Tome Thursday: The Wrong Billionaire

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back, and, I know what you're thinking.

 

Most of you are probably shaking your heads, rolling your eyes, or saying FINALLY.

 

I mean, how many bloggers do you know who'll write about all the other books in the series and THEN realize, hey whoops, I never actually talked about the one that started it all?

 

There's a first time for everything, I guess LOL, so here we are.

 

... or is it the first time? I have a feeling I've done this before!

 

The thing is, I read so much, and review SO much, that I might THINK I've done something, only to find out I actually only thought about it, and never put pen to paper.

 

Or, fingers to keyboard in this case.

 

Eh. Life's short, so YOLO, right?

 

Without further dithering from me: The Wrong Billionaire.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Mandalorian and Grogu

 

"This is the way."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to a galaxy far, far away.

 

Tonight, we're buckling up and heading back into one of the most beloved corners of the franchise, well, at least that's what I think.

 

Based on responses online prior to this release, it used to be!

 

I still feel like it is.

 

Then again - and I may be in a minority - I could sit and watch several seasons of Dadalorian and his little green frog-eating spawn traipsing around the galaxy getting in trouble and figuring out how the heck to get out of it again.

 

I mean, if we can have over twenty seasons of Grey's Anatomy ...

 

But I digress.

 

Grab your lasers and dust off your Force skills, we're looking at The Mandalorian and Grogu!

 

Tome Thursday: Starting Over

 

Hello everyone!

 

Tonight we're taking a look at one of my more, er, shameful moments.

 

You see, the way things happen in my life is that, every once in a while, life literally happens.

 

And I don't have much of a say in it.

 

I was SUPPOSED to read this book waaay before tonight's post, and review it MUCH sooner too, to boot. Unfortunately, like I said, life has a tendency to happen to me when I'm quite literally looking elsewhere, and so here we are now.

 

The book released back in April, so I think I at least beat the solid half a year later mark if nothing else?

 

God knows!

 

But I swear, I WILL be better about the third one in the series, because overall I'm liking the vibe from these books as well as the writing style. Angela Day has her way with words, and I enjoy diving into these character-driven stories.

 

So without further ado: Starting Over!

 

Talkie Tuesday: LEGO Star Wars The Mandalorian

 

"This is the way."

 

Hello everyone!

 

You didn't think I was going to miss out on this, did you?

 

I mean, The Mandalorian is, by and large, at the very least for the seasons it ran on television, the best thing that's come out of Star Wars since 2015.

 

So I mean. METHINKS I SHALL NOT PASS.

 

Ahem.

 

The minute I saw the first teaser trailers drop, I knew I was in for a grand ole time, because I already thoroughly enjoyed watching Mando mando-ing his way across the galaxy with his little green frog-eating child.

 

By the time I actually sat down to watch it, the hype was real, since I hadn't seen the latest movie in cinemas (but did in fact watch it on streaming, and WILL be reviewing next week).

 

Without further ado: LEGO The Mandalorian!

 

Tome Thursday: Dragon Descending

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to the continuation of last week's blog post.

 

Because, of course, I AM going to talk about Phoenix Rising's sequel, since I feel like it's even better than the first one, which is a hard thing to do, honestly.

 

Following up a release is always a tough act, but whoooooo boy, does Ms Provost manage!

 

If you were even a little bit hooked by Lochlyn and Rosalie's story in Phoenix, then I can promise you right now that this one is even better.

 

Why, you may ask?

 

Because we have everything of the initial meet-ups and get-to-knows already behind us, we're right in the thick of the story, and the biggest revelation that's ever reveal-ated drops before the book ends, dropping jaws alongside with it.

 

That's why!

 

So without further ado: Dragon Descending.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Damsel

 

"This is the end of your story."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welp, just as soon as I'm like 'Hey I'm on time with something for once!'

 

I then turn around and realize I'm historically late, yet again, with something else entirely.

 

I mean, at this point, it's a given and a trend really LOL.

 

I wasn't all that keen on this movie when it first released back in 2024, not for any other reason than I just wasn't feeling it at the time.

 

But it popped up on my suggestions recently and it has a decent enough length that I don't have to sacrifice years of my life to sitting in front of the television screen, so I figured, why not?

 

I like Millie when she's playing Enola, so it stands to reason I'm probably going to like her in other roles of hers (even though I've never seen Stranger Things).

 

So without further ado, let's travel to some fantasy land nobody knows about, and see whether or not we could have saved ourselves as cleverly as Millie did in Damsel.

 

Tome Thursday: Phoenix Rising

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to tonight's book of choice.

 

And may I say, if you're not moseying about on Instagram and finding all these delicious reads, then I don't know what to tell you.

 

Because half the time, I stumble over something completely new and unknown to me, which is SAYING something for someone who's been reading, actively reading that is, for over 30 years at this point.

 

It's hard to surprise me anymore, is what I'm saying.

 

And yet, Instagram - or should I say Bookstagram - continues to do so.

 

I somehow scrolled through so many posts I landed on one that talked about 'the last dragon shifter' and what all he needed to do, but the book in question was the SEQUEL ... however, if you asked politely, the author would kindly send you a copy of the first one so you could get up to speed before grabbing the ARC for book two.

 

Yes, book two is hitting the blog next week, just as it hits stores so you can buy it. You'll be able to read ALL about it on here next Thursday. But for tonight, we're talking about the starting point: Phoenix Rising!

 

Talkie Tuesday: Tiger 3

 

"Dictatorship cannot replace democracy."

 

 Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back.

 

Tonight's movie of choice FINALLY completes my journey into the YRF Spyverse, until such a time as I can get my hands on ALPHA, the newest installment.

 

I'm working on it, okay. These things take time!

 

But I sat down to watch the third in the Tiger-centered movies while I was on vacation at the seaside this year, and I have to admit I honestly always forget just how much FUN these movies are.

 

I mean, are they factually accurate all the time? No.

 

Do they generally make me laugh and roll my eyes at the antics of the protagonists, as well as overall amuse me throughout? Yep.

 

In the end, that's all that matters, isn't it?

 

So without further ado: Tiger 3!

 

Tome Thursday: Grateful Ghost

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back.

 

Tonight's book of choice is perhaps a LITTLE bit early, considering it isn't NEARLY Thanksgiving yet - neither American nor Canadian.

 

But suffice to say, when Dina Marie releases another book, I read it.

 

Timeline doesn't matter!

 

Because her Salem Cozy Mysteries are just that good, and I've been loving them from the minute I stumbled over Going Ghost quite at random on BookSirens way back when it feels like now.

 

At this point, I feel like I'm an old pro when it comes to Clara Kelly and her band of ghostly misfits haha, but that doesn't mean I'll be saying no to all the good stuff still coming.

 

I am for sure reading whatever else we get in this series! The coziness and the general vibes are just so on point for me, I love it.

 

So how about I stop yapping and start actually talking about Grateful Ghost.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Disney Princess The Ultimate Concert Celebration

 

"Every wish begins with a dream."

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to tonight's little blog, and it is, indeed, going to be LITTLE, because the show I watched was quite short, or should I say, it was a CONCERT, that was short.

 

Short, sweet, and to the point, honestly!

 

It was absolutely magical, however, and I was SO excited when my sister showed me what I could watch.

 

As a Disney fan who grew up on princess movies (Mulan might have been the first movie I ever watched in theatres, period), it was basically a dream come true in many ways.

 

 

And I started bawling my eyes out just as soon as Brandy opened her mouth to sing the starting song.

 

I don't think the tears stopped until everything was over and done with.

 

I know a lot of people have issues with Disney, the princesses, the movies, all of it. Nobody's denying that. But another universal truth is also that generations of children grew up watching these movies, and while as adults we can now acknowledge what the problems were and what happened wrongly, we can also see them for what they are - beautiful and nostalgic.

 

Plus, the lineup was incredible!!!

 

Do yourself a favour and watch (I linked it below!), if only for the memories.

 

You won't regret it.

 

 

Once a princess, always a princess!

 

xx

*images and video not mine

 

Tome Thursday: The Forbidden Billionaire

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to this week's book of choice.

 

As you all know, Serenity Woods is possibly the one and only contemporary author I have on my reading list who has never once failed me, and who I tend to reach for whenever I'm feeling a bit down and need a pick-me-up.

 

My favourite books of hers are like old friends, cozy and wonderful and just brilliant enough to snuggle down with, so I reach for them quite often!

 

But I also always read every new book she releases, and I can't state this enough, but I am so, so, SO happy and thankful to be part of her permanent ARC team. 

 

It's a dream come true, and while I don't always end up buying every book she writes, I've bought my fair share, certainly I own all of my favourites by her!

 

So without further ado, let's hop straight into tonight's story, shall we?

 

Billionaires in general wait for no man - or no woman in this case, all things considered, because the story IS about a woman in The Forbidden Millionaire.

 

Talkie Tuesday: House of the Dragon

 

"Then the storm broke, and the dragons danced."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Once upon a time there lived this blogger, who usually ended up taking FOREVER to get blogs of pertinent things up and running.

 

But not today.

 

NOT TODAY!

 

Because I made it a point and a priority to get ALL of these episodes under my belt, catching up during my vacation so that I wouldn't be too far behind by the time I returned, and now it's time to have a look at what this last season had to offer us.

 

I mean, it's definitely losing its strength, I'll give it that unfortunately.

 

For some inexplicable reason, despite having ALL the information, it's going down the weaker path, possibly because the writers are coming up with what they consider to be cool moment, and then bump the characters there without really paying attention to the how.

 

But ANYWAY: House of the Dragon!

 

Tome Thursday: Elemental Becoming

 

Hello everyone!

 

Despite the fact I'm pretty much a melted version of myself through this heatwave every single day as I return from work, we persevere.

 

And I've had this book on the backburner for the blog since FOREVER ago.

 

All I needed to wait for was for it to officially release.

 

Which it did - just this week! Monday, to be precise.

 

Ironically, it's also the day I had to go back to work after my vacation, so naturally this means that I was dead on my feet by the time it was time to do some happy dance posts about it, but that's just the way we roll, sadly.

 

Now, however, I've at least got SOME energy and strength left in me because I think I drank twice my body weight in water today, and got some sugar in me during lunchtime. That should keep me safe and sound for the time being, I think!

 

So without further ado, let's head right into the thick of the story that we're about to experience, shall we? Good books wait for no man.

 

And neither does Elemental Becoming.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Mardaani 3

 

"Whenever a monster is born, a goddess must be born as well." 

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to the blog.

 

I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry for that. Unfortunately, I'm not the kind of rockstar superhuman who can deal with no vacation, but I can honestly say my vacation was PRETTY good, all things considered.

 

Some would even call it AMAZING.

 

And now I'm back home!

 

Catching up on different things and shows and whatnot, because of course I've fallen slightly behind on everything, naturally.

 

But I also managed to watch some pretty decent movies down there while I was at it, and one of them is tonight's movie of choice.

 

We're going back to India, baby, in Mardaani 3.

 

Tome Thursday: Rage of Krakens

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back.

 

This will be my last blog post until I return from vacation, because I really, truly, desperately need a bit of a break and I don't plan on doing anything but relaxing, swimming, and possibly reading when I'm not sleeping like a baby while I'm away haha.

 

So I'm going to try and make this one count!

 

Tonight's choice is a book that literally JUST released on Amazon and to retailers worldwide, which is somewhat of a feat for me because I generally don't get to new releases this quickly.

 

Normally, I'd let them sit there for a bit until picking them up.

 

But I was VERY lucky to get chosen for an ARC for this book, and because I'd already read a few works from the author, I was super stoked.

 

Juliette Caruso writes SO well, and I AM HERE FOR IT.

 

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen: Rage of Krakens.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Enola Holmes 3

 

"The puzzle is always as devious as the setter."

 

Hello everyone!

 

I'm back at it again, and mostly on time as well.

 

I can't quite believe it lol, but apparently that's what you get when you actually pay attention to what's going on and everything that might be happening online.

 

I've been a fan of the great detective Sherlock Holmes since ... forever sounds like such a long time ago but, well, it HAS been forever.

 

I used to read the children-friendly, abridged works of his, then watched the show with Jeremy Brett playing the titular character. When Netflix started poking around the Holmes family, of course I was going to watch this, too.

 

And for the most part, I've been enjoying the romp!

 

So without further ado, let's jump straight into what's going to be happening tonight, which is a review of the third installment in the series: Enola Holmes 3.

 

Tome Thursday: Heartland

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome, welcome.

 

Today's a very special day, because, unlike my ordinary blog posts, this one's going up EXACTLY ON TIME.

 

Because it's release day, baby!

 

The book we're about to talk about JUST went live around the globe, and man oh MAN am I looking forward to others picking it up and reading it!

 

I stumbled over this author completely by accident through her shifter romances (and well, there might have been an age gap, her ex's father type of deal involved ... oops ...), but seeing her transition to contemporary has been absolutely beautiful.

 

She's such a sweetheart, too! Kes Winter is someone you should totally follow on social media if you have the chance.

 

But now I'm babbling, so without further ado, congratulations to this release tonight!

 

Let's hear a round of applause for Heartland.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Best Thing

 

"Loving you is the best thing I'll ever do."

 

Hello everyone!

 

The weather is heating up again here, but I might have figured out how to combat everything so that I can keep up with the blog until I head down to the seaside. Because unlike last year, I plan on taking those two weeks off and just relaxing for once!

 

Still, for right now, it's manageable and I'm here to talk about more C-dramas.

 

I am, apparently, in my Zhang Linghe era at the moment, which isn't something I was anticipating and yet here we are.

 

After seeing him in Pursuit of Jade, I of course got bombarded on Youtube and other socials with other dramas of his, so I made a list and randomly picked through it.

 

Tonight's choice of blog topic one by a large margin, because it looked, at that time, to be the only contemporary show of his he'd done, others being historical or fantasy.

 

Which means this is a DECIDED change of pace, but I didn't mind one bit, so hopefully you won't as well as we take a look at The Best Thing.

 

Tome Thursday: The Village Phantom

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to tonight's blog.

 

I'm having a slightly surreal experience in that I'm typing this up at a VERY different time of day than my usual one - because I've fallen into the hole of C-dramas, and that means I somehow binged through eight episodes of one yesterday, going to bed late.

 

... the irony that they talk about how you should try and sleep enough and be in bed on time in this very drama is not lost on me.

 

I'll be reviewing it on my blog in the near future, so don't worry! You'll get all my commentary and reports haha.

 

But first and foremost, the book for tonight.

 

We're going back into the field where I first cut my teeth as a young reader, with Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, except it's Scandinavian this time.

 

And I was very lucky enough to have the author reach out to me for a review.

 

So without further ado: The Village Phantom!

 

Talkie Tuesday: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Willy Fog

 

"Here starts our incredible story, with strange news from the high seas ..." 

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the finale of our Willy Fog stories.

 

As we begin the next chapter of House of the Dragon (which, I still have to watch the season 3 premiere, and I already know I'll be crying my eyes out) it's a good thing that we aren't knee-deep in too many other adaptations.

 

Dragons, by and large, require your attention no matter what!

 

But I digress.

 

Tonight, after going around the world and then to the center of the Earth, we're finally going under the sea, and Willy the gentle-lion gets to live out his fashion dreams of dressing like a captain.

 

So without further ado, let's hop right into it, shall we?

 

Because there's only so much time left, and we do in fact need to go 20 000 Leagues under the Sea with Willy Fog!