Hi, hello Bookmates! Join us as we discuss our April Book Selection Contest Winner:

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

Chosen by BooksInTandem, and we can't thank them enough! We really loved this book- the Viking vibes, the story, the lore, bad ass Freya, sexy Bjorn, and that cliffhanger ending... knocks it out of the park!

What did you think of A Fate Inked in Blood? Worth the hype? Did you call the ending?! Are you salivating for the sequel like we are?! We want to know!

Synopsis:

A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.

Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.

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Welcome Bookmates! We're Double Booked for April!

Join us as we discuss 2024's Goodreads Choice Award Winner and Book of the Year Finalist:

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Does it earn its title?

Though this was very different than we expected, we really enjoyed it! Thought provoking, funny, while poignant. This book sure made for some deep thoughts and fun conversations!

What did you think of The Wedding People? Do you agree with our take? What was your biggest takeaway from this book? We want to know!

Synopsis:

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

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The time has come, Bookmates! We definitely have a HOT TAKE on this book... we might be in the minority here, but we have a lot of feelings!

Join us as we discuss our March Book Club Selection: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Comment and let us know if you agree or disagree with our take! What did you think of Onyx Storm?? We want to know!!

SPOILER ALERT is in effect!

Synopsis:

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.

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