Week of December 8, 2025

It’s time I accept the truth: I’m too old to be taking redeye flights 😳. My body simply can’t bounce back from a night of dubious sleep like it used to. I flew back from Idaho this week on a redeye through San Diego (weird route, I know) and even though the flight was fine, it was less than ideal. By the time I landed in Philadelphia, I’d had maybe an hours’ worth of actual sleep, and I’m too old to function on no sleep! And I had a head cold on top of that, which I 100% do not recommend when flying.

Is everyone finished with their holiday shopping? It’s time I buckle down and get serious about finishing mine. I’ll finish putting up my decorations this weekend (being away last weekend threw off my timeline a bit for that) and we’ve got a couple of parties to go to this weekend. And then next week is set aside for shopping and wrapping.

And finally, who’s watching Heated Rivalry? Episode 4 dropped this week and I’m still very impressed with the adaptation! The actors are doing an amazing job at bringing the writing to life and the furtive glances and stolen kisses reveal pages worth of back story every time. It’s just so well done. I’m already looking forward to episode 5!

• As always, here’s my rating scale for your information:

  ⭐️ Did not like this book, would not recommend. Lots of errors, plot holes, not worth the effort to read, most likely didn’t finish. But I’m giving this author a single star for making the effort to publish a book. Not everyone’s even gotten that far, so yay for you.

  ⭐️⭐️ Didn’t really like it, multiple issues with style, plot, syntax or characters. Most likely forced myself to finish it. Would consider other books by the same author but I might have to be convinced.

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Enjoyed the book. Perhaps there were issues with plot or style but it was an enjoyable read. I could see recommending it if it were of a specific genre or trope or series. Most of what I read could easily fall into this category and I’d be a happy camper.

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a good book. Like a really good book. I will think about this book when I’m finished, and there’s a really good chance I’ll buy it for my personal library if it was a KU read. I’d recommend it to other readers of the same genre or trope. I’ll definitely search out other books by this author, probably as soon as I’m finished reading.

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wow. Just wow. Amazing book, amazing story. If there were flaws in the book I’m completely overlooking them because in my mind the book was sheer perfection. I didn’t want the book to end and I’m immediately adding it to my favorites and my re-read pile. And if there’s an audio version I might have to buy that, too. I have a book hangover, I miss the characters, and I feel actual, physical loss in my life when this book is finished.

Thanks for joining me this week! Let’s dive in!

1. The Long Game, by Rachel Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️

   OK, I had to re-read the series ender because of all the Heated Rivalry hubbub all over social media. And now that I’ve read this, I remember why I didn’t love it the first time around either. I liked book #2 much better than this one, even though I do love Shane and Ilya as a couple. But between watching the show and now re-reading these books, I’m beginning to love Ilya 1000% more and like Shane 1000% less. Who even is Shane? He never really developed a personality at all. He’s a neat freak, he’s almost prissy, and he’s never revealed anything vulnerable about himself. Ilya, on the other hand, has had a great back-story between his exploits with his coaches' son in Russia, his reputation as a hot head on the ice, his temperament in the locker room, his status as a leader. We don’t get a feel for any of that with Shane at all, either in the first book or this one. So why is Ilya even in love with him? Just his freckles? Ilya’s deeper than that. In this book, Ilya points out to Shane that he’s not sacrificed much at all for the sake of the relationship. Ilya has given up everything for Shane, he’s madly in love with him, and I guess I just don’t see why. I don’t see enough in Shane to be head over heels for. Ilya has a much stronger personality from day 1, and I never really capture Shane’s appeal through any of this book. This book goes through a lot of Ilya’s struggle, his therapy, his opening up to new friends, all while Shane just goes about his life - as dull as it is. This book didn’t solidify anything for me. I’m actually hoping that the actors in the show can make this book feel better for me. We’ll see, probably next year when they get around to season 2 on the TV show. To be determined!

2. The Rycke, by Lily Mayne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   This Monstrous series is so out of the ordinary for me but I really enjoy it. It’s not a series I binge - I like having some time between these books, but when I pick up the next one I’m always excited to revisit this post-apocalyptic world that Lily Mayne has created. This book focuses on some of the raiders living in The Wastes. My minds’ eye goes right to “Mad Max” as a Gen X person when I try to conjure the wastes and her descriptions are really good. The monsters in these stories are always epic, and Aury, the sole surviving Rycke, is no different. I’m continually impressed how Mayne can create true love stories out of such desolate and desperate times and among characters with literally nothing in common at all, and yet it always works. This was another really strong installment in the series. She left Rig’s character out there at the end so I’m hoping we’ll see him in an upcoming book - I liked him.

3. Pack Up The Moon, Kristan Higgins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

   Oh my goodness, I didn’t see this one coming. What a beautiful book in so many ways. Joshua is a brilliant biomedical engineer who is on the spectrum and falls for Lauren not the first time he meets her, but the second time he knows instantly that she’s the one. And he knows that they’ll be together forever. But their forever turns out to be far too short due to a terminal illness that Lauren learns about shortly after they get together. When Lauren decides to face her fate and live each day the best she can, she writes Josh 12 letters to be delivered to him, one per month, in the year after she passes. This book is told largely through those letters and the life that Josh lives around receiving those letters, but also through Lauren’s writings to her deceased Dad, almost in journal form. Each of her letters to Josh gives him a task to do to bring him out of the funk she fears he will have fallen into, proving how well she both knows him and loves him enough to help him move past her death. It’s the most heart-wrenching book I’ve read in a long time, but also one that is so uplifting and touching. From the Great Beyond as Lauren calls it, she helps Josh find friends, find purpose, find lost family, find peace and eventually find love again. And it’s just a gorgeous book. Have your tissues handy for this one.

4. Rust And Stardust, by Atreus Rosewood ⭐️⭐️

   Kind of juvenile, honestly. Coming off a stellar read with book #3 above, this felt particular dull. Beau and Lucas fell for each other in a matter of 2 days, were professing their love within the week, and Beau had come out to his family and his town by the end of the week. It was very tidy and perfect. And add in a lot of “darlin’s” and “cowboy’s” for good measure and you’ve got this book figured out already. The Texas drawl written into the book was over the top and nothing about this felt the least bit genuine. I’d pass on this one. Apparently this is book one in a series - I don’t think I need more of this.

That’s it for this week! As always, you can keep up with all of my reading on my Goodreads if you want to.https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12921106-karen

Love, Karen