In The Depths of Winter, What You Need is a Cozy Fantasy Read!

 

Life got you down? Are you in a reading slump? Do you need cozy comfort in your life?  Buy or borrow this cozy sapphic fantasy book by Marissa Serrao. This book's vibe reminded me of Legends and Lattes. It may not be officially a category, but this book is a cozy fantasy. There is a unique and lovely world populated with a diverse group of Fae. The story is the hero's journey taken by a half-demon/half-satyr who finds her better half along the way. 

In my experience, most often a fantasy book means a cliffhanger and a second book. Between Mischief & Magic is a stand-alone. The baddies are vanquished and our couple gets their happily-ever-after. 

5 stars for all the cozy goodness!

*****

This week I officially became a published author. I really don't feel like one yet. My brain says, write book two then I'll consider you a real author. Aren't brains weird?  I hope you are having a nice week!  I just finished a domestic thriller and I started reading Cat Sloan is Swirling. I'm also listening to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.  

Amazon First Read - Thriller with Magical Realism

 Today at my house we all have the day off.  My husband works from home and he is terrible about actually taking time off, so we will see if he goes ahead and logs a few hours of work. It's below zero here so I'm not going to be doing my but staying home today. My big excitement for today is to sign up for my local library's Winter Reading Challenge!  I want to win a fun prize!  A few years ago I won a Fitbit, which was an excellent reward for doing something I love to do. 

Do you have a local library? Do they do reading challenges?  

For January you can get two Amazon First books if you are a Prime member. I chose Almost Surely Dead as one of my choices.  In the book, we follow our unreliable narrator and try to figure out who is trying to kill her and why. There are supernatural elements that reveal themselves as it goes along. Dunia is the main character and her family is from Pakistan and they are Muslim. She isn't a practicing Muslim and is very disconnected from her heritage--but in the book, her heritage is key to the plot.

It's a fast-paced book and I enjoyed it.  I did have a few wait what? moments toward the end regarding a couple of developments in the story. Overall it was a decent read from a new author and I would consider reading another book from her.  Four Stars!

The Sunday Post, Week One Back to School In the Books

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme  

Thankfully I have tomorrow off work. I love a nice three-day weekend. 2024 has brought the winter weather to Chicagoland. For the most part, we got off easy in December. We didn't have measurable snow and we had more than a handful of days in the 40s and even 50s. Now those days are gone and we have about five inches of snow blowing around and it's crazy cold! We are below zero Fahrenheit (-17 Celcius) until Wednesday.

I have said before on this blog that I have made a conscious effort to embrace the winter season. I've learned to appreciate the quiet of a cold winter day, to look forward to hot tea and lots of layers. But when it's  below zero, ooof. That's too cold! 

This weekend I worked on the proofreading edits and formatting of my book. Let me just say, I am learning so much about grammar and fun stuff like not using numerals in fiction. 

How are things by you? Did you have a nice week? Read anything good? See any good TV or Movies? 

This week on the blog I'll be talking about: 

If you enjoy wondering if your narrator is unreliable..this is a book for you!