I Who Have Never Known Men

This book packed such a punch despite it's relatively short page count. This dystopian novel opens up with 40 women locked in a large cage in a bunker. Something happened in the world but none of them can recollect what. All they know is that not one of them know each other or why they are being held in captivity. There are always three guards patrolling to make sure they never touch one another, yell or hurt one another, or try to hurt themselves. It's a lonely existence. Especially for the child. The rest of the women or older, fully adult, but there is one child and this novel is through her eyes. She is desperately trying to understand what the world used to be like and to learn. It's such a boring existence and she is desperate for knowledge even if she can't even fully grasp what they are imparting on her. Haunting, solitary, and inspired. The prose and and understanding of our main protagonist is completely arresting. This novel is unlike anything I've ever read!

Fangirl Down

I enjoyed this audiobook, although the narrator was a bit much. The story was also over the top and mildly cringe, but I still somehow really liked it and am planning on reading the rest in the series. It was a light and mostly fluffy, with some pretty intense sex scenes that sprung up occasionally. Fangirl Down is about Josephine, a mega fan of pro golfer Welles Whitaker. Known to be a jerk, Welles has been super unpredictable and has slowly started tanking his career. The only one on his side is mega fan Josephine who cheers him on at all his Florida events. After a particularly rough day on the course he snaps at Josephine (the only one on the course cheering for him) and loses his last fan and his last reason for golfing. After going on a bender he decides to try and make it up to her and in the process finds a desire to help her. A hurricane floods Josephine's golf pro shot and she has no insurance. He offers to let her caddy for him so she can earn some money. As the two start to work together they find themselves extremely attached to one another and Welle's life really starts to turn around in a positive way. Cheesy but fun. 

Dear Missing Friend

I love epistolary novels and this was no exception. Irish immigrant Catherine McGuirk has high hopes for America. She longs to be a governess and embrace life in America. She eagerly writes her family back in Ireland, her childhood best friend, and Patrick, one of the people she bonded with on the voyage over. As the years pass she finds herself writing her brothers, new American friends, and soon a beau. She loses loved ones to whaling, the gold rush, and other nineteenth century ailments. Dear Missing Friend spans decades, friendships, and family and really illustrates what life was like in New York City in the mid to late nineteenth century. I also thought it was interesting that the author very loosely based this off her family's history. Unique and captivating! 

Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Explosive! Literally and figuratively. These books are such a fun ride. I love getting to learn more about the dungeons through Carl and Princess Donut's eyes. Laugh out loud fun, action packed, and weird as hell this series is perfect for those who love gaming, pop culture, and having a laugh. The quests that Carl and Princess Donut find themselves participating in are over the top weird and I loved every minute of this book. Give me the next one please! 

Taming the Heart

Definitely my least favorite of the series. It was a little too predictable and the slow burn wasn't as chef's kiss as the first two in this series. Sage takes a job as a business promoter for a ruff and rugged former bull riding star and it turns out he is the same man she had shamelessly flirted with months prior. Awkward. To make matter's worse, the person who she is supposed to report to her bosses sister and she's out all summer. So she finds herself alone on this ranch with her super smoking hot boss and he is totally off limits. Why you may ask? Because he's married to a country superstar who's out on tour. Sparks fly, but can they both remain true to themselves and not get tangled into each other? Predictable but still a fun read with lots of steam. 

Cleopatra

I just finished a re-read. Endlessly fascinating, but still somehow a slog. This book was hell to power through. 

In one word, fascinating. This biography delves into the world's most "wicked woman" and arguably the least understood woman. What little survives of her was written by men, Romans who would eventually annex Egypt and misremember, misattribute, and slander Cleopatra. What people remember about this bad-ass queen, is not her wit, fierceness, and shrewd leadership; rather they remember her as a beautiful seductress who managed to snag two of the most powerful men in the world. Stacy Schiff delves deep to set the record straight in this amazing (admittedly a little dense at times) biography. I always thought Cleopatra was cool (what little I knew about her), but after reading this I realized that she is the feminist boss babe I needed in my life right now. In her lifetime she sat a table of leaders, all men - and reigned supreme.

Bouquets and Buckles

This was a cute stand alone novella set in the world Crimson Ridge. Skylar decides to come home holidays and surprise her boyfriend, but lo and behold, she's the one in for a surprise because she sees her boyfriend with another woman. Desperate to get the hell out of there she discovers that she has a flat tire. With her parents out of town, she calls her gay best friend to rescue her, but his dad picks up instead. And no questions asked he comes out and rescues her. He takes her back to his place, a home that Skylar has visited a million times, but this time she's wearing a seductive little number (intended for her piece of shit boyfriend), and she's at the house alone with her bestie's dad. The snow is falling down fast and they know they'll soon be trapped for at least a day or two. What if they are both attracted to each other? What if a few drinks makes them both a little loose? What's the worse that could happen? Forbidden love, age gap romance, hot as hell. More please!