Title: The Duke and I
Author(s): Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgerton #1
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 438
Length: 12h 9m
Narrator(s): Rosalyn Landor
Source: Library
Reason(s): None
Rating: Spice: 
My Thoughts
THE DUKE AND I was steamy historical romance set in Regency era England that was a thought-provoking story that deals with hard subjects like child abandonment, child abuse, betrayal, forgiveness, and healing from trauma. Though some of the scenes are hard to read, I thought the story was profound and heart-felt.
There are plenty of swoon-worthy moments. I really loved Daphne and her courage to help Simon, the Duke of Hastings, overcome his past trauma, showing him that love is more powerful and healing than anger and resentment. I loved the instant connection and attraction between Daphne and Simon. I especially loved the sexual tension between the two of them. I loved the themes of family, forgiveness, redemption, and love conquering all.
The edition I read had a second epilogue written after Quinn received many requests to know how the characters were doing. It’s set 21 years after the events in the main story. Even though I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the life Daphne and Simon had together, I thought it was a bit much due to its length.
The Duke and I
Author(s): Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgerton #1
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 438
Length: 12h 9m
Narrator(s): Rosalyn Landor
Source: Library
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice:
My Thoughts
THE DUKE AND I was steamy historical romance set in Regency era England that was a thought-provoking story that deals with hard subjects like child abandonment, child abuse, betrayal, forgiveness, and healing from trauma. Though some of the scenes are hard to read, I thought the story was profound and heart-felt.
There are plenty of swoon-worthy moments. I really loved Daphne and her courage to help Simon, the Duke of Hastings, overcome his past trauma, showing him that love is more powerful and healing than anger and resentment. I loved the instant connection and attraction between Daphne and Simon. I especially loved the sexual tension between the two of them. I loved the themes of family, forgiveness, redemption, and love conquering all.
The edition I read had a second epilogue written after Quinn received many requests to know how the characters were doing. It’s set 21 years after the events in the main story. Even though I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the life Daphne and Simon had together, I thought it was a bit much due to its length.
Iron Flame
Author(s): Rebecca Yarros
Series: Empyrean #2
Genre(s): Romantasy
Format(s): Hard Cover
Pages: 623
Source: Borrowed
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice:
My Thoughts
After reading FOURTH WING, I needed to read IRON FLAME. Now that I’m done with both and the next book in the series isn’t out until January, I’m wondering why I read these kinds of books before the whole series is out. Waiting is going to be torture.
IRON FLAME was excruciating to read because of the non-stop suspense and action. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time wondering how it was all going to go down. I loved that Yarros foreshadowed the ending, making it not quite as shocking to me as it was to some, but still just as upsetting. Why, Yarros, why?!
I love the characters in this series. I also love Violet’s dragons. Tairn reminds me of my late Daxi-cat who was just as grumpy but still lovable. I love Andarna SO much. I loved her “adolescent” attitude, her interactions with Violet and especially Tairn, and her fierce loyalty to Violet despite her youth. Andarna had me laughing out loud most of the time she was on the page. I also loved learning more about its lore and mythology. Honestly, if I could only read one type of story for the rest of my life, it would be this.
Bringing Down the Duke
Author(s): Evie Dunmore
Series: A League of Extraordinary Women #1
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 356
Length: 12h 20m
Narrator(s): Elizabeth Jasicki
Source: Library
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice:
My Thoughts
BRINGING DOWN THE DUKE was a fun, steamy historical fiction romance. There are plenty of swoon-worthy moments. I really loved Annabelle and her willingness to speak her mind even though it was looked down on at that time. I loved the instant connection and attraction between her and Sebastian, the Duke of Montgomery. I especially loved the sexual tension between the two of them.
I really loved the setting of Victorian era England, just at the beginning of the suffragette movement and the admission of women to Oxford. I thought it gave the romance and characters, especially Annabelle and Sebastian, some depth. Not only did I love the theme of women’s rights and equality, I also loved the themes of friendship, finding one’s own way, and duty to one’s country vs. being on the right side of history.
When I’m Dead
Author(s): Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #3
Genre(s): Thriller
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 308
Length: 10h 37m
Narrator(s): Xe Sands, Andrew Eiden, Caitlyn Kelly, Gary Tiedemann
Source: Owned
Reason(s): Book of the Month
Rating:
Spice:
My Thoughts
As with THE WIDOWMAKER, WHEN I’M DEAD isn’t really a sequel because it focuses on other characters. There are a few secondary characters that are in each book, but the main commonality between the three stories is the setting–Black Harbor, Wisconsin. I do love the Easter eggs that unite the stories as a series.
WHEN I’M DEAD is a very dark thriller that kept me guessing until the end. It’s thought-provoking and deals with subjects like bullying, suicide, and parent / child relationships. There was so much more emotion in this story than the previous two. I thought the story was captivating, emotional, and suspenseful. I love Morrissey’s prose. It’s so descriptive and beautiful. (Although, if I heard “shadow of a doubt” one more time, I might have screamed.) I really liked that the story’s told from multiple POVs that provided a different look into what was going on. I also really liked the characters, especially Rowan and Axel because of their need to find their daughter, Chloe.
The No-Show
Author(s): Beth O'Leary
Genre(s): Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 394
Length: 10h 48m
Narrator(s): Evanna Lynch, Heather Long, Kathryn Drysdale, Luke Thompson
Source: Library
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice:
My Thoughts
THE NO-SHOW is a story about love, forgiveness, redemption, grief, second chances, and healing. I absolutely adored it. I knew there had to be more to the story than just these three women being stood up by the same man on Valentine’s Day. While I read, I had to look past the obvious and hold to my wonderment of how Joseph was juggling the relationships. There are plenty of swoon-worthy moments and sexual tension, but THE NO-SHOW is so much more than just a romance. I really loved how O’Leary wrote about mental health and healing from abusive relationships (professional and romantic). It felt real and it felt raw. I loved these characters and I wanted the best for them as I read about each of their lives.