Tag: Monthly Reads

Monthly Reads: June 2019

Posted July 2, 2019 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 11 Comments

Casee: I ended up finishing June stronger than I thought I would. I started the month out so slow, I didn’t have much hope that it would get better. Then it turned around. I read 9 books in June.

Easy Melody by Kristen Proby (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Alpha’s Promise by Rebecca Zanetti | 4 out of 5
Easy Kisses by Kristen Proby (audio) | 4 out of 5
Law Man by Kristen Ashley | 3.5 out of 5
Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley | 4 out of 5
Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey | 2 out of 5
Getting Played by Emma Chase (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Hot Asset by Lauren Layne (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
Archangel’s War by Nalini Singh | 4.75 out of 5

My favorite book of the month was Archangel’s War. I freaking loved that book. Raphael and Elena forever. My least favorite book was Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey. The heroine was insufferable.

Holly: I had a wonderful reading month. I really fell into a reading groove and knocked a lot of books out. I’m happy to report I managed to read 26 books in June.

Hot Asset by Lauren Layne | 3.75 out of 5
Hard Sell by Lauren Layne | 4.25 out of 5
The Knocked Up Plan by Lauren Blakely (audio) | 4 out of 5
Come As You Are by Lauren Blakely (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Getting Played by Emma Chase (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey | 1.5 out of 5
Archangel’s War by Nalini Singh | 4.25 out of 5
Even Tree Nymphs Get the Blues by Molly Harper (audio) | 4 out of 5
Superfan by Sarina Bowen | 3.75 out of 5
If It Makes You Happen by Claire Kann | DNF
Night Broken by Patricia Briggs (reread) | 3.75 out of 5
Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs (reread) | 4.0 out of 5
Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs (reread) | 4 out of 5
Repeat by Kylie Scott (reread) | 5 out of 5
Sin & Chocolate by K.F. Breene (reread) | 3.5 out of 5
Sin & Magic by K.F. Breene | 3.75 out of 5
Sin & Salvation by K.F. Breene | 4 out of 5
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez | 1 out of 5
Sustained by Emma Chase (audio) (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Sidebarred by Emma Chase (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
The Will by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Soaring by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
The Time in Between by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3.75 out of 5
The Golden Dynasty by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3.5 out of 5
Rock Chick Reawakening by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4.5 out of 5

My favorite read of the month was a toss up between Getting Played by Emma Chase and Archangel’s War by Nalini Singh. They were both great, though in different ways. My least favorite read was The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez. That book gets a whole lot of nope from me.

Rowena: My reading wasn’t as strong as Holly’s was but it was pretty good for me. Things really picked up toward the end of the month for me so I’m super excited for the summer reading challenge that we’re participating in on the blog. I’m so ready to tackle my Summer Reading Challenge pile.

If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann (eARC) | DNF, 2 out of 5 of what I did read
The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen (eARC) | 4 out of 5
Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim (eARC) | 3 out of 5
The Perfect Date by Evelyn Lozada (eARC) | DNF, 2 out of 5 of what I did read
Superfan (Brooklyn Bruisers #6) by Sarina Bowen (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfree (eARC) | 2 out of 5
Highland Deception by Meggan Connors (Kindle Unlimited) | 3 out of 5
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (eBook) | 1 out of 5
Call it What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer (eARC) | 3.75 out of 5
Night Broken (Mercy Thompson #8) by Patricia Briggs (eBook) | 3.75 out of 5
Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson #9) by Patricia Briggs (eBook) | 4 out of 5
Silence Fallen (Mercy Thompson #10) by Patricia Briggs (eBook) | 4 out of 5

My favorite read of the month was probably Superfan (Brooklyn Bruisers #6) by Sarina Bowen. I heart Silas hard and Delilah grew on me. In the beginning, she frustrated me some with how much power she let her ex have over her life but she learns her lesson and grows as a person so that made me happy.

My least favorite reads were plenty but of the ones that I didn’t like over the course of the month, the one I hated the most was The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez. So much of that book pissed me off that it’s a week later and I’m still pissed off about everything. Grrr.

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.

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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Monthly Reads: May 2019

Posted June 4, 2019 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 8 Comments

Casee: May was a pathetically sad reading month for me. We’re talking circa 2017 here. It makes me sad.

Visions in Silver (The Others #3) by Anne Bishop (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
American Witch (American Witch Trilogy #1) by Thea Harrison | 4 out of 5
Spellbinder (Moonshadow #2) by Thea Harrison | 4.25 out of 5
Easy Love (Boudreaux #1) by Kristen Proby (audio) | 4 out of 5
Easy Charm (Boudreaux #2) by Kristen Proby (audio) | 4 out of 5

Five books. Five. My favorite read of the month was…I have no idea. If I have to choose, I would say Easy Love because I was so surprised that I liked it so much. All the books I read were really good. My least favorite was Easy Charm, but that’s only because of the female narrator. She was annoying as hell. The story was really good.

Holly: May was a sad, sorry reading month for me in terms of quantity, but I did read some quality books.

Fairytale Come Alive by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews | 4 out of 5
The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker | 3.75 out of 5
Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon | 4 out of 5
Repeat by Kylie Scott (reread) | 5 out of 5
Vision in Silver (reread) (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Storm Cursed by Mercy Thompson | 4.25 out of 5
Meet Cute by Helena Hunting | 3.5 out of 5
Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews (reread) (audio) | 4 out of 5
Getting Hot with the Scott by Melonie Johnson | 3.5 out of 5
The Will by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3.75 out of 5

My favorite read of the month was probably Storm Cursed, though I did really enjoy both Sapphire Flames and Rafe. My least favorite read was probably Meet Cute. I didn’t dislike it, but it was more problematic than the others I read.

Rowena: I didn’t have a really strong reading month but I didn’t have a sad reading month like Casee, haha. Love you, boo!

Passion on Park Avenue (Central Park Pact #1) by Lauren Layne (eARC) | 4 out of 5
Hot to the Touch (Brotherhood by Fire #1) by Jaci Burton (eARC) | 3 out of 5
American Witch (American Witch #1) by Thea Harrison (eBook) | 4 out of 5
Love, Chloe by Alessandra Torre (eBook) | 4 out of 5
Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo (eARC) | 3.25 out of 5
Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy #4) by Ilona Andrews (eARC) | 4.5 out of 5
Night Pleasures (Dark Hunters #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon (eBook) | 2.5 out of 5
Then Came You (Laws of Attractions #3) by Kate Meader (eARC) | 4 out of 5
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
Bridal Boot Camp (Little Bridge Island #0.5) by Meg Cabot (eARC) | 3.75 out of 5
Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (eARC) | 4 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews. Catalina and Alessandro are a lot of fun and I’m so looking forward to more from these two at the center of all of the action. I love the Hidden Legacy world and I love the Baylors so it’s always a good time when I’m reading about them.

My least favorite read of the month goes to Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It’s been a while since I’ve read this book and it was chosen for last month’s book club discussion so I had to read it but it didn’t go too well for me. There were too many things that I thought were dumb and I thought Kyrian acted like an immature little shit for too much of the book, which is not saying anything good about him since he’s a freaking thousand years old and should be above thinking and acting like a kid. Don’t even get me started on Amanda and her family….especially Tabitha. Grrr. So yeah, that was my least favorite read of the month.

Giveaway Alert

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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Tagged: Casee's Monthly Reads, Giveaways, Holly's Monthly Reads, Monthly Reads, Rowena's Monthly Reads

Monthly Reads: April 2019

Posted May 1, 2019 by Casee in Features, Giveaways | 17 Comments

Casee: April was a pretty craptastic reading month for me. I only read nine books. The month started out strong, the it took me two weeks to read one book. It was rather disappointing.

Sweet Dreams (Colorado Mountain #2) by Kristen Ashley | 4.5 out of 5
Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels #4) (audiobook) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5
Mystery Man (Dream Man #1) by Kristen Ashley | 4 out of 5
Fair Game (Alpha & Omega #3) (audiobook) | 4 out of 5
The Savior (Black Dagger Brotherhood #17) by J.R. Ward | 4 out of 5
More Than Want You (More Than Words #1) (audiobook) by Shayla Black | 2 out of 5
More Than Need You (More Than Words #2) (audiobook) by Shayla Black | 3 out of 5
At the Pleasure of the President (The Perfect Gentlemen #5) by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake | 4.5 out of 5
Lost Hearts (Masters and Mercenaries: The Forgotten #1) (audiobook) by Lexi Blake | DNF

My favorite reads of the month were Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley and At the Pleasure of the President by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake. My least favorite book of the month was More Than Want You. I know I have a DNF in there, but I think it was more because I didn’t like the narrator, not because it was a bad book. More Than Want You just wasn’t good.

Holly: April was a really sad reading month for me. Nothing but rereads kept my attention. I low key started to get anxious about my lack of reading mojo. I need to work on that. I listed 18, but of those I DNF’d 2, 3 were new reads and the rest were re-reads.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang | 4.25 out of 5
American Witch by Thea Harrison | 4.25 out of 5
Touch of Frost by S.E. Smith (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Ice Hot by Tracy Goodwin | DNF
Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (audio) | DNF
Repeat by Kylie Scott (reread) (audio) | 5 out of 5
Oracle’s Moon by Thea Harrison (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Repeat by Kylie Scott (reread) | 5 out of 5
Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews (reread) (audio) | 4 out of 5
White Hot by Ilona Andrews (reread) (audio) | 4 out of 5
Wildfire by Ilona Andrews (reread) (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley (re-read) | 4.25 out of 5
One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews (reread) (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews (reread) (audio) | 4 out of 5
Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (reread) (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Fairytale Come Alive by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
The Gamble by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3.75 out of 5
Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3 out of 5

My favorite new read of the month was The Bride Test by Helen Hoang, though American Witch is a close second. My least favorite was Ice Hot by Tracy Goodwin. I ended up DNFing it, because neither the writing nor the characters worked for me. I DNF’d Halfway to the Grave as well, but I plan to read that one soon. I think it was just the audiobook I didn’t care for. You’ll notice I listed Repeat twice. That’s because I read the eBook and separately re-listened to the audio.

Rowena: April was a really busy month for me. I went on a short vacation back to Utah with my family and the weeks before that was spent getting ready for my trip back to Utah. So, like the other months of this year, my reading has been pretty sad. Here’s what I read last month:

The Year We Hid Away (The Ivy Years #2) by Sarina Bowen (Kindle Unlimited) | 5 out of 5
The Key to Happily Ever After by Tif Marcelo (eARC) | 4 out of 5
Fumbled (The Playbook #2) by Alexa Martin (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
The Understatement of the Year (The Ivy Years #3) by Sarina Bowen (Kindle Unlimited) | 4.5 out of 5
The Shameless Hour (The Ivy Years #4) by Sarina Bowen (Kindle Unlimited) | 4.25 out of 5
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5
Hook Shot (Hoops #3) by Kennedy Ryan (Kindle Unlimited) | 4.75 out of 5
The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
Ice Hot (New York Nighthawks #1) by Tracy Goodwin (eBook) | DNF
Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7) by Patricia Briggs (eBook) | 4 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to Hook Shot by Kennedy Ryan because that book hit me in every single feel in my body. I adored both Kenan and Lotus and their romance just flat out rocked. So much goodness there.

My least favorite read of the month goes to the only book that I DNF’d and that was Ice Hot by Tracy Goodwin. I just didn’t like that one at all.

Giveaway Alert

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Tagged: Casee's Monthly Reads, Giveaways, Holly's Monthly Reads, Monthly Reads, Rowena's Monthly Reads

Monthly Reads: March 2019

Posted April 3, 2019 by Rowena in Features, Giveaways | 10 Comments

Casee: I had a wonderful reading month. I mostly listened to audiobooks because I had little time to sit down and read. What I was able to read, I really enjoyed. I discovered Kristen Ashley (help!) and cannot stop reading her. I’ve also listened to some delightful audiobooks. Overall, I am thrilled with my reading month. I read/listened to twelve books in March.

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1) by Ilona Andrews (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley | 4.25 out of 5
Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Shadow Warrior (Shadow #4) by Christine Feehan | 4 out of 5
Wicked Abyss (Immortals After Dark #18) by Kresley Cole (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Murder of Crows (The Others #2) by Anne Bishop (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage (MacKenzies & MacBrides #2) by Jennifer Ashley (audio) | 4 out of 5
Ride Steady (Chaos #3) by Kristen Ashley | 4.5 out of 5
Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega #2) by Patricia Briggs (audio) | 4 out of 5
Getting School by Emma Chase (audio) | 4.75 out of 5
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews (audio) | 4 out of 5
Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels #3) by Ilona Andrews (audio) | 4.5 out of 5

I am having a really hard time picking my favorites this month because I didn’t read a bad book. If I had to choose, I would say Getting Schooled by Emma Chase and Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley. My least favorite was Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, but I am so glad that I continued on with the series.

Holly: I had a sad, very sorry reading month in March. I managed to finish 15 books, but the majority of them were re-reads and I read them mostly in the first half of the month. I think I only finished 3 books in the second half.

xo, Zach by Kendall Ryan (audio) | 1.5 out of 5
Wild Irish by C.M. Seabrook (audio) | 2.75 out of 5
Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Dane’s Storm by Mia Sheridan (audio) | 3 out of 5
Overnight Sensation by Sarina Bowen | 4 out of 5
Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh | 4/4.25 out of 5
Getting Schooled by Emma Chase (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (audio) (reread) | 3 out of 5
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews (audio) (reread) | 3.75 out of 5
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews (audio) (reread) | 4 out of 5
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews (audio) (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
Curran POV (novella) (reread) | 4 out of 5
Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Rock Chick Revolution by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 2.5 out of 5
Rock Chick Regret by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3.75 out of 5

My favorite new read of the month was Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long. I absolutely loved the heroine and the way she took control of her life. I also loved the female friendships and the romance. It was an excellent read all the way around. My least favorite was xo, Zach by Kendall Ryan. It had promise but quickly went downhill.

Rowena: Like Holly, my reading last month was pretty miserable. I didn’t read nearly as many books that I thought I’d read and what it suck even more is that I just didn’t want to read. This slump that I’m falling into needs to make its way out of my life because I have lots of books to read. Here’s what I did read:

The Dating Game by Kiley Roache (eARC) | 3.25 out of 5
Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris (eARC) | 4 out of 5
Team Player by Julianna Keyes (eARC) | 4 out of 5
Overnight Sensation (Brooklyn Bruisers #5) by Sarina Bowen (eBook) | 4.5 out of 5
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1) by Ilona Andrews (eBook) | 3 out of 5
Repeat by Kylie Scott (audio) | 4 out of 5
Getting Lucky Number Seven (Taking Shots #1) by Cindi Madsen (audio) | 4 out of 5
Anatomy of a Player (Taking Shots #2) by Cindi Madsen (audio) | 3.25 out of 5
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton (eBook) | 4 out of 5
The Right Swipe (Modern Dating #1) by Alisha Rai (eARC) | 3.5 out of 5
When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
You’d be Mine by Erin Hahn (eARC) | 4 out of 5
Extra Credit by Sarina Bowen (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5

My favorite of the month goes to Overnight Sensation (Brooklyn Bruisers #5) by Sarina Bowen. I adored this book so much, Jason and Heidi were a fabulous couple. My least favorite read of the month is probably Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1) by Ilona Andrews. I spent far too long being bored in that book and though it does pick up and I am anxious for more, I enjoyed it the least of all the books I read last month.

Giveaway Alert

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Tagged: Casee's Monthly Reads, Holly's Monthly Reads, Monthly Reads, Rowena's Monthly Reads

Monthly Reads: February 2019

Posted March 4, 2019 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 9 Comments

February is the month of love and even though Holly isn’t a fan of Valentine’s Day in general, we got in on the love train this month. Here’s what each of us read last month, along with our favorites and least favorite reads of the month.

Casee: February was pretty good for me. About half my books were audiobooks. I honestly have no idea how I used to read 20+ books a month with two small children. It really baffles me. These are my reads for the month:

My favorite reads of the month were The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose. Those two just stuck with me. My very least favorite was Keep Me Safe by Maya Banks followed very closely by Fever by Maya Banks.

Holly: February was a bad reading month for me. I managed to read 15 books, but it felt like it took forever to finish them. Let’s hope March is better.

Dirty by Kylie Scott (audiobook) | 2 out of 5
Ariana by Dylan Ash | 3.25 out of 5
Repeat by Kylie Scott (audiobook) | 5 out of 5
Free by Kristen Ashley | 2 out of 5
Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas | 4.5 out of 5
Written in Red by Anne Bishop (reread) (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop (reread) (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop (reread) (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop (reread) (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop (reread) (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Lake Silence by Anne Bishop (reread) (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Wild Country by Anne Bishop | 4 out of 5
Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Fairytale Come Alive by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Wild Irish Heart by Tricia O’Malley (audio) | DNF

My favorite read of the month was Repeat by Kylie Scott. That was such a fabulous audiobook. My least favorite read was Dirty by Kylie Scott. I didn’t understand the heroine or why either m/c did what they did.

Rowena: February was a short month and I went almost two weeks without reading anything so I’m not at all surprised that I only read 10 books this month. sigh I’m not freaking out about that or anything because according to Goodreads, I’m still on track to meeting my reading goals so that’s something.

The month started out with some fantastic reads, books that I was anxious to read and I was thrilled that they lived up to the hype that I gave them in my head. Too bad my month ended with some serious WTF did I just read books so that was a bit of a downer. I’ll go into that more below but here’s what I read last month.

Devil’s Daughter (The Ravenels #5) by Lisa Kleypas (eARC) | 4.75 out of 5
Risk, The (Briar U #2) by Elle Kennedy (eARC) | 4.5 out of 5
Assist, The (Smart Jocks #1) by Rebecca Jenshak (eBook) | 3 out of 5
Huge Deal (21 Wall Street #3) by Lauren Layne (eBook) | 5 out of 5
Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, The (Mckenzies & McBrides #1) by Jennifer Ashley (Audiobook) | 4.25 out of 5
River Marked (Mercy Thompson #6) by Patricia Briggs (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5
Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry (eARC) | 4 out of 5
The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) by Helen Hoang (Audiobook) | 5 out of 5
Bad Bachelor (Bad Bachelors #1) by Stefanie London (eBook) | 3 out of 5
Bad Reputation (Bad Bachelors #2) by Stefanie London (eBook) | 1 out of 5

My favorite reads of the month go to Huge Deal by Lauren Layne, Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas, and The Risk by Elle Kennedy. Kate and Kennedy were fabulous and I’m still not over Jealous Kennedy and the shouting match they got into at Kennedy’s parents anniversary dinner. Gah, that scene was just fantastic. I also completely loved West and Phoebe, seeing those two come together and seeing West with Phoebe’s kids??? Gah, so much goodness here. Brenna and Jake were just as awesome as I was hoping too so I was a happy camper to start the month off.

My least favorite read of the month goes to the last book that I read, Bad Reputation by Stefanie London. That book was a mess for me. The heroine was so extra in the beginning and all of the mystery surrounding why she was so extra about performing in the hero’s show fell flat for me and then the hero does the douchiest thing that pissed me off but none of that compares to how ragey I got over the whole Bad Bachelor app shit. Grrrr, I’m still pretty angry about that so I DNF’d the last book in the series because…I just can’t.