Queen of Books: JANUARY - MAY READING WRAP-UP '24

Time for another wrap up!

Hello everyone! This is a recap of all the books I read from January through May of 2024. I haven't been reading as many books as I normally do so I decided to combine all the recaps together.

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first physical book that I read was A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford. This is a fantasy book about a princess named Imogen who has taken the place of the real princess who died four years ago from a plague which ravaged the kingdom. Only a few know that Imogen is actually Jewish commoner, Seraphina. She's trapped in the palace along with many others and a mad king who makes impossible demands of them and keeps them all trapped in there. However, when this book begins, the food supplies are starting to run out and when a plague survivor named Nico is tasked to scour the land for survivors he ends up where Seraphina is kept and their paths intertwine. A Multitude of Dreams is a retelling of The Masque of the Red Death and I didn't know the original story when I first read this but learning about the original, you can see a lot of the ideas that Mara Rutherford took and made her own. I didn't end up liking this as much as I did but I ended up rating it 3.5 stars.

The second physical book that I read was Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch. This is a historical fiction romance book about a Duke named Michael who is viewed as an eccentric by the ton as he's more interested in science then Society. When his aunt leaves her black poodle, Lancelot in his care while she travels he meets Elizabeth who is the third daughter of a viscount and in her second season in London. She is named the diamond of the season and one of her suitors, arranges to steal her dog so he can get attention from Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth and Michael meet in the park the same time that her suitor has arranged to steal her dog and the two dogs get mixed up. Obviously chaos ensues. This is such a chaotic and fun story that I really enjoyed reading it. I ended up rating it 3.5 stars.

The third physical book that I read was There's No Way I'd Die First by Lisa Springer. This is a YA thriller book about a girl named Noelle who knows and loves horror. She decides to throw an exclusive Halloween party on Long Island with a guest list that includes the coolest kids in her senior class. She hopes she can get enough popularity to start a podcast with her love of horror. Plus she also has singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell who will bring more fame to her party. She is sure the party will go off without a hitch. She even hires a low-budget clown to do some scaring in a sort of nostalgic way, but instead he's terrifying and when he kills one of her guests, the night takes a turn. But Noelle knows horror and she's determined to be a final girl. I wanted to love this one as the premise is so cool and I love slasher horror books. However, I didn't like the majority of the characters and some of the twists were very predictable. I ended up rating it 2.5 stars.

The fourth physical book I read was She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran. I read another horror book right after There's No Way I'd Die First and this one I also didn't end up enjoying. I had heard so many good things about this one so I wanted to try it. It was pitched as a haunted house book perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic and The Ghost Bride. Both of those books are some of my favorite horror books that I've read so I was excited. This follows Jade who arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father. She hopes to make it out with the college money he promised her. However, the French colonial house that her dad is restoring has other plans. Every night she wakes up paralyzed, the walls thrum and she's finding bug parts where they should not belong. She's also finding traces of her ancestors in the gardens. Oh and there's a ghost who leaves her cryptic warnings like: Don't eat. Her dad and sister don't believe her but Jade gets help from a delinquent girl to prove that the house will not rest until it destroys them. This is such a cool premise but it did not deliver on what it promised. I was bored and found myself disliking most of the characters and plot. I will try more from this author in the future though because I liked the writing style. I rated it 2 stars.

The fifth physical book I read was What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez. This ended up being one of the best books I've read so far this year. This is about Inez Olivera who is Bolivian-Argentinian and belongs to the upper society of nineteeth century Buenos Aires. Despite her having everything a girl could want, she yearns to join her globetrotting parents who constantly leave her behind to go travel the world. When she receives word of their disappearance/assumed deaths, Inez inherits their large fortune as well as a mysterious guardian who is an archeologist. She doesn't believe they're dead and sets off to Cairo where they were last seen, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient gold ring that her father had sent to her before his assumed death. However, upon her arrival, the ring and old world magic tied to it pulls her down a path where she learns there's a lot she didn't know about her parents and their assumed deaths then what her guardian had led her to believe. Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent's disappearance or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that would surely kill her. It doesn't help though that her guardian's handsome assistant is thwarting her at every turn and becoming a sure distraction. This is pitched as The Mummy meets Death on the Nile and it is definitely that. It was so immersive and blended fantasy with history perfectly. I loved it a lot and can't wait to read the sequel in November. I rated it 5 stars.

The sixth physical book I read was Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert. I've read a lot of Katee Robert books but this is a pirate fantasy romance which immediately had me intrigued. This book is about Evelyn who is a witch and when she steals from her vampire ex and falls through a portal to another realm she's fished out of the water by a band of seafarers and their telekinetic. They offer her a choice: join their group or die. Bowen, the captain, has no memory of his life before the pirate crew. He and the rest of them are bound by vow to patrol through Threshold which is the magical sea in between realms in order to keep the portals to other worlds safe. Tensions heat up between Bowen and Evelyn but Evelyn has no intention of keeping her vows to the crew and if she betrays them, both she and Bowen will pay the ultimate price. This was a fun read but wasn't really anything special. I expected a lot more from this book because the world-building and fantasy storyline were so interesting but the insta-love ruined a lot of it for me. I ended up only rating this one 3.5 stars.

The seventh physical book that I read was The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore. This was a fun young adult fantasy book about a girl named Este who enrolls in the third most haunted school in the country because she hopes to find out about her dead father. She doesn't necessarily believe in ghosts but she thinks going to her dad's school seems like a good way to figure out who he was. But Este meets Mateo who is a real ghost and when he frames her for the theft of a rare book and vanishes, she has to track him down or risk being expelled. This book was a fun time and I really enjoyed reading it. I rated it 4 stars.

The eighth physical book that I read was Don't Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban. This is a sort of Bridgerton/Parent Trap esque book where two debutantes are trying to distract themselves from having to seek husbands and instead are setting up their widowed parents. However, instead they end up finding a match in each other. I thought it was a cute romance but I didn't really love the ending and how everything wrapped up. However, I had a good time so I rated it 4 stars.

The ninth physical book that I read was Next-Door Nemesis by Alexa Martin. I really like Alexa Martin's books and this was no exception. This is about Collins who has to return back home to living with her parents and after running into her high school nemesis at a local coffee shop, she realizes this is her rock bottom. Then the homeowner's association complaint arrives. Nathaniel wants a quiet life in his suburban hometown, or that's what he thinks before Collins moves back and sends his organized life into disarray. When she announces she's running against him for HOA president, all bets are off. This is such a fun time and I loved the fun storyline as well as the romance. I rated it 4 stars.

The tenth physical book that I read was Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams. This is about Annie who is on a quest to find her perfect match, someone who complements her happy, quiet life running the local flower shop. But it's hard when everyone knows everyone in her hometown and the dating prospects are getting fewer by the day. After she overhears her latest date say that she is "so unbelievably boring" she thinks she's the problem. And so she decides to get a "tutor" to practice with. That tutor happens to be Will Griffin. Will is the bodyguard of Amelia Rose who is temporarily back in town to provide security for her upcoming marriage to Noah, Annie's brother. Will's personal objective is to stay away from possible attachments, including Annie. But when he finds himself tasked with helping Annie find the love of her life, he doesn't have the heart to say no. This was such a cute book and I had such a good time reading it. I rated it 4 stars.

The eleventh physical book that I read was Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. I read this to prepare for the Bridgerton Netflix show but I still haven't really watched it. This is about Penelope Featherington who has secretly adored her best friend's brother for years. She thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles upon his deepest secret and fears she doesn't actually know him at all. Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as just an empty-headed charmer and tired of Lady Whistledown, the gossip columnist, mentioning him in every publication. However, when he returns from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same including Penelope Featherington. I had a good time reading this one but didn't like it as much as the third book. I ended up rating it 4 stars.

The twelfth physical book that I read was Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage. This is about Emmy who has accomplished everything on her to-do list and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to her hometown that she always wanted to escape. Luke is Meadowlark's most notorious bachelor, bad boy and bar owner. He's also Emmy's older brother's best friend. It has been years since he's seen her but when she returns to Meadowlark he can't take his eyes off of her. This is a very popular book in the book community and I can see why. Unfortunately for me I did not like this one. This was one of my most disappointing reads of this year so far. I did not like the romance which felt super underdeveloped and rushed and since it was the main part of this book, it fell flat for me. I did however like the main character and I may try one of this author's books in the future. I ended up rating it 2.5 stars.

The thirteenth physical book I read was The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson. This is about Bel who has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom's mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is presumed dead and Bel wants everyone to move on. However, the case becomes more prominent again when the Price family agrees to a true crime documentary. And then the impossible happens, Rachel Price reappears. Rachel has an unbelievable story about what happened to her and Bel isn't sure if she's telling the truth. But if Rachel is lying, then where has she been? Bel is determined to figure out the truth about her mother. This was such an intense YA thriller and I think Holly Jackson is becoming one of my favorite YA authors. I rated it 4 stars.

The fourteenth physical book I read was Collide by Bal Khabra. This is another very popular book in the romance book world. It's about Summer who's lifelong dream is to become a sport psychologist but when a professor makes her work with hockey captain Aiden, she's angry. Aiden is nominated by his coach to be the subject of a research project that Summer is writing. Neither can stand each other but refuse to admit defeat. This was such a cute romance book that I had such a fun time reading. The two main characters were such fun protagonists. Overall I rated it 4 stars.

The fifteenth physical book I read was Bride by Ali Hazelwood. I have read quite a few of this author's books but this is her first paranormal romance book. It's about Misery who is the daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman but she lives among the Humans until she is called upon to uphold a peacekeeping alliance between Vampyres and their mortal enemies the Weres. Lowe is the Alpha of his Were pack and he does not trust Misery. Misery has her own reasons for agreeing for this marriage of convenience, and these have to do with the only thing she's ever cared about and she's willing to do whatever it takes. I wanted to like this one so much as I saw raving reviews all over the internet. However, I ended up not liking this one. There were a lot of paranormal romance tropes in this one but I feel like they were all just thrown in and there wasn't as much development as I liked. I rated it 3 stars.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE

ARC'S READ

The first ARC that I read was Love, Naturally by Sophie Sullivan. I've picked up almost every book by Sophie Sullivan, and enjoyed them all, so I was very excited to read this one. This was about Presley who is an accomplished concierge at an exclusive hotel, and does not usually venture on any sort of wilderness adventure or camping trip. But she decides to surprise her boyfriend of eight months with a vacation to the Get Lost Lodge since she thinks he'd like it. However, it doesn't go as planned and he dumps her so she decides to rough it solo and take the trip alone. When Presley shows up the Lodge, Beckett Keller who works there knows she's out of her comfort zone. But he has more important things on his mind aka his own plans being deferred because of a crumbling lodge. But they feel a draw towards each other regardless. This was a fun time but I feel like it was very insta-lovey as it took place over about ten days which made me rate it lower then this author's other books. I rated it 3.5 stars.

The second ARC that I read was The Neighbor Wager by Crystal Kaswell. This is about Deanna and River who have been neighbors for most of their lives. Although they've known each other for years, River has always been in love with Deanna's little sister. Deanna is the brains behind a new dating app named Meetcute and she is determined to prove to River that what he's feeling for Lexi isn't love. I don't know what I expected when I picked this one up but it was definitely not what I got. I did not like either of the main characters. They both were definitely victims of misogyny which I did not like for a rom-com type of book. I ended up rating it 3 stars.

The third ARC that I read was That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee. This is about Emma who runs a small business as a culinary instructor in LA where she teaches Korean royal court cuisine to young ladies who want to marry into the exclusive upper crust Korean families. She wants to open up a culinary school of her own which is her dream. Her godmother is a Korean matchmaker and her fellow matchmakers decide to meddle in Emma's love life in a bid to sabotage her godmother and push her dreams out of reach. She isn't ready for love but she has to go on a series of arranged first dates to find herself the perfect on paper husband to help save her godmother's reputation and her dream. But then after a series of disastrous first dates she meets Michel who says he's a professor at USC and might have to reevaluate her position on love. Michel is actually a prince and though he is bound by duty and responsibility to his country, he does not want an arranged marriage. He wants to find someone he loves and who loves him for who he is before he is arranged in a marriage to someone he doesn't love. I did not expect this one to be so cute. I loved the main characters and although some of it was a little predictable, the storyline itself was so fun and original. I rated it 5 stars.

The fourth ARC that I read was A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. This is one of my favorite books that I read this year. This is about Niamh who has magic that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric but it's also the magic that will eventually kill her. She is determined to spend her time guaranteeing a better life for her family so she jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland. But Avaland is not the fairytale she'd imagined, while young nobles have a life of luxury, unrest brews in the working class. The groom, Kit, is prickly, abrasive and does not want to get married in a political arrangement. But when Kit and Niamh grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more. That is until an anonymous columnist starts writing about their chemistry, only promising to leave them alone if Niamh helps uncover the royal family's secrets. I loved this book so much. The writing style was so gorgeous and Allison Saft always has a way of transporting readers into the book and this was no exception. I rated this one 5 stars.

The fifth ARC that I read was Wake Me Most Wickedly by Felicia Grossman. I read the first book in this historical romance series a while ago but this one is another fun one. It's a reimagining of the story of Snow White. This is about Solomon who has little interest in power but wants to repay the half-brother who raised him, which means he has to find a respectable wife as well as money and influence. However, when outcast Hannah saves his life, he finds himself drawn to her. Hannah only sees herself as a villain as she's forever tainted by her parents' crimes. In order to survive she has to illegally hunt down whatever her clients wish. So when she falls for Sol, she knows he belongs to a different world but when has that ever stopped anyone? I had a good time reading this one but it didn't feel like anything special and I definitely enjoyed the first book, Marry Me By Midnight, more. I rated it 3 stars.

REVIEWS IN JUNE:

NONE

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

NONE

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

NONE

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL MEN:

Whit from What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

Kit from A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

Aiden from Collide by Bal Khabra

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES: