I’ve been sitting with my thoughts on Brimstone because I did enjoy it, and I also have some honest thoughts. This isn’t a hate post.

The Quicksilver series is good. I’m continuing the series for a reason. I just think it could’ve been stronger if it trusted itself more instead of rushing.

The banter works. The chemistry works, especially at the beginning. The found family feels real, not forced. I liked the political drama, and I honestly think the audiobook helps a lot. The voices and timing made things feel smoother and easier to enjoy.

The romance pulled me in even with the uneven pacing, but once the couple got comfortable and secure, the story didn’t really shift. Once the tension was gone, it felt like the book didn’t replace it with something else. Like I expected a different POV where we could get another couple coming to life to keep to the romantasy and tension/yearning alive. Instead we got a calm, healthy relationship, which is nice, but it can’t carry the whole story by itself.

My biggest issue was pacing. There are a lot of big ideas here, gods, rot, vampires, alchemy, politics, and they come one after another very fast. The tone gives, it wants us as readers to take this book very serious but the pacing gives, this is for a good time not a long time. It wants to feel like a big, serious fantasy story, but it moves too quickly for that. Big moments happen before we really get time to sit with the characters or fully feel what’s happening.

I liked the FMC. She’s strong, powerful, and always growing, even when she annoyed me. Where I struggled more was with some side characters, especially Dania. I get what the author might have been trying to do, but without enough background, her anger often felt random instead of understandable. Her character fell into the misogynic trope of a woman who is overly emotional and not a good decision maker. In a story that usually handles emotions well, that part felt off to me, why have a badass FMC and foil her with a woman who isn't fleshed out. Like I know Dania is the way she is because of her trauma that isn't explored in a way that would make her a understandable or likeable character (Think Johanna from Hunger Game).

The whole time, I kept thinking: what if this book had slowed down? What if the romance took longer? What if the story spread things out instead of piling them on so fast?

Even with all of that, I’m still interested. The world is cool, the story has potential, and I’ll keep reading with more realistic expectations. This book reminded me that you can enjoy something and still wish it had been handled differently.

Both can be true.

Hi babes 💕

I’m officially in my holiday romance delulu era and honestly?

The books are eating harder than the Thanksgiving plates I just survived.

So I made y’all a list because I’m generous like that 😭🎄

✨ 5 Holiday Romance Books to Read This Christmas
(and yes… they’re all free on Kindle Unlimited, because we’re saving coins)

If you’re in the mood for:

• small town chaos

• holiday spice

• men written by women (important)

• something fast and cute

• AND you’re trying to stop Amazon from taking your entire paycheck…

Go read this post, please.
Your winter TBR needs it → 5 Holiday Romance Books to Read This Christmas

Comment if you’ve read any of these so I know who to scream with.

Hey babes,

Before anything else, I just want to say thank you.
Thank you for reading with me, for being patient with me, and for holding space in this little Bindery community. When I started this, I honestly thought half the group would dip by the halfway point, but most of you stayed, and that means so much.

This was my very first time hosting a full book club, and I’ll be real… it was harder to keep up with than I expected. Between transitioning jobs, life responsibilities, and trying to give thoughtful annotations, I definitely had too much dip on my chip. I tried my best, but I know I fell behind at times. If my inconsistency made things confusing or left anyone hanging, I truly apologize.

Even still, I hope the notes I was able to give helped you think more deeply about the book, or even just added a little extra joy to your reading experience. That was always my intention, to make reading feel fun, cozy, and meaningful.

As for the Zoom session:
I’m not sure if folks still want one, but I don’t want to assume. If you’re interested, comment and let me know! If not, no worries, we can officially close this chapter here.

Looking ahead…
I would love to start a new book club round in January or February (February might be better because January is my birthday month). I want to go into the next one with more structure, more bandwidth, and a better understanding of what a book club lift actually requires from me. We’ll pick a new book, reset the vibes, and try this again with a fresh start.

As for this Bindery space:
It’s not going anywhere. I’ll keep sharing book lists, what I’m reading next, and whatever cozy, nerdy, seasonal vibes we’re all craving. Think: Christmas reads, winter favorites, and more bookish chats that don’t require strict schedules.

And yes… the Discord flopped a little, LOL. I tried, I really did, but the tech was teching and only a few people joined. I won’t say “never again,” but for now I think keeping things simple is better for all of us.

Thank you again for sticking through this first attempt with me. I learned so much, and I hope you still got something good out of being here.

Link to my final notes/annotations is below!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cLy70_goBskH6jfne5o9UOZhf_ErURZj2J9I4cUz_Bs/edit?usp=sharing

Happy reading, babes and I hope you all have an amazing Thanks Giving if I don't update before then! 💗

Hey Ya'll! 💕

Okay, so first off, sorry I missed last week’s annotation. Life was life-ing, but we’re back and catching up!
I’ve got the PDFs for Week 2 and Week 3 linked below so y’all can dive into my notes and thoughts.

The book has definitely grown a lot in these two weeks. The relationship is finally giving what it needs to give, the tension is there, the yearning is there, and it’s getting steamy in all the right ways.
We are deep in this love story now, and I’m honestly loving how it’s unfolding.

📎 Links below:

• Week 2 & 3 Annotation Guide (Chapters 12–34)

Can’t wait to hear y’all’s thoughts on these chapters and drop your favorite line or moment in the chat so we can scream together 😭💅🏽

xx,
Bri

Hey babes!

We officially finished Week One of our book club! wooot, woot! I’m so proud of us already.
I've put together a little annotation guide and recap for chapters 1–11. It breaks down my tab system, some favorite quotes, and the moments that had me gasping or highlighting like crazy.

✨ Download it here: Click Me

Take a peek before we dive into next week’s chapters, and feel free to send me your favorite quotes or theories in the group chat on Discord or in the comments below. I love seeing what sticks out to y’all! 💕

xx,
Bri

We’ll be reading Reel by Kennedy Ryan from October 6 to November 21. I'm super excited to dig into this book; it's been on my TBR for like 3 months now.

Here’s how we’ll flow through it, plus ways we’ll connect and engage:

📆 Weekly Reading Plan for Reel by Kennedy Ryan

• Week 1 (Oct 6–12):
  Ch. 1–11 → pages 1–69

• Week 2 (Oct 13–19):
  Ch. 12–24 → pages 70–143

• Week 3 (Oct 20–26):
  Ch. 25–34 → pages 144–208

• Week 4 (Oct 27–Nov 2):
  Ch. 35–42 → pages 209–276

• Week 5 (Nov 3–9):
  Ch. 43–56 → pages 277–346

• Week 6 (Nov 10–16):
  Ch. 57–65 → pages 347–412

• Week 7 (Nov 17–21):
  Ch. 66–end → pages 413–460

• Week 7 (Nov 17–21):
  Ch. 66–end → pages 413–460

• Wednesday, Nov 19 (7–8 PM EST): Final Zoom group session using Kennedy Ryan’s discussion guide. Wrap-up thoughts posted Friday on Bindery

Reading Vibes & Engagement

New Deep Reading →New Tiktok Video Upload every Friday about chapters read the previous week

Set the mood → Light a candle, grab your favorite blanket, and create your own cozy nook. Need ideas? Here’s my guide to creating a vibe-filled reading space:
👉 How to Create a Cozy Reading Nook

Playlist → Listen along to Kennedy Ryan’s curated Spotify playlist for Reel:
👉 Reel Spotify Playlist

Community Chat → Let’s keep the conversation going throughout the week in our Discord!
👉 Join the Book Club Discord

Final Week Zoom → In the last week (Nov 17–21), we’ll host a group Zoom session using Kennedy Ryan’s official discussion guide:
👉 Reel Discussion Guide PDF

Can’t wait to dive into this beautiful story with you all!

Our Fall Book Club will run from October 6 – November 21! 🍂 We’ll wrap up right before Thanksgiving and then pick a new read together in the new year.

Here’s how it will work:
- Each week we’ll have set chapters to read (depending on the book length).
- I’ll share a PDF of my notes + a few discussion questions so we can dig deeper.
- You can join the conversation right here in the comments (or on Discord if that’s easier for you).
- I may also drop short deep-dive videos on certain chapters if y’all are into it.
- At the end of the book, I'll host a Google Meet discussion session to talk about the story as a whole using guided questions.

I’m super excited to read with you all ! Below are the book choices. Cast your vote for what you’d love to read first.

__

📌 Extra Info:
This poll will end on Thursday, October 2nd. And on Friday, October 3rd, I’ll post our reading calendar (how many chapters we’ll cover each week, so everyone can keep pace) We’ll officially start reading on Monday, October 6th.

All of the options are contemporary romances (because that vibe just feels perfect for fall 🍁). For our next book club pick in January, we’ll switch it up with a fantasy read!