My Bookish Life

  One of my most anticipated releases this year! (But then all of Jodie's books are.) Sadly it took me quite some time due to continuing hospital visits and sickness to finish this so big shout out to the team of Valentine PR for their patience.  "Mate, don't ever do that to me again. I swear to fucking God, I'll kill you myself. You won't need vodka."  Now let's look into the synopsis before we dive into my own spoiler-free review. The Manor—the heartbeat of hedonism and pleasure, the place where Jesse Ward lost himself for years in women and alcohol, escaping his past—was his life. His everything. Until the day Ava O’Shea walked through the doors and Jesse discovered something else to live for. Her. Their love affair was passionate, intense, and all-consuming. She became his heaven. His escape. And eventually, his downfall. When Ava walked away from him, he was destroyed, even more broken than before. But she’s come back, and Jesse vows never to lose her...

  I'm finally starting to write this review (altho I'm not fully through yet bc life) so I won't forget stuff while listening to the audiobook.  To be honest I'm still massively excited that Jesses POV is finally out in the world! I have to admit that I love Jodies Original Man a lot! But to my shame I have to admit, that I only fell really hard for him in With This Woman (book 4 and his POV) *hides behind sofa*  Yes I know! I know y'all loved him way before that probably. And i did too, don't get me wrong, but is POV just made me fall hard and without going back.  I started this audiobook when it came out but since I'm always so busy and like to concentrate on my books I listen to, it often takes me a while to get there and finish it. So now... Life is kinda busy atm with being sick and planning a holiday we just came back from. We were in London during the Coronation and it was rather busy but also a lot of fun! But back now to the book... “Just tell me on...

  Loving is painful, Eliza. I've been excited for "One Night With The Duke" since Jodie announced it on her social media.  And once more the queen of steamy romance did not disappoint me. I'm still baffled that she managed to not make this a cheap copy for all Bridgerton fans but gave it her own voice and wonderful protagonists and ending.  A woman with her own mind is a dangerous creature, sweet Eliza. The story is written from Eliza's POV, a young girl who moved from the countryside to London and the famous Belmore Square after her father - head of a newspaper - makes some money.  Eliza is rather displeased with the new life because for her it's just a golden cage. Before she wrote for her father's newspaper and everyone - her brother, her sister, her mother and her father - seemed happy and carefree. But now, with the new money and status, there are lots of challenges for the family. And for Eliza it's simply a cage. One she can't dare to escap...

The Enigma. Another book by Jodie Ellen Malpas that absolutely made me fell in love with the main characters, the story and the music in it and book two in the Unlawful Men Serie s. Never fight the bond. Here's the official synopsis: A fatal blend of revenge and desire. After leaving her fiancé at the altar and quitting her job as a Miami cop, Beau Hayley stumbles through life, feeling only resentment. Injustice. Loss. Her mom’s death was called an accident. She’s not convinced. Grieving, she becomes numb to everything except the constant, biting pain of heartbreak and hate. She can see no light. Until she meets James Kelly, a man who seems as damaged as she is, inside and out. And yet despite his twisted, cold façade, he stimulates feelings. Pleasure. He is a respite from her own flaws. A complete mystery. And impossible to resist. James Kelly has only one objective. Find the men who murdered his family and kill them all very slowly. But the web of crime and deceit leads h...

 I'm a huge fan of Jodie Ellen Malpas!  I got her first book series "This Man" last year and started it with a bit of a struggle but soon got to love her characters. Since then I couldn't stop reading her books.  This year, she released something different from her other books with 'The Brit' . A dark romance - you could say.  No second chances. Here's the official synopsis: Rose Cassidy doesn’t truly live; she just exists. Numbing herself to fear and pain is the only way she can survive in this cruel world. So when she’s taken as collateral by the notorious Danny Black in a deadly game of power, she’s thrown by the deep fear she feels rising within her. And, worse than fear, a profound desire. She’s heard tales of The Brit. He’s callous. Coldblooded. But no one ever said he was wickedly beautiful and darkly captivating. He sees past her mask, giving her a cruel sense of hope. But she must fight their twisted attraction or risk losing the one ...

Once more this book is one I purchased ages ago in Summer, I think, and I didn't come around to read it because I got distracted by some many other beautiful and amazing books. I got physiotherapy regularly again and somehow picked this one up since I didn't want to continue ' Song of Achilles' because of the pain it inflicts right now. I started it and with going back to work after my holiday and being quite busy, I barely read it at first. But 'A Touch of Darkness' gripped me right from the first page! Then two days ago, I read until 2am and finished half the book in one sitting. I could barely put it down and go to sleep because it was so amazing, gripping and touching. Last night I finished all of it and it left me emotional, raw, in love and crying.  Here's the official synopsis to book one in a series I yet have to devour: Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled ...

Two days ago I finished this marvelous book.  Two days ago I finished Fable by Adrienne Young. “My father had always told me that seabirds were the souls of lost traders. To turn them away or not give them a place to land or nest was bad luck.” I brought this ages ago because I heard so many good things about it. Well I read something else entirely and was just sick of this and grabbed something different. My choice was Fable . And it manged to pull me out of my reading slump I was stuck in for weeks now. “Nothing was what it seemed. Every truth was twisted. Every lie carefully constructed.” The story starts at Jeval - an island with smugglers and thieves - and 17 year old Fable who stranded there four years ago. Stranded there after her father - famous trader - Saint, left here there because "she wasn't made for this life". The life at sea. But Fable does everything  to survive and go back to her father to prove him wrong. To claim a spot at his side.  She trades wit...

I brought The Poppy War  by R.F. Kuang last year in autumn. I saw it on Instagram and did some research on it and thought "this sounds interesting, let's order it". Only to read it over the last three weeks and to finish it on Monday. I've one word for it: brilliant! “If there is a divine creator, some ultimate moral authority, then why do bad things happen to good people? And why would this deity create people at all, since people are such imperfect beings?”  The story starts with a young girl, Rin, who's living in the south of Nikan with abusive foster parents. She's a war orphan and supposed to marry an opium dealer. She's out of the way with this and the Fangs - her foster parents, who are also dealers - will have full control over their opium business in their village with this arranged marriage. But Rin has own plans. She manages to convince the Fangs to try taking part in the Keju to study at one of the Academies in the country to get away. Her goal...

  “The stars incline us, they do not bind us.” I finished this book about an hour ago and I'm once more ruined. My feelings are ruined by a book. Probably my fav so far this year.  Definitely 5/5 stars!  But let me tell you how it came to this...  I brought this book last November for myself as a birthday present (yes I do that). It sat in my shelve for ages, never coming around to read it, although I just heard good things and the cover is just stunning, it sat there and waited. Waited for the moment I'd pick it up. The moment was this Tuesday, shortly before my parents arrived for lunch. I didn't really get around to read it that day, only the prologue and it intrigued me. Since I had a massive headache on Wednesday, I didn't even picked it up for two days an the madness started on Friday when I finally picked it up again. And I couldn't put it down! It took me a few chapters to get into Chloe Gong's writing style but I absolutely loved it! She's really go...

Why not think that sometimes—just sometimes—you can overcome evil with silence? And let people hear their hatefulness in their own ears, without distraction. Maybe goodness is enough to expose evil for what it really is, sometimes. Today I want to talk about a book, that made me fall deeply in love with reading again. A book I read in a day. A book that's full of love, thoughts about life and one of the most wonderful love stories I have ever read. Today I'm talking about "Gabriel's Inferno" by Sylvain Reynard. I first read it in March 2020. I found it due to Twitter. A trailer on the movie was released by a wonderful site called Passionflix. I was immediately hooked and went to check out the book. I found it, ordered book 1 & 4 and started as soon as it arrived. Damn, what a good read! I had some time off on my second job by that time so I had the whole weekend to read. Managed in a day though.  I’m going to be thrown out of Paradise tomorrow, Beatrice. Our ...