May 2023 Wrap-Up
🏳️🌈 HAPPY PRIDE MONTH 🏳️🌈
A certain someone also celebrated their first birthday!
I hope everyone had a marvelous May! I made some life changes regarding my work schedule, so hopefully I’ll be able to post more frequently here and on Insta—I say as I post this wrap-up like five days late 🤣 I managed to read three books in May and listen to one audiobook. Now that my job situation has changed, I also hope to get more reading in, but we’ll see how well that turns out. I think I’m slowly getting out of my dark romance kick, so this month I’ll probably be focusing more on fantasy, with the exception of one mild horror book I’ll be reading for a book swap.
In terms of editing, I now have more time to focus on that, so I’ll have more availability for projects, and finally get a chance to read all the editing books I own. Yay for learning and growing as an editor 🥳 I do still have some availability for June, so if you’re looking for an editor for a project you need done ASAP, email me at nessas.lair@gmail.com or fill out my editing form. You can also click here for more information of the services I offer. Now, moving on to my wrap-up.
My Library
Hitched by Lauren Biel
Review:
Goddamn this book is SPICY…in the beginning, at least. I heard this was a great dark romance, but I felt really bored by the end of it. I was totally hooked at the beginning and thought the MCs had great chemistry, but I felt the plot went downhill around the halfway point 😅 Lex kept having the same internal monologue over and over again. And what was up with Lex vs. Lexington 🤣 Totally felt some Jekyll and Hyde vibes. There were definitely some great spicy scenes though. I especially loved the prey/predator scenes. Overall, this was a great book for spice, but the plot and characters could've been a bit less repetitive and more engaging in the second half of the book.
3.5/5⭐
Netgalley e-ARCs
Hide: Graphic Novel by Kiersten White
Review:
This was such a great graphic novel! I really enjoyed the plot, and I liked how we got a bit of every contestant's POV. I thought the plot twist with the park background was super creepy, and I liked the tie-in of the journals. Regarding the artwork, I wish the font was different, because it was really hard to decipher on my kobo. Other than that, this was a great read!
4/5⭐
Other (e)ARCs
From Candlewick Press
Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Review:
I was super excited to read this because of the spooky ghost aspect, but it didn't wasn't as scary as I expected. It was still a spectacular book that did a great job discussing the injustice for Indigenous people, especially the missing Indigenous women. There were some really great quotes about it in the book. I also loved the plot twist at the end. Definitely wasn't expecting it, but I love how it turned out. Regarding the characters, I thought they were all well-written, and I loved how sassy Sam was. Hughie’s dad was also supercool with his passion for Halloween decorations. Overall, I'd totally recommend checking out this book!
4.5/5⭐
Audiobooks
Morgan is my Name by Sophie Keetch
Review:
So I absolutely adore retellings of myths and folklore, and I thought this was such a fascinating retelling of King Arthur from Morgan’s POV. I was obsessed with this audiobook and could not stop listening to it. I hadn’t realized that I had ordered the physical copy as well—typical bookworm problems 😅 One of my fav parts of the book was watching Morgan turn into a strong, independent woman who stands up for her beliefs and continues to practice her healing arts. I just love how this story went. Great fantasy retelling. I also hear whispers that there will be a second book, so I’m hella excited for that!
5/5⭐
Anyhoo, that’s a wrap! If you’ve read any of these books, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below 😄 Don’t forget to check out my editing services, if you’re interested! Happy reading and happy Pride 🌈
