Monthly Reads: March 2013

Posted April 11, 2013 by Rowena in Features | 11 Comments

Rowena: March was a busy month for me.  Lots of things going on and well, some reading got done.

Here’s what I read in the month that was March:

  1. What Happens in Scotland by Jennifer McQuiston (4 out of 5)
  2. Also Known As by Robin Benway (4 out of 5)
  3. The Best Man by Kristan Higgins (4.25 out of 5)
  4. Seeing is Believing by Erin McCarthy (4 out of 5)
  5. With this Kiss, Pt. 1 by Eloisa James (4.5 out of 5)
  6. With this Kiss, Pt. 2 by Eloisa James (4.5 out of 5)
  7. With this Kiss, Pt. 3 by Eloisa James (4.5 out of 5)
  8. Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg (4 out of 5)
  9. The Bridgertons Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn (4 out of 5)
  10. Period 8 by Chris Crutcher (3 out of 5)
  11. Elders by Ryan McIlvain (3 out of 5)
  12. Wrecked by Shiloh Walker (4 out of 5)
My favorite read of the month are the With this Kiss books by Eloisa James.  Now, those are three parts that make one story and that book made me laugh, cry and sigh.  Had the right amount of everything I liked so that’s my choice for monthly favorite.

My least favorite is a tie between Period 8 by Chris Crutcher and Elders by Ryan McIlvain.  I didn’t hate either book, I just didn’t like them as much as I liked the other books that I read.

Holly: March was a good month for me quality-wise. I was lucky enough to read some really amazing books from authors I love. I read 17 books.

  1. Down London Road by Samantha Young 4.5/5
  2. Drawn Together by Lauren Dane 4.5/5
  3. Kinked by Thea Harrison 5/5
  4. Archangel’s Consort (reread) 4/5
  5. A Fine Romance by Christi Barth 3.5/5
  6. It Happened One Night by Julie Anne Long 4/5
  7. With this Kiss: Part One by Eloisa James 4.5/5
  8. With this Kiss: Part Two by Eloisa James 4/5
  9. With this Kiss: Part Three by Eloisa James 4/5
  10. Cowboy Take Me Away by Jane Graves 3.5/5
  11. Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley 4.25/5
  12. Games of the Heart by Kristen Ashley (re-read) 3.5/5
  13. Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley (re-read) 3.5/5
  14. The Gamble by Kristen Ashley (re-read) 3.5/5
  15. Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh (re-read) 4/5
  16. Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley (re-read) 2.5/5
  17. Six Years by Harlan Coben DNF

My favorite reads of the month were Kinked by Thea Harrison, Drawn Together by Lauren Dane, Down London Road by Samantha James and Own the Wind by Kristen Ashley. I didn’t expect to love any of them as much as I did. Kinked, Down London Road and Drawn Together feature characters I didn’t care for in earlier books in the series and Own the Wind had characters I thought were going to be too young for a romance. I was wrong on all counts. Kinked was a dark, gritty novel and really touched me in ways I didn’t expect. Down London Road was as much a story of personal growth as a romance. Drawn Together was unexpected in its emotional pull and Own the Wind was written in a way that showcased the strengths of the characters. I definitely recommend preordering all four!

Honorable mention goes to It Happened One Night by Julie Anne Long. I adore her Pennyroyal Green series. This was another wonderful entry.

My least favorite read of the month was Six Years by Harlan Coben. I ended up DNF’ing about 100 pages in. I wasn’t invested enough in the characters or the mystery to continue. Mostly I was just confused and annoyed by the story. I know others adored it (including Tracy, who reviewed it here), but it wasn’t for me.

This month, we’re giving away:

With this Kiss, Pt. 1, 2 and 3 by Eloisa James (e-format)
Own the Wind: A Chaos Novel by Kristen Ashley (e-format)

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 reading. You can put your name in for more than one book, but you’ll only be allowed to win one, so choose wisely.

So…what was your favorite read of the month? And your least favorite?


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11 responses to “Monthly Reads: March 2013

  1. Willa

    So – is Holly leaving for a short stay in the Sanatorium to recover from her Kristin Ashley binge? 😀

  2. You have no idea how much I feel like I need one.

    I will say Own the Wind was an excellent example of why an editor is a must. It was so much cleaner and tighter than her self-published works. She could easily be my favorite author if all her books were that tight.

  3. I really enjoyed Own the Wind too. I liked seeing Tabby all grown up. My favorite was Easy by Tammara Webber.
    I would love to win the Eloisa James serial.
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

  4. I read 19 books in March. My favorites were The Best Man (Kristan Higgins) and Touch & Go (Lisa Gardner.) Both were excellent. What didn’t work for me was the Cynster series, by Stephanie Laurens. I read the first two books, Devil’s Bride and A Rake’s Vow. The second book seemed like a copy of the first, and it was my least favorite read of the month.

    If I win, I’d prefer the Eloisa James set, but I would enjoy the Kristen Ashley book, as well. Thanks. mochfly (at) swbell (dot) net.

  5. SaraC

    Hmm, my fave book I read this month was Cold Days by Jim Butcher. My lease fave was Daughter of Smoke and Bones. I know it got great reviews, I just couldn’t get into it at all. Would love to win the Eloisa James book.

  6. My favorite read of the month was an SF book called The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord. I rarely read SF, but this was really great. The hero was kind of Spock-like and it had a lovely, understated romance. Least favorite was Sealed With A Curse, a UF by Cecy Robson.

    Both Own the Wind and With This Kiss are way up on my wishlist. I love both authors and would love to win either one.
    jen(at)delux(dot)com

  7. Kim

    My favorite book of the month was Love Irresistibly by Julie James. It was a nice story with witty and smart characters. I didn’t have a poor reading experience this month.

    Since I already have Eloisa’s books, I’ll go into the Kristen Ashley drawing. Thanks.
    penfield716(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

  8. My favorite read this month was The Perks of Being a Wallflower (not quite a romance, sorry) and my least favorite was Lauren Dane’s Laid Bare, it was my first DNF in a long time so maybe I didn’t give it enough time, but I just couldn’t get into it.

    I’m in for the Eloisa James set!

  9. Jess1

    I would love to win Eloisa James set. My favorite read was Captive Heart by Tali Spencer. My least favorite read was One True Thing by MJ O’Shea.

    strive4bst(At) yahoo(Dot) com

  10. I’d love to win the Eloisa James ebooks. I didn’t have a bad book in the bunch this month, while this month’s fave was Stealing Kathryn by Jacqueline Frank- a remake of Beauty and the Beast!
    thebigbluewall77(at)gmail(dot)com

  11. Ada

    My fave this month has got to be Kieran Kramer’s Dukes To The Left Of Me, Princes To The Right. It was such a fun and witty book! My least fave was Deidre Martin’s Breakaway because I was expecting more hockey in the book, and I was so disappointed!

    Please enter me for the Eloisa James’ books!

    ahui89(at)hotmail(dot)com

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