Monthly Reads: August 2019

Posted September 3, 2019 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 7 Comments

Casee: Holy crap. I read 21 books in August. I blame Meghan March and A.L. Jackson. I listened to quite a few audiobooks. 15 to be exact. That definitely upped my read count.

More of You by A.L. Jackson (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews | 3.75 out of 5
Natural Witch by K.F. Breene (audio) | 4 out of 5
White Knight by Meghan March (audio) | 4 out of 5
Dirty Billionaire by Megan March (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
All of Me by A.L. Jackson | 4 out of 5
Dirty Pleasures by Meghan March (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
Dirty Together by Meghan March (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas (audio)
Lies by Kylie Scott | DNF
Real Dirty by Meghan March (audio) | 4 out of 5
Blood Truth by J.R. Ward | 4 out of 5
Ruthless King by Meghan March (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Real Sexy by Meghan March (audio) | 4 out of 5
Defiant Queen by Meghan March (audio) | 4 out of 5
Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Sinful Empire by Meghan March (audio) | 4 out of 5
The Whole30 by Melissa Hartwig | 5 out of 5
Dark Illusion by Christine Feehan | 4.25 out of 5
Pieces of Us by A.L. Jackson (audio) | 4 out of 5
Show Me the Way by A.L. Jackson (audio) | 4.25 out of 5.

I was really disappointed that I had to DNF Lies by Kylie Scott. I had high hopes for that book. That was my least favorite of the month for sure. Show Me the Way by A.L. Jackson was my favorite book in August. I really, really liked that one a lot. Close second is Dark Illusion by Christine Feehan.

Holly: I really wanted August to be a better month than July, but life got in the way (as it tends to do). I didn’t read nearly as much as I wanted to. I managed to read 25 books, but 2 were DNF’s, 1 I read twice and most of the rest were read toward the latter part of the month.

Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards | 4.25 out of 5
Bone Driven by Hailey Edwards | 3.75 out of 5
Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep | 4.25 out of 5
Sweet Heat by Zuri Day | 3.25 out of 5
Marry Me by Jo Goodman | 3.5 out of 5
Royally Yours by Emma Chase (audio) | 4 out of 5
The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan | 3.75 out of 5
The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen (audio) | DNF
Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Good Girl by Lauren Layne (audio) | 1 out of 5
Hot as Puck by Lili Valente (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Trade Me by Courtney Milan (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
The Cursed by Alyssa Day (audio)| 3 out of 5
The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox | DNF
Repeat by Kylie Scott (audio) (reread) | 5 out of 5
Quiet Man by Kristen Ashley | 4 out of 5
The Will by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Soaring by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3 out of 5
Broken Dove by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3.5 out of 5
Complicated by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook (audio) (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Down London Road by Samantha Young (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Castle Hill by Samantha Young (reread) | 4 out of 5
Repeat by Kylie Scott (reread) | 5 out of 5

My favorite read of the month was Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely, one of the best contemporary romances I’ve read this year. Honorable mentions go to Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards (I really enjoyed the fresh take on UF and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series) and Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep.

My least favorite was Good Girl by Lauren Layne. If I could set that book on fire without melting my Kindle, I totally would.

Rowena: August was a really busy month for me. I got a promotion at work and I’m still working through trying to figure out a system for me to juggle work stuff and personal/blog stuff since I usually blog from work. I haven’t quite managed to figure it out but I’m sure I will soon, I’m close. My Dad was also admitted for emergency surgery for his dialysis port last week so I’ve been juggling a new position at work and being at the hospital to deal with my Dad’s medical issues since our US Healthcare system is a total piece of shit. I didn’t read loads this month because I’ve been emotionally exhausted for most of the month.

Here’s what I read in August:

The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke #3) by Tessa Dare (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely (Audiobook) | 4.5 out of 5
The Kingpin of Camelot (A Kinda Fairytale #3) by Cassandra Gannon (Audiobook) | 4.25 out of 5
The Duchess in His Bed (Sins for All Seasons #5) by Lorraine Heath (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1) by Meljean Brook (eBook) | 4 out of 5
Coming Up Roses by Staci Hart (eBook) | 3.75 out of 5
Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy #4) by Ilona Andrews (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
Kill the Queen (Crown of Shards #1) by Jennifer Estep (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely. That book was so good. I adored the romance, the hero, the heroine and her relationship with the hero’s kids. This was the single Dad romance that I’ve been wanting for a long time now.

My least favorite read of the month goes to Coming Up Roses by Staci Hart and it’s not because I didn’t enjoy the book. I just enjoyed it less than the other books that I read.

Giveaway Alert

Three lucky winners will choose their prize (one book) from any of the books we logged this month. 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.

Monthly Reads: August 2019

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


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7 responses to “Monthly Reads: August 2019

  1. Kareni

    Sending good wishes for your father’s good health, Rowena, and congratulations on the promotion.

    Some of my favorites from August: The 5th Gender by G. L. Carriger, The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune, and When All Is Said: A Novel by Anne Griffin. I tend to abandon books that don’t work for me, so I have no least favorite to name.

  2. Glenda M

    Congrats on the promotion Rowena! Also good thoughts toward your father’s health.

    I think my favorite new book this month Tessa Dare’s The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke #3). I did reread Kerrigan Byrne’s How to Love a Duke in 10 Days – I’m still totally thrilled that I got an ARC and was able to read it early!

    Least favorite has to be Jennie Marts’ You Had Me at Cowboy. I’m having trouble getting past the whole lying about everything even though she is in a bad spot. . . .

  3. Kim

    @Rowena: Congratulations on the promotion and I hope your dad is doing better.

    I read Mary Balogh’s book and enjoyed it.

  4. JenM

    My favorite books in August were Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone (aka Victoria Dahl), and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. All the books were pretty good this month, so no least favorite.

  5. Celine B

    My favorite read of August was Sweep the Blade by Ilona Andrews. Since I enjoyed the whole two other books I read last month, I don’t have a least favorite.

  6. Anita H.

    Congrats Rowena on your promotion and hope your Dad is doing better.

    Dukes Prefers Blondes by Loretta Chase was the worst read of the month. I just couldn’t get into this one and that was unfortunate since I really enjoyed the first 3 books from this series. My favorite read was Falling For The Highlander by Lynsay Sands, love reading another fun adventure in the Highlands about the Buchanan brothers

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