Like the Comet

Ah, March. You fickle gal.

You teased us with Spring 1, only to bring back Winter 2. Then you gaslit us into Spring 2, only to pull the rug out from under us with Winter 3. Now you’re teetering between the two and have us out here with our hopes up, but expectations down.

March was not my favorite month. Not just because of the swing diet weather, but something happened in my personal life that was pretty sad. However, I guess it’s kind of fitting that something ended right before the season of rebirth begins. The universe has such a unique sense of humor, I will say that.

On the reading front, I have officially entered my “cowboy romance” era. Which came to fruition in the form of binge reading a five-book smut-smothered Kindle unlimited series. Can I get a yee-haw? ;)

Fear not if that genre isn’t up your alley though, because I read a plethora of other books this month as well.

And, with that, let’s get into everything I read in March!

*All summaries are taken or paraphrased from Goodreads.

BLACK SUN by Rebecca Roanhorse (Between Earth and Sky #1)

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary: A god will return. When the earth and sky converge. Under the black sun.

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world. Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.

My Thoughts: All right y’all. I can tell you right now, this is not for the faint of heart nor the fantasy novice. This book has so many layers, characters, and storylines to follow that you cannot go into this half-assed. You have to commit to paying attention - especially when you’re listening to the audiobook. I ended up getting the physical book from the library to supplement whenever I felt lost or needed to see a word in print. For example, they use some non-binary pronouns throughout the book for a few characters: xe and xir. However, I thought they were saying a name, so until I looked it up, it wasn’t clicking right away. Overall though, I really enjoyed this story. Although there are a few different characters and storylines to follow, it’s easy to see how they start to connect the further you get into the book. The politics of this world are a prominent driver of the plot and although they’re not spelled out incredibly clearly at first, by the end of the book I felt like I had gotten my footing with them. The writing was full of vivid descriptions that I thought truly brought this world to life, and I appreciated that characters’ backgrounds were given the attention they deserved so that you could connect with each person. As an introduction to the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, I thought this was a solid first installment and will definitely be continuing onto book two.

THE COLOR PURPLE by Alice Walker

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence. Through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia and their experience. The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love.

My Thoughts: Okay, I know I live under a rock and cannot believe it took me this long to read The Color Purple, but I’m so glad I did! Admittedly, I’ve never seen either movie, nor have I ever looked into what this book is about. So this was truly my first time experiencing this gem. Personally, I liked that it’s formatted in letters from Celie to God, Celie to Nettie, and Nettie to Celie. It made connecting with the characters so effortless and kept the pacing of the book decently quick. The adversity these women go through is absolutely unreal. Specifically Celie, who is the protagonist of this tale. She’s been abused her entire life (sexually, emotionally, and physically) by her step-father, husband, and step-kids. The narrative she’s always been given is that because she’s under-educated and not as pretty as her sister, she doesn’t have as much value. It isn’t until she meets and starts developing a friendship with Shug that her self-realization journey begins. There are so many strong female characters in this book and the theme of sisterhood amongst them gave this story a certain type of magic. I cannot recommend this book enough if you haven’t read it yet.

YOURS TRULY by Abby Jimenez

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter. And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

My Thoughts: If there’s anything I’ve learned about Abby Jimenez as an author, it’s that she truly has a gift of making her characters feel so real. The number of emotions I rotated through while reading this book is immeasurable. I was OBSESSED. Jacob has officially been added to the book boyfriend roster because that man has my whole heart. He is the sweetest, most altruistic man candy who is dealing with some severe anxiety - which I thought was handled with such care in the writing. I found his experience dealing with social anxiety so relatable and the way his internal dialogue was depicted truly put you in the shoes of someone whose brain is firing from all cylinders. Not to mention, he had an entire room dedicated to his house plants which is a choice I can FULLY get behind lol. The way he kept showing up for Briana despite her doubts and traumas affecting the way she saw their relationship was truly admirable. Briana is strong, independent, brave, and I had a total friend crush on her. The banter and rapport they had as friends made this romance so much more believable and you could tell they truly felt for each other with their whole hearts. I highly recommend this book if you haven’t dabbled yet. It will probably be one of my favorite romances this year.

CULTISH: THE LANGUAGE OF FANATICISM by Amanda Montell

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . . Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.” But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day. Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,” revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish” everywhere.

My Thoughts: Listen, I started this audiobook at the start of one of my “cleaning weekends” and was able to finish it within two days. It was so interesting. The book mainly focuses on cults and the language they use to thrive. Although she does touch on actual cults such as Jonestown and Heaven’s Gate, she also delves into religion as a cult (specifically Scientology), multi-level marketing schemes (i.e. Mary Kay, Lula Roe, etc.), exercise cults (Peloton, cross-fit, etc.), how social media contributes to the growth of cults, and more. It was a quick listen, super informative, and I’m not usually a non-fiction girly, but this was thoroughly intriguing to me. I definitely recommend picking it up!

MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defense, and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...

My Thoughts: I listened to this on audiobook and although it was a super fast read, it felt a little jerky. It starts with Korede’s sister calling her flustered because Ayoola just killed her boyfriend. Cue Korede’s clean-up process. From there, I was expecting more of a thriller vibe, but although it did continue to talk about Ayoola’s patterns with murdering her significant others, I think this book was more about the relationship between the two sisters and how those dynamics affected life. Since Ayoola is the younger, more beautiful sister, Korede feels obligated to protect her in any way possible. However, Ayoola doesn’t always reciprocate the loyalty nor loving nature. The plot was kind of all over the place. Each chapter would jump to a different short anecdote with no real common connection between them, so you’re left trying to connect the dots yourself. Overall, if you’ve had this on your radar, I’d say read it because it’s very short. Otherwise, I doubt I’ll ever pick this up again.

FLAWLESS by Elise Silver (CHESTNUT SPRINGS #1)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: I’m the face of professional bull riding—the golden boy. Or at least I was, until it all blew up in my face. Now my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.” But I don’t need a goddamn babysitter, especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can’t stop running. A mouth I can’t stop thinking about. Because Summer isn’t just another conquest. She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn’t run—she pulls me closer, even when she shouldn’t. She says this means nothing. I say this means everything. She says there are boundaries we shouldn’t cross. That my reputation can’t take any more hits—and neither can her damaged heart. I say I’m going to steal it anyway.

My Thoughts: Okay Rhett and Summer and the quintessential characters to kick off a great romance series. Rhett is the bull riding cowboy with a bad reputation that threatens his career. Cue Summer, a quick-witted, no nonsense sports agent assigned to babysit Rhett for the upcoming season to make sure he doesn’t step out of line and lose more sponsors than he already has. I loved their dynamics and how much each resisted their attraction and connection. The way their relationship developed felt so natural and I loved that they showed up for each other in a way neither had experienced before. The salacious scenes provided the perfect amount of spice and it made my heart melt to see how quickly the Eaton clan (Rhett’s family) absorbed Summer into it. This wasn’t a groundbreaking romance by any means, but it was definitely addicting enough to make me want to continue with this cowboy romance journey lol.

THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP by Grady Hendrix

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Summary: In horror movies, the final girls are the ones left standing when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives…but what happens after? From chainsaws to summer camp slayers, The Final Girl Support Group pays tribute to and slyly subverts our most popular horror films—movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream. | Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece. But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.

My Thoughts: This book was really clever. It pays homage to the final girls from cult-favorite horror films and what happens after the movie ends. If you’re into unreliable narrators, Lynnette is your gal. There were so many times where I was convinced she was absolutely crazy and imagining the things that were going on because this plot is fucking bonkers. What starts as the Final Girl Support Group potentially dissolving after 15 years of companionship turns into a whirlwind of events that no one saw coming. There was a satirical quality to the writing that I appreciated, like these women basically getting beat to shit in different situations that people most definitely wouldn’t be able to walk away from, but they ~somehow~ muster the strength to keep going and save their friends. As I mentioned, the plot is completely unpredictable and the pacing is mostly fast, but also erratic at points. Since Lynnette is the main driver of your experience, you get to hear her inner dialogue which all sounds extremely paranoid and irrational, but at the same time, you can’t discount anything she says. I was thoroughly entertained the entire time, but I think it lasted a little bit longer than I thought it would. So by the end, I was ready for it to be over lol. Otherwise, for my first Grady Hendrix book, I definitely enjoyed it and recommend the audiobook.

HEARTLESS by Elsie Silver (CHESTNUT SPRINGS #2)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Working as a nanny for the world’s grumpiest single dad should have been simple. Except I can’t keep my eyes off him. And he can’t keep his hands off of me. Cade Eaton is thirteen years older than I am and barely looks my way. Until I get him into the hot tub one night for a game of truth or dare. Then all bets are off—and so are our clothes. He’s gruff, a little rough around the edges. But broad-shouldered ranchers with calloused hands and filthy mouths are this city girl’s kryptonite. So who am I to resist? But it’s in our quiet moments together that he softens. It’s when he takes care of me that I realize his hardened exterior is just a façade. It’s when I watch him go all sweet with his little boy that I really fall for him. Someone convinced him once that his best wasn’t good enough. But I’ve never felt more cherished than I do in his arms. My contract may say this arrangement is only for two months. But my heart says this is forever.

My Thoughts: Y’all. I was not ready for this. There are a few tropes in this one including age-gap (which I don’t usually like, but this wasn’t terrible), enemies-to-lovers, nanny-single dad, and forced proximity. Basically, Cade Eaton, the oldest of the Eaton boys, needs a nanny for his 5-year-old son this summer while he tends to the family ranch. Summer, his younger brother’s new girlfriend, has the perfect person. Willa is the complete opposite of who you’d expect to be a great nanny. She’s spent the last few years bartending at her brother’s bar, she’s got tattoos, red hair, and no filter. She’s spunky and takes shit from no one. So naturally, Willa and Cade initially bump heads, but as they slowly get to know each other, their connection is undeniable. Also the connection that Willa builds with Cade’s son turned me into a puddle of heartwarming mush. On the smut front, the filth that came out of Cade’s mouth was so far from his usual southern gentleman vibe. It was WILD and spicy and I wouldn’t change a thing about it lol. Needless to say, I flew through this romance and think it was a great change of pace from the first book in this series.

POWERLESS by Elsie Silver (CHESTNUT SPRINGS #3)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: Two childhood friends. Two broken hearts. One impromptu road trip to get away from everything. That’s all this was supposed to be. Afterall, I’ve been living in the friend zone for years now. But hockey heartthrob Jasper Gervais isn’t looking at me like a friend anymore. And he isn’t touching me like one either. To his fans, he’s the handsome, talented athlete on TV. But to me he’s still the lost boy with sad eyes and a heart of gold. The man I’ve loved in secret for years. So when my life falls apart on my wedding day, it only makes sense that he’s the one to swoop in and save me. And when his world comes crashing down around him, I’m there to return the favor. But the more time we spend alone, the more Jasper doesn’t feel like a friend at all. He feels like everything I’ve ever wanted and thought I could never have. Our feelings aren’t straight forward though. They twist and turn around the pain of his past and the reality of my present. Jasper Gervais acts like he wants me. But after years of turning me away, he’s going to need to prove it.

My Thoughts: Okay, okay. We love a friends-to-lovers trope with a little bit of grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity sprinkled in. Although I saw other reviews say they found this book boring, I was fully invested. I’m not sure if it’s because Jasper is actually a hockey player and not a cowboy even though this is in the cowboy romance series, who’s to say? Either way, I was obsessed with the dynamics between Jasper and Sloane. They’ve known each other since they were kids and have been one another’s biggest rock ever since. So when Sloane needs Jasper’s help escaping her wedding to the literal worst man you could ever imagine, he asks zero questions. It was super sweet how protective Jasper was over Sloane and how much he was fighting his feelings for her. Whereas Sloane knew she’s been in love with Jasper since they were young, but never acted on her feelings for him. Once everything was out on the table though, all bets were off. Also, y’all, the spice in this book??? *Chef’s kiss**. It was like these two had been holding their breath for the last 10 years and once their feelings were out there, they could finally breathe. I personally really liked this book and definitely recommend reading it if you’ve started the Chestnut Springs series.

AGE OF VICE by Deepti Kapoor

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary: This is the age of vice, where money, pleasure, and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also kill. New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the curb and in the blink of an eye, five people are dead. It’s a rich man’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold. Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family — loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all. In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence and revenge, will these characters’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction?

My Thoughts: This book is absolutely WILD. Like I was not prepared for what it was going to put me through lol. Although I own the physical book, I decided to listen to the audiobook instead and I am so glad I did. The narrator does a phenomenal job with character voices. He sucks you in and makes it so easy to build a connection with each of the characters. The book is split into five parts with each part focusing primarily on a specific character’s perspective. It wasn’t until I finished part two did I start seeing how the thread of each person’s experience in this world woven into the bigger picture of what was happening. That particular part was freaking BONKERS. It was almost like having whiplash trying to keep up with the chaos that was life orbiting these Indian oligarchs. The writing was incredibly unique and I was awed at how this author’s mind works to be able to create such a complex story. Overall, I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for something with a little suspense, a little romance, and a lot of action.

RECKLESS by Elsie Silver (CHESTNUT SPRINGS #4)

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary: Theo Silva. Rowdy bull rider. Notorious ladies’ man. Scorching hot trouble wrapped up in a drool-worthy package. And he’s looking at me like I might be his next meal. But I’m almost free of my toxic marriage and have sworn off men entirely. So all I see when I look back is temptation served up with a heaping side of heartbreak. The man is hard to trust—and even harder to resist. Make that impossible. Because Theo is persistent. And no matter how hard I try to freeze him out, he melts my icy exterior and pulls apart all my defenses. Over a drink in a small town bar, I blurt out my deepest, darkest secrets. Then I spend the singular hottest night of my life with him. He worships my body. He makes me blush. I come alive beneath his hands. Then I tell him to forget it ever happened. I want simple, and with him it all feels complicated. It was supposed to be a one-time thing. A secret. But that little plus sign is going to make this secret impossible to keep.

My Thoughts: This has got to be my favorite book in the series, handsdown. Theo is an absolute KING and we love that he knows just how to melt the ice princess that is Winter. I was obsessed with their dynamics and how one hot night turns into a relationship for the ages. Winter is Summer’s half sister and has always been perceived as this closed off, cold hearted person. However, Theo sees right through that facade and knows how to bring out the best parts of Winter. He gives her a safe space to be vulnerable and that’s where the magic happens. In contrast, although he’s usually all smiles, Winter can see the cracks in Theo’s easy-going mask and makes him feel safe enough to show the sides of him not everyone wants to see. I was OBSESSED with how quickly he was all in on their situation. I don’t want to ruin anything, although you can probably guess from the summary of the book, but Winter and Theo are connected for the rest of their lives whether they like it or not. (Spoiler, they like it lol). I would be remiss to not mention the smut. THE SPICE WAS SCORCHING. Like get ready to pull on the neck of your shirt to get some more air because you are in for some heat. I wouldn’t change a thing about this book. I tore through it in like two days because I could not put it down.

HOPELESS by Elsie Silver (CHESTNUT SPRINGS #5)

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary: Beau Eaton is the town prince, a handsome military hero with a tortured past. I’m the outcast bartender, a shy girl from the wrong side of the tracks. He’s thirty-five and all man, and I’m twenty-two and all… virgin. He’s also my fiancé. Correction: my fake fiancé. We start out as a bet. He doesn’t believe that anyone holds my last name against me. So he offers me his to prove a point. It’s win-win. He gets a break from his concerned family’s prying, and I get a chance to shed my family’s reputation while I save up to ditch this small town. He says all I have to do is wear his ring, follow his lead, and pretend I can’t keep my hands off of him in public. But it’s what happens between us in private that blurs all those carefully drawn lines. It’s what transpires behind closed doors that doesn’t feel like pretending at all. This engagement was supposed to be for show. This agreement? It has an end date. He once told me he’d never fall in love. And yet here I am, head over heels for my fake fiancé.

My Thoughts: Ugh okay. So I usually love a fake fiancé trope, but the age difference between these two characters (Beau - 35 and Bailey - 22) didn’t sit well with me lol. The dynamics between them were really cute. It felt like they became friends first as they played out this fake fianceé situation until Bailey could find a new job and make enough money to move out of their hometown where she’s treated like a pariah due to her last name. Her family has a bad reputation of being trashy and destructive, so people just assume she’s the same way when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Beau is trying to deal with some PTSD after he went missing during his last deployment. He’s back home healing some injuries he experienced and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. However, for whatever reason, he finds peace when he’s sitting at the local dive chatting with the bartender, Bailey. The overall premise and idea of this book was cute, but I just felt like it had some holes for me. Even when the big conflict occurs due to Beau lying by omission, I was like “was I supposed to pick up on that from previous conversations??” I don’t know. This book had its fair share of spice and I liked the experience of it overall, I just mainly couldn’t get past the age gap.

Okay that’s it for March!

I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the cowboy romance smut, but no promises in either direction lol. ;) Sometimes you just need a smutty Kindle Unlimited escape from life, yanno?

2024 Book Count: 32

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YOUR TURN! What’s on your TBR for April?