Monthly Reads: August 2016

Posted September 6, 2016 by Casee in Features | 7 Comments

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Casee: This has been my best reading month since April. I was just as busy, but I had more chunks of time to sit down and read. Does that even make sense? It seems very convoluted to me. I also discovered Rebecca Zanetti who is a new-to-me author. I read five of her books and am reading the sixth one now. I still have another one after that. I love both of the series that I read, but I did like the Scorpius Syndrome series the best. Here’s my list for August.

  1. The Angels’ Share by J.R. Ward | 4 out of 5
  2. The Right Kind of Trouble by Shiloh Walker | 3.75 out of 5
  3. Wild Embrace by Nalini Singh | 4.25 out of 5
  4. Sting by Sandra Brown | 3.5 out of 5
  5. Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti | 4.25 out of 5
  6. Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti | 4 out of 5
  7. Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak | 3.75 out of 5
  8. The Purest Hook by Scarlett Cole | 3.75 out of 5
  9. Ruthless by Lexi Blake | 4.25 out of 5
  10. Forgotten Sins by Rebecca Zanetti | 3 out of 5
  11. Sweet Revenge by Rebecca Zanetti | 3.75 out of 5
  12. Blind Faith by Rebecca Zanetti | 4 out of 5

You’re probably looking at my ratings of the Zanetti books and wonder why I’m reading the last three books. The answer is I don’t effing know. The series has me hooked even though one of them has a TSTL heroine. I haven’t had one of those in quite sometime. My favorite books of the month were Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti and Ruthless by Lexi Blake.

Holly: You guys! I read books in August! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.

  1. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (reread) | 5 out of 5
  2. Midnight Soul by Kristen Ashley | 3.5 out of 5
  3. Down Shift by K. Bromberg | DNF
  4. Guardian’s Mate by Jennifer Ashley | DNF
  5. Rock Wedding by Nalini Singh | 3.5 out of 5
  6. Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5
  7. Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh | 4.25 out of 5
  8. Three Wishes by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3.25 out of 5
  9. Exposure by Susan Andersen (reread) | 3 out of 5
  10. White Lies by Linda Howard (reread) | 3.75 out of 5
  11. The Return of Eden McCall (reread) | 3.75 out of 5

Although I DNF’d the Ashley and Bromberg novels, I didn’t dislike either of them. I just wasn’t in the mood. I plan to go back to them at a later date. My favorite read of the month was Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews. Kate has always been kickass, but now that she’s coming into her power? Damn. Archangel’s Heart was a close second.

My least favorite read was probably Midnight Soul by Kristen Ashley. I didn’t dislike it, I just didn’t love it as much as some of the others I read.

Rowena: I had an okay reading month. I wanted to finally catch up on my reading challenges but that didn’t happen. Oh well. Still I read some quality romances and that made me happy.

Here’s what I read:

  1. Wild Embrace (Psy/Changelings #15.5) by Nalini Singh | 4 out of 5
  2. No Mistress of Mine (An American Heiress in London #4) by Laura Lee Guhrke | 4 out of 5
  3. The Rogue Not Taken (Scandal & Scoundrels #1) by Sarah MacLean | 4.75 out of 5
  4. A Scot in the Dark (Scandal & Scoundrels #2) by Sarah MacLean | 1 out of 5
  5. Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) by Sarina Bowen | 4 out of 5
  6. Who’s That Girl? by Mhairi McFarLane | 3 out of 5
  7. The Year We Fell Down (Ivy Years #1) by Sarina Bowen (re-read) | 4.25 out of 5
  8. The Trouble with Mistletoe (Heartbreaker Bay #2) by Jill Shalvis | 3.5 out of 5
  9. Just One Week by Alice Gaines | 1 out of 5
  10. Do You Want to Start a Scandal? (Spindle Cove #5) by Tessa Dare | 4.25 out of 5
  11. Bedmates (American Royalty #1) by Nichole Chase | 3.5 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean. That book had me laughing, happy sighing and then damn near swooning all over the place. I loved the hero, the heroine and their constant bickering. They were freaking great.

My least favorite reads of the month were A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean (I know, OMG) and Just One Week by Alice Gaines. Both books just did not work for me. I struggled through both books with one thing or another. Gah.

This month we’re giving away:

Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) by Sarina Bowen
Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews (Digital Pre-order)
Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti

If you want to be entered to win, leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite – and least favorite – reads of the month were. Also, be sure to tell us what book you’re interested in winning. You can put your name in for more than one book, but you’ll only be allowed to win one, so choose wisely.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So…what was your favorite read of the month? And your least favorite? Use the Rafflcopter Widget to enter! Good luck!


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7 responses to “Monthly Reads: August 2016

  1. Helen

    My favorite read of August was A PROMISE OF FIRE by Amanda Bouchet. So, so good! It’s the first book in a trilogy by a debut author. (I think it’s her debut, she doesn’t have any other books out). Can’t wait until January for the next one!! My least favorite read was probably THE SUMMER GAMES BY R.S. Grey. It didn’t work for me.

    I would LOVE to win ROOKIE MOVE by Sarina Bowen.

    Thanks so much for the giveaway!!

  2. JenM

    Lots of good books in August. My favorites were The Wedding Bees by Sarah-Kate Lynch, Let It Breathe by Tawna Fenske, and Damaged Goods by Ainslie Paton. Least favorite was No Exchanges, No Returns by Laurie Kellogg. There was nothing wrong with it, but the heroine was a bit too self-sacrificing for me. I would love to win Magic Binds or Rookie Move – both are at the top of my wish list.

  3. CelineB

    My favorite book of the month was Duke of My Heart by Kelly Bowen. My least favorite was probably Close to You by Kristen Proby. It was wasn’t bad by any means, it just lacked conflict which made it a little boring.

  4. Kareni

    A recent favorite is Brothers of the Wild North Sea by Harper Fox.

    Silence Is Goldfish by Annabel Pitcher is one that didn’t work for me now; I read about a third of it (plus the end) before putting it aside. It was an intriguing young adult story but didn’t succeed in grabbing me at the time.

    I’d be delighted to win Rookie Move. My second choice would be Mercury Striking.

  5. Favorite read would def be Chance of a Lifetime by Marissa Clarke, which was a pleasant surprise because I don’t always love the disabled hero/heroine trope. This one was done really well, though, and I thought it was a really nice, light contemporary. Least favorite was probably be Deadly Strain by Julie Rowe. I think I’ve realized that that flavor of romantic suspense is just not quite my thing.

    I’d love to win something from Sarina Bowen… I think this might be the right time to give her a try. This new series sounds really good.

  6. erinf1

    My fav read was a tie between The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and A PROMISE OF FIRE by Amanda Bouchet. Least fav was Meat by Opal Carew. I was expecting more from the meet cute and it just meh limped to the end. Thanks for sharing! I’m soooo looking forward to Magic Binds… counting down!

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