October just was not my month for fiction consumption. I read a total of two books the whole month. Now, I am not like some of my friends and coworkers who can get through twenty-plus books a month, but I can typically average about six or so. That was so not the case this month. Two, just two. Am I disappointed in myself? Maybe just a little, but slumps do happen. I can only hope that November will be better. So, what did I read in October? Romance: I read romance. Radiant Sin and Fall of Ruin and Wrath, to be exact.
Radiant Sin is book four in the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert. What is the Dark Olympus series? I am so glad you asked. This series is loosely based on some of Katee’s favorite Greek myths but with a flair that is all her own. It has a sexy dark tone, leans a little on the mafia romance side, and is 100% bingeable spice. Radiant Sin is probably the tamest of the Dark Olympus series, but it is just as good, even possibly, dare I say, wholesome. We follow Apollo and Cassandra on a fake-dating, information-finding, pretend-we-don’t-actually-have-feelings-for-each-other scheme that has the potential to work out in everyone’s favor or blow up spectacularly in everyone’s faces. I enjoyed the love story in this book and the background the characters already had built up with each other. I liked the mystery, which honestly may have been obvious, but I have never been one to try to figure it out; I just go along for the ride. I truly just enjoyed every moment of the book, and I would happily recommend it to others who are looking for a darker retelling type romance. I gave it five stars on Goodreads. Please note, I don’t rate books as harshly as some; if I enjoyed it and think I would reread it, it gets five stars.
Fall of Ruin and Wrath is the first in a new series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I actually started this one as an ARC or advanced readers copy in early September, but I kept leaving it at work and getting distracted, so I didn’t finish it until this month. It was good, if a bit odd. I feel like she could have worked on the world-building a bit more or honestly just explained the world better. I feel like it could be unique and enthralling if I just understood what was going on. It read almost like a sequel, expecting you to already understand some of the dynamics going on in the world. The character relationships were well done, the scene descriptions wonderful, and the tension palpable. It was fun to see where the story went and how the magic worked. The end was a bit chaotic and unexpected, seeming to me to come out of left field. Despite this, I enjoyed the story and would be more than happy to read the rest of the series. I gave it 3.5 stars.
