Short AF Book Review | The Tea Dragon Society

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "The Tea Dragon Society" by Kay O'Neill. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"From the award - winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all - ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care - taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives - and eventually her own."

So the reason I wanted to read this is because as y'all know I love graphic novels & queer storytelling. This one had been hyped up so much all over my booktok and I noticed it was on Libby (shoutout to the Queer Liberation Library) so I put it on my hold list. Friends when I tell you I read this book AS SOON as it came into my loans I am not lying. This graphic novel was quite frankly beautiful. First off, there was so much representation that I was not expecting, we got POC, disabled and queer rep. The storytelling was stunning and for such a short read I cannot believe how much I cried over this story. (Both happy and sad tears). This book really made me feel like I was experiencing a warm hug. The art style was gorgeous and just made this already beautiful story even more beautiful. I genuinely think this book is perfect for every age group (as it says) and it would've made me so happy to have a book like this growing up (heck, being a queer disabled girly it makes me so happy to see this representation as a 31 year old adult). I would 100% recommend this to everyone and I will definitely be picking up the next 2 books in the series and can't wait to see where these characters' stories take us.

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads.

 What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Leather & Lark

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Leather & Lark" by Brynne Weaver. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers to please keep that in mind!)

"Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss's biggest client, Lachlan knows he'll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she'll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.

And they can't stand each other.

Indie singer - songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend's soulmate, Lachlan thinks she's just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend's happiness on the line, she's willing to make a vow to the man she's determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.

As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But it's not just familiar dangers that haunt them. There's another phantom lurking on their doorstep.

And this one has come for blood."

So the reason I wanted to read this is obviously because I read Butcher & Blackbird and wanted to see if I loved this one as much. I'm not gonna lie friends, I didn't. That's not to say I didn't love it at all, I very much enjoyed this one for a lot of the reasons I enjoyed the first. The dual POV was incredible because it meant we got to see both sides of their relationship and how it developed. The banter was just as funny and witty as the first one (if not more because Lachlan is more of a sarcastic asshat than Rowan was). I loved reading another marriage of convenience story but in a more adult setting. I just feel like this did not have as much grit as the first one did. Don't get me wrong, there was a few moments where the story did get more gritty and gross and a little fucked up. I just wish there were more. I will say I am so happy to see that we got to see more of their friendship/brother group dynamic, and it has fully set me up for reading the 3rd and final book in this series, and regardless of how much I like this one and the next one, I'm so thankful to Brynne for introducing me to the realm of dark romance and showing me that not all of it is just 100% in your face spice (even though her books are still spicy). I would 100% recommend this series as an introduction into dark romance, but please as always, check the triggers!

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Not Drunk Enough Vol 1.

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Not Drunk Enough Vol.1." by Tess Stone. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"A quick repair at a huge corporate lab during a late night shift should not have sent Logan into a hellish landscape fraught with monsters, but it looks like Lady Luck decided to give him the middle finger. Logan would like to give one back."

So the reason I wanted to read this is because I follow the publisher on Instagram and saw that they posted that this series was on Kindle Unlimited so I decided to check it out. Friends I'm so glad I did. This graphic novel is under "Horror" but I would 1000% put it under comedy too with how funny it is. It has exactly every single trope I would ever want from a horror comic. The sarcasm and wit within this story is hilarious and getting to see the expressions that come from the art of the pages showing us exactly how they meant it makes it even more so. The art throughout this graphic novel is gritty and dark and rough around the edges but in the most perfect ways. The diversity in this comic is exciting and I already have my favourite character. I love all of the characters we have met so far (including the villains) and I cannot wait to see more of them. I would 100% recommend this if you want a funny, witty, horrifying graphic novel to read.

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads.

 What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | All You Want For The Holidays

  

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "All You Want For The Holidays" by Quinton Li. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Perrin Pavlou is finally accepted into the Sunlit Creative Space residency program after applying for every round to date. With promises of a luxury villa in a sunny beach town, artistic strangers to find companionship in, and a week to work on her photo collection dedicated to the residency's experience, she is ready to embrace her long - desired dream.

Until she finds out that her ex - best friend is the only resident she'll be spending the rest of the week and Christmas with.

Inari Kan wants to start doing things for themself. Their people - pleasing tendencies and high - masking lifestyle means they're longing for a holiday to just relax, write, and be themself.

But how are they supposed to do that when they're spending almost every moment of their days with their high - school crush?

All You Want For The Holidays is a second - chance sapphic romance published as part of Home For The Holidays, a collection of standalone novellas connected by a singular spreading queer joy during the holiday season. The collection features novellas by Jay Leigh, Quinton Li, Valerie Gomez, Anna Sparrows, Kerry Kilpatrick, Micah Carver, Arden Coutts, C.S. Autumn, E.L. Ough, Emily Axon, and Dallas Smith."

So the reason I wanted to read this is genuinely because I got this on a queer "stuff your kindle day" and was just looking for something cute and short to read. Friends, this book was exactly what I needed. I went into this book knowing barely anything about it other than it was a queer romance. This story was genuinely so stinking cute. Firstly, as much as this book focuses on our main two characters, there truly is a side character for almost everyone. The diversity in this book threw me for a loop in a good way because I just wasn't expecting it, especially with the main focus being on Inari and Perrin. Inari and Perrin's story was just soft, and flowery, and loving in every single way that I needed it to be. It was gentle and comforting and just felt like a warm little hug to take me away from what's happening in the real world. I will say I did not know that this book was part of a standalone collection but now that I do I will definitely be reading the other books in the collection too. If you want a cosy, queer, diverse second chance romance to read, I would 100% recommend this one.

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Absurd Delights

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Absurd Delights" by Monroe A. Wildrose. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Just out of high school, Maisie was born and raised as a hunter in an era where vampires and hunters aren't exactly enemies, but they aren't friends either. She was raised to be the perfect daughter, taught to suppress her anxiety and be resilient. So when an opportunity presents itself to work for The Hunter's Guild, she jumps at the chance to prove herself, even if it means marrying a guy with whom she has a love - to - hate relationship.

Crispin has just been informed that he is the bastard prince of some wealthy and arrogant vampire family. The thing is, he's adopted and has no desire to be the prince of anything. Between controlling his bloodlust and tempering his young vampire anger, he has enough to worry about. But he still finds himself in a fake marriage to a girl who, it seems, would rather tie the knot with anyone else.

With wedding bells, blood bags, and the one - bed dilemma, can they survive this marriage?"

So the reason I wanted to read this is because I loved the first book in the Booker Brothers duology "Too Sweet" and Crispin was one of my favourite characters in that book so I knew I had to read this one. Friends, this was everything I wanted and more. First of all, I will say if you have read "Too Sweet" this one is a little more adult than the first book in the series so please be prepared for that (it is still closed door though), however I feel like it suited Crispin and Maisie's story a whole of a lot more than being completely YA. If there was one thing I loved in the first book it was Crispin's sass and witty banter and with Maisie added this definitely has plenty of it but also allows us to see how much both of our main characters grow within this story. I love that the story is dual POV again so we get to know what both of them are thinking and feeling and how they react to the same situations that they are going through. This duology is forever going to be one of my favourites and I please recommend y'all to jump on Kindle Unlimited and read it especially if you love marriage of convenience, one bed tropes or vampire romances.

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | The Risk

  Hi friends! Today I'm going to be doing a review on "The Risk" by S.T. Abby. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"They took too much.

Left to little.

I had nothing to lose... until him

**********

~Lana~

I didn't expect him.

I didn't want to fall in love.

But I can't let him go.

Logan Bennett makes the world a safer place.

He's brilliant.

He's a hero.

He locks away the sick and depraved.

But while he's saving lives, I'm taking them. Collecting the debts that are owed to me.

Ten years ago, they took from me. They left me for dead.

They should have made sure I stayed dead.

Now I'm taking from them.

One name at a time.

I've trained for too long.

I've been patient.

I can't stop now.

Revenge is best served cold...

They never see me coming, until I paint their walls red.

Logan doesn't know how they hurt me. He doesn't know about the screams they ignored. He doesn't know how twisted that town really is.

He just knows people are dying.

He doesn't know he's in love with their killer.

No one suspects a dead girl.

And Logan doesn't suspect the girl in his bed.

They're looking for a monster.

Not a girl who loves red.

Not a girl in love.

I'm a faceless nightmare.

At least until I tell them the story they've pretended never happened.

But in the end, will Logan choose them? Or will we watch them burn together?

**Graphic

**Adult language

**Some triggers could be too much for the easily disturbed reader

**Sexual content

**Fucked up moral compass; read at your own risk."

Wow friends, so I'm doing it, I'm actually picking up another dark romance. The reason I wanted to read this book is genuinely because my friend recommended this series to me after reading Butcher & Blackbird because she said I'd really enjoy it and it doesn't actually have as much spice as booktok says it does. I am so glad I picked up this book. Firstly, I was not expecting how short this first book was going to be because usually I see people reading the omnibus, which unfortunately Kindle Unlimited doesn't have, so reading the standalones it is. Secondly this book was a hell of a lot of fun to read for something in such a small package. I ate every part of this story up. I had no clue what the story was going to be about and I'm really glad that I got to get into it blindly as it made for such an enjoyable read. I loved that it was dual POV as it meant we truly got to see the witty banter between the two characters and the genuine chemistry they had with each other. As with most books, the spice wasn't for me however there wasn't much of it (compared to the rest of the book) and the story was compelling enough to keep me wanting more. I'm glad I picked this up and I will definitely be reading the next books in the series. I would 100% recommend this to anyone who wants a fun, witty dark romance to read, but as always please read up on the trigger warnings before you read this!

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Everyone In The Group Chat Dies | ARC Received By Netgalley

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Everyone In The Group Chat Dies" by L.M. Chilton. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Kirby Cornell needs a break from everything:

- Her crumbling flat in the sleepy town of Crowhurst (famous for its award - winning sausage rolls and a second - rate serial killer from the 90s).

- Her dead - end job.

- Her sleazy landlord.

- Her slobbish housemates.

- And, most of all, the terrible thing they all did.

Luckily, that hasn't caught up with her just yet. Until a new message on their group chat pops.

Everyone in this group chat will die.

It's the first text her ex - flatmate and social - media sleuth Esme has sent for ages, but that's not the really weird thing.

The really weird thing is, Esme died twelve months ago...

Don't miss the new laugh - out - loud thriller from L.M. Chilton, Everyone In The Group Chat Dies - A murder mystery that fuses the flatmate comedy of Friends with the serial - killer thrills of I Know What You Did Last Summer."

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

So the reason I wanted to read this is genuinely because the synopsis sounded so interesting and funny so I applied for it. Friends, I'm so grateful I got to read this book before it was out. First off, this book was such a funny read (in the moments that it wasn't about what was happening to our main character). I have never read a book which genuinely felt like I was part of the inside jokes and spent most of the time giggling whilst reading. There were so many references you could only get from living in a bit of a "rougher" neighbourhood in England and I loved every moment of it. This book had me constantly wanting more and has been the first book in a while that I actually got through in 3 days because I could just not put it down. The chapters were short and really flowed well so this was such an easy read. I loved switching between the past (1 year before) and the present and it made it so much easier to get to know each and every character and fall in love with them. I was not expecting any of the twists that came within the story and thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. I would 100% recommend this to anyone who wants a good comedic thriller and I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book when it comes out, as well as looking up L.M. Chilton's other books when I get the chance to!

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on Goodreads!

This book comes out 13th March 2025!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!