What I Read in April

in which I share everything I consumed in April

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter: This was a cute read. Although I rated it 4 stars, I don’t remember it now since it’s been a month since I read it.

  In this rom-com about rom-coms, in the spirit of Kasie West and Jenn Bennett, a hopeless romantic teen attempts to secure a happily-ever-after moment with her forever crush, but finds herself reluctantly drawn to the boy next door.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dateless (Squad Goals #3) by Willow Thomas: A nice addition to the series, this book made me laugh and feel all the feels. The tension between the MCs was there and I flew through this.

  A cheerleader falls for the bad-boy president of a fraternity after he TPs their house by mistake and has to do chores as punishment for him.

• ⭐⭐⭐ Batting Style (Franklin U 2 #3) by Louisa Masters: I found the writing style not my favorite and I couldn’t get into this one. I found the plot a bit dragging and I didn’t get that the two MCs were into each other.

  A baseball player realizes he’s bisexual after meeting a costume designer who helps him experiment with his sexuality. They fall for each other.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The CBS Murders by Richard Hammer: A fascinating read about the mass murder that happened at CBS in the ‘80s. The author takes us through the story blow-by-blow and how it was solved.

  Richard Hammer’s blow-by-blow account of “the CBS Murders” is a thrilling tale of greed, violence, and betrayal, and a fascinating portrait of how a big-city police department solved the toughest of cases.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Controlled Burn (Station 69 #1) by Jacki James: This started out slow, but whew, did it ever pick up. I couldn’t stop reading once I got into it and I flew through this.

  My father’s best friend is totally off limits. Too bad the sexy firefighter is everything I ever wanted in a Daddy.

• ⭐⭐ To Hell and Back (Enchanted Ink #3) by Kelex: I didn’t finish this at 57%. The story was dragging and it took over half the book just for the MCs to actually meet. I was disappointed because I loved the first book in the series so much.

  A mage has to use his powers to trap demons who are possessing humans. He needs a mate to make his magic stronger. Good thing he ends up with two.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beyond the Wand: The Magic & Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton: I enjoyed this book so much. The writing was fun, as well as the stories he writes. It was nice to journey back into the world of Harry Potter.

  An entertaining book that delves into Tom Felton’s life and experiences during his rise to fame in the Harry Potter films.

• ⭐⭐⭐ Taken by the Lord of the Nocturne Court (Dark Companions #1) by K.A. Merikan: I had high hopes for this book, but I found the story dragged a bit. It was a bit repetitive in the things that were written, so I found myself skimming a bit.

  “Taken by the Lord of the Nocturne Court” is a standalone, scorching hot, dark gothic M/M romantasy filled with snark and dark humor, but also violence, peril, jealousy, and angst.
  The book is a darkly romantic escape into the shadows where love and destiny collide.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Salacious Park Avenue Prince (Park Avenue Princes #5) by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine: This was probably my favorite of the series so far and I’ve enjoyed every book in it. This book has been long awaited in the series since this relationship has been hinted at since the very beginning and it did not disappoint for me.

  Two stepbrothers who despise each other end up having to live together after their parents cut them off.

• ⭐⭐ Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday: Absolutely no chemistry between the MCs and very repetitive in how the FMC keeps saying the full name of the MMC. “Mike Martin” is the bane of my existence after reading this.

  A charming and heartfelt romance about a woman who comes face to face with the fake Canadian boyfriend she made up as a teenager.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One Is Never Enough (Dark Desires #1) by Kali Noir: I devoured this book and couldn’t get enough. You do have to read the previous introduction book before this as this starts right after that one.

  This an MMMM romance and intended for 18+ readers.

• ⭐⭐⭐ The Change by Kirsten Miller: This was a meh read for me. I didn’t find it amazing, but I didn’t hate it either. I did enjoy the plot, though, and found it a bit refreshing compared to other mysteries I’ve read.

  Guided by voices only one woman can hear, a trio of women discover a teenage girl whose body was abandoned beside a remote beach. The police have written the victim off as a drug-addicted sex worker, but the women refuse to buy into the official narrative. Their investigation into the girl’s murder leads to more bodies, and to the town’s most exclusive and isolated enclave, a world of stupendous wealth where the rules don’t apply.

• ⭐⭐⭐ Full Service (Franklin U 2 #5) by Cora Rose: Wow. This book was a lot because of how overly sexual it was and I didn’t like it much. There isn’t a whole lot of plot within it and it focuses more on the inner thoughts of each character and how horny they are.

  A professor gets a lap dance from one of his students, not knowing he is, and then he turns up as his new TA.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Circe by Madeline Miller: I love Greek Mythology and have a fascination with it. I enjoyed this book that is based on it and found myself not being able to put this down.

  In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power: the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Their Wicked Ways (Crimson Club #6) by Willow Dixon: This was such a great book. I found the relationships between the characters touching and the plot moved nicely.

  Jett, Ezra, and Wesley's book is a coworkers-to-friends-to-lovers romance featuring a lonely man looking for his place in the world, and the adventurous couple who can't stay away from him.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loren (Van Doren #1) by Crea Reitan: I ended up enjoying this more than I thought. I loved the dynamic between the characters and I am a sucker for a sociopath romance.

  A college student catches the attention of a serial killer. Serial killer ends up murdered by a sociopath who becomes fixated on the college student.

• ⭐⭐ Tongue Tied (Franklin U 2 #6) by Christina Lee: I very much disliked this book and the dynamic between the characters. It had to be the most forced relationship between characters I’ve ever read, with zero chemistry between them. There were also a lot of plot holes in the book that didn’t make sense to me.

  Best friends become lovers after one friend helps the other become comfortable around guys.

• ⭐⭐⭐ Family & Felonies: A Necessary Evils Anthology by Onley James: I absolutely adore this series and had high hopes for this collection of short stories related to the characters that the author posted on her Patreon. I found a lot of them just meh and skipped a few stories that didn’t capture my attention.

  Dive back into the world of the Mulvaney family with Family & A Necessary Evils Anthology. This collection of mini-fiction stories brings you the heartwarming, hilarious, and sometimes harrowing lives of the seven couples from the bestselling series, Necessary Evils.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Protecting the Nerd (Forestville Silver Foxes #4) by Nora Phoenix: This book surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. I loved the dynamic between Quillon and York and how Quillon knew how to navigate all of York’s quirkiness.

  A romance between a bodyguard and the nerd he’s hired to protect.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Atlas: Part 1 (A Four Horsemen Companion Duet #1) by Sienna Moreau: A very nice addition to the Four Horsemen series, I went in not expecting much since this was an established couple from the Four Horsemen series bringing in someone else. I thought the hurdles they had to get through to be together was a nice mix of angst and moving well.

  Atlas: Part 1 is the first book in an MMM duet featuring an established couple from a previous book, and a human just trying to survive. It contains religious themes, extreme violence, gore, morally questionable characters, and more.

• ⭐⭐ Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber: I ended up quitting at page 57 because I found it quite boring to read. I know this was a very popular book when it came out, but I just couldn’t get into it.

  A legendary competition. A mesmerizing romance. An unbreakable bond

  between two sisters. Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Freshman (Behind Bars #1) by Louise Collins: I absolutely loved this book. I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I’ve seen this floating around on my GR and jumped in. It’s a slow-burn romance, but I couldn’t put it down.

  A romance between a new guard at a prison and the prisoner who becomes obsessed with him.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Assistant to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #1) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer: I laughed out loud so much during this book. I picked it up from Libby and am currently reading the second because I enjoyed this a ton. The relationship between Evie and The Villain is just so good!

  Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

• ⭐⭐⭐ Method Acting (Franklin U 2 #7) by N.R. Walker: Meh. That’s all I can say about this because I found it to be your typical grumpy-sunshine trope. It didn’t add much else to the trope and it was very predictable.

  A romance between two college students in drama class - complete opposites - who get paired together as a new couple for their acting challenge.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Felix (Elite 8 Studios #6) by Emmy Sanders: A very cute read, but also extremely spicy. A nice addition to the series, but not one I was looking forward to. I don’t really remember this character at all, but that could just be me and my awful memory.

  Felix is a neighbors-to-coworkers-to-more romance between a nerdy, bespectacled exhibitionist and his smitten voyeur. There’s scorching fun in front of the cameras, two mouthy performers, sweet dates and adorable hermit crabs, friends who show up when you need them, and one very HEA.