"You Keep making me hate you," I whisper.
"Good." A muscle flexes in his temple.
"That will make everything easier."
~ Louisa & Lir

A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney

With their inheritance restricted until their marriage, sisters Clara and Louisa, both in their twenties, must live with their godfather Drosselmeyer. One night, an accident brings to life one of the strange wooden dolls in Drosselmeyer's mansion. The Nutcracker doll is a cursed Fae prince, and he pleads for the sisters' help. During the ensuing journey into the Fae realm, Clara encounters the handsome Sugarplum Faerie, and he promises her the chance to enact all her forbidden fantasies. Meanwhile Louisa and the Nutcracker Prince battle and bicker over everything, despite the growing attraction between them. And to make matters worse, the entire Seelie kingdom is under threat of conquest by the Rat King, ruler of the Dread Court.

Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon

When I picked this book up, I had no idea what I was in for… AND I LOVED IT!! This author has found a new fan in me and after reading A Court of Sugar and Spice, I’ll never look at the Nutcracker or the Sugar Plum Faerie the same!

I walked into a world of magic, with mythical creatures, dangerous terrain, and tons of adventure. The author captured the feeling and wonder of this world perfectly. I could easily imagine the impossible trees and valleys, Fin’s infamous candies and bombs, the beauty that surrounded these characters.

Sorry for being vague, but I truly believe that the plot of this story needs to be experienced rather than told. It’s sexy, fun, charming, and full of love. There happens to be another book involving Clara and Fin and I’m excited to read it!


Rebecca F. Kenney writes spicy fantasy romance about sassy, strong women and hot guys with tragic backstories... pirates, warlords, demons, Fae, and royals. Her two main series are the "Dark Rulers" series (standalones in a shared world) and the Immortal Warriors series (connected books). She has also written a zombie-apocalypse/vampire-romance trilogy (book 1 is "The Vampires Will Save You"). Other books include a demon romance duet, a dark mermaid fantasy duology, and other spicy retellings.

Rebecca lives in upstate South Carolina with her handsome blue-eyed husband and two smart, energetic kids.

For updates and information about upcoming novels, follow on TikTok @rebeccafkenney, Instagram @rebeccafkenneybooks, and on Twitter @RebeccaFKenney1.

"You may not have been all my firsts, Savannah Shaw,
but you've always been my forever.
You've always been my one.
My only.

Between Never and Forever by Brit Benson

She was the first rule I ever broke.
She’ll be the last.

In the beginning, there was Savannah Shaw.
Teasing me with a mischievous, merciless grin by day.
Crawling through my window with tear-stained cheeks by night.

I was ordered to avoid her.
Lectured on her misdeeds.
Forbidden from seeing her.
But my need to protect her was innate.
So natural I never questioned it.
So visceral I couldn’t fight it.

She was the first rule I ever broke, and it’s why I lost her the first time.

Now, out of nowhere, there is Sav Loveless.
World famous frontwoman for The Hometown Heartless,
Hollywood’s newest up-and-coming film star,
and my daughter’s idol.

Her reputation for trouble precedes her,
but the celebrity who sets foot in my small town is no longer a girl in need of protection.
She’s a woman who has saved herself,
and this time, it’s my life that’s falling apart.

Maintaining the distance between us is imperative,
but everything about her pulls at every part of me.
My need to touch her clouds my logic.
My need to have her, to own her, to love her.

She’ll be the last rule I ever break,
but this time, it will be to keep her.

Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon

I've found a new author to follow and I blame Jessica @Chatterbooksbookblog. If it weren't for her spectacular review, I wouldn't be typing this up.

Savannah and Levi grew up together. Both of their lives were full of torment and they were each other's only true comfort. They were friends and loved each other before they even knew what love was. And when circumstances separated them, that love continued to beat within their hearts, not allowing anyone else to touch it.

Fastforward and now Levi's a widower with a child and Savannah is an infamous rock star. Circumstances once again forced them into each other's orbit and after a thankfully brief time of miscommunication, these two found their way back to each other. There were plenty of hurdles and obstacles that they had to leap and punch their way through, but it was incredibly easy to root for these two.

I loved that the author didn't shy away from sharing Savannah's addiction and how it was wrecking not only her life, but those around her. I felt proud and hopeful of the woman she was becoming and that's all because of this author's writing. It was easy to be a little imp on this character's shoulder, egging her on, supporting her, shouting NO, and celebrating every one of her triumphs. I couldn't be more pleased with the way this story played out.

I'm not even going to get started on how much I loved the dynamic between Levi, Boss and Savannah. Throw in Sharon and the love growing between all of these characters, including the members of the band... so sweet!

So yeah, I'll be keeping a keen eye on this author's releases because if they're anything like this one, they're going to be amazing.



Brit Benson writes real, relatable romance novels that depict epic love. She likes outspoken, independent heroines, dirty-talking, love-struck heroes, and plots that tug on every emotion.

Brit would almost always rather be reading or writing. When she’s not dreaming up her next swoony book boyfriend and fierce book bestie, she’s getting lost in someone else’s fictional world. When she’s not doing that, she’s probably marathoning a Netflix series or wandering aimlessly up and down the aisles in Homegoods, sniffing candles and touching things she’ll never buy.

Brit currently resides somewhere near the Blue Ridge Parkway with her husband, daughters, dogs, and an obscene number of books.

Visit https://authorbritbenson.com for more information

Hello and Happy Thursday! Today I'm sharing five books I said I would read by the end of 2020... and didn't. I have no excuse and I'm creating this post, sharing my broken promise, so I can be held accountable and actually get to reading!

Have you read any of these? What are your thoughts?

──────　♔　──────

Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake

After the grim confrontation with Queen Katharine, the rebellion lies in tatters. Jules’s legion curse has been unbound, and it is up to Arsinoe to find a cure, even as the responsibility of stopping the ravaging mist lies heavy on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone. Mirabella has disappeared.

Katharine’s reign remains intact—for now. When Mirabella arrives, seemingly under a banner of truce, Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share. But as the two circle each other, the dead queens hiss caution—Mirabella is not to be trusted.

In this conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series, three sisters will rise to fight as the secrets of Fennbirn’s history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested. But the fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens. It always has.

---

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now—reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers—not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained—and captivated—by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

---

Fury by Laurann Dohner

Ellie is horrified to discover the pharmaceutical company she works for is doing illegal experiments. Company scientists have spliced human and animal DNA, creating exotic new species. One such “experiment” captures her heart and she’ll do anything to save him—even if he hates her for it.

Fury has never known compassion or love. He’s spent his life in a cell, chained and abused by humans. The one woman he allowed himself to trust betrayed him. Now he’s free and set on vengeance. He vows to end her life but when she’s finally in his grasp, harming her is the last thing he wants to do to the sexy little human.

Fury can’t resist Ellie—the touch of her hands, her mouth on his skin, her body wrapped around his. He’s obsessed with the scent of his woman. And Ellie wants Fury—always has. She craves his big, powerful body and wants to heal his desolate heart.

But loving Fury is one thing…taming him is another.

---

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Girls team up to overthrow the kingdom in this unique and powerful retelling of Cinderella from a stunning new voice that's perfect for fans of Dhonielle Clayton and Melissa Albert .

It's 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl's display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella's mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all--and in the process, they learn that there's more to Cinderella's story than they ever knew . . .

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Dead Pretty by Samantha Towle

I'd once believed that nothing would equal the pain of losing my parents.
I was wrong.
I had barely even begun to process their deaths when it started.
The love notes, flowers, gifts … all anonymously left on my porch.
Then, I opened my door to a dead bird.
At first, I thought it had died naturally.
I knew that wasn’t the case when I found my neighbor’s cat the next day.
Then, the murders started.
The victims … women who looked eerily similar to me.
I had a stalker. A murderous one.
And I had no clue who he was.
He never showed me his face.
Not even when he carved his final message into me.
I survived that night. But my life was over. It had ended the moment Tobias Ripley’s infatuation with me began.
So, I changed my name and moved away.
Now, I live a life of solitude. I don’t make connections with anyone.
Until Jack Canti walks into my life with his sharp eyes and easy smiles.
Only Jack isn’t the man he says he is.
And when the murders start again, I’m left wondering if it’s a copycat.
Or worse …
What if Tobias wasn’t the real killer after all … and the murderer has been right here with me all along?

---

It made me forever grateful that he wanted to be with me, because the thought of him falling prey to anyone who would take advantage of his gentle nature made me want to murder things.
All the things.

Wyn by Lily Mayne

I am a monster.

A ghoul. A demon. The bogeyman. I have been called all of them. Most creatures fear me, but humans are repulsed by me. They are terrified of me. They have created legends about me, ever since they became aware of my existence when the tear between our worlds grew and we—the monsters from their nightmares—flooded through in our droves.

There is only one human who isn’t afraid of me. The only one who matters. And I will destroy anyone who tries to hurt him or take him from me. Danny is mine.

For the first time in my unfathomably long life, I know what it means to want another so much that the thought of losing him threatens to ruin me. I will do anything to keep Danny with me for as long as I can have him—for as long as he is willing to stay by the side of an ancient, scarred creature with a voice so inhuman it has sent some mad.

For some reason, Danny loves my voice. For some reason, Danny loves me. And when we both decide that his natural human life is nowhere near enough time for us to have together, we go on a journey between worlds to the one place where we can do what it takes for us to be together forever.


If I didn't already absolutely love Danny and Wyn, I would now. How adorable are these two? The love between them is surreal and I couldn't be happier for what they accomplished by the end of this story.

I'm not even going to get into what happened here. Just know that the love game is very strong within Wyn and Danny is still head over heels for his favorite monster.

I learned a bit about monster society, the beauty to be found beyond the tear, and that happy endings for these human/monster partnerships are truly possible.

If you've already fallen for these two, READ THIS BOOK!



Lily Mayne writes what she loves to read: achingly sweet yet gritty romances against unusual backdrops—dark, futuristic, dystopian and more.

She enjoys reading and writing (duh), cooking and baking, watching terrible horror movies and many other hobbies that would have potentially made her an ideal Victorian maid. Just a really lazy one.

She currently lives in the UK with her husband and several fluffballs, who like to make a lot of noise while she’s writing.

Find out more here: https://lily-mayne.com