2022 Year in Review

Hello friends!! Happy New Year’s Eve / Happy New Year to you all! So this post is more like yearly warp up since I have not post a monthly wrap since February 2022.

Stats for 2020

• 44,194 pages read
• 180 books read
• Shortest Book: 22 pages
• Longest Book: 678 pages
• Average book length in 2022: 248 pages
• My average rating for 2022: 3.1 stars

Books read in March: 23
Books read in April: 27
Books read in May: 17
Books read in June: 20
Books read in July: 10
Books read in August: 9
Books read in September: 16
Books read in October: 13
Books read in November: 10
Books read in December: 6

Happy New Year and may your 2023 be filled with good health, happiness, love, joy and, of course, books.

xoxo,
Shon

BEST MM ROMANCE NOVELS OF 2022

MM Romance novels make up 99% of the books I reads.

I find the world of MM Romance is quite expansive. It has most (if not all) of the tropes you’d find in a MF romance novels and layered with tension and angst that can only be found in a same-sex relationship.

These stories engaging and compelling stories will have you invested in seeing these characters fight their demons and find their happily ever after together.

If you have yet to experience the amazingness that is MM romance novels, I would suggest you start now. I highly recommend every single book on this list.

• Studious (IOU #2) by Leslie McAdam This was fun!  A cute take on the nerd/playboy trope. Things I like: virgin MC, playboy MC & office romance.
• Hostile by Nicole Dykes Opposites attract. I loved this.
• Never Trust a Guy With Fangs (Covens of Eaton Falls #1) by Mia Monroe This was a lot to take in. This was so out of my comfort zone. You name it and this book had it. I take that back the only thing missing where werewolves or shapeshifters.
• Break Me Daddy (Mafia Daddies #1) by Skyler Snow I'm not big fun of DDlb books. But I really enjoyed this one.
• About Last Knight (Knoxton Knights #1) by Michaela Cole I really enjoyed this book! I usually stay away from high school books, and I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it!
• Necessary Evils Series by Onley James This series is now my latest obsession.
• Nice Catching You (Bethesda Barracudas Hockey #1) by Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood I really enjoyed this one. It was very different from other sports romance that I had read.
• Frat Wars: King of Thieves (Frat Wars #1) by Saxon James This was a really cute. It's very low-angst.
• Bruised But Not Broken (Spark of Hope #1) by Nicole Dykes This was a super sweet, bi-awakening.
• One Step From The Dark by S.L. Dieruf A Kindle Vella series that has completed about a closeted cop and a closeted mob boss.
• Fight Me Daddy (Mafia Daddies #2) by Skyler Snow A fun and smutty read. I really enjoyed it.
• Off the Field Duet Series by Kimberly Knight and Rachel Lyn Adams Love this story
• P.S. I Loathe You by Isla Olsen Loved, loved, loved this one!
• Dysfunctional by Isabel Lucero I might have read this 2 time this year. Two serial killers who fall for one another what more can you ask for.
• The Dragon King's Assassin (The Dragons of Serai #1) by Amy Sumida I really enjoyed this story.
• Chasing Shadows (Daemons of San DeLain #1) by M.A. Church A great start to a new series!
• How I Stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy by A.J. Sherwood I've thoroughly enjoyed everything I've read by AJ Sherwood, and this was no exception.
• Cracks in the Ice (Mohegan U Hockey #1) by Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood This was a super sweet, bi-awakening.
• Changing His Tune (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022) by Blake Allwood This was just so cute.
• Learning Curve (Franklin U #6) by N.R. Walker My favorite as of today, from this series. Mainly because this is the only book in the series that I did not DNF.
• Kismet by Ashley James I've thoroughly enjoyed everything I've read by Ashley James, and this was no exception.
• Football Royalty (Franklin U #8) by Eden Finley At this post I will read anything by Eden Finley.
• Holiday Fling by Crystal Lacy A really super cute, sexy, and fun holiday read.

xoxo,

Shon

Mid Year Book Freak Out 2022

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2022

    The Black Prism (Lightbringer #1) by Brent Weeks

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2022
    Psycho (Necessary Evils #2) by Onley James

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.
    The Magic Between by Stephanie Hoyt

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
    Lunatic (Necessary Evils #6) by Onley James

5. Biggest disappointment.
    Pack Master (Vampire Kings #3) by Loki Renard

6. Biggest surprise.
    About Last Knight (Knoxton Knights #1) by Michaela Cole

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)
    Onley James and Nicole Dykes

8. Newest fictional crush.

9. Newest favorite character.
    The Mulvaney

10. Book that made you cry.
    Bruised But Not Broken by Nicole Dykes

11. Book that made you happy.
    Moonstruck (Necessary Evils #3) by Onley James

12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received).
    The Final Empire (The Mistborn Saga #1) by Brandon Sanderson

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
    Night Trials (Midnight Magic #3) & Night Tremors (Midnight Magic #4) & Night Treasures             (Midnight Magic #5) by Richard Amos


I would love to hear your answers in a comment section.


xoxo,
Shon

The Worst Books I've read (so far) this year

We are near the halfway point of the year which means it's time for the halfway point best and worst books of the year so far we're starting off with the worst, next post will be the best. I have 7 books to talk about.

A King to Be Protected (Our King, Our Master #2) by Brea Alepoú: DNF at 26%. I kept trying to power through. Let me summarize what I did read in the first 26%. Sex. And sex. Sleep. Sex. And sex. Sleep. Did I mention the sex?

Super Hot Wingman (The Best Men #0.5) by Sarina Bowen, Lauren Blakely: Ugh.

Hot Seat (The Hot Cannolis #1) by Eli Easton, Tara Lain: This one didn't really work for me.

Mad Love (Dangerous Daddies #1) by April Jade: What the hell was that? I thought I was a pretty open minded reader. I guess not. I probably shouldn't have finished it. This one was a total waste of my time. I'm not going to elaborate. I've already spent to much time on this.

Metal Heart (Metal & Magic #1) by Michelle Frost: Sadly, I felt very disappointed with this one. At this point, I've struggled with three in a row from this author. It's time to maybe say that she's not for me. At the very least, I think I'll take a break because something isn't working at the moment.

Caring for Little Ollie (Different Hearts #1) by Izaia Winter: What the hell was that? Another book probably shouldn't have finished.

Pack Master (Vampire Kings #3) by Loki Renard: Um...Nope. What kind of ending was that?

Anyway those are some books that I didn't like. It's going to be a much longer list full of books that I thought were excellent so be looking out for that post.

Have you read any of these book. Let me know in the comment section below.

xoxo,
Shon

Series To Start In 2022

Hello Bookworms!  I wanted to listed all the Fantasy series that I plan on starting this year. I have 10 series that I'm planning on starting this year, not that I plan on finishing all of these series some of them are quite long but I definitely wanted to at least start all of these. I have two rules in place when picking out these series. One it has to be a series that's already complete that I can actually complete it if I want to.  Second is it has to have more then three books in the series. No Duologies.  These are in no particular order.

1. The First Law Series by Joe Abercrombie
2. Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks
3. The Mistborn Saga by Brandon Sanderson
4. The Stormlight Archive Series by Brandon Sanderson
5. The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan
6. Gentleman Bastard Series by Scott Lynch
7. The Riyria Revelations Series by Michael J. Sullivan
8. Powder Mage Series by Brian McClellan
9. Malazan Book of the Fallen Series by Steven Erikson
10. Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Series by Tad Williams

Have you read any of these book.  Let me know in the comment section below.

xoxo,

Shon

Book Review: The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

The Black Prism
(Lightbringer #1)
by Brent Weeks

Publication Date: August 25th 2010
Publisher: Orbit
Pages: 678
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.

But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.

My Thoughts

What I like about this book is the world, the magic system and the characters.  Everything is just really well-thought-out and the character's for the most part are really layered.  There was one character that I was not a fan of, Kip, I did not like his character.  I would be fine if his character was kill off.  But obviously he probably shouldn't because he is probably important.  But other than that I pretty much liked every character that was put into the story they are really interesting.

I love how so many characters are very morally gray. Our main hero of the story Gavin is very morally gray, he has done a lot of really horrible stuff and it's continuing to do horrible stuff in the present time in order to accomplish his goals. I think most people would  like Gavin but you don't like everything he does.  There's this conflict of I like you but there's so much that you do that I hate.  I think that build some greatly interesting characters.

I just think in general the plot isn't the biggest focus of the story at least not in book one but in every other element it's so well built.  

I'm just going to summarize I thought the book was excellent I didn't think everything was perfectly executed and because of that I'm giving it 4.5 stars instead of 5.  I thought that it was such a great story with such great characters and so much potential for what's to come and the series.  I enjoyed myself with this book from start to finish, I thought it was so great.  I can't wait to continue on the book 2.

xoxo,

Shon

Shon's Monthly Wrap-Up & Book Haul | February 2022

Happy Monday Bookworms! I hope you’re well & safe! I’m back with my February reading Wrap up. I read 8 books, and added 6 eBooks to my collection.

February Book Haul

Before They Are Hanged (The First Law #2) by Joe Abercrombie
Last Argument of Kings (The First Law #3) by Joe Abercrombie
Kings of the Wyld (The Band #1) by Nicholas Eames
The Blinding Knife (Lightbringer #2) by Brent Weeks
Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee
Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set (The Mistborn Saga #1-3) by Brandon Sanderson

Books Read In February 

The Blade Itself (The First Law #1) by Joe Abercrombie (Rating: 5/5 stars)
Hot Ride by Lucy Lennox (Rating: 3/5 stars)
Catching Kalen (Diamond Dreams #1) by Maya Nicole, Britt Andrews (Rating: 3/5 stars)
Fireman's Carry (The Hot Cannolis #0.5) by Eli Easton (Rating: 3/5 stars)
Hot Seat (The Hot Cannolis #1) by Eli Easton, Tara Lain (Rating: 3/5 stars)
The Black Prism (Lightbringer #1) by Brent Weeks (Rating: 5/5 stars)
Trouble On Top (Bromance Chronicles #1) by Billie Bloom (Rating: 2/5 stars)
Nice Guys Finish First (Bromance Chronicles #2) by Billie Bloom (Rating: 2/5 stars)



How was your month? What was your favorite book you read in February? What books did you add to your collection? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo,
Shon

Book Review: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

The Blade Itself
(The First Law #1)
by Joe Abercrombie

Publication Date: September 8th 2015
Publisher: Orbit
Pages: 536
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian – leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.

Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glotka a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

My Thoughts

This book one is extremely character focus and I very much feel that it is a set up for the rest of the series. I went into this books knowing very little. This is a spoiler free review, but as I continue on with series because I will be continuing on with the series I all my sequel reviews may contain spoilers.

Like I said early this is a super character focused story, we get six characters point of view. There are three main characters I would say and then three characters that are very important supporting characters. In this book we spend time really getting to know these characters their back stories their motivation what makes them different. What I like about the characters, they are not your typical good guy facing off against the bad guy.  They are morally gray characters. The characters were fantastic in this book this is something that author obviously put a lot of attention to and he did it really well. The characters are very believable I feel like I know them very well but I also feel like any of them could surprise me at any moment.  

All of the great the character work was fantastic but was there really much going on outside of the character. It was a fairly contained story. I don't necessarily think that's a fault to this book it's just something that made me think that the author really wanted book one to be about the characters and then he is gonna build onto the story in the remaining books.

Let me go ahead and emphasize to you this book was really good. I loved this book and I'm so excited for the book two.


xoxo,
Shon

The TBR Book Tag

Hey guys! Let's have a bit of fun and answer some questions today so I thought I would do The TBR Book Tag which I saw on BookswithEmilyFox. I wasn’t tagged by anyone. I’m not going to tag anyone myself, but if you feel like writing this post consider yourself tagged! Let’s get into it shall we?

How do you keep track of your TBR book pile?

Not so good.  I have some books on my Goodreads' Want To Read shelve.  I have some physical books but they're mixed with book that I've read.  Also, have books on my Kindle.

Is your TBR mostly print or eBook?

It's about 50-50.

How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

I’m a mood reader so I just see what I feel like picking up when I finish a book.

A book that’s been on your TBR list the longest?

I’m going to go with my physical TBR for this one, because last year I deleted all of the books off my Goodreads. There were some books on my Goodreads that I had unhauled. I'm going to go with Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5) by Richelle Mead.

A book you recently added to your TBR?

Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations #1-2) by Michael J. Sullivan.  Trying to read more fantasy books this year.

A book in your TBR strictly because of its beautiful cover?

I seriously don't ever do it covered buy.  I add books to my TBR that I would like to read.

A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading?

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.  I read book 1 and I attempted to read book 2, but I didn't care for it, so I put it down and I just never continued eventually realizing I was too old for that, so I just never finished.

An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for?
Excited might be too strong of a word, but I'm looking forward to reading Wicked Heat (Chicago Heat #1) by Ella Frank.

A book on your TBR that basically everyone’s read but you?
Thay would be half of the books on my TBR. The Dark Artifices & The Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare, The Stormlight Archive Series & The Mistborn Saga by Brandon Sanderson and The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan.

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you?

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss.

A book on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

The Black Prism (Lightbringer #1) by Brent Weeks.  The first book has been highly recommended.  

How many books are on your TBR shelf?

There are 72 books on my Goodreads shelf.  As for my physical bookshelves maybe 100.  I need to do another unhauled. 

That’s it for The TBR Book Tag. Please let me know your answers to the questions in the comment below.

xoxo,

Shon

Shon's Monthly Wrap-Up & Book Haul | January 2022

January Book Haul

The Raven Spell (Conspiracy of Magic #1) by Luanne G. Smith
The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan
Super Hot Wingman (The Best Men #0.5) by Sarina Bowen, Lauren Blakely
The Best Men (The Best Men #1) by Sarina Bowen, Lauren Blakely
The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard #1) by Scott Lynch

Books Read in January

Skip Beat!, Vol. 45 by Yoshiki Nakamura
The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #2) by Rick Riordan
The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3) by Rick Riordan
Super Hot Wingman (The Best Men #0.5) by Sarina Bowen, Lauren Blakely
Dear Mr. Brody (For Him #3) by A.M. Johnson

Format Break-Down

• 1 Physical books (Purchased)
• 2 Audiobooks (via Audible)
• 2 eBooks
• 1 (Purchased)
• 1 (Kindle Unlimited)

How was your month? What was your favorite book you read in January? What books did you add to your collection? Let me know in the comments!


xoxo,
Shon

Shon's 2022 Reading and Blogging Goals

Happy Monday! I hope you’re all doing well.

Ah, it’s that time of year again – to discuss my goals for the year. I think this will be a pretty short post because things are simple this time around since I’m trying to stick to mood reading for most of the year and my blogging will follow suit.

1. Goodreads Challenge – 100 Books.

2. Continue to read sequels / work on finishing off series I’ve started. This is a goal I set every year. Because I start so many new series each year it feels like this will always be a reoccurring goal.

3. No more monthly TBR’s. I’m just going to read what I feel like reading.

4. Sparse Book Buying. I have purchased a lot of books over the years that I have yet to read. This year, I will not be purchasing any physical books. I have no room left on my shelves for new books.

5. Book Unhaul.  There are some books that I'm definitely never going to read.

Those are all of the reading goals I have made for myself to complete this year! I’m trying not to stress myself out over blogging and reading this year.

Do you have any goals this year? Leave a comment, I’d love to chat!