Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2024

I feel like this month dragged and went by too fast at the same time 😅 I got quite a bit of reading done though! Lol. I ended up reading 7 books, which is about 2447 pages. That's only like 47 more pages than last month. Lol.

• All 7 were part of a series
• I started 1 series, but finished it as well
• 5 were finished copies and 2 were ARCs
• 5 were physical books and 2 ebooks
• 1 was a 5-star read, 5 were 4-star reads, and 1 3-star
• 5 were traditionally published and 2 were indie published
• All 7 were by authors I've previously read
• 2 were adult books, 4 YA, and 1 middle grade
• 1 was sci-fi, 2 were high fantasy, 3 horror, and 1 urban fantasy

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #366: ALL the Houses, Apparently

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #399: There's Nothing Like Retail Therapy

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Finish the Series #31: I Have a Plan...

Another month and, surprisingly, another series done!

Review: Krimson Flare (Krimson Empire #4) by Julia Huni

Title: Krimson Flare

Series: Krimson Empire #4

Previous books in this series: The Trophany (#0.5) | Krimson Run (#1) | Krimson Spark (#2) | Krimson Surge (#3) | Sashelle's Quest (#3.5)

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, adventure

Publication date: December 2023 (originally published July 2020)

Published by: IPH Media

Source: Backed on Kickstarter

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: The last piece falls into place. Will it open the door to freedom or failure?

When they crushed the Russosken, Quinn and Tony knew the Federation would come gunning for them. But they can’t hide—too many depend on them.

While Tony searches for a missing Krimson agent, Quinn must fight off pirates and rescue an old friend. Francine and her siblings struggle to salvage the remains of their new inheritance. When the Marconi family arrives looking for assistance, will they have the resources to respond?

As the Federation lines up their pawns for battle, Quinn and her team move their own pieces into place. With the help of a fresh-faced academy cadet, a famous newscaster, and, of course, Sashelle, can they bring liberty to the Federation? The final battle will test everyone to their limits and only the strong will survive.

My rating: ★★★★☆

The last book in the series.

Review: The Spy and I (My Spy #1) by Tiana Smith

Title: The Spy and I

Series: My Spy #1

Author: Tiana Smith

Genre: Adult, contemporary romance, adventure

Publication date: February 13th 2024

Published by: Berkley

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: Right place. Wrong person. After a case of mistaken identity, one woman must work with her sister’s sexy spy partner to save the world in this heart-pounding romantic comedy.

The first thing to know about Dove Barkley is that, even though she works as a cyber security analyst, she is one hundred percent not an undercover CIA operative. But when a group of bad guys mistake her for her super-spy sister (news to her!), Dove gets roped into a dangerous government mission that she’d very much rather be left out of, thank you.

Too bad Mendez, the man who claims to be her sister’s partner, says she's in too deep to back out now. He’s smart, capable, and has a body almost distracting enough to make Dove forget about the team of trained assassins after her.

Dove has information that can help prevent a national tragedy, but there’s mounting evidence that Mendez might not be who he claims. More importantly, she's running out of time to save her sister. Because the last thing Dove wants is for either of them to go out with a bang.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Computers? Sure, I could handle those. Murder, guns, and running for my life? Not so much.

I’ve been really getting into contemporary romances in recent years and I’m starting to recognize the things I like and don’t like in those types of books, but this book did things right! I liked it!

Review: Sashelle's Quest (Krimson Empire #3.5) by Julia Huni

Title: Sashelle's Quest

Series: Krimson Empire #3.5

Previous books in this series: Krimson Run (#1) | Krimson Spark (#2) | Krimson Surge (#3)

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, adventure

Publication date: September 2023

Published by: IPH Media

Source: Kickstarter reward

Add it on Goodreads

Get it HERE

Synopsis: Can one small kitten turn the tables on an invading horde of marauders?

*Originally published in the Hellcats Anthology.*

My rating: ★★★★☆

I love Sassy so I was very much looking forward to reading this novella! Excuse me, Sashelle. She hates being called Sassy. Lol.

Reviews: Sun Spot Remover (Tales of a Former Space Janitor #5) by Julia Huni

Title: Sun Spot Remover

Series: Tales of a Former Space Janitor #5

Previous books in this series: The Rings of Grissom (#1) | Planetary Spin Cycle (#2) | Waxing the Moon of Lewei (#3) | Christmas Cookie Crumbs (#3.5) | Changing the Speed of Light Bulbs (#4)

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery

Publication date: April 25th 2024

Published by: IPH Media

Source: eARC for review from author

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Author store | Amazon

Synopsis: Same space janitor. Shiny new mess.

Three years have passed since Triana and Ty's failed honeymoon to Armstrong. Finally ready to try again, they've booked into an all-inclusive resort on Moghbeli Luna Major, where the water is warm, the drink-bots are preprogrammed, and all systems are green. Or so the holo-ads claim.

When they arrive, they find murderous seabirds, failing force shields, and a hotel owner in way over her head. And wait... is that a dinosaur?

The happy couple's long delayed vacation devolves into a mad scramble to save the resort, track down the bad guys, and save the creme brûlée. And maybe ride the water slide before they head home. If they make it that far.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Another book in one of my favorite series.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #365: Dinosaurs, Demigods, Grisha, and Ghosts!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #398: A Busy Week With An Accidental Purchase

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review: Krimson Surge (Krimson Empire #3) by Julia Huni

Title: Krimson Surge

Series: Krimson Empire #3

Previous books in this series: The Trophany (#0.5) | Krimson Run (#1) | Krimson Spark (#2)

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, adventure

Publication date: November 2023 (originally published May 2020)

Published by: IPH Media

Source: Backed on Kickstarter

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: They won the battle, but victory comes with a price.

After the triumph at Lunesco, Tony spreads plans for the rebellion throughout the Federation, while Quinn helps distribute resources and weapons. But when a mysterious data card connects her to an old enemy, she must gather friends to protect her children then venture out on her own to find answers.

Avoiding Federation officers and bounty hunters is difficult, but staying one step ahead of the Russosken—the Federation’s hired thugs—requires assistance from dubious allies. Quinn helps devise a plan to loosen the death grip on the Federation’s outlying planets. But if she takes down the Russosken, what rise from the ashes?

Freedom comes at a price. The final bill might be more than Quinn is willing to pay.

My rating: ★★★★☆

One revolution down, a couple hundred more to go.

Review- Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World's Worst Diseases by Lydia Kang & Nate Pedersen

Title: Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World's Worst Diseases

Author: Lydia Kang & Nate Pedersen

Genre: Adult, nonfiction, science

Publication date: November 2021

Published by: Workman Publishing Company

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: From the masters of storytelling-meets-science and co-authors of Quackery, Patient Zero tells the long and fascinating history of disease outbreaks—how they start, how they spread, the science that lets us understand them, and how we race to destroy them before they destroy us.

Written in the authors’ lively and accessible style, chapters include page-turning medical stories about a particular disease or virus—smallpox, Bubonic plague, polio, HIV—that combine “Patient Zero” narratives, or the human stories behind outbreaks, with historical examinations of missteps, milestones, scientific theories, and more.

Learn the tragic stories of Patient Zeros throughout history, such as Mabalo Lokela, who contracted Ebola while on vacation in 1976, and the Lewis Baby on London’s Broad Street, the first to catch cholera in an 1854 outbreak that led to a major medical breakthrough. Interspersed are origin stories of a different sort—how a rye fungus in 1951 turned a small village in France into a phantasmagoric scene reminiscent of Burning Man. Plus the uneasy history of human autopsy, how the HIV virus has been with us for at least a century, and more.

My rating: ★★★★☆

For many millennia, humans blamed sickness on anything but germs. When boils, lethal amounts of diarrhea, and vomiting blood brought whole cities to their knees, responsibility was cast on comets, eclipses, earthquakes, demons, gods, or witchcraft. Powers far larger than ourselves were forever the reasons behind outbreaks of disease.

As we've learned more about infectious diseases through the years, it's no surprise that our goal has always been to understand them, to control them, and to kill them—before they kill us.

Quackery by these authors was one of my favorite books of 2023 so I was very happy when I saw that they had written another nonfiction book! While I didn’t love Patient Zero as much as Quackery, I still very much enjoyed it!

Review: Krimson Spark (Krimson Empire #2) by Julia Huni

Title: Krimson Spark

Series: Krimson Empire #2

Previous books in this series: The Trophany (#0.5) | Krimson Run (#1)

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, adventure

Publication date: November 2023 (originally published April 2020)

Published by: IPH Media

Source: Backed on Kickstarter

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: She ran, but she couldn’t hide.

When Quinn escaped the Federation, she took her kids into hiding. But a message from Tony brings her back to the stars. She owes him—and his family. And they’ve called in the favor.

Quinn agrees to risk her life to help Tony, as long as the family keeps her kids safe. She must follow the breadcrumbs to find him and hope she doesn’t leave behind a trail for the Feds.

Because the Federation doesn’t forget when a death row inmate escapes. And they never forgive.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Another fun sci-fi read from Julia Huni.

Review: With a Little Luck (Fortuna Beach #2) by Marissa Meyer

Title: With a Little Luck

Series: Fortuna Beach #2

Previous book in this series: Instant Karma

Author: Marissa Meyer

Illustrator: Chuck Gonzales

Genre: YA, contemporary romance

Publication date: February 13th 2024

Published by: Feiwel & Friends

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: After being magically gifted with incredible luck, a boy discovers this gift just may be a curse when it comes to love, in this YA novel by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer.

Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw his comics, host regular D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he comes across a mysterious twenty-sided dice and finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck.

Suddenly, everything Jude has ever wanted is within reach. His first art submission is accepted to his favorite fanzine. He helps his friend’s song become a finalist in a songwriting competition. And he’s the 100th caller to a local radio contest, winning him a pair of coveted concert tickets, which he uses to ask out the popular girl he’s been crushing on since elementary school. For a few blissful weeks, he feels invincible.

But when he loses the magic dice at a local music festival, his luck takes a turn for the worse. He struggles to reclaim his good fortune while fighting off long-buried feelings for his best friend―who is definitely not the girl he’s supposed to be in love with. Can Jude risk stepping into the spotlight long enough to win the true girl of his dreams? Or is he doomed to be unlucky in love forever?

My rating: ★★★★★

"These lucky coincidences seem to be happening to you a lot lately," Pru mutters. She studies me a long moment, then gets an odd, faraway look in her eye. She turns away, sighing, "Enjoy it while it lasts.”

Pru knowwws! 😂 After all she went through and Instant Karma, Pru gets it. Lol. I loved Instant Karma, so I was really looking forward to reading this book, and it was as good as I was expecting!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #364: A Little Bit of Everything

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #397: Finding Rare Books

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review: Krimson Run (Krimson Empire #1) by Julia Huni

Title: Krimson Run

Series: Krimson Empire #1

Prequel novella: The Trophany

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, adventure

Publication date: October 2023 (originally published March 2020)

Published by: IPH Media

Source: Backed on Kickstarter

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: The Federation made three mistakes:

Leaving Quinn to die
Framing Quinn for treason
Taking Quinn's kids

She could get over the first two.

With her friend Tony, a man of surprising connections and mysterious family, Quinn rescues herself and the other "inconvenient" spouses left to die on the abandoned asteroid outpost. When Quinn launches her campaign to retrieve her kids, the Federation will realize taking children from their mother is the biggest mistake of all. Because Quinn will do whatever it takes to get them back—even start a revolution.

My rating: ★★★★☆

It’s been three weeks since the event of The Trophany (the prequel novella) went down, and now Quinn has been convicted of aiding and abetting a Krimson Spy and is currently waiting in jail to be executed.

Review: Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura

Title: Raiders of the Lost Heart

Author: Jo Segura

Genre: Adult, contemporary romance

Publication date: December 2023

Published by: Berkley

Source: Borrwed from library (thank god!)

Add it on Goodreads (I don't actually recommend you do though 👀)

Buy it (but don't actually 🙃): Amazon | B&N | Book Outlet | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Rival archaeologists must team up on a secret Aztec expedition, or it could leave their careers—and hearts—in ruins.

Archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has a bone to pick. Literally.

It’s been Corrie’s life goal to lead an expedition deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire. But when she is invited to join an all-expenses-paid dig to do just that, Corrie is sure it’s too good to be true...and she’s right.

As the world-renowned expert on Chimalli, by rights Corrie should be leading the expedition, not sharing the glory with her disgustingly handsome nemesis. But Dr. Ford Matthews has been finding new ways to best her since they were in grad school. Ford certainly isn’t thrilled either—with his life in shambles, the last thing he needs is a reminder of their rocky past.

But as the dig begins, it becomes clear they’ll need to work together when they realize a thief is lurking around their campsite, forcing the pair to keep their discoveries—and lingering attraction—under wraps. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and the lies between them closing in, there’s only one way this all ends—explosively.

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

Whoever keeps comparing this book to the movie The Mummy, please stop slandering that beloved movie in that way because this was nothing like that! 😭

Cherry Blossom Book Tag

This tag was created by Jane at All She Wrote, and it looked like fun so I wanted to give it a try (I also borrowed the banners below from Jane)! I hope I'm not too late 😅 But according to the cherry blossom season in ACNH, I'm still within the time frame, but just barely 😆

Oooh 😍 this is making me want to play Animal Crossing... I haven't touched it in a while because all I've been playing lately is The Sims 4 😂 But I digress! Lol.

Review: From Below by Darcy Coates

Title: From Below

Author: Darcy Coates

Genre: Adult, horror

Publication date: June 2022

Published by: Black Owl Books

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: No light. No air. No escape.
Hundreds of feet beneath the ocean's surface, a graveyard waits...

Years ago, the SS Arcadia vanished without a trace during a routine voyage. Though a strange, garbled emergency message was broadcast, neither the ship nor any of its crew could be found. Sixty years later, its wreck has finally been discovered more than three hundred miles from its intended course... a silent graveyard deep beneath the ocean's surface, eagerly waiting for the first sign of life.

Cove and her dive team have been granted permission to explore the Arcadia's rusting hull. Their purpose is straightforward: examine the wreck, film everything, and, if possible, uncover how and why the supposedly unsinkable ship vanished.

But the Arcadia has not yet had its fill of death, and something dark and hungry watches from below. With limited oxygen and the ship slowly closing in around them, Cove and her team will have to fight their way free of the unspeakable horror now desperate to claim them.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

A documentary crew are the first people permitted to explore the wreckage of the SS Arcadia after it was recently discovered. The ship disappeared more than 90 years ago without a trace and no one ever knew what actually happened. Well, Cove and her crew certainly find out the hard way what happened 🙃

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #363: Back on Fear Street

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #396: Where did the week go?

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

2024 Quarter Year Crisis Book Tag

It's that time of year for the Quarter Year Crisis 😆 I love the Mid-Year Freak Out Tag so I was very excited when I found this tag last year! It was created by Rosin’s Reading.

Review: The Trophany (Krimson Empire #0.5) by Julia Huni

Title: The Trophany

Series: Krimson Empire #0.5

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi

Publication date: July 2023

Published by: Julia Huni

Source: Kickstarter reward

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis: When gaggle of military spouses gets abandoned on a defunct asteroid base, can Quinn Templeton rescue herself and the others before the Krimson Empire attacks?

This story was first published in The Expanding Universe 5.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Quinn and a bunch of other military spouses are suddenly left stranded on an asteroid base just as they find out that the Krimson Empire is set to attack.

Review: Avalon by Mindee Arnett

Title: Avalon

Series: Avalon #1

Prequel novella: Proxy

Author: Mindee Arnett

Genre: YA, sci-fi

Publication date: January 2014

Published by: Balzer & Bray

Source: Paperback ARC for review from publisher

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Of the various star systems that make up the Confederation, most lie thousands of light-years from First Earth-and out here, no one is free. The agencies that govern the Confederation are as corrupt as the crime bosses who patrol it, and power is held by anyone with enough greed and ruthlessness to claim it. That power is derived from one thing: metatech, the devices that allow people to travel great distances faster than the speed of light.

Jeth Seagrave and his crew of teenage mercenaries have survived in this world by stealing unsecured metatech, and they're damn good at it. Jeth doesn't care about the politics or the law; all he cares about is earning enough money to buy back his parents' ship, Avalon, from his crime-boss employer and getting himself and his sister, Lizzie, the heck out of Dodge. But when Jeth finds himself in possession of information that both the crime bosses and the government are willing to kill for, he is going to have to ask himself how far he'll go to get the freedom he's wanted for so long.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I first read this book about ten years ago and I remember absolutely loving it! I re-read it recently because after all of these years, I still had not finished reading the duology and my recollection of this book was pretty nonexistent 😅

Review: The Wizard's Mark by Janette Rallison

Title: The Wizard's Mark

Author: Janette Rallison

Genre: Adult, high fantasy

Publication date: March 15th 2024

Published by: Janette Rallison

Source: Ebook for review from author

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis: He was her first love. Now he’s her deadliest adversary.

By day, Marcella pretends to be a highborn lady, but at night, she’s a thief for the renegades, a group whose goal is to help servants escape their noble masters.

That isn’t her most dangerous secret. In a land where only men are wizards, she’s able to wield magic.

Marcella grew up as a serving girl in the castle where young wizards train. Falling in love with Ronan, the most promising apprentice, was a bad idea from the beginning. He’d made it clear he never planned on a future with her. It would’ve stood in the way of his ambitions.

Now the renegades want Marcella to go to the king’s court where an assassination might prevent a war, but then she’ll be back in Ronan’s path. This time as enemies.

He's dangerous. He knows her secrets. Despite the sparks that always fly between them, he could easily destroy the mission and her.

And yet she might still be in love with him anyway.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I have been really into high fantasy lately, so when I found out that Janette Rallison wrote one I knew I needed to read it immediately. And I ended up really enjoying it! But that’s unsurprising because I tend to love everything that Janette Rallison writes.

Monthly Wrap-Up: March 2024

I hope you guys are having a good Spring so far! In March I read 6 books, one of them a re-read, for a total of 2400 pages (about 350 pages more than the previous month)!

• 4 were part of a series and 2 were standalones
• 5 were finished copies and 1 was an ARC
• 5 were physical books and 1 ebook
• 2 were 5-star reads and 4 were 4-star reads
• 5 were traditionally published and 1 was indie published
• 5 were by authors I've previously read and 1 by a new-to-me author
• 3 were adult books, 2 YA, and 1 middle grade
• 5 were fiction and 1 nonfiction
• 1 was high fantasy, 2 contemporary romance, 2 urban fantasy, and 1 medical science

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #362: This Makes Me Happy

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.