Tag: Kody Boye

October 2025 Wrap-Up

Personal Highlights from this month:

  • This is a carryover from September, but BK and Miss R had their birthdays. They are 52 and 12!!
  • Miss R had her choral concert, and the 6th grade performed stellar. They sang “Do-a-Deer” from The Sound of Music and “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King.
  • Mr. Z has one more appointment before he is released from the orthodontist.
  • My oldest friend (we’ve been friends since 6th grade) is moving from NH to NC. She and her husband have been down this week looking at properties and decided on one in Statesville (45 mins from us). I am so excited!!
  • Miss R got her two front teeth broken towards the end of the month. Her friend pushed a circular metal swing at her face while playing blindfolded tag. To say I was upset is an understatement. I also had an issue getting her regular dentist to see her, which was ridiculous. I ended up contacting another dentist to get them fixed.
  • We took a drive to check out the college Mr. Z is going to. What a difference between App State and Western Carolina!! We didn’t get a chance to walk around because Homecoming and the Woolly Worm Festival were happening, but he liked what he saw.
  • We redid our bathroom floor over the weekend. Next, I am looking to paint. The same goes for the kitchen. I am starting with the cabinets (painting them coffee brown) and moving to the walls (some variation of white).

Reading Highlights from this month:

  • I finished The Color Purple series (The Temple of My Familiar and Possessing the Secret of Joy). I enjoyed reading these books and will reread them.
  • I enjoyed reading The Light Pirate, even if it saddened me in places. The author did a great job of illustrating the potential impact of climate change on a state like Florida. She also showed how people were resilient and thrived against all odds. I will reread this book.
  • Veronique’s Journey was an interesting book, and Veronique was an interesting character. I liked her courage to stand for what she believed in, even if it meant going against what society expected of a woman. I will reread this book.
  • I read the first book in Hunted by the Faery Queen series (A Sword of Blood and Roses). This was an excellent retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Except that Snow White was a powerful Traveler witch, the dwarves were Fir Bolg, the Queen was Fae, and her Huntsman fell in love with Snow White. It does have very explicit sex scenes along with some gore and blood. I am waiting for the rest of the series to go on KU.
  • I read the Blood Ties series (Mine, Hers, Ours, Owned, Traded, Claimed, Forbidden, Captured, and Consumed). I did like the series, but (and isn’t there always a but) it isn’t for everyone. There is a ton of violence, sex (consensual and non-consensual), forced breeding, language, and gore. So, if you are going to read this series, make sure you a) read the trigger warning list the author has provided and b) read with a very open mind.
  • I finished the first book in The Amarna Age series(Queen of Egypt). The series focuses on Cleopatra. I found it fascinating and couldn’t put it down. I will be checking back to see if the rest of the series goes on KU.
  • I finished the first book in The Warm Days of Autumn series (Autumn in Sycamore Park). I enjoyed this book and will check whether the rest of the series is available on KU.
  • I finished the first book in the Kingsman Online series (Alt Control Enter). Except for the first couple of chapters and the last chapter, the entire book takes place inside a virtual reality video game. There is a twist towards the middle of the book that had me shaking my head. I enjoyed reading this book and will continue with the series.
  • I finished the first book in the Called by a Pirate series (Pirate’s Treasure). This was a short, cute book. Perfect for by the pool or beach. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
  • I finished the first book in the Rochester Trilogy (Private Property). I liked that it was roughly based on Jane Eyre. But I did find my attention wavering at different points in the book. But, I will read the rest of the series (because I hate leaving series unfinished).
  • I finished the first book in the Gothic Love Stories series (Too Wicked to Kiss). I loved every aspect of this book. The mystery (and it was a closed-room mystery, too!) was well written, and I was very surprised by who the killer was. I liked that the author had Gavin take ownership of his actions. She didn’t sugarcoat anything about his parents’ deaths or his involvement.
  • I read the Festive Fakes trilogy (The Christmas Deal, The Christmas Leap, The Christmas Veto). I enjoyed this series. I loved the romance and the characters!! I will definitely be rereading this series.
  • I read the first two volumes of the Saga series (Saga Vol. 1, Saga Vol. 2). I plan on reading the rest of the series once they go on KU.
  • I read The Bird and the Sword Chronicles (The Bird and the Sword and The Queen and the Cure). I enjoyed reading these books and can’t wait to see if the author writes any more in the series.

Books I Read:

Monthly Playlist (I use songs featured in the book, if there are any, along with a playlist generated by ChatGPT).

2025 ABC Challenge—October

Prompts I finished in October

Bonus—A diacritical mark (Anywhere in the title, there is a letter with a diacritical mark, such as an accent, tilde, cedilla, or umlaut)

The title has an accent mark above the e

Q

Y

Interesting Title—You think it’s an interesting title

The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge 2025—October

Prompts I finished in October

Historical fiction set outside UK, US, or Canada

Set in Egypt

A book about video games

WWW Wednesday: October 15th, 2025

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that Sam hosts at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!!

Happy Reading!

What I am currently reading:

The guy she wants…

Growing up on the coast of Maine with a revolving door of foster siblings, Caitlyn Michaud spent one intense and passionate year falling in love with her foster brother, Heath. Then he left without a word. The betrayal devastated Caitlyn and made her vow to forget the compelling bad boy. But forgetting his sensual touch and their deep all-consuming friendship is easier said than done.

Isn’t the guy she needs…

Determined to move on, in college Caitlyn has risen above her small town impoverished roots and has joined a sorority, reinvented her appearance, and landed the right boyfriend. Pre-law major and frat president, Ethan, is thoughtful and always laughing, and he makes her feel happy, calm. He also gives her the social acceptance she craves.

But the perfect world she tried so hard to attain is ripped apart when Heath appears one night out of nowhere. Caitlyn remembers all the reasons why she loves him, even if they don’t make sense to anyone but her. Out of the military, Heath is as brooding and intense as ever, and he is determined not only to win her back, but to exact revenge on everyone who kept him from her…

And when one love allows her to breathe, but the other feels as essential to her life as air, how does she choose between them?

What I recently finished reading:

The first in a new romantic comedy series from CP Ward, author of Christmas at Marshmallow Café and Summer at Blue Sands Cove.

Having fled a relationship and a previous life she would rather forget, young teacher Jennifer Stevens throws herself into a demanding new job at Brentwell Primary. Charged with marshalling a group of unruly eight-year-olds to the autumn harvest festival, her only solace is the peace of nearby Sycamore Park.

As the evenings draw in and the leaves begin to fall, will new friends, delicious autumn treats, and a possible new man on the orange-tinted horizon help Jennifer finally come to terms with her past and begin to look forward into the future?

Autumn at Sycamore Park is another delightful romantic comedy from CP Ward, author of several popular seasonally themed novels. Set against a backdrop of warm autumn days, it offers everything fans of CP Ward’s other books have come to love: laughter, friendship, good times, and a hint of newly discovered love.

What I plan on reading Thursday through Sunday:

A pirate desperate to lead an honest life. An executive who falls through time. One last chance to right the wrongs of the past.

Bahamas, 1718. Captain James “Prince” Barrow is tired of being a pirate and wants to settle down. As a noble, he never envisioned the life of an outlaw as his own and wants to appease his treasure-hungry crew before they mutiny him due to their lack of patience. Luckily, James has two clues that will lead him to treasure his fellow pirate captain buried on his behalf. In order to attain the third one, James must attend a fancy ball he is sure to be recognized at.

He needs a companion – one who will help him blend in with high society.

Bahamas, 2020. As a New York executive, vacation is not in Samantha Gilbert’s vocabulary. Not that her best friend cares. Samantha is dragged to Nassau, Bahamas to help her friend get over a nasty breakup and visits a pirate museum. The tour guide shares a tragic tale of a pirate who died before finding his long-lost treasure. He insists on Samantha trying on a jade necklace from that very treasure. Once the cool metal touches her skin, Samantha falls back through time – straight into the arms of the pirate himself.

The two strike a bargain: if she helps him find the third clue, he’ll allow her to put on the jade necklace from the treasure and get her back to the twenty-first century.

With the English hot on their trail and death a near certainty, both are forced to work together not only to uphold their bargain, but to survive. And with time running out, both could very well lose the thing they desire most: each other.

Fans of Pirates of the Caribbean and Outlander are devouring this new historical time travel romance by Mariah Stone.

I’ve always used video games to get me through the hard times, especially throughout my mother’s terminal illness. Tasked as not only her caretaker, but my little brother’s as well, I long to give them a better life and save my mother’s in the process. This is why, on the day of the Kingsman Online Regional Championships, my ranking in the horror shooter Dystopia is so important. But just when I think I have my ranked placement in the bag, a rolling blackout sweeps the city, leaving me not only devastated in the present, but hopeless about the future.

However—it seems things are not completely lost.

When a strange man claiming to be from Kingsman Online arrives and offers me the chance of a lifetime, I can’t refuse it.

The gaming company promises a completely immersive experience for their players in the regional championships.

Little do I know, I’m falling straight into a trap.

When I signed up for the nanny agency, I didn’t expect a remote mansion on a windswept isle. Or a brooding billionaire who resents his new role.

His brother’s death means he’s now in charge of a moody seven year old girl. She’s lashing out at the world, but I can handle her. I have to. I need the money to finish my college degree.

As long as I can avoid the boss who alternately mocks me and coaxes me to reveal my darkest secrets.

HIS TOUCH HOLDS HER CAPTIVE

From the ravens circling its spires to the gargoyles adorning its roof, Blackberry Manor looms ominously over its rambling grounds. And behind its doors, amid the flickering shadows and secret passageways, danger lies in wait…

TO HIS EVERY DARK DESIRE

Evangeline Pemberton has been invited to a party at the sprawling estate of reclusive Gavin Lioncroft, who is rumored to have killed in cold blood. Initially, his towering presence and brusque manner instill fear… until his seductive attentions and unexpected vulnerability conquer her resistance.

But when a guest is murdered, Evangeline is torn. Could the man to whom she is so powerfully drawn, also be a ruthless killer?