Aug 6, 2025

Recent Reads: Wild Side by Elsie Silver


Wild Side by Elsie Silver 
Series: Rose Hill #2
Publisher: Lyric Audiobooks
Publication Date:  March 4, 2025



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true  https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20

Format: Audiobook
Source: Bought/ Own


Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 
I’d always dreamed of my wedding day. But not like this. Not looking into the eyes of the man who betrayed me.

But when my nephew’s guardianship is contested, I decide I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.

Rhys Dupris.

A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises—ones he won’t talk about. In fact, we barely talk at all.

Which would be fine, except when he’s not talking, he’s staring. And the way he looks at me is borderline indecent.

The tension between us has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.

I swore I would never forgive him. But that was before I knew the man behind the mask. The one who’s fierce and protective. The one who’s gentle and patient. The one who shows up for us when we need him most.

He’s not at all who I thought he was.

And that makes hating my husband so much harder… and loving him just a little too easy.
Review: 
I have loved this series so far, and upon adding this book to my read list realized there was another one coming (score!).

The characters in these books feel so realistic, except that all the men and women are hot. They all have their emotional damage for various reasons and they work through some of it in these books, all while finding love.  They also all involve kids in various circumstances as well. 

In this installment, Rhys and Tabitha are vying for custody over her nephew Mico after her sisters passing. Tabitha is his aunt, but Rhys was named in the will. In the initial chapters, it was really hard to read - so emotional. Tabitha is angry at herself, at her sister, and she is confused. Rhys is quiet and not sure how to react to Tabitha. 

This one is enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake marriage and a lot of banter. Once they hit it off it is spicy and it all comes together so beautifully. 

Aug 4, 2025

Blog Tour: Review - Suddenly Desired by Katie Evergreen




Suddenly Desired by Katie Evergreen 
Series: Apex Billionaires
Publisher: Choc Lit
Publication Date:  July 29, 2025


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true  https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20

Format: Ebook

About the Book:
He’s fighting for his reputation. She’s risking her heart.

Blake Fielding built the world’s biggest social media empire — until a scandalous hack turns his company, Heartbook, into headline-hell and Blake into public enemy number one.

Ellie Mae Woodward thought she was walking into her dream job interview at Heartbook. Instead, she walks straight into corporate chaos, a building in lockdown and — literally — the brooding CEO at the centre of the scandal.

Blake’s guarded and entirely off-limits. Ellie’s quirky, creative and not remotely impressed by billionaires. But he needs someone who sees past the headlines. Ellie — with her dress covered in nerdy-hearts and a pink notebook of dreams — might just be the wildcard he needs.

Teaming up to uncover the truth could save them both. But when it’s finally revealed, they’ll have to choose between clearing Blake’s name . . . Or risking it all for something neither of them saw coming.

❤️ Friends-to-lovers
❤️ Workplace romance
❤️ Opposites attract
❤️ Billionaire romance
❤️ Spice level 🌶 🌶
Rating:

Suddenly Desired, book 2 of the APEX Billionaires series, is just the right mix of romance, mystery, and corporate drama. Ellie shows up at Heartbook expecting a job interview, but she walks straight into a PR nightmare. Down on her luck she is looking at her phone when she literally runs into the company’s scandal-struck CEO, Blake Fielding. As the pair continues to meet their unlikely friendship slowly turns into something deeper.

I read this book in one sitting, it was fast-paced and easy to get swept up in. The spice level felt well-balanced and it added tension and chemistry without overshadowing the plot. Ellie was a highlight for me. I loved her determination and her bookish personality (though I wouldn’t have minded seeing that side of her explored even more). Her character arc was good, especially as she found the strength to distance herself from her toxic ex, Josh. Speaking of Josh 🤢 he made my skin crawl in the best/worst way. He was awful, which is a credit to how convincingly he was written. (but I still have a lot of anger on behalf of Ellie).

Blake is the classic brooding billionaire with a heart (and reputation) in need of repair, and while his arc wasn’t overly surprising, his dynamic with Ellie worked well. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of the APEX group chat — the banter added humor and gave a peek into relationships from the wider series. That said, I haven’t read book one, so I felt a bit behind when it came to some of the side characters and references.

All that said, the most unbelievable part was the timeline - Ellie and Black fall for each other ridiculously quick... like two days and so the timeline was a bit of an issue for me. I felt like they deserved more time together to build these feelings. 

Overall, this was a fun, flirty, and emotionally satisfying story with a solid mix of heart and heat. I’d happily read more in this series.


About the Author
Katie Evergreen (aka Kate Galloway Smith) is an award-winning, best-selling author, copywriter, and Consultant Occupational Therapist. Growing up devouring Famous Five, Point Horror, and Sweet Valley High, Katie now lives in Norfolk with her daughter and their cats, where she spends her time writing about people falling in love.

Find the Author

Aug 3, 2025

Building the Book Pile #496

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!

Happy Sunday!

I have missed a few weeks - apologies, but we have been tired and just adulting our way along. 

Emma continues to try my patience. She is adorable and cuddly but likes to destroy things. Most recently, she pulled all the tissues out of a tissue box (she got up on the table to get) and shredded them all over the room... and decided she wanted to see what was under the carpet in the office (we left her gated in the living room and she was upset about that and tore the seam between the rooms). Luckily, we were going to rip up this carpet anyway so now we will just move that up in the timeline, and it looks like we might have some nice hardwoods there...but 🥱🙄😑

Our roof has been looking rough since we bought the house, and we finally had someone come out for a look/ quote. He said we likely only have a few more years still we need the new one. Good to know now before it is an issue. 

We have had some time for fun though - my work team all got together last week for our 'offsite' teambuilding. We went to the college museum and got a tour and then had a potluck at the bosses place. It is always fun to see everyone and have a no-work day while the weather is nicer. The students will start to arrive soon and we will start to get even more busy now.

Andy and I also went to the Adult Night at the local science museum. We built and raced cork boats, played with bubbles, I held a hissing cockroach, made paper airplanes/ whirlies, looked for the queen in the beehive and had some yummy tacos. It was a blast and we didn't expect to be there for the full 2.5 hours but we were. 

I have still been reading and popping reviews up, hopefully you have seen them ..and acquiring more books along the way (not that I need them). 

Hope you have a great week!


Linking up this week with the Caffeinated Reviewer and her Sunday Post series.

xo steph


Coming up on the Blog

Blog Tour: Suddenly Tempted by Katie Evergreen (Adult) 

Recent Reads: Wild Side (Rose Hill #3) by Elise Silver (Adult) 

Recent Reads: How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn (Adult)


Books Received Recently...  

Have you missed anything lately?
What have you been reading?  How was your week? Feel free to leave a comment!

Happy Reading! 

Aug 1, 2025

Blog Blast: Excerpt & Giveaway! Murder, Mystery & Mothers by Fran Heap


Murder, Mystery & Mothers by Fran Heap
Series: A Willowcroft Cozy Mystery, #1
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery


About the Book:

“You’d better leave town or else”.

After a devastating betrayal mystery writer Tammy Rumbelow flees LA for a charming blue cottage in Willowcroft, Michigan. But when a yellowed letter in the attic reveals an unsolved 70-year-old locked room murder in her living room, her peace is shattered.

Determined to start fresh, Tammy enlists the help of a ragtag group of locals:

Bookstore owner Olivia Huddlestone offers a sanctuary for clandestine conversations and genealogical sleuthing among her shelves.

Eccentric Mrs. Hazel Temperance mines her knitting circle for gossip.

Retired detective “Wally” has contacts at the sheriff’s department.

Tech whiz kid Xander Simmons hasn’t met a computer he didn’t like—or a website he can’t hack.

And a stray cat with a nose for clues…

As threatening letters appear and break-ins escalate around town, Tammy must prove to herself—and her inner critic—that she’s capable of solving a murder, or will that be two?

Perfect for fans of multi-generational mysteries filled with quirky characters like Only Murders in the Building and crime-solving writers like Castle.

The complete series:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true  https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20


At three in the morning, with her cursor blinking on an empty page, Tammy Rumbelow stumbled upon an online listing in rural Michigan. For the First time in months, a flicker of hope sparked.

The realtor’s photos of the little blue cottage with its front porch and white picket fence, had set her heart alight. The interior was as enchanting as the exterior, featuring an antique writing desk where inspiration could strike.

On a whim—or perhaps out of desperation—she’d picked up the phone and bought it based on the pictures alone. She had never even visited the state before. Had fate handed her a lifeline, or had she made the biggest mistake of her life?

Now, six weeks later, Tammy’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel; nerves and fanfare clashed in her stomach. This was it—her fresh start. But a familiar undercurrent of doubt threatened to bubble to the surface. She turned off the highway. The country roads, flanked by dense forests of oak, maple, and pine, marked the last stretch of her six-day drive from Los Angeles to Willowcroft.

She rolled down the window. The crisp breeze tousled long, wavy strands of brown hair over her face. Tammy inhaled, savoring the clean air. It reminded her of childhood summers—when life was untangled.

As the miles stretched behind her, the hum of the tires a constant companion, fragments of her former life in LA surfaced. Tammy’s chest constricted at the memory of her best manuscript—a boundary-pushing idea. But she’d never seen it in print, at least not under her name. Instead, her rushed, uninspired replacement made it to the shelves, the one cobbled together in the aftermath, her creativity fractured and trust shattered.

The book reviews rang in her head. “No emotional depth.” “Lacked soul.” Tammy winc ed, acknowledging their bitter truth. But the one that stung the deepest: “She’s not just over forty, she’s over, full stop.” They don’t know the real story behind those pages.

“You can never do anything right,” her mother’s sneer boomed, reopening old wounds. It had taken years to quiet the nagging doubts from her childhood, but the betrayal let those words flood back stronger than ever. The steering wheel grew slick under her clammy palms.

A road sign came into view, providing a diversion. “Welcome to Willowcroft. Township Population 999. Greater Willowcroft Population 5,124.”

Will I tip the scales to an even thousand? Any distraction helped. Was two thousand miles far enough away to break free?



About the Author

I am based in Melbourne, Australia but have lived in London, Copenhagen and New Jersey. I've been to 61 countries but want to visit over 190.

I'm a poor excuse of a redhead who loves ancient ruins and drains, hates dusting, revels in going behind the scenes, can't smile in photos and detests selfie sticks (though I now own one).

I have a penchant for collecting quirky data and my favourite saying is: curiosity killed the cat, but information brought him back.

I have wanted to be a writer since I was nine but also had aspirations of being a famous actress, an astronaut, owning a department store and opening up a youth hostel. I became a career Nanny and Neonatal Nurse instead.

Now I am an author of cozy mystery novels (and travel books).

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook



$25 Amazon gift card
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a Rafflecopter giveaway


Jul 30, 2025

Early Reader Review: Welcome to the Forest: The Harvest Party by Katie Risor

Source: From Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

Welcome to the Forest: The Harvest Party by Katie Risor  

Series: Welcome to the Forest
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date:  August 5, 2025



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true  https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20

Format: Ebook


Rating:


Synopsis: 
A group of quirky forest creatures embark on heartwarming adventures in this graphic novel series opener featuring original gouache art. Perfect for beginning readers and graphic novel fans, especially those who love the Studio Ghibli films and Tove Jansson's Moomin. Includes nonfiction information at the back of the book​ about the autumnal season.

Deep in the heart of the Forest lives a handful of monsters. The Forest is home to many creatures, big and small, like:
boisterous Mossman, who is much kinder than he looks;
cautious but cheerful Wallace; 
carefree, kind Grumpkin;
and a sweet, mysterious entity named Shadow. 
The creatures prove that every day is an adventure as new discoveries draw them closer together.

In this book, readers will get a glimpse at the woodland creatures' lives and discover three bite-sized stories, perfect for the autumnal harvest season. In Welcome to the Forest: The Harvest Party, Mossman and Wallace decorate pumpkins, Grumpkin meets a new friend, and the creatures celebrate fall with a lively Harvest Party.
Review: 
This was such a cute and cozy graphic novel about a group of forest friends: Mossman, Wallace, Grumpkin, and Shadow who are planning a harvest party. Each short story within the graphic novel focuses on themes of friendship, with the tales building toward the big celebration. The bite-sized chapters make it easy for younger readers to take breaks if needed, which I felt was a thoughtful touch.

One feature I really appreciated was the use of a dyslexia-friendly font. It was easy to read and makes the book more accessible to a wider audience. The illustrations were absolutely lovely—full of rich, warm color and charming fall vibes that perfectly captured the spirit of the season.

The storytelling is well-balanced between the visuals and the text, and I especially liked that it wasn’t overly text-heavy, which works well for a graphic novel format. This is a heartwarming and visually engaging read that both kids and adults will enjoy—and there’s a good chance every reader will see a bit of themselves in at least one of these delightful characters. 

Overall, I think this will be a great fall/ autumn read for all ages.

Jul 28, 2025

Recent DNFs


Sometimes a book just doesn't hit right and I am trying to take back my time and power over these ones...I don't want to struggle through them, I just want to put them down  - for now or for good. 

The below notes are just my current feelings around these books - that does NOT mean that they were bad, I just wasn't feeling them. Feel free to pick them up!



In the Did Not Finish... vibe is off, might pick back up category...

Fateless by Julie Kagawa 
Series: Fateless #1
Publisher: HarperCollins 
Publication Date:  July 15, 2025


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true  https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20


Goodreads Synopsis: 
Deep in the forgotten city of the Deathless Kings, an ancient relic of untold power waits—for one bold enough to steal it.

When seventeen-year-old Sparrow joined the Thieves Guild she made a vow of binding loyalty to their cause. So when a mission comes along from The Circle, a group of mysterious, dangerous beings who control the Thieves Guild from the shadows, Sparrow is determined to cement her place in the guild.

What ensues is a death-defying adventure that has Sparrow and her band of thieves venturing into the heart of the forgotten city of the Deathless King. The fate of Sparrow, her companions, and Raithe, the enigmatic yet alluring assassin Sparrow is forced to join forces with during their quest, all hang in the balance as they find themselves battling ancient forces within the tombs and facing the unwavering hold of fate.

Perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Sabaa Tahir, this new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa will sweep readers into a bold and exciting new world, where a twisted game of destiny has far-reaching consequences.

Why I DNFed...
I am a bit sad about this one, I wanted to love it and finish it, but I got through Part 1 ~50% done and just had no push to pick it up. At about the 15% mark I even bought the Audible edition (with my own $/credit) to see if that helped, and it did for a bit. 

I think that this has a good story in it, I am just not fully invested. Sparrow the FMC is a thief/ rogue who is young but accomplished. However, these types of characters even when young generally have the trust no one attitude and she consistently says 'every man for themselves' but she doesn't quite get it and it gets her into trouble. So the character class lost me a bit. I also felt like there was more telling than showing, and I would have loved more showing because it seems like this world could be a really cool one. 

I think I may grab this one again, just not at the moment - putting it on pause for the time being. 

If you like video games like Assassins Creed and fantasy books  - this could be for you.


In the Did Not Finish … and unlikely to pick back up category...

A Sky So Hollow by 
Craig Montgomery 
Series: The Stardust Duology #2
Publisher: Craig Montgomery
Publication Date:  
July 7, 2025
  
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true

Goodreads Synopsis: 
Some wounds never heal…

It’s been a few months since Casper Bell saved Novilem from crumbling under the pressure of revolution. The dust hasn’t settled, and neither has his nerves. A strange sickness is spreading in the city, and Casper is having visions about the tower Jacob sent to the Surface. Helix convinces him to bring his concerns to the Estellar council, but Helix’s trust in the system backfires. They send the pair to the last place Casper wants to be: Earth.

Casper’s past is right where he left it and corrupted aether still creeps on the streets of Chicago. When they find someone who is aether sick, it is clear they haven’t finished uncovering the council’s secrets.

With their friends and family falling sick, the fragile peace in Novilem collapsing, and the council ready to abandon the home they have fought so hard to protect, Casper and Helix must confront their inner darkness before Novilem is lost forever.
Why I DNFed 
No real fault of the author - but my ARC would not stay downloaded on my Kindle and it was driving me insane. Any time I wanted to read it would act like it never downloaded and queue up to download... then after multiple clicks finally let me into the book.

...That compounded with the fact that I was not really that invested in the characters or story, put this in the DNF pile. I enjoyed the first one and think that this one just fell at the wrong time for me.

I made it 23% in. At that point in the plot - we had covered most of the things noted in the synopsis - Casper a hero but having visions, no one taking them seriously, Helix loooooves him, and they go to Chicago for a bit and have to bring someone back because they have aether sickness. While it was flowing, I wasn't fully committed - sorry.

If you like a good sci-fi and are looking for some LGBTQ+ rep, this could be for you.