L.M. Durand

01/12/2025

It’s December! And yes… this is what happens when you mess with your bookshelves.

Some people decorate their tree.
I do that too — but coming back from a trip and fighting jet lag, it seemed like a lot of work today. So I settled on decorating my bookshelf instead.

Well… let’s just call it an attempt more than a masterpiece, but honestly? I still love it.

So here we are: a tiny winter doorway, moody shelves, and the soft glow of bookish chaos.

And truly? I think it suits me better anyway.

Happy December, friends ❄️✨

16/11/2025

Hear Her Howl by Kim DeRose

Thank you to , , and for sending me a copy of this book🐺✨

As fiercely feminist as it is hopeful, Hear Her Howl is a speculative sapphic YA romance that reads like a war cry — reminding us that there’s a wolf sleeping inside every girl… and sometimes the bravest thing we can do is wake her.

After being caught kissing a girl behind the Sunday School classrooms, Rue is exiled to Sacred Heart to be “corrected” into her mother’s version of a respectable lady. The irony? It’s an all-girls Catholic boarding school.
And the danger? She falls fast and hard for Charlotte Savage — the school’s untamed, sharp-tongued outcast who also happens to be… a werewolf.
Charlotte shows Rue that the wild inside her is not something to fear but to embrace. Together, they form a pack of girls refusing to be controlled, silenced, or caged. Rue thought her life was over — but it’s only just beginning.

✨ Highlights
• A fresh, feminist twist on werewolf mythology
• Electric sapphic romance filled with empowerment and defiance
• Sharp social commentary on misogyny, religion, and reclaiming identity
• Found-family wolf pack energy that will make your heart howl
• Perfect for readers of When Women Were Dragons, Wolves of Mercy Falls, and sapphic feminist fiction

✨ Praise
“A passionate rallying howl for indomitable girls.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Bold, feminist, and brilliantly reimagined.” — Publisher’s Weekly
“The sapphic, Catholic-school, werewolf power ballad you didn’t know you needed.” — Laini Taylor
“Full of ’90s nostalgia and ferocious girl power.” — Mara Rutherford

QOTD: What are you up to this weekend? 💛

11/11/2025

The 5 Habits of Hope by Dr. Julia Garcia

Thank you to , , and for sending me a copy of this transformative and deeply uplifting book. 🌱

Ever felt the spark that once fueled your dreams begin to fade — leaving you stuck, tired, or ready to give up? The 5 Habits of Hope redefines what it means to be hopeful, showing that hope isn’t just a feeling… it’s a practice. Grounded in behavioral science and real-life stories, Dr. Julia Garcia shares how to move from powerless to empowered through small, intentional habits that help you sustain hope even when life feels heavy.

✨ Highlights
• A practical and science-based approach to building hope
• Written by psychologist, researcher, and motivational speaker Dr. Julia Garcia
• Filled with true stories of resilience and transformation
• For readers seeking tools to reclaim motivation, meaning, and emotional strength
• Perfect for anyone needing a reminder that hope is something you can build, not just feel

QOTD: What’s one habit or mindset that helps you stay hopeful when life feels overwhelming? 💭🌤️

03/11/2025

108: An Eco-Thriller by Dheepa Maturi

Thank you to and for sending me a copy of this fast-paced and thought-provoking eco-thriller. 🌱

Can one woman stop a chemical magnate from destroying life on Earth?
While working the night shift at a San Francisco news agency, Bayla Jeevan experiences a startling vision — her consciousness transported deep into an Indian forest where she witnesses a deadly chemical spreading through the soil. Moments later, she receives a message from her long-lost father warning her of a global catastrophe.
Half a world away, agrochemical giant ZedChem tests its newest innovation, a formula that promises to restore soil health — but instead threatens to poison the planet.
As Bayla races to uncover the truth, she unravels her family’s mysterious connection to an ancient secret society and the man behind ZedChem himself. What she discovers could determine the fate of Earth’s future.

✨ Highlights
• Eco-thriller blending science, suspense, and ancient wisdom
• Powerful environmental and family themes
• Fast-paced global adventure
• Perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Michael Crichton
• Raises urgent questions about technology, ethics, and survival

QOTD: Do you enjoy thrillers with environmental or real-world themes, or do you prefer pure escapism? 🌍💭

29/10/2025

✨We Won’t All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall✨

Thank you to , , and for sending me a copy of this gripping new YA thriller. 🔪📺

Two years ago, Mercy Gray was hailed as a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting. She still carries the scars — physical and emotional — from that day. So when billionaire-turned-TV-host Damien Dare recruits her for a high-stakes survival reality show, Mercy can’t say no. But when the contestants arrive at the remote location, things quickly take a deadly turn. The set is abandoned, the gates lock behind them, and one by one, people start to die.
With danger closing in, Mercy must decide who to trust — and who’s next.

✨ Highlights
• Hunger Games meets One of Us Is Lying
• Part survival story, part murder mystery, all thriller
• Perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson
• Fast-paced, tense, and impossible to put down

QOTD: What’s your favorite kind of thriller — locked-room mystery, survival game, or psychological twist? 🕵️‍♀️

📚

27/10/2025

Feature: Don’t Forget to Breathe 📚

Thank you to , , , and for sending me a copy of this heartfelt sapphic romance. 🌸

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Dugan and Nina LaCour, Don’t Forget to Breathe is a tender contemporary love story about two girls — a dancer and a musician — whose worlds collide in ways that will change them forever. It’s about art, healing, and finding the courage to love again, even when life feels uncertain. 🎶💃

✨ Highlights
• Emotional and hopeful sapphic romance
• For fans of Jennifer Dugan and Nina LaCour
• A love story about identity, creativity, and connection
• “Earnest, evocative, and unapologetically tender.” — Becky Albertalli
• Heartfelt representation and lyrical writing that lingers long after the last page

QOTD: What’s the last book that made you feel something deeply — like you had to just sit there and breathe for a moment? 💭

26/10/2025

The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall

Thank you to , , and for sending me a copy of this haunting dual-timeline mystery. 🕯️🏚️

In 1890, the ominous tolling of the bell at Traeger Hall signals death once again, leaving young Waverly Pembrooke orphaned and desperate to uncover the truth behind her uncle and aunt’s murders. Bound by her uncle’s eerie will, she finds herself alone in a manor steeped in secrets and shadow—where madness seems to whisper through every corridor.
More than a century later, Jennie Phillips inherits the same cursed estate in modern-day Newton Creek. Determined to unravel the Traeger family mystery, she soon learns that death has not yet loosened its grip on the hall. As buried truths rise to the surface, Jennie must confront a chilling legacy that threatens both her past and her future.

✨ Highlights
• Dual timeline: 1890s gothic suspense meets modern-day mystery
• Atmospheric and haunting—perfect for fall nights
• Family secrets, curses, and generations of tragedy
• Fans of Rebecca and The Haunting of Hill House will love the eerie tone
• Jaime Jo Wright masterfully blends faith, fear, and redemption

QOTD: What’s your favorite kind of gothic mystery — haunted mansion, family curse, or small-town secrets? 🕰️

23/10/2025

🎄The Christmas Tree Farm Flirt by Dana Hawkins🎄

Thank you to .hawkinsauthor and for sending me a copy of this charming sapphic holiday romance. 🎄✨

Quinn Lee is a walking disaster with perfect hair, zero filter, and a caffeine habit strong enough to power a small town. She’s just invested her life savings into rescuing her family’s failing Christmas tree farm — and one cookie catastrophe later, she’s having a full-blown meltdown in front of the adorable, ever-patient bakery owner, Zoey.
Zoey bakes like an angel, thinks “drat” is a swear word, and definitely didn’t plan on falling for the fiery redhead who stormed into her shop. But when both their businesses are at risk, teaming up might be the only way to save the holidays — and maybe find something even sweeter than sugar cookies.
A cozy, laugh-out-loud q***r romance full of small-town charm, holiday magic, and enough heat to melt a snowstorm.

✨ Highlights
• Small town holiday setting
• Friends to lovers
• Forced proximity
• Q***r joy and festive chaos
• Steamy, heartwarming moments perfect for the season

QOTD: What’s your favorite small-town romance trope — enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, or opposites attract? 💕

***rbooks

21/10/2025

✨A Tale for the Shadows by Joyce Sherry✨

Thank you to and for sending me a copy of this beautifully haunting novel.

Love lingers. Justice waits. Death is only the beginning.
Senka was once a rising star—until her husband silenced her forever. Now a ghost trapped in the cabin where she died, she endures years of isolation—until the night a battle-scarred vampire named Silas and his mysterious cat, Luna the twenty-third, arrive in a blaze of shadow and fire.
Freed by the flames, Senka joins Silas on a journey of vengeance, redemption, and fragile hope. As their bond deepens, they confront the ancient vampire hunting Silas and the human monster who destroyed Senka’s life. With the help of a spectral community and a dying boy named Finn, Senka learns to harness her ghostly gifts—and to open her heart once more.

✨ Highlights
• Booklife (Publisher’s Weekly) Editor’s Pick
• Praised by readers with multiple 5⭐️ Goodreads reviews
• Joyce Sherry writes from profound experiences of loss but infuses every page with humor, heart, and resilience
• A lyrical and deeply emotional tale of grief, courage, and the power to choose life after tragedy
• “Write what you find meaningful.” — Joyce Sherry

QOTD: If you could ask a ghost one question, what would it be? 👻

19/10/2025

You’ve Found Oliver by Dustin Thao

Thank you to and for sending me a copy of this heartfelt novel. 💙

The spin-off of You’ve Reached Sam, this companion novel is full of longing, destiny, and infinite possibilities. The story follows Sam’s best friend, Oliver, who has been texting Sam’s number for months after his death—only to discover that someone else has been reading his deeply personal messages all along. When they finally decide to meet, they realize something mysterious is keeping them apart…

What you should know about this book:

🌸 Companion novel to You’ve Reached Sam
🍂 This story is a sliding-doors style romance filled with hope and healing
🌸 This is also a story about grief, connection, and finding love after loss
🍂 what you'll find: Heartfelt, emotional, and beautifully written

QOTD: How is your weekend going?

13/10/2025

❤️House of Hearts by Skyla Arndt❤️

Thank you to for sending me a copy of the book.

Solving her best friend’s murder means infiltrating a secret society, resisting a forbidden love, and running from a vengeful ghost in this sophomore novel by the author of Together We Rot.

Isn't this book cover giving you all the Fall vibes? It's stunning. This book is definitely for you if you enjoy the following:

🐇 alice in wonderland vibes
♥️forbidden love
♣️dark academia
💌forbidden love

13/10/2025

Magic meets academia in a witty, darkly cozy tale about anxiety, courage, and finding power in your own story....

Magic meets academia in a witty, darkly cozy tale about anxiety, courage, and finding power in your own story.