Che-Michelle Tales

Make progress, not perfection! It’s the motto this year!

Well, well, well, this month was a bit rough for reading. I have finished three books this month, two via Kindle and one via Spotify. I recently found out, around December 2023, that Spotify now offers audiobooks to Premium members. Three books in one month are not too bad. There were two snow days where I lived, but unfortunately, I could not read during the snow days (I had to work). Regarding blogging, the last blog I posted was on January 14, 2023, both the unfinished books of 2023 and paid-for content. I forgot to post my blog post on Instagram this month. I am aiming to return to posting and planning content for February. February is such a dynamic month; it is Black History Month, the Month of Romance; this is how we get all the November Scorpios and Sagittarius. Also, we have a leap year this year, which I get a good feeling about energetically. I want February’s post to focus on Romance books, with a few from African American and African Diaspora writers. But this post is about January and not February.

Books I read this month and finished:

Siren’s Call by Jessica Cage- I want to write a review for the whole series, but I will say this book is quite interesting. We are introduced to Syrinada, a woman down on her luck. She is trying to survive when a dangerous and wild series of events forces her to search for answers and learn the truth about her family and past. The scenes are dynamic, and the character development is terrific. I will say I love the book’s second half more than the first half. It was a great introduction to the world-building of Jessica Cage. I will be starting Siren’s Test in a few days. Many questions need answering, and the book ends on a slight cliffhanger. I would give this book three wine glasses out of five.

The Queen Con by Meghan Scott Molin – The 2^nd book in the Golden Arrow Mysteries. In this book, we see MG betting on herself, moving forward with going for her dreams, and her life is moving forward; progress, not perfection, is genuinely what MG shows in this book. Her friends have become overnight celebrities with their help on the Golden Arrow case; she has a wonderful boyfriend who loves her. Everything cannot be ideal, and Ryan starts acting weird and stand-offish; Lawerence is hiding parts of his life from MG. I had a whole argument with MG in my head. MG freaks out about being in a relationship and is tempted to date others. I love the Queen Con; it was great to see even with progress, one can still deal with self-doubt and overthinking. I will finish this series in March. This book will get 3.5 wine glasses out of five. I plan to write and publish my dream cast if this becomes a series. I can see this book series turning into an Amazon or Netflix series.

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert – I am a sucker for reimagined mythology. Katee Robert has created an itch with her Wicked Villains and Dark Olympus series. I have read this series out of order, but I do not mind because it makes reading the books even more spicy. I listened to Wicked Beauty via Spotify Audio Books. I loved every moment of Helen’s story; it is done in homage to Helen of Troy, who was genuinely used as a “Mary Sue” in Homer’s epic poems. I always felt Helen had more to her, and to run away with a Prince from another country, her story was short-changed. In this book, Helen Kasios is part of the Kasios family, her brother, the new Zeus, and her sister Aphrodite, and she is attempting not to be a pawn in her family’s power moves. We also get Achilles and Patroclus’s love story of being warriors, lovers, and friends. I love every part of the book; it was well-written and engaging. I was cheering for Helen’s tenacity, laughing at Achilles’ Pride and slight Hambro nature, and in awe of Patroclus’s humility and intelligence. The sex scenes are top-tier; even Katee wrote the tenderness between all three characters. I plan to do a comparative essay/blog between The Beast and Wicked Beauty. I read both within a month of each other, but I realize you can see the growth of a writer’s skill between the two books, and they have similar themes. If you have Spotify, listen to this book. Katee Robert’s books are on a playlist; you can start from the beginning or wherever your heart desires. I would give this book 3.85 wine glasses out of five.

Overall, this month was not horrible; I just felt unproductive. I read three books and wrote at least five posts. If you have Spotify Premium, jump on the availability of audiobooks. Get you reading and listening on.

Until next time,

Che Michelle