FFAF: I Love Spring Book Tag

      

Intro

I am in the woes of spring allergies so I have to remind myself why spring is my favorite season. As such, this challenge is the perfect choice! I found it from Alli the Book Giraffe. It originated from helenthebookowl over on YouTube.

The Prompts and My Picks

How is spring where you live?

It is full of pretty blooms, the full scale of weather, and too much pollen

Most anticipated book release this spring?

Dangerously Ours by Krista & Becca Ritchie

I totally adored the first two books in the series so I am hyped to finish the trilogy!

Show us a book cover that reminds you of spring

The flowers are the most springy thing to me of this cover

What are you going to read this spring?

A lot of ARCs and trying to pick up some non-romance books as well

Find a cover with the sun on it

It took me a while to find one with the actual sun in it and not just sunlight. I read this one last year.

What are your favorite spring reads?

When spring rolls around, I tend to get very excited for the summer and want to dive into those. Books that involve the characters going outside match the vibe.

Find a book with many different colors in it

How about the whole rainbow?

Outro

This was a fun and quick time which I am always appreciate of. How is the spring going for you? See ya next week!

T10T: April Showers

       

Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday, following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! I love when the prompt is open to interpretation like this week! I am taking it to mean blue book covers

This week's prompt is..... April showers

These are in no particular order

1. Until We Meet Again by Lily Kim Qian
2. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
3. The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
4. Common Goal by Rachel Reid
5. The Trouble with Love and Exposure by Harriet Ashford
6. Cambria by A.R. Tyler
7. The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao
8. Let Me Count the Ways by Laurel Osterkamp
9. It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely
10. Hurt Me Not by Davidson King

These all compliment each other so well! I love the blue vibes.

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

I enjoyed taking a peek at all of the covers of books I've read so far this year to find some blue ones. I truly love how they all look together so much. What's your favorite color of book cover?

T10T: Books Titles That Describe Me/My Life

      

Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday, following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! I've been pretty busy lately, so I am happy for an easy prompt

This week's prompt is..... books titles that describe me/my life

These are in no particular order

1. Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
2. Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
3. The Good Girl Exception by Maren Moore
4. The Gender Binary is a Big Lie by Lee Wind
5. Thinky Thoughts: All Grown Up and Still Just as Confused by Gwenna Laithland
6. It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely
7. Everything is Spiritual by Rob Bell
8. Just Us by Evie Sterling
9. Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston
10. Back to December by Laurel Osterkamp

I will not be diving into how all of these apply as it can get rather personal and dark depending on the book, but they all do in different ways. In many cases, the actual plot of the book would not apply at all, but title alone would which is interesting.

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

This prompt was an interesting thought experiment. What's a book title that would apply to your life? See ya next week!

FFAF: The Easter Book Tag

    

Intro

Can you believe Easter is in 2 days? Tomorrow I'm hosting a community Easter party so it is the perfect time to do the Easter Book Tag! I found this tag from the Alli the Book Giraffe blog. It originated from the YouTube channel Rosie the Reader.

The Prompts and My Picks

Rabbits: a book that you wish would multiply (become a series)

Cambria by A.R. Tyler

I found something about this book incredibly addictive. I feel like you could follow a side character or two and make an interesting series out of it.

Egg: a book that surprised you

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

This book was a lot darker and triggering than I was lead to believe. It is truly depraved and a difficult read. I barely finished it. 

Hunt: a book that was hard for you to get your hands on

Addicted by Krista & Becca Ritche

As I am on a permanent book-buying ban (I make very low income), I very rarely get the chance to buy books. I got this one with a gift card.

Lambs: a children's book you still enjoy

The Geronimo Stilton series

It is simply lighthearted goofy fun with lovely illustrations. This series has been near and dear to my heart since I was a kid. 

Spring: a book with a cover that makes you think of spring

It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely

The pretty lavender storefront is totally giving a spring vibe. Gorgeous flowers automatically makes me think of spring.

Jesus: a religous or spiritual book you love

Everything is Spiritual by Rob Bell

I am not a religious or spiritual person at all. It simply does not interest me. This is the only book I've read that would count.

Rising from the dead: a book from a deceased author

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This one is one of my favorite classic books. I did a project about it in English class which made me connect to it even more.

Baskets: a book that is on your wish list right now

Addicted for Now by Krista & Becca Ritchie

As I discussed a bit ago, I am working on collecting this series. This is the next one I need to obtain.

Candy: a book that is sweet

So Not My Mr. Wright by Evie Sterling

Evie is my go-to author for sweeter reads. They are all lovely and lighthearted. This is my favorite of hers.

Outro

Well... this challenge leaned a bit more religious than I am comfortable with. Just remember, I do not support Christianity and the great falsification of what The Bible actually says. This was just meant to be lighthearted fun. As always, if you'd like to do the challenge, consider yourself tagged.

  

Spell the Month in Books: March 2026

Intro

This is a fun challenge that I am going to try for 2026. This is inspired by Mehsi-Hime! You can check out their picks here!

This month I decided to do this based on the first manga series I could come up with. I want to read month, I'm back to using my recent (or recentish) reads to spell the month. Shall we begin?

The Books

M - Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

A- Attention Seeker by Darcy Michael

R - (The) Rival Upgrade by Lauren Blakely

C - Caught Up by Navessa Allen

H - Hurt Me Not by Davidson King

Outro

All but "R" I was able to pull from within the last two months! Go me! R is a smidge of a stretch I know, but my goal is to minimally repeat so here we are. See you next month for another fun twist on this challenge (I think I might pull from my shelves!)

  

March 2026 Birthstone Book Covers

Intro

This is a fun challenge where I match book covers to each month's birthstone based on their colors. It is a fun way to look back at a rainbow of reads by the end of the year! I got this idea from Books Are the New Black so thanks to them for the fun challenge! Let's hope I can keep up with this for the whole year! If you would like to tackle this challenge yourself, consider yourself tagged!

For each month I will find 5 books that match that month's birthstone. March's birthstone is aquamarine which is a blue color that looks like this:

Book Covers

Let Me Count the Ways by Laurel Osterkamp

It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely 

Hurt Me Not by Davidson King

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

Outro

I was actually able to use all books I read this year, so I consider that an accomplishment! I hope I can keep this as a streak for the rest of the year. Wish me luck!

February 2026 Reads

 

 February 2026 Reads 

This month I read 16 books 

I DNFed 1 book

These books were 63% fiction

They were 19% physical, 13% digital, and 69% audio

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

My average rating was 4.18 stars

My longest reading day was the 23rd

The Books

➽ The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

➽ Growing Up Urkel by Jaleel White

➽ Stolen Moments by A.B. Jackson

➽ Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

➽ All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

➽ Cubby Season by Bindi Kennedy

➽ Tough Guy by Rachel Reid

➽ This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us by (too many authors to list here)

➽ The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

➽ Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood

➽ Hurt Me Not by Davidson King

➽ Attention Seeker by Darcy Michael

➽ It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely

➽ Delusions by Cazzie David

➽ Let Me Count the Ways by Laurel Osterkamp

➽ Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

FFAF: My Life in Books 2025

Intro

This is a fun bookish challenge that involves a number of life-milestone related prompts. I will see how many of these make sense versus are a bit of a stretch. I got the prompts from Secret Library Book Blog whose list can be found here. I also referenced Dini Panda Read's prompts which can be found here. Let's see how I do.

The Prompts and My Picks

In high school I was: Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel

People might be surprised by: Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart "Brittlestar" Reynolds

I will never be: Secretly Yours by Stephanie Rose

My fantasy job is: Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong

At the end of a long day I need: Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

I hate: The Flirting Game by Lauren Blakely

I wish I had: A Tour to Die For by Michelle Chouinard

My family reunions always make me wonder about: The Wages of Silence by Erin FitzGerald

At a party you'd find me with: Annie, Juliet, and the Great-Tailed Grackle by Sandra LJ

I've never been to: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

A happy day includes: Nights with Him by Lauren Blakely

A motto I live by: The Bad Boy Rule by Maren Moore

On my bucket list is: One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

2025 was the year of: Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica

In 2025 I wanted to be: Unapologetically ADHD by Pete D. Wright and Nikki Kinzer

In 2025 I was the: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

In 2025 I gained: Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton-George

In 2025 I lost: The Girlfriend Zone by Lauren Blakely (this one is because I got engaged, not due to a break-up).

In 2025 I loved: Recommended Reading by Paul Coccia

In 2025 I learned: Everything is Spiritual by Rob Bell

In 2025 I missed out on: The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas

In 2025 my family were: Will the Drama Ever End? by Karyl McBride

In 2026 I hope it will be: Runnin' No More by G.T. Dípè

Outro

This was a lot of fun! While most of the answers to these prompts are pretty truthful, there are a few that I just had to pick a book to fit the prompt and call it a day. I highly recommend giving challenges like this a go! I hope to do many more in 2026 as they are honestly my favorite kind of blog post. 

T10T: Books with Appealing Typography

 

Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday, following the list from That Artsy Reader Girl! (Yes I am now going to try to pull 10 for every week).

This week's prompt is..... books with appealing typography

These are in no particular order

1. Superfan by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
2. Here Lie All the Boys Who Broke My Heart by Emma Simmerman
3. Oxford Blood by Rachael Davis-Featherstone
4. The Weight Of Ashes by Erin FitzGerald
5. Untangled by Mallory Thomas
6. The Rival Upgrade by Lauren Blakely
7. Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston
8. Back to December by Laurel Osterkamp
9. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
10. Better Not Pout by Maren Moore

              

All of these are such nice titles. As you can probably tell, I do have a bit of a go-to style. What can I say, pretty is my vibe. 

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

This one was such a fun prompt to do. It made me realize I should spend a bit more time appreciating nice typography on book covers. Do you have any favorites?

January 2026 Reads

This month I read 11 books 

I DNFed 2 books

These books were 100% fiction

They were 0% physical, 36% digital, and 64% audio

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

My average rating was 4.09 stars

My longest reading day was the 24th

The Books

➽ The Weight of Ashes by Erin FitzGerald

➽ The Sweetheart Shortcut by Evie Sterling

➽ Oxford Blood by Rachael Davis-Featherstone

➽ Game Changer by Rachel Reid

➽ Just Breaking the Rules by Lauren Blakely

➽ Cross Your Heart and Hope He Dies by Jenny Elder Moke

➽ Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

➽ Dear Red, Be Mine by Bella Greene

➽ Here Lie All the Boys Who Broke My Heart by Emma Simmerman

➽ Just For the Cameras by Meghan Quinn

➽ Superfan: A Novel by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

FFAF: Did I Read My 10 Before the End

Intro

Now that 2026 is here, my time has expired to finish my "10 before the end" books of last year. I will tell you now, not all of these were finished and we will get into that. That said, progress did happen, so we are gonna celebrate the wins regardless of completion.

✅ means completed

💔 means untouched

🔆 means progress was made on it

The Books

1. Merry Little Kissmas by Lauren Blakely ✅
2. The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 🔆
3. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 🔆
4. The Autist's Guide to the Galaxy by Clara Törnvall 🔆
5. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth 💔
6. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff 🔆
7. My Roommate from Hell by Cale Dietrich ✅
8. Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel ✅
9. Dolls of Our Lives by Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks 🔆
10. Yule be Mine by Piper Rayne ✅

Discussion

See, it's not thattttt bad, I only entirely neglected 1 book. You can also blame my fiancée for two of these being unfinished (The Outsiders and The Autist's Guide to the Galaxy) as we are reading those together and they are way less inclined to reading than I am.

I enjoyed the books I finished and honestly did not read all that much time in December so it is unsurprising I am still in the middle of many of these. 4/10 is pretty good for prioritizing ARCs over anything and otherwise being a mood reader.

Outro

How did you do if you had a 10 before the end? Please tell me I am not the only one who did not finish half of it. I am still proud of kind of committing to a TBR that I considered no stakes. Let's just say, any other TBRs I make in the future of a similar nature are just for funsises.

Spell the Month in Books: January 2026

Spell the Month in Books: January 2026

Intro

This is a fun challenge that I am going to try for 2026. This is inspired by Mehsi-Hime! You can check out their picks here!

I will do my best to pull as many of the books as possible from my recent reads. That will help to avoid too much overlap between months. Without further ado, let's get into it!

The Books

J - Just for the Cameras by Meghan Quinn

A - A Tour to Die For by Michelle Chouinard

N - Nights with Him by Lauren Blakely

U - Untangled by Mallory Thomas

A - All Signs Point to Malibu by Jennifer Snow

R - Rucked Up Ruse by Beatrice Bradshaw

Y - Yule Be Mine by Piper Rayne

Outro

Oh man, finding a second A book was way more challenging that I anticipated. Now I know what letter I better try to read for next month lol. This was a lot of fun!

 Free For All Friday: 10 Before the End

Intro

As this year comes to a close, I wanted to recap the books I still hope to read before the end of the year. That is where "10 before the end" comes along. It is a trend that encourages us to make a TBR with a new year's due date. Can you believe there are only 2 months left in 2025?

A lot of these I am currently in the middle of. A couple are ARCS. I am hoping I end up loving every one. Let's get into them!

My Picks

1. Merry Little Kissmas by Lauren Blakely
2. The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
3. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
4. The Autist's Guide to the Galaxy by Clara Törnvall
5. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
6. The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
7. My Roommate from Hell by Cale Dietrich
8. Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel
9. Dolls of Our Lives by Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks
10. Yule be Mine by Piper Rayne

Outro

I have a nice variety of reads in my future (assuming I actually get to these.) I am hyped for each and every one. Have you read any of these? If not, what is on your ten before the end? I will see you again next week!

Top 5 Tuesday: Books with a High Page Count

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..... books with a high page count

These are in no particular order

1. The Charlie Method by Elle Kennedy
2. The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
3. Destructively Mine by Krista and Becca Ritchie
4. The Girlfriend Zone by Lauren Blakely
5. Ice Breaker by Ariel Dawn

I am the first to admit I tend to avoid books with over 500 pages. It takes a lot of a book to hold my attention for that long and to make me feel that the high number of pages is necessary to the narrative. Each one of these books was able to hold my attention with no issues! Some are even 5-star reads! Do you tend to like chunky reads?

Here it all is in a pretty lil' graphic 😁

I've got a lot on my plate lately, but I wouldn't have it any other way. As long as I keep a schedule, I should do just fine! Hopefully, next week I will be able to talk about books that are more in my normal page range. See you then!

Can't Wait Wednesday: Merry Little Kissmas

 

Can't Wait Wednesday

This week's book is.... Merry Little Kissmas

Author: Lauren Blakely

Publisher: Lauren Blakely Books

Release Date: October 28th, 2025

Blurb:

Wanted: A fresh shot at love for the holidays. But fake dating my brother’s grumpy best friend? He’s my new client, for Santa’s sake!

As a professional matchmaker, my biggest job this holiday season should be simple: find a date for the sexy single dad hockey player—aka my brother’s best friend—for his team’s fancy Christmas Eve gala.

Sure, Rowan’s hot as a crackling fire and spicier than a gingerbread man, but he hasn’t just sworn off romance. The Christmas hater has made a bet that I can’t find him a holidate.

What’s a matchmaker to do?

Win, of course. Even if it means fake-dating the Grinch myself to get him ready for the real thing.

Only…these fake dates at Christmas tree farms and hot cocoa competitions in the snowy small town of Evergreen Falls start to feel a little too real as I get to know the man behind the scowl. Somewhere between kisses under the mistletoe and a snowed-in night in his cabin curled up by the fire (where the stockings aren’t the only thing hung), I realize I’m in over my elf-loving head.

And when Rowan opens up to me at last about his painful past, I’m determined to give my brother’s best friend the holiday he deserves.

But what if the only gift I want him to unwrap this season is… me?

Explanation:

I am a big fan of Lauren Blakely's books as of late. Also, this cover alone would totally sell me on this book! Isn't it totally adorable?

As summer is winding down, I am totally getting geared up for colder weather. As such, I am hyped for holiday reads! I just know Lauren's funny banter is going to play in perfectly to a book like this!

Come back next week to discover another book I am excited for!

July 2025 Reads

  July 2025 Reads 

This month, I read 8 books 

These books were 100% fiction

They were 13% physical, 38% digital, and 50% audio

The most popular genres were romance, contemporary, and childrens

My average rating was 4.28 stars

My longest reading day was the 13th

The Books

➽ The Brave Bats of Congress Avenue Bridge by Sandra LJ

➽ Sara's Game by Erine Lindsey

➽ One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

➽ Nights with Him by Lauren Blakely

➽ Forbidden Nights by Lauren Blakely

➽ Citlali and the Spiny Lizard by Sandra LJ

➽ Icebreaker by Ariel Dawn

➽ Beartown by Fredrik Backman

 Joy Delivered Duet Release Day

Happy release day to the Joy Delivered  Duet by Lauren Blakely. This duet features Nights with Him and Forbidden Nights. Each of these wonderful stories has a full cast for the audiobooks. 

Nights with Him tropes:

💜tortured hero

💜mistaken identity

💜starts with a bang

💜one night stand

💜billionaire hero

💜no strings romance

💜forbidden romance

Nights with Him Synopsis:

I didn’t know who the smoldering man in the expensive suit was that first night.

Only that he was commanding.

Intense.

And exactly what I needed to forget my heartbreak.

But there’s no forgetting him the next day when Jack Sullivan walks into my office.

Philanthropic billionaire, brilliant businessman, my brand-new client…

And off-limits in every possible way.

We should have walked away.

Instead, we made a new arrangement.

Thirty nights. No promises.

Just stolen moments in penthouses, in Paris hotel rooms, on Manhattan balconies.

But the deeper we go, the harder it is to pretend this is just physical.

Because when Jack starts to share the things he loves with me—the symphony, books, late nights exploring the city—he’s impossible to resist.

And the more nights we spend tangled in pleasure, the more he owns my once-guarded heart.

Soon, I start to believe in something more.

But Jack doesn’t do love.

His past still owns too much of him.

And no matter how deep we fall, some risks feel too impossible to take.

Unless I can convince him that what we have is worth breaking every rule.

Forbidden Nights tropes:

❤ best friends to lovers

❤ lessons in seduction

❤ best friend’s sister

❤ he’s rich and generous

Forbidden Nights Synopsis

My best friend is gorgeous, wildly successful, and loves to spoil me. He’s also sworn off love.

Which is why Nate Harper is the perfect man to help me.

I’ve spent my life being in control. Now I want to learn how to let go, and Nate decides he’s the only one who can teach me.

If anyone can show me how to surrender, it’s my confident, outrageously flirty friend.

The deal? No strings. No feelings. No risks.

As we travel to London, New York, and decadent tropical islands, he proves just how good giving in can feel.

It’s only an arrangement. Nothing more.

Except now he’s looking at me differently.

Touching me like he doesn’t want to stop.

Kissing me like he wants these late nights to keep going.

And suddenly, what started as casual feels a lot like something real.

But his scars run deep.

His heart’s on ice.

And our friendship means too much to risk it.

Unless I can convince him that some things are worth the fall.

Where to Get Them

Both Nights with Him and Forbidden Nights are available on KU for the ebook. The audiobooks are available on Audible. If you are looking for some swoon-worthy romances to keep you company, this duet is perfect for you!

June 2025 Reads

  June 2025 Reads

This month, I read 9 books 

These books were 67% fiction

They were 22% physical, 44% digital, and 33% audio

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

My average rating was 4.58 stars

My longest reading day was the 20th

The Books

➽ Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady

➽ The Lion in the Library by Amy Award

➽ Forechecked by Forever by Ariana St. Claire

➽ The Bad Boy Rule by Maren Moore

➽ The Overtime Kiss by Lauren Blakely

➽ Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell

➽ Unprotected: a Memoir by Billy Porter

➽ The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

➽ You Too?: 25 Voices Share Their #MeToo Stories