Tag: TBR

Stacking The Shelves #8

Going once, going twice, sold…to my best friend’s brother.

My best friend’s older brother has always kept me in the friend-zone. It doesn’t hurt my feelings when he ruffles my hair and puts on the protective brother act. And when he glowers at my recent ex who keeps sniffing around, it’s because he cares. Not because he wants me for himself.

At least, that’s what I tell myself until one night changes it all. The BDSM club where he works puts on an auction once a month. I need money, and this is the fastest way to get some.

When I get up on stage, everything changes.

Because at the end of this night spent with him and another man, the boundaries around the friend-zone are shattered. I know what he tastes like and he’s seen my O face, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Mastered by Desire is the first book in a ménage romance series loaded with sexytimes and melodrama. If you like MFM romance, kinky fun, and angst, fall in love with this threesome today!

This book does not stand alone. For content warnings, please visit the author’s website. https://calistajaynebooks.com/

Proof of Price: $0.00

Spotlight: The Valet by Bonnie Traymore

Title: The Valet
Author: Bonnie Traymore
Format: e-ARC
Length: 241 pages
Publication Date: February 12, 2026

In this twisty domestic suspense novel with a touch of dark humor, a struggling valet driver with a shady side hustle and a soft spot for the ladies suspects that one of his targets might be a serial killer.

You never know what hides behind a smile.

It’s tough to get by in Honolulu these days. Prices are high. Salaries are low. Which is why Johnny Silva tells himself he’s not doing anything that bad. The people he and his girlfriend target have a lot of insurance—and a lot of jewelry.

But when not one, but two guests from the resort where he works turn up murdered in a similar manner, Johnny starts to suspect that one of his targets, a regular at The Grand Royal Hotel, is the serial killer terrorizing Honolulu.

When the cops start questioning him, Johnny suspects that someone is trying to frame him. Does his girlfriend know he’s been chatting up his ex? Does his co-worker know his dark secrets? Are there other enemies out to get him?

Then Johnny becomes a person of interest in the case, and he’ll stop at nothing to find the real murderer, even if a stone-cold killer might be a little too close for comfort.

And even if it might cost him his life.

Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Kaira Rouda, Daniel Hurst, Emily Shiner, and Shari Lapena.

I received a complimentary e-ARC through Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse.

WWW Wednesday – February 4, 2026

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

I just started reading Dead In The Water by John Marrs. A friend of mine received a paperback ARC and lent it to me to read.

I threw myself on the Libby waitlist for the audiobook of Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio. Yes, I did borrow the hardcover from the library last year and started the book, but it took a backseat at some point and I ended up returning the book to the library a month later. The audiobook is totally keeping my attention and I am invested in Hadrian’s journey!

For HRCYED 2.0 I needed a book with 7+ colors on the cover. You Shouldn’t Be Here by Lauren Thoman is a First Reads backlog book that fits this prompt. I totally forgot what the book is even about so I am gonna go in blind later tonight.

I finished reading The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo. I gave this book an average rating because it was just alright to me.

I finished listening to Nine Pines by Kiersten Modglin. I was not a fan of this one.

A new month is about to start, so new plans have emerged. These are the books I am trying to get to in February.

Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!

Stacking The Shelves #7

From #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author P. C. Cast—a passionate and magical epic bringing alive Celtic legend, perfect for romantasy fans who love Sue Lynn Tan and Thea Guanzon and historical fantasy fans of Madeline Miller.

Step into the mystical world of the Isle of Skye in 200 BCE, where legends come to life, goddess and gods walk the mortal earth, and the Queen of Shadow holds court. But Scáthach is no ordinary queen. Daughter of the Underworld goddess Bēfionn, golden-haired Scáthach is not just a brilliant trainer of warriors, her divine mother has gifted her with the ability to pass between the living world and the Underworld and has granted her dominion over shadows.

Scáthach dedicates her life to training the most talented warriors from across the ancient world at Dunscaith Castle, her impenetrable fortress on the magical Isle of Skye. When Cuchulainn, the Hero of Ulster, son of the Irish god Lugh, arrives asking to become one of her students, Scáthach reluctantly agrees to train him—even though she has serious misgivings about his violent past and the mindless berserker who sleeps within him and whose rage, once awakened, has always been uncontrollable…until the Hero of Ulster meets the Queen of Shadow. Scáthach soon realizes Cuchulainn is much more than the brutal, emotionless warrior everyone expects him to be. And the Hero of Ulster begins to believe he might take control of and even change his foretold fate.

As their growing attraction deepens, Cuchulainn’s father, the God of Light, forces him to retrieve a weapon that will seal Cuchulainn’s fate and forever take him away from the Queen of Shadow. But when Scáthach joins him on the quest through the most dangerous and disturbing parts of the Underworld, Scáthach discovers that her fate may lie in the Underworld and, perhaps, she might be able to forge a future for herself and Cuchulainn by tricking death herself….

Proof of Price: $0.00

Books Acquired In January 2026

Good morning readers! These are all of the books that I acquired/received/borrowed onto my shelves, virtual and/or physical, for the entire month of January:

I borrowed all of these from Libby.

Acquired: 12

Total spent this month: $0.00

Total spent this year: $0.00

WWW Wednesday – January 21, 2025

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

I am reading The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo. As a comfort author and not knowing what to read, I picked this one up on a whim. So far it’s good, and I like the main character Elinor.

I had no audiobooks lined up to listen to next, so I went with the next book in the Guild Codex Read-along. Yes, a little early but it is what it is. I am enjoying it so far, which is no surprise to me.

I am still hopeful that I will read at least one of these ARCs before the month is over. I’ve been in a Kindle slump (is that even a thing? LOL!) – just that none of t he ARCs are calling to me when I pick up the Kindle. Last year I received a lot of ARCs that published in January and February. At the time I was like ‘I have plenty of time to get to these, that’s months away’… and now here we are in January.

Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!

Top Ten Tuesday: Goals For 2026

Reading Goal: 50 Books. Reading is supposed to be a marathon, not a sprint. I feel like I am always rushing through books because I wanted to hit high goals and “keep up with the Jones'”. This year I want to take my time with the books I want to read, remember the plot, and enjoy the stories more.

Reading Goal: I will be doing another ZERO spending year again. I love my library, and Libby and Hoopla have been life savers for books I want to read and don’t want to spend money on. I’m supporting my community by using the library! I plan to keep myself accountable on spending with my Google sheets, like the last four years.

Reading Goal: I am not requesting or accepting any eARCs this year. No requesting on Netgalley, Edelweiss or any companies I am affiliated with, unless it’s a book I REALLLLLLLLLLLLLY want to read and know I can read it around the time I am approved. I want to make use of my library as much as humanly possible and get through my backlog of ARCs/books I have on my Kindle already.
P.S. If an ARC shows up on my doorstep as surprise mail then it is what it is.

Reading Goal: I want to try to read some bigger books this year. That was my plan last year and then I ended up abandoning it early on. I plan to choose a few series with thicker books and get to them this year.

Mailbox Monday

I am apart of James Patterson’s Street Team, since he’s the author who got me back into reading as an adult I cherish that they accepted me on the Street Team two years ago.

I was sent a hardcover copy of The Invisible Woman by James Patterson and Susan DiLallo. It published two weeks ago on January 5th.

From New York Times bestselling author​ James Patterson, an undercover FBI agent investigates a family with suspected ties to organized crime—by posing as their live-in nanny.

No one sees her, but she sees everything. Elinor Gilbert was once a young woman with a thriving career at the FBI.

Now decades past solving crimes with the bureau, she is personally and professionally forgettable. 

Which is exactly what her former FBI boss needs. He disguises Elinor as a middle-aged nanny, and casts her as an agent on the inside of his investigation into a New York art dealer suspected of ties to organized crime.   

But as Elinor pushes toward the truth, her superpower—anonymity—morphs into a fatal flaw. 

The more the invisible woman integrates into her “host” family, the more dangerously memorable she becomes.

Adding To My Main TBR List

The death of reporter Dean Dawson’s estranged father in a boating accident leaves Dean and his brothers with mixed emotions. After all, the man abandoned his family and lived a life of inexplicable lies and broken promises. But four months after that fatal night cruise, their father is becoming a greater mystery than they imagined.

When a presidential candidate is assassinated in Austin, Dean is contacted by April North, his former girlfriend and an associate of Dean’s father at a powerhouse law firm. She’s stumbled upon a shocker. A cryptic text she wasn’t supposed to see on her boss’s phone not only implicates the firm in the assassination but also suggests that Dean’s father may still be very much alive.

As the brothers are pulled into a dark conspiracy, Dean and April are on the run as the next targets of a mysterious assassin—and one kill shot away from discovering the truth and a father’s dangerous secrets.

Total books on Main TBR List: 103

WWW Wednesday – January 7, 2025

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

I borrowed The Shadow of What Was Lost from the library and so far I am enjoying the hell out of it. I read slow, and it’s a thicc boy of a book! I am currently 25% in at the time of writing up this post.

I am listening to Two Witches and A Whiskey by Annette Marie, the next book in the read-along I am participating in. I borrowed it through Libby.

I already pulled a mood reader move… I put down an ARC I wasn’t feeling and grabbed something random. A quick YA read with Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is what was calling to me.

I finished this ARC right before the new year.

Darby Kane, author of the #1 international bestseller Pretty Little Wife, returns with a gripping domestic thriller in which a family goes missing and a long-buried family mystery resurfaces.

This book publishes on the 20th of this month.

Gonna try to tackle some ARCs this month and hopefully get to my First Reads choice of this month. I’ll choose one of these above once I finish what I am currently into.

Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!

My January 2026 TBR Plans

I am 100% a mood reader. But this year I am trying to mostly-sort-of-kind-of plan my reading out. I am doing a little less yearly challenges this year and want to read what I want to read, so I am hoping to stick to the list I make. Of course I am not gonna hold myself to it strictly, because reading is supposed to be a fun hobby that I enjoy. Plus, I am a DNF Queen haha!

So for January I am gonna start off slow and with a small list to see how how it goes!

Do you plan out your reading, or just wing it?

Books Acquired In December 2025

Good morning readers! These are all of the books that I acquired/received/borrowed onto my shelves, virtual and/or physical, for the entire month of December:

Screenshot

I borrowed all of these from Libby.

I borrowed this hefty paperback copy from my library as well. I knew I wouldn’t be able to read the e-copy within the time frame I was allowed to borrow it.

I borrowed these Christmas and Hanukkah themed eBooks from Prime Reading.

James Patterson’s Street Team sent me this paperback advanced reader copy of Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson.

My mom got me a Blind Date With A Book for Christmas.

Acquired: 10

Total spent this month: $0.00

Total spent this year: $0.00

Mailbox Monday

I am apart of James Patterson’s Street Team, since he’s the author who got me back into reading as an adult I cherish that they accepted me on the Street Team two years ago.

I was sent the new James Patterson Viola Davis collab titled Judge Stone, which comes out March 9, 2026.

The most respected citizen in Union Springs, Alabama (population 3,314), is Judge Mary Stone. She holds two responsibilities sacred: running her family farm and presiding over her courtroom. It’s there she draws the most controversial case in the history of the South.   
 
Criminally, it’s open-and-shut. 
 
Ethically, there is no middle ground. Essentially, it’s a choice between life and death.
 
No judge can satisfy everyone. It would be dangerous to try. But Judge Stone is willing to fight to bring justice to the people and place she loves.

WWW Wednesday – December 17, 2025

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

I borrowed The Shadow of What Was Lost from the library and so far I am enjoying the hell out of it. I am currently 20% in at the time of writing up this post.

I am listening to The Intruder by Freida McFadden. It was available on Hoopla as an instant borrow, and since it’s a new book I snagged it up.

It’s the end of the year and with all the holiday shenanigans coming up I am leaving my TBR open ended. I’ll read whatever I am in the mood for and just wing it till January. This will probably be my last WWW Wednesday until the new year as well.

Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!

WWW Wednesday – December 10, 2025

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

I borrowed The Shadow of What Was Lost from the library and so far I am enjoying the hell out of it.

I am listening to The Woman On The Ledge thanks to Libby. This one is also really good and I am listening as much as possible.

I read and listened to Snow Place Like Home for the #HoHoHoRAT. A cute holiday read that wasn’t super cheesy!

It’s the end of the year and with all the holiday shenanigans coming up I am leaving my TBR open ended. I’ll read whatever I am in the mood for and just wing it till January.

Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!

Stacking The Shelves #6

Peggy and Drew, both aspiring writers, move to an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son. Peggy is the glue that holds their family together, even as their son is bullied relentlessly for his physique and his family’s lack of money. But when Drew becomes frustrated by his wife’s sudden writing success, he moves their boat further and further from civilization.

With their increasing isolation, personal challenges become harder to ignore, even as they desperately try to break toxic generational patterns. But when Drew’s gaslighting becomes too much for Peggy to take, it sets off a catastrophic series of events.

With Will Dean’s signature “well-drawn characters and excellent prose” (Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author), Adrift is gripping exploration of the ties that bind when everything spirals out of control.

Proof of Price: $0.00

Stacking The Shelves #5

I own book 1 of this series (The Silent Watcher), thanks to Amazon First Reads. I had No-Rush Rewards that were going to expire in the middle of the month, so I got myself book 2 of the series. I have not read a bad Victor Methos book and I am excited to get into this series next year.

Proof of Price: $0.00

WWW Wednesday – December 3, 2025

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?

Starting this month off with an ARC of Such A Clever Girl by Darby Kane.

I borrowed Malice from the library so I am gonna start it and see how it goes.

I am listening to Dark Arts and A Daiquiri for the Read-along I am participating in.

This wasn’t doing it for me in the slightest and I forced myself through it thinking it would get better. I will not be posting about this one on my blog.

These ARCs are slated to be read before the year is over. I always feel like December is a huge mood month for me but I want to try to get to these before the new year.

Don’t forget to link up with Taking On A World Of Words to share your WWW!

Books Acquired In November 2025

Good morning readers! These are all of the books that I acquired/received/borrowed onto my shelves, virtual and/or physical, for the entire month of September:

Screenshot

I borrowed all of these from Libby.

I borrowed this hefty paperback copy from my library.

I chose both of these as my First Reads choice for the month of November.

I signed up with Silver Dagger Book Tours for this Thanksgiving read. I should of read the description of the book better before requesting because this is definitely not my typical genre lol

I borrowed this hardcover copy from a book borrowing group I am involved in on Facebook.

I was gifted a physical copy of You Killed Me First by John Marrs. Thanks Cayla!

Acquired: 14

Total spent this month: $0.00

Total spent this year: $0.00