T10T: My Latest 5-Star Reads

        

Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday, following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As I missed last week, I will be throwing back to it this week.

This week's prompt is..... my latest 5-star reads

These are from most to least recent

1. Cambria by A.R. Tyler
2. The Weight of Ashes by Erin FitzGerald
3. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
4. Everything is Spiritual by Rob Bell
5. Ain't Nobody's Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackmann
6. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
7. Better Not Pout by Maren Moore
8. Half-Light Harbor by Samantha Young
9. Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations by Alton Brown
10. Burning Down the House by Dani Galliaro

I am actually quite picky with my 5-star reads. They are likely what some people would consider 6-star reads. My 5-stars are only books I know will stick with me forever. As such, only the first three are from 2026.

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

How picky are you with your 5-star reads? Please share your 5-star recs as I am due for one! See you tomorrow for some gushing!

T10T: Books with Green Covers

  

Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday, following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! Yay for being able to do the prompt it its entirety! Happy St. Patrick's Day to all who celebrate!

This week's prompt is..... books with green covers

These are in no particular order

1. Stolen Moments by AB Jackson
2. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
3. Unseen by Molly Burke
4. Sweet On You by Dani Galliaro
5. Thinky Thoughts by Gwenna Laithland
6. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
7. Destructively Mine by Krista & Becca Ritchie
8. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
9. Game On by Navessa Allen
10. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Yay for pretty green covers. They are all so gorgeous, especially together.

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

I am so happy this week went a lot smoother than previous weeks. It was getting rough not gonna lie. What color do you think is most prominent on your shelves?

FFAF: Romance Reader Book Tag

  

Intro

As Valentine's Day is tomorrow, it is definitely the perfect time to talk all about romance books. It is my favorite genre after all! I got the prompts from Alli the Book Giraffe whose list can be found here. Let's dive into it!

The Prompts and My Picks

What age did you start reading romance novels? I do not exactly remember, but I think I read a romance or two in middle school. Since then, my consumption of the genre has skyrocketed.

If you could pick one hero to meet from your favorite romance novels who would it be and why? Oh gosh, this is a tough one. Maybe Mark from Something Lost by Erin Fitzgerald. I feel like he has a pretty similar personality and mannerisms to my fiancée, so I feel like we would get along well. 

Who is your favorite romance authors and why? I enjoy Erin FitzGerald, Dani Galliaro, Maren Moore, and Harriet Ashford because they write incredible indie romance stories that feel like home.

What is a favorite romance novel to re-read? Soooooo, I don't actually reread almost at all. So uh, the only romance I have considered rereading is Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood so I can annotate it.

What book would you recommend to a non romance reader? I would recommend any books in the Colson Creek series by Erin FitzGerald because they are fantastic stories with such loveable characters. But more importantly, all of the books also have strong suspense storylines which adds a bit beyond the romance to get a good start.

Which is your favorite, contemporary, suspense, or historical and why? In the past, I would wholeheartedly say contemporary because that is what most of my favorite authors write. As of late, it is honestly romantic suspense. It makes me wanna keep reading endlessly. I will always kinda hate historical because all I can focus on is how it is inaccurate. 

Outro

I feel like this was the perfect tag to celebrate Valentine's Day. Are you a fellow romance lover? I would love to hear your recs!

 Top 5 Tuesday: Authors I Am Thankful For

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... authors I am thankful for

These are in no particular order

1. Harriet Ashford
2. Erin FitzGerald
3. Jennifer Lynn Barnes
4. Bindi Kennedy
5. Dani Galliaro

Happy Thanksgiving season to those who celebrate! While I am against the holiday in terms of its heavily falsified history, I do like that it encourages people practice gratitude. As such, I'm expressing gratitude for authors I love. Most of these are people I now consider friends. The only exception is Jennifer Lynn Barnes who I do not know personally. She is on this list because her books got me back into reading for fun in high school. If I hadn't picked up The Naturals my freshman year, I would probably not be writing this blog post right now. 

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic as always

I am looking forward to all of the family time this time of year lends itself to. Crazy that the next time I do this list it will be December aka my birthday month! Does anyone have any fun ideas of what I could do for it?

 Top 5 Tuesday: Cozy Reads

Welcome back to Top 5 Tuesday, now following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! As always, I do a top 5 instead of a top 10 because I tend to struggle to find 10 books for prompts.

This week's prompt is..... cozy reads

These are in no particular order

1. In Love's Key, Reprised by Guri Nojiro
2. Ringtail Bedtime by Sandra LJ
3. Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell
4. The Lion in the Library by Amy Award
5. Sweet on You by Dani Galliaro

There is quite the variety of reading reccomendations here so there should be something here for every reader. From poetry, to manga, to romance, to children's, everything that I read that could be called cozy is here. I do not read fantasy so for cozy fantasty recs you should check the recs of others.

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

Oh gosh things in my personal life are an utter mess not gonna lie. A lot of big changes and depressing things, but books are my happy place through this all. Thank you for sticking with me and see you tomorrow for some gushing!

Free For All Friday: Spring Cleaning Book Tag

Free For All Friday: Spring Cleaning Book Tag

Intro

Hello loveslies! As the spring weather is coming to a close, what better time to finally complete a bit of bookish spring cleaning? Of course, this is just a book challenge. I actually managed my shelves not that long ago. I saw this tag on Dini Panda Reads' blog. Anyone who sees this is welcome to give the challenge a try! Let's get to cleaning!

The Prompts

• Getting started: A book series you've been wanting to read (Beartown)
• Cleaning/organizing closet: the best way to organize books (by author and series)
• Getting rid of unnecessary things: book/series you no longer need (Skink No SUrrender)
• Get some air: your favorite lighthearted read (Beg, Borrow, or Steal)
• Clean out the kitchen cupboards: your favorite food-themed read (Sweet on You (on a peach farm))
• Dust the shelves: the fifth book on your shelves (Unsteady by Peyton Corinne)
• Wishing for the end: a 2025 release you are excited about (Caught Up)
• Long but satisfying: the longest book series you've read (Wolf Mountain Ranchers)

My Picks and Explanations

Getting Started: I have really been wanting to try reading the Beartown series by Fredrik Backman. I've heard fantastic things about it, and I am a big hockey fan, so I think it would be totally up my alley!

Cleaning/organizing closet: I admit I don't have the best shelf organization due to very limited shelf space. That said, I always keep series and authors together. Otherwise, it is just based on what fits. 😬 Hopefully, in the future, I also have room to sort by genre.

Getting rid of unnecessary things: The only book on my shelves that I don't know if I would actually read is Skink No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen. I used to love his book growing up. I had gotten this one and even started it, but never got the chance to finish it. 

Get some air: I had a bit of trouble deciding what book I've read recently that would actually be considered nearly entirely lighthearted. That is when I landed on Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams. I remember it being quite lighthearted and a fun read. If I am incorrect and forgot something notably heavy, my apologies.

Clean out the kitchen cupboards: There are very few food-themed books I've read, which feels like a fail on my end, and I will do my best to remedy this in the near future. That said, I did recently read a book set on a peach farm, so I think that counts. Right? That book is Sweet on You by Dani Galliaro.

Dust the shelves: After referencing my shelves, the fifth book on it is Unsteady by Peyton Corinne. Which I admit I saw in Barnes & Noble one day, and totally fell in love with the cover. Needless to say, I really want to read it when I have the time. It appears to not be too long. 

Wishing for the end: Admittedly, I have a whole series on my blog called Can't Wait Wednesday, so I had a lot of trouble deciding which I wanted to choose for this challenge. In the end, Caught Up by Navessa Allen won out. I cannot wait to experience more of her dark comedic writing later this year!

Long but satisfying: This prompt seems to really be made for the fantasy reader girlies, so this isn't really for me. I am also generally not a fan of super-long series, so the longest I could remember reading in recent memory was the Wolf Mountain Ranchers series by Erin FitzGerald. 

Outro

Well, lovelies, we have come to the end. Do you feel cleaner? I don't know if I would go that far, but I do feel productive, so that is worth something. I absolutely love doing book tags like this one, so if you discover any in the book blogging world, feel free to send them my way! I will see you all on Sunday for the start of the Wonderland Pride Spotlight interviews!

February 2025 Reads

  February 2025 Reads

This month I read 15 books 

These books were 80% fiction

They were 0% physical, 40% digital, and 60% audio

The most popular genres were romance, contemporary, and LGBTQ+

My average rating was 4.1 stars

My longest reading day was February 2nd

The Books

➽ Will the Drama Ever End? by Karyl McBride

➽ Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

➽ Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty

➽ It Started With a Kiss by Clare Lydon

➽ Runnin' No More by G.T. Dípè

➽ The Wiener Across the Way by Amy Award

➽ Unthinkable by Dani Galliaro

➽ The Party by Natasha Peterson

➽ On Loverose Lane by Samantha Young

➽ Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver

➽ We All Fall Down by Erin FitzGerald

➽ Cross My Heart by Shae Ruby

➽ The Anaconda Downstairs by Amy Award

➽ The Resilience Project by Hugh Van Cuylenburg

➽ Blind Date with a #HOCKEYBOY by Ariana St. Claire

What This Week February 10 - 16

 What This Week: February 10 - 16

Welcome to the first ever What This Week. This will be my chance to keep you all updated on what I'm consuming. Perhaps we have some things in common?

What books I finished:

• The Wiener Across the Way by Amy Award
• Unthinkable by Dani Galliaro
• The Party by Natasha Peterson

What books I started:

• On Loverose Lane by Samantha Young

What I'm listening to:

• Short n' Sweet (Deluxe) by Sabrina Carpenter

What I'm watching:

• Ghost in the Shell 2.0
• Paddington 2

May 2024 Reads

  May 2024 Reads 

This month I read 13 books 

These books were 92% fiction

The most popular genres were romance, children's, and contemporary

My average rating was 4.17 stars

The Books

➽ I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

➽ Playing for Keeps by Jennifer Dugan

➽ You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell

➽ The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

➽ Fake Dating and Matchmaking 101 by Evie Sterling

➽ Puck Money by Dani Galliaro

➽ Falling for My Fake Kisser Neighbor by Lila Marlow

➽ The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella

➽ Geronimo Stilton 15 & 16 audio

➽ Geronimo Stilton 4-6 audio

➽ So Not My Boss Crush by Evie Sterling

➽ Smudges by Lauren Emerson

➽ Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Puck Money by Dani Galliaro Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.25/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Hockey romance

➮ Workplace romance

➮ Friends with benefits

➮ LGBTQ+ rep

➮ Spicy lessons

Synopsis

You can be at the top of your game with no game? Nick Oberbeck is the young star goalie for the LA Princes. With money and prestige, he should be able to get anyone he wants. Why can’t the golden boy seem to make the connections he craves? Nick’s path collides with golden girl Annie Markham when they’re both at their friends’ wedding. Lucky for him, Annie’s fresh off a heartbreak involving a coworker. Nick tries his best to bag Annie and succeeds... kind of. They go their separate ways until Annie has a work opportunity in LA: an opportunity to be Nick’s sports agent. Neither of them wants to repeat their mistakes, but Nick asks Annie for a big favor. The catch? No one can know.

Best Quote From the Book

“I was so taken by the beauty of both your scars and your resilience"

LGBTQ+ Representation

5/5 🌈

Both MCs are LGBTQ+. This is discussed in earnest and heavily impacts their characters. Nick has to handle the struggle of being a pansexual hockey player. As a result, he keeps his identity hidden. There is still a lot of discrimination towards LGBTQ+ people in sports so it is often not safe to openly come out without risking your career. He also discusses how his parents had different reactions to him coming out. This book discusses the importance of relationships where a person is supportive of you but still doesn't really understand your identity. There are lots of people in that situation so it is amazing to see it represented with literature.

Annie identifies as bisexual. These experiences with people of various gender identities have shaped who she is today and how she approaches potential relationships. She is generally more open than Nick due to being in a safer situation but she does discuss the struggles of being unsure if/when to mention your identity when meeting new people while being out as a general concept. 

My Thoughts

At first, I truly did not like Annie's character. She continued to stay in a relationship with a married man even after discovering he was married. It was then a struggle to root for her for the first quarter of the book. After that, I started to like her a lot more and that aspect of her character became less irritating. 

I loved the little Scarlett Letter reference. It was the perfect little nod. Not too overt or forced but enough to be widely recognizable. 

These days I am really a sucker for any books at least partially set at a wedding. I'm not sure what it is about that setting that is so appealing right now to me but this book definitely hit the spot. Their blunder of a hookup at the wedding was quite funny and is what got me to start liking the characters more. 

Nick is one of the most pure characters I have seen in a spicy book. He well and truly had no idea how to please a woman and it somehow added to his charm. He was also a FANTASTIC babysitter which was heartwarming to see. Truly Nick is just so much better than Annie. He is such a simp for her I love it! He would change the rotation of the Earth for her if she asked. 

This book is very spicy. It is the plot, not just a big part, it is honestly most of the plot. No, this book is not erotica. If you are not comfortable with a healthy portion of open-door spice, this is not the book for you. I will say I was very happy the spice elements did not read in a pornographic way and truly developed the characters. 

If anything, I feel like this book could've been trimmed down a bit to be shorter. I'm not sure what exactly contributed to the slightly dragged-down feeling. It just felt like I was constantly wanting to fast-forward to the next plot point I suppose. 

A few of the dates Annie and Nick went on were so cute. Such as the Venice Beach-themed date or when they bonded over books. The moments they actually let themselves act like a couple flowed very well. 

Overall, this book was enjoyable if you like a spicy read that isn't dark. The hockey elements came into play at some points. I would've loved to see it be a tad bit shorter and to give Annie a redemption arc earlier on in the story. 

I received this book as an arc through Happily Booked PR. My review is honest and voluntary.