January was the month of distractions. I meant to read more books, I truly did, but it just didn’t happen. Now, that isn’t to say I didn’t start a million books in January. At one point, I was reading six books at once. Which is a lot for me. I try to stick to just two at once. One home read, and one work read. This month, I ended up with:

My December hanger-on read: A Court of Mist and Fury

Date read: December 18th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024

Rating: ★★★★★

I started this in December when I foolishly decided to read the whole series in preparation for House of Flame and Shadow, releasing January 30th. Now, starting it was not foolish. I enjoyed this book immensely. I also now understand the memes and comments about Tamlin. Let’s just say how he turned out… ho boy, I was not prepared. That to say, I think SJM did an excellent job of portraying depression and PTSD, as well as healthy and unhealthy relationships. Yes, I find the timeline a little rushed, but I can pretend this took place over a longer time period. The characters she introduced in this book stole my heart and ignited my curiosity. I want to know more about them all. Especially Amren. She sounds like the most fascinating kind of murderous creature. The way the relationships between the characters evolved was also delightful. You can genuinely feel the bonds between them, that sense of family. We should all be so lucky to be accepted the way Feyre was by Rhysand’s household.

My paused read: A Court of Wings and Ruin

I know I started this in early January, but I had to give the world a break. Apparently, two books in a row were all I could handle. I have promised myself to go back to this after my “palate cleanser” that I am reading. My friend Heidi is reading two SJM books a month; her goal is to get to the newest Crescent City novel. With how fast she reads and how she gets sucked in, I can see her adding an extra book here and there over the months. So I am thinking about doing the same thing. Two SJM books in a row, and then read something else in between.

My walking to work audiobook: Ready Player One 

I live close enough to my job that I walk 89% of the time. And during said walk, I like to listen to something. Typically, it’s music, but occasionally, I get ambitious and decide to listen to an audiobook. Just for funzies. This time, I chose Ready Player One. It is my husband’s favorite book, hands down. There is nothing that comes close. He will start Ready Player One again if he runs out of audiobooks while I am asleep (he works third shift, and I pick his audiobooks). So, I figured I would give it a shot. I’m only 7% of the way into it (easily distracted, remember), but I already like it. It’s funny and references movies I grew up watching with my mom. Just don’t tell him he was right about it being good; he will never let me live it down.

My “educating myself” nonfiction read: ADHD for Smart Ass Women

It has come to my attention that I may have ADHD, so I am reading up on how it affects women. Since I am not usually a nonfiction reader, this one will take me longer to get through, but I intend to do so.

My impulse read: Haunting Adeline

This one was a bad idea… Why do people like this? Why do people come into my store and ask for this? Why? I dnf’d this one at about 40%. I just found it unpleasant to read. The characters were underdeveloped. It felt like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to write a romance, a horror, or a haunted house story, so she just shoved all of it into one book. Falling in love with your stalker? That is just asking to be murdered and is not sexy at all.

My “I’m reading this because it’s pretty” read: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

The photo above is of the Fairyloot exclusive edition. This is the edition I have. Look how pretty it is. Look at it. Take in all of its angsty gorgeousness. Now, imagine walking past this beauty over and over while doing chores. Like a siren, it called to me. And like a sailor, I answered.

My at-work read: Sanctuary with Kings

Date read: December 23rd, 2023 – January 21st, 2024

Rating: ★★★

You knew I was reading this one. You knew I was still indulging in monster romance. You didn’t know I read it at work. I am lazy. I don’t like to lug my books back and forth if I can avoid it. So, I have reading apps on my phone. No heavy books to carry, no possibility of spilling something on it and ruining the pages, and no one knows what I am reading, so no judging looks. It’s a win-win. And it’s a good thing, too. This was so delightfully filthy. Yet another why choose/ reverse harem story from Kathryn Moon and the final installment in the Tempting Monsters series. I was worried that the ending would fall flat and be anti-climactic, but thankfully, that didn’t happen. It was full of feminine rage, desire, healing, and revenge! Glorious revenge, well-deserved revenge. This series was mainly smut, but it had an undercurrent of strength. The strength to admit to your desires without shame. The strength to share the parts of you that you are afraid will be rejected. The strength to heal. The strength to fight for those who haven’t found their strength yet. All in a set of books about having sex with monsters.

Now, I am all about interesting monsters and how they can be included in monster romance, but minotaurs may be my cut-off point. Minotaurs, not krackens. Oh, I can just feel the judgment seeping out of you and into me through this post. But I shall persevere, have no fear.

My “I can’t sleep, guess I’ll read something” read: The Basilisk of Star Manor

Date read: January 23rd, 2024 – January 24thth, 2024

Rating: ★★★.5

Kathryn Moon wrote a monster romance that wasn’t poly! Who knew? Me, I knew. Anyway, do you ever have trouble sleeping and just give up and download something on Kindle Unlimited? No, just me? Wow, bummer. Well, that is what happened with this read. I started it at about 10:30 pm and finished it a little after midnight. Afterward, I slept like a baby. It was amazing. Not the point. This was a fun little novella that takes place between books one and two of the Tempting Monsters series. I really liked this. Even though it is so short, it takes place over several months, and we get to see the main characters get to know one another and fall in love. The thing I really liked about this story was how the MMC did everything he could to support the FMC and give her agency over her own life. We all deserve true support from a partner, and the way it was done in this book was beautiful. I could see myself reading more by this author in the future.

And lastly, Wonderling’s bedtime story read: The Broken Hearts Club

I told myself that I would start reading my youngest daughter a bedtime story every night that she wanted me to. This is the book we chose. It will be a while before we finish it, but gods if it is adorable already.

Now, on to what I plan… well, hope to be reading in February! I’m not going to include the ones mentioned above because they are implied.

So, as you can see, I will mostly be indulging in fantasy reads, but I made sure to include something to make me bawl like a baby, as well as some ARCs that I am stupidly excited about!

What did you read in January? What are you planning to read for February? Are you going to do a lot of romance, or will you be more diverse? Tell me in the comments below!

Until the next page,

Dani