Book Review: These Bloody Thoughts by Auden Patrick

There are a lot of things I can remember clearly, like the fact that the first time I learned about Shakespeare, I was 12 years old and all the girls in my class were celebrating my birthday by watching the latest big screen adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in my living room. I didn't care for it and went to sleep in my parents' room, leaving them to watch the movie on my couch. The next Shakespeare I remember was trying to convince my parents to go watch another Shakespeare adaptation, this time it being an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew, but I didn't get the chance to watch it until it premiered on television after which no one in my entire grade could stop singing that song from the grand gesture on a soccer field. I studied Shakespeare my freshman year of high school, officially reading Romeo and Juliet for the first time and also studying Much Ado About Nothing. But it was senior year where I was introduced to Macbeth and to Hamlet, two plays that I have gone back to again and again in my head for years. I went on to study Shakespeare again for my undergrad and for my graduate studies, slowly expanding the total number of plays I'd read but I'll admit, there has been something about Hamlet that has haunted my thoughts whenever I consider the plays in general. The story about a young man driven to enact revenge for his father's death and the many consequences that come from that. Where was the line supposed to be drawn, who was the most responsible for every pain and death in that story? I've always felt the play was exactly what it was meant to be, a tragedy, but in Thoughts Be Bloody, this was the first time I truly sat and became angry with what transpired in that story. In some ways I LOVE this book but in others, I am sitting with the mirror that Auden Patrick has put in front of this play and I am enraged by the events I have witnessed in this book. Those stories are always the best, the ones that rearrange what you though you knew and showed you something you never actually considered could be true.

The world-building is straight-forward with the idea of Elsinore as a school for magic, hidden away in a dome that keeps non-magic people from discovering it. The setting was easy to imagine, this college out in the middle of a forest, hidden away with it's own way of life and the quirks of its weather and the protection it is supposed to provide. But what is truly impressive is the magic system. Patrick has put a lot of thought into the addition of magic in this play and the way it has been woven into the threads of this story still leave me a little dumbfounded because the possibilities are endless and what readers see here is only a piece of what could be. The choice to follow Horatio as a character allowed the reader to see the world through the lens of someone who has a foot in both worlds, having gained magic but not having been born with it, therefore having been from our regular world before joining the ranks at Elsinore. Horatio is struggling to catch up on a lifetime's worth of knowledge and the journey of this story only works because of our ability to learn with Horatio. Close enough to the main part of the story to be important but far enough away because of the only recent joining to the world of magic allows our lead to consider the ways that those with magic have cut themselves off, for the betterment of themselves as opposed to helping the rest of the world. Patrick has created a world that seems like it would have been the ideal escape for Horatio but, again with the mirrors, we are shown the true reflection of this school and those who run it and those who graduate from there and that is something that Horatio comes to terms with by the end of the book.

Horatio, dear, loyal to a fault, Horatio. I wanted the world for you but I'm happy with where you will leave the world instead. This was a character that yearned for so much, a person who has made so many difficult decisions, hoping to finally get to that more moment of finally having everything. I could understand the appeal that Hamlet and Lia had for Horatio, to finally feel accepted and wanted but at the same time, I wondered if Horatio had built up these figures in his head. That and more is explored in the book and Horatio's growth made me, if not smile, then at least feel satisfied at the way the events unfolded or will unfold, as the story liked to move between tenses for Horatio. I loved Lia but I wanted more time spent with her. Ophelia was always the character I respected the most from the play and Lia was a worthy and respectable incarnation of her. I just wish Horatio had the opportunity to spend more time with her compared to the amount of time spent with Hamlet. As for Hamlet, the idea of giving a character like that the amount of power he had is a frightening concept to accept. Patrick has done something unique here, giving the tragic title character of the play the power to do anything they wish and then showing how no one would want someone like that to have that kind of power. I never truly considered the fact that in a lot of ways, Hamlet was a monster, determined to wreak his havoc for the sake of his revenge, uncaring towards everyone who stood in his way or ended up a victim of his actions. The play almost moves too fast to truly have that settle in one's mind but in book form, we are given the chance to really sit and absorb what Hamlet does, to see the ways he manipulated and plotted, and I'm sitting here thinking he deserved worse but I know we have to work within the confines of the play so bravo Auden Patrick, for creating such complex characters that stand apart from what has been seen so many times before.

The story starts off with a simple idea of getting revenge and then quickly developed into an exploration of power. Who deserves to have such power and influence? How can anyone justify the actions that have taken place at this school? Horatio wanted to gain power over his life, to finally be the one in control but was magic really what he needed to get away from his life or was magic just something that almost destroyed it? There are so many threads to consider in this story and it will haunt my thoughts just as much as the play ever has. Patrick has taken something familiar and managed to rework it into a story that asks the question, just because you can do something, does it mean that you should? When there are so many possibilities to consider, how does anyone know if they are right or wrong?

Read this book if you like considering the possibilities that magic could bring to everyday life and then seeing just how much better it is that it doesn't exist after all. Or if you're just a fan of magic and have wondered who was the actual, true villain, or even villains, of Hamlet. 

Rating on my Scale: 9.5 Stars. I loved this book but in a lot of ways, it has left me feeling almost bereft after absolutely everything that happened in this book. It'll live on in my head for decades but I won't be able to read it again after the wounds it left behind.

My thanks to NetGalley, Daw and Auden Patrick for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Book Review: Chateau Valmont and an Inheritance of Thirst

Due to unforeseen life events, I am hideously behind schedule on my writing reviews but coming back to this book, I can say I still distinctly remember that ending and all I can say is, "Don't end it there!!"

I loved this book. It has been ages since I read a vampire novel that I can honestly say that I enjoyed but I did love this story and its characters and I have recommended these books to a lot of people in the time since I devoured this book. I love the characters and the lore and Somerset has created something so interesting here that I still have so many questions but really, I can't wait to see what comes next for Jacques and Annie. 

In terms of world-building, Somerset brings readers right back into the thick of things, opening the story moments after the ending of Beecham. After the first book being set in London, Jacques takes Annie and Amah with him to his home in Paris where he has an established home life and neighbors who have known him for ages. Due to the changes Jacques has undergone since the first book, we see a lot of Jacques learning the limits of what he has become while trying to understand where these changes will take him. I thought it was interesting to bring the story back to where Jacques calls home, showing the way the house is kept and the things that have been left behind by his departed family. It felt like Jacques had been living at a standstill, waiting for something to help him move on from his loss and now with the addition of Annie, he is ready to make the place he called home in name an actual place where he could make a family. The fact that the only family he has left comes in contact and readers travel with our characters to that abode really served to highlight how different Jacques is overall in terms of his peers and endeared him to me because of how open he was with change and acceptance.

As for characters, I keep waffling between who I loved more, Jacques or Annie, but sometimes, I think Amah is the best out of all our characters. I loved the fact that Annie kept Jacques at a distance, forcing him to work hard to gain her trust and prove that it wasn't a mistake that she was now in his home. She had been forced to flee everything she had created for herself in London and that loss was something truly important to her and the fact that Jacques understood that and tried to make amends made my heart grow three sizes because it took a while but the evolution of their connection was worth the wait over the course of the story. The fact that they challenged each other and at the same time would do what they could to keep each other safe made them couple goals by the end of the story. Notice I did say the "end" though because come on, Jacques, that was a poor decision at the start of the story. As for Amah, I loved her no nonsense attitude and the way she knew everything about the truth to Jacques while at the same time working behind the scenes to make sure Annie and Jacques were safe. I hope Amah is in every installment because she was that pillar of strength you want your leads to have in their corner.

The plot had so many different threads and Somerset wove them together brilliantly. Everything was revealed at a pace that felt natural, keeping readers interest in turning pages and making each new discovery something that kept the tension building as we worried about what would happen to our new favorite characters. I want to say so much more but honestly, the experience of reading this book is best without spoiling the story and can I say again, that ending? I'm still reeling from it a month later because oh goodness, that was so completely unexpected. I have no idea where readers are going to be taken next but I can confidently say that I will follow this series to the end.

Book Review: Violet Among Thieves by A.J. Wynn

The wonderful thing about reading the next installment in a favorite book series is the chance to spend some more time with the characters you've come to love over the course of several books. I truly loved The Other Side and I loved the banter and connection between Violet and Chance from the start. Each story since has just been an opportunity to see how much they've grown together while at the same time proving that they have a great partnership and Violet Among Thieves shows all that and more.

Each book in the series has had a different main location for our couple to flourish. The Other Side introduced us to the couple and showed us their home location working at Montgomery Prep while trying to solve the disappearance of a student. Last Chance Christmas gave us the couple visiting Chance's family for the holidays while trying to solve the mystery of some newly discovered love letters. Violet Among Thieves gives us one last location, following our lovely leads to Chance's sister's home in California for spring break where the couple has to figure out who broke into a safe and stole all the family jewelry. Every location gives the couple a chance to spend time outside of what is familiar, showing that they have the trust and compatibility to work in new surroundings without there being any unnecessary tension. Last Chance Christmas expanded the circle to people that Violet could consider family by introducing her to Chance's sister, Amanda, and his parents. After hitting it off with his sister, in this story Amanda insists on getting her brother and his new fiancée to come stay with her for a week. The world is familiar and lovely to step back into and it's easy to feel the comfort that these books evoke because of the fact that we love the leads so much that we will follow them anywhere. To spend time with them is enough but the fact that they work together to solve a mystery is just the cherry on top and I loved how Amanda accepted Violet so wholeheartedly into her life that she invited them to stay with her for as long as they wanted.

The characters are just as wonderful as they've always been. Violet is more confident this time around, having fun proving that she can fit in at Amanda's home when she's surrounded by people who want to look down on her. Chance is still the best partner ever and his belief in Violet makes my heart warm. I loved their back and forth and the spice between them is still fiery while their quiet moments together made me smile. I also loved the time we got to spend with Amanda and her husband Hiram, showing that Violet's family is expanding by having Amanda so quick to trust Violet with secrets and how much she wants to spoil Violet by showering her with gifts that she knows Violet would love. All of them together are wonderful which made the addition of Amanda's unwanted houseguests all the more jarring in effect. The three new secondary characters were rotten in different ways and their being in the book helped to highlight how healthy Violet and Chance are together compared to these other people. 

As for the plot, it was fairly straightforward but the motivations behind the theft were ridiculous, and the sad part about it is I could definitely see how the reasoning could be part of someone's desperate scheme. I loved how Violet moved through the possibilities and how the four of them together worked through every scenario to explain the missing jewelry. I would have wanted a little more comeuppance on the page for the culprit but we do see some retribution come about so I'm very satisfied with that. The way this book ended though, it was a truly heartwarming way to come to the final pages of this series. In the end, I am so happy with how this book wrapped up. These books have become a bit of a comfort read for me and I'll be so happy when they are all together on my shelf of favorites.

Read this series if you like competent characters who love and support each other while solving mysteries. You can't go wrong with that combination.

Rating on my Scale: 10 Stars for this book and for the whole series. I can't wait to see what AJ Wynn writes next. In fact, let me make room on my shelf now for any and all new books by Wynn. Best to plan ahead in these types of situations.

My thanks to Behind the Pages and AJ Wynn for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Wolf Queen's Curse by Kaylee Archer

I'll be honest, I found this series because I know the identity of the author behind this book and I have previously stated that I would follow their writing everywhere. So far I have not regretted that statement and that definitely goes for this new series, which has echoes of what I've come to love about this author's writing while also being able to stand just far enough apart that these books feel a little more fun in the sense of the banter and the smoldering and the spice that has developed with the leads. After the events and reveals of the first book, I was eager for the chance to read the sequel and Archer made great strides in the reveals of the world and the new circumstances the characters face in this installment. The way this book ends left me reeling, once again, and I can't wait to hear new of when the next book will be in readers hands.

Witch of the Wolves introduced the reader to the world of Cordelia Levine, who over the course of the first book learns about her heritage and is taken to stay with her father, the Alpha of a pack, for the sake of her safety. She learns the truth about her father and works with Bishop Daniels, her father's second in command, to change things for the pack that will help her future. The Wolf Queen's Curse picks up immediately after the events of book 1, leaving what is left of the pack to make their way out in the world in search of aid. With this change, Archer was able to expand the scope of the book, showing the way other packs are run when Cordelia and Bishop and the rest of their friends and family have to seek help from other packs. The remaining group goes to two separate packs in this book, each one distinctly different from the other, allowing the world to expand and show just how much change is necessary and how Cordelia and Bishop are working to change things in ways that could benefit all lycan. Readers are also given more background information that will show how things fare for Cordelia and her witch connections, which she is working on expanding her power in ways that will help herself and the pack to succeed. All of this worked for the development of the story, showing how much the changes that began in the first book are things that can affect the world. Bishop had a vision for the future and with Cordelia as his motivation, real change is coming for all the wolves, no matter what pack they are in.

As for characters, I'm still utterly charmed by Delia and Bishop. Their banter and the connection they have forged was sweet and spicy in equal measure, showing just how much the two of them together are a force that keeps the other motivated, that their partnership is a working alliance, something that can be an example for others in the supernatural world of this book. I loved how Delia still questioned moments but was able to reasonably work out the truth without adding unnecessary conflict to the story or relationships. I love a lead with a good head on their shoulders. As for Bishop, I greatly enjoyed how much of a natural leader he was, able to defer to his pack mates for the help or information he needed as the story continued on its course. By the time the ending hit, I was impressed with just how many different scenarios Bishop had been developing and the outcome of everything left me surprised and eager to see where things will go in book three. I loved the addition of new character Rufus and the connection he had to Ann, Delia's cousin. I really hope to see more of these two characters in the next installment. Julius is still a sweetheart and I still want to protect Tabitha with all my heart. There are a few more additions in this book but to name more could veer into spoilers so we'll move on.

It's hard to talk about just what transpired in this book without completely spoiling what happened with absolutely everything in this book. What started simply with trying to find aid after losing their home, the pack travels around and manages to show the ways in which other packs are lacking with the way things are run. One pack had a hierarchy in place that only benefited those at the top of the power while another showed a pack with barely any rules with only the hope of finally getting a place to truly call their own. Each revelation showed things that desperately needed to change and Delia and Bishop were perfectly placed to help some changes to start. So many things have changed but one threat still hangs over everyone's heads and the resolution to that is still far into the future. I can't wait to see exactly how Delia will work her way back and finally find peace and safety where she truly belongs.

Read this series if you love strong leads and stakes that get higher with every book. But beware, each book ends on a cliffhanger of impressive proportions that will only make you desperate to read the next book whenever it is finally out in the world.

Rating on my Scale: 9 Stars. I'm not a fan of cliffhangers, they always make me feel a little anxious and I'm left feeling bereft for the characters I love until the next book is out. I loved this book but it's not an absolute favorite as so much is still left in the air for the characters I love. I'm sure I'll love this book more in terms of the entire series when it's complete but for now, 9 Stars for a very respectable read and another great adventure for a series I'm starting to really love.

My thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Kaylee Archer for the eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Death in Verse by Julie Lew

There was something about the title that called to me. The word "verse" made me pause as once upon a time I fancied myself something of an amateur poet, writing my own pieces in childhood until well into high school before setting that aside. As such, I spent a lot of time reading poetry and verse and it's always held a soft spot in my soul. So here was a magical title, Death in Verse, and the cadence of the words rang in my head and I knew I needed to read this book. The fact that it was also a mystery just made me that much more determined to read this book and I'm happy to report that I loved, LOVED, this story in the end and I sincerely hope there will be more in this world to come in the future.

First off, the world-building was so very intricate and interesting. I found myself easily believing in the magic of the story, the way "poets" has been changed to indicate the people who have been devoting their entire lives to learning and writing poems, or spells, and how their work has been shaping the world. The fact that the lead was an outsider, not a poet but the daughter of one, allowed for the reader to learn the ins and outs of the school where a large portion of the book takes place. The "Radley School of Poetry" felt familiar in the sense of being an institution of learning devoted to the teaching of a craft and its existence felt like a necessary location to truly show the divide that lead character, Bronte Cade, felt as someone who was not magical and therefore had been barred entry to a school where her own mother spent a large amount of her time. The fact that her mother going missing was the catalyst that led to Bronte finally setting foot at the school also helped with presenting the turmoil the location represented. This place was supposed to help shape poets and instead, it's carefully revealed over the course of the writing that it was actually a place of torment in more ways than one and that fact was handled with a deft eye for detail by Lew.

Every reveal led to something more that made the story evolve, showing the pain and anguish of certain characters trying to find their place in the world and being forced to spend years attending this school because it was considered their place and their right as being people with magic. With the story going back and forth between Bronte and also Marlowe Fang, Marlowe's brother Eliot and several of the other gathered poets at the school, Lew was able to show a hidden side to the world of magic in this story while also revealing that this school and what it represented was a double-edged sword, causing pain in more ways than we readers will probably ever know. The fact that Lew showed how those in power used poets to work for them, developing spells for war and so on, filled in the ideas of the world beyond the scope of the book and there is so much more I can't wait to see Lew develop should this story continue.

As for the characters, I loved Bronte and Marlowe. I wanted to protect these two darlings with everything I had and I was eager to see when their motivations would finally align and a partnership would form. I was impressed with Bronte and the fact that despite being practically cast aside by her mother after learning she didn't have magic, the fact that she would still go out of her way to try to find her mother after she went missing was just astounding. I would have left mummy dearest to her own machinations as I'm sure she would not have done the same for her daughter had the situations been reversed, that was the impression given of Dr. Sappho Cade. As for Marlowe, every reveal given about them made my heart ache. I wanted to scoop Marlowe and Eliot up and keep them safe from harm and their treatment at the school by their peers and their teachers made me sick to my stomach. I felt like every snide remark and, well, Marlowe's entire attitude, was well-warranted after seeing the way they grew up. They deserved so much more and I hope now that Bronte is in the picture with them, that the two of these kids will find some measure of peace in the future. Please? If it's not too much to ask?

As for the plot, I was intrigued by the start with the setup Lew created for this story. Seven poets have been drawn back to the school and tasked with completing a poem. They have six days to complete the poem but as the days pass, they start to get picked off, one by one. The various points-of-view helped to fill in so many different aspects of the story and each character had a different part to play and various details revealed about them that I did not see coming at all thanks to the talent of Lew's writing. I was drawn in from the start, trying to carefully consider al the facts but I did not see that final reveal at all until it was on the page in front of me. The difficult part about talking about a mystery book is trying to explain exactly what impressed me the most about the story without spoiling the experience of it so I hope when I say that the mystery is only half of the fun of this book, people will understand that there is so much more to expect with this book if they give it a try. I, for one, will be going back to read Lew's previous release, The Wives of Herrick Hall, and silently wait for news of another book set in this world.

I called this one of my new favorite reads of 2026 but honestly, this is just a new all-time favorite book of mine. It was just that awesome for me.

Rating on my Scale: 10 Stars, obviously. I finished this book nearly a month ago and I'm terribly behind in writing my reviews but I can still recall so much of this story in intricate detail so yeah, definitely a favorite of mine.

My thanks to NetGalley, Union Square & Co. and Julie Lew for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: The Witch Fix by Kennedy Rhodes

If a book is about witches, it usually catches my attention. Throw in an accidental demon summoning and of course I'm going to read this book. I was charmed from the start of The Witch Fix and I greatly enjoyed the banter and connection between the leads.

When it came to the world-building, it was easy to fit in with the town and the flow of the story. Rhodes has a way of making the small town feel real and easy to understand with the cafe that Eva run and the way the coven works together and the teaching of the younger generation. It felt comforting to be in this world and the threat that hangs over their heads with the loss of magic made me want to help them figure out what was going on.

As for the characters, I thought Eva and Sorren were very cute together. I loved the back and forth between them. I also loved the fact that even though he was a demon, Sorren was the sweetest golden retriever of a love interest for Eva. I will say that I wasn't too keen on how quickly the two fell in love although it was funny when it was pointed out in the book itself. As for the other characters, I did enjoy the supportive best friend Riley and the unexpectedly supportive Malachi, Sorren's brother. Both worked as good sounding boards for the leads to bounce their concerns off of and they both were able to offer hard truths when they were needed. It was lovely to see such a great support system around the story.

The plot seemed fairly straightforward. In an attempt to fix the magic fading in the town, Eva performs a spell she finds in a book that showed up on her counter. She ends up summoning a demon who ends up unable to leave the house. Now Eva needs to find a way to send Sorren safely back home and still figure out how to restore the magic. As the story continues, it becomes a lot about Eva figuring out who was best for her. She had a boyfriend who seemed determined to ignore the fact that Eva was a witch but she stuck with him because of how long they had been together. Eva deserved someone better for her and the opportunity came in the form of someone she would never expect, a demon who was a literal sweetheart. As for Sorren, the story turned in to exploration of figuring out how to honor the company his father left behind but also trying to understand what was best for him, what would make him happy in the long run. There was also the way that Eva seemed to take in the fact of the magic fading as something personal and how her attempts to fix it were to almost rid herself of the guilt she felt. All of it together made for a heart-warming story about a couple finding the happiness they both deserved and trying to keep all of their loved ones safe and happy.

In the end, I thought this was a very sweet story. I do wish we'd gotten to spend a longer amount of time with the leads, allowing them to fall in love gradually as opposed to the instant connection they had. If Rhodes decides to continue on with stories in this universe, I would be willing to read more about this world. I'll raise my hand up now to say I would love to read a story about Riley or Malachi in the future, so you know, just putting that out into the universe.

Rating on my Scale: 8.5 Stars. I wanted a little more but overall this was a very sweet story. This is a definite feel-good, cozy read for any time of the year.

My thanks to Rattle the Stars PR and Kennedy Rhodes for the eARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Treasured by Tentacles by Mel Braxton

The artwork caught my eye for this one. The beauty of the colors and the adoring looks on the faces of the characters on the cover. All of it just called to me and honestly? Who can resist a title like that?

First of all, Braxton has a talent for giving more than enough about the characters even with the fact that this is a novella, and the course of the book has to move just a little bit faster than it would need. Within pages we know exactly what kind of characters we are following, a woman with the resolve to do what it takes to survive, and a kraken kind enough to visit the last place he saw his brother year after year. Neo saves Marisol and it goes from there. Every moment spent with these characters showed just who they were and how well they worked together. I loved every moment they spent together, learning about each other.

I especially appreciated how Neo did not try to keep Marisol from her wish to obtain the Wishing Sun. Neo was the perfect example of support and love that Marisol needed, basically proof that she had something to fight for in her future, and his love as motivation was moving. The fact that it was not a problem for them to really come together as a potential couple, showing how Marisol could become a part of Neo's community, was something that made me smile.

Overall, this was such a sweet story. I can see the potential for this to continue on with another specific character, and if it turns out that such a book is potentially in the future, I will be quick to obtain a copy of my own. Read this story if you just love "love" stories with characters that deserve to be happy together.

Rating on my Scale: 9.5 Stars. Why? I wanted more time with these characters. I loved it a lot, highly recommended, I just hope to see more from Braxton with this world in the future.