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Nikole's Bookish Ramblings

@literarily_occupied

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📍 WV 🇺🇲
📋 Goodreads: 61/100
CR: Stay Buried
CL:
👩‍🏫 Library Assistant🩺 Nurse
📚 Reader Reviewer Collector

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Thank you for the Fall display kit and ARC of The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson, Sourcebooks Library!

I can't wait to dive in to this magical story and a new display at the library is definitely on the way. by @literarily_occupied

14

6

a month ago

Book 41 of 2026

Title: The Unicorn Hunters
Author: Katherine Arden
Pub Date: 6/2/2026
Format: Hardcover
Length: 368 pgs
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Rating: 4 ⭐️

In this historical fiction with a fantastical twist, Anne of Brittany must stand her ground to keep Brittany independent of France. This one was a little slow to get started, but I enjoyed the fantasy elements along with the action and adventure.

SWIPE for Blurb 👉🏻

Do you enjoy reading fantasy? Do you have a favorite fantastical creature or element?

I have to say I do love the unicorns. 🦄 by @literarily_occupied

9

3

3 months ago

Book 40 of 2026

Title: Illegal Formation
Author: Kandi Steiner
Narrator: Audrey Obeyn
Narrator: Aaron Donahue
Series: Red Zone Rivals #6
Pub Date: 7/21/2026
Format: ALC Audiobook
Length: 11 hrs 38 mins
Genre: Sports Romance
Rating: 4 ⭐️

"Illegal Formation" is the sixth and final installment of the Red Zone Rivals series, and even though this is the first one I have read, it's okay because they can easily be read as standalone.

If you're into sports romance (pro football and dance team), forbidden lovers, spicy scenes with an intimate bucket list, a feisty FMC, and a swoon worthy MMC; make sure you grab this book when it releases on July 21.

Again, you don't have to read them in order, but trust me you're going to want to read them all.

I started off reading the digital ARC, then switched to the ALC audiobook as soon as it was sent because that duet narration just can't be beat; especially when it comes to the bedroom heat. 🔥🔥🔥

Thank you Kandi for allowing me the honor of being a part of your ARC team, and for this amazing book mail surprise that showed up on my doorstep today! You truly are the best! 🫶🏻

TROPES:
Sports Romance
Forbidden
Secret Hookups
Workplace Romance (football player x cheerleader)
Opposites Attract
Caretaker Hero
High Stakes Relationship
Sneaking Around

SWIPE for Blurb and Teasers! 👉🏻

What was your last book mail? by @literarily_occupied

13

10

3 months ago

Book 39 of 2026

Title: Lore Olympus Vol. 10
Author: Rachel Smythe
Pub Date: 6/2/2026
Format: Hardcover
Length: 448 pgs
Genre: YA Fantasy Graphic Novel
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

It's the wedding of the millenia and I'm not talking about T. Swift and Killa Trav. Hades and Persephone have finally tied the knot, but their wedding bliss is short lived as they encounter one obstacle after another. I have been loving this series from the start and it has yet to let me down. The storyline remains engaging and the artwork is as gorgeous as ever. I can't believe we are just one volume away from the series completion. What am I gonna do to get my Hades and Persephone fix?!

SWIPE for Blurb 👉🏻

What's next on your TBR shelf?

I think I am going with The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden. If you've read it, what did you think? I am intrigued with the historical fantasy aspect of it. by @literarily_occupied

10

6

3 months ago

Book 38 of 2026

Title: Broken Country
Author: Clare Leslie Hall
Narrator: Hattie Morahan
Pub Date: 3/4/2025
Format: Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs 11 mins
Genre: Literary, Romance, Suspense
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

Broken Country was our library book club read for June. It is achingly beautiful; full of tragedy, love, and loss. The story unfolds through multiple timelines with writing that is easy to follow and characters that burrow into the depths of your soul. This book has something for everyone with a little mystery, lots of love, and some suspense to keep the reader engaged. I chose to listen to the audiobook and found the narration pleasing.

SWIPE for Blurb 👉🏻

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? If not, what are you reading now? by @literarily_occupied

10

3

3 months ago

Book 37 of 2026

Title: The Tapestry of Fate
Author: Shannon Chakraborty
Series: Amina al-Sirafi #2
Pub Date: 5/12/2026
Format: ALC Audiobook
Length: 20 hrs
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Rating: 4 ⭐️

Another epic adventure featuring female pirate captain, Amina al-Sirafi, and her ragtag crew.

We've had to wait just over three years for this follow-up to book one, and book two leaves us on another cliff-hanger. Hopefully it won't take three more years to get the next installment, but if that's the case and the writing remains the same, it will be worth it.

I didn't rate this book as highly as I did the first, it just didn't consume me the way the first one had, but I still really enjoyed the larger-than-life characters and the complex fantastical world that Shannon has created.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the advance Audiobook Listening Copy in exchange for an honest review.

SWIPE for Blurb 👉🏻 by @literarily_occupied

9

4

3 months ago

JUNE READING WRAP-UP 📚

Total: 5
4 Books / 1,330 Pages
1 Audiobook / 7 Hours 23 Minutes

4 ⭐️
📖 Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth
🎧 Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
📖 The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
📖 The Cove by L.J. Ross
📖 The Glue by K. Webster

Top Read: Seek the Traitor's Son

QOTD: What was your top read for June?

Check my previous posts for individual reviews! by @literarily_occupied

8

6

3 months ago

Book 36 of 2026

Title: The Glue
Author: K. Webster
Series: Taboo Treats
Pub Date: 9/1/2018
Format: E-book
Length: 290 pgs
Genre: Romance, Erotica
Rating: 4 ⭐️

I love these little taboo treats from K. Webster. They are the perfect morsel of erotica when I want something a little more naughty than your average spicy romance.

The Glue is MMF, LGBTQ+ romance involving a struggling married couple and a hot college student that wants to help them keep their marriage together.

It might not be your typical relationship, but for these three consenting adults, it fits just right.

SWIPE for Blurb 👉🏻 by @literarily_occupied

6

3

4 months ago

Book 35 of 2026

Title: The Cove
Author: L.J. Ross
Series: Summer Suspense Mysteries #1
Pub Date: 7/22/2021
Format: Paperback
Length: 320 pgs
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Romance
Rating: 4 ⭐️

So my proclivity for wanting to go in blind backfired on me at first with this book. I was expecting a fast-paced thriller like the author's Alexander Gregory series, but this was more of a slow build romantic mystery with some humor and thrill mixed in. I still enjoyed book once I adjusted my expectations after reading the blurb where it clearly says this is not a straightforward thriller.

I loved the Cornwall setting with its remote feel and craggy seascape. This looks to be a series of standalone mysteries and I look forward to the next.

SWIPE for Blurb 👉🏻 by @literarily_occupied

10

4

4 months ago

Book 34 of 2026

Title: The Caretaker
Author: Marcus Kliewer
Pub Date: 4/21/2026
Format: Hardcover
Length: 320 pgs
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
Rating: 4 ⭐️

If you're looking for an atmospheric read that's unsettling with a supernatural flare, this may be the book for you. Kliewer is so good at creating a slow building dread, and then once the beat drops, so to speak, it's an edge of your seat thrill ride with an "oh shit" ending.

SWIPE for Blurb 👉🏻 by @literarily_occupied

11

4

4 months ago

Book 33 of 2026

Title: Run for the Hills
Author: Kevin Wilson
Narrator: Marin Ireland
Pub Date: 5/13/2025
Format: Audiobook
Length: 7 hrs 23 mins
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 4 ⭐️

Run for the Hills was the book discussed at our library book club meeting this month. It had about a 60/40 review, with the majority not particularly fond of the book. I fell in the minority. I love quirky, out of the box characters and this book has them in spades. While at the core of the book is a sad and serious story, the way the author tells it and has the characters navigating it leaves this book feeling almost lighthearted and had me chuckling at times. Run for the Hills puts the FUN in this dysfunctional family drama through a good old-fashioned road trip.

This was the first book I have read by Kevin Wilson, along with everyone else in the book club, but I have also had my eye on "Nothing to See Here" which was hugely successful and popular. Given my enjoyment of this book I will be giving that one a read as well.

SWIPE for Blurb 👉🏻 by @literarily_occupied

8

3

4 months ago

Book 32 of 2026

Title: Seek the Traitor's Son
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Burning Empire #1
Pub Date: 5/12/2026
Format: Digital ARC
Length: 432 pgs
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Dystopian
Rating: 4 ⭐️

I didn't have that immediate connection with Seek the Traitor's Son as I had with the Divergent series, but over the course of the book it started to grow on me. I enjoyed the dystopian landscape and the drama of the two warring factions (one with magical gifts and the other more tech science focused), but the chemistry I needed for the romance to "hit" wasn't quite there for me.

Looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and Tor Books of Macmillan for this digital Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

SWIPE for Blurb 👉🏻 by @literarily_occupied

8

5

4 months ago