March was a really good month of reading for me. In addition to rereading some of my favorite books/series, I discovered two books that will most likely end up on my Favorite Books of 2022 list at the end of the year, finally read a duology I'd been eyeing for quite some time, got the next book in a series I love, started a new series that is shaping up to be fantastic, and introduced Alexis to her first chapter book.

On the flip side, I picked up a book at my local Barnes and Noble that was written by a local author who also graduated from the same university I attended. I love supporting local authors, but this book just has so many problems, y'all. I've literally been trying to finish it all month and just can't make myself keep going. The characters are flat and contradictory of themselves (in a very unnatural way), the plot has no depth, the world building is practically non-existent, and the main character is, quite frankly, stupid. So, yeah, I definitely wasted too much time with this book trying to give it the benefit of the doubt, but now I'm done with it.

Now for the books that are definitely worth your time!

 

Fable & Namesake

Author: Adrienne Young

This duology had been on my radar for awhile, so when the first one popped up on KU for a limited time, I added it so fast there might've been a scorch mark on my tablet screen.

Fable is the daughter of a fearsome pirate, but he abandoned her on a remote island after her mother was killed in a storm at sea. Determined to take her rightful place by his side, Fable will stop at nothing to get off the island and prove herself worthy of commanding her own ship under his flag.

These two books were really good and a lot more complex than I was expecting. The crew of the ship Fable uses to get off the island are so diverse and layered, especially the captain, Will. And the family drama at the center of everything is compelling. There's so much action and drama and even a bit of romance woven throughout the story, and Fable is a character worthy of your time.

Author: Heather Webber

The cover of this book is what originally caught my eye. Then I read the summary and realized it was set in a rural Alabama town, and I knew I had to read it.

When her grandmother passes away, Anna Kate Callow temporarily moves to Wicklow to fulfill the stipulations of the will. While there, she learns her grandmother's tales of the magical blackbirds her café is named for might be more real than she ever realized. And although Anna Kate believes her stay in Wicklow isn't permanent, she wants to use the opportunity to investigate the circumstances surrounding her father's death and her mother's subsequent departure from the town.

This is another one of those books that's all about family and what it takes to forgive. It's also so like the town I grew up in it's almost painful. This book was beautiful, though, and I love it so much.

Pure Chemistry (Gilded Knights book 4)

Author: Emilia Finn

She did it again. The number of Emilia Finn’s characters that I’m in love with has officially gotten out of hand.

This book focuses on the second oldest Rosa brother, Corey, and Jen, a biochemist on a mission to eventually cure cancer. So far, she's created a drug that relieves the worst pain of chemotherapy patients, but it's fallen into the wrong hands and being turned into something deadly. Corey, meanwhile, is ex-army and now does jobs for hire. When he learns Jen is potentially in danger, his protective streak won't let him abandon her, despite her wishing he would stay at arms length.

I definitely liked Corey much more than Jen, who was quite unlikeable for a good bit of the book. She's determined not to start anything with Corey, which is fine, but she does constantly initiate sexually-charged situations, on purpose, with no intention of following through, and I can't get behind that behavior. Corey, though, is a total gentleman through it all, and like all the other Rosas (and pretty much every other male character in Emilia's books) he's been added to my book boyfriends.

Author: Thea Stilton

Alexis has started reading chapter books, and this was a good introduction into how much fun longer-format books can be. We read a few chapters before bed each night, and I just discovered there are two more books in this particular storyline so I'll most likely be ordering them for her soon.

The Thea Sisters are a group of friends from around the world who attend school together. In this book, they're on some sort of school break in Scotland when they meet the descendant of a semi-famous explorer who disappeared 100 years ago but left clues to a treasure hidden in a tapestry. When some thugs steal the tapestry, the sisters decide to help their new friend get it back and find the hidden treasure.

Envy (The Deadly Seven book 1)

Author: Lana Pecherczyk

The Lazarus siblings, or the Deadly Seven, are genetically-modified superheroes, each designed to fight one of the deadly seven sins. If they don't find their soulmates, their sin can consume them and make them go mad.

Book one focuses on Evan, also known as Envy. He's been estranged from his family ever since they were accused of causing a deadly building collapse, and he accused his brother's fiancé of being behind it all. The family mostly hung up their crime fighting in the wake of the scandal, but Evan still goes out as Envy on occasion. On one such night, he ends up in the hospital and under the care of Dr. Grace Go, who turns out to be his perfect balance - his soulmate. Together, they set out to prove who was really behind the building collapse and reunite Evan with his siblings.

I really enjoyed this. It kind of reminded me of the show Arrow, minus the archery. Up next is Greed.

Author: Tirzah Price

This book is like Pride and Prejudice meets an Agatha Christie mystery. It's so cleverly done without disrespecting the original story. Well done, Tirzah. This was absolutely my favorite read of the month.

In this retelling of the timeless classic, Elizabeth Bennet is the daughter of a barrister. Mr. Bennett is head of a small firm that's fallen on hard times, while Mr. Darcy's family runs the prestigious , much larger Pemberley firm. When one of Darcy's friends is accused of murdering his sister's husband, Elizabeth hopes to use the case to prove to her father that she deserves to be hired as his next solicitor. What she doesn't count on is Darcy taking the case himself and refusing her help, even when the accused hires her to investigate. But in true Elizabeth Bennett fashion, she doesn't let that stop her.

This book has so many twists and turns, I didn't know where it was going to end (other than the presupposed joining of Elizabeth and Darcy, of course). If you are a Jane Austen and/or an Agatha Christie fan, you must read this!