Photo credits: PublicDomainPictures (pixabay) C O M B I N E D C O M P L E T E S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R R E A D I N G Hello lovely reader. Autumn has officially garnished us with its radiant plumage and sunset-rich palette. It's also brought with it the plummeting cold, and as per usual, my chronically ill body is acclimating about as well as Bambi in the wild. I've seen many a writer boast a ring of love for the autumnal right to don warm jumpers, reset with cooler temps and cocoon warm drinks. But to paint a starker picture, I feel flawed by a stronger wave of radical lethargy, and I officially profess that I am out for the count. I'm currently on the life support of resting, resting and more resting. But with this seasonal rotation, we've also landed ourselves in the spooky season! I've never been one for horror, in fact my historical involvement in the consumption of hair-raising media has always been an effort to challenge my fear with brave bearing rather than to enjoy the frightening festivity in question. I have very fond memories of being shaken up by scary movies while my fearless sister exhibited about as much emotion as a bored bystander. But while my relationship with horror began as a mission to humour masochism, it's now more of a spooky cousin that I enjoy more often than I care to share. I can solemnly swear that I enjoy horror when i'm in my element. I can enjoy it a lot my friends, and I've watched a total of three horror-themed films this October and my sister and I have planned to watch a final come Halloween. Let's just hope that history doesn't repeat itself! On the reading front, I can't quite say that the spook has advanced between the pages. It's been a succession of dystopian fantasy and romance, and more fantasy and romance. I like to think that these respective genres are celebratory in and of themselves; magic for every season. But on an unrelated note, I just had a birthday, and the reason I share this is because I was gifted Shelby Mahurin's entire 'Serpent and Dove' series by my very lovely sisters. I was starstruck that day as they presented them to me, one by one, like thick wads of bound bounty; bounty which is currently (and consistently) exposed to longing looks and my very (non-obsessive) affectionate attention. I'm wearing in that new book honeymoon phase where I have them stacked and perched next to my bed, side-eyeing them, wondering when I'll get to read them. But let's take a moment to push all that wondering aside and get back on track to the objective at hand, and that is to leave you with my September and October reads... 1) A Dance of Lies by Rebecca Crunden - Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
The penultimate end to this series brings with it foreseeably effortless writing that opens up the potential for human/Radiant romance, adds on to Radiant world-building and probes relationships and interrelationships as a circus of thundering disagreement preludes a Halfblood’s complexion as a gatekeeper cached with half-truths. A Dance of Lies is less a plot-enhancing chapter in the Pentalogy and more an interlude as character intrigue runs the course. C O N T E N T _W A R N I N G: Mentions torture, abuse and death. Displays of violence, panic attacks, trauma and intense feelings. Profanity throughout and adult themes. Mentions and alludes to rape and miscarriage. Makes reference to cannibalism with one scene vaguely displaying flesh consumption. You can find my full review of 'A Dance of Lies' here! - 4 S T A R S to A Dance of Lies2) A Time of Prophecy by Rebecca Crunden - Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.25
It’s treacherous to resist eating this set of books up with abandon so I’d recommend eliminating the resistance altogether. Rebecca Crunden has devised a futurised world where humanity had once been forced to survive both above and below ground, all at their own hand, all of their own making. C O N T E N T W A R N I N G: Mentions executions and death. Talks about sexual assault and the rape of central characters. Death of children and sacrificing children. Disease, sickness and describes Plague victims. Violence. Panic attacks. Intent for suicide. Drinking/swearing. Anxiety, intrusive thoughts. OCD and PTSD. Mentions abortion and forced pregnancies. Mentions child abuse/child sexual abuse. Owning/enslaving humans. Underfed/malnourished bodies. - 4.25 S T A R S to A Time of Prophecy3) Hard Code by Misha Bell - Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
Fall down Misha Bell’s rom-com rabbit hole with an offbeat heroine who doesn’t believe she’s adventurous enough, has tasteful code but graceless poise, her Russian hero who may or may not be a vampire, would beg to differ about his heroine’s lack of adventurousness and rescues blushing maidens with intrusive objects in entry chambers. C O N T E N T W A R N I N G: Some swearing, one bedroom scene, general adult content and an office harassment scene. - 4 S T A R S to Hard Code4) Dirty Sexy Saint by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde - Rating ★ ★ ★ 3
Erika Wilde and Carly Phillips partner up to give us the Dirty Sexy series. Denial is a well-preferred flavour and dominance is the unadorned language of non-love behind bedroom doors for Clay. While Clay grew up with nothing, his recent hire grew up with everything but the rough-around-the-edges guy gets the cream and the gourmet cupcake in this co-authored romance. C O N T E N T W A R N I N G: Mentions drug possession, smoking, human trafficking, prostitution and child abuse/neglect. Very descriptive sex scenes and profanity. - 3 S T A R S to Dirty Sexy Saint 5) Playing Dirty by Mickey Miller - Rating ★ ★ ★ 3.5
While this book wasn’t in the realm of reverential romance and I wasn’t bewitched by a pull to pick this up when I had a new day of reading to look forward to, as mentioned, Playing Dirty was still a considerably likeable, if not a lovable romance read. Not saccharine, not impersonal, but Mickey Miller manages to deliver the sentiment, the heat and the story. C O N T E N T W A R N I N G: Swearing, violence, a few descriptive bedroom scenes. References gang violence, child abuse and domestic violence. - 3.5 S T A R S to Playing Dirty I hope you've enjoyed my September and October reads, but more than that, I truly hope you've enjoyed your own. Stay safe and well, friends. I love interacting with fellow readers and hearing about reader opinion, so if you'd like to talk books or about your own recent reads, get in touch and comment below! H A P P Y R E A D I N G --------------------------------------- M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read --------------------------------------- _________________________________________ R E L A T E D P O S T S: ● July/August Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● May/June Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● March/April Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● January/February Reading Wrap Up 2021 ● November/December Reading Wrap Up 2020 ● September Reading Wrap Up 2020 __________________________________________ SHARE ON FACEBOOK Leave a comment and let's talk...
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VaishaliBorn in the UK Archives
February 2024
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