Pretty Ruthless

Pretty Ruthless 

by Lexi Davis 

Book: The Order #2
Publisher: Author
Pub Date: May 28, 2026
Genre: Adult, Romance
Format: ARC
Source: Author
Book Links: Goodreads  Amazon    

At Ashford University, power doesn’t belong to the professors.
It belongs to the students.
The ones with the right names.
The right connections.
The ones who decide what happens behind closed doors.

Becky Dawson doesn’t belong there.
She’s not rich. Not connected. Not invited.
But she knows something’s not right.
And every answer leads back to one man.

Carrson Ashford.
Cold. Controlled. Untouchable.
They say he’s dangerous. They don’t know the half of it.

Now Becky’s on the hunt.
Studying him, following him, learning patterns he thinks no one sees.
Because Carrson isn’t just a man.
He’s a door.
The heir to a world built on power, ambition, and survival.

But Becky isn’t the only predator here.
Carrson notices. Pushes to see if she’ll break.

When he presses a blade to her throat, she doesn’t run.
When he tells her to stay away, she steps closer.
When he tells her to run,
she waits to see if he’ll chase.

That’s a problem.
Because Becky Dawson?
She was never supposed to be part of his world.

But now that she is,
Carrson can’t decide
whether to destroy her…
or make sure she never leaves.

Before Pretty Vicious... there was Pretty Ruthless.
Set in 1994, this dark academia secret society romance is where is all begins, where power is everything, obsession is inevitable, and love is the most dangerous game of all. 

 

My Review: Oh I have a problem... I devoured this book and I don't have the next one in my hands. 

I loved this book. We get a more background on The Order and this one is more of a prequel so you can read this or the first book in any order and you'll be just fine.

Carrson and Becky have a lot going on. Both have their own issues, both want power and well they are so alike it's no wonder they were meant for each other.

Becky lost her twin and ever since then she has been hurting. She takes that and pours it into these sad journal entries she writes to her and it does make you feel for Becky. She also took all of that pain and hyper fixated on something to give her meaning/purpose and that just so happened to bring her to Carrson. 

Before actually meeting him, she had already discovered a lot more than anyone outside the order has figured out about what's going on. Least her theory on everything before she's proven right.

Then the two officially meet. Well...if you call sneaking up on someone playing with knives in the forest meeting. 

From there is when things really pick up even more. Everyday Becky shows up while Carrson is training. Neither really speak much. It's like a mind game but one both secretly enjoy. 

The one day that Becky isn't there, Carrson should be glad but he isn't. It doesn't feel right and he goes looking for her and from there everything changes. 

From this point on, I was hooked even more and before I knew it, I had devoured the rest of the book. It's dark, it's romance, it's dark academia and everything you've come to love from Lexi.

I'm loving this series so much and can't wait for the next book! 

 

My Rating:

✪✪✪✪✪

Weekly Spotlight - Summer Reads

 

Our Perfect Storm

Best friends have one week in paradise to fix their friendship or fall apart in this heart-stopping, utterly romantic new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After and One Golden Summer.

Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old. Both passionate, impulsive, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed . . . and come back together. Until now. It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man.

Then, at the start of the festivities, in walks George. For one glorious evening, surrounded by her loved ones, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning, leaving only a note as an explanation.

Crushed and confused, Frankie returns to her family’s home to wallow. But George has a different idea and a plan for healing Frankie’s broken heart. He wants her to go on her honeymoon. With him. For one week, to the lush rainforests and misty beaches of Tofino.

Frankie agrees, seeing the trip for what it really is: one last chance to repair their friendship. Even if it means unearthing secrets and long buried feelings neither knows how to handle. Even if it means falling apart for good.

Get it Here

 

 

Till Summer Do Us Part

I got what I wanted. I became buddy-buddy with my boss in an instant. But the cost will be hefty . . . finding a husband by tomorrow.

Scottie Price just started a new job, and it's a real sausage fest. She's the only woman on a team filled with Brads and Chads. Expecting a bachelor pad atmosphere, she is quickly corrected when she finds out everyone is happily married.

In an effort to impress her boss, Scottie mentions her non-existent husband in a company meeting. But eagle-eyed Chad points out her lack of wedding ring. Panicked, Scottie creates a story about her unhappy marriage. Unfortunately for Scottie, her boss has a solution - a one-on-one session with the best marriage counsellor in the Northeast, who happens to be her boss's husband.

With no way out of her lie, Scottie agrees to see him. Frantic, she calls in help from her best friend who sets her up with his brother, an improv-obsessed millionaire.

Enter Wilder Wells. More than happy to take on the job, he teaches Scottie the main rule of always say yes. But the rule backfires during the session when Wilder signs them up for an eight-day summer marriage camp with all of Scottie's co-workers where she'll have to share a cabin with her way-too-handsome fake husband.

From New York Times bestselling author comes a brand new sizzling summer read that will have you laughing, swooning . . . and sweating.

Get it Here

 

 

In Stormy Weather

From bestselling indie author Chelsea Curto comes an academic rivals-to-lovers romance about storm-chasing meteorologists during hurricane season in Florida—perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and B.K. Borison.

Nothing can rain on Quincy Monroe’s parade. She’s a woman-in-STEM with a PhD in atmospheric sciences, the host of a successful online weather show, and has one million followers on her meteorology Instagram.

Quincy has spent endless hours forging her path in this male-dominated field, becoming one of the best in the industry. And with a new job opportunity, nothing can derail her success. Except for the ill-timed arrival of Sebastian Dunn.

Sebastian is her best friend’s brother, her long-suffering academic and professional rival, and a flashy TV weatherman from New York City that everyone swoons over. Everyone but Quincy.

Over a scorching Florida summer and record-breaking hurricane season, Sebastian and Quincy are forced into close proximity. Setting aside their grudges to chase storms and stay alive is one thing, but can they weather the inevitable collision of their hearts?

Get it Here 

 

Dolly All the Time

From The New York Times bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script , a romance about a single mother who’s offered a Pretty Woman -type deal that’s too good to refuse.

If they begin by pretending, can they end with something real?

Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and swinging on the porch, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself, can she really start now?

Get it Here

The Witch Queen

The Witch Queen

by Heather Walter

Book: The Crimson Crown Duology #2
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: August 11, 2026
Genre: Ault, Fantasy, Retelling, Romantasy
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Book Links: Goodreads  Amazon  Bookshop

The wicked queen's story did not end with a happily ever after. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

With the king bound to her magic mirror and his daughter, the rightful heir, hidden away in the countryside, Queen Ayleth has the kingdom entirely at her command.

Despite her ultimate power, Ayleth finds herself With fears that the witches from her former coven will return to depose her. With the dread that someone at the palace will discover her secret. With her own deepening dark magic.

And with thoughts of her lost love, Jacquetta—the witch whose betrayal still haunts Ayleth as stubbornly as the lingering scent of juniper.

But Ayleth’s carefully-built world begins to unravel when Princess Blodwyn returns from exile in the company of Margaret, the king's scheming sister, and reveals a plan of her own - to invoke Braxos Trials, a contest of bravery, wisdom, and justice that will allow Blodwyn to retake the throne. Ayleth suddenly discovers herself in danger of losing the crown she sacrificed everything to win—and she will do anything to retain control.

And Ayleth isn't the only one struggling with her altered position. Blodwyn’s homecoming soon proves more difficult than she imagined. Embroiled in Ayleth’s viperous court, Blodwyn is surrounded by enemies and plagued by rumors of a long-buried curse come to life. As family secrets resurface, the princess isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Especially when she may be falling for one of her rivals in the trials.

As the battle for the realm intensifies, both Ayleth and Blodwyn find themselves fighting not only for the throne, but for the truth of their own souls. Soon, they must each What price are they willing to pay to wear the crown? 

 

My Review: Oh this was so good! Ayleth is Queen now and there have been many changes since we last left off. Ayleth has the kingdom under her control right now. Her mother did a surprise visit and it did NOT go well for her at all. Gosh that lady is unbearable. After that night, Ayleth is pretty sure the witches are going to try and bring her down.

She does have help though, secretly scouring for witches and taking their magic. While Ayleth is very powerful right now, she still has those thoughts of things going wrong, losing her power, position, still lingering on her ex, etc. Though I'm not a fan of lingering on her ex part. I get it, but she did you wrong in so many ways, she doesn't deserve a moment of thought and energy spent on her.

Overall, things are going pretty well though. A few bumps in the road with needing more weapons and people to fight. The typical things really. 

But when Blodwyn comes back home, things will pick up even more and you'll be unable to put this book down. The trials will have your attention. 

Both ladies will go through so much and it's hard to not like them both. Blodwyn was this sweet princess from the first book you wanted to see thrive and become something and Ayleth got along with her well and they could even be called friends at one point. Neither could be hated or disliked, which I didn't mind at all. It was a nice change to see both sides and want for both to come out of this with they they truly want and deserve. 

The duology itself was really great and it gave you such a good ending that you felt it was complete and didn't need more books to finish it off like some other duologies leave you, which I really liked.

Overall, I am sad to see this story come to end but it was really one of the best duologies I've read in a long time. I love heather's writing. I loved the retelling and that is saying something as I am not the biggest Snow White/Evil Queen fan and these books did such an amazing job with it. 

I can't wait to see what Heather comes up with next! 

My Rating:

✪✪✪✪✪

Crewel

 

Crewel
by Gennifer Albin

Book: Crewel World #1
Publisher: Square Fish
Pub Date: October 15, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy
Format: Print
Source: Bought
Book Links: Goodreads  Amazon  Bookshop

Deadly Secrets
Tangled Lies
Woven truths

Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That's what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she's exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn't interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom's overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister's academy gossip and laugh at her dad's jokes. One hour to pretend everything's okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they'll come for her. 

 

My Review: I've always had such a love/hate when it comes to dystopian books. Either I love it or want to throw it out a window and bury it. 

But this book? Oh, this book needs to be read.  

Everything is controlled. Who is born when and where. The number of children you have. The type of home you're assigned. They even control how to leave the world. All in the name of safety. 

Here comes Adelice. Someone who isn’t afraid. She'll question things, fail on purpose and hell she is about to put everyone on their toes.   

Adelice is taken from her home and thrown into a new life. But at what cost? To lose her family for riches and privilege. To have the nice clothes, have her hair and makeup done and all what someone could want.  

Adelice is nothing like the girls fawning over everything. She also isn't afraid to stand out, speak up, etc. I love how strong she can be.

Many things are happening. Many people are on her side and want to help her. But they must all play their part if things are going to change around here.

This book is so fun, creative, different and I loved every moment of it. I'm just mad it took this long to get to it and I'm hoping to get through the rest of the series and finally knock out some of my older TBR books. 

My Rating:

✪✪✪✪✪

Weekly Spotlight - My DNF So Far

A Slow and Secret Poison
In the early 1900s, a young gardener at a lush English manor falls in love with her employer whose past is shrouded in deadly secrets—from the author of the “twisty, Gothic thriller” (Entertainment Weekly) Spitting Gold.

1922, When Vee Morgan accepts the job of gardener at a crumbling stately home in southwest England, she’s hoping it’s a fresh start.
But Harfold Manor is shadowed by its own grief and the memories of long-faded glory, its rooms haunted by the only surviving member of the family, Lady Arabella Lascy. Vee is fascinated by her enigmatic new employer, a woman obsessed with the curse she believes has killed her family one by one and is coming for her next. Her only hope for escape is a local the elusive dancing hare that gave her ancestor its blessing and the house its name.

But even as Vee falls deeper under the thrall of Harfold and Lady Arabella, her own dark past finally catches up to her in this lush and atmospheric novel. 

My Review

Metal Slinger

Even though she's not one of them, Brynn has spent her life among the Alaha, training to be a guard and waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta–the very same people who exiled her adopted community to a life at sea. Going to the market is a rite of passage eagerly anticipated by all young guards, but Brynn does not anticipate breaking a century-long peace treaty while there. Nor does she plan for the intense encounter with an enemy soldier that now threatens to unwind the fragile coexistence between their people–and everything Brynn once believed about herself to be true.

Brynn's loyalty to the Alaha is tested when the truth of her identity is brought to light by this soldier who's taken an oath to bring her back to where she belongs. Narrowly escaping death on the violent high seas, Brynn's connection to the Alaha is further tested when she learns about the world of magic she's been denied. She was once certain of her fate and where she belonged, but the dark, knowing eyes of this stranger have her questioning everything, including her heart.

My Review

Soul of Shadow

Charlie Hudson just wants to get through junior year. Since the death of her twin sister two years earlier, she’s drifted through life, going through the motions at school and parties and even at home. The spark that once burned so brightly within her has all but flickered out.

Until her classmate goes missing in the forest, leaving nothing behind but a pair of shoes and strange symbols carved into a tree.

Drawn to the disappearances by forces she can’t explain, she finds herself investigating the mysterious, alluring newcomer in town, Elias Everhart. With piercing eyes and sharp wit, he dances around her questions, only intriguing her further. Elias has a secret. More than one.

But what Charlie doesn’t know is that those secrets will lead her to a place she never imagined: a world hiding in plain sight, made of magic, gods, and monsters - and a first love fated to fall apart.

In Emma Noyes's Soul of Shadow, truths and temptations lurk in the darkness, and for Charlie, the only thing more dangerous than facing her past, is the boy with the power to change her future.

My Review

Fairest

A dark mafia retelling of Snow White. Perfect for fans of H D Carlton, Emily McIntire and Penelope Douglas.

I never wanted to be part of his life. I am the law, and he is everything I’ve vowed against.

But every time I see him, I can’t help but imagine what I want him to do to me.

RED AS BLOOD
He has a reputation. A dark possessive side.
I know he’d hurt me. But maybe that’s what I want…

WHITE AS SNOW
I never wanted to hurt her. She should’ve known to stay away from me.
But there’s something about her innocence that I desire.
She’s everything my fiancée is not.
But my fiancée is a jealous woman. She’s also powerful.

I know where my loyalties should lie, but the taste of purity is too tempting. Just one drop and I promise, that’ll be enough…

My Review

  

North Country

 

North Country
by K.A. Tucker
 
Book: Stand Alone
Publisher: Author
Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Genre: Adult, Romance, Second Chance
Format: ARC
Source: Author
Book Links: Goodreads  Amazon  Bookshop 

From the USA Today and international bestselling author of the Simple Wild comes a sweeping second-chance, forbidden romance set against the rugged beauty of northern Canada.

Emery McAllister once dreamed of leaving Cold River with the boy next door, but one devastating night destroyed their future and left her heart carefully guarded. Twenty years later, she’s built a life of control: running the town’s police detachment, raising her daughter, and keeping a fragile peace with her ex-husband, the mayor.

She’s certain she has moved on until the day she has dreaded—and secretly hoped for—finally arrives.

Logan Landry is home.

After two decades behind bars for being in the wrong place at the wrong time—and the choices that haunted him ever since—Logan returns to his family’s bison ranch carrying the weight of everything he lost, but especially Emery. Friendship is all he dares hope for now, but seeing her ignites a fire he thought long extinguished.

When a teenage girl disappears and old wounds reopen, Logan becomes Cold River’s favorite suspect, despite his airtight alibi. As distrust closes in, Emery must choose between the life she’s built … and the love she can’t let go.

 

My Review: LOVE! This is my new favorite book by K.A.

Emery and Logan were always meant to be. Least until the night that changed everything and had them go their separate ways. 

Emery has a nice little life she made for herself. Became a cop, has a daughter and things are going as they usually are. Until Logan returns home and things may never be the same again. 

Logan returns home to do his parole. Now that he is back out in the world, it's not the same as it was and he'll need time to adjust to how the world works these days. When he notices Emery, he knows those feelings that he had all those years ago are still there with him. Can the same be said for Emery?

Watching these two navigate things, figure out a relationship and hoping this second chance will work for them both. It was all an amazing read. Plus there was a mystery thrown in! 

Really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what K.A. comes up with next! 

My Rating:

✪✪✪✪

Forged in the Fire

 

Forged in the Fire
by A.L. Jackson
 
Book: Crimson Crows #1
Publisher: Author
Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Genre: Adult, Romance, Found Family
Format: ARC
Source: Author
Book Links: Goodreads  Amazon  Bookshop

It was a terrible idea to agree to protect my enemy’s sister…

The second she stepped out of her brother’s car, I knew she was a wildfire.
Spitting mad and so stunning she stole my breath.
She thinks her brother made a deal with the devil, and by working for me, she’s paying off his debt.

She doesn’t know the real reason she’s here.
Doesn’t know the danger that surrounds her.
Soon, she realizes there is something sinister lurking in the shadows.

She hates me for keeping her in the dark.
I want to hate her back, but with every sassy thing that fires from her mouth, she gets deeper under my skin.
With each heated glance, I feel myself losing control.
And when I crawl into bed with her, I combust.

I know better than thinking I can keep her. My life is nothing but secrets and peril.
But as outside threats begin to infiltrate, I’ll do anything to keep the oath I made to keep her safe.
Even expose her to the monster that I am…

 

My Review: Silas and Brinley were the absolute best start to this series and I can't wait for more.

If you read the series prior to this, you'd have meet Silas in Moonlit Ridge but now you get more than just introduction to him, you get his full story. 

Silas up and took his family to Crimson Creek. Returning home, new life and hopefully away from the danger they had back in Moonlit Ridge. 

Everyone is together on one large property. A home where Silas and his family stayed, the club house and right at the front was the auto shop that was the legal part of it all. All in hopes this will rectify what happened. 

But if peace was what Silas wanted, he sure isn't going to get it. Especially when Brinley finally arrives. Oh do I love her. She starts strong right off the bat. Directing her attitude right at Silas and she isn't going to sugar coat it making it known she isn't going to be a play thing to anyone and knows how things go and she will not be having any of it. Though she isn't aware of why she is here and what the plan is with her being there but Silas isn't going to correct her. 

Brinley is amazing throughout. She is strong and will put up a fight, especially if its means running through the property in heels and ready to hop a fence and book this joint. Quite the fun time for Silas too. Having to chase her trough the property and Brinley giving it right to him. Now that was a good scene. 

At this point, it's not even half way and I'm so invested in this story that I ended up staying up the night to finish it. I knew there was not going to be any sleep until I devoured it. 

Silas will burn down the world for his wildfire. From tension right off the bat to him finally caving into his feelings. There was no turning back. Silas and Brinley were made for each other. 

This was an absolute perfect start into a new set of MC guys to love. Not sure how after all this time, but A.L. constantly amazes me with each new book and you'll never be able to get enough of them either. 

Now I'll be not so patiently waiting for the next book.  

My Rating:

✪✪✪✪✪

Weekly Spotlight - Books Set in the 40's

 

A Girls’ Guide to Winning the War
Peggy is a librarian whose twin brother is fighting on the front lines of WW2 in 1940. When she’s given the opportunity to take on a new job assisting in the war effort herself as a proofreader for the Ministry of Information and in the Publications Department, she’s thrilled to be able to play a part in ending the war and helping her brother return home safely.

However, now she reports to socialite Lady Marigold Cecily, who seems more interested in dancing than ending the war. Peggy finds solace in writing, but when the Ministry of Information publishes her inner thoughts without her knowledge, she realizes she needs Lady Marigold’s help.

Get it Here

 
 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

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The Rose Code

Bletchley Park is a real English estate and was an elegant country home before becoming the secret location of WW2 codebreakers. The Rose Code imagines the life of three women from different backgrounds who all qualified for this challenging and vital task. While the three become friends, the war and secrecy required for their jobs prove too much to keep them close.

Seven years later, in 1947, the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip is on everyone’s minds. But, when an encrypted letter is received, the former friends must reunite to crack the code and figure out which former Bletchley Park worker is now a traitor.

Get it Here

 

The Woman with the Cure
In the 1940s, polio became a feared pandemic across the world. The disease was cruel, killing or paralyzing those contracting it, with children particularly impacted. This historical fiction tells the story of a real scientist, Dorothy Horstmann, who worked desperately for a cure.

While many male scientists raced to beat each other to a polio vaccine so they could achieve notoriety, Dorothy’s eye remained on the goal of saving lives. Her name was commonly left off of the scientific discoveries she made in favor of her male co-workers, but she still forged diligently ahead.

Get it Here