Shelf Life: Episode 3

 

    March was a busy month for me. I read 18 books, leading to me reaching 35/150 for my 2023 reading goal. I have my nieces and nephews to thank for this because there was a book fair at their school and my 7-year-old niece is into reading Mo Willems together. Of course, Goodreads still says I'm behind schedule, but that's because of the large number of books I pledged to read. 150 is pretty average for me. I'd like to beat the goal this year as last year I had to lower my goal from 200. 

    Here are my reviews for March...

Roaring into the Sunset, Samuel J. White	Read In March	Contemporary Romance, Coming of Age, Motorcycles.	New Adult	Ebook	4/5	Roaring into the Sunset is a coming-of-age, new-adult novel. The main concept behind the book is interesting as it explores the idea that people see their lives flash before their eyes when they die. The story is told through the eyes of Dave and Sarah, who are actively aware of the reader. They know they're in a book. They state that they are in a book. Honestly, this type of writing style seems explorative and almost like Virgina Wolfe's stream-of-consciousness style. I, myself, am not a fan of this particular style, but the story was intriguing.  It did put me off that the characters stated when there was a trigger warning, but the warnings were important as this piece of literature uses slang, slurs, and descriptions from another time.   If you are looking for a HEA, this is not the book for you, but if you want a slow-burn story with a (slight spoilers)  unhappy ending then you should read this book.
Lumberjack Under the Tree, Keira Andrews	Read in March	Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ Romance, M/M Romance, Holiday Romance	18+	Ebook	3/5	A second chance romance with a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers twist and two lumberjacks. This holiday LGBTQ romance takes place during the three weeks before Christmas. It starts off as a slow burn but picks up speed towards the middle and lots of steam happens. It was a pretty good book and very light-hearted. I wish there had been a tad more angst, but I did like the acceptance the dup found.
Perfect Kiss, A.G. Meiers	Read in March	Romance, LGBTQ Romance, M/M Romance	18+	Ebook	3/5	This is more like 3.5 stars for me. I liked the plot and the characters but the flashbacks made it seem like the story was being told out of order. I would have liked the see the flashbacks featured as actual chapters at the start of the book. It kind of felt like I was dropped in, in the middle of the story. Like with the arson case, the characters mention it a lot but we don't actually get to see them working it. It's a good story, though, and a pretty quick read.
Only Human, Alex Raine	Read in March	Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy	New Adult, 18+	Ebook	5/5	I fluctuated between rating this 4.5 or 5 but I'm ultimately going with 5 stars because a lot of world-building went into this story, plus there was a fun take on half-breeds. The first half of Only Human focuses on fated mates while the second half focuses on self-discovery. I liked the special way half-breeds were portrayed in this urban fantasy. I also liked where Raine dropped us in, as readers. The first chapter was super attention-catching.   This was a great start to a new series, which I look forward to reading more of.
Restless Nights (Badlands), Morgan Brice	Read in March	Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Crime, m/m romance	18+	Ebook	4/5	Restless Nights take place almost immediately following book one of Badlands. It focuses on the aftermath of Simon's injury and how he and Vic are coping with the dangers of their two worlds. The homicide case here is short and straight to the point. The ghost ends up giving them almost all of the answers instead of them having to go searching for them. It felt a little too clean-cut, but I love this series and was glad to be able to read a shorter story about Vic and Simon.
Below Zero, Ali Hazelwood	Read in March	Contemporary Romance	18+, New Adult	Ebook Audio Book	4/5	For about half of this book, I was sure I was going to give it a 3.5-star review, but the story grew on me. By the end, I was devoted to the characters and glad about how things ended. As is usual for Hazelwood, this book focuses on a woman in STEM falling for a man in STEM. Space engineering and science is the main STEM theme here. I really liked the character Ian and felt bad for him. He was so patient and kind to our main gal.
Cover Me (Badlands), Morgan Brice	Read in March	Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Crime, M/M Romance	18+	Ebook	3/5	Sadly, I'm giving Cover Me three stars. It was short and cute, focusing on the secret romance of a deceased pilot. It takes place following book 2 in Badlands, where Vic and Simon are discussing getting matching tattoos. Technically this story has two cases, but they are both solved without a hitch.
Scarlet Peacock, L.D. Wosar	Read in March	Historical, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy	New Adult, 18+	Ebook	5/5	This historical vampire story takes place during the early 1800s. A hidden, bastard princess, is raised as a peasant until her life becomes the pawn a Vampire and Witch queen have been looking for. She’s dragged into a war without knowing her birthright, forced to marry a man who bought her at a party, and soon learns that the people around her are more than they appear to be. This semi-slow-burn paranormal romance has the drama and plotting of a good regent book. The ending will make you scream and wish you had the second book so you could immediately dive into it.
Fawn’s School Day, Zoey Daniele	Read in March	Juvenile Fiction.	Juvenile	Paperback	5/5	(Please note this review is from the FIRST time I read the book.) I purposely waited to read and review this book with my youngest sister. She is close to the author’s age, being in third grade, and I wanted her perspective on the book. At first, she said she didn’t understand why there were mermaids in the story, then about halfway through she gasped and said, “Oh, I understand now.” Like Fawn, my sister has also experience bullying and this book helped start a conversation about her experiences. I knew about most of the things she’d told me, because our parents had to handle it, but somewhere shocking. This book gives a kid’s perspective of what it’s like to be bullied and to bully. It also points out that not all bullies are kids. Sometimes they’re adults.
Lena’s Destiny, Megan Kuykendall	Read in March	Urban Fantasy	New Adult/Upper YA	Ebook	5/5	Lena’s Destiny picks up right after Hector’s Key and Kuykendall launches readers directly into the story. Though at first,   it feels like the story will center around Selena and Aaron the majority of the book actually focuses on Lena and Michael as they battle the darkness and relive their past.   I liked how this book reads. Though it has prequel elements, as it tells a story about events that happened before the series, it isn’t written as a flashback. I enjoyed getting to see Lena and Michael’s past while still watching the characters solve the current problem at hand.
Stalker Under the Mistletoe, Brandi Gillian	Read in March	Thriller, Romance	YA	Ebook	5/5	Rounding up to a 5-star! This story is short but has suspense and romance. It has thriller vibes as an author is being stalked by a fan. She seeks out aid from her brother and friends, including the guy she’s had a crush on forever. The stalker, however, is willing to cross any line needed to win her heart. The ending is kind of sudden and cliffhanger-like, but that’s because this is the first book in a series and I suspect certain storylines will be continued in book two.
Night, Morgan Brice	Read in March	Paranormal Crime, Paranormal Romance, M/M Romance	18+	Ebook	5/5	This may be my favorite story in the Badlands short stories. The case here centers around a fairy and there is plenty of Halloween mischief and sexy times.
Leap of Faith, Morgan Brice	Read in March	Paranormal Crime, Paranormal Romance, M/M Romance	18+	Ebook	4/5	This installment is a crossover between the Witch Bane and Badlands series. It’s more of a novella than a short story and Bryce has the four boys face off against a “Ring” styled spirit. The case here was intriguing and the baddie was actually kind of scary. Loved it.
Big Shark, Little Shark Go to School, Anna Membrino	Read in March	Juvenile Fiction	Juvenile	Paperback	4/5	I didn't care much for this book. I thought it was weird that the sharks rode scooters to school, but my niece absolutely loved the book. Since she's the target audience for this book, I'm assuming it'd be a hit for other first graders.  It's an easy read. Perfect for kids just learning to read.
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, Ben Clanton	Read in March	Juvenile Fiction, Graphic Novel	Juvenile	Hardcover	4/5	This is a fun comic tale about two friends, the start of their friendship, and a couple of the adventures they go on. In the middle, there’s a little fact page and a song that was fun to sing with the kindergarten and first graders I read it to.
We are in a Book, Mo Williems	Read in March	Juvenile Fiction, Graphic Novel	Juvenile	Paperback	5/5	Okay, this was adorable. The characters break the fourth wall and talk directly to the reader. The ending of the book encourages readers to reread the story, plus there's a line that encourages young readers to read the story out loud. It was cute and Mo Williems is a great storyteller.
I Love my Tutu Too, Ross Burach	Read in March	Juvenile Fiction	Juvenile	Board Book	4/5	Oh my god...this book. Dear Burach, the story was great. My 1-year-old niece and 2-year-old nephew were thoroughly entertained. They loved every moment of this book that left my tongue in knots. This board book is short, cute, and painful on the tongue...but it's entertaining.
The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster, Mo Willems	Read in March	Juvenile Fiction, Picture Book	Juvenile	Hardcover	5/5	Willems has brought the Pigeon back with a book that has a dual meaning. Unlike most of the Pigeon books, this one doesn’t focus on stopping the Pigeon from doing something. It’s about both a literal and emotional roller coaster. The story explores the excitement and emotions the Pigeon feels leading up to the moment he rides a coaster, then what happens when the ride turns out very different than he thought it would.   This is a great book to spark a conversation about excitement, anticipation, disappointment, and emotional control.