Reading – World of Bai

Book Review: “The Rose Bargain” By Sasha Peyton Smith

I have owned this book since the day it was first released. I have been wanting to read it since I laid my hands on the beautiful cover but kept putting it off as I didn’t want this five star prediction to let me down. I am glad I waited as I think I picked this book up at the perfect time. I had just finished reading book six of the Bridgerton series and got fully caught up on season four of the TV Adaptation. I even went to a Bridgerton styled event on a local book store. So picking up this book and falling right back into the Regency Era felt like coming home but with a twist.

“Sometimes I feel like one day every other girl was given instructions on how to grow up, and I missed the lesson.”
Sasha Peyton Smith, The Rose Bargain

About The Book

Author: Sasha Peyton Smith

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published Date: February 4th, 2025

Page Count: 389 Pages

Main Genre: Romantasy

GoodReads Rating: 3.94

Format: Physical Book

Synopsis

London, 1848—For four hundred years, England has been under the control of an immortal fae queen who tricked her way onto the throne. To maintain an illusion of benevolence, Queen Mor grants each of her subjects one opportunity to bargain for their deepest desire.

As Ivy Benton prepares to make her debut, she knows that not even a deal with the queen could fix what has gone wrong: Her family’s social standing is in shambles, her sister is a shadow of her former self, and Ivy’s marriage prospects are nonexistent. So when the queen announces a competition for Prince Bram’s hand, Ivy is the first to sign her name in blood. What a bargain can’t fix, a crown certainly could.

Ivy soon finds herself a surprising front-runner—with the help of an unexpected ally: Prince Bram’s brother, the rakish Prince Emmett, who promises to help Ivy win his brother’s heart…for a price. But as the season sweeps Ivy away, with glittering balls veiling the queen’s increasingly vicious trials, Ivy realizes there’s more at stake than just a wedding. Because all faerie bargains come with a cost, and Ivy may have discovered hers too late.

Synopsis From GoodReads

“But I know now, the thing about love is that you don’t realize you’re in it until it’s too late.”
Sasha Peyton Smith, The Rose Bargain

Rating

Review

I picked this book up during a busy time in my life and that is what I regret the most. I could not stop thinking about this book, I was trying to sneak a chapter in where ever I could. It even got to the point where the characters started to sneak themselves into my dreams. That is how I know I am truly obsessed with a book.

I believe that if I had more free time on my hands I would have finished this book in one sitting. The writing had every ounce of my brain power turning over the plot and trying to figure out any hidden secrets that might have been seeping through the pages.

The characters in this book were a little hit or miss for me at the beginning but I started to appreciate them more as we got to know their background a bit more. The way Sasha formatted this book, sprinkling in different POV’s as we went along, really helped this story build a plot with a lot of depth.

The different POV’s gave us as readers insights into the book that we would have never of gotten from our main FMC. I am not saying Ivy was an unreliable narrator but she truly did not have all the insight into what was happening around her and why. So the little added tidbits we got from the other girls POV’s really helped our characters grow in my eyes.

My favorite character is Emmett, I mean come on, when is the MMC not my favorite character in a book? Emmett has a tough exterior and a reputation that precedes him but there is more to him than meets the eye. I adored getting to see him from Ivy’s eyes as she was forced to be in his proximity but you could feel his attitude changing as we moved through the story. Even though we see him mostly through Ivy’s eyes the little tidbits from Faiths storyline that we were given gave us enough information about Emmet’s true character to know when he started to fall for Ivy. A man who falls first will always make me melt.

The family dynamics seemed to play a pretty big part in this story. Each person had a different relationship with their families that shaped their individual characters and their motivations. I think this is a big reason why I ended up caring for each character in their own way. Everyone seemed to be facing their own battles internally so by the time you finally read first hand what issues they were facing you could grasp why they were saying and doing the things they did. I really appreciated that part of the story telling as it really felt integral to the plot and didn’t just get swept aside like they so often do in these kinds of books.

Sasha really had me trying to guess how this story was going to go, it felt like she was leaving me little bread crumbs that had me thinking one thing but then by the next chapter I was second guessing everything I had came up with. There were a few plot points that I caught onto pretty quick while others left my mouth gaping. I am so glad I waited to read this book until closer to the release date of the second book as I am not sure I can wait to find out what happens.

“I’ve spent my whole life on my hands and knees, clamoring for crumbs of love. I don’t know if there will ever come a time I am not hungry for it.”
Sasha Peyton Smith, The Rose Bargain

QOTD: Do you like Regency Romances?

Book Review: “Ask For Andrea” By Noelle W. Ihli

I had never heard of this book before the owner of my favorite local independent book store, The Romantics Archive, recommended this book to me. All she had to say was that it was a loose Ted Bundy retailing to pull me in. I immediately went home and downloaded it onto my kindle while I waited for them to stock the physical book in store. I have since finished the book and purchased a physical copy for my shelves, this is a testament to how much I enjoyed this book.

“On a date that isn’t going well? Do you feel unsafe or just a little uneasy? Ask for Andrea at the bar. We’ll make sure you get home safe.”
Noelle W. Ihli, Ask for Andrea

About The Book

Author: Noelle W. Ihli

Publisher: Dynamite Books

Published Date: September 1st, 2024

Page Count: 295 pages

Main Genre: Thriller

GoodReads Rating: 4.08

Format: E Book

“There is no room for questions. The worst is coming, and these words combined with your exact obedience are your only hope for safety. ”
Noelle W. Ihli, Ask for Andrea

Synopsis

Meghan, Brecia, and Skye have just one thing in common.

They were all murdered by the same man.

He hunted them online, masquerading as an eligible bachelor. Then he played the perfect gentleman, a thick layer of charm and a thousand-watt smile hiding the fact that his first dates end in shallow graves.

He’s gotten away with murder three times now.

The only thing that might keep him from killing again? The women he murdered.

Meghan, Brecia, and Skye might be dead, but they’re not gone. They’ve found each other. And they won’t rest until they find a way to stop him.

The haunt is on.

Synopsis From GoodReads

“It’s the tapestry we wove together. The threads still bind us.”
Noelle W. Ihli, Ask for Andrea

Rating

I really appreciate how this book highlights the, often uncomfortable or dangerous, reality of online dating. It also raises awareness of a common getaway strategy that many bars and restaurants have in place.

Have you ever been to a bar on a date and seen a poster that says something along the lines of “Is your date making you feel unsafe or uneasy? If so ask you waitress for (Insert name here).”? This will signal to the workers that you need help getting out of this situation in a safe and inconspicuous manner leaving your date none the wiser.

* (If you frequent a popular date night space this is your sign to ask them if they have anything in place for these situations. If they don’t, encourage them to adopt one of the many that are out there.) *

This book opens up with that exact scenario and snowballs from there.

I really enjoyed the rotating POV of the three girls. Each POV was quite different from one another and also left you on a bit of a cliffhanger. This made reading the book quite fast paced as I was dying (Yes, pun intended) to know what was happening to each girl.

If I had to change anything in the book it would have been what was leading up to the end. I felt like it was going in the right direction but the Girls “helping” out the next victim just didn’t feel like it had as much pay off as I would have liked. I wish the girls had possessed more ghostly powers. It felt as if the girls were merely just there watching things unfold but the author was pushing too hard for us to feel like the girls had power to change things with little to no pay off. Maybe if we did indeed get confirmation that things were happening because of the things the girls were doing I would have given the book a better rating but nothing felt concrete.

Even with that small set back to my rating, I did enjoy the majority of the book and did appreciate the ultimate conclusion to the story as everything came full circle.

Overall, I could see the new age connection to Ted Bundy that the author was going for and appreciated the differences. It makes me wonder what other serial killers people have loosely based books on that I am missing out on.

These kinds of books always make me question what the after life will look like and sometimes I even hope some of their theories are true. But this story mostly left me questioning “What would I do if I were in their shoes?”. I like to hope I would have Asked For Andrea.

“He was the kind of beautiful that drew you in before you even considered the fact that beautiful things can be poisonous.”
Noelle W. Ihli, Ask for Andrea

QOTD: Have you ever been on a date that felt like it was going sideways?

Book Review: “Raising Hare” By Chloe Dalton

I had only read one review about this book before I went searching for it on Libby. When I did find it on Libby it said that this 4 hour long audiobook would be an 18 week wait! That is crazy to me. I ended up complaining to a new friend, their next response was an audible credit for the book. I was speechless, such a kind thing of them to do!

So without any knowledge of what this book really was I decided to dive right in. I am so glad I listened to the one and only review I read.

“I tell myself not to count the years ahead in which she might never again come, but rather cherish the days she has given me of her own free will, when she lowered her species’ instinctive guard against humans, and shared the beauty and mystery of her presence in silent and graceful companionship. I will remember her leaving, but I will always know that before she did, she always, first, looked back.”
Chloe Dalton, Raising Hare: A Memoir

About The Book

Author: Chlore Dalton

Publisher: Pantheon

Published Date: March 4th, 2025

Page Count: 285 Pages

Main Genre: Memoir

GoodReads Rating: 4.34

Format: Audio Book

“She has taught me patience. And as someone who has made their living through words, she has made me consider the dignity and persuasiveness of silence.”
Chloe Dalton, Raising Hare: A Memoir

Synopsis

Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, over two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and slept in your house for hours on end and gave birth to leverets in your study. For political advisor and speechwriter Chloe Dalton, who spent lockdown deep in the English countryside, far away from her usual busy London life, this became her unexpected reality.

In February 2021, Dalton stumbles upon a newborn hare—a leveret—that had been chased by a dog. Fearing for its life, she brings it home, only to discover how impossible it is to rear a wild hare, most of whom perish in captivity from either shock or starvation. Through trial and error, she learns to feed and care for the leveret with every intention of returning it to the wilderness. Instead, it becomes her constant companion, wandering the fields and woods at night and returning to Dalton’s house by day. Though Dalton feared that the hare would be preyed upon by foxes, stoats, feral cats, raptors, and even people, she never tried to restrict it to the house. Each time the hare leaves, Chloe knows she may never see it again. Yet she also understands that to confine it would be its own kind of death.

Raising Hare chronicles their journey together, while also taking a deep dive into the lives and nature of hares, and the way they have been viewed historically in art, literature, and folklore. We witness first-hand the joy at this extraordinary relationship between human and animal, which serves as a reminder that the best things, and most beautiful experiences, arise when we least expect them.

Synopsis From Goodreads

“wondered how much of the nature of animals is obscured from us simply because of the limitations of our senses and powers of observation.”
Chloe Dalton, Raising Hare: A Memoir

Rating

After listening to this book I still probably couldn’t tell you the difference between a hare and a rabbit. However, now I do know that there are differences and not just because they are from different regions of the world.

This book ended up being a memoir to my happy surprise. I love listening to memoirs and this one changed the game for me. I normally listen to celebrity memoirs about their lives. But this book focused more on the animal rather than the human and I adored that!

The book was very well researched which I enjoyed more than I thought I would. I was learning new things as I went and just seeing the passion our author had for taking care of her orphaned hare was inspiring!

This book really focused on how what we as humans do in our every day lives can really affect the wild life around us. Mowing the long grass that has gathered in your field, The roads we create, The trees that we cut down to build a new building, even just Hiking in new areas that animals aren’t used to seeing humans around. All these things that seem so normal to us is quickly ruining animals habits, their food sources and homes. They can’t adapt as fast as we destroy.

The author really drives home how important it is that we treat animals with respect and don’t make them bend at our will. When she came across this little baby Hare (Leverette) she knew if she were to take it home that she couldn’t change anything about the way it lived, she vowed not to make it a pet. In doing so the hare thrived. It comes to show that when we do take in wild animals the changes we make to its surroundings and daily routine can cause stress and ultimately harm the animal.

The storytelling was beautiful and I know it will stick with me for years to come. As an animal lover it was really nice to hear this perspective as even doing something out of the goodness of my heart can’t fix the damage done.

“Under the subtle influence of the hare, my own wants have simplified. To be dependable in love and friendship more than in work. To leave the land in a more natural state than I found it. And to take better care of what is to hand, seeing beauty and value in the ordinary.”
Chloe Dalton, Raising Hare: A Memoir

QOTD: Has a memoir or non fiction changed your perspective on an aspect of your life?

Book Review: “Game Changer” Rachel Reid

This series was recommended to me by my best friend Syd before this series ever got popular. I sadly kept pushing the books off till after the TV series started and I immediately had FOMO. On top of that it was near impossible to get my hands on a physical copy and no way was I paying Amazon kindle for a 16$ E-book when I could get it for the same price physically at my local Indy Book Store.

“What’s wrong with the closet? It’s a wonderful place crammed full of professional athletes.”
Rachel Reid, Game Changer

About The Book

Author: Rachel Reid

Publisher: Karina Press

Published Date: November 26th, 2024

Page Count: 368 Pages

Main Genre: Sports Romance

GoodReads Rating: 3.80

Format: Physical

“Thank god,” Huff said. “I thought you were gonna say you were secretly dating Rozanov.” “Rozanov wishes,” Scott said.”
Rachel Reid, Game Changer

Synopsis

Pro hockey star Scott Hunter knows a good thing when he sees it. So, when a smoothie made by juice bar barista Kip Grady precedes Scott breaking his on-ice slump, he’s desperate to recreate the magic…and to get to know the sexy, funny guy behind the counter.

Kip knew there was more to Scott’s frequent visits than blended fruit, but he never let himself imagine being invited back to Scott’s penthouse. Or kissed with reckless abandon, nevermind touched everywhere all at once. When it happens it’s red-hot, incredible and frequent, but also only on Scott’s terms and always behind his closed apartment doors.

Scott needs Kip in his life, but with playoff season approaching, the spotlight on him is suddenly brighter than ever. He can’t afford to do anything that might derail his career…like introducing the world to his boyfriend. Kip is ready to go all-in with Scott—but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?

Synopsis From Goodreads

Rating

I watched the TV series before reading this. And while the Show really only focuses on this couple for one episode they somehow got enough of the story in for you to fall in love with them anyways.

While the book does expand a bit more on their relationship I did feel like the one episode encapsulated the whole book, while rushed I didn’t hate it. Watching the show first also gave me the cast to visualize which helped me grow more invested in their characters.

I truly regret reading these books after they gained all the hype. I wish I would have been fan girling before it was the cool thing to do but oh well.

While I thought their story was cute I did feel like it was rushed. They start dating super fast and honestly I think I am more of a slow burn girlie. I just wanted more of the will they won’t they at the coffee shop or a few more gala’s that Scott attends and Kit works at. The tension I wanted was spent waiting for a third act breakup.

While I am someone who hates a third act break up I was actually thankful for this one. I knew it was coming and because of that the breakup truly needed to happen, even if it was more of a separation rather than a breakup. I think both characters needed time to realize what was the more important thing in their lives and what they were willing to give up for it. So I guess you could say I liked the ending better than the beginning.

I loved that Ilya was mentioned several times in this book. His small portions made me crack up! I love him and can’t wait to get to his books!

“He could only imagine what it would be like to not be burdened by his…otherness. He wished he could just magically be what people expected hockey players to be.”
Rachel Reid, Game Changer

QOTD: Did you hop on the Heated Rivalry band Wagon?

Book Review: “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murders” By Jesse Q. Sutanto

This was a buddy read with a few of my bookish besties. I am really glad that we had picked this book as I am not sure I would have picked it up on my own and would have ultimately missed out on such charming characters.

“People always say that your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but honestly, people should try solving murders more often.”
Jesse Q. Sutanto, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

About The Book

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Publisher: Berkley

Published Date: March 14th, 2023

Page Count: 339 Pages

Main Genre: Mystery

GoodReads Rating: 4.02

Format: Audio Book

Synopsis

Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).

But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.

Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.

“In her experience, it’s best to nod and agree with what people say before doing exactly what you wanted from the very beginning.”
Jesse Q. Sutanto, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

Rating

When this audiobook started I got a little nervous as I struggle at times when accents are added to them. I find it harder for my brain to catch every word when I am listening at my 1.5 – 2 speed. So instead of DNF’ing the book I lowered the speed of my audio till I got used to hearing the accent. This is something I am going to do from now on as I feel like I am missing a lot of great audiobooks because of this.

The characters in this book were all unique which added such a fun layer to my reading. I was worried having so many characters would get to be too much in moments but they each added an important part to the story and were all so different that they were easy to keep track of. Because of this the story quickly developed the found family trope which is one of my favorite things to read about.

Vera, at times, was annoying but this really didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. In fact, it actually made the story more enjoyable for me, no one is more surprised than I. While Vera was pushy and did not respect peoples space that is what made everyone around her love and respect her in the end. She surely did not keep her thoughts to herself and definitely did not think too much before saying anything but this really helped people to let their guard down around her. Seeing all of these random characters come together because of one woman was so heart warming.

As for the plot, I had no clue who could have committed the murder. The Author did such a good job and making everyone seem suspicious and yet innocent all at the same time. When the killer was revealed I was in genuine shock. I loved how it all played out in the end.

This book kept me laughing around every corner. The way Vera kept comparing the work of the cops to crime shows was hilarious to me and also quite relatable. I am not sure I would have crossed as many lines as Vera did but without her I truly don’t think the cops would have solved this case.

I also found it enjoyable to hear bits and pieces about Chinese cultures. I don’t know as much as I would like to but the way Vera was holding herself as a Chinese Mother was really fun and interesting to me. It got me more curious about the culture and is something I have started to do further research into myself. So I really appreciate that being written into this book.

I suggest picking this book up for a light enjoyable mystery that will keep you guessing till the very end.

“You don’t describe your job like that,” Vera scolds. “Is a small job, hah! Can you see men saying that? No, men will talk it up with bullshit, that is why they get even bigger job next time. There is no such thing as ‘small job.’ And don’t say in that silly tone, oh so apologetic, I am just silly woman having a small job. No!” Her index finger shoots up and points at Julia’s face like a sword. “You go and do this job proudly.”
Jesse Q. Sutanto, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

QOTD: What book had an ending that left you in shock?

Book Review: “If We Were Villains” By M.L. Rio

I have owned this book for probably three years. It has been sitting on my shelf taunting me everyday since I purchased it. My best friend has been suggesting I pick it up for even longer than that it seems, so it was about time that I finally pulled this book down and flipped through its pages.

“For someone who loved words as much as I did, it was amazing how often they failed me.”
M.L. Rio, If We Were Villains

About The Book

Author: M.L. Rio

Publisher: FlatIron Books

Published Date: April 11th, 2017

Page Count: 354 Pages

Main Genre: Dark Academia

GoodReads Rating: 4.09

Format: Audio/Physical

“You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.”
M.L. Rio, If We Were Villains

Synopsis

Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail – for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he’s released, he’s greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.

As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.

Synopsis From GoodReads

Rating

Review

I desperately wanted to rate this book higher than I did, however, I feel as if this was the rating the book was going to receive no matter what.

The main reason I had put this book off for so long was because I knew it was going to have a lot of Shakespeare texts and underlying meanings that would frankly, go right over my head. This, I was not wrong about. But with context clues I could gather little snippets here and there which I was honestly proud about.

If I were to be completely honest with you I didn’t really love any of our characters. I feel as if they were all very flawed. I can see why the author wrote them this way for the plot but I needed someone to want to cheer for to keep my interest piqued. This is honestly more of a poor reflection on me rather than the text though.

While I may have not loved the characters I did find James at least partly interesting, especially as we neared the end of the book. I feel as if his character had the most growth or shall I say decent into madness? He didn’t feel as one note as most of the other characters and knowing the ending of the book I can see why his character interested me so much.

I felt as if the beginning and end of the book moved quickly but the middle drug out for me. I can understand the importance of the plot line here but It made me struggle to want to pick the book up other than the fact that I wanted to know the truth much like Colborne. If the pacing had picked up a bit in the middle I could have seen this book getting a bit of a higher rating from me.

I hope to re read this book one day in the future, maybe with a bit more of an appreciation for Shakespearean texts as I think this book could mean so much more to me with just an inkling of an understanding of his work. The book has the potential to only grow in ratings with the more I read it.

“But that is how a tragedy like ours or King Lear breaks your heart—by making you believe that the ending might still be happy, until the very last minute.”
M.L. Rio, If We Were Villains

QOTD: Do you have a love for Shakespeare? If so where would you point someone new to the topic to start?