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
Say You’ll Stay (audio) by Corinne Michaels | 3 out of 5
Convict Me by J.L. Beck & C. Hallman | 2.5 out of 5
Say You Want Me (audio) Corinne Michaels | 3.5 out of 5
Keep Me by J.L. Beck & C. Hallman | 3.5 out of 5
Guard Me by J.L. Beck & C. Hallman | 1 out of 5
Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Holly
May was a slow reading month for me. I started out fairly strong, but work is kind of kicking my butt right now, plus distance learning with my kid, so I don’t have a lot of time for reading. I’m hoping June will be more relaxed and I’ll have more time. I finished 9 books and DNF’d 2.
Rise of the Phoenix (The Society #1) by Mason Sabre (novella) | 3.25 out of 5
Oath Sworn (Jacky Leon #1) by Kristen Banet | DNF
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James | DNF
When He’s Dark (The Olympus Pride #1) by Suzanne Wright | 3.75 out of 5
The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom #1) by Danielle L. Jensen (audio) | 4.75 out of 5
The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom #2 by Danielle L. Jensen (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Alpha Night (Psy-Changeling Trinity, #4; Psy-Changeling, #19) by Nalini Singh | 4 out of 5
Protect the Prince Crown of Shards #2) by Jennifer Estep | 4.25 out of 5
Crush the King Crown of Shards #3) by Jennifer Estep | 3.75 out of 5
The Will (Magdalene #1) by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Repeat by Kylie Scott (reread) | 5 out of 5
My favorite read of the month was The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen, but The Traitor Queen was a very close second. If you’re looking for a series (duet?) filled with action, angst, intrigue, romance and mystery, please pick this one up. I adored it. My least favorite read was Rise of the Phoenix by Mason Sabre. I liked it, just not as much as the others I read.
Rowena
May was another Kate Daniels reading month. I’m down to the last three books of the series and I’m taking my time with them. I’m taking my time with all of my reading, to be honest. I’m not rushing to 100 books read this year like I normally do, I’m reading everyday but for shorter amounts of time because everything is just so…ugh right now. I’m not in the right mental space to read a bunch of books but here’s a list of what I did read in the month of May.
Magic Tests (Kate Daniels #5.3) by Ilona Andrews (eBook) | 4.5 out of 5
Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels #8) by Ilona Andrews (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5
Magic Stars (Kate Daniels #8.5) by Ilona Andrews (eBook) | 4.75 out of 5
His Bride for the Taking by Tessa Dare (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5
Protect the Prince (Crown of Shards #2) by Jennifer Estep (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5
Alpha Night (Psy-Changelings Trinity #4) by Nalini Singh (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
My favorite read of the month goes to Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews. Derek is one of my favorite characters in the Kate Daniels series so I was thrilled to finally get a story (even if it was a short one) with him at the front and center. I LOVED this one and I really, really love seeing him with Julie. I’m rooting for those two so hard! I would love to read a spin-off series featuring those two. I’ve got my fingers, eyes and toes crossed that the Andrews duo will make that happen.
I don’t have a least favorite book of the month, I liked all of the books that I read…all of them.
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.
I had a good reading month in May: 26 books read—of which my favorite was Winter Renshaw’s THE BEST MAN, which is a beautifully-written book about the roles chance and coincidence play in our lives. I’m sure it will be on my top ten favorite reads of 2020. I also really enjoyed Caitlin Crews’s super hot TAKE ME; Taylor Fitzpatrick’s latest m/m hockey romance, COMING IN FIRST PLACE; and Aster Glenn Gray’s THE THREEFOLD TIE, a very delicately-written story of a 19th century m/m/f ménage.
I had to DNF Suzanne Wright’s WHEN HE’S DARK because it was non-stop exposition and tell-not-show. I realize it’s the first book of a new series and so lots of secondary characters are going to be introduced and setup for future storylines, but Wright was doing it in such a clunky, boring fashion, at the 25% point, I was like, “Life’s too short. Time to give up and move on.”
I’ve been reading Lauren Layne’s backlist in her Stiletto series. I didn’t have a least favorite read in May.
A few May favorites were The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel by Martha Wells, and a reread of the Claimings series by Lyn Gala.
I didn’t finish books that did not appeal, so I’ve no least favorite book to share.
My favorite books of the month were The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary which was just adorable and sweet, and Repeat by Kylie Scott. Least favorite was The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson which I read for my bookclub. The writing was lovely and the story compelling, however, it was quite grim, set in Kentucky Appalachia in the 1930’s and filled with racism, poverty, ignorance and several deaths. Given the current state of the world, I found it very hard to read.
My favorite was Chasing Cassandra. I didn’t have a least favorite.
The Girl in Cabin 13 was interesting
worst book: The Boss by Abigail Owen