Casee: I have been on a reading binge this last week. I’ve read/listened to six books in June so far and we’re only halfway through the month. It’s like a Christmas miracle in June. I’m on a Kristen Ashley binge right now. I read Quiet Man and Dream Maker which are the first two books in KA’s Dream Team series. Of course after reading those two, I had to start the Rock Chick series. I read Rock Chick Reawakening, the prequel and now I’m reading Rock Chick. I’ve also been glomming Shannon McKenna this last week. I’ve been reading her Hellhound Brotherhood series. It’s just so-so. I’m on the third book which is called Hellbent.
I’ve been listening to the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews on audio nonstop. I adore this series. I listened to Magic Breaks and was blown away. It’s definitely my favorite in the series. I’m now reading Magic Shifts, which is the eighth book in the series.
Holly: I finished The Rise of the Phoenix by Mason Sabre. It was just okay. I enjoyed the story, but not the writing. I don’t think I’ll be continuing on. I asked for PNR/UF/F recommendations on Twitter and read Cupcakes, Trinkets and Other Deadly Magics by Meghan Ciana Doidge as a result. It was just okay. I feel like the series can be great with a little refining, so I’m going to continue on to see how things go. Also thanks to Twitter recs, I read the first three books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. A Court of Thorns and Roses, book 1, was a bit slow in places, but still very engaging. The next two books, A Court of Mist and Fury and A Court of Wings and Ruin were fabulous. Definitely a series worth reading if you haven’t already. I read Sin and Surrender, the final book in K.F. Breene’s Demigods of San Francisco series. Not my favorite end to a series, but still a pretty solid read.
I ended up DNFing Entreat Me by Grace Draven. It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which is generally a favorite of mine, but I wasn’t feeling it. I’ll try to come back to it later. I’m not sure what I’m going to read next. Maybe Pathfinder’s Way by TA White, another Twitter rec.
Rowena: I’m reading much of anything except Korean drama subtitles. I’m just not in the mood to read right now. I thought for sure that I would finally pick up Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews but I’m not even doing that. Maybe this week will be better? We’ll see…when I do finally start reading again, I’ll be reading Magic Binds.
What are you reading this week? Any new favorites or books that drove you crazy? Share!
My favorite read this week was Mia Sheridan’s DANE’S STORM (published in 2018): After their plane crashes in the Rockies, a long-divorced couple must work together to survive and to come to terms with the grief that tore their relationship apart years before (cw/tw: stillborn baby). Nail-biting survival scenes and one of the saddest, yet ultimately life-affirming, second-chance romances I’ve ever read.
That does sound good, @DDD!
I’m reading Beachside Beginnings, and it’s good, but it’s not wowing me.
Two weeks ago ~
— The Omega Objection: The San Andreas Shifters by G. L. Carriger. It was an enjoyable read but not a book I’ll be quick to reread. G. L. Carriger is the name that Gail Carriger uses for her titles with ‘sexy queer joy.’
— Cetaganda (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold which I enjoyed. I would not, however, recommend starting the Vorkosigan series with this book.
— continued on with my read of the Vorkosigan series and finished Ethan of Athos and the novella Labyrinth. I enjoyed them both.
— Borders of Infinity (3-novella collection – Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. I’d previously read two of the three novellas, but I enjoyed the title novella which was new to me as well as the framing story.
— The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea, my book group book. It was definitely an intriguing read.
Last week, I continued reading the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold ~
— Brothers in Arms. This was a somewhat tense read compared to others in the series, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
— Mirror Dance which proved to contain some rather dark events.
— Memory which I quite enjoyed.
— Komarr (this might be my favorite of the series this far).
— A Civil Campaign which I enjoyed (despite the bugs!).
— the novella Winterfair Gifts which I also enjoyed.
I just finished Sucks to be Me and Suck It Up, Buttercup by Kristen Painter. They’re the first 2 books of her First Fangs series and I’m hooked already! I really love the main character as well as her supporting crew. I’m hoping she keeps the series going.