Your Custom Text Here
I read a lot in May, but I didn’t read everything my TBR. So, there are some books that carried over. I really need to read The Crown of Gilded Bones before I get spoiled. I also hope I will keep up with my current reading pace.
Here are some of the books I’m hoping to read in June:
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I’m so happy to finally get a story for Gail. Would I have liked a full length novel? Yes. But I also completely understand why Ruby Dixon made that choice. And this just made me so happy.
Gail is an amazing person. It was nice to read about an older character in this world. It was cute to see her with Vaza. I love seeing an older couple who love and support each other while still having a healthy sex life.
And Vaza was such a sweet guy. You could tell how much he cares and understands Gail. I would’ve loved a POV for him. But I also get how this was more of Gail’s story. And they’re going to be parents again which is beautiful.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021. Based on my rating, I guess I was disappointed. But I have no regrets reading this and would be happy to read another book by Adrienne Tooley. I’m also a big fan of stand alone fantasy so I’m always supportive of publishers releasing more.
This was very slow. Or it just wasn’t full of intense and constant action scenes. Personally, that doesn’t bother me, especially if I really care about the characters. But that doesn’t seem to be very popular in YA fantasy right now. I definitely expect a lot of complaints about it.
Overall, I liked the characters, but they were a little weak. I never fully connected to them. Full disclosure, this has been happening a lot lately so maybe it’s me. I like the idea behind the characters. Wren has sacrificed a lot for her family and is stepping away for the first time. Tamsin is cursed and dealing with the ramification of her actions years earlier. It’s a little bit of a grump/sunshine thing. I think I liked and connected to Tamsin a little bit more than Wren.
I thought this would have more of a romance than I did. I would probably like it more if my expectation was different. This is more about Wren and Tamsin fighting a magical plague than them falling in love. There’s nothing wrong with that-but it’s important to know what you’re getting.
The cover for this is so soft and beautiful. I think it’s a great representation of what’s inside.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
This had a lot of buzzwords and tropes I like. Unfortunately, this was a bit of disappointment. Probably more of a 2.5 star, but since I don’t do half stars anymore so I round up.
For the most part I didn’t really care about these characters or their romance. Probably ⅔ in I started to like them a little-especially Murphy, but that only goes so far. And I still didn’t feel the romance-I never saw the chemistry..
I did really like Hunnie and she did a lot to carry this story. I think sometimes authors have too much fun with side characters and the other characters/plots suffer.
Then, there are two pet peeves I have. First, Murphy is reading Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen. This book shouldn’t exist, because technically Brooklynaire takes place in the same universe as the World of True North books. Second, Ben pours syrup on Murphy’s lady bits. Please don’t do this. It’s just asking for a yeast infection.
Also, my cat’s name is Murphy. I don’t think that impacted my enjoyment, but maybe it did.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
This was so good. It was almost 5 stars, but the ending was a little rushed. It also had some serious things with Gigi and Holden’s backstory. I don’t have triggers, but I think this book should have content warnings. There are discussions of domestic abuse and the loss of a spouse and child.
I really liked Gigi and Holden. Sometimes I’m more connected to one character, but here I liked them equally. Gigi works very hard and tends to be very positive even though she’s been through a lot. Holden is pretty moody and grumpy, but doesn’t repel joy like he’s allergic to it. Thank God, because I’m so over that character.
The romance is pretty cute. There’s a forced proximity thing going on. Sometimes this can cause the romance to feel forced, but it didn’t. Gigi and Holden seemed to be exactly what each other needed. They were physically attracted to each other, but also supported each other emotionally and with their goals. It made my heart so happy every time Holden offered to help Gigi with her backing.
Like I said before, the ending was very rushed. It actually surprised me when I got to the epilogue. I was sure I had missed something. Ms. Hastings did go somewhere with the climax that I wasn’t expecting which I appreciated.
I would definitely recommend this. It was nice to be in the Busy Bean again. I also will read another Claire Hastings book which is one of the things I love about the World of True North books. They introduce me to new authors.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I picked this up as part of my quarterly TBR. It was released the year I was born. And I’ve actually never read a Julie Garwood book.
First, I was very confused the whole time I read this. I can’t figure out if it’s the characters, the writing, or me. Lyon and Christina withhold a lot-especially her. A lot of my confusion came from not understanding Christina’s behavior/thought process. A lot of the conflict between Lyon and Christina came from not talking to each other. Is there a more frustrating plot device?
I’m all over the place with the romance. Generally, I liked it. It had some old-school vibes, but didn’t feel inappropriate. The pacing was odd though. Certain aspects of their relationship escalated at the oddest times. Again, I was often confused.
There was a sort of mystery with a villain thing going on. That part absolutely made no sense to me. I didn’t get why things happened. And, again, the pacing was weird with this, too.
An epilogue wouldn’t have hurt this-I’m just saying. I always would’ve liked the opportunity to meet Christina’s family a bit more.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I wish this was longer. I liked the premise and the characters. But it also never felt fully flushed out. That made it hard to connect to Liam or Jasper. There was some emotion from me because Jasper was dealing with grief, but that was it. There were some really good friendships which I always like seeing in my books. Ultimately, this fell a little flat for me.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I liked this, but I’m already starting to forget it after less than a day. A big part of that is probably because Auden and Carter never felt fully formed. I also usually had trouble distinguishing them in my head-like which POV I was in. That is so frustrating. It is a second-chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes.
The only time I ever felt emotionally invested was when people were unfair to Carter. Auden and Carter’s dad seemed to always think Carter was wrong and it bothered me. Sometimes it felt like borderline gaslighting.
I did like the presswork stuff. You could tell Auden especially really cared about the craft. I know absolutely nothing about it, but the descriptions made me interested.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
This was gripping and heartbreaking. I honestly don’t know much about the whole Theranos story. I apparently wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the news. My first exposure was Cydnee Black’s YouTube video. I actually recommend her “Make-up and History” series. She’s a great storyteller.
Tyler is telling his own story as a whistleblower. This feels more like a podcast than a traditional book. But it ends up feeling like you’re sitting with Tyler as he tells his story.
Whistleblowers are incredibly brave. I am impressed by Tyler’s courage to go up against this huge aggressive company and his family. The emotional toll that must take is unimaginable and even though it's been years since the bulk of his experience, you can still tell how emotional he is.
I wish Tyler and his fiance the best of luck and all the happiness. I would love to meet his step-grandma, because she seems like a smart cookie. And I hope Elizabeth Holmes is punished to the full extent of the law.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
I read this a couple times as a teenager. I know it wasn’t my favorite, but obviously liked it enough to reach it multiple times. It does have one of my least favorite tropes: the girl pretending to be a boy. There’s always an awkwardness with those stories which I really don’t like in my books. I’m also not a big reader of American Western historical romances.
This is a shorter book. That contributes to a weaker romance. In fact, it feels very forced and rushed. There’s no big declarations of love so maybe the pacing is fine. It depends on what you want. Personally, I don’t feel the chemistry, but I also don’t hate Sam and Matt together.
There is a kind of...odd thing here. Matt was a Confederate soldier. So was Sam’s brother. Ms. Heath makes the choice to not moralize on the Civil War. That’s a choice. You could argue there wasn’t enough time to discuss that. It doesn't really bother me, but could definitely rub some readers the wrong way.
I did appreciate the brief mentions to the reality of war in general. Matt and Sam’s brother, to a lesser extent, go through a lot. War changed them and the horrors they experienced will be with them the rest of their lives.
Lorraine Heath is still one of my favorite historical romance authors. This teen-centered one just didn’t hit for me.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
April was a really good reading month. I finished 29 books-the most I’ve read this year. And they were all pretty good books-nothing less than a 3-star.
I really have no idea what happened in my personal life. I think that was a big blur. I did plan a trip to Disney World in July with my dad which I’m beyond excited for. I did finally make an eye appointment. This is very much needed because I’ve definitely noticed a decrease in the quality of my eye sight.
Here are the books I read in April along with my ratings and some thoughts.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I did pretty good with my April TBR. I didn’t read all of the books I planned, but most of them. Here are some of the books I’m hoping to read in May.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I think this is my favorite in this round of Moo U books. Unfortunately, I waited to write this and now I’m forgetting things.
Hudson was another good male lead. He’s such a sweet guy-I mean he has a hamster! He’s also dealing with a lot of pressure from his family when it comes to hockey. He also battled anxiety and some other issues I found different.
Indi is adopted-which I loved to see. I also loved that she had a healthy relationship with her parents-something that’s been lacking in these books. She has a birthmark that she’s very self-conscious of. Generally, I liked her, but sometimes she was a bit too self-pitying for me.
The romance was great. Indi and Hudson had palpable chemistry and the packing was really good. It didn’t have a ton of the drama I’m used to from a college-set romance. They were so compatible: supportive while also pushing each other to be better people which I really liked. That’s my favorite romance-tye to read.
Reading this also made me interested in reading Kate Willoughby’s other books. I haven’t regularly felt that way about the other books/authors in the series.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
This was more of a 3.5, but I usually round-up with half stars. It fits well in the rest of the series, but we’re in a new hockey season now. I do like having the romance follow two hockey players.
I really liked Seb. He was easy to connect with and seems like a really nice guy. I always like reading about romance heroes who aren’t pathologically allergic to relationships. FAith is a little more of a prickly person. She has a lot of hang-ups around cheating because of her parents’ relationship. I completely get why, but eventually you need to develop self-awareness. I thought she was kind of unfair to seb.
The romance was good. It’s a second-chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes. I was afraid the reunion would be unnecessarily drawn out and dramatic. Thankfully, it wasn’t. Their romantic conflicts were pretty predictable, too. That seems standard for the Moo U books. I did really like that Ms. Findlay acknowledged the difficulties of two athletes being in a relationship.
The epilogue was perfect. I’m a sucker for an epilogue-especially if it’s set more than a few months in the future. Oh, and Cooper. I’m really hoping he gets his own books someday. He’s such a good friend and I’m very interested in his story.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I don’t have a lot to say about this one. It’s a pretty standard New Adult romance. And I’ll probably forget most of it in a couple days.
Patrick was a good guy. I was worried he would be whiney because he was pretty moody in Paxton’s book, but he wasn’t. I liked how supportive he was of Ellie. And it felt very natural for him to be that way. I also liked his main personal conflict of going pro vs staying in school, but it did get repetitive.
Actually a lot of things were repetitive. There were a lot of repeat conversations and it got old/boring. Like Ellie constantly had the same argument with her mom. I’m not saying either of them necessarily had to change, but did I need to read it every time?
I have no real complaints abouts the romance. It wasn’t anything special-not a new favorite. Their relationship was pretty sex-focused. Especially once they started having sex. They did support each other a lot which I did like.
This was good, but nothing to write home about. You get some cameos from Chastity and Dylan which was really nice.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I read this very quickly. It was a nice addition to the Moo U series, but it isn’t a new favorite. It’s also a fairly forgettable story.
There was a lot of hockey which I like in my hockey romances. Paxton is trying to grow as a player and I really appreciated that aspect.
The romance was a little weak. It seems to be primarily built on sex. That’s fine if it’s your thing. There’s a lot of talk about Paxton and Naomi being good friends, but I didn’t ever actually see it. I'm also still a little uncomfortable with the idea that Naomi slept with Paxton thinking he was his twin brother.
I don’t have much else to say. I would recommend this if you like the other Moo U books, I would continue with the series. But I wouldn’t recommend jumping in with this one.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
It’s April which means it’s time for another quarterly TBR. I started 2021 with a variety of 20 prompts and assign a book to them. Ideally I read those 5 books in that quarter. I only read 2 from my first quarterly tBR. But I will finish them this year.
Here are the prompts I pulled and the books I picked.
Classic
I’ve Never Read
Highest Rated
Owned TBR
1988 Release
The Year I was Born
In My Sub Feed
Middle Grade
I also have a video of my making these decisions on my YouTube channel if you want more info. You can check it out here:
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I think the hype got to me a little on this one. It’s probably more of a 3.5 but I don’t do half stars anymore. I will definitely keep reading the series and would recommend it.
Let’s start with the things that didn’t really work for me. My main issue was the romance. I didn’t feel it. Red and Chloe came across as having friend chemistry more than romantic chemistry. So, I never really got on board with their romance. The sex scenese also felt a little off sometimes-maybe this is because I wasn’t invested in the romance.
I liked Chloe and Red as characters, but never fully connected with them. It felt like I should’ve been more emotionally connected with them than I was. It just always felt like there was a wall between both of them and myself.
Now, let’s stop being negative. Like I already said, I did like Chloe and Red. Chloe is dealing with chronic pain. While I don’t have real personal experience with this it felt well done. Ms. Hibbert showed how it impacts her whole life even in subtle ways. Red is so kind-the type of hero I’m currently in love with. He’s also very understanding of the people in his life. He is dealing with his own baggage which was also very well done.
There’s a lot of mature and adult conversations here which was really nice to see in romance. I don’t want to go into spoilers, so this may be vague. Red and Chloe were self-aware and will discuss their concerns/fears. Of course there’s drama, because it’s a book, but it doesn’t feel manufactured.
How could I forget Smudge? I love that adorable little cat. I was very emotionally invested in Smudge.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
The first quarter of 2021 is over already. My mental health isn’t very good, but my reading went well. I finished almost 70 books which I’m very happy with. I wouldn’t say I found a new favorite book or author, but I enjoyed most of the books I read.
Here are the stats for the books I read, because I’m a big fan of stats and graphs.
And here are some of my favorite books-one for each month.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
I love being back in the Brooklyn Bruisers (and now Bombshells) world. It’s always like returning to a family or group of friends.
Anton was previous. He’s a reformed rake/playboy character. But he kind of changes before meeting Sylvie. He changed his behavior for himself, not others/a woman which I didn’t know was a storyline I needed. He is so kind to Sylvie and is a very good friend.
Sylvie is also really great. She’s still recovering from the loss of her mother. There’s this storyline with her mom that I really liked. She gets called to be the second goalie for the new Brooklyn Bombshells and is struggling with feeling worth it. I love how passionate she is and how hard she’s willing to work to accomplish her goals.
The romance was solid. They are immediately attracted to each other, but become friends first. Sylvie is hung up on one of the Bruisers players who is also a childhood friend. I worried that plotline would drag the romance down but it didn’t. I should never question Sarina Bowen. In the end I loved the romance and thought it was perfectly paced. Anton and Sylvie have great chemistry and are so cute together.
There is a girl friendship here which I’m sure will continue to grow in future books. The Bombshells are very supportive of each other. There’s also tons of sequel bait, so I’m definitely excited to read more and get in the heads of some of these ladies.
Thanks for reading!
Holly
