for in advance.
What do I believe in? Money. Sex. Macallan 18.
They have words for men like me—playboy. Womanizer. Skirt chaser.
My brother used to be a priest, and he only has one word for me.

Sinner.

***Sinner is a standalone companion to Priest about Father Bell's brother Sean. You do not have to read Priest or Midnight Mass to read Sinner***

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from an author newsletter. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

You know those books that you read and you love, but you have to wait to write a review, because you just don't know how to put your feelings into words? This was me with Sinner. I read this book back in January, but it took me 8 months to get over my love for it to be able to form intelligent words and sentences about it. Because Sinner is more than just a taboo erotic romance, so much more.

Sunday Post #11: Welcome, August!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

Hi everyone! Happy Sunday! I'm very surprised that the month of July went by so fast. I wasn't expecting that. It's like yesterday was July 1st and now here we are on August 2nd. Wild!

Audiobook Review: A Princess In Theory by Alyssa Cole

Author: Alyssa Cole
Series: Reluctant Royals #1
Narrator: Karen Chliton
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
Release Date: April 12th 2018 (first published February 27th 2018)
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Spotify
Blurb (from Goodreads):

From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . .

Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she’s learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won’t convince her otherwise.

Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.

The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after?


Selected as one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2018!

This was my very first Alyssa Cole book, but since a ton of my bookstagram friends and book blogger friends loved it, I knew I was going to love it as well. What I didn't expect was how much I would end up loving this book. Let me tell you all about why you should read this book!