Last week I was still recovering from my holiday so I got less reading time in than I’d hoped. I’m still recovering, I’m not a great sleeper anyway and I have so much to catch up on.
I did finish two great reads as well as attending my niece’s wedding on Saturday which was absolutely beautiful 💗💍.
I also finished the painting I was working on of the Hazards in the Freycinet National Park in Tasmania.
This week I finished one book and one audiobook/reading combo
Stronger Than Blood drew me straight in, starting with a prologue where we find out about the traumatic incident that Mick endured as a child, which is still haunting him in more ways than one. I can’t imagine living with not only the memories, but an actual vengeful spirit day after day. I don’t know how Mick stayed sane and was such a good person.
Rory sees spirits, but not regularly, and is called to search for his family, which leads him to Piston Creek and Mick. I liked Rory immediately; he was drawn to help Mick, wanting nothing for himself, whilst also trying to avoid emotional entanglements (spoiler: that doesn’t work out for him).
I really enjoyed reading Mick and Rory’s story as they try to lay to rest the ghosts of the past and move on with a brighter future.
The side characters in this story actually play a big part, and they were all great characters to get to know. I especially loved Mick’s Granny, what a strong, amazing woman, to have been through everything and also raised Mick to be a good man. Rory’s Madam Bellamy was another excellent character who added a lot to the story, and without her, neither Mick nor Rory would have managed to get through everything that goes down.
This was a sweet romance whilst also dealing with a dangerous, vengeful spirit, plenty of emotional scenes, both happy and sad; it certainly wasn’t an easy ride for anyone involved.
I look forward to reading whatever Adam J Ridley (Blake Allwood) writes next.
Haunted by the vengeful spirit of a serial killer, Mick must confront his fears. Will he find the strength to overcome it or will the entity consume him and everyone he loves?
In the small, unassuming town of Piston Creek, Mick carries the haunting burden of a past he can’t escape. As a child, he was nearly the victim of a notorious serial killer, only to be saved by his fierce grandmother, who took matters into her own hands. Now, years later, Mick strives for a sense of normalcy. Unfortunately the darkness surrounding that fateful night has left its lingering mark.
As his beloved grandmother ages, the malevolent spirit of the killer grows stronger, haunting Mick with terrifying visions and threatening to consume him. Desperate for help, he encounters Rory, a psychic whose erratic abilities seem both a blessing and a curse. Together, they must navigate the treacherous landscape of the supernatural, battling the ghost that seeks to reclaim what it lost.
Is Rory’s unpredictable powers enough to sever the ties between Mick and the vengeful spirit, or will the blood bond between it and Mick be the curse that destroys them all?
Riley Nash sure knows how to write an emotional story about lost and broken boys finding each other.
This Might Hurt made me hurt for Jude and Andrew and what their families had done to them. I came to care for these mixed up men a great deal as I traversed their relationship with them, the highs and the lows and everything in between.
I loved the side characters, Ramona, a feisty elderly lady who takes Jude in when she finds him lost, and then accepts Andrew and the Jude’s sister Lena. Lena was such strong young girl, who despite the challenges life threw at her, made the most of what she had and fought to become strong in mind and body.
And Grant, Andrews bodyguard/driver and the only person to truly care for Andrew before he meets Jude. I loved the support he gave Andrew no matter what. And yes Riley, he should definitely get his own story.
I hope you fall for Andrew and Jude like I did and take the messed up ride with them while they find their HEA.
*Second reading was the audiobook. The two narrators did a great job of bringing Andrew and Jude to life as well as all the emotions involved.
I met him on the worst day of my life—the desperate boy with a gun and the most brilliant smile I’d ever seen. We saved each other’s lives and then walked away, because a hitchhiking criminal and one of the richest men in the world can’t possibly be made for each other.
I’m a void, silenced by my power-hungry family and pushed into an arranged marriage like the obedient pawn I am. I’ve given up hoping for anything more. He’s an uncontrolled explosion, a lost man with a shattered moral compass who would do anything for redemption. He refuses to give up hope, even if it breaks him.
So when I come up with a wild, impossible revenge plan, there’s only one person I look for. One person unhinged enough to say “yes” when I ask him to marry me and ruin my family’s business deal. He can teach a good boy how to do bad things. He already owns me, body and soul.
The problem is, we’re both too broken to know when to stop. Our hearts are damaged and possessive and foolish. Now that we’re in too deep, I realize we only have one chance to build the kind of love that rewrites the damage they passed down to us.
A dark contemporary M/M romance featuring bratty soulmates, an unhinged grumpy/sunshine couple looking for revenge, found family, and breaking cycles of generational trauma.
Contains difficult subject matter and unhealthy character dynamics. Please visit the author’s website for full content warnings.
It’s been a busy 6 weeks. I was on holiday for 4 and a half of them and attended two book events over east, which I’ll hopefully have time to post about next weekend. This weekend I got to attend a two day event in Perth, again I hope to post about it next weekend. I met some fabulous authors and bought wayyyy too many books. But, it’s an addiction, what can I say.
Because of my holiday I didn’t read as much as I normally would.
In the past two weeks I managed 4 books and 1 audiobook.
I’m a new reader of the West Australian author Sasha Avice, but I absolutely love her writing, with each book having a completely different style and voice. Her new novel On the Land, We Shoot Straight is no exception.
I was immediately drawn into this story about two very different men with very different experiences of life so far.
Jesse Cole’s story broke my heart, as it did Grady’s, but their story brought me happiness, eventually.
Set in 1981 in an imagined town, I actually felt it could have been even further back or even now, this story doesn’t need a time, it’s a story that could fit into any time and place.
The idea, or knowledge that straight men have always had sex with other men if the need arises, it’s just something they don’t talk about, is the premise behind this story. Grady is one of these men, his wife is elsewhere, and itches must be scratched. But there’s nothing more to it, it’s just the way things are done.
Cole arriving on Grady’s doorstep looking lost and needing a place to stay and work, changes everything Grady thought he knew about himself. Drawn to him from the get go, watching Grady become attached to having Jesse around, then realising real emotions were involved, was a real rollercoaster of a journey for me.
Seeing Cole become stronger and brighter, seeing him start to tentatively believe that he is worth something, (after being told and treated by others in ways that tell him he is worth nothing), the more time he spent on the ranch and with Grady, and the horses, added to that rollercoaster. Grady is such a rock, and though he makes mistakes, he is quick to set them right.
This was a gentle book, while at the same time tackling big issues. The characters became very real for me and I won’t forget them quickly.
This book brought up many emotions for me as Cole’s story is uncovered, as well as breaking my heart, I felt anger and rage at what was done and towards the people who did it.
On the Land, We Shoot Straight, was hard for me to put down and I read it over 2 days. Knowing this story was a special one for the author, adds something extra to the book. Sasha Avice is now firmly in my ‘will read whatever comes next’ category and I can’t wait to see what does come next.
“I ain’t no expert on what gets a man spooked. But I reckon if you ever wanna talk on it, well then… I reckon I’m all right at listenin’.”
Grady’s been running his ranch and farm just fine on his own since his daddy died. But when young Jesse Cole blows up on his porch, Grady hesitates before sending him on. There’s something in the way Cole turns to leave that makes Grady want to pull him back in.
There are murmurs in town about the kind of boy Cole is. The kinds of things he’s done. But as they work together and then start helping each other out because that’s just what buddies do on the land, Grady begins to feel something he’s never felt before. Something not ‘just buddies’ at all.
As the year rolls on, Grady feels himself drawn deeper into the trauma Cole won’t speak about. He ignores the warnings from his wife in the city and the gossip in town. Cole seems to think this unspeakable thing will define him forever, but the further Grady’s pulled into his orbit, the more willing he is to forfeit everyone else in his life to show him that isn’t true.
This is a monthly link-up hosted by KateW at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the other books on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain. The rules are:
Ghost Cities – inspired by the vacant, uninhabited megacities of China – follows multiple narratives, including one in which a young man named Xiang is fired from his job as a translator at Sydney’s Chinese Consulate after it is discovered he doesn’ t speak a word of Chinese and has been relying entirely on Google Translate for his work. How is his relocation to one such ghost city connected to a parallel odyssey in which an ancient Emperor creates a thousand doubles of Himself? Or where a horny mountain gains sentience? Where a chess-playing automaton hides a deadly secret? Or a tale in which every book in the known Empire is destroyed – then re-created, page by page and book by book, all in the name of love and art? Allegorical and imaginative, Ghost Cities will appeal to readers of Haruki Murakami and Italo Calvino.
My first link is with the word Ghost 👻, I went the easy route this month because I really wanted to continue this link up
Join Audrey Fitzgerald in the Ghost Detective series, a paranormal cozy mystery featuring a cat, a ghost, and a murder to solve.
My next book is also Ghost 👻 but I’ve gone from fun cosy paranormal mystery to paranormal horror.
The Ghost Files by Apryl Bake
Cherry blossom lipstick: check Smokey eyes: check Skinny jeans: check Dead kid in the mirror: check
For sixteen year old Mattie Hathaway, this is her normal everyday routine. She’s been able to see ghosts since her mother tried to murder her when she was five years old. No way does she want anyone to know she can talk to spooks. Being a foster kid is hard enough without being labeled a freak too.
Normally, she just ignores the ghosts and they go away. That is until she see’s the ghost of her foster sister… Sally.
Everyone thinks Sally’s just another runaway, but Mattie knows the truth—she’s dead. Murdered. Mattie feels like she has to help Sally, but she can’t do it alone. Against her better judgment, she teams up with a young policeman, Officer Dan, and together they set out to discover the real truth behind Sally’s disappearance.
Only to find out she’s dealing with a much bigger problem, a serial killer, and she may be the next victim…
Will Mattie be able to find out the truth before the killer finds her?
Carrying on with Ghosts 👻 is an urban fantasy adventure
I’m a ghost whisperer, not a catacomb crawler. But when you live in Paris, sometimes you end up being both.
Urban Fantasy with a French twist. If you like cave-crawling adventures, hopeless romantics, and ghosts, you’ll enjoy Ghosts of the Catacomb, the first instalment of the Parisian Ghosts series. Travel to Paris today to embark on your catacomb adventure.
Next we have something completely different but still with Ghost 👻 in the title. An emotional MM romance dealing with grief.
Dr. Christopher Allen knows how to deal with death. He’s a psychiatrist who works with hospice patients and their families, helping them cope with grief and letting go. But Chris’s job doesn’t prepare him for the sudden death of his devil-may-care brother Cal.
At Cal’s funeral, Chris is completely thrown when he meets Elliot Rawlings, an artist Cal has been dating. Chris is hurt to discover that the brother he knew as straight was actually bisexual. Elliot is angry and resentful of having been kept hidden from Cal’s family.
After the funeral, a night of drinking at the bar with Cal’s friends leads to Chris and Elliot falling into bed together. The next morning, they’re overwhelmed by guilt and grief and agree to never speak of it again.
But Cal’s apartment needs to be packed up and Elliot reluctantly agrees to help Chris, as well as answer some questions about Cal’s life and their relationship. Despite their guilt and initial dislike for one another, they sort through the pieces of Cal’s life and begin to fall for each other.
Despite his best efforts to fix things, Chris’s family seems to be crumbling around him and he begins to question who he is and what his role with them is. As his feelings for Elliot grow, Chris must decide if they’re worth further damaging his fragile relationships with his friends and family.
Elliot’s rough upbringing has left him distrustful of getting close to anyone, much less another man who isn’t willing to acknowledge him in public. The odds seem stacked against Chris and Elliot, but if they can overcome them, they may be able to lay Cal’s ghost to rest, along with their own demons.
Reader Advisory: This story deals with themes related to alcoholism, death (of secondary characters), and past abuse/neglect.
Next and the last title with Ghost 👻 a paranormal mystery MM romance set in a haunted house.
Proving ghosts are real is something Jason Thomas had always dreamed of. Visiting the haunted places he’d been obsessed with since he was a kid, and playing amateur ghost hunters with his best friend Wade, is a passion that’s only grown. As the years passed, Jason’s fascination with ghosts was too big to contain, and he’d drag Wade along to different haunted houses or hotels, always hoping to see an actual ghost. Wade Rivers has always loved spending time with Jason, even if it meant he’d have to endure another creepy, supposedly haunted location. Before he knew it, Wade’s feelings for Jason deepened from friendship into something more. Unfortunately, so did his fear of the places Jason wanted to explore. The chance to spend a weekend alone in a famous haunted house was too much for Jason to resist, and almost too much for Wade to endure. He knew going to the deserted house was everything Jason had ever dreamed of, so Wade tried to put his fears aside. But when strange things start to happen, admitting to Jason how he feels suddenly isn’t the scariest thing Wade will encounter. A friends to lovers, paranormal romantic thriller.
My last link is another paranormal mystery MM romance which is also set in a haunted house.
This isn’t your friendly neighbourhood ghost story.
Dawson Miller may not have the most conventional of lives, but he’s worked hard and he’s happy with the path he’s taken. He’s a successful social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers, his budding music career is gaining traction, and he’s just inherited a house in the WA Wheatbelt with his best friend and stepbrother, Chip. Despite having to manage an anxiety disorder, life is pretty sweet.
Tate “Chip” George has a steady job, is great at sports, and is well liked. On the surface, he’s got his life together. Beneath all of that, he’s a 24 year old demisexual virgin who is in love with his best friend and stepbrother. It’s been a long time since he’s lived with Dawson and he’s rather worried that moving to a small, rural town together will make it much harder to move on and finally accept that he can’t have what he so desperately wants.
When they discover that the old farmhouse they’ve inherited from Grandpa Miller is haunted, they must work together to solve a century-old murder and help lay a vengeful ghost to rest, whilst navigating the changing landscape of their relationship. They’ll fight for their lives, make startling discoveries, and clean their kitchen.
So. Damn. Much.
For a full list of content warnings, please see the inside of the book or visit the author’s website.
I’m off on holiday for 4.5 weeks, I’m heading to Cairns, Brisbane, Melbourne and Tasmania. I’ll be going to the GLO book event in Brisbane and RARE in Melbourne, I’ve accidentally preordered a lot of books and somehow I need to get them home lol. If you’ll be at either of these events or in town when they are on, I’d love to catch up and talk books.
I read this in a day. When I read the blurb on NetGalley, I thought this sounded like something I would enjoy, but I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. It’s also inspired me for my upcoming holiday to celebrate my own 50th birthday, and I’m planning on making the most out of it.
I got off to a bit of a slow start with Eva’s story, I also found the random diary entries from her teens through to her 40s took me out of the story a bit, but as I read on I got caught up in Eva’s plight and her susequent journey and found the diary entries actually added something, even if it was just to remind Eva (and perhaps myself) that she once had dreams and that even though she’d gotten a bit lost on her way, perhaps it wasn’t too late to make some changes.
When Eva discovers her husband is cheating on her, it takes her a moment to decide what to do next. Finding out her parents have gone AWOL in India gives her the push she needs to take action and embark on a journey, which, through many twists and turns and wild goose chases (or wild parent chases), allows her to take stock of her life and how she has arrived at 50 years of age stuck in a life and a marriage she isn’t terribly happy with.
Eva’s mother Debbie, is a riot, and while I can see as a teen she might have found her embarrassing, as an adult, I felt Eva should have been celebrating her quirkiness and fun; instead, she chases after her to bring her home like a misbehaving child (I do get she was concerned, especially about her dad’s deteriorating health, but still…). Luckily, along the way, Eva does come to appreciate her mother and her quirks. I did find Debbie a bit blunt and mean at times, especially when it came to Eva’s looks and weight (parents don’t realise the effect they have on their kids). I hope I can take away some of Debbie’s ‘just go with it, fun-loving’ ways and start living my life more fully.
Having been to India myself, I could relate to a lot of the culture shock and situations Eva found herself in, and I did enjoy her journey and sexy Utkarsh (where can I find me one of him?). Eva gets herself into some humorous situations and learns a lot about herself along the way.
I really enjoyed this read, as someone who, like Eva, is turning 50, whose life hasn’t turned out quite like I imagined at various stages in my life, it reminded me that I have still got plenty of time to make changes and make things happen. Now, to convince some friends to join me for the ride.
Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year meets The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Where’d You Go Bernadette in this witty novel about coming of (middle) age and discovering that you don’t have to be who you’ve become.
How hard can it be to find a pair of Bollywood-dancing septuagenarians?
The new funny and uplifting read for book clubs in 2025 about adventure, aging and rediscovery. Perfect for readers Joanna Nell, Marian Keyes and Kathy Lette.
When Eva Moore wakes up on her fiftieth birthday, her drab middle-class life immediately starts to unravel. First, she receives an anonymous Facebook message claiming her husband is having an affair. Next, she is restructured out of her job by her obnoxiously young boss. Then, just when she thinks her life can’t get any worse, her elderly parents wilfully go missing from their group tour of India. The only clues they’ve left behind is an increasingly bizarre series of TikTok videos.
Eager to put some distance between herself and her failing marriage, Eva undertakes a rescue mission, determined to save her parents from certain disaster. She wants to find them. But what Eva really needs is to find herself. If she can do that, she might get a second chance at life and love – and, along the way, become an inspiration to anyone who fears their best days are behind them …
Witty, warm and acutely observed – a book club book from an extraordinary new Australian voice about taking life, and adventure, by the horns. A funny, defiant shout into the face of society’s expectations around ageing.
The Road Ahead: An M/X Forbidden romance is one of the books just released in the shared world multi-author series, A Pathfinders Lake Romance.
I absolutely loved this sweet, angst-free novella by local WA author Addison Acres, and I think that Rio and Cooper are my new favourite book couple.
I haven’t read many enby stories; possibly there aren’t many out there, but I really liked the way the author handled all aspects surrounding Rio and their gender and sexuality, including the thoughtful communication between Cooper and Rio. Cooper was so respectful of Rio and their needs, and I really liked that they communicated like adults, allowing for no second-guessing once they had both admitted to being into each other.
Cooper and Rio bonded over anime, specifically a show called Initial D (watch here) and cars when they were younger, and Rio’s most prized possession is their Japanese-imported Trueno AE86 (which I had to Google and was stunned at the prices they sell for here in Australia). I felt the thrill of the ride when Rio shows Cooper just what the car can do, and I can imagine the adrenaline it would cause to be in that car as they took the turns. (There’s a short piece available after you read the book where Rio lets Cooper drive their car. I was highly entertained by Rio’s reticence at letting Cooper handle their baby).
Cooper’s sister Teresa was the best kind of sister and cousin anyone could hope for, while her boyfriend Brad took a while to show he wasn’t the arse he was behaving like. I didn’t rate him at all for most of the book and was still wary at the end, though he does redeem himself.
While the majority of the book is angst-free, there is an event that happens near the end that had me unable to breathe for a while (not relationship-related); the outcome could have been way worse than it was.
This was a wonderful read, and I am looking forward to whatever Addison Acres publishes next. I am off to GLO in Brisbane next month and am looking forward to catching up with her.
This is a low-angst, forbidden love story that features
M/X romance Cousins Low angst Drifting A music festival Only one bed An enby with a crop top obsession A sweet paramedic who makes balloon animals for sick kids
After being disowned by my dad, I left Georgia, finding my way to Pathfinders Lake, to my cousins who’d always accepted me without question. The idea of a week away with them, at a music festival and exploring mountain roads in my Trueno ‘86, sounded like the perfect escape. But then there’s Cooper. My cousin, the one who helped me understand myself, the one who’s always been perfect in every way. I try to push down this old crush that flares up again, but I can’t. He’s gay. Could he ever be interested in a pint-sized enby firecracker with more crop tops than one human should reasonably own? But when we reconnect over the week, I can’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, the road ahead could be more than I ever imagined.
Cooper
Rio’s finally here, and I’m excited—more than I probably should be. They’ve always been the most badass person I know, and now, watching them embrace their truth, I’m proud of everything they’ve become. We’re spending a week at the cabin, and every minute feels like we’re picking up right where we left off. But as we spend more time together, I start to realize something—something I’ve been trying to ignore. The connection we share is more than just family. I never expected to feel this way about Rio, but when I see them, I can’t deny the pull. The road I thought I’d be walking is shifting, and the only one I want beside me is Rio.
I remember reading this as a serial on Jennifer Cody’s FB group and enjoying it, but this new expanded version was even more enjoyable; it was so much fun to read, I didn’t want to put it down once I picked it up. I love these 3 men so much and loved the connection between them all.
For me, Jennifer Cody is the Queen of creating new and interesting worlds and characters (many of whom are quirky in some way) and Gael’s Favorite is no exception.
Gale, Sin and Phineas made a wonderful throuple, and I so enjoyed exploring the connection between them. It was steamy, sweet and emotional, and these guys made me want to hug each of them. It also made me wish I were someone’s favourite. I liked that Sin and Phin got to explore their connection without Gael, even though the circumstances behind his absence were upsetting for them both.
I enjoyed the small excerpts from Sin and Gael’s past. I felt they added background and depth to their friendship without taking anything away from the present, and though they weren’t chronological, they were labelled clearly, and it was easy to follow which part of their lives they were in.
Sin, finding out that the many species that exist, took this in his stride, because he loved Gael so much, there was really nothing he wouldn’t do for him. These diverse beings, which up until this point have had to live with being unable to talk to each other because of an oath they were made to swear, and the dilemma around how they needed to change this due to their relationship, were interesting. I liked how well the changes were accepted and how they opened the doors for many others.
I enjoyed this new world that she has created and would love to read more with these characters and in this setting
Obsessive, possessive, absolutely in love? Who, me? I don’t think so. Gael is my best friend, of course I love him. He shares all his favorite things with me. (And I do mean all)
Gael:
Tasty, unique, mine. Sin is all that to me and more. I wish I could explain it to him, but I can’t. No, literally, I can’t. But I would if I could.
Phin:
WTAF? I always thought fated mates came in pairs, and that they were species-specific. So why does it feel like I have two? And what is actually going on between Gael and Sin? I’m so confused.
Gael’s Favorite is a 65k word MMM paranormal romance with fated mates, big secrets, and unique paranormal creatures. There will be angst. See the inside of the book for the content warning
Back in June I reached out to some fellow Aussie Book Bloggers in Facebook to see if anyone was interested in doing a buddy read of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I bought this book back in 2003 and remember really enjoying it and felt it was time for a reread.
I only got one taker but today is the day we start reading. If anyone would like to join us I’d love for you to post your thoughts in the comments as you read.
PAULO COELHO’S enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom points Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transformation power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
M/X romance
Cousins
Low angst
Drifting
Claire's Reads and Reviews 