This October is the first spooky season that I’ve lived in my own flat, by myself, and I have leaned heavily into the cosy girl aesthetic. Think boucle, blankets and baby pumpkins galore. Every night I’ve had a cosy scene on YouTube (there’s so much more out there than just the Netflix fireplace) and snuggled up with a book. For that reason, I’ve read a total of SEVEN (!) books this month. Fly through my October 2023 reading wrap up to find out which have cast a spell on me, and which I’d burn at the stake.
‘TLSIR’ = ‘Too Long, Should I Read?’
📖 Verity by Colleen Hoover
💫💫💫 TLSIR; No
I wanted to give CoHo another try (It Ends With Us did NOT land for me) and I thought Verity, a thriller rather than a romance, might be a good place for her to redeem herself. Tell me why this book has so, so much build-up, and then rushes to the finish line like Mo Farah sprinting to the loo after his morning coffee? I really enjoyed how Hoover wrote the character of Verity and I won’t lie, at times I was a little creeped out reading the book, which was exactly what I was hoping for. But when it came to “the big reveal” as it were, the reveal literally lasted about 5 seconds long. It was like ‘alright…that’s that then, cba to write any more’. Then, as if to absolve herself, she gives us a “I woke up and it was all a dream”-esque ending. Honestly, give over.
📱The Enchanted Garden Cafe by Abigail Drake
💫💫💫💫💫 TLSIR; Yes
This book is pure joy from start to finish. The perfect cosy, autumnal read for this time of year and I won’t hear anything otherwise! The book follows our main character Fiona who is trying to save her family cafe – The Enchanted Garden Cafe – from being demolished. Along the way she’s trying to deal with a shitty ex-boyfriend, coming to terms with her spirituality (I don’t want to say magic here, think more reiki healing, chakra vibes), and of course, falling in love with a dishy someone-new-in-town. There’s a diverse cast of characters in the book who were easy to read and easy to love. For a book I happened across on Kindle Unlimited, I have no notes.
📱The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith
💫💫💫💫 TLSIR; Yes
Set in the Chanceaux Valley in turn-of-the-century France, The Vine Witch begins with our heroine, Elena, emerging from a curse that has turned her into a toad for the last 7 years. Seeking revenge on the one who cursed her, she returns back to château to continue her work as a vine witch i.e. using spells and potions and all things magic to make wine taste bloody delicious. However, in those 7 years the château no longer belongs to her grandmother & grandfather but now to a rather handsome (and protective in a I-know-I-shouldn’t-like-this-trait-but-I-do way) man who doesn’t believe in magic. A not-friends-to-lovers trope I hear you cry? Babes, you bloody know it. Whilst Elena just wants pure vengeance and a good glug of French red, unfortunately the author has rather different plans for her future. The GoodReads reviews I read about this book were scathing but I loved it. Anything that combines magic with wine is a winning combination in my eyes. I enjoyed the medium-pacing that gave space for luscious scenes of the valley and vineyards to be painted and I liked that it didn’t just stick to the fantasy romance genre, but also incorporated themes of murder-mystery and a little of the occult too. In all honestly I’ll likely be reading books 2 and 3 in this series before the year is out.
📱Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
💫💫 TLSIR; No
Honestly, I forgot I even read this book. And therein ends my review.
Jokes (kinda, not really). This book was fine for a quick palette cleanser or if you fancy reading something that will keep you compelled but not entirely satisfied once you finished. Like when you keep eating a Sunday roast, praying that there is a Yorkshire pudding hiding somewhere. You having enjoyed the meal, but still thinking about that never-to-be-found Yorkshire pudding.
📖 The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
💫💫💫💫 TLSIR; Yes
Me and my sister joke about death A L O T. Some people get it and laugh along, but most people look highly uncomfortable and change the topic ASAP rocky. This book was the former of the two, something that I very much appreciated seeing as the storyline focussed so heavily on death (those who know me will know that I will have cried reading this). It’s not macabre or draining though, in fact, strangely enough, it’s quite uplifting and probably a book I’d pick up on days where I’d feel like I need a little bit of hope. TDR follows Florence, a ghostwriter who’s returning home for the first time in 10 years to bury her father (dead parent, weep). But who should turn up at her doorstep? Only the ghost of her hot new editor, who she is now bound to fall in love with! The drama! I guessed the twist at the end and had to suspend some logical thought in order to allow myself to get fully carried away in the plot but if you don’t overthink it, you’ll have a good time.
📖 Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
💫💫💫💫💫 TLSIR; Yes
When I say that I. ATE. THIS. SHIT. UP. Girl who’s been passed around like a Baudelaire orphan! Weird creepy house!! Eccentric, rich family that keep trying to die!!! SEXY, FLIRTATIOUS DEATH!!!! I’m not going to go totally in-depth about this book because I think I’m going to have to do a whole post dedicated to it but if you’re a fan of gothic fantasy romance with a murder mystery storyline, I can almost guarantee that you’ll enjoy Belladonna. Also, if you’re a fan of shadows (the kind that Azriel employs) then this will definitely be a bit of you.
📖 The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling
💫💫💫💫 TLSIR; Yes
The second in the Ex Hex series, Erin Sterling’s second book follows Gwyn Jones as she falls (against her better judgement, will and want) for Llewellyn Penhallow. This book is a classic enemies to lovers, black cat / golden retriever energy set in a town akin to Stars Hallow, with a couple of blush-worthy sex scenes thrown in for good measure. 4.5 stars from me because I realllllly wanted this to be a wlw read, and left it getting dusty on my shelf for quite a while once I found out it wasn’t. That being said, it’s a super quick and easy read, and perfect to round off the spookiest reading wrap up of the year with!
