Hi friends! Welcome back for another month and another reading list!

Things have been busy around J. E. Martin Books headquarters lately. Lots of Book Four updates are on the horizon. I always forget how quickly things move as a book gets closer and closer to completion and release. I can hardly wait to share all the best news, but for now I’ll just drop this tidbit: y’all are going to love this new cover I just finished.

You’d think with everything that happened, my reading would have dropped off. I’m proud to say it wasn’t so! I actually read more during April than I’ve read recently and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I found so many new favorites from the old and new titles I tore through. I love when a month is packed with good reads!

So, just how fabulous did April look? Oh, honey. It was so damn good! I mean, seriously. Would you look at all these books?!

Finished:

1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
2. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
3. Safe House (Steel Infidels Series Book 1) by Dez Burke
4. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
5. Dreamlander by K. M. Weiland
6. Heart of the Wood by A.K.R. Scott
7. Storm by Carian Cole
8. Vandal by Carian Cole
9. Lukas by Carian Cole
10. Talon by Carian Cole
11. Loving Storm by Carian Cole
12. Torn by Carian Cole
13. Tied by Carian Cole

Yeah…I discovered Carian Cole and may have gotten on a little bit (or a lot) of a kick. I adore finding a new author to binge read. Whenever I find an author whose books I feast on ravenously, I always make sure to sign up for their newsletter so I won’t miss an upcoming release.

Speaking of that, have you signed up for my newsletter yet? You can do it right here! I only send out a few messages a year with updates and info about book releases, but subscribers get all my big news first ❤

Not finished:

1. The BadRedhead Media 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge by Rachel Thompson
2. The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by John Truby
3. The Republican War Against Women by Tanya Melich

I’ve gotta get on these, don’t you think? I hate when books linger half-read on my list. It makes me feel like I’m cheating on them with the other books I’m actively reading!

Okay, friend, you know the drill: my ratings and/or reviews for the books I finished are up on Goodreads. Go check them out and add or rate The Black Wolf Series while you’re there. All the cool kids are doing it.

So, what’s on my shelf for May?

1. Darkness Awakened by Stephanie Rowe – this is the first book in the Order of the Blade series and it’s free on Amazon at the time of this post. The biggest thing that drew me to this one? The Warden calls Stephanie Rowe a “paranormal star”. That alone hooked me into downloading the first book. If you don’t know who The Warden is, allow me to introduce you to the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R. Ward. You can thank me later. (Also, can I just go ahead and admit that an amazing nickname bestowed upon me by my readers is close to the top of my author bucket list?)
2. Draw The Line by Kim Carmichael – I saw something about this one on Twitter a while back–I’m pretty sure it was a promo from the author, but I wouldn’t swear to that. The cover looked interesting, though, and the blurb sounded fun. Plus, it’s on KU (at least for now), so I’m giving it a try!
3. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith – I find myself, yet again, feeling a bit sheepish about never having read a book that seems to be such a cult favorite! The description definitely sounds right up my alley. I also recently–finally–signed up for Overdrive, and I’m excited to try it out by borrowing the ebook from the library.

(Not pictured, but still on the list)

1. The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by John Truby
2. The Republican War Against Women by Tanya Melich
3. The BadRedhead Media 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge by Rachel Thompson

I know I’ve listed a few less than I’ve been including in the past months. I’m way ahead on my reading challenge for the year, though, so I figured now would be as good a time as any to do a little catching up!

And now, my friend, it’s over to you. Give me a shout in the comments below and let me know what books you’re most excited about right now!

Cheers!