I know I always say this, but I have no idea where the month went! November came and went in a whirlwind. I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday and is staying warm. I don't know about where you're living, but here, the weather has really turned cold fast. I'd even settle for snow at this point if it meant it would be a little less frigid. Even though November blew by, I still managed to read a couple of really good books! I think I'm officially out of my reading slump, which is a great relief. This time of year is when I typically do the most reading since we spend a majority of our time indoors. Ok, enough chit chat, let's talk about what I read this month.
"Desperate Measures Short Stories" by Katee Robert
So, last spring I read "Desperate Measures" by Katee Robert (you can find my review for that here) and I've been meaning to pick up that series, but haven't managed to do it. I found out that Katee Robert published a book of bonus short stories to coincide with the Wicked Villains series. So, I looked into it and there are three short stories about Jasmine and Jafar that go in between "Desperate Measures" and the second book in the series, "Learn My Lesson". I decided to read two of those short stories and that's what I'm going to tell you about today!
"Meg's Apology"
In case you didn't know, this series is considered erotic fiction and includes BDSM play. This short was, well, very short. It contained a nice little moment between Jafar and Jasmine and then some play with Meg from the first book. I was a little underwhelmed with this. The reviews made it sound like it was going to be a bit bigger, but it was short and simple. I did love the moment between Jasmine and Jafar, but Meg was kind of, just, there. This wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't bad.
"Jasmine's Winter Solstice"
This short was quite a bit longer than the first one and held a little more weight for me. Jasmine hosts a get-together at her mansion for the upper members of society. It's a complete snooze fest until Jafar asks her to meet him in the maze. There's some great play here, a lot of fun moments that I hope will get played out at some point in other books, and just a nice little relationship check-in with Jasmine and Jafar. I really liked this one, especially after reading the first. There's one more short for me to read between Jasmine and Jafar (I think) so I'll definitely look into that. If you've read the first book and just want some more Jasmine and Jafar action, check these out. You can get them for free if you sign up for Katee Robert's newsletter, or you can download it through KU/Amazon.
"Moonflower" by Elira Firethorn
After high school, Cora left her home town and tried hard to forget about her life and the two most important people in it. Ezra and Wild. The three of them were best friends, but Cora has a secret. She's in love with both of them. And instead of risking their friendship by admitting this truth, she decides leaving them behind is the only way to move past her feelings. But she's wrong. As time passes, she realizes she misses them even more. And after three years apart, she's afraid nothing will ever replace the space these two men take up in her heart. As Halloween weekend approaches, secrets are revealed, and Ezra and Wild formulate a plan to see Cora and show her exactly what she's missing.
Wow, this book just blew me away. It's a MFM erotic novella and it. Was. SPICY! If nothing else, read the trigger warning at the beginning of the book and make your decisions from there, but even that trigger warning got me excited for what was to come. I mean, yeah, it's a smutty book, but at the heart of it is this tender poly love story that just melted me. If this is your vibe, read it!
"One of Us is Dead" by Jeneva Rose
Buckhead is a southern town full of money. And the women compete over everything. At the center of Buckhead's elite aristocrats and their wives is Jenny. She owns and runs the most exclusion salon in Buckhead and it's members only. As Jenny gets to know the elite women of this town, and all their well-kept secrets, she finds herself caught in the middle of a murder investigation when one of them turns up dead. But which one is it? And who did the honors?
If you can get past the arrogance and rich people problems, this book was really good. I couldn't get through it fast enough and the ending was a complete twist for me. The whole time I couldn't piece together who had the most motive (so many people had it out for everybody!) and who wound up dead. Rose kept me guessing until the final pages. This was very desperate housewives-esque. If that's something you enjoy, definitely check this one out.
"Moon of the Crusted Snow" by Waubgeshig Rice
With winter on the way, power goes out on an Anishinaabe reservation (Canada). At first, no one thinks too much of it. But when a few days pass and there's still no power, no phone lines, no radio... people start to wonder if it's not something bigger. The community knits together, initially, and relies on the old ways to get by, but a disturbance from the outside world shakes this reservation at its core. Can this community get through the winter together, or will they be ripped apart and destroyed.
This book was so much more than I was expecting. It's very post-apocalyptic and survivalist all mixed in one. There's a lot of talk about generational trauma, cultural cross-over, and just a nice dose of indigenous heritage laced into every fiber of this book. This is part of a series, but book two hasn't been released yet. There was a lot of great setup in this book for a sequel, but I was very satisfied with the ending. I'll definitely be picking up the second book when it comes out.
Well, that's what I read for November! It was a busy month, but I was surprised at the amount of reading I actually got done. Did you read anything good this month? Got any recommendations for me? If you want more book content, check out my YouTube channel for weekly posts. See you next time; happy reading, book nerds!
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