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LAST YEAR I WAS READING…(August 17, 2022)

Here are the rules:

Take your current read and compare it to what you reading this exact time last year. Which one do you like better? What is different about the books? Any special facts/things you want to make note of or bring attention to?

This meme was created by Reading Marie. It’s a great meme because it’s nice and easy to do.


This Year I Am Reading…

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The third book in the thrilling Shadows of London series.

Action, MM romance and adventure combine on the streets of London. Time is running out for John “Dom” Domenici.

It’s not just Kempthorne’s secrets bubbling to the surface of London’s streets …

Outmanoeuvred at every turn by the figure known as “M”, only Alexander Kempthorne can free Dom, but juggling the horrors of his own past, containing a rising preternatural threat and the twisted machinations of “M” might just be too much, even for Kempthorne. Can Kage Mitchell be trusted to help?

Alexander Kempthorne lost an agent before. He’ll not lose another. He’ll do anything to save Dom, and if that means revealing who and what he truly is, then his time has come.

Bookshop: US | UK
Amazon Buy Links: KindleAudiobook
Amazon UK Buy Links: Paperback | Audiobook

Kempthorne’s POV! Turns out Alex’s obsessing over Dom since their first meeting. Almost made a murder wall about him too!

The way Dom talks about Kempthorne, you’d think the man walks on water. Well, he’s actually spectacularly awkward at personal stuff, the dork! Dom’s still the best character in the entire series


Last Year I Was Reading…

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The man asked me to valet his damn car.

Look, I left LA for a reason. I’ve had my fill of big Hollywood stars and their even bigger egos. I want something genuine. Something real. And it doesn’t get any realer than being the new sheriff of Aster Valley, Colorado.

That is, until entitled Finn Heller appears on the scene, handing me the keys to his convertible like I’m his personal servant.

The former child star and wannabe action hero is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. He’s also a snarky party animal with legions of adoring fans and attitude for days.

Or so I thought.

The longer the film crew stays in town, the more I begin to wonder if Finn is hiding his true self, one that’s as beautiful inside as out. He’s a star alright, but the kind that shines bright enough to light up the night sky… the kind I want to make a wish on.

A wish Finn will find a way to make things work with me, even if it means his next role is my very own leading man.

Bookshop: US
Amazon Buy Links: KindleAudiobook
Amazon UK Buy Links: Paperback Audiobook

This is one of the most enjoyable celebrity/ordinary guy romances out there

My 4-star review here.


Today we have an urban fantasy and a contemporary romance. Both books feature a celebrity paired with an ordinary guy, friendships, workplace issues, and people in law enforcement agencies. Other than that, they don’t have much in common.

The current book is Trial by Fire, the 3rd Book of Shadows of London. It’s set in London and stars John Domenici, an ex-military soldier from the East End with a criminal past and magic powers that he channels through playing cards. He works for Kempthorne & Co, one of the many similar agencies tasked to regulate latents, those who have magic powers like him.

Alexander Kempthorne is the mysterious celebrity billionaire boss Dom has been crushing on since the beginning. The man has secrets that are now coming back to bite him in the ass. The Kempthorne & Co people are a tight-knit bunch, and Dom and Alex’s provocation of their nemesis, M, had tragic consequences for one of their group.

The story focuses on their fight against M. This is a tightly-paced, twisty-turny-almost-to-the-point-of-convoluted, suspenseful plot with explosive displays of magic and a delicious requiting of a hopeless crush. Not a fan of the love triangle but there was no doubt Kempthorne’s the man for Dom. Should have gone ahead with that murder wall, Alex!

Hot As Heller is the also the 3rd Book of Aster Valley. It stars Finn Heller, a former child actor forced to be an action star by his handlers when he prefers Shakespearean roles. He’s currently on a shoot in Aster Valley, a small town in the Colorado Mountains. Finn has a reputation as a troublemaker. It had him butting heads with the gruff sheriff, Declan Stone.

There is a small age gap here and an enemies to friends to lovers vibe. But even when constantly butting heads, the good sheriff always make sure Finn is safe and protected, especially from those film people who carelessly endanger the actor on set. I love the way the two characters were brought together. Their chemistry was just fabulous! And I adore the way Dec treats Finn like the treasure he is.

Between celebrity billionaires and Hollywood stars, the best treasures are diamonds in the rough.


I’m ending the post with a book I’m looking forward to reading.

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Werewolf meets human. Werewolf snubs human. Werewolf loves human?

Julien Doran arrived in sleepy Maudit Falls, North Carolina, with a heart full of hurt and a head full of questions. The key to his brother’s mysterious last days might be found in this tiny town, and now Julien’s amateur investigation is starting to unearth things the locals would rather keep buried.

Perhaps most especially the strange, magnetic manager of a deserted retreat that’s nearly as odd as its staff.

Eli Smith is a lot of things: thief, werewolf, glamour-puss, liar. And now the manager of a haven for rebel pack runaways. He’s spent years cultivating a persona to disguise his origins, but for the first time ever he’s been entrusted with a real responsibility—and he plans to take that seriously.

Even if the handsome tourist who claims to be in town for some R & R is clearly on a hunt for all things paranormal. And hasn’t taken his brooding gaze off Eli since he’s arrived.

When an old skeleton and a fresh corpse turn a grief errand into a murder investigation, the unlikely Eli is the only person Julien can turn to. Trust is hard to come by in a town known for its monsters, but so is time…

Bookshop: US
Amazon US: Kindle | Audiobook
Amazon US: Paperback | Audiobook

Sad to say Big Bad Wolf lost its charm but I’m giving this shifter world another shot.


What were you reading this time last year?

(I hope it’s as riveting as Morticia’s book)

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