I feel like my reading this month has been about quality over quantity. I’ve DNF’d several books recently and the ones I’m sharing today were all a fun reading experience for one reason or another. I mean, except the ones I haven’t read yet. But obviously I have high hopes for them or they wouldn’t be on my TBR.
Not pictured below are the books I’ve been reading to get ready for my annual Christmas reading list that will come out in November. I have to start early on those to give me time to weed out the meh ones without getting burnt out on holiday stories. I try to mix those in with my regular TBR for August-October. If you’re interested in seeing every book I read in a month, you can always follow me on Instagram. I post a recap on the first day of each month and I don’t leave any books out.
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Just Finished:
I have so enjoyed the Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir series. This is the last one (as far as I know) so the series should be complete. They are perfect for fans of Highland romance and are *chef’s kiss* on audio because the narrator does a fantastic job with all the different accents. These are closed-door romances with lots of chemistry and kisses but no real spice, and I love the banter between all the characters. A Heart Sufficient is an enemies-to-lovers marriage of convenience story—that’s right, the enemies get married—and I loved every second of the drama and angst. It was so rewarding to watch Tristan Gilbert, Duke of Kendall, come to terms with the trauma of his past and learn that he was worthy of love, as well as how to love someone else as Isolde breaks down his barriers and invites him to be more than he thought he could be. Five stars for this whole series and I can’t wait to dive into her backlist for more Scottish goodness.
This book is a rollicking action/adventure tale with a smidge of romance. As the daughter of the pirate king, Alosa is well-versed in swordplay, sailing, trickery, and more. She has been tasked with securing a map from another pirate, which is why she allowed herself to be kidnapped. But finding the map is trickier than she thought it would be, especially with the captain’s enigmatic brother watching her every move. This story is full of fight scenes and a wide cast of entertaining characters, and Alosa is a girl boss to be sure. There is a fantasy element that I wanted to mention, but I won’t tell you what it is to avoid spoilers
Annah Conwell fan girl over here. But He’s My Roommate is the last book in the Carter Brothers series and it’s the story of how Maverick convinces his childhood friend Evie to move into the apartment attached to his house with her infant son while she gets back on her feet after a painful divorce and losing her job. Both of them immediately start to feel more than they think they should for each other, but both have their reasons for keeping some distance.
In Progress:
I’m about 25% into this romantic comedy about two new neighbors who are getting to know each other, especially once he learns her secret: she moonlights as the lead singer in a rock band. I love her roommates in this book. They give each other a hard time but you can tell this is a group of girls who really have each other’s backs. Looking forward to finishing this one!
I love a good memoir. It’s so interesting to watch a real person’s life progress and see all the forks in the road and unexpected events that brought them where they are today. I especially love it when it’s a celebrity memoir by someone who has a distinctive voice because even though I’m reading the hardback instead of the audio, I can totally hear Henry Winkler in my head as I’m reading. Like many successful people, he had a difficult start and had much to overcome on his journey., but he recounts it with honesty and self-awareness that shows we can all grow and be better over time.
My book club chose this as our next read, which was great because it was already on my TBR. This is the story of Ingrid, an editor at a small publishing house who is struggling with the grief and trauma associated with losing her best friend and client Cecelia. When she and Cecelia’s cousin Joel—who Ingrid has a history with—receive a letter instructing them to retrieve a mysterious package she left for the both of them, Ingrid is forced to work through her past whether she wants to or not. I’m not far into this book but I can tell it’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster. I like the glimpses into the publishing world you get with an editor for a main character and I’ll be interested to see how this story plays out.
Up Next:
All I know about this book is that it’s a romantic comedy with a blind date and a heroine who thinks she’s not good enough to be with the fantasy guy she keeps running into after their date. I’ve read Kasey Stockton before and enjoyed her sense of humor so I’m excited to start listening to this one. I also love the cover because purple. It’s my favorite.
This was an impulse grab at my local library. It called to me from the shelf and after doing some internet searching to see how spicy it was (I think not very? Someone correct me if you’ve read it and that’s false) I decided to give it a try. All I know is that there are vampires, werewolves, and a quest. Sounds intriguing, no?
After reading two of her books, I am a diehard Cindy Steel fan. She is great at writing engaging, page-turning romantic comedies with swoon-worthy heroes and witty banter. This is her latest release and it’s an enemies-to-lovers forced proximity story where Ivy ends up doing community service for something silly and is assigned to Dax, a guy she has a history with. What could go wrong?
Don’t forget to check out what a bunch of other book bloggers are reading over at Modern Mrs. Darcy’s monthly quick lit roundup!