Hoohoo, friends of the blade!
November is through, so it’s time for the November wrap up! Continue reading to find out what happened in my life, personal and bookish wise, as well as what happened on the blog and what posts by other bloggers I loved!
PERSONAL LIFE
November wasn’t off to a good start. I was home and saw my family but at what price? It’s weird having your whole family gathered but the one person, the one constant is missing. I cried a lot during the last month and I’m still not finished. Far from it. I love going home but now I’m also dreading it a bit because something vital has changed.
November, like October, was a month of ups and downs in general. For the biggest part of the month I really, truly didn’t feel fine, mentally and physically with it ending in actually becoming sick and staying home in the end. But not everything was bad. There were a couple of great things as well:
- The weather was beautiful. Well, it was quite warm, but the sun and how it shone through the trees in the mornings really did something for my heart and soul. I took photos and simply enjoyed being outside.
- I had a fun, quick photoshoot with my flatmate in the forest where very epic sword photos were taken, as well as some very hilarious outtakes.
- Visited the Landemuseum für Vorgeschichte in Halle with my boyfriend, which was very interesting and cool! I definitely don’t visit enough museums for my liking and definitely need to change that!
- Had a gaming afternoon with tea & cake & christmas biscuits.
- I received a friend’s Nintendo 3DS and have been playing a lot of Zelda and Nintendogs, 12 years old me would be extremely excited. 26 years old me still is.
But mostly, I’m tired. I’m so tired of so much but we have reached December which is (while being the most stressful month of the year) my favourite month. I love being home and baking, watching winter sports and watching the snow fall outside. While I’m not a fan of crowds and christmas markets and all the capitalist shit about christmas, I love the holiday itself. I love being with my loved ones, I love the food and I just love the general feeling of it. So at least there are things to look forward to!
READ IN NOVEMBER
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
On the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, Drew Nichols is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend…
Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is not something Alexa Monroe would normally do. But Drew’s proposal proves hard to resist.
After their wedding date turns into a whole weekend of fun in San Francisco, Drew and Alexa return to their all-consuming careers – his in LA and hers in Berkeley. Too bad they can’t stop thinking about each other…
It could be the long-distance dating disaster of the century – or Drew and Alexa could be just a flight away from what each of them truly wants.
This book had a lot of potential and I was looking forward to some fake dating shenanigans and angst but instead I got a lot of real dating and… the story dragging along. Nothing much happened for a big part of it and I found myself more bored than entertained.
Read my full review of The Wedding Date here.
To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters
The Regency Vows #2
The widowed Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham are infamous among English high society as much for their sharp-tongued bickering as their flirtation. One evening, an argument at a ball turns into a serious wager: Jeremy will marry within the year or Diana will forfeit one hundred pounds. So shortly after, just before a fortnight-long house party at Elderwild, Jeremy’s country estate, Diana is shocked when Jeremy appears at her home with a very different kind of proposition.
After his latest mistress unfavorably criticized his skills in the bedroom, Jeremy is looking for reassurance, so he has gone to the only woman he trusts to be totally truthful. He suggests that they embark on a brief affair while at the house party—Jeremy can receive an honest critique of his bedroom skills and widowed Diana can use the gossip to signal to other gentlemen that she is interested in taking a lover.
Diana thinks taking him up on his counter-proposal can only help her win her wager. With her in the bedroom and Jeremy’s marriage-minded grandmother, the formidable Dowager Marchioness of Willingham, helping to find suitable matches among the eligible ladies at Elderwild, Diana is confident her victory is assured. But while they’re focused on winning wagers, they stand to lose their own hearts.
I liked this a lot more than book one. I really enjoyed all the ploys and intrigues and how oblivious yet flirty the characters were. This story brings fake dating to a secret, Regency level where they basically fake date for themselves which was a lot of fun to read. I loved Diana and Jeremy’s relationship and how it develops from frenemies to reluctant lovers and how they both have such a positive influence on each other while also bringing out their absolute worst. I loved those contrasts and the little games even though the plot was a bit ridiculous and I just can’t wrap my head around how Jeremy, who is supposed to have had countless affairs is bad in bed.
Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler
After an idyllic girlhood in Avonlea, Long Island, Anne has packed up her trunk, said goodbye to her foster parents, Marilla and Matthew, and moved to the isle of Manhattan for grad school. Together with her best friend, Diana Barry, she’s ready to take on the world and find her voice as a writer.When her long-time archrival Gilbert Blythe shows up at Redmond College for their final year, Anne gets the shock of her life. Gil has been in California for the last five years—since he kissed her during a beach bonfire, and she ghosted him. Now the handsome brunette is flashing his dimples at her like he hasn’t a care in the world and she isn’t buying it.
Paired with the same professor for their thesis, the two former competitors come to a grudging peace that turns into something so much deeper…and sexier than either intended. But when Gil seemingly betrays her to get ahead, Anne realizes she was right all along—she should never have trusted Gilbert Blythe.
While Gil must prove to Anne that they’re meant to be together, she must come to terms with her old fears if she wants a happily-ever-after with the boy she’s always (secretly) loved.
Listen, I love Anne of Green Gables and I was so excited to read this story! I found it weird though that Avonlea is in the US but the family still goes on a holiday to Prince Edward Island. Like, why? And to be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the back and forth between Gil and Anne because it was mostly thanks to miscommunication and / or refusing to listen to each other. I really liked the scenes of them together, though. I also enjoyed the more spicy scenes.
I did love how diverse the cast was and how everyone was simply accepted the way they were. The friendship group was such a cool one and I wished there would have been more page time for the rest of the characters because they’re definitely not getting enough. I enjoyed this book but went into it expecting to love it and I really didn’t.
Lore Olympus Vol. 3 by Rachel Smythe
Lore Olympus #3
All of Olympus-and the Underworl–are talking about the God of the Dead and the sprightly daughter of Demeter. But despite the rumors of their romance, Hades and Persephone have plenty to navigate on their own.
Since coming to Olympus, Persephone has struggled to be the perfect maiden goddess. Her attraction to Hades has only complicated the intense burden of the gods’ expectations. And after Apollo’s assault, Persephone fears she can no longer bury the intense feelings of hurt and love that she’s worked so hard to hide.
As Persephone contemplates her future, Hades struggles with his past, falling back into toxic habits in Minthe’s easy embrace. With all the mounting pressure and expectations-of their family, friends, and enemies-both Hades and Persephone tell themselves to deny their deepest desires, but the pull between them is too tempting, too magnetic. It’s fate.
The more I read Lore Olympus, the more I love it. I though vol. 1 was okay but I absolutely loved both 2 & 3! I like how dark, yet hopeful the story is and how the characters develop. I’m also starting to really like the art style which I didn’t in the beginning. But I’m definitely here for Big Blue and Persephone and their flirting, their back and forth and the tension and uncertainty and the power games and friendships. I really, truly love this reimagining of the Hades & Persephone story!
Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston
Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya.
Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything. The most danger she faces now, as a gardener’s daughter, is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone.
As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions the small fox from the garden, a strange and powerful bear, and the magic in her veins. It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home. But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, it’s going to take everything she has just to survive.
I loved this magical, fairytale-esque story so much! I loved the creepy woods and its creepier inhabitants, I loved the hope that blooms throughout it all and I loved the characters and their development and their care with each other. I, too, would travel with a bear and a fox if I had the chance. This little trio was so amazing, so full of determination and hope and the prospect of a better future for everyone. Read my full review of Among the Beasts & Briars here.
Gay Club! by Simon James Green
Barney’s a shoo-in for his school’s LGBTQ+ Society President at the club’s next election. But when the vote is opened up to the entire student body, the whole school starts paying attention. How low will the candidates go to win? Buckle up for some serious shade, scandals and sleazy shenanigans. It isn’t long before it’s National Coming Out Day – for everyone’s secrets!
But when the group faces an expected threat – and a big opportunity – can the club members put politics aside and stand united?
This is it. My favourite book of the month. I loved it so much. I mean, when has Simon James Green ever disappointed me? Never, duh. He’s one of my favourite authors. I loved how Gay Club! explores sexuality, gender and community. It shows how the LGBTQ+ community is open to everyone, while simultaneously being hard to maneuver because there is so much to learn. And I loved how these characters learned, how they made mistakes and were called out for them but how they got better. How they got better at accepting while growing into themselves. This was probably Simon James Green’s most serious book so far, even though it was still hilariously fun. The way this made me cackle and have my flatmate say “I guess I have to read this, too” says it all. I absolutely love this book and it made me really, really emotional at the end.
BOOK HAUL
Little Black Bird by Anna Kirchner
Magic is dying out, but it will not disappear without a fight.
Wiktoria is a seventeen year old with a secret: she has psychic powers. Her uncontrollable telekinesis hurts her and others, setting fires and throwing objects in the air, no matter how hard she tries to hold it back. All she wants to have is a peaceful, average life, but it’s difficult when you’ve been cursed to destroy the magical world.
Her carefully maintained facade of normality starts to unravel when she’s hunted down by local sorcerers and their Guardian, and accused of unleashing banished demons back into the human realm. When a murder shakes up the magical community, everyone agrees that the only way to save the world is to kill Wiktoria.
Her only ally is a boy who can read her mind, shares her dreams and makes her question her sexuality. Together, they face mythical creatures and uncover ancient legends, and they soon realize that there is no such thing as simply good or evil. Whether they break the curse or allow it to fulfil its destiny, the magical world will be forever changed.
Tall White Tenement by Anna Kirchner
Little Black Bird #2
The magical world is at the brink of war and Wiktoria is pressured to pick a side. Should she break the curse, condemning magic but saving humanity, or should she save magic at the cost of leaving humans to the mercy of demons?
Torn between following in her parents’ footsteps and listening to her heart, she delves deeper into the hidden society of sorcerers, Guardians and demons. Her magic is more unpredictable than ever and her bond with Artur is put to the test as they try to complete the legendary Circle of Four.
As more and more demons find their way into our realm and human enemies close in, the time to decide which world to save runs thin. When nothing is black and white and enemies turn into allies, how does one pick a side?
To make matters worse, just as Wiktoria and her friends finally decide on a plan, a forgotten secret is rediscovered and everything is cast into doubt once more—but the clock is still ticking.
The Ninth Sorceress by Bonnie Wynne
In the blackest dungeon of the Clockwork City, a prisoner lies bound in silver shackles. Who is she? And why are the wizards so afraid of her?
Seventeen-year-old Gwyn has no family and no past. Apprenticed to a half-mad herbalist, she travels the snow-blasted High Country, hawking potions in a peddler’s wagon. Her guardian hides her from the world like a dark secret, and she knows better than to push for answers.
But when she discovers she is hunted by the goddess Beheret, Gwyn is drawn into a deep and ancient tale: of chained gods and lost magic, of truths long buried and the rising of a war she never could have imagined.
Wizards and their magic-sniffing hounds pursue her – as does a stranger in a smiling mask, who calls her by an unfamiliar name…
But what really terrify her are the dangerous gifts she’s spent her life suppressing. Now, Gwyn must step out of the shadows and take charge of her destiny – even if the price is her own soul.
A Wind from the Rift by Bonnie Wynne
The Ninth Sorceress #2
The sorceress has broken free of her shackles.
Months of imprisonment have forged Gwyn into something new; something dangerous. Eight dead sorceresses whisper in her ear, hungry for blood and vengeance – and after unleashing the red magic to make her escape, she fears she won’t be able to stop.
All Gwyn really wants is to go home. But as she soon discovers, escaping the Clockwork City may prove an impossible task. The wizards of the Syndicate wage a silent, bloody war over her fate, and to survive, she must play their deadly game.
As strange storms ravage the city and wizards start turning up dead, Gwyn finds herself in more danger than ever. With enemies on every side, the immortal Scions massing their armies, and the dark power inside her growing stronger, she must make a choice… To save everything she loves, is she willing to become the monster the Syndicate fears?
To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters
The Regency Vows #2
The widowed Diana, Lady Templeton and Jeremy, Marquess of Willingham are infamous among English high society as much for their sharp-tongued bickering as their flirtation. One evening, an argument at a ball turns into a serious wager: Jeremy will marry within the year or Diana will forfeit one hundred pounds. So shortly after, just before a fortnight-long house party at Elderwild, Jeremy’s country estate, Diana is shocked when Jeremy appears at her home with a very different kind of proposition.
After his latest mistress unfavorably criticized his skills in the bedroom, Jeremy is looking for reassurance, so he has gone to the only woman he trusts to be totally truthful. He suggests that they embark on a brief affair while at the house party—Jeremy can receive an honest critique of his bedroom skills and widowed Diana can use the gossip to signal to other gentlemen that she is interested in taking a lover.
Diana thinks taking him up on his counter-proposal can only help her win her wager. With her in the bedroom and Jeremy’s marriage-minded grandmother, the formidable Dowager Marchioness of Willingham, helping to find suitable matches among the eligible ladies at Elderwild, Diana is confident her victory is assured. But while they’re focused on winning wagers, they stand to lose their own hearts.
Never Fall For Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath
The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one, even from across the other side of the ocean. So, Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns his interfering mother is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his complicated, convoluted but convenient ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman, who might just be the miracle he needs.
Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. Work as a woodcut engraver is few and far between, and the Merriwell sisters are nearly penniless. So, when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée while his mother is visiting, she knows that while the scheme sounds ludicrous, the offer is too good to pass up.
Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh’s estate, of course, nothing goes according to his meticulous plan. As hilarity and miscommunication ensue, while everyone tries to keep their tangled stories straight, Hugh and Minerva’s fake engagement starts to turn into a real romance. But can they trust each other, when their relationship started with a lie?
Der magische Pakt by Tanja Voosen
An Magie und echte Wunder glauben? Für die Bewohner der Kleinstadt Belony selbstverständlich, nur Elina hält das alles für Unsinn. Bis ihrer nervigen Nachbarin Charlie eine Schokolade in die Hände fällt, die eine seltsame Wirkung hat. Plötzlich ist Elina sich sicher: Charlie wurde verzaubert! Hilfe bekommen die Mädchen ausgerechnet vom verschlossenen Robin. Er gehört zu einer Familie aus Süßigkeitenwerkern – Menschen mit der Fähigkeit, magische Süßigkeiten herzustellen, um anderen damit zu helfen. Und deshalb weiß er: Nur die geheimnisvollen Zuckermeister können Charlies Fluch umkehren. Mit einem Koffer voller magischer Süßigkeiten begeben sich die drei auf eine gefährliche Suche. Denn nicht jeder hält sich an den Pakt, die magischen Süßigkeiten nur zum Guten einzusetzen …
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.
But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.
Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick’s terms…until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own.
Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup—it just happens. Buying a drink for a stranger turns into what should be an uncomplicated, amazing one-night stand. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom—the hot, older woman Cassie slept with.
Erin Bennett came to Family Weekend to get closer to her daughter, not have a one-night stand with a college senior. In her defense, she hadn’t known Cassie was a student when they’d met. To make things worse, Erin’s daughter brings Cassie to breakfast the next morning. And despite Erin’s better judgement—how could sleeping with your daughter’s friend be anything but bad?—she and Cassie get along in the day just as well as they did last night.
What should have been a one-time fling quickly proves impossible to ignore, and soon Cassie and Erin are sneaking around. Worst of all, they start to realize they have something real. But is being honest about the love between them worth the cost?
Lore Olympus: Vol. 3 by Rachel Smythe
All of Olympus-and the Underworld-are talking about the God of the Dead and the sprightly daughter of Demeter. But despite the rumors of their romance, Hades and Persephone have plenty to navigate on their own.
Since coming to Olympus, Persephone has struggled to be the perfect maiden goddess. Her attraction to Hades has only complicated the intense burden of the gods’ expectations. And after Apollo’s assault, Persephone fears she can no longer bury the intense feelings of hurt and love that she’s worked so hard to hide.
As Persephone contemplates her future, Hades struggles with his past, falling back into toxic habits in Minthe’s easy embrace. With all the mounting pressure and expectations-of their family, friends, and enemies-both Hades and Persephone tell themselves to deny their deepest desires, but the pull between them is too tempting, too magnetic. It’s fate.
Worlds Beyond by Anabelle Stehl
Worlds #3
Nele Schubert hat es geschafft und ein Volontariat in einer großen PR-Agentur in London ergattert. Der junge Geschäftsführer Matthew verdreht ihr von Anfang an den Kopf, und auch er kann die Anziehung zwischen ihnen nicht leugnen. Immer wieder kommt es im Büro zu knisternden Momenten, doch Beziehungen zwischen Vorgesetzten und ihren Mitarbeitern sind eigentlich verboten. Auf keinen Fall will Nele den Job riskieren, für den sie alles gegeben hat. Aber ihre Gefühle für Matthew kann sie auch nicht einfach abstellen …
ON THE BLOG
BLOG VISITS
posts by other bloggers I loved to read this month
Reviews
- Jasmine Zumideh Needs A Win by Susan Azim Boyer by Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books
- The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas by Julia @ The Book Dynasty
- Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell by Lili @ Utopia State of Mind
- The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton by Lili @ Utopia State of Mind
Other
- I Regret to Say I Really Disliked Season 1 of Rings of Power by Krysta @ Pages Unbound
- Show Your Bujo Theme | November 2022 | #SciFiMonth by Annemieke @ A Dance with Books
- Real People Cannot Queerbait You by Hollie @ Hollieblog
How was your November? Do you like visiting museums? Which ones are your favourite? What was your favourite book of the month?
Until next time,
