It’s Autumn! Or at least it is technically, I don’t know that the weather here in Melbourne got the memo but I thought this would be the perfect time to get a little cosy and talk about some Autumnal vibes with the Fall book tag! (I’m sorry Americans, but Autumn is a way more beautiful word)
This is also excitedly my 300th post on Earl Grey Books!
This tag was created by Shanah of Bionic Book Worm as are all the graphics included in this post (apart from the header)—you can see their version of the tag here. I wasn’t tagged by anyone, but I just decided this would be a fun one to do. So without further ado…
Dark Rise by C.S Pacat
When I look at the books I’ve read so far this year, this is the one that really sticks out to me. I was completely blown away by this entire book, to be honest, not just the ending. I’d tried reading it towards the end of 2021 and was so bored that I considered DNFing, but I gave it a few months and came back to it and ended up absolutely loving it. For me, this was really a case of not being the right kind of book when I tried to read it that first time. But that second time, I was just in complete awe of it. This was both part of a video I did in which I read the opposite to what people told me to, and of course, a mini-review in one of my five most recent reads posts which are both linked here.
Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh
This was honestly a bit of a hard one for me because I wanted to try and stick to books that I’ve read this year and the majority of those are romance. However, Visions of Heat has plenty of action and twists and turns in it. I haven’t shared my review of this one yet, but you’ll see it in a few days’ time if you’re interested in hearing my full thoughts on this, basically, I really enjoyed it just like every other Nalini Singh book I’ve read so far. I will say this though—on top of the changeling/shifter action and the hunt for a killer, this has got plenty of other kinds of non-stop action if you know what I mean. Seriously, we do not deserve Nalini Singh.
Teach Me by Olivia Dade
I wanted to go with something on my shelf for this one because I honestly don’t know if I could pick from the upcoming releases I’m excited for. So right now, that’s Teach Me by Olivia Dade. I just read All the Feels, which again you’ll see a review for in a few days, but I was instantly craving something more from Dade. Add to the fact that my best friend was reading this and was really enjoying it while we were on holiday together and I’m just so excited. I’ve also just been really loving contemporary romance lately—I know I’ve talked about this a bit but I’m still just so surprised by how much I am enjoying them considering my past history.
Lore Olympus, volume 1 by Rachel Smythe
This might be a bit of an odd choice because it deals with some pretty serious topics at different points in this volume, but it does also give me those warm and fuzzy feelings. Smythe’s version of Persephone is just so adorable and precious, but without ever being weak and I just love it. Hades is also just a precious, precious bean. Honestly, both of these characters just need to be wrapped up in blankets and kept safe from the world. I know that’s not something you’d often think about the original Greek myth versions of Hades and Persephone, but they are just so cute in here.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
For this one, I’m going with a book that’s still on my physical TBR, but as soon as I saw this question I thought of Iron Widow. It is such a gorgeous cover and I love the vividness of the reds, oranges and yellows and the contrast against the darker colours. It’s a relatively simple cover really, but there’s something about it that just makes it really beautiful. I did start this one back in January but I really wasn’t feeling it at the time—I’m hoping that when I get the chance to pick it back up that I will enjoy it this time around, just like I did with Dark Rise.
I think most of the people I know in the blogging community are going into Spring, but if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere too, I’d love to hear your answers!
Earl Grey Books 