I started off the year with a few different genres! A bit of thriller, hockey romance, dark romance, romantasy and non-fiction. There are a few books that got released in January that I was so hyped for, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint!
Okay so these are the 9 books I read in January:
- Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden
- Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
- The Mistake by Elle Kennedy
- The Score by Elle Kennedy
- Bad Intentions by Mila Kane
- God Of Pain by Rina Kent
- Villains Of Lore by Jasmine Mas
- Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova
- The Ascended by Parker Lenox
- Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Wiliams
Let’s Review Them!
“Dear Debbie” by Freida McFadden (Thriller)
Debbie Mullen has built a reputation on giving advice. As the voice behind the beloved Dear Debbie column, she’s spent years offering comfort and guidance to the wives of New England. She listens to their stories of neglect, cruelty, and quiet desperation. She has always tried to do the right thing. Always tried to be kind. But lately, everything is falling apart.
She’s been fired from the job that defined her. Her teenage daughters are acting strange and distant. And her husband? He’s hiding something, at least, that’s what the tracking app on his phone seems to suggest. The more Debbie digs, the clearer it becomes: she’s been playing the bigger person for far too long.
Debbie is done being patient. Done being sensible. Done taking her own advice and handing it out to everyone else. Now, she’s ready to follow it herself. And this time, the people who’ve wronged her are finally going to get exactly what they deserve.
Review/Rating:
4/5 ⭐
I read it all in one sitting. It was exciting, fun, the plot twists where fun and unexpected and overall a fun read! It isn´t one of my favourite Freida books but regardless Freida never disappoints!
“Rock Paper Scissors” by Alice Feeney (Thriller)
Something has been wrong in Adam and Amelia Wright’s marriage for a long time. So when they win a weekend getaway to a remote Scottish chapel, it feels like fate, one last chance to fix what’s broken.
Adam Wright is a successful screenwriter and a devoted workaholic. He also lives with face blindness, a condition that prevents him from recognizing the people closest to him. Including his own wife. Amelia has learned to live with it. Or at least, she thought she had.
Every year on their anniversary, the couple exchanges traditional gifts, paper, cotton, pottery, tin. And every year, Amelia writes Adam a letter he is never meant to read. Until this anniversary. They both know this trip will either save their marriage or destroy it. But what they don’t know is that this weekend was never won by chance. One of them is lying. One of them has a plan. And someone is determined that this story will not end happily ever after.
Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. One unforgettable anniversary.
Review/Rating:
4.5/5 ⭐
I DEVOURED this book! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! I did not see that plot twist coming. Definitely one of my top thrillers I have read so far!
“The Mistake” by Elle Kennedy (Hockey Romance)
John Logan has it all, on the ice and off. As Briar University’s star hockey player, he’s used to parties, hookups, and never being told no. But beneath the charm and effortless smiles, Logan is haunted by the future he doesn’t want. One that feels increasingly inevitable as graduation approaches. A brief, intoxicating encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is supposed to be nothing more than a distraction. Instead, one careless mistake sends her walking away… and Logan realizes losing her might be the biggest mistake of his life.
Now he’s determined to win her back, no matter what it takes.
Grace Ivers has changed. After a rocky freshman year, she returns to Briar older, tougher, and far less willing to be dazzled by a cocky hockey star. She’s done being overlooked, done being underestimated, and definitely done being treated like just another girl in Logan’s orbit. If he wants a second chance, he’s going to have to earn it.
This time, Grace is calling the shots, and she has every intention of making Logan work for her heart… and driving him a little crazy along the way.
Review/Rating:
4/5 ⭐
I LOVED Logan in this book! This is the first hockey romance I have read in monthssss and it did not disappoint!
“The Score” by Elle Kennedy (Hockey Romance)
Allie Hayes is officially freaking out. Graduation is around the corner, her future is a giant question mark, and her long-term relationship has just imploded, taking her heart with it. A reckless rebound with a gorgeous hockey player is the last thing she needs. Unfortunately, Dean Di Laurentis is very hard to say no to. One night. That’s it. Because no matter how uncertain her life feels, it definitely doesn’t include the campus king of one-night stands.
Dean Di Laurentis is used to winning. On the ice, in the classroom, and especially with women, his confidence is legendary, and usually well deserved. He’s never met a girl who didn’t fall for his charm… until Allie. One unforgettable night with her leaves him wanting more, but she’s drawing a hard line at friendship.
Too bad Dean has never been good at quitting.
As he sets his sights on winning Allie over, unexpected changes force him to rethink everything he thought he wanted. Maybe it’s time to stop chasing the next victory, and take a real shot at love instead.
Review/Rating:
4/5 ⭐
A super fun hockey romance read! As the Off-Campus series comes out this year I wanted to read all the books beforehand to know what I´ve got to look forward to!
“Bad Intentions” by Mila Kane (Dark Romance)
Lily: His name was Cayden, and everyone loved him. He was charming, untouchable, the kind of golden boy who could do no wrong. Everyone saw the version of him he wanted them to see.
I saw the cracks beneath the mask. I saw what he really was. And once you see something like that, there’s no going back. Maybe if I hadn’t, things would’ve been different. Maybe he would have let me walk away. But I saw him. And worse… he saw me.
Now the coach says Cayden is moving in for the season, right into the room next to mine. There’s no escape. No safe distance. I’m trapped under the same roof as my bully, watching him watch me, every second of every day.
Review/Rating:
4/5 ⭐
This book was dark, it was sexy, and it was an exquisite read! I love my dark romance, broody men. He´s her new foster brother… If that doesn´t convince you to read this, then I don´t know what will.
“God Of Pain” by Rina Kent (Dark Romance)
Creighton King and Annika Volkov should never work. He’s quiet, cold, and impossible to read. She’s vibrant, talkative, and impossible to ignore. On the surface, they’re complete opposites, but the secrets they carry could destroy them both.
Creighton is brooding, hostile, and dangerously self-contained. Few people get close to him, and he intends to keep it that way. Behind his striking silence lies a violent past he knows he can never outrun. Hurting others is the only way he knows how to quiet the darkness inside him.
Annika is everything Creighton is not, warm, fearless, and full of light. She sees something in him no one else does and refuses to back away, even when she should. What she doesn’t realize is just how deep his darkness runs… or how closely their families’ histories are intertwined. As attraction turns to obsession, Creighton knows one thing for certain: once he wants her, he won’t let her go.
Review/Rating:
4/5 ⭐
A dark romance, grumpy x sunshine, sexy book! I really enjoyed reading this. So far I´m loving the Legacy Of Gods series!
The “Villains Of Lore” series by Jasmine Mas (Romantasy)
Blood Of Hercules
Bonds Of Hercules
I’m barely surviving in a world ruled by Titans and Spartans, immortal elites from twelve royal families with godlike powers and obscene wealth. As a shy, stammering foster kid with nothing to my name, I’ve learned to stay invisible. I hide my scars, keep my head down, and focus on school. Or at least, I try to.
Then everything changes. A routine blood test exposes the truth: I’m not powerless after all. I’m one of them. A Spartan.
Dragged into the brutal halls of the Spartan War Academy, I’m forced to endure a deadly trial designed to decide whether I’m worthy of immortality. Failing isn’t an option, but surviving won’t be easy. My mentors are Achilles and Patro. My professors include Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war. And someone is always watching me… whether it’s a stalker, an enemy, or the slow unraveling of my own sanity, I can’t be sure.
I’m surrounded by villains who thrive on power, obsession, and control. They think I’m weak, that I don’t belong. They have no idea who they’ve just awakened.
Review/Rating:
5/5 ⭐
One of my favourite series I have read so far! The books reminded me a bit of Zodiac Academy. Their an alchemy cocktail of fun, crazy and weird! NYX is my spirit animal. I rarely laugh out loud from books but Nyx was hilarious. Now the guys… they are dark, morally grey, but will LITERALY do anything for their woman. This is a reverse harem by the way! This book is filled with Greek gods, morally grey men, powerful FMC´s and animals that talk…
“Dragon Cursed” by Elise Kova (Romantasy)
The moment you see a dragon is usually the moment you die.
Since their arrival, and the devastation they unleashed, only one human city still stands: Vinguard. But the fire raining from the skies is nothing compared to the terror lurking within its walls. Because the cruelest fate of all is being dragon cursed.
The curse works slowly, painfully, turning its victims into mindless beasts destined to destroy everything, and everyone, they once loved. Anyone could be infected. Anyone could be hiding it. And anyone discovered is swiftly hunted down and killed.
I’m terrified I might be next. There’s only one person who seems to suspect the truth. Lucan follows me like a shadow, part protector, part tormentor, endlessly infuriating, and impossible to escape. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just one more secret among the many he refuses to reveal.
Because Lucan knows something. And if I’m dragon cursed, death may be the only mercy left to me.
Review/Rating:
5.5/5 ⭐
This book CONSUMED MEEEE. Wow I’m actually so pleasantly surprised. It started off slightly slow for me but by 40% in I couldn’t put it down. And don’t get me started on the ending… This book is Enemies to lovers / Dark trials / Secrets /Dragonsss
Definitely some heart breaking moments…
I’m so excited to see Isolas journey in the next book🤭
And can we take a minute to appreciate Lucan🙋🏽♀️ my man my man my man
“The Ascended” by Parker Lennox (Romantasy)
When twins Thais and Thatcher Morvaren are dragged into the deadly Trials of Ascension, survival is no longer enough. The brutal competitions promise godhood to the victors and death to the rest, forcing them to confront forbidden desires and buried truths. Because in a world ruled by divine power, some secrets are worth dying for… and others are worth killing for.
To her seaside village, Thais is nothing more than a fisherman’s daughter, shucking oysters for summer tourists. But beneath the disguise lies a dangerous truth…
When a priest’s ritual exposes her divine blood, Thais is seized and forced into the very fate she’s spent her life avoiding. Trapped in a competition she never chose, she turns fear into resolve. Her goal is no longer survival, but vengeance, against Olinthar, King of the Gods, the father whose divine touch cost her mother’s life.
As if the trials weren’t cruel enough, Thais is bound to a mentor she can’t escape: Xül, a necromancer prince with bloodstained hands, a razor-sharp tongue, and secrets as dark as the magic he wields. Their clash is immediate and volatile, arrogance meets defiance, and neither is willing to surrender… especially not to the dangerous heat simmering between them.
With every trial survived, Thais inches closer to godhood. But beyond the spectacle of divine competition, something ancient stirs in the shadows, an evil powerful enough to tear the heavens apart.
Review/Rating:
5/5 ⭐
5 stars!!!
What a cliffhanger!!! Wtfffff
I’ve seen a lot of people suggest reading the Esprithean series before this book as it’s part of the same universe, but then looking at the reviews I decided to just read the ascended first and it was still really good!
I think technically it can be read as a standalone but I see why people would say to read the other series first.
But I’ve decided I’m gonna read the Esprithean series. If it’s anything like the ascended I don’t see why I wouldn’t like it, plus it will help me understand a few things from this book…🫣😭
Tropes: enemies to lovers / gods and legends / deadly trials
“Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Wiliams
Careless People is a blistering memoir that pulls back the curtain on one of the most powerful companies in the world. From inside Facebook’s inner circle, it offers a front-row view of the decisions that have quietly shaped global politics, culture, and communication, and the people who made them.
Through private jets, meetings with world leaders, and unsettling behind-the-scenes encounters, Sarah Wynn-Williams exposes a workplace defined by unchecked power, misogyny, and staggering double standards. With sharp insight and dark humor, she reveals the personal and political consequences of a company culture where a small group of individuals carelessly hold the world in their hands.
Wynn-Williams traces Facebook’s meteoric rise, from awkward dealings with authoritarian regimes to the moment Mark Zuckerberg confronted the platform’s role in Donald Trump’s election. Along the way, she lays bare the realities of motherhood inside a relentless corporate machine, where women are urged to “lean in” while being systematically undermined.
Wynn-Williams delivers a powerful reckoning with social media’s grip on our lives and the dangerous truth about Facebook’s leadership: the more power they accumulated, the less accountable they became, and the consequences belong to all of us.
Review/Rating:
5/5 ⭐
A fantastic read! I think everyone should read this book. People should know what these big companies like Meta do in the background.
At one point, Sarah (ex Facebook employee) mentions that Facebook programmed their algorithm to specifically target vulnerable teenagers. It would look for words searched and posted by teens such as “ugly” “low self esteem” and then show them beauty content (makeup, slimming teas) preying on their insecurities to get them to buy…
February Reads Coming Soon!
I hope you enjoyed my review of my January reads! Have you read any of these book? If you have le me know your opinions in the comment section below. Happy reading!
