March Newsletter 🌷

Good evening lovely book readers,

Welcome to March's Newsletter.

In this Newsletter, I will be talking about the books read during February, my reads for March as well as new potential releases I'll be keeping an eye out and of course events.

This month I want to be more focussed new and upcoming authors with their debut novels. But as usual with some romance.

I'll be also discussing and linking the books and their reviews that I've read during February, as well as the events I attended.

Then we will go over the books that I'll be reading in March and the events and releases I'll keep an eye out.

Without further due, let's jump into it.

Books read in February

First book I read and reviewed is As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson. It is the third and final instalment (besides the novella) in the series. We follow again Pip and her affinity for true crime, except this time she is the victim.

Book review can be found here.

The second book to be read and reviewing is One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. It is the first instalment in the One Of Us Is Lying series. The series has also been put into a Netflix TV show. We follow 5 students into detention, but only 4 come out alive. And every whisper, post and clue is always pointing towards them.

Book review can be found here.

The third book of the month is Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus. This book is a standalone novel and follows someone who goes living in her mom's childhood town and where her twin vanished. But now the "murderer" is back!

Book review can be found here.

Fourth book of the month is The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. It is set in Dublin throughout two different times and has the best Prologue I've ever read.

Book review can be found here.

Fifth book of the month is One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus. It is the second novel in the Bayview High series and follows Bronwyn's sister, Maeve, and her friends Knox and Phoebe while their dealing with a truth or dare that exposes their darkest secrets. This game turns into a really dark ending. Book review can be found here.

Last book of the month is The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas. It follows Monica while she is trying to discover the death of her sister and 4 of her friends that happened 5 years ago.

Book review can be found here.

Events attended (and my feedback on it)

In February, I attended the Bridgerton x Netflix event. This event had as main topic the new and upcoming season of Bridgerton centred on Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.

Review can be found here.

TBR March

After a lot of changing themes and brainstorming, I decided to give this month to the new and upcoming authors. We are all always reading the trending authors and forget sometimes that other people need to start somewhere. After much thoughts on it, I've decided to put a few of the new and upcoming authors in the spotlight.

More Than a Shipmate by Philippa Young

First instalment in the Below Deck Series, and a Goodreads rating of 3.75 stars.

Available on Kindle Unlimited

Eliza Chapman has never been good enough. Not to get into drama school, not to hold down a boyfriend, not even to be her insufferable brother’s PA. But that’s about to change. Eliza’s enrolled as an entertainment host on a six-month Caribbean cruise, where the motto is “work hard, play hard”. Determined not to repeat the mistakes of her past by mixing work with romance, she swears herself off men completely. However, when the lines between colleagues and crushes blur and the nightlife puts her in some scandalous situations, Eliza’s efforts to resist temptation are challenged by cheeky American Tom and charming Brit Oscar, who might not be so willing to resist her. More Than Shipmates is a steamy workplace love triangle about fresh starts and learning to let love in.

Love Me or Hate Me by Stephanie Alves

Novel available on Kindle Unlimited with an average Goodreads score of 3.83 stars.

After being startled from my sleep in the dead of the night, I'm hit with unexpected news – my best friend reveals that Gabriel, her older brother and someone who has made my life a living nightmare for ten years, is moving in with us. It hits me that the one person I dislike the most is about to become my new housemate for the foreseeable future, and I’ll have to see him every day despite actively trying to avoid him my whole life.

Living with Gabriel means dealing with his arrogant personality, constant arguments, and a history that dates back to our teenage years. What makes it even more complicated? In the midst of this shared living space, a surprising connection begins to unfold, reigniting memories of a teenage crush that I thought I had left behind.

Alive At Night by Amelie Rhys

Novel available on Kindle Unlimited with an average Goodreads score of 4.10 stars.

Former childhood enemies Julian and Juniper are forced to work together, but a simple exchange could change everything—he needs help with his case and she needs a fake boyfriend.

**

JULIAN BRIGGS has just landed his first job as an associate attorney. Everything feels perfect, until he learns he’s sharing his office with the last person he wants to see from nine-to-five every day: Juniper, his sister’s best friend and the one woman who knows how to drive him up a wall.

Working with Juniper in the confines of their tiny office is a nightmare. She’s stubborn, challenges everything he says, and is way too good at her job. In fact, she’s so good that Julian is forced to ask her for help on a tough case. And while Juniper agrees, there’s one catch.

JUNIPER ST. JAMES has never met her half-sister before, yet she finds herself with an invitation to her lavish New York wedding. With only a handful of stressful weeks to go until the big event, Juniper wants a fake boyfriend, and she wants Julian’s help getting his college roommate and hot NFL star, Noah, to play the role.

Julian reluctantly goes along with the trade, but spending long, late nights working on his case with Juniper makes him realize how surprisingly well he can tolerate her company. Or more than tolerate. And when Noah bails on being Juniper’s fake wedding date, Julian is ready to step in. But he promises himself he’ll never let her know how happy he is to stand by her side—even if just for one night.

Per My Last Email by Juliana Smith

Available on Kindle Unlimited, with an average Goodreads score of 3.70 stars.

Layla Wright fit in her role as admin at West Oak Publishing about as well as she would at a five star restaurant in her ‘I love DILFS T-shirt’. When she applied to the job she thought she would be learning the ins and outs of the industry to eventually write and publish her own novel. But after years of staying in this same position, she’s unsure of how to break out of her routine and chase her dreams.

Luke Wells knows the words “friend zone” all too well. Staying in a dead-end position at a company he doesn’t care for only has one Layla Wright. He may hate his job just as much as she does, but she’s the one thing he’s not willing to lose. When Luke finds out he’s up for a promotion, he has to decide how far he’s willing to go to stay close to Layla. With his own dreams of running a bar on the line, is Layla really worth sticking around for—especially when she’s never indicated there will be anything more between them than friendship?

A seaside work conference is just what they need to shake things up and break them out of this tight bubble they’ve been living in for so long. Will they finally be brave enough to go for what they want or will they return home with everything between them unchanged? Boundaries get crossed, lines get blurred, and donuts get eaten.

Night Shift by Annie Crown

Available on Kindle Unlimited, with an average Goodreads Score of 3.62 stars.

The bookworm and the basketball player are about to meet their match.

Kendall Holiday spends her Friday nights exactly where she wants to be: with her head buried in a spicy romance novel while she works the graveyard shift at her university's library. She knows she could join her friends for a weekend of drunken debauchery and college parties, but she likes her alone time, so she tells herself she isn't hiding when she gets lost in the pages of fictional love stories.

But that all changes when Vincent Knight, captain of the basketball team, turns up with an injured wrist, a sour mood, and a pressing need for poetry recommendations for a class he hates. Vincent is tall, smart-mouthed, and challenges Kendall like no one has before. Suddenly, she's falling headfirst into her very own romance novel—but it takes a lot more truth than tropes to get to a happy ever after in real life.

NIGHT SHIFT is a 75k-word sweet and spicy single-POV college romance perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Hannah Grace, and Elena Armas.

Snap Shot by Ruby Rana

Available on Kindle Unlimited, with an average Goodreads score of 3.60 stars.

Landon

So much for being the golden boy.

Once-fawning press called me the rising star of the NHL. Now they get their rocks off on the viral snap shot of my buck-naked backside mashed up against my penthouse window and between an attention-hungry woman's legs.

Goodbye, post-season winning streak. Goodbye, Stanley Cup. Goodbye, dating - not that I was doing much of that before .

My agent promises to make the rumors disappear by hiring the best lawyer in Ottawa. But Indira Davé's no longer the quiet, gawky goalie I played with in grade seven. She's all confidence and drive-you-insane curves. And that smart mouth of hers has me thinking about a thousand ways I could shut it up. Or have it scream my name.

She doesn’t trust me, but I can't unsee the real Indi. And if she lets me in, I'll never let her go.

Indi

Nope. There's no way I still have that pubescent crush on Landon Radek. So what if he's outrageously good-looking? I won’t fall for his charm or dimpled smile this time.

I'm his lawyer. He's my lying-through-his-teeth client. And I hate him. For reasons I’d rather leave in the past.

A half-bottle of red wine has me blurting a precious secret and Landon comes up with a filthy proposition. If I accept it - BIG if with a capital I - I have strict rules.

Feelings are an absolute no-go. Both of our careers hinge on the utmost discretion. But the more he proves he’s still the boy I adored many years ago, the less control I have over my well-protected heart.

Sparkling Hope by Lilly Sophia

Available on Kindle Unlimited, with an average Goodreads score of 3.12 stars.

"But sometimes, the best love stories are the ones that come without warning."

WESTON SINCLAIR is the star of the Eastburgh Devils Hockey Team. He knows how to use his popularity as an ice hockey player. He loves getting all the applause when he scores a goal for the team.

But he's looking for one specific person in the crowd. His Dad. The one person who never shows up at his games or shows support, which Weston longs for terribly.

LUNA MONTGOMERY is a sunshine girl through and through. Always smiling, always seeing the best in someone and when she loves, she loves with her whole heart.

She couldn't be happier after getting her acceptance letter to Eastburgh Sport University with a spot on the swim team. Her dream finally becomes a reality.

After a horrible car accident, all that excitement gets taken away, and her biggest passion turns into her biggest fear.

Suddenly they are roommates and have to share a bathroom. Whom she promises to hate forever after he reveals her greatest fear. Weston has other plans as he tries to get closer to her. Can Luna keep her promise to hate the hockey player forever, keep her distance, and resist him?

A Taste of Light by Joelina Falk

First instalment in the Tartarus Club. Available on Kindle Unlimited and with an average Goodreads score of 3.75 stars.

Their love was doomed to dwell…

…so they made it blossom.

Smart, secretive, and powerful enough to stay out of trouble no matter what, KAI AUCLAIRE had been hiding in the shadows while standing under the spotlight.

Everything he did was to protect his family, and for a while, it worked.

For years, nobody was able to harm him… until he found himself stuck in a contract.

She was everything he didn’t expect, but most importantly, she could do immense damage to him that he never thought was possible.

Ruthless, revengeful, and yet sweet if she had to be, FLORA ADAMS had been living a joyful life with nothing to worry about… at least until she ruined it.

One dumb decision led to many consequences, but the worst one was her new relationship status. She needed protection, and there was only one person who could give her that.

He was possessive, and no matter how hard she tried not to find it the least bit charming, it was nice to have someone who cared about her.

There was only one way out of their engagement. They had to work together.

Their love was bittersweet. Every door they opened revealed a new secret. Every hurdle they thought they dodged brought another.

The question left was whether their love was meant to sustain the complications or crumble at resistance.

Events in March

This month on the 7th I will be attending the Empire of the Damned world book tour with author Jay Kristoff. This is a signed event, that I will be attending in Dublin, Ireland.

The event is hosted on the occasion of the release of the second instalment in the Empire of the Vampire story.

Find below the book summary:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Nevernight Chronicle, Jay Kristoff, comes the much-anticipated sequel to the #1 international bestselling sensation EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE.

From holy cup comes holy light;

The faithful hands sets world aright.

And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,

Mere man shall end this endless night.

Gabriel de León has saved the Holy Grail from death, but his chance to end the endless night is lost. Drawn into an uneasy alliance with the mysterious vampire Liathe, Gabriel must now deliver the Grail to ancients of the Blood Esani, and learn the truth of how Daysdeath might be finally undone.

But the Last Silversaint faces peril, within and without. Pursued by terrors of the Blood Voss, drawn into warfare between the Blood Dyvok and duskdancers of the frozen Highlands, and ravaged by his own rising bloodlust, Gabriel may not survive to see the Grail learn her truth.

And that truth may be too awful for any to imagine.

NetGalley

I just recently joined NetGalley which is an app where you can read books that will be coming out and grade them.

I do enjoy this concept more than anything and already requested a couple of books. I'll be of course updating you guys on the outcome. Fingers crossed.

Love,

Manon