Pride Reads: A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

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I absolutely loved this story! LOVED IT! If you love fairy tale retellings, especially ones that point out every sexist and problematic element, then is the perfect book for you.

On Zinnia Gray’s twenty-first birthday, she finds herself dying, surrounded by rose petals, at the top of a tower. Now, Zinnia has been dying since the day she was born. Genetic abnormalities caused by environmental pollutions has caused irreparable damage to her body and Zinnia knows she has maybe one more year left to live. After a birthday party thrown by her absolute best friend Charm, Zinnia finds herself faced with a spinning wheel just like a real-life Aurora.

What Zinnia doesn’t anticipate, is finding herself transported to a fairy tale world with another Aurora-like character, Princess Primrose who is destined to fall into a deep sleep for 100 years on her twenty-first birthday.

So what happens when you combine two real-life Sleeping Beauties who don’t feel compelled to follow the story written for them? They set out to write their own.

This is a short little novella that packs a huge emotional punch. I loved this book from the very first page and found myself laughing out loud and cheering on Zinnia and Primrose as they fought for their freedom. I’m a huge sucker for books with awesome friendships and Zinnia finds a fast ally in Primrose but also has the world’s best friend in Charm, her friend since elementary school. They are all fiercely protective of each other and have no problem calling each other on their nonsense. Charm doesn’t let Zin get too down and Zin doesn’t let Charm get too lost in searching for an answer to Zin’s illness. I found myself relating to the overprotectiveness of Zin’s parents and Zin’s need to break away and become her own person with the little time she had left. Some tears were definitely shed during this book but it was easily balanced by all the amazing one-liners and banter between the characters.

A Spindle Splintered is an excellent feminist retelling of one our most loved and problematic fairy tales. It’s subversive, funny, dark, and full of wildly beautiful illustrations.

If you would like to add this novella to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (Re-Post)

It’s a super busy spooky season around here and this book is too much fun not to share again!

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This book is pure fun! If you’re looking for a romance with some wacky magic and family drama, this is the one for you. Also, be prepared for me to say over and over again that this book is delightful. It’s truly the best description. It’s absolutely delightful!

After Vivienne finds herself heartbroken after finding out her first love is engaged to another woman, she and her cousin may have broken the first rule of magic: don’t mix vodka with witchcraft. What begins as an innocent way to blow off some anger turns into a hilarious adventure of misfiring magic and finding a second chance at love.

Nine years later, Vivienne is all grown up with a successful teaching career at the local college when her life is turned upside down by the return of her first love, Rhys Penhallow. As a descendant of the original founder of Graves Glen, he must return to recharge the ley lines and give the speech at the annual Founder’s Day celebration. But things don’t go quite as planned. When his magic becomes unpredictable and he finds himself falling for Vivienne all over again, he discovers that there might be more going on. LIke, maybe she accidentally cursed him while drunk nearly a decade ago?

This one is so good! It is truly delightful from start to finish. VIvienne and her cousin Gwyn have this really close friendship and truly have each other's backs. If you love fun banter, they have it in spades. The curse they place on Rhys is   in its specificity. The best part? When they discover that one part of it really just curses all the women in his romantic relationships. It’s great. The small town drama surrounding Founder’s Day is really fun, especially Gwyn’s reluctance to get over herself and give in to her feelings for the beautiful and single mayor. Even the mysterious connection between Rhys’s curse and the magical mayhem is done in such a quirky way that the story never loses its lightness. 

The romance between Rhys and Vivenne felt very real and believable. I think it’s very hard to pull off a second chance romance. If the characters find themselves in a situation where the relationship truly must end, it can be very difficult to see them in any situation where they can work through the problems that originally split them up. Sterling has her characters wait nearly a decade before they see eachother again. While they both commit some low-key on-line social media searches, they don’t interact with each other until Rhys comes back to town. They both have grown up and matured significantly since their break-up and now have successful careers and places where they belong. They still dance around some subjects and should be more willing to discuss their feelings but hey, it’s a romance. That’s how they work. 

The Ex Hex is a truly delightful novel that made for a lovely reading experience. The characters are great, the magical system was really fun, and the story was compelling and moved along quickly. This would be a great way to dip your toes into paranormal romance if that’s a new genre for you, or to add a new holiday romance to your list. 

If you would like to add this hilarious romp to your shelf, you can find ordering information here: 

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Available now

This book is pure fun! If you’re looking for a romance with some wacky magic and family drama, this is the one for you. Also, be prepared for me to say over and over again that this book is delightful. It’s truly the best description. It’s absolutely delightful!

After Vivienne finds herself heartbroken after finding out her first love is engaged to another woman, she and her cousin may have broken the first rule of magic: don’t mix vodka with witchcraft. What begins as an innocent way to blow off some anger turns into a hilarious adventure of misfiring magic and finding a second chance at love.

Nine years later, Vivienne is all grown up with a successful teaching career at the local college when her life is turned upside down by the return of her first love, Rhys Penhallow. As a descendant of the original founder of Graves Glen, he must return to recharge the ley lines and give the speech at the annual Founder’s Day celebration. But things don’t go quite as planned. When his magic becomes unpredictable and he finds himself falling for Vivienne all over again, he discovers that there might be more going on. LIke, maybe she accidentally cursed him while drunk nearly a decade ago?

This one is so good! It is truly delightful from start to finish. VIvienne and her cousin Gwyn have this really close friendship and truly have each other's backs. If you love fun banter, they have it in spades. The curse they place on Rhys is   in its specificity. The best part? When they discover that one part of it really just curses all the women in his romantic relationships. It’s great. The small town drama surrounding Founder’s Day is really fun, especially Gwyn’s reluctance to get over herself and give in to her feelings for the beautiful and single mayor. Even the mysterious connection between Rhys’s curse and the magical mayhem is done in such a quirky way that the story never loses its lightness. 

The romance between Rhys and Vivenne felt very real and believable. I think it’s very hard to pull off a second chance romance. If the characters find themselves in a situation where the relationship truly must end, it can be very difficult to see them in any situation where they can work through the problems that originally split them up. Sterling has her characters wait nearly a decade before they see eachother again. While they both commit some low-key on-line social media searches, they don’t interact with each other until Rhys comes back to town. They both have grown up and matured significantly since their break-up and now have successful careers and places where they belong. They still dance around some subjects and should be more willing to discuss their feelings but hey, it’s a romance. That’s how they work. 

The Ex Hex is a truly delightful novel that made for a lovely reading experience. The characters are great, the magical system was really fun, and the story was compelling and moved along quickly. This would be a great way to dip your toes into paranormal romance if that’s a new genre for you, or to add a new holiday romance to your list. 

If you would like to add this hilarious romp to your shelf, you can find ordering information here: 

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

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CW: child death, sexual violence

It is well known that I am an avid lover and collector of books. If I see one that’s interesting, I add it to my shelves. I was once able to justify a new, and unneeded, ereader to my husband simply by showing how much space could be saved by owning digital titles instead of physical. To no one’s surprise, I never stopped buying physical books and have countless that I have never, and may never get to. 

This very rarely bothers me. It’s only when listening to a bookish podcast and becoming increasingly interested in a book being recommended and then noticing that it’s on my bookshelf do I feel the slightest guilt. Well, maybe more like frustration that I’ve had a spectacular book on my shelf and I haven’t made the time to read it. The Guest List by Lucy Foley is my latest, “Why Did I Wait So Long To Read You?” title. 

The Guest List is an atmospheric and dark thriller set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. The island’s only inhabitants are a couple who have turned a large home-possibly a mansion-into a resort that appeals to the type of client who wants an exclusive and secluded vacation destination. Jules is a highly successful magazine owner and creator who has amassed her own wealth and elite group of friends. Her wedding to an incredibly handsome and successful survivalist reality star demands the type of affair that her magazine would feature. The highest quality food and drink, along with every expensive and luxurious detail must be shuttled by boat to the island, including the guests. 

As the wedding draws closer, secrets, both long hidden and newly made, are brought to light amongst the wedding party and the families of the bride and groom. But the wedding will bring more than joy and happiness; it will also bring a dead body. 

Reader friends, if you slept on this one like I did, please do yourself a favor and pick it up immediately. A remote island off of Ireland, a mysterious resort with its own cemetery, and loads of rich people with their rich people problems-it’s all my catnip! Every character in this book needs some serious therapy. Everyone has a troubled past and has made mistakes that are slowly destroying their relationship with themselves and those around them. Everyone is hiding a major secret and has something to lose. Many of the characters are completely insufferable and treat the wedding planner Aoife and her helpers as no more significant than the furniture. 

Told through multiple POVs, the characters reveal themselves to be as unpredictable and dangerous as the storm threatening the island. 

The Guest List is a dark and compelling thriller that kept me enthralled from the very first page. Highly recommend reading this during a thunderstorm-it was a fabulous coincidence that I was able to indulge in and absolutely loved it. 

If you would like to add this thrilling and creepy novel to your shelf, and actually read it, you can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I earn from qualifying purchases.

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean

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I had the absolute pleasure of reading this in nearly one sitting, uninterrupted, while traveling back from Florida. I highly recommend finding a time where you can dive in and become completely enthralled in the world that MacLean has so masterfully crafted. Sesily Talbot, our infamous and scandalous Talbot sister is back with her own book and surrounded by strong, independent women who know how to get things done.

Tired of watching evil men get away with horrendous crimes, Sesily, along with Duchess and Lady Imogen, work quietly behind the scenes to ensure that women are saved from brutish husbands and abusive employers. But during a late night gathering to celebrate their latest success, Sesily is faced with the man who stole her heart years before. Caleb Calhoun, best friend and business partner with one of Sesily’s sisters, is back in town and prepared for the knife to the heart that is Sesily Talbot. Caleb quickly realizes that Sesily is involved in some dangerous shenanigans and is determined to keep her safe. Sesily can easily take care of herself and is constantly having to remind Caleb of just that fact. As these two battle their desire for each other, greater forces threaten to keep them apart.

This is an absolutely fantastic book! I loved every page and found myself laughing out loud so many times.

Come for the innuendoes, stay for the toppling of the patriarchy.

In Bombshell, MacLean has created a tight knit group of women who are invested in creating a more equal and safe environment for all women to live and thrive. Duchess throws these wonderful parties for the female staff of wealthy homes to give them a safe place to relax and find refuge from evil bosses. It was so interesting to read all the tiny details about how those women were helped and the measures that were taken to ensure their enjoyment that you could tell this was something really personal for the author. Just like with the friendship between Duchess, Imogen and Sesily. I loved how close they were, but also how ruthless they were each other. I also found it beyond delightful how scared some of the men were of the group’s fighting skills. Sesily, Duchess, and Imogen fought together, partied together, and were willing to die for each other and have definitely set the bar very high for all friendships. Also, I loved how much Imogen loves to blow things up. Her book is going to be amazing!

The road to romance for Sesily and Caleb was such winding and bumpy one. There were so many times that I was convinced that there was no coming back and yet MacLean was able to bring them back together effortlessly. Much of Sesily’s strength came not from her knife skills, but from knowing when to be honest and vulnerable with other people. Also, I loved how fiercely sex positive Sesily was. That girl had no regrets about her past and wasn’t going to let anyone deny her any pleasure. It was also really interesting to see some frank discussions about birth control and whether or not children were going to be a part of Sesily’s future. Don’t get me wrong, Caleb was great too, I just fell in love with Sesily and have so much respect for her and her gang of avengers.

I loved this book and I can’t wait to see what comes next for this fabulous group of women. Highly, highly recommend.

If you would like to add this amazing historical romance to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

Available Now

I absolutely loved this story! LOVED IT! If you love fairy tale retellings, especially ones that point out every sexist and problematic element, then is the perfect book for you.

On Zinnia Gray’s twenty-first birthday, she finds herself dying, surrounded by rose petals, at the top of a tower. Now, Zinnia has been dying since the day she was born. Genetic abnormalities caused by environmental pollutions has caused irreparable damage to her body and Zinnia knows she has maybe one more year left to live. After a birthday party thrown by her absolute best friend Charm, Zinnia finds herself faced with a spinning wheel just like a real-life Aurora.

What Zinnia doesn’t anticipate, is finding herself transported to a fairy tale world with another Aurora-like character, Princess Primrose who is destined to fall into a deep sleep for 100 years on her twenty-first birthday.

So what happens when you combine two real-life Sleeping Beauties who don’t feel compelled to follow the story written for them? They set out to write their own.

This is a short little novella that packs a huge emotional punch. I loved this book from the very first page and found myself laughing out loud and cheering on Zinnia and Primrose as they fought for their freedom. I’m a huge sucker for books with awesome friendships and Zinnia finds a fast ally in Primrose but also has the world’s best friend in Charm, her friend since elementary school. They are all fiercely protective of each other and have no problem calling each other on their nonsense. Charm doesn’t let Zin get too down and Zin doesn’t let Charm get too lost in searching for an answer to Zin’s illness. I found myself relating to the overprotectiveness of Zin’s parents and Zin’s need to break away and become her own person with the little time she had left. Some tears were definitely shed during this book but it was easily balanced by all the amazing one-liners and banter between the characters.

A Spindle Splintered is an excellent feminist retelling of one our most loved and problematic fairy tales. It’s subversive, funny, dark, and full of wildly beautiful illustrations.

If you would like to add this novella to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon

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When it comes to personal training, Taylor Powell kicks serious butt. Unfortunately, her bills are piling up, rent is due, and the money situation is dire. Taylor needs more than the support of her new best friends, Samiah and London. She needs a miracle.

And Jamar Dixon might just be it. The oh-so-fine former footballer wants back into the NFL, and he wants Taylor to train him. There's just one catch—no one can know what they're doing. But when they're accidentally outed as a couple, Taylor's game plan is turned completely upside down. Is Jamar just playing to win . . . or is he playing for keeps?

Guess who just found out she loves sports romances? This girl! Farrah Rochon is such a great writer and I thoroughly enjoyed the previous book in this series, The Boyfriend Project. In this adventure, Taylor becomes very discouraged after losing out on a homeschooling physical ed teaching job and doubts her ability to maintain a solo career. When she decides to teach a pop-up fitness class in the park, she meets Jamar, a football player out with an injury but determined to make his way back to the NFL. Add in some fake dating, a lot of gym time, and some spicy grocery shopping trips and you have an excellent romance! The chemistry between them is electric and I love how hard Taylor worked to keep their relationship professional but these two are perfect for each other. Jamar respects Taylor so much and wants her to have a successful career and is willing to do whatever he can to help. I loved all the little snippets that took us behind the scenes of being a personal trainer and the work that goes into pursuing a learning disability diagnosis as an adult. It was all handled with such care and love that it’s obvious how much Rochon loves her characters.

Rochon gives us great dialogue, interesting characters, and complex family dynamics. And the friendship goals! Taylor, London, and Samiah have such a wonderful friendship and it’s lovely to read about women who are fiercely protective and supportive of each other. While you don’t have to read The Boyfriend Project first, I highly recommend it because it’s just a great book. I can’t wait to find out what London gets into in her book!

Interested in adding this book to your collection? You can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh

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I love when the perfect book just falls right into your lap. While searching for graphic novels that were published in the last year, I came across this gem and instantly fell in love. Thirsty Mermaids is a fun and funny look at the quirks of humanity and the strong bonds of a found family. 

Three slightly tipsy mermaids have run out of booze in their shipwreck and do what any slightly tipsy person would do: cast a spell to grow legs so they can hunt down another bottle of bubbly. As the three friends, Pearl, Tooth, and Eez, explore their new surroundings, they quickly discover that finding that delicious boozy buzz is harder than they anticipated. After conquering the two biggest challenges, clothing and money, the trio finds a bar called “The Thirsty Mermaid” and begin a magical night of partying and drinking. The magical night quickly comes to an end when morning brings the trio a hangover and a distinct lack of fins. Trapped in their human bodies, Pearl, Tooth, and Eez are temporarily saved by the kind bartender Vivi from the previous evening who teaches them the joys of breakfast. 

Now very sober, the mermaid pod discovers they don’t have access to the magic they need to turn them back. Stuck on land for the foreseeable future, the trio is lucky enough to have a guide to human life in Vivi. Of course, hilarity and chaos ensues as the three learn of job applications, money, and how to be good roommates. 

This is a wildly funny and warm graphic novel. It includes a diverse cast of characters who tackle big issues like capitalism, body dysmorphia, and racism. They genuinely care about each other and went out of their way to support and love one another. There is a beautiful scene where Vivi’s sister confronts her about taking in the mermaids and the possibility of being taken advantage of and you can tell that Vivi doesn’t make the decision lightly. Her trusting and kind nature shows in all the ways that she guides our chaotic trio through the messiness of human life. 

I really loved the artwork and color choices. The mermaids are all so different from one another and definitely not your classic mermaid princess. They are bold and beautiful and proud of what their bodies are capable of. Thirsty Mermaids is a fun and wild romp that will keep you giggling!

If you would like to add this chaotic trio to your bookshelf, you can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

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This is one weird, weird novel. It’s so weird. It’s so wonderfully, chillingly, horrifyingly weird. 

I loved it.

After her divorce, Kara moves into her Uncle’s place to help run his eccentric museum. The Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities, and Taxidermy is full of just that-lots and lots of taxidermy and curiosities. To keep her busy, Kara spends her days updating the museum's catalog of exhibits and helping customers in the gift shop. When her uncle suffers a knee injury, Kara is left to run the museum on her own. After a long day, Kara notices a hole in the drywall. Irritated that a customer damaged the wall and didn’t tell anyone, Kara asks her neighbor Simon to help her patch it up. Instead of a simple fix, the two discover an impossible hallway behind the wall that extends beyond the building’s dimensions. 

At the end of the mysterious hallway? A portal to a different dimension. That’s right, an entire world exists within the walls of the museum. Kara and Simon enter the mysterious world and discover a vast expanse of land that can’t possibly exist. Cryptic messages are found from former explorers within structures that seem like storm shelters but appear to be portals to other worlds. The more Kara and Simon explore, the more deadly and terrifying the world becomes. 

Readers, this book is amazing. Absolutely engrossing and thrilling. This is another one to add to my “Read In One Sitting” list because I just had to know what was happening next. T. Kingfisher crafted an impossible world that at the surface seems beautiful with it’s miles of willow trees, but is actually a horrifyingly deadly place full of nightmares. 

Kara and Simon are great characters. They are both completely relatable and their reactions to everything that was being thrown at them felt incredibly real. Kara is licking her wounds after her divorce and her devastation is quickly forgotten as soon as she discovers the other world. Slight spoiler, her ex calls her after she has a harrowing experience with the other world and her being truly pissed off that he is inconveniencing her with a phone was just great to watch. There is no romance between Kara and Simon, they’re just great friends. The two of them have a great dynamic between them and their mutual freakouts and fierce protectiveness of each other made for a great read. 

The Glory to God Museum and Natural Wonders, Curiosities, and Taxidermy is a character itself. I loved the descriptions of the different animals and the displays. The museum receives random donations from all over the world and Kara’s descriptions of some of the boxes were just hilarious. Uncle Earl also owns the coffee shop next door where Simon works, or the building at least, and the fact that they pay rent in coffee? Gotta love a small town. 

This is my favorite type of horror novel-an almost quiet, constant, tense and horrifying monster that you never really see. You can feel how scared Kara and Simon are but they hold that sense of disbelief because these events shouldn’t be happening. The unexplained horrors found within the willows are revealed slowly and deliberately creating a constant tension. I needed a muscle relaxer after this one-my shoulders were pretty damn tight.

I loved this one, truly, truly loved it. I haven’t read Kingfisher’s other book The Twisted Ones yet but it’s already on hold at the Library. If you’re looking for a creepy book that still has some lightness to it, definitely give this one a try.

Want a copy for yourself? You can find ordering information here:

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. I borrowed this book from the Library and please remember, we love to hear reader recommendations so tell your lovely Librarian that you want them to buy this book.

Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay

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This is a gripping and chilling novel that was so engrossing I finished it one sitting. Elizabeth Kay weaves a story so tense you can’t put the down for fear of restarting the book in a dark place. Told through the eyes of Jane, we learn how she and her best friend Marnie become the very best of friends and grow to have a friendship found only in story books. From a childhood spent so close their own teachers mixed up their names to sharing their first apartment together, Jane and Marnie were inseparable. But all of that changed when Marnie married Charlie, a man that Jane instantly despised. You can’t tell your best friend that her husband is a boring, demeaning, jerk of a man. Instead, you lie and tell you her he’s fantastic. When those lies begin to add up, Jane finds herself in a position found only in her worst nightmares.

As Jane tells her story, whose identity we only learn at the very end, we learn how their friendship became so close. We learn how Jane’s childhood was far from idyllic, and how Marnie’s childhood was equally troubled. It’s through Jane’s memories that we see the incredibly slow build-up to obsession, one lie at a time. Throughout all of this, Jane remains a sympathetic character, and that is almost the more terrifying than the reasons behind her lies.

If you’re into dark, twisty thrillers, this is perfect for you. Jane tells her entire story to an unknown listener and I couldn’t wait to find out their identity. I nearly through it out the window at about 97% so be prepared-the ending is rough, but readable. I really enjoyed the London setting and the descriptions of the dinners that Marnie and Jane share. In many of these psychological thrillers, it’s pretty obvious from the beginning that our narrator is going to be unreliable and troubled. Jane truly gives off the vibe of devoted friend who only becomes more unstable after a series of extremely tragic events.

If you’d like a copy for yourself, you can grab one here:

This another amazing debut so unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for the next book from Elizabeth Kay.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

Post includes affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.