Well, it’s only taken me almost three months but I’ve finally got all my reviews for the four books I read in January written and ready to share. I’ve gotten seriously out of the habit of reviewing the books I read, even though I keep telling myself I’ll do it. Anyway, that’s a discussion for another timer now, here are the books from January…
Bonded by Thorns (Beasts of the Briar #1) by Elizabeth Helen
I picked this one up on the recommendation of Angel, my best friend. I honestly hadn’t really been that interested in picking it up until she told me she thought I’d really enjoy it. She’s never steered me wrong before, so I thought I’d give it a chance. I ended up really enjoying this. Right from the start, I was completely sucked in and I read the whole thing in the space of a few hours because I just didn’t want to put it down at all. I don’t usually read Beauty and the Beast or really any retellings—I just don’t love fairytales, but I absolutely loved this one. This isn’t anything really unique or amazing but it’s so much fun. I loved the drama and all the banter and romantic tension between the characters—it was just such a fun read. I’m very much looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
The Warrior Midwife (The Warrior Midwife #1) by E.P Bali
This was my first DNF of the year. I really, really wanted to love this book. I had a stunning special edition from a book box a few years ago and I’d hoped to keep it on my shelves so I could admire the prettiness. I read over 80 pages of this even though it was a struggle for me to get that fun, but I just couldn’t connect to the story or the characters. As always, I don’t give star rating to my DNFs.
Tonight, I Burn (The Witches of Halstett #1) by Katharine J. Adams
Right after I DNFed The Warrior Midwife, I ended up DNFing this one too. I love a good book about witches usually, but I really couldn’t get into this one. I just felt super lost in the worldbuilding and the plot and nothing was grabbing me enough to make me want to keep reading. I thought about pushing through, but after a few days I decided I was better off just moving onto something different.
Consider Me (Playing for Keeps #1) by Becka Mack
The thing about this one is that I actually started reading it in January of 2024 the day before my partner and I moved interstate. Was it the best time to start this? Absolutely not, but I did it anyway. I really enjoyed the first 100 or whatever pages I read but then with moving and everything I just didn’t have the time and then I lost interest. I restarted it mid-January this year and I still enjoyed that first section, but then I got extremely bored by about halfway through. I don’t love this trend of hockey romances being 400+ pages long for no reason and this one could’ve been 150-200 pages shorter without losing much of the story. I don’t see myself picking up the rest of the series, but I might give something else by Becka Mack a chance if she released something that sounded interesting to me.
Earl Grey Books 