Welcome to a special vacation edition of Books in Progress! This month, I’m mostly sharing a list of the books I plan to read on an upcoming trip to Europe and I’m very excited about it (both the trip and the list, in case you were confused).
With The Wedding Date Deal launch and this trip both coming up, as well as a good chunk of my reading being devoted to scoping out possibilities for the holiday book guide, I haven’t gotten a ton of ‘regular’ reading done lately. I have a couple of books to share that I’ve recently finished, and then a bunch of books that I have been hoarding in preparation for the long plane ride. When I say a bunch, I mean almost certainly far more than I will be able to consume over the course of the whole trip. But a girl needs to have options, right?
Let’s get to it!
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Just Finished:
I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley and flew through it. This is a very fast-paced, engaging YA mystery that will keep you guessing to the last chapter. The main character is Lucy, a talented teenaged air-rifle shooter with Olympic aspirations, who lost her little brother Clay in a tragic accident years ago. Now, two of her closest friends have been killed in the same area where a dam break took Clay. She wants to think this is just a horrible coincidence, but the more she learns about the circumstances surrounding their deaths and the dam, the more she wonders if there’s much more below the surface. Last Girl Breathing took so many turns that the end really shocked me. It’s sad but also hopeful and I really enjoyed it. It releases in November but it’s available for pre-order now!
I listened to this backlist nonfiction pick on audio and found it fascinating. This book provides insight and analysis into famous unsolved murders as studied by John Douglas, an FBI criminal profiler. The oldest case he explores is Jack the Ripper and the most recent is JonBenet Ramsey, with a myriad of cases in between. I thought the author did a great job detailing and explaining all the evidence, eyewitness testimonies, and documentation that was available surrounding each killer and their crimes. He does go into quite a bit of detail about the condition that bodies are found in, so if you are squeamish this one might not be for you. But it seemed to me that his determinations about the unidentified perpetrators were well-reasoned and explained, and the whole process of examining the crime and drawing conclusions is so interesting. My husband listened to it right before I did and it was a good one for discussion.
In Progress:
I am almost done with this second book in the Gilded Duology and I think it’s going to be okay, folks. I think we’re going to get a happy ending. This is a YA fantasy that is a loose retelling of the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale. It’s got lots of ghosts and demons and death but also shows how characters with compassion, kindness, and love can stand up against these dark forces. There is an interesting romance thread that weaves through both books that I’m really liking. And you definitely do need to read both of these books in order to understand what’s happening and enjoy the full story.
Up Next:
I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz for this YA fantasy romance so when my sister literally pushed her copy into my hands I knew I had to move it to the top of my TBR. Sister recommendations carry extra weight around here. It’s billed as an enemies-to-lovers romance where the characters are writing letters to each other and I’m excited to get it started!
I have been holding onto this book for almost a month since it came out, waiting to read it on vacation for maximum enjoyment. This is the last in the How to Kiss a Hawthorne Bother series and I just adore these brothers. This one is a fake-dating (you know that’s a favorite for me) story in which a wildlife biologist finds herself pretending to be in a relationship with a movie star. This is probably my most anticipated book on this list, which is really saying something.
What’s this? Another fake-dating romance? Yes, that is correct, and it’s also a brother’s-best-friend story with a hockey player in it. It’s part of the Sweater Weather romantic comedy collection (keep reading for two more of the titles in that list) and happens to be the newest release from one of my top favorite authors, Emma St. Clair.
This one is number two in the Sweater Weather collection and it’s a small-town enemies-to-lovers romance with a hot sheriff raising his sweet little niece. I don’t see anything not to love about that setup. Plus I’ve read a few other Melanie Jacobson books and always find them really funny, which is what I’m most often in the mood for.
Okay this is the last Sweater Weather book (for now). This one is a childhood crush, opposites attract rom-com with a jaded hero who doesn’t beleive in romance and a heroine who has a podcast based on her love of romance novels. I love how Courtney Walsh writes interesting, well-developed characters with plenty of chemistry and funny moments. Can’t wait!
She’s sworn off atheletes, but there’s a very persistant and attractive playboy hockey player who wants to change her mind. She talks him into being her dating coach and I think we all know what’s going to happen next. Yes, I realize this is the second hockey romance on this list. I’m not sorry.
I’ve been hearing good things about this YA epic fantasy romance. The description says, “If you like enemies-to-lovers romance, female bodyguards, and forced proximity with life-and-death stakes, dive into Blade of Ash today!” Sounds like a winner to me.
And to round things out, I had to include a historical romance read. Jody Hedlund writes amazingly swoony cowboy/cowgirl romances with lots of action and high stakes that keep you reading. Astrid wants to be the town’s first female doctor. Logan wants his mother to quit bothering him about getting married. So he and Astrid strike a deal that he will hire her on in his practice if she will pretend to court him. But of course, the sparks fly and the relationship doesn’t stay pretend for long.
For more book talk, check out Modern Mrs. Darcy’s monthly quick lit post as well!