Amaya > Recent Status Updates

Dropping by to mention Kristen Callihan, one of my fave authors has a Netgalley Read Now title, "Only on Gameday" available for 24 hours (ends Dec 20) - check it out on ebook and audiobook(?) <3 https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/?te...

The book is releasing Jan 06, 2026! #contemporaryromance

1. She was a teacher but her husband has an MBA and very successful which brought it a lot of income.
2. I can see existing non-conditions already giving them a headstart (no illness of any kind, nothing to trip them up and etc/ if there were, I see no mention of this)
3. Have to agree with one reviewer on GR that yeah, the author seems more of a tourist about poverty than actually knowing it

I'm reading Miranda Lee's A Daring Proposition in Japanese (not sure if it's released on paper or ebook but it's on the Nintendo DS software...)
One thing, Guy's surname is Heywood instead of Maywood like in the English blurb. Weird.

I just kinda wish the words were a bit more atmospheric?? If that makes sense.

Chp 5 (cont.) Turns out Dia's music box was made by Zephel's predecessor and has been broken for a long time. Z manages to fix it and returns the picnic basket that Angelique has handed to him. Luva and Dia talks about the matter of the Metal Guardians and how it happened has been in their minds ever since it happened. Not that Z will take their interference kindly and stayed out of it until Angelique helped. Yay :)

Chp 5: Zephel again lashes out at Angelique for not knowing the downsides of the Metal Sacrea and isn't something to wield so casually, on top of that, questioning her for her supposed motives
Angelique doesn't have an agenda and she apologises for not being what a regular Queen's candidate should behave. Marcel tells her that Zephel's always like that but he's just having trouble about being frank with his emotions.

Chp 5: Zephel has dreams and his fears of the Metal Sacrea going out of control (from being constantly asked for) and his predecessor mad at him for the sudden loss of his abilities and Sacrea...
Angelique gets the idea to make something delicious for him and asks Dia for help while helping Dia to ask Zephel to repair a precious yet broken music box of hers.
Zephel gets annoyed from the sudden contact from A's hair..

Chp 4 (cont): Angelique regains consciousness to see Julious' smile but passes out soon after. Clavis laughed saying that it's because J showed Ange something so rare that she was overwhelmed and gets knocked out from that instead.

Chp 4: Angelique and Rosalia's planets aren't developing as much as they want to. Rosalia thinks there's something obstructing their progress but Angelique's soul has been reached out by a wondering soul that's in between places, leaving Ange's soul to be separated from her body for too long a time when travelling to her little planet. Thanks to Clavis and Julious' Sacrea, she manage to help the little boy pass on.

Chp 5: I wonder if Zephel's short on calcium if he's easily angered? - Luva
Me: HAHAHA

*Lumiere > Lumiale (correct spelling!)

Chp 3 quotes: 'What matters most is that you wish it.' 'Then we will do what we can to aid you as you wish us to.' (Lumiere) - my own translation

Chp 3 (cont.) Lumiere then suggests that they'll both think about ways to mend the situation once the volcano settles down. Angelique realises that she shouldn't have doubted herself and focused so strongly on the 'how' to develop the planet than seeing what's in front of her. She speaks to Pastha about naming her planet and Rosalia joins in to name hers (LOL).

Chp 3 (cont.) which had Angelique lashing out at him, 'What's the point of having the Sacrea if you can't save what's right in front of you?' to which he replies that 'It's true, there's nothing that I can do' and asks for her forgiveness. The Sacrea is not for the Guardians to use themselves but at the behest of their Queen (and the candidates). Angelique seeing Lumiere so sad realises that she was wrong to speak so

Chp 3 Lumiere doesn't console her as he reveals to Olivier that it's something she has to work out on her own. When Angelique finally does (treating it as a roller coaster ride), she finds her planet with a volcano that's about to explode. It sends her into a panic and frantic for help, she goes to Lumiere and he explains that he doesn't have the ability to wield water (making it rain, etc) in ways that we can see.

Chap 3 (cont.): Marcel gives a seedling to Angelique and both L and M mentions that helping to make something grow also involves not only caring but also talking to them. Angelique then has some trouble travelling while watching over her little planet which leaves her fearful and doubting herself. Lumiere advises her to pluck up the courage and try again but she couldn't.

Chp 2 (cont. 2): Marcel also nicknamed Z's mechanical bird Mecha Chupi, that's so funny. Anyways Luva mentions at the end of the chapter that they have been researching a new way to cleanse the toxic(?) at his home world so no destruction would be necessary, to Z's relief of course.
Chap 3: Lumiere has been playing his harp while Angelique dozed off and saw glimpses of her little planet that she's trying to develop.

Chp 2 (cont.): Zephel's home world is in trouble and Dia wanted to inform him but discusses it with Luva (much to his surprise as he could have went to her) while revealing the plan to isolate and destroy Z's home world if the need comes. Zephel overhears it and lashes out then retreated to think about his abilities and what being a Guardian entails. Earlier in the chapter, his mechanical bird has hurt Marcel's bird

Chapter 1 is the intro of the universe, the Queen and the beginning of the universe's collapse in which there are the candidates to decide who the next Queen should be.
Chp 2: Zephel has growing pains which partly stems from the exchange in guardians (this particular Sacrea appears in the new guardian, leaving the previous guardian with the sudden lose of abilities and meant that Zephel has no mentor)

The suspense kinda just swanned through the last parts of the book but it's a nice wrap-up.
The series could use more books! XD

Bree is such a relatable character. She suffers from anxiety and prefers indoors over stirring outdoors (also has agoraphobia). I love that it's Bree that is vulnerable and Marcus has to learn the ways of Bree (LOL). Several romance novels that I've read with the male lead that has some form of mental health trouble in which the female lead is the one that he depends on.

It has heat, written that way but I just don't feel it. DNF.

The audiobook didn't really catch onto me but it was a short read yet packs a punch.
A lovely reminder for when times are hard, whether it's just life or even other things that you're facing.

Another magical Kristen Callihan book. Outmatched had next to none of that quality and Dear Enemy had such strong feelings of hate (enemy to lovers, yes) which I found it a little tricky to fully embrace.
Make It Sweet has all the loveliness and there were at least 2 or 3 places where I relate so much, it's like a punch to the gut.
Mamie is amazing! Lucian is also a dummy but glad he finally saw the light.

I haven't used GR since the new year xD I know I've read but my iPad drove me nuts (storage problems with the new OS) so I'm gonna stick to my phone for the time being.

DNF on Dec 11.

I like the beginning and the progression, though the ending seemed rather flat. Still a worthier read than most Harlequin manga adaptations.

Turns out the anthology is one new mid-length story (Heian) with two other short (side) stories from respective series.
The first story was interesting (kept me reading) but I would really prefer a concrete kind of ending instead of Takasue asking Aya home with him. While his father is charged by the retired emperor to look for a granddaughter of his... which we know is Aya lmao
It ends just like that :(

The young man has been running errands for his mother on his day off and returned home to find his mother wondering if he'll marry someone anytime soon. Seeing as there were two suggestions for a marriage meeting from good and noble families.
When he opens up the rolled up paper he bought, he found them to be written on. He found it ridiculous until he starts reading them.

Saw the illustrator who also did Hakushaku to Yousei. The anthology is based on the theme, brides.
First story has a travelling? salesman who sells quality paper to visiting guests of a Japanese temple, set in the Heian era perhaps?
A young woman has been praying for her parents on a day off and after some cajoling, bought some of the paper the salesman is selling.
Then we see a young man doing the same.