Monthly Reads: September 2021

Posted October 5, 2021 by Casee in Features, Giveaways | 8 Comments

It’s a new month so we’re back with a list of our Monthly Reads to share with each of you. This is where you’ll see what each of us has read and what our favorite books and our least favorite books of the month are. Check it out.

Casee

September wasn’t a horrible reading month for me. I read/listened to 10 books.

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1)(audio)(reread) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5
The Fixer (Professionals #1) by Jessica Gadziala | 3.75 out of 5
Stand (Bleeding Stars #6) by A.L. Jackson | 4.5 out of 5
Violent Delights (White Monarch #1) by Jessica Hawkins | DNF
White Hot (Hidden Legacy #2)(audio)(reread) by Ilona Andrews | 5 out of 5
Tin Queen (Tin Gypsy #6) by Devney Perry | 4.25 out of 5
Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #3)(audio)(reread) by Ilona Andrews | 5 out of 5
Rise (Rock God #1) by Cassandra Robbins | 4.25 out of 5
Echo (Archer’s Creek #1) by Gemma Weir | 3 out of 5
The Lion’s Lady (Crown’s Spies #1)(audio)(reread) by Julie Garwood | 5 out of 5

With the exception of the book I DNFed, I liked all the books I read in September. My favorites were Tin Queen by Devney Perry & Rise by Cassandra Robbins. I also adore the Hidden Legacy series on audio. Soooo good.

Holly

I finished 19 books in September. I’m coming into my busy season at work, so I have a feeling my reading will drop off from here.

Sarazen’s Betrayal (Sarazen Saga #3) by Isabel Wroth (reread) | 2.75 out of 5
Battle with Fire (Demon Days, Vampire Nights #11) by K.F. Breene (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Dark Planet Warriors (Dark Planet Warriors #1) by Anna Carven | 3.25 out of 5
Dark Planet Falling (Dark Planet Warriors #2) by Anna Carven | 4 out of 5
Into the Light (Dark Planet Warriors #3) by Anna Carven | 3.5 out of 5
Out of Darkness (Dark Planet Warriors #4) by Anna Carven | 3.75 out of 5
Darkside Blues (Dark Planet Warriors #4.5) by Anna Carven | 4 out of 5
Forged in Shadow (Dark Planet Warriors #5) by Anna Carven | 4 out of 5
Infinity’s Embrace (Dark Planet Warriors #6) by Anna Carven | 3.75 out of 5
Electric Heart (Dark Planet Warriors #7) by Anna Carven | 4 out of 5
Brilliant Starlight (Dark Planet Warriors #8) by Anna Carven | 3 out of 5
Taming Chaos (Darkstar Mercenaries #1) by Anna Carven | 3 out of 5
Shattered Silence (Darkstar Mercenaries #2) by Anna Carven | 4 out of 5
Fractured Souls (Darkstar Mercenaries #3) by Anna Carven | 3.75 out of 5
Stranded and Spellbound (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly #3) by Jenna Collett | DNF
Shatter the Dark (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly #4) by Jenna Collett | 4.25 out of 5
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (audio) (reread) | 5 out of 5
The Lion’s Lady (Crown Spies #1) by Julie Garwood (audio) (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Witches Get Stitches (Stay a Spell #3) by Juliette Cross | 3 out of 5

My favorite read of the month was Battle with Fire by K.F. Breene. Reagan has never been my favorite character, but she really came into her own and this book finished the series well. I also really enjoyed Shatter the Dark by Jenna Collett. That may be my favorite book of the series to date. My least favorite was Stranded and Spellbound by Jenna Collett, which I DNF’d. I have no desire to read a full book about his parents being mean to her/her trying to win them over.

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!

8 Comments

Monthly Reads: August 2021

Posted September 2, 2021 by Casee in Features, Giveaways | 7 Comments

It’s a new month so we’re back with a list of our Monthly Reads to share with each of you. This is where you’ll see what each of us has read and what our favorite books and our least favorite books of the month are. Check it out.

Casee

August was an unusual month for me. I DNF’ed four books. Yes, FOUR. Four books. It’s crazy because I generally don’t DNF books. I am usually in it until the bitter end, no matter how bad the book is. After I DNF’ed Vigilante by Jessica Gadziala, I decided that I don’t have time to read books that I don’t like. Hence the FOUR DNF’s.

Archangel’s Light (Guild Hunter #14) by Nalini Singh | 4.5 out of 5
When Heroes Fall (Anti-Heroes in Love #1) by Giana Darling | DNF
Lazarus (The Henchmen MC #7) by Jessica Gadziala | 4 out of 5
Give Me a Reason (Redemption Hills #1) by A.L. Jackson | 4.75 out of 5
Vigilante by Jessica Gadziala | DNF
Pagan (The Henchmen MC #8) by Jessica Gadziala | 3.5 out of 5
Grudge Match by Jessica Gadziala | 3 out of 5
Wicked Rule (Heartless Kingdom #1) by K.I. Lynn | DNF
Trigger (Devil’s Reach #1) by J.L. Drake | DNF
Cyrus (The Henchmen MC #9) by Jessica Gadziala | 4 out of 5

It’s really hard to pick my favorite book of the month. I loved Archangel’s Light by Nalini Singh, but I adored Give Me a Reason by A.L. Jackson. It’s seriously the best book I’ve read all year. I think my least favorite was Trigger by J.L. Drake. After I read a scene where Trigger told the heroine (who was new to the whole MC life) to grab a mop, he then shot a guy in the head right in front of her. And she just does it without freaking out? No, thank you. I’m good.

Holly

August was a weird reading month for me. It didn’t feel like I read a lot, but I finished 18 books. So strange.

Interference/Insurgency (Verdant String #0.5) by Michelle Diener (anthology) | 3.75 out of 5
Dark Horse (Class 5 #1) by Michelle Diener | 3.75 out of 5
Dark Deeds (Class 5 #2) by Michelle Diener | 4 out of 5
Dark Minds (Class 5 #3) by Michelle Diener | 3.75 out of 5
Dark Matters (Class 5 #4) by Michelle Diener | 3.5 out of 5
Daughter of the Alien Warrior (Treasured by the Alien #3) by Honey Phillips | DNF
Portrait of Death: Unforgotten (Portrait of Death #1) by Isabel Wroth | 2.75/3 out of 5
Revealed in Fire (Demon Days and Vampire Nights #9) by K.F. Breene (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
Mentored in Fire (Demon Days and Vampire Nights #10) by K.F. Breene (audio) | 4 out of 5
Alpha (Ghost Mountain Wolf Shifters #1) by Audrey Faye | 4 out of 5
Heart (Ghost Mountain Wolf Shifters #1) by Audrey Faye | 3.75 out of 5
Rebel (Ghost Mountain Wolf Shifters #1) by Audrey Faye | 3.5 out of 5
Last Guard (Psy-Changeling Trinity, #5; Psy-Changeling, #20) by Nalini Singh | 4.25 out of 5
Repeat (Larsen Brothers #1) by Kylie Scott (reread) | 5 out of 5
Spellbinder (Moonshadow #2) by Thea Harrison (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Steadfast (True North #2) by Sarina Bowen (reread) 4.75 out of 5)
Fairytale Come Alive (Ghosts and Reincarnation #4) By Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
The Hook Up (Game On #1) by Kristen Callihan (reread) | 4.5 out of 5

My favorite read of the month was either Alpha by Audrey Faye or Dark Deeds by Michelle Diener. I enjoyed both quite a bit. My least favorite was Portrait of Death: Unforgotten by Isabel Wroth, though I think that’s more to do with my aversion to Romantic Suspense than anything else.

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!

7 Comments

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

Monthly Reads: July 2021

Posted August 5, 2021 by Rowena in Features, Giveaways | 8 Comments

It’s a new month so we’re back with a list of our Monthly Reads to share with each of you. This is where you’ll see what each of us has read and what our favorite books and our least favorite books of the month are. Check it out.

Casee

I read a lot of books in July. Well, a lot of books for me. I actually read 10 books.

Stone Princess (Tin Gypsy #3) by Devney Perry | 4.5 out of 5
Noble Prince by Devney Perry (Tin Gypsy #4) | 4.25 out of 5
Fallen Jester by Devney Perry (Tin Gypsy #5)| 4.5 out of 5
Last Guard by Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) | 4.5 out of 5
Killer (Savages #2) by Jessica Gadziala | 4 out of 5
Savior (Savages #3) by Jessica Gadziala | 4 out of 5
Repo (Henchmen MC #4) by Jessica Gadziala | 4 out of 5
Duke (Henchmen MC #5) by Jessica Gadziala | 3 out of 5
Renny (Henchmen MC #6?) by Jessica Gadziala | 4 out of 5

I pretty much binged on Devney Perry & Jessica Gadziala. I just adore both of these authors. My favorite book of the month was Fallen Jester by Devney Perry. A close second was Last Guard by Nalini Singh. My least favorite was Duke by Jessica Gadziala. I just didn’t connect with either of the characters. That was a bummer because Duke was an interesting character in the first four books.

Holly

I had a pretty good reading month. I discovered a new-to-me author, Isabel Wroth, and glommed her backlist. I read 25 books total.

Clean Sweep (Inkeeper Chronicles #1) by Ilona Andrews (audio) (re-read) | 4.25 out of 5
Sweep in Peace (Inkeeper Chronicles #2) by Ilona Andrews (audio) (re-read) | 4.25 out of 5
One Fell Sweep (Inkeeper Chronicles #3) by Ilona Andrews (audio) (re-read) | 4.5 out of 5
Sweep of the Blade (Inkeeper Chronicles #4) by Ilona Andrews (audio) (re-read) | 4.25 out of 5
Sweep with Me (Inkeeper Chronicles #4.5) by Ilona Andrews (audio) (re-read) | 4.25 out of 5
Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews (audio) (re-read) | 4.5 out of 5
Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck (Southern Eclectic #0.5) by Molly Harper (audio) (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Sweet Tea and Sympathy (Southern Eclectic #1) by Molly Harper (audio) (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Ain’t She a Peach (Southern Eclectic #2) by Molly Harper (audio) (re-read) | 3.75 out of 5
Gimme Some Sugar (Southern Eclectic #3) by Molly Harper (audio) (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Lady Derring Takes a Lover (The Palace of Rogues #1) by Julie Anne Long (audio) (re-read) | 4 out of 5
The Unseen (Chronicles of Rhyacia #1) by Thea Harrison | 4 out of 5
The Adversary (Chronicles of Rhyacia #2) by Thea Harrison | 4 out of 5
Everlong (Daughters of Askara #1) by Hailey Edwards | 3.25 out of 5
Evermine (Daughters of Askara #2) by Hailey Edwards | 3.25 out of 5
Eversworn (Daughters of Askara #3) by Hailey Edwards | 3.5 out of 5
Sarazen’s Claim (Sarazen Saga #1) by Isabel Wroth | 4 out of 5
Sarazen’s Vengeance (Sarazen Saga #2) by Isabel Wroth | 4 out of 5
Sarazen’s Betrayal (Sarazen Saga #3) by Isabel Wroth | 2.75 out of 5
Sarazen’s Hunt (Sarazen Saga #4) by Isabel Wroth | 3.5 out of 5
Sarazen’s Fury (Sarazen Saga #5) by Isabel Wroth | 4 out of 5
Blood and Venom (Sarazen Saga #5.5) by Isabel Wroth | 3.5 out of 5
A Little Green Magic (The Little Coven #1) by Isabel Wroth | 4 out of 5
A Little Dark Magic (The Little Coven #2) by Isabel Wroth | 4.25 out of 5
Archangel’s Light (Guild Hunter #14) by Nalini Singh | 3.75 out of 5

My favorite read of the month was A Little Dark Magic by Isabel Wroth. I enjoyed the main characters and the storyline. My least favorite read was Sarazen’s Betrayal by Isabel Wroth. It was shaping up to be my favorite of the series until they both started acting out of character. When the hero spanked the heroine (not during bed play) because she did something he didn’t like – and she just rolled her eyes about it – I couldn’t come back from that.

Rowena

July was a busy month for me (what’s new?) so I didn’t read very many books. I did finish 2 books and DNF’d one. Here’s what I read:

Sweethand by N.G. Peltier | DNF
Battle Royal by Lucy Parker | 4 out of 5
Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long | 4.25 out of 5

My favorite read of the month is my re-read of Lady Derring Takes a Lover but Battle Royal was a good read too. I wasn’t in the mood for Sweethand so I put that down to get some review books 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.

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

8 Comments

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

Monthly Reads: June 2021

Posted July 2, 2021 by Casee in Features, Giveaways | 8 Comments

It’s a new month so we’re back with a list of our Monthly Reads to share with each of you. This is where you’ll see what each of us has read and what our favorite books and our least favorite books of the month are. Check it out.

Casee

I actually read seven 7 books in June. I really enjoyed most of them. I definitely binged on Jessica Gadziala. I love her.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave | 3.5 out of 5
Ryan (Mallick Brothers #2) by Jessica Gadziala | 3.75 out of 5
Mark (Mallick Brothers #3) by Jessica Gadziala | 4 out of 5
Eli (Mallick Brothers #4) by Jessica Gadziala | 4.5 out of 5
Gypsy King (Tin Gypsy #1) by Devney Perry | 3 out of 5
For a Good Time, Call… (Scars #1) by Jessica Gadziala | 4 out of 5
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig | 3 out of 5

Holly

June was the month of Kleypas for me. I went down a re-read rabbit hole. I finished 20 books in June, but the majority of them were rereads.

Mine Til Midnight (The Hathaways #1) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
Seduce Me at Sunrise (The Hathaways #2) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 3.75 out of 5
Tempt Me at Twilight (The Hathaways #3) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 4 out of 5
Married by Morning (The Hathaways #4) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 4 out of 5
Love in the Afternoon (The Hathaways #5) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Devil in Winter (The Wallflowers #4) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 5 out of 5
Devil in Spring (The Ravenels #3) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Devil’s Daughter (The Ravenels #5) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 4 out of 5
Devil in Disguise (The Ravenels #7) by Lisa Kleypas | 4 out of 5
I Will (Capitol Theatre #2.5) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) (novella) |
The Gamble (Colorado Mountain #1) by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Lord of Scoundrels (Scoundrels #3) by Loretta Chase (reread) | 4.75 out of 5
Don’t Hex and Drive (Stay a Spell #2) by Juliette Cross | 3.5 out of 5
Alpha & Omega (Alpha & Omega #0.5) by Patricia Briggs (reread) (novella) | 5 out of 5
Shifters in the Night (Mystic Bayou #5) by Molly Harper (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Spellbound After Midnight (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly #1) by Jenna Collett | 3.75 out of 5
Wolfish Charms t (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly #2) by Jenna Collett | 4 out of 5
Hot as Hades by Alisha Rai (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
The Monster MASH (The Monster MAS*H #1) by Angie Fox | 3.25 out of 5
Heartbreaker (Rescues #3) by Linda Howard (reread) | 4 out of 5
White Lies (Rescues #4) by Linda Howard (reread) | 4 out of 5
Waking the Dragon (Vale of Stars #1) by Juliette Cross | 2.75 out of 5

My favorite read of the month was Devil in Disguise, with an honorable mention to Wolfish Charms by Jenna Collett (a new-to-me author). My least favorite read was The Monster MASH by Angie Fox. I didn’t really dislike it, but the writing was choppy and the story was kind of all over the place.

Rowena

I can’t believe we’re already in July. June came and went in the blink of an eye for me. I did manage to read 6 books and I read some pretty quality books so I’m one happy camper. Here’s a list of the books I read last month:

To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne (eARC) | 4 out of 5
Devil in Disguise (The Ravenels #6) by Lisa Kleypas (eARC) | 4.5 out of 5
Lord of Scoundrels (Scoundrels #3) by Loretta Chase (eBook) (Re-read) | 4 out of 5
Worth Any Price (Bow Street Runners #3) by Lisa Kleypas (eBook) (Re-read) | 4.25 out of 5
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5
So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park (eARC) | 4 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas because that book was such a good time. I enjoyed revisiting with old friends and diving into the steamy romance between Merrit and Kier. Their book was just a fantastic read and I’m super anxious for more from this world. I’m not going to list a least favorite because I enjoyed every book that I read so let’s just leave it at that.

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!

8 Comments

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

Monthly Reads: May 2021

Posted June 2, 2021 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 12 Comments

It’s a new month so we’re back with a list of our Monthly Reads to share with each of you. This is where you’ll see what each of us has read and what our favorite books and our least favorite books of the month are. Check it out.

Casee

I read four books in May, all by the same author.

Reign (The Henchmen MC #1) by Jessica Gadziala | 3 out of 5
Cash (The Henchmen MC #2) by Jessica Gadziala | 4.25 out of 5
Wolf (The Henchmen MC #3) by Jessica Gadziala | 4 out of 5
Shane (Mallick Brothers #1) by Jessica Gadziala | 4.25 out of 5

I didn’t have a favorite/least favorite this month because they were all really good books.

Holly

May was a sad reading month for me. It seemed to take me forever to finish a book. I also did a lot of re-reading.

Devil in Disguise (Ravenels #6) by Lisa Kleypas | 4 out of 5
Devil in Winter (Wallflowers #3) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 5 out of 5
Worthy Any Price (Bow Street Runners #3) by Lisa Kleypas (reread) | 5 out of 5
Soaring (Magdalene #2) by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Fairytale Come Alive (Ghosts and Reincarnations #4) by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
Rock Addiction (Rock Kiss #1) by Nalini Singh (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Rock Courtship (Rock Kiss #1.5) by Nalini Singh (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
Heart of Fire (Legends of the Storm #1) by Bec McMaster | 4 out of 5
Sweet Dreams (Colorado Mountains #2) by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
Darkest Heart (Dominion #1) by Juliette Cross | 4 out of 5
Hardest Fall (Dominion #2) by Juliette Cross | 3.5 out of 5
Coldest Fire (Dominion #3) by Juliette Cross | 4.25 out of 5
Piece of Dragon (Haret Chronicles: Qilin #1) by Laurel Chase | DNF
Forbidden (Old West #1) by Beverly Jenkins | 3.75 out of 5

My favorite book of the month was Coldest Fire by Juliette Cross, with an honorable mention to Darkest Heart. My least favorite was Hardest Fall by Juliette Cross. I didn’t dislike it, but it wasn’t the story I was hoping for.

Rowena

May was the month that I discovered mangas with my best friend. We’re really into them and are even branching out to discover webtoons to enjoy together as well but for May, it was all about Demon Slayer. I read a huge chunk of them and really enjoyed seeing the Demon Slayer gang after the movie that released back in April.

Here’s what I read last month:

Demon Slayer, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Volume One | 4.25 out of 5
Demon Slayer, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Volume Seven | 4 out of 5
Demon Slayer, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Volume Eight | 5 out of 5
Demon Slayer, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Volume Nine | 4.25 out of 5
Demon Slayer, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Volume Ten | 4.25 out of 5
Demon Slayer, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Volume Eleven | 4.5 out of 5
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He | 3.75 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to Volume 8 of the Demon Slayer series. That book covers the meat of the storyline from the movie and I cried all over again while reading it. My least favorite book goes to The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He. It took me a long time to read this book. The first half of the book was confusing and super slow. Once you hit about the halfway mark, things pick up and I ended up liking everything.

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.