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Ely Picks Romance Books For Me TBR

Aug 22, 2021

Last year Ely and I picked romance books for each other to read, and we thought it was time that we did it again. We didn’t really have any rules for this, just pick 3 books that we think or want the other to read. You can out what Ely picked for me last year as well as what I thought of the reads.

I didn’t really have an idea of what books I wanted Ely to pick for me. I just told her to pick anything that she wants. So here we go, these are the books that she picked for me.

Slippery Creatures by K.J Charles

Ely: This probably comes as no surprise to you. As soon as I finished this I literally started screaming at you about how good it was and since we originally ordered our copies at the same time, you know I have to force you to read this one now. I’m interested to see what you think of this because I feel like mysteries are probably one of the very few genres that I like more than you do, but it has still had that historical romance element I think you’ll love.

Angel: Well I’m not surprised that this one has made it onto this list. Like you said we bought this together and I’ve been meaning to read it for a while now. And it’s true you definitely like mystery way more than I do. But I love a good mystery element mixed into my romance book, especially if it’s historical romance. I have heard such fantastic things about this book and it just makes me excited.

Finding His Mark by Brittney Sahin

E: I thought since last time I made you my guinea pig, that this time I’d give you something you might possibly enjoy. This is a Stealth Ops/SEAL team and I know you’ve read and loved a few like that in the past. Plus, if you end up enjoying this, this is just the first book in a ten book series and I know how you love marathon series!

A: I actually haven’t heard of this one and it makes me so intrigued. I have loved my military romances before and this sounds right up my alley. And it’s also true that I love marathoning romance series that is for sure. I’m really excited about this one, and I think I’m going to have to get to it very soon.

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

E: I’ve actually been eyeing off this one to read for a little bit so you’re back to being my guinea pig. You know how much I struggle with contemporary romances, so I need you to tell me whether this is worth my time. This is an enemy to lovers, fake-dating, a slow-burn romance set in Spain so it sounds kind of perfect.

A: None of you can see how much I am laughing right now. I am in actual tears. Before I tell you why Ely and I didn’t discuss what books we were going to pick for one another, we have ideas on genre, but that is it. And somehow with all the books out there – we both picked the same book. This one. I feel pretty much the same, contemporary romances aren’t really my thing. I’m talking textbook contemporary romances here. In saying all this, I have heard such fantastic things about this one and I’m excited to see what we both think about it.

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And there we go. Those are the three romance books Ely has picked for me to read sometime this year. You can check out the books I picked for here and what she thought of them over on Earl Grey Books.

Have you read any of those books? What did you think of them? Are there any books that someone has picked for you to read this year? Let’s Chat!

Completed Series I Need To Finish Reading

Aug 19, 2021

Today I thought I would share the completed series that I currently have to finish reading. I normally do pretty well and can binge read series. But when I start them before they are finished, I do sometimes forget about them. So today I thought I would hold myself accountable and share the completed series that I need to get on reading.

For some of these series, I’ve read most of the books. And there are others that I have only read the first but want to keep on reading. From young adult to romance and fantasy here are those series that I need to get on and finish reading. Like always these are in no order.

Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh: I don’t have many books in this series to go. I actually have the last 3 of this one to go. I do have the trinity series to read as well, but I only have 3 more books in this series to go. I’m just taking my time with this series. I binge-read the first 8 or so, and then I’ve slowly been reading the rest. I just love this series so much.

The Brown Sisters by Talia Hibbert: I read the first book in this trilogy earlier this year with Ely and I bought the rest of the books right away, and now I need to get onto reading them. I’m super excited because I loved the first book and I’ve heard they get better and better.

The Folk of the Air Series by Holly Black: I have only read the first book in this one and I really did enjoy it. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the other books in this series, but I want to know about it myself. I’ve not really been reading much YA lately but I’m still excited to read it.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin: This is another one that I have heard mixed things about the next few books in the series. But I really enjoyed the first book, the world and the characters. As I said before I haven’t been reading a whole lot of young adult books but I am still very excited.

Ice Planet Barbarians Series: This series is not everyone’s cup of tea – but I have so much fun reading it. I’m currently only on book 7, and there is a whole lot more to go. But these are great, especially when I feel like I’m going into a reading slump.

Royals by Ella Fields: I really enjoyed reading the first book in this duo last year and now I can’t wait to read the second book. I just haven’t got around to it. This is very much full of high fantasy, high stakes and lots of court intrigue.

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And there we go, those are some of the completed series that I need to get on and finish reading. Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? Are you planning on reading them? Let’s Chat!

5 Reasons Why I Love Neon Gods by Katee Robert

Aug 15, 2021

I didn’t want to just do a normal review for Neon Gods by Katee Robert. I wanted to share my love for it in a different way, so I thought I would share five reasons why I love reading it.

This has been on my tbr ever since it came out and I finally got around to it recently. And while I don’t regret that I didn’t pick it up sooner, I hate that I have to wait for the next book. Neon Gods is seriously a fantastic modern Greek Mythology retelling of Hades and Persephone. I just want to say I will never get sick of a Hades and Persephone retelling but this one does stand out above the rest.

Neon Gods (Dark Olympus #1) by Katee Robert

Pages: 380
Publish date: June 1st 2021
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 9781728231730
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

He was supposed to be a myth. But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell… he was, quite simply, mine.

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth… a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…

A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.

I just want to make a quick note. This book will not be for everyone, it is a romance but it does come with a few warnings. This includes triggers for Abuse, Parental death (historical, off-page), assault/attempted assault, explicit sex, guns, blood. It also includes content warnings for exhibitionism and BDSM.

1. The Romance

I love Hades and Persephone together in most retellings, but the romance in this one really does stand out. They are sexy, adorable and hot together. I pretty much smiled throughout the whole book because of these two. They were brilliant together and made the reading experience even more enjoyable.

From the start, the reader is able to feel and see the spark between the two – even before they admit it. And what starts off as a fake relationship turns into something much more. I just couldn’t deal with these two, at all. I adored them.

As I said in the content warnings there is exhibitionism and BDSM included in this book. So please this is another warning before you jump in. I really enjoyed how this was intertwined into the book and it didn’t feel out of place at all. Not only did it explore the relationship between Hades and Persephone more, but it also introduced some very interesting characters. And I’m intrigued by this and looking forward to seeing where it’s taken in the future.

Hades and Persephone were hot together, they were fire and these scenes just added to it. And it’s not just the scenes that they do, but when they are alone you can see that they truly do care for one another, even if they don’t want to admit it.

Photo by Miltiadis Fragkidis on Unsplash

2. It’s Sexy

This book isn’t just smutty and spicy it’s sexy. And I was thinking this before any of the real sexy things started to go down. I don’t know if I can explain this right and make sure that it makes sense. Not only are the characters sexy, but the writing is as well. The way that everything comes together just works brilliantly. Together Hades and Persephone are just sexy. They could be talking about nothing, but their interactions alone are sexy.

One of my favourite conversations in Neon Gods – is when Hades and Persephone are talking about consent and safewords. Not only does it make me happy that this conversation takes place, but it adds to the sexiness of the book.

This concept is just so hard to explain and maybe if you have read the book you can see where I’m coming from. There is heat before any sexy time. There are these fantastic conversations and Hades and Persephone bring the heat.

3. Hades is a Cinnamon Roll

Hades is a puppy dog. I don’t think that is something that you would hear very often, but he really is. On the outside, he has this grumpy exterior that we all know Hades to have, but Persephone sure does break him down.

From the start of Neon Gods, we can see that there is more than meets the eye with him. We can see that he isn’t just that hard god of the underworld, but something way more than that. And slowly as the novel goes on readers get to see that. And it’s not something that stands out, it’s the little things. The conversation about consent. Making sure that Persephone is taken care of. Making sure that Persephine is eating. And my favourite way – Hades and the puppies. I seriously couldn’t contain myself.

Hades is badass don’t get me wrong and he won’t take shit from anyone – but Persephone turns him to pudding and it’s just fantastic to witness. I also loved that everyone around him just watched it happened and laughed.

Photo by Praveen kumar Mathivanan on Unsplash

4. Fantastic Retelling

Another reason I loved Neon Gods so much was the retelling aspect. I think that Katee Robert intertwined so many different elements of the original tale into this modern story. I love how the small things were just slowly intertwined into the story. And if you don’t know the story well then you might not have picked it up.

The fact that pomegranate was the safe word, the names of characters and their jobs. It just all worked fantastically. Another aspect of this that I really enjoyed was how Persephone came to Hades. It was a clever way of doing it and the fact that she went willingly is a massive tick for me.

The concept of the world is also really interesting and how Gods and picked for their role. How the thirteen are chosen. It wasn’t hard to really understand, everything made sense, but I’m also excited to learn more about it.

I’m really excited for the rest of the books in the series, there are some really interesting retellings picked for the rest of the series so far and that just makes me even more ecstatic. I just want the rest of the series now. Electric Idols is set to come out in January next year. With Wicked Beauty set for mid-2022.

5. Imagery and Writing is Fantastic

I’ve read a few Katee Robert books now and each one of them has such fantastic imagery and the writing is excellent. Sometimes in romance novels, the writing can lack a little, but that is not the case here in Neon Gods. And while this is traditionally published, I have read Katee Roberts indie-published romances as well. And they are still to this standard.

I find that I sometimes struggle when delving into a new world, but I never felt out of place here. I always knew what was going on, what was happening and how things looked. As well as struggling with new worlds, I sometimes can’t imagine how the world or characters look. And while I did have a little trouble at first, it wasn’t long before I was pretty comfortable with where I was.

I was fully immersed in the world from the start of Neon Gods and I didn’t want to leave. It was pretty epic and I loved the combination of the traditional elements of Greek Mythology while also still being very modern.

Photo by Echo Wang on Unsplash

Overall, I adored Neon Gods by Katee Robert. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. It’s sexy, smutty and just so addicting. I couldn’t put it down, and all I wanted to do was keep on reading. Hades and Persephone are fantastic together, they just made me smile and I didn’t want it to stop. Like the rest of the book, they have this great balance of being sexy, smutty and absolutely adorable. This is my fourth Katee Robert novel and I think she might just become an auto-buy author for me soon. Eek. I’m so excited for the rest of the series and picking up some more of her books.

If you are looking for a fantastic modern retelling that is spicy, then pick this up if you haven’t. You will not be disappointed.

Have you read Neon Gods by Katee Robert yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What is another Katee Robert book that I should pick up? Let’s Chat!