I just finished Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron and here are my thoughts. This book is for anyone who has been following the adventures of the Mike Bowditch series… but this one works great as an introduction to the author and his amazing series. I have read most of this series and it is one of my absolute favorites. This is a bunch of short stories all about Mike and they were all amazing! Each story fills in between books and the order is as follows 4.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 11.5, 12.5 Honestly it was exciting. Every story in this novel is loaded with a twisty mystery and a surprising ending! He is such a great storyteller. You really do not need to have read the series to appreciate these short stories so don’t let that put you off. Which one was my favorite… HMMMM Sheep’s clothing was brilliant but so was snakebit so don’t make me pick a favorite. It always gives me a thrill with the characters because Mike is also my husband’s name and Stacey is mine haha. Solid 4 stars… I am not a massive fan of short stories but I did enjoy these. Thank you @minotaur_books for my gifted copy. #minotaurbooks #litdulterous #bookalorian #bookreview #skinandbones #mikebowditch #pauldoiron #mysteryreader #mysterybook #shortstories #bookishreview #smpearlyreaders

I just finished How to Sell a Romance by Alexa Martin and here is my review for my blog tour with @berkleypub Emerson Pierce is a kindergarten teacher for the love not the money so when her principal talks her into going to a Petunia Lemon meeting to sell skincare… She goes.. She did not expect to meet a man… They spend a steamy night together but she leaves the next angry that he thinks Petunia Lemon reps are in a cult and is writing a scathing story on them. She tries to forget that night but he arrives in her class to pick up his daughter on the first day of school. How could things get any worse? This book had some of the best spicy scenes I have ever read without being a dark romance. It was absolute perfection! I loved the dynamic between Emerson and Lucas. She is a shy introvert and he is a smoking hot dorky dad and OMG I am a touch in love with him myself. I loved their banter and how they tried to stay away from each other but they were literally so drawn in by each other it was impossible. It’s hard to avoid someone who lives that close and you teach their child. I found it hilarious in spots and I loved the MLM theme. Those schemes drive me insane! It was kinda a second chance romance because they had that one night and had no way to get in touch but he breezes into her classroom. Read this if you love… *One night stands *Single dad *Forced proximity *Relatable characters I found the writing quite excellent. It was so vibrant and fun. It really started with a loud bang so it was a winner for me. 4.5 stars Thank you @netgalley and #berkleypublishing for my gifted copy Out today! #howtosellaromance #alexamartin #romcom #booktour #bookinfluencer #literacyinfluencer #literature #fictionreader #bookalorian #bookblogger #bookishblog #readervlog #litdulterous #bookishpodcast #readerreview #romancereader #forcedproximity #singledad

I just finished The Cardinal by Alison Weir and here are my thoughts. Firstly I am going to admit that I am an epic Alison Weir fan girl! I took my A-level in history on the tudor period so I have been a fan of hers for a very long time. I always found Wolsey to be a fascinating subject! Working his way up through the church ranks to become the right hand to the king… Yet he had a live-in mistress? Fascinating and Alison Weir really does an excellent job of bringing history to life. Henry VIII and Wolsey had a brilliant friendship for many years until the King accused Wolsey of treason.. This book will give you the rise of Wolsey and the epic fall while swinging you around the Tudor court! I loved every second of the audio. It was really well done. I loved the writing and how close she sticks to historical facts. She really humanised Wolsey for me. It was artfully done. I always had a lot of animosity for him and his massive ambition and yeah, he had an ego but you can see how he ended up the way he did. It’s a heady experience. I thought it was a wonderful story and I hope she does Cromwell next. 5 stars Thank you to @netgalley and @rbmedia for my gifted ALC I already own a hardcover :) #alisonweird #historicalfiction #thecardinal #tudorhistory #booklover #bookreview #bookishreview #booksbooksbooks #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookish #bookblog #readervlog #bookvlogger #bookstagrammer #readersofig

I just finished Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith and here are my thoughts. Micah is just doing her job. She is there to financially audit the University's English department.. Aidan is pushing back against her presence. Micah likes to unwind by reading steamy fanfiction… Little does she know that the man she can't stand at work… Is the one writing her into a hot frenzy… I am always a sucker for a Shakespeare retelling and this one was quite brilliant.. Taking Shakespeare and making it smutty…. Clever… I really liked the dynamic between Micah and Aidan in person and the one they had online not knowing who each other were. It was a clever way to do an enemies to love and I am here all day for that. They did both have their annoying moments though but it was easy enough to move past that. I liked the audiobook but it was one of those books that would have been a great read as well. I loved the writing and the streamy scenes were amazing! Read this if you like Forced proximity Enemies to lovers Spicy banter Online romance Shakespeare retelling Secret identity Workplace romance All in all a solid little audio! 4 stars #muchadoabouthatingyou #shakespeareretelling #sarahechavarresmith #enemiestolovers #bookreview #bookalorian #bookblog #readerblog #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #bookinfluencer #spicy #spicyread

I just finished Sand, Sequins & Silicone by Pia Mia and here are my musings. Princess is a pop star and her career is at its peak.. It may look glamorous from the crowd but the reality is loneliness… Well this was exactly what I needed… This was my kind of summer romance read. Now it kind of reads like a memoir which I thought was a clever way to highlight the career of a young pop artist in a fictionalized story. Now, going in, you have to realize that this is more YA than adult. Some of the banter was juvenile but think about it logically…. She’s been raised into stardom… Of course she is going to sound bratty! I think the author did an amazing job of bringing the realism to life. Hollywood is fickle and this felt really saw and realistic to me. It was well written and had some really delightfully funny moments. I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t a heavy read but it sure was an entertaining one. 4 stars Thank you to @wbywattpad & @piamia for my gifted copy! OUT NOWWWWW #wattpadbooks #wattpadreads #sandsequinsandsilicone #piamia #summeread #beachread #summerromance #debutnovel #bookrecs #bookishrecommendations #bookalorian #bookreview #bookblog #litdulterous #readersofig #wattpadinfluencer

I just finished The Man made of Smoke by Alex North and here are my musings. Dan’s life could have ended when he was a child. He came dangerously close to a notorious serial killer. He grew up to be a criminal profiler. When his father goes missing, presumed dead, he returns back to the place where it all started. There is so much that points toward the killer who still hasn’t been captured in all these years. Do you know what I love the most about Alex North? He writes these horror/thrillers with these undertones of supernatural but they are never actually supernatural. It's clever… It's a real skill. I love his style. Now I got a paperback ARC… An ALC and I got it from, book of the month, I had to. It was creepy AF. I love books that bring you in and raise the hairs on the back of your neck. The only thing about the book was the pace was slower than I needed but I think it painted the backstory really really well. He knows how to build tension. It's like a creeping fog, not the boom boom racing heart but a dark omnibus vibes. ADORED IT! Read if you like Small Town Island Father/son dynamic Multiple POVs Serial killers "Nobody sees," the man says. "And nobody cares." That was bone chilling! BONE CHILLING! I loved how complex Dan was. He was really a raw and thoughtful dude. It was mildly heartbreaking, a little more emotional than I am used to but dang.. Solid book! 4 stars Thank you to @celadonbooks for my gifted copy #themanmadeofsmoke #alexnorth #horror #thriller #horrorreader #thrillerreader #celadonbooks #bookreview #bookblog #readerblog #bookishvlog #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookish #booksofig #igreads #booktok

I just finished Climbing in Heels by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and here are my musings. 3 ladies… 3 paths…. Sisterhood… Watch them climb their way to the top in their high heels… Sex… Drugs and all the power… I got some real Devil wear Prada heels from the synopsis. All 3 of these women are secretaries at the hottest agency in Hollywood. Set in the 1980s it really takes out down to the nitty gritty of the seediness of the world of films being all about what men want. They take what they want and all 3 of them are very different but they have the same goals. I thought it was really well written, tad slow for my liking but I thought it was an excellent story… Women pushing the status quo in the 80s? HECK YEAHHHH. It was very well done. I actually blew through it in one sitting. I loved the whole vibe of the book… My biggest issue… Too many side characters.. I think it should have been kept tighter with the characters. It got a bit lucy goosy in the middle but the ending more than made up for it. I am one of those readers who need the grit, glitz and glamor and this book had it. If you like books with women who push past that glass ceiling… Grab this one. Be aware there is a lot of cocaine and sex.. Check the triggers before picking up. 4 stars Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. #climbinginheels #elainegoldsmiththomas #historicalfiction #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookreview #bookblog #fbreader #smpearlyreader #bookinfluencer #booksbooksbooks #bookreaderofig #igbooks #bookloversofig

I just finished The Ripple Effect by Maggie North and here are my musings. Stellar is on burnout.. Her job as an ER doc has brought her to her knees and she needs to find a new job. She didn’t expect it to come from Sunshine psychologist Lyle. A man she has been avoiding since they hooked up a year ago… The only way she can really help his business is to help him with a fake engagement.. Her hardness to his softness might just be what the doctor ordered.. Big fan of when the girl is the grump and the man is the sunshine. I love sunshine men! This one was different. I kinda liked how Stellar was written. It was a unique and clever way of bringing the kind of FMC that writers usually avoid. Big fan. I loved the first book in the series and this one was just as good. I like that it's not your normal trope book. The author kinda flips the trope script and goes against the grain. It's refreshing. The slow burn is even quite delicious. I am more an instalove gal but this one really built the best kind of tension and I am here all day for that. Read if you like Fake Engagement Found Family One Night Stand Forced Proximity Black cat/golden retriever Joyous! 4 stars! I love books like this! Gimme more! Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my gifted paperback and ebook! #therippleeffect #maggienorth #canadianauthor #canadareads #canadianbooktok #canadianbookstagram #slowburnromance #fakeengagement #forcedproximity #blackcat #goldenretriever #romanceread #bookalorian #litdulterous #lionessofliteracy #bookreview #smpearlyreader

I just finished We Can Never Leave by H.E. Edgmon and here are my musings. There's a world between worlds.. A Caravan of inhumans looking for others… They awoke in the world with no memories. 5 teens wake one morning to find the caravan of their people has disappeared. The 5 of them have to work together to uncover the mystery before something terrible happens to them too. Wow… Just wow. I kind of just sat for a moment and felt all the feels when I was done. If you read my reviews then you know I am not a fan of slow moving books. This one had teeth so the speed actually wasn’t a negative. The teens did a lot of fighting and that was a tad irritating. A lot of really cool things happen and they kind of spoil it haha. I could have done with less POVs, it was a tad messy but I see what the author was trying to do. The writing was quite excellent and I was pretty much sucked in. Read if you like Queer rep YA Contemporary fantasy Unreliable narrators It's a rich and complex story with some excellent twists. Lots of secrets, a great mystery and an entertaining read. It was hard to give a rating for but I think its a solid 3.75 Thank you to @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for my gifted copy. Out now #wecanneverleave #yahorror #yafantasy #lgbtq #lgbtqrep #pridemonth #HEedgmon #netgalley #kindlereader #bookinfluencer #booklover #litdulterous # bookalorian #readersofig #readersofacebook #bookloversofig #wednesdaybooks