New Release Book Review: Limitless Love: A Polyamorous Charity Anthology

4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This has to be one of the best anthologies I’ve read. So many are just short stories that make you need to buy the next book in the author’s series if you want any sort of conclusion. But Limitless Love is full of wonderfully refreshing standalone stories full of characters and relationships that stole my heart.

Falling on Schedule by Sage Abbott – An MMMM romance. This is the second book I’ve read recently involving a surrogate for sex, something I’d never heard of before. I liked Brandt & Cairo, and Jim & Merry and enjoyed the way the two couples came together to build a relationship between the 4 of them while each couple respected the other’s needs and desires.

The Two That Got Away by Aurora Crane – I love Aurora Crane’s novels and would have loved for this to have been longer. The connection Drew, Keenan & Evan have was so strong. I’d have loved to have known why Keenan believed he wasn’t worthy of having either of these men, but I’m glad Drew could see the connection he had with them both and made the move to make things happen resulting in a HEA.

Triple XP by Colette Davison – I’m not a ģamer so I was a bit wary going into this one but Dex, Lock & Avery all quickly stole my heart just as they stole each other’s. I really enjoyed Triple XP.

A Sweet Way to Love by Abrianna Dense – This is one of the few open poly relationships I’ve read about and it was interesting to see how the dynamics between the various men and their respective spouses and Eric their longtime partner worked as well as how the new dynamic of Graham being brought in as Eric’s newest lover and possibly the man he didn’t know he was looking for to help complete him, changed or added to the dynamics.

Three’s Cozy by EM Denning – Zeke and Connor were hot as a couple but when they added their long-term crush Micah to the mix then they were boiling. This was a fun read.

What We Wished Four by Elouise East – The joining of two couples, Lev & Bryan, and Rowan & Gary was both sweet and sexy and for them a little scary in case they messed up their friendship. But these 4 best friends were meant to be much more, they just needed to take the plunge.

Not Without You by MJ Green – This one was a little darker than the rest, a family business with underworld ties, these cousins are closer than the norm. I enjoyed Pauli’s forced bi-awakening when he goes after his cousin and best friend who has run from his longtime unrequited love. Finding him with two other men awakened more than he imagined, not only for him but for all of them.

Toward Unity by J.L. Dribble – I loved how Sage, Weston and Val, longtime best friends learn that together they can be each other’s everything, each one filling a need that the other can fill and therefore making the Relationship fully complete.

Balancing Each Other by Leigh Kenzie – Noel and Eddie, assassins who’ve been together for over a decade find their third seeking shelter from a snowstorm. I enjoyed seeing Robbie come out of his shell and recover from the shock of finding his fiance with another man. Robbie discovers parts of himself he never knew he needed and finds two Daddies who will do anything to keep him safe and happy. It was super quick instalove but that’s to be expected in a short novella. A fun read.

Our Sweet Vampire by Michele Notaro With only 2 chapters and an epilogue, this was the shortest story of them all. Two soulmates find their missing soulmate, fall for each other immediately and save him from the bad guy. A short sweet read.

I hope to read more polyamory romances in the future, but for now, I’ve enjoyed this anthology a great deal and found myself some new authors to try out.

Add to Goodreads

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

First seen over on Book’d Out I’m going to try to do this post regularly linking to It’s Monday! What are you reading? at BookDate.

Well, it’s actually Tuesday, I was too tired after studying on the weekend to turn on the computer. It’s been a fortnight so I’ve read a few books, listened to a few audiobooks and I have started a few others.

I finished reading The Trouble With Trying to Hook a Harbinger by Jennifer Cody (my review), this is the 4th book in the Murder Sprees & Mute Decrees series and so far I’ve enjoyed every one, they do follow on so you need to read them in order or you’ll have no idea what is going on in the crazy world the author has created.

I also finished reading Limitless Love: A Polyamorous Charity Anthology which was one of the best anthologies I have read in a long while (my review).

I finished reading my book for bookclub, The Law of the Heart by Boris Starling, this was my choice and it took until chapter 4 for me to start getting into it and by chapter 7 I was hooked. It is set in North Korea and was really good, everyone who read it for our meeting last week agreed.

I finally finished listening to Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter this was someone else’s bookclub pick for our meeting in July, I renewed this 3 times and it took me about 5 weeks to get through, I enjoyed the last 2 hours but the rest was a struggle for me. I think I might be the outlier on this one when we have our bookclub meeting.

The other audiobook I was listening to was Ladies’ Rest & Writing Room by Kim Kelly, I loved this novella when I read it and really enjoyed the audiobook, it’s only 3 1/2 hours so if you are looking for something good but short to fill in some of your day this is definitely worth a listen. (My review)

I also finished The Home Game (Book 4 Relationship Goals) by Brigham Vaughn which I thoroughly enjoyed (my review). I read Feral (Wicked Nights at Lair #1) by Mia Monroe an MM Vampire PNR which was very enjoyable, with murder, violence and a no-angst romance (my review). I read Trust the Connection (Peachtree #1) by Brigham Vaughn which was very good.

I finished listening to Happy Endings (Demon Magic #1) by Alice Winters an MM PNR which I enjoyed (my review) and I will be listening to book 2 shortly. I listened to Jonah & the Narwhal by Vinni George a Mpreg Alpha/Omega book which was pretty good, it was very instalove and I think I wanted a bit more otherwise it was a sweet romance.

All in all a pretty good two weeks.


This week I am reading an ARC of Jennie Jones’ new historical fiction novel The Girls From Fitzroy which comes out next month and I’m going to her author talk at the end of July. It’s set in Australia in 1945 just as the war has ended and it’s already shaping up to be a good read.

I’m also reading an ARC of The Golden Handcuffs by K.C Carmine, a MM BDSM romance, a very different read to The Girls From Fitzroy but sure to be just as good.

I am listening to an ARC of Thin Ice by Lane Hayes an MM sports romance, I only have an hour left and have enjoyed it a lot.

My next audiobook will probably be The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E Schwab, an adult fantasy fiction which sounds really interesting but is about 17 hours of listening time, it’ll definitely keep me occupied while I’m driving for a couple of weeks.

I’ve got a few more ARCs to read so I think The Kraken Games (Motham City Monsters #5) by Lilith Stone, a monster romance will be my next read if I get through the two I’m currently reading. I’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series, they are fun and steamy.


I went to an author talk at one of my local libraries on Saturday and am really interested in reading the novel which I’d not heard of before this. I’m just waiting for the library to get it in but I’m first on the waiting list. The book is Shadows of Winter Robins by Louise Wolhuter, it’s a mystery crime novel set in the UK and Australia. If you get a chance to hear Louise talk I recommend it because she was very entertaining.


I hope you enjoyed my catch-up, I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading or are currently reading. Until next week (hopefully) happy reading.

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

First seen over on Book’d Out I’m going to try to do this post regularly linking to It’s Monday! What are you reading? at BookDate.

Well, it’s certainly been a while since I had time to write much on my blog, I’ve been studying hard and classes have taken up any free time outside of work. I have made time to read and now I’m on a bit of a break for about 6 weeks, I’m determined to catch up on reviews and these posts I started earlier in the year.

I’ve read too many books to go through them all since I last posted at the end of February so I’ll post graphics and you can investigate or ask me about any that catch your eye. This is quite a long post so read on to see what I’m reading now and what I’ll be reading after.

March, April & May gave me some really great reads and audiobooks and I’ll attempt over the next few weeks to post some reviews on here.


I don’t know how that happened but this year has been flying by. So far in June, I have read Deadly Little Sparrow by K.M Neuhold, an MM Mafia romance that I really enjoyed. It was a different direction for this author and she did a good job. I have just this afternoon finished Fish Stick Fridays by Rhys Ford, an MM romantic suspense, this was my first book by this author and I will definitely be reading more by her.


I am currently reading The Trouble With Trying to Hook a Harbinger by Jennifer Cody, this is the 4th book in the Murder Sprees & Mute Decrees series and so far I’ve enjoyed every one, they do follow on so you need to read them in order or you’ll have no idea what is going on in the crazy world the author has created.

I am also reading Limitless Love: A Polyamorous Charity Anthology which comes out next week.

I am reading a book for bookclub, The Law of the Heart by Boris Starling, this was my choice and it took until chapter 4 for me to start getting into it, but I think it’s going to be good, it is set in North Korea, so it should be interesting. I chose it for 3 reasons, one it sounded interesting, two it’s been sitting on my Kindle for about 2 years, and three it was only a couple of dollars for everyone to purchase on Amazon.

I am listening to a couple of books, the first Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter is someone else’s bookclub pick for our meeting in July, I’m not enjoying it hence why I have more than one audiobook on the go. I can manage 1 or 2 chapters then I have to have a break, but I’m going to slog my way through it because I’m hoping people are giving my choice a go.

The other audiobook I’m listening to is Ladies’ Rest & Writing Room by Kim Kelly, I loved this novella when I read it and am enjoying the audiobook, it’s only 3 1/2 hours so if you are looking for something good but short to fill in some of your day this is definitely worth a listen. (My review)


This week or next week depending on how time goes I will be reading The Home Game by Brigham Vaughn book #4 in the Relationship Goals series which comes out this week.

As well as picking up Finding Kait by Suzanne Cass a romantic crime fiction read.

So, that’s me up to date in the What am I reading post, now to get on with catching up on my reviews of all the great books I’ve read over the past 3 months. I hope to catch you again next week.

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

First seen over on Book’d Out I’m going to try to do this post regularly linking to It’s Monday! What are you reading? at BookDate.

I’m slowly catching up with my ARCs which is good, a couple more reviews to catch up on in the next couple of days, so keep your eyes open for those, I updated last week’s post with review links for the books I’d finished.



This week I finished listening to

Growing Up Queer in Australia

I started reading this but had to take it back to the library so I borrowed the audiobook on BorrowBox instead. This is my first book for the Nonfiction Readers Challenge and I will do up a post for that this week.


I finished reading

Stepbrother Mine by Felicity Snow (ARC) Read my Review


Oblivious by Ashlynn Mills (ARC) Read my Review


Thorn Evermore by Mia Monroe – Read my Review


Not as much reading as I’d hoped but happy to have these ones finished, they were all very good reads. I’m continuing on with Cry of the Firebird by TM Clark, I’m at 89% and no matter what, I will finish it this week.

I’m also continuing with

Snowy Mountains Dawn (Bundilla Novels #4) by Alissa Callen (ARC) I’m at 62% so this should also be finished this week.

Candy Hearts Vol 1 – LGBTQIA2S+ Charity Anthology (ARC)


I’m also going to be reading

Easy Does It by K.M Neuhold (ARC)


Icebound Rivals by Hayden Hall (ARC)


I’m listening to

To the Moon and Back by NR Walker


I only have 2 hours left of this one, it’s only a short book but I haven’t decided what I am listening to next. The book I was going to listen to for my book club had triggers in for me and I couldn’t get past the first chapter, so it will be a surprise for all of us what I choose next.


I am excited and a bit overwhelmed as I got into the course I’d applied for, I’ll be doing my Cert 4 in Mental Health which starts in 2 weeks, On top of that I’m doing rehearsals for the City of Joondalup Community Festival Choir, I’ve never sung in my life so it’s an interesting learning curve. I’ve done two rehearsals with 5 more to go before the performance on the 17th March.

I had my art lesson on Friday as I usually do and really liked how my painting turned out so put it in a frame and hung it on the wall. I also did some painting over the weekend doing several small watercolours and my last painting for my Progressive art group something I’ve loved being a part of for the past 3 months.

Fridays Painting
Small Watercolours
Final Progressive Art Group Painting

So a pretty busy week really. I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading and what you hope to read this week. Until next week, happy reading.

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

First seen over on Book’d Out I’m going to try to do this post regularly linking to It’s Monday! What are you reading? at BookDate.

I seem to be getting slightly behind with my ARCs but I’m doing my best to catch up, this week I managed to finish

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (Bookclub pick) Review to come this week


The Invention of Wings by Robin Knight (ARC) My Review


Love and Redemption by Kelsey Hodge (ARC) My Review


B-Mine by Ava Olsen (ARC) My Review

Crack Fantasy Adventure #5 : I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc by Jennifer Cody (ARC) Review to come this week


Conflicted by Ashlynn Mills


I finished listening to

Salt River Road by Molly Schmidt Review to come this week


This week I’m listening to

Growing Up Queer in Australia

I started reading this but had to take it back to the library so borrowed the audiobook on BorrowBox instead. This will be my first book for the Nonfiction Readers Challenge


This week I’m still trying to finish Cry of the Firebird by T.M Clark depending how I go with my ARCs.

Snowy Mountains Dawn (Bundilla Novels #4) by Alissa Callen (ARC)


Stepbrother Mine by Felicity Snow (ARC)


Easy Does It by K.M Neuhold (ARC)


Oblivious by Ashlynn Mills (ARC)


Candy Hearts Vol 1 – LGBTQIA2S+ Charity Anthology (ARC)


So a lot of reviews to catch up on and plenty of reading to do.


I didn’t do much art this week but I did start on a watercolour during my art class which is coming along ok


I’d love to hear what you read last week and what you are hoping to read this week.

Until next week, happy reading.

New Release Book Review: Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume By Vawn Cassidy

Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed, Book 4


Review

4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I am enjoying this series so much, I love the whole cast of regular characters and enjoy getting to know them all better in each book. Tristan and Danny are such a cute couple and I love how supportive and loving they are with each other.

This was a much more lighthearted read, except for the failing health of Tristan’s dad and the meeting with Danny’s family.

Tris and Danny decide to go away for a few days during the Christmas holidays as they don’t get much downtime together due to everything that has been going on for the past year, the whole saving the world thing does start to its toll. Danny books a hotel in the Yorkshire Moors but it isn’t the nice peaceful romantic getaway they were hoping for.

There are ghosts aplenty in the hotel and they inadvertently book in when they are running a murder mystery night. Dusty makes some ridiculous and fun appearances throughout and they all get caught up in areal crime.

A fun read with an ending that lets you know in the next book they will have some serious issues to deal with once again. Evil is still lurking and their reprieve is over. I can’t wait for the next book in the Dead Serious series.



About the book

Inspector Danny Hayes has something very important to ask his boyfriend Tristan Everett. Over the past six months they’ve survived reapers, chaos monsters, and biblical storms, not to mention averting an apocalypse. So, what’s left to do but pop the big question?

Tristan is ready for a break from world-saving, spectral crises, and most definitely from ghosts. He wants some one-on-one time with his boyfriend, preferably horizontally. So when the incredibly thoughtful aforementioned boyfriend books a romantic New Year’s getaway at a quiet little hotel in the wilds of the North Yorkshire moors and away from London, Tristan can’t wait.

But as usual nothing ever goes according to plan. Snowed in during an unexpected murder mystery weekend at what turns out to be one of the most haunted hotels in Northern England is not what they had in mind, and when one of the actors turns up really dead not just fake dead, they once again find themselves caught up in another investigation.

With only one night to figure out who the killer is while wrangling a multitude of overly helpful ghosts, Tristan begins to wonder if romance really is dead…


Universal Link

Add on Goodreads

Check out the Series on Goodreads

Nonfiction Reader Challenge 2024

I’ve decided to once again join the Nonfiction Reader Challenge hosted by Book’d Out. I aim to do this every year but never seem to make it. This year my goal is Nonfiction Nipper which is 3 books from any of the listed categories (see below).


The aim of the Nonfiction Reader Challenge is to encourage you to make nonfiction part of your reading experience during the year.

HOW IT WORKS

You can select, read and review a book from the categories listed below during the year for a total of up to 12 books; OR select, read and review any nonfiction book. A book may be in print, electronic or audio format.

Choose a goal

Nonfiction Nipper: Read & review 3 books, from any 3 listed categories

Nonfiction Nibbler: Read & review 6 books, from any 6 listed categories

Nonfiction Nosher: Read & review 12 books, one for each category

Nonfiction Grazer: Read & review any nonfiction book. Set your own goal

Categories

History
Memoir/Biography
True Crime
Science
Health
Food
Culture
Transportation
The Future
Pets
Architecture
Published in 2024

* You can choose your books as you go or create a list in advance. You may combine this challenge with others if you wish. Use your best good faith judgement as to whether a book fits the category or not.

* Where a book is identified by more than one category, it may only count for one, not both.

* You can read your chosen titles in any order, at any pace, just aim to complete the challenge by December 31st 2023

Click here for HOW TO JOIN if you’d like to give it a go.

End-of-Year Wrap-Up and New Year Goals

Happy New Year

2023 has been a hell of a year and I am so glad it is over. I’m hoping for good things only in 2024.

While I reached my reading goals by nearly 200% my mental health has plagued me this year; fatigue, depression and anxiety, I know I’m not alone in this, I have read many posts by bloggers and authors expressing their own mental health battles and I hope 2024 is a better year for us all. Because of this, I fell behind in my reviewing apologies to those authors whose books I didn’t get around to reviewing, I will review them in the new year.

As you can see I read a lot of books and I can’t possibly pick a top 10 this year.

Here is the link to my year in books if you want to check any of them out https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2023/7588708

I found a really good app to track my reading, Bookmory, I like it because it also gives me a monthly pictorial of what I’ve read. It’s also easy to use.

As always I like to support Indie authors and I would say this was 90% of my reading.

I also like to support Australian authors, especially Australian Women Writers, I read roughly 70 books by AWW this year.

I didn’t quite reach my goal for my A-Z reads, but I nearly got there, maybe if I’d had the energy to go in and look through all the books I read I could have completed it but it wouldn’t have with many of the books I had hoped to use, hopefully, 2024 will be the year.

In 2024 I’m going to read fewer ARCs, I have my favourite authors who I will still request, but I’m hoping to clear up some of my backlog, for real this year as this has been a goal for the last two years. I’m also going to be studying full-time as well as working, so I can’t imagine I’ll read even half as many books this year and I imagine fatigue will be my constant friend again. But I’m hoping the study will lead to better things in 2025.

If you’d like to follow my bookstagram, I tend to post there even if I don’t do a blog post the link is https://www.instagram.com/clairesreadsandreviews/

I’m looking forward to sharing my 2024 reading journey with you. I’m thinking I might share some of my creativity journey here too, both my art and my poetry for anyone interested in more than just books.