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 bunch of books in April.
Finally Mine (Benevolence #2) by Lucy Score | 3.75 out of 5
Ancient Warrior (Ancients Rising #8) by Katie Reus | 3.75 out of 5
Protecting What’s Mine (Benevolence #3) by Lucy Score | 4.25 out of 5
Lassiter (Black Dagger Brotherhood #21) by JR Ward | 2.5 out of 5
When He’s Dark (The Olympus Pride #1) by Suzanne Wright | 3 out of 5
Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #1) by Laura Thalassa | DNF
Spiral of Need (The Mercury Pack #1) by Suzanne Wright | 4 out of 5
Force of Temptation (The Mercury Pack #2) by Suzanne Wright | 4 out of 5
Lure of Oblivion (The Mercury Pack #3) by Suzanne Wright | 4 out of 5
Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4) by Suzanne Wright | 4 out of 5
Shards of Frost (The Mercury Pack #5) by Suzanne Wright | 4.5 out of 5
Feral Sins (The Phoenix Pack #1) by Suzanne Wright | 4 out of 5
Things We Hide From the Light (Knockemout #2)(audio) by Lucy Score | 4.25 out of 5
Wicked Cravings (The Phoenix Pack #2) by Suzanne Wright | 4 out of 5
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson | 3.5 out of 5
As you can see, I really binged Suzanne Wright. I love her books. They’re very hot, easy reads. My favorite book of the month was definitely Shards of Frost (The Mercury Pack #5) by Suzanne Wright. I only listened to one audio book in April. Boo.
Holly
Sadly, I didn’t have a lot of reading time in April. I managed to read 16 books
Protecting What’s Mine (Benevolence #3) by Lucy Score (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
Soul of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow #1) by Deanna Chase (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Heart of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow #2) by Deanna Chase (audio) | 3.25 out of 5
The Wedding (Lairds’ Fiancees #2) by Julie Garwood (reread) | 5 out of 5
The Rest of Me by Ashley Munoz | 3.5 out of 5
Rock Hard Gargoyle (Possessive Monsters #1) by Maggie Mayhem | DNF
Of Mice and Murder (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #2) by Steffanie Holmes (audio) | 4 out of 5
Pride and Premonition (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #3) by Steffanie Holmes (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Guardian of Chaos (Nyx Fortuna #1) by Michelle Manus (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
Guardian of Shadows (Nyx Fortuna #2) by Michelle Manus (audio) | 4.0 out of 5
Guardian of Madness (Nyx Fortuna #2) by Michelle Manus | 4.25 out of 5
Good Boy (WAGS #1) by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Stay (WAGS #2) by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
Siren’s Song (Aspect Society #1) by Michelle Manus | 3.25 out of 5
Touched by Fire (Demons of New Chicago #1) by Kel Carpenter | 3.5 out of 5
Alpha & Omega (Alpha & Omega #0.5) by Patricia Briggs (reread) | 5 out of 5
The Segonian (Aldebarian Alliance #2) by Dianne Duvall (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
The Akseli (Aldebarian Alliance #3) by Dianne Duvall (audio) (reread) | 4.25 out of 5
My favorite read of the month was Guardian of Madness by Michelle Manus. My least favorite read was Siren’s Song, also by Michelle Manus.
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 did a lot of rereading in April, too. Favorites included books by Nathan Lowell, Andrea Höst, and Anne Bishop. As a new read, I quite enjoyed All Gremlins Great & Small by T.M. Baumgartner along with Do I Know You? by Emily Wibberley.
I abandoned many books that didn’t work for me.
I am curious about your process for abandoning books that don’t work for you. Do you track which ones so you don’t accidentally come back to them later, or do you use a shelving system of some kind? I only mark a book as DNF if 1) it was something I could never read or 2) I read more than 50% and decide to move on. So I often find myself picking up books I previously tried.
I don’t track the books I put aside, Holly, instead I rely on my admittedly poor memory. So, yes, I have sometimes picked up a book I’d previously cast aside. Once in a very (very) great while, I actually continue on.
The amount of reading I do before putting a book aside is highly variable ranging from half the book down to under a page.
I didn’t do a lot of reading last month. I read Courtiers by Valentine Low and I re-read the latest Lady Sherlock book, A Tempest at Sea.
I have a Tempest at Sea queued up to read next. I’m looking forward to it.
Great job reading for both of you!! Happy May!
I read 10 books in April. My two favorites were DIAMOND RING (m/m baseball) by KD Casey and SEASON’S CHANGE (m/m hockey). Both of them deal with serious subjects like mental health struggles and being closeted while playing professional sports. They were both so good, they are both on my Favorite Reads of 2023 list.
I didn’t read anything I hated, but CRUEL & BEAUTIFUL by A.M. Hargrove and Terri E. Laine was a bit of a slog, full of tell-not-show, with a “twist” that required too much of a coincidence to be plausible.
SEASON’S CHANGE is written by Cait Nary. Sorry I omitted that.
I enjoyed About that night by Julie James because it was funny. A very merry bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams was my least favorite because the end felt like it was rushed.
I read a lot last month and enjoyed lots of the books but nothing really stood out in an excellent or horrible way. Which actually makes me pretty sad.
worst book: Fern by Ann Omasta
The Inmate by Freida McFadden was interesting