Books I Want to Read in May 2023

Happy Monday and Happy May!

Spring is in the air and it makes me so happy to look outside these days.

I hope the change of season has been kind to you all and with it comes a new sense of stride and motivation to continue with your passions or to restart and old hobby that brought you so much joy!

Reading has been such a priority for me because it has helped my mental health so much. Going into a different world and reading about incredible characters brings me such fulfilment and motivation.

The urge to read this month has been strong. It could be because of all the amazing titles I am excited to dive into!

Here are the books I will be reading in May!

Scarred by Emily McIntire

This is one of the many books I was drawn to by BookTok, which by the way has been my favourite thing ever and seeing all the readers who are just as obsessed as me makes me so happy!

I haven’t read any Emily McIntire books prior, and technically this is the second book in the Never After series however, I was advised that you really do not need to read the first one to read this one. It is considered a standalone. The part that really pushed me to move this one up on my TBR was that it is a retelling of fairytale villains (in this case it’s loosely inspired by The Lion King from the quick summary below).

I mean… if you know this blog well you know we live for an enemies to lovers, moral grey characters, and questionable villains who are cruel but have a cinnamon bun heart.

The Synopsis:

Prince Tristan Faasa was never destined for the throne. That was always his brother, Michael. The same brother responsible for both Tristan’s tormented childhood and the scar that mars his face. When their father dies, Michael is set to assume the throne, and Tristan is set to steal it. The leader of a secret rebellion, Tristan will stop at nothing to end his brother’s reign. But when Michael’s new betrothed, Lady Sara Beatreaux arrives, Tristan finds himself in the middle of a new kind of war. The kind that begs the question of what’s more important, the crown or the woman about to wear it.

Sara has one plan. Marry the King and eradicate the Faasa line, even at the risk of her own peril. But she never expects the Scarred Prince. He’s dangerous. Forbidden. And one of the men she’s been sent to kill. But the line between hatred and passion has never seemed so thin, and as secrets come to light, Sara grows unsure of whom she can trust—torn between vengeance and the villain she was never supposed to love. 

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

My love for Alexandra Braken knows no bounds and everything she has written has made me fall more and more in love with story-telling. Not to mention she has the kindest social media presence, her writing motivation reels on Instagram have pushed me to the writing chair many a time when all I wanted was to crawl under my covers and cry from imposter syndrome in thinking I can ever write a book.

I also love retellings if anyone hasn’t caught on already!

This sounded like the perfect blend of retelling, adventure, romance, and heart.

The Synopsis:

Tamsin Lark didn’t ask to be a Hollower. As a mortal with no magical talent, she was never meant to break into ancient crypts, or compete with sorceresses and Cunningfolk for the treasures inside. But after her thieving foster father disappeared without so much as a goodbye, it was the only way to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive.

Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian vanished with a powerful ring from Arthurian legend. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring.

As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother. . . .

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Reading the synopsis of this, reminded me of the books I read growing up.

It is a contemporary YA romance that seems to have all the things I love! It has a mystery element, some enemies to lovers vibes, and a girl plunged into a world she does not know.

I am so excited to read this one, especially after what I’ve seen/heard from Bookstagram and BookTok!

The Synopsis:

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why — or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man’s touch — and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he’s determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather’s last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

House of Beating Wings by Olivia Wildenstein

When I first heard about this book, I immediately ordered it. When it arrived on my porch, it took everything in me not to open it up and read it instead of following the TBR list I had made to make sure I actually made a dent in the overflowing books I have accumulated this year!

I lasted all but a week before deciding it will be making it to the May TBR list.

It is dripping with potential from the faeries, to the other worldly demon, to the fantastical court, and the romance. The cover itself has drawn me in each time I pass by it on my bookshelf.

The Synopsis:

Until an oracle predicted my regal future, I’d never imagined myself rising above the curve of my round ears. After all, I was the magicless halfling loved by beasts but loathed by every pure-blooded faerie at court. Well… by all but one. 

Dante Regio, prince of Luce, had owned my heart since he gave me my first kiss. If gathering a slew of iron relics could help me overthrow the current monarch and crown his brother to rule at my side, then treasure hunting I’d go.

If only the oracle had warned me what winged demon I was releasing into the world.

And that I’d become this demon’s obsession.

King of Wrath by Ana Huang

I have not read a steamy book in a while and when reading the synopsis for this it reminded me so much of the books I read back then. I don’t know why I am so nostalgic this month with my TBR list but I am here for it.

This book sounds sooo good and I cannot wait to read it.

Note – it does state that this book contains explicit mature content.

The Synopsis:

Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant. 

Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally. 

The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—
until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows. 

Vivian Lau, jewelry heiress and daughter of his newest enemy.

It doesn’t matter how beautiful or charming she is. He’ll do everything in his power to destroy the evidence and their betrothal.  

There’s only one problem: now that he has her…he can’t bring himself to let her go.

***
Elegant. Ambitious. Well-mannered.

Vivian Lau is the perfect daughter and her family’s ticket into the highest echelons of high society.

Marrying a blue-blooded Russo means opening doors that would otherwise remain closed to her new-money family.

While the rude, elusive Dante isn’t her idea of a dream partner, she agrees to their arranged marriage out of duty. 

Craving his touch was never part of the plan. 

Neither was the worst thing she could possibly do: fall in love with her future husband.

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa

I mean… fake dating… there are very few tropes I don’t love or can’t rope me in to the point where I will give them full access to my savings. This is not one of them.

This seems like the perfect well-rounded contemporary romance that will have all the feels and a light airy read.

I find books like this are perfect for a wonderful spring day or to take on a holiday which I will be doing, since I will be away on holiday in May. I am excited to read this in the sun, lounging around and relaxing to give me all the feels.

The Synopsis:

Just weeks away from ditching DC for greener pastures, Solange Pereira is roped into helping her wedding planner cousin on a random couple’s big day. It’s an easy gig… until she stumbles upon a situation that convinces her the pair isn’t meant to be. What’s a true-blue romantic to do? Crash the wedding, of course. And ensure the unsuspecting groom doesn’t make the biggest mistake of his life.

Dean Chapman had his future all mapped out. He was about to check off “start a family” and on track to “make partner” when his modern day marriage of convenience went up in smoke. Then he learns he might not land an assignment that could be his ticket to a promotion unless he has a significant other and, in a moment of panic, Dean claims to be in love with the woman who crashed his wedding. Oops.

Now Dean has a whole new item on his to-do list: beg Solange to be his pretend girlfriend. Solange feels a tiny bit bad about ruining Dean’s wedding, so she agrees to play along. Yet as they fake-date their way around town, what started as a performance for Dean’s colleagues turns into a connection that neither he nor Solange can deny. Their entire romance is a sham… there’s no way these polar opposites could fall in love for real, right?

And that is my May TBR!

I love the different types of stories above, from retellings to romances to mystery.

Have you read any of the books above? What books are you reading this month?

Also – who are some of your fav BookTokers, because I am always looking for more book recs – although my bookshelf and wallet do not agree LOL

x

Happy Reading

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