I just finished Jill Is Not Happy by Kaira Rouda @kairarouda and here are my musings. Jill thinks her marriage can be fixed with a road trip with her husband.. Her husband knows nothing will fix it and cannot wait to get away from her. Trouble is she knows things about him and at this point… If she can’t have him… No one can… Oh man Jill is a wacko!!! She is absolutely terrifying. I am seeing a lot more books with crazed women and they are always intelligent and calculating. The trouble is I didn’t like anyone in this book and it's a necessary evil for me… Needing to care about at least one person. I hated Jill, her husband and I wasn’t a fan of their daughter but I was sucked right in anyway. The audiobook was great. It brought the underlying creep factor in spades. It was like a bus crash you couldn’t stop watching. Rubber necking haha Oh and the fact they are Jack and Jill… THUMBS DOWNNNNNNNN. We get the story from Jack and Jill’s perspective and I didn’t trust either of them. They are both as bad as each other and they were made for each other. It had a lot of dark humor which I did really enjoy. I really did enjoy it. It was well done, well paced and as someone who isn’t a massive fan of unreliable narrators, this one was still entertaining. The ending bothered me a bit. I wouldn’t have ended it that way and that’s why it only got 4 stars. Thank you to @netgalley and @highbridgeaudio for my gifted copy #jillosnothappy #unreliablenarrator #kairarouda #thriller #thrillerreader #thrillerreads #netgalley #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobook #audiobooksofig #bookalorian #litdulterous

I just finished Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove and here are my musings. Demeter just wants to do her job… she is a shuttle taking humans from Earth to Alpha Centauri… Her programming doesn’t have a revenge setting but when an ancient evil infiltrates her ship and kills all her passengers, Demeter must work without paranormal creatures to avoid being decommissioned for a crime she didn’t commit. This is not a book I ever expected to read so 10 out of 10 for uniqueness. An AI working with a werewolf to hunt a vampire? Brilliant! Firstly… because I did the audiobook… all of the 000111010101 binary stuff…. ANNOYING AF. I get that they were making a point but I skipped every time that started. I think this is one of those moments when this works better as a hardcover than audio. I liked the side characters a lot. It was pretty humorous and the side characters added some extra layers to the story that it definitely needed. It’s hard to connect with AI because hello… It’s AI so having other characters rounded the story better for sure. I like how the author changed the lore of the mythical creatures too so that added a new dimension to a tale as old as time. I definitely enjoyed it. The found family stuff was awesome. 4 stars Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for my gifted copy #scifi #monsters #ofmonstersandmainframes #barbaratruelove #audiobookreader #audiobooklover #netgalley #bookishreview #bookalorian #litdulterous #readerpodcast #bookbusiness #bookinfluencer #bookrecs #bookishrecs

I just finished The Gray Anarchist An Intriguing Political Thriller by Jeffrey Marcus Oshins and here are my musings. Senator Allen Hansen, a principled politician, is fighting for reelection… There is a bill. A controversial bill granting powers to the FBI that will allow them to breach the privacy of USA citizens without cause. He stands against the corrupt president and the battle is on between them. I don’t read many political thrillers because I find that authors tend to politically lean one way or the other and it shows in the writing and that irritates me no end but this book really caught my attention and I had to read it. The audiobook was excellent!! I really enjoyed the narrator! They did an excellent job of bringing the excitement to life. The book covers multiple POV with intersecting timelines… I think if I was reading the book, I may have gotten lost but the audio helped keep what was what straight in my head. The character development was probably the only part that fell a little flat! I don’t think anyone was as defined as I like but honestly there was enough of a plot and it moved at a consistent pace that it wasn’t a deal breaker in how much I enjoyed the book. It would make a great movie! 4 stars Thank you to @netgalley and Deep six publishers for my gifted ALC #politicalthriller #thegrayanarchrist #jefferymarcusoshins #thrillerreader #4starbook #audiobookreader #audiobooksofig #readersofig #bookreview #bookish #bookalorian #bookblog #bookishpodcast #litdulterous #netgalley #literaryinfluencer

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