The Wicked King by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jude is reigning behind the scenes with Cardan as King.
The power is everything she has ever wanted but what happens when Cardan takes back his throne? What will he do to her?
Jude manages her role as King’s advisor with the humiliation of being human, the games and politics in the Royal Court all while trying to figure out who is against Cardan (and therefore her).
I kinda saw how this book was gonna end but there was one twist that I did NOT see coming. This book really ramped up the tension in the court and I couldn’t get my hands on book 3 fast enough.
If you’re looking for a well-written fantasy novel, I strongly recommend this series.
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How to Prep for a New Dreamlight Valley Expansion
categories: Cozy Hobbies, Gaming
I am so excited for the new Dreamlight Valley expansion, Keepsake Sea. But while a new expansion means new areas to explore, it also means ALOT more work- especially if, like me, you haven’t finished all of your old quests. Here are a few tips to help you prepare before the new expansion releases:
Collect Dreamlight and Mist
While the new expansion probably will have it’s own version of Dreamlight, collecting Dreamlight and Mist now allows you to use them later on for storage chests or for ancient machines. Use the time now to collect these so you have an excess by the time Keepsake Sea releases.
Stock Up on Meals and Coins
Avoid running out while playing the new expansion pack by ensuring you have enough meals on hand and coins now. Coins are required for building new houses which you will definitely be doing in the new expansion. Short on coins? Plant pumpkins and sell them in veggie platters.
Build Ancient Machines
Ancient Machines make planting, foraging and cooking super easy. I like to have one of each machine in each biome. Start building them now so when the time comes you can just simply place them and start using them. It saves time and allows you to focus on finishing quests.
Craft Storage
New biomes means new resources so make sure you have enough available storage to store whatever you’re collecting. You can also use Dreamlight to unlock additional spaces in existing storage chests.
By planning now and getting everything in order, you can focus on the new game and unlocking quests as soon as possible
Book Review: The Escape by Katie Bailey
The Escape Plan by Katie Bailey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Beckett is grieving after his gran passed away. To his family, he is stuck and needs a change. When Beckett gets the chance to visit Serendity Springs, he takes it. His gran grew up in the area and this is a way for him to feel closer to her.
On his first day, Keeley Roberts falls into him. Literally. After that the two of them keep running into each other. Almost as if something is trying to put them together.
Keeley is not looking for a relationship and she certainly doesn’t believe in the rumours of the building having magic. But how else to explain all the strange things that keep happening every time she sees Beckett?
This was a fun read and I am so sad to see this series end. I loved watching how the building kept trapping the two of them together.
Beckett and Keeley were a cute couple and I loved that from their first meeting you could see sparks flying.
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Book Review: Christmas with a Crank by Courtney Walsh
Christmas With a Crank by Courtney Walsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Olivia and Liam are both stuck. He is stuck in a job that on paper should be perfect. She is stuck in between jobs after a failed business.
As kids, they grew up together but life happened and they drifted away. Now Liam’s parents are selling their tree farm and have roped in Olivia to help throw the Best Last Christmas ever.
Liam has always seen the farm as a source of stress but Olivia has always been captivated by it. As a side project, she vows that she is going to make Liam fall in love with Christmas again.
As the two of them spend time together building the Best Last Christmas ever, childhood feelings resurface and the two realise they are actually more alike than they think.
This book ticked all my favourites- Christmas, fun events, a town with heart. I enjoyed this book immensely.
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Book Review: My Merry Mistake by Courtney Walsh (Holidays with Hart #3)
My Merry Mistake by Courtney Walsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love a Courtney Walsh Christmas romance and this one is no different.
My Merry Mistakes follows Type A Raya and flirty Finn who keeps hitting on her. Despite the fact that they have some history, Raya sees Finn as nothing more than a happy go lucky guy who isn’t serious, is her total opposite and just always has a woman around him.
While Finn decides that he is going to show Raya how serious he can be, Raya decides to find a compatible partner for herself. Both their plans are stalled when Raya ends up in hospital because of stress.
The two come together when Finn decides to teach Raya to have fun and Raya reluctantly goes along with it.
This was a really cute read that I enjoyed but I’m going to miss the Hart sisters soo much 🙁
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Book Review: Nobody Knows You’re Here by Bryn Greenwood
Nobody Knows You’re Here by Bryn Greenwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nobody Knows You’re Here follows a young woman, Beatrice who has lost her job and is about to lose her home too.
She confides in a mysterious stranger about her problems only to then wake up in a room with no memory of what happened to her.
This book creeped me out but I couldn’t stop reading it.
Beatrice is both a victim and with this new job, a part of this criminal ring. I cannot say more but this was a book that kept me all night because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next. I finished this book in one sitting because I was that invested in this story.
Loved this book but I am withholding a star because that ending upset me.
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Book Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In my 30s am I allowed to be obsessed with a YA series? Because I am obsessed with this book.
I’ve tried reading this twice before but life always got in the way. Now with the help of a boxset (i.e a print book), an ebook copy AND the audiobook, I was able to finally finish this book and I cannot wait to start the next in the series.
The Cruel Prince follows Jude, a human who was snatched away to the world of Fae as a kid. Her mother had previously been married to a fae but faked her death and ran away. When her husband tracked her down, he murdered her and her lover before taking her kids to live with him as his own.
I loved that this book didn’t shy away from Jude having issues because she was raised by her mother’s murderer but at the same time this is the man who is taking care of her.
This book had excellent worldbuilding and a plot twist I did NOT see coming.
If you’re looking for a good fantasy book, give this series a try.
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Book Review: Hometown Girl by Courtney Walsh
Hometown Girl by Courtney Walsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a great book but I was more invested in the mystery than the romance.
Beth Whitaker was supposed to be a fancy city girl. Instead she’s stuck in her hometown, taking care of her family and trying not to let anyone know what a failure she is.
Drew is a rancher who is hiding away from his family after an accident in his childhood.
The two of them come toward to renovate a farm- both of them working to prove themselves and escape their pasts.
There is very clear chemistry between them which I liked but it was the mystery that kept me going in this book.
I usually go to Courtney Walsh for comfort romance books so I was not expecting such a serious topic or such a serious ending (she truly has range!).
If you’re looking for a smalltown romance novel with themes of forgiveness, give this book a try.
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Book Review: My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh
My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Poppy Hart is a small town chef with lots of heart and lots of debt.
When a high school bully taunts her about her most recent- and incredible embarassing- heartbreak, Poppy invents a fake boyfriend.
What Poppy doesn’t realise is her fake boyfriend is Dallas, a well-known hockey player.
Dallas is intrigued by Poppy and the two of them eventually start fake dating to help her business and his reputation. But it isn’t long before sparks fly between these two despite them seemingly being from two totally different worlds.
This was a really cute read that I enjoyed immensely. Someone recommended this as a clean alternative to Off Campus and I’m not going to lie, I loved what a gentleman Dallas was.
These two are absolutely adorable and I cannot wait to read more from this series.
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Book Review: The Divorce by Freida McFadden
The Divorce by Freida McFadden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not Freida McFadden’s best work but I still enjoyed this book immensely.
Naomi has the perfect home, the perfect husband, the perfect family.
Until her husband tricks her out of their house, drains all their money from their JOINT account and finds a young girlfriend.
Naomi struggles to accept this new change in fate and believes that there is still hope for her family.
But soon she starts to realise there is something very wrong with her husband’s new girlfriend. Something almost threatening.
This was a really interesting book that I enjoyed however the plot seemed a bit far-fetched. Nonetheless I always love a Freida McFadden book and I was glad to have a new one to read.
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