Good Evening,
It’s the start of another week. It’s Monday! What are you Reading is hosted by Kathryn from Book Date, this is a weekly event to share what we’ve read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind. To be honest, I am not sure what I am in the mood to read, but this is what I am going to try to get to this week.
This is going up late, but I needed to figure out what I was going to try to read this week. This is the last week in September, so I have come to the decision that I am going to try to finish as many books that I have already started this month and my library books. Luckily, my library books are manga, so they should at least be doable. However, that still leaves 4 other books to try to finish. So, let’s see how doable this is.
Recent Books
Tall & Dark by Suzannah Rowntree | Miss Dark’s Apparitions #1 | Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal | Add to Goodreads
Ghosts, grifters…and a missing heir in 1890s Europe.
It’s easier to conduct a séance when the dead aren’t trying to contact you. As Molly Dark knows all too well, the problem with being able to see ghosts is that they never tell you what you wish to know.
For instance, how a proper young lady like Miss Dark is supposed to support an impoverished family after her father has died a ruined man. Or how she is going to impersonate a missing princess long enough to steal a fortune out from under the collective noses of a whole family of royal monsters. Or exactly why the charming imposter claims to be none other than Grand Duke Vasily Nikolaevich, when he certainly isn’t a prince…or a vampire.
Alas, the dead normally have something far more unsettling to impart…
Return to the Bête Epoque, an 1890s Europe ruled by monsters, in Miss Dark’s Apparitions! Leverage meets The Parasol Protectorate in this witty historical fantasy romp. Be the first to join Miss Dark in the spooky mansions of 1890s Europe – preorder Tall & Dark today!
The World of Lore: Wicked Mortals by Aaron Mahnke | The World of Lore #2 | Nonfiction, History, folklore | Add to Goodreads
A chilling, lavishly illustrated who’s-who of the most despicable people ever to walk the earth, featuring both rare and best-loved stories from the hit podcast Lore, soon to be an online streaming series.
Here are the incredible true stories of some of the mortals who achieved notoriety in history and folklore through horrible means. Monsters of this sort – serial killers, desperate criminals, and socially mobile people with a much darker double-life – are, in fact, quite real . . . including H. H. Holmes, the infamous Chicago serial killer; William Brodie, the Edinburgh criminal mastermind who inspired The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; and Bela Kiss, a Hungarian tinsmith with a most disturbing hobby: collecting women in gasoline drums.
Currently Reading
Seekers: The Winds of Change by Troy Knowlton | Fantasy | Add to Goodreads
After an assassination attempt that could lead to an all-out war, Tyras and Oren, two young Seekers of the Argan Empire, are each given secret missions in an attempt to thwart the coming chaos. Both tasks require the Seekers to venture through the war-torn continent of Tiarna where the young men face mortal danger, horrible monsters, and hostile groups – all challenges Seekers are trained to combat. Luckily, the two Seekers also find guidance, friendship, and romance along the way. However, powerful and mysterious forces are conspiring behind the scenes and both Tyras and Oren will have to overcome a host of obstacles, including their own inner demons, in order to maintain a glimmer of hope for success. With war imminent and the unknown ahead, will the Seekers triumph, or will they be swallowed by the turbulent, relentless Winds of Change?
To Steal a Heart by K.C. Bateman | Secrets and Spies #1 | Regency Romance | Add to Goodreads
A master spy and a beautiful thief find love and intrigue in each other’s arms. . .
Forced to do the bidding of a corrupt government minister, Marianne de Bonnard agrees to plant incriminating evidence in the offices of France’s most notorious spymaster. Under cover of night, the tightrope-walking thief puts her skills to good use—until her aerial stunt is foiled when her target appears in the window and, with consummate poise, helps Marianne off the wire and into his lair. The tremors that run through her body are not just from fear; there’s an unwanted frisson of desire there, too. But is it because of her elegant, wickedly handsome host . . . or his proposition?
Nicolas Valette has had plans for his graceful trespasser since he witnessed her unique skills at the Cirque Olympique. Sinuous as a cat, Marianne is perfect for his next mission, but she refuses his generous offer for fear of disobeying her family’s tormenter. When their mutual enemy auctions off her virginity to the highest bidder, Nicolas leaps at the chance to purchase her cooperation. Keeping her will be like trying to tame a wild animal, but what’s life without a little risk? Besides, Nicolas and Marianne both want the same thing: revenge—and, perhaps, something else that’s equally delicious.
A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers | Historical, Mystery | Add to Goodreads
In this spectacularly imaginative and ghoulishly fun Gothic murder mystery brimming with romance, betrayals, and chills, a fake spiritualist is summoned to hold a séance for a bride who died on the eve before her wedding, but as nefarious secrets are revealed, the line between hoax and haunting blurs.
Be careful what you conjure…
In Victorian London, Genevieve Timmons poses as a spiritualist to swindle wealthy mourners–until one misstep lands her in a jail cell awaiting the noose. Then a stranger arrives to make her a peculiar offer. The Lord he serves, Mr. Pemberton, has been inconsolable since the tragic death of his beautiful bride-to-be. If Genevieve can perform a séance persuasive enough to bring the young Lord peace, she will win her freedom.
Soothing a grieving nobleman should be easy for someone of Genevieve’s skill, but when she arrives at the grand Somerset Park estate, Mr. Pemberton is not the heartbroken lover she expected. The surly–yet exceedingly handsome–gentleman is certain that his fiancée was murdered, even though there is no evidence. Only a confession can bring justice now, and Mr. Pemberton decides Genevieve will help him get it. With his knowledge of the household and her talent for illusion, they can stage a haunting so convincing it will coax the killer into the light. However, when frightful incidents befall the manor, Genevieve realizes her tricks aren’t required after all. She may be a fake, but Somerset’s ghost could be all too real…
A Dreadful Splendor is a wickedly whimsical brew of mystery, spooky thrills, and intoxicating romance that makes for an irresistibly fun and page-turning read.
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper | Wolf Den Trilogy #1 | Historical Fiction, Mythology, Retelling | Add to Goodreads
Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii’s brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den…
Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father’s death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii’s infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.
But Amara’s spirit is far from broken.
By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?
Set in Pompeii’s lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.
Rin-Ne, Vol. 8 by Rumiko Takahashi | Rin-Ne #8 | Manga, Fantasy, Supernatural | Add to Goodreads
Ever since a strange encounter when she was a child, Sakura Mamiya has had the power to see ghosts. Now in high school, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! When her mysterious classmate Rinne Rokudo shows up, Sakura finds herself following him into the amazing world between life and death!
Rinne finds himself acting as a mentor for the shinigami Shoma, an elementary school student from the afterlife. Although Shoma is supposed to be learning how to help spirits pass on, he only wants to go after the biggest evil spirits he can find—despite the fact that he’s never done it before! The devil Masato offers Shoma an easy road to success, but can Rinne show the young shinigami the right path?
Rin-Ne, Vol. 9 by Rumiko Takahashi | Rin-Ne #9 | Manga, Fantasy, Supernatural | Add to Goodreads
A ghost at the skating rink, a restless spirit from the Taisho era, and Rinne’s deadbeat damashigami dad going into the ramen business?! Rinne’s got a real outbreak of strange problems and ghosts to deal with. And if that’s not enough, Rinne gets sucked into a spat between Ageha and her Black Cat by Contract, Oboro!
Rin-Ne, Vol. 10 by Rumiko Takahashi | Rin-Ne #10 | Manga, Fantasy, Supernatural | Add to Goodreads
The Shinigami Ageha caught more than she bargained for when she tried to set a trap for her troublesome Black Cat by Contract, Oboro. Now Rinne has to try and capture a giant mongoose spirit and settle Ageha and Oboro’s contract dispute!
Sweat and Soap, Vol. 1 by Kintetsu Yamada | Sweat and Soap #1 | Manga, Romance | Add to Goodreads
In an office romance, there’s a fine line between sexy and awkward… and that line is where Asako — a woman who sweats copiously — met Koutarou — a perfume developer who can’t get enough of Asako’s, er, scent. Don’t miss a romcom manga like no other!
Yae’s living her dream, working at the toiletry maker Lilia Drop. Little do her coworkers know, the reason she loves the company so much is that she’s ashamed of her body odor, and their soap is the only thing that does the trick. So when the company’s lead product developer, a perfuming genius, approaches her in the lobby and wonders what “that smell” is, she’s terrified… but could it be… that he likes it? And, even more surprising to Yae… does she like him?
The hilarious ups and downs of an office romance at a personal care products company are the subject of this sexy, strange romp. Sweat and Soap combines the odd-couple chemistry of Wotakoi, the “too real!” workplace comedy of Aggretsuko, and a heavy dollop of office steaminess!
What are you hoping to get to read this week?
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