migreads

October was a mishmosh of seasonal reads and reading dictated by what came in from the library. Halloween never really ends for me, so more dark reads to come!

I never posted September's wrap up, so enjoy another post!

Their shared love of a book series was also such a cute way to connect them!

🕹️ Enemies to Lovers
🕹️ Mutual Pining
🕹️ Forced Proximity
🕹️ Professional Rivals

Viola spent years thinking Jessie hated her, but never had a chance to confront him until their companies were competing for the chance to design a new video game based on their favorite book. I love a good enemies to lovers story especially when you add forced proximity and some mutual pining!

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

I am determined to no longer let my "free" spotify listening hours go to waste, so this shorter audio was a great listen!

🏍️ Mafia Romance
🏍️ Cam Girl
🏍️ Secret identity
🏍️ Second Chance

I really liked how the family dynamics of Junior's mob connected family were played out and left so much more to be shared. I love that this book picked up just after the epilogue of the first one, so we got more of Aly and Josh (and the new friendship between Josh and Junior) as well!

Caught Up by Navessa Allen

What happens when you take a mob guy trying to get out and a cam girl trying to make sex work safer for everyone? Perfection!
I had no idea who would be the second couple in this series, but then I fell in love with Lauren and Junior.

🚲 Horror Romance
🚲 Cursed Island
🚲 Sapphic
🚲 Summoned Monster

House of Rayne by Harley Laroux

This story was an amazing combination of creepy and spicy! The setting brought so much to the story. The closed, kinda cult-like community on an island that is inaccessible for half the year, plus a spirit and a literal monster, made for an incredible October read!

The dark humor was top notch and the wit had me literally bursting out laughing at the most messed up moments!

💀 Dark Romance
💀 Mask kink
💀 Stalking, but in a good way
💀 Judgmental cat
💀 Touch her and die

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

Aly and Josh are perfectly fucked up and I love that for them. There were so many moments in this book that had me saying "I know stalking is bad, but he just wants to make sure she's safe! It's fine!"

Lan really needed someone to hold her and tell her that she could follow any dream she wanted and that's how Vivi made such an impact.

🪷 Young Adult
🪷 Family history
🪷 Aspiring writer
🪷 Next great adventure
🪷 Finding joy after loss

A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen

This was such a cute story! I loved Vivi's determination to learn about where her parents came from and what their lives (especially her mom's) may have looked like.

Ginny's crush made them do some crazy things for Elsie, so while it was hard to see Elsie push them away, it was ultimately what they both needed to get their HEA 🩷

🌊 Sapphic (F/NB)
🌊 Friends to Lovers
🌊 Mutual pining
🌊 Vacation romance
🌊 Career changes

My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilson

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it can lead to a great story. I loved Elise and Ginny's relationship and its evolution over decades of friendship!

Screenshot of recently read books from StoryGraph: Lights Out by Navessa Allen, A Báhn Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen, My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner

I'm so behind on my reading journal posts, but I have been reading!

Millie and Charlotte are two incredibly loveable & flawed people who had their own stories and journeys before the book even started. I love the way the author used flashbacks to give us peeks into their college days.

🏫 Queer Romance
🏫 Friends to Lovers
🏫 Slow Burn
🏫 Second Chances
🏫 Late Bloomer

Meeting Millie by Clare Ashton is book 1 in the Oxford Romance series.

This book was recommended, so I figured "why not?" I was not prepared for the amazing story of college best friends who, now in their 30s, are reconnecting after a falling out at the end of school.

I am still following this story and can't wait for the anime adaptation that was announced!

💽 F/F
🎧 Friends to Lovers
💽 Coming of Age
🎧 Mistaken Identity
💽 High School Drama

To say I am hooked is an understatement! This story is so cute, I love Aya and Mitsuki, and their love of music! A person's music choices can be so personal that I really appreciated how the author used their shared taste in music to bring these two together.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All by Sumiko Arai

I very rarely go for manga, but after a friend suggested this one, I picked up volumes 1 & 2 from my library to fulfill the "Manga, Comic, or Graphic Novel" and "Translated Work" prompts from the Sapphic September challenge.

Got my copy of Alchemised in the mail today 🥰

(pleasantly surprised by the size considering the number of pages)

(also kinda sad I went with the US hardcover because it's kinda boring?)

Now I just have to pick the right time to dive in!

Angela and Krystal are the perfect combination of awkward and slightly oblivious to keep the reader on their toes of what will come next!

🍹 Found Family
🍹 Ace Spectrum Representation
🍹 All the Yearning
🍹 Friends to Lovers

Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez
At 27, Angela has never been kissed. When her TikTok goes viral, she decides to use her new status to host a scavenger hunt with her first kiss as the prize.

Krystal, Angela's long time crush, volunteers to help her plan this event so that Angela can get that kiss!

😈 Paranormal Romance
😈 Grumpy x Sunshine
😈 Cozy Mystery
😈 Spooky Season

Ramona, a demon, lives a quiet life in Maple Hollow making deals and collecting souls, until her souls start to mysteriously go missing. The unexpected pair work together to find out who is stealing Ramona's souls before the thief sets their sights on Iris.

Curses & Cold Brew is book 2 of the Maple Hollow series. This (and book 1) is a great cozy and fun spooky season read!

Iris, a witch, made a deal with a demon and the time to pay up is quickly approaching.

Also...if it matters...Sage rides a motorcycle 🫠

The tension that built between these two had me giggling and kicking my feet when they would offer a hand, that once their relationship shifted, I couldn't help but root for them.

✍️ Academic Rivals
✍️ Professional Rivals
✍️ Grumpy x Sunshine
✍️ Forced Proximity
✍️ Slow Burn