Category: characters

What I Read in August (2024)

Books Read in August: 23
Books Read for the Year:  147/215
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Gods and Ends, by Devon Monk (audio, TBR): I really enjoyed this on audio! Loving this series so far.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars, by Glendy Vanderah (TBR): I really enjoyed this book! It felt very magical.
Elsewhere, by Dean Koontz (TBR): The ending felt a little rushed, but I always enjoy Koontz’s work.
Awaken Me Darkly, by Gena Showalter (TBR): THe ending of this was rushed, and a little too good to be true. While I enjoyed the first 75% of this read, the ending made me decide I don’t want to read more of the series.
The Grandest Game, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (TBR): Love this new spinoff!
Artifacts, Dragons, and Other Lethal Magic, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): Another fun read in this series.

For Review:

My Favourite Mistake, by Marian Keyes. I didn’t really like the MC—she was too whiny for me—but I enjoyed the writing, the setting, and the secondary characters so much that I kept reading.

Second Tide’s the Charm, by Chandra Blumberg. This was a fun read! I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters, and the setting was a new one for me, keeping me hooked.

The Fiance Dilemma, by Elena Armas. This had me snorting with laughter! So many shenanigans! I didn’t understand why the MC was so against marriage, though.

Serenity by the Sea, by Jennifer Vido. I loved the setting here, but the transition from enemies to friends to more was so abrupt it felt choppy.

Ne’er Duke Well, by Alexandra Vasti. I enjoyed this a lot! Bright characters and a lot of spiciness.

It’s All Relative, by Rachel Magee. The MC was a bit annoying and selfish, but I enjoyed this read.

The Thirteenth Husband, by Greer Macallister. This was an interesting read, although it felt a bit plot-less.

Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch, by Codie Crowley. Entertaining in a campy way, although the MC was a bit of a…well, the title says it all.

Medici Heist, by Caitlin Schneiderhan. I enjoyed this historical fiction quite a bit. I love a good heist story, and this fit the bill perfectly.

Strange Folk, by Alli Dyer. This was solidly “meh” for me. It was pretty dark, and I really didn’t care for it much.

The Story Collector, by Evie Woods. I’ve really enjoyed this author’s work, and I loved this one, too. Both timelines were intriguing, although I wished for a slightly different ending in the historical one.

Cast in Atonement, by Michelle Sagara. As with the rest of the books in this series: I loved this.

The Winged Tiara, by J’nell Ciesielski. I really enjoyed this historical fiction/jewel heist caper. Lots of fun!

Fire and Bones, by Kathy Reichs. I’ve enjoyed most of the reads in this series, and I liked this one, too, although Tempe was a bit much in a couple of places.

Kisses, Codes, and Conspiracies, by Abigail Hing Wen. This was a cute read. Felt a bit like a tween movie on the scale of believability, though. I liked the male POV. That was a nice change from a lot of YA reads.

The Housekeeper’s Secret, by Iona Grey (forthcoming). I really loved this read! I was invested in the characters from the start, and couldn’t wait to see what happened.

How to Fall for a Scoundrel, by Kate Bateman (forthcoming). This was a fun and charming romance!

Left Unfinished:

The Bookshop Sisterhood, by Michelle Lindo-Rice. These characters got old really quick.

A Great Marriage, by Frances Mayes. This was just too leisurely-paced for me.

Magical Meet Cute, by Jean Meltzer. This is the third book by this author I’ve DNFed, so I probably just need to stop trying, but I couldn’t get behind the idea of the MC being “Jewitch.”

Our Narrow Hiding Places, by Kristopher Jansma. The beginning felt very slow and I couldn’t get into it.

Till Death Do Us Part, by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn. I made it about 25% of the way before realizing 1) I was bored, and 2) I didn’t like any of the characters.

A Pair of Wings, by Carole Hopkins. I just didn’t care for the writing style in this.

Book Review and Blog Tour:  Magical Meet Cute, by Jean Meltzer

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title:  Magical Meet Cute
Author:  Jean Meltzer       
Genre: Romance  
Rating: DNF

Is he the real deal…or did she truly summon a golem?

Faye Kaplan used to be engaged. She also used to have a successful legal practice. But she much prefers her new life as a potter in Woodstock, New York. The only thing missing is the perfect guy.

Not that she needs one. She’s definitely happy alone.

That is, until she finds her town papered with anti-Semitic flyers after yet another failed singles event at the synagogue. Desperate for comfort, Faye drunkenly turns to the only thing guaranteed to soothe her—pottery. A golem protector is just what her town needs…and adding all the little details to make him her ideal man can’t hurt, right?

When a seriously hot stranger mysteriously turns up the next day, Greg seems too good to be true—if you ignore the fact that Faye hit him with her bike. And that he subsequently lost his memory…

But otherwise, the man checks Every. Single. Box. Causing Faye to wonder if Greg’s sudden and spicy appearance might be anything but a coincidence.

The writing seemed really solid in this; I just couldn’t get behind the idea of Faye being “Jewitch.” This is a case of the book not being a good fit for me, nothing more. The voice seemed well-done, although I’m not sure Faye is a character I could have read about for long.

Jean Meltzer is an award-winning author, including an Emmy for her work in daytime television. Magical Meet Cute is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  Ne’er Duke Well, by Alexandra Vasti

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Ne’er Duke Well
Author:  Alexandra Vasti       
Genre: Romance       
Rating: 4 out of 5

Peter Kent―newly inherited Duke of Stanhope and recently of New Orleans, Louisiana―must become respectable. Between his radical politics and the time he interrupted a minor royal wedding with a flock of sheep―not his fault!―he’s developed a scandalous reputation at odds with his goal of becoming guardian to his half siblings. For help, he turns to the cleverest and most managing woman of his acquaintance, Lady Selina Ravenscroft.

Selina is society’s most proper debutante, save one tiny secret: she runs an erotic circulating library for women. When Peter asks for her help, she suggests courtship and marriage to a lady of unimpeachable reputation. (Which is to say, definitely not herself.)

But matchmaking doesn’t go according to plan. Peter’s siblings run rampant on Bond Street. Selina ends up in the Serpentine. And worst of all, the scorching chemistry between Peter and Selina proves impossible to resist. For the disreputable duke and his unpredictable matchmaker, falling in love just might be the ultimate scandal.

I do like this author’s style and characters, and I enjoyed this read quite a bit. The voices of both Peter and Selina were funny and well-developed, and their antics made me laugh—unlike the society they live in. Boring. This is a spicy read with a lot of sweetness, perfect for a summer weekend.

Alexandra Vasti lives in New Orleans. Ne’er Duke Well is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Fiance Dilemma, by Elena Armas   

Image belongs to Atria Books.

Title:  The Fiance Dilemma
Author: Elena Armas          
Genre:  Romance      
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Josie Moore has given the opposite sex—and love—plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include the absentee father who kept her existence a secret until very recently. So when her father decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece about the family, Josie realizes her romantic history is a complicated PR issue.

Matthew Flanagan is in the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck in the muck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So, he grabs a duffel with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life back on track. But instead, he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.

What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing a new role as doting fiancé. A fifth engagement—and a stunt, at that—makes Josie’s stomach turn, but every dilemma requires a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, and Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colorful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.

This book was so much fun! Josie’s voice was so funny to me, and the situations she landed herself in had me laughing out loud. I loved the chemistry between her and Matthew and enjoyed watching it grow. I thought her fear of marriage was a little…random and pointless, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this book.

Elena Armas is a bestselling author. The Fiance Dilemma is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: Second Tide’s the Charm, by Chandra Blumberg

Harlequin/Canary Street Press.

Title:  Second Tide’s the Charm
Author:  Chandra Blumberg       
Genre:   Romance     
Rating: 4 out of 5  

Love puts you in uncharted waters.

At first glance, Hope Evans just landed the perfect job: spending the summer on a shark research boat. Except as every marine biologist knows, it’s what’s going on beneath the surface that counts, and Hope’s new position comes with a big catch—the boat belongs to her ex-boyfriend, Adrian Hollis-Parker. For three years Hope’s been treading water, staying away from anything that reminds her of their past. It’s time to dive back into a job that could springboard her career—and maybe offer much-needed closure.

Since their split, Adrian has risen to internet fame as a shark expert with the launch of his YouTube channel to dispel myths and educate viewers about sharks. But success rings hollow without Hope. Embracing this new career trajectory was a risk, but working in cramped quarters with the woman he never stopped loving? That has the potential to backfire in heartbreaking ways.

Side by side, weathering storms of every kind, they’ll have to navigate the murky waters of past hurts…and hope it’s not too late to chart a new course…

This was a cute read! I enjoyed the scientific setting—and the ocean views—and found the shark details fascinating. I loved both Hope and Adrian, and the author did a great job showing their struggles, both alone and together. It was fun to watch them work things out, and I liked their chemistry.

Chandra Blumberg lives in Chicago. Second Tide’s the Charm is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Canary Street Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: My Favourite Mistake, by Marian Keyes

Image belongs to Penguin Random House.

Title:  My Favourite Mistake
Author: Marian Keyes         
Genre: Romance        
Rating: 4 out of 5  

Anna has just lost her taste for the big apple . . .

Anna has a life to envy. An apartment in New York. A well-meaning (too well-meaning?) partner. And a high-flying job in beauty PR. Who wouldn’t want all that? Anna—it turns out.

Turning a minor mid-life crisis into a major life event she packs it in, heads back to Ireland, and gets a PR job for a super-high-end coastal retreat.

Tougher than it sounds. Newsflash: the locals hate it. So much so, there have been threats—and violence.

Anna, however, worked in the beauty industry. There’s no ugliness she hasn’t seen. No wrinkle she can’t smooth over. Anna’s got this.

Until she discovers that leaving New York doesn’t mean escaping her mistakes.

Once upon a time she’d had a best friend. Once upon a time she’d loved a man. Now she has neither. And now she has to face them.

We all make mistakes.

But when do we stop making the same one over and over again?

This was the first Marian Keyes novel I’d read, and I was really impressed with the writing—the setting was so well done! I enjoyed Anna’s voice a lot; that was the only reason I kept reading, because she was too whiny for me and spent way too much time feeling sorry for herself. I was happy that Anna managed to grow and change throughout the novel—but I’ll probably not read the rest of these books, as Anna’s drove me up the  wall.

Marian Keyes is from Ireland. My Favourite Mistake is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  That Prince is Mine, by Jayci Lee    

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:   That Prince is Mine
Author:  Jayci Lee       
Genre: Romance      
Rating: 4 out of 5

Emma Yoon runs a small business as a culinary instructor in Los Angeles teaching Korean royal court cuisine to young ladies striving to marry into the exclusive upper crust Korean families. She has built her business alongside her renowned Korean matchmaker godmother, which brings her one step closer to her dream of opening up a culinary school on her own. But when her godmother’s fellow matchmakers decide to meddle in Emma’s love life in a bid to sabotage her godmother, and indirectly push Emma’s dream out of her reach, she must go on a series of arranged first dates and find herself the perfect-on-paper husband to help save both, her godmother’s reputation and her dream–even if she’s not ready for love. But when she meets Michel Aubert, a professor at USC, after a series of disastrous first dates, she wonders if she might reevaluate her position on love.

Prince Michel Aubert is bound by duty and responsibility to his country, but an arranged marriage is the last thing he wants. If he is going to spend the rest of his life in service of his people, then he at least wants someone he loves and trusts by his side while doing it. He needs to find a woman who loves him for who he is before his engagement to his handpicked bride is announced. Emma Yoon might be just the woman he is looking for.

This was a fun read! A prince in disguise, a girl who doesn’t believe in love, and lots of yummy-sounding food combine to keep the reader invested and entertained. Emma’s cynicism regarding love is understandable, and I enjoyed how she slowly became open to changing her mind about it. The secondary characters were a lot of fun here, and I’d be happy to read more about them.

Jayci Lee lives in California. That Prince is Mine is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish, by Paula Brackston      

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish     
Author: Paula Brackston         
Genre:  Historical fiction      
Rating:   4.5 out of 5

England, 1881.

Hereford cathedral stands sentinel over the city, keeping its secrets, holding long forgotten souls in its stony embrace. Hecate Cavendish speeds through the cobbled streets on her bicycle, skirts hitched daringly high, heading for her new life as Assistant Librarian. But this is no ordinary collection of books. The cathedral houses an ancient chained library, wisdom guarded for centuries, mysteries and stories locked onto its worn, humble shelves. The most prized artifact, however, is the medieval world map which hangs next to Hecate’s desk. Little does she know how much the curious people and mythical creatures depicted on it will come to mean to her. Nor does she suspect that there are lost souls waiting for her in the haunted cathedral. Some will become her dearest friends. Some will seek her help in finding peace. Others will put her in great peril, and, as she quickly learns, threaten the lives of everyone she loves.

I really enjoyed this read! Hecate is a fascinating character, and I loved getting to know her. This is a very atmospheric novel, and I was fully absorbed into the setting. The characters—including the ghosts—are well-done and believable, and I was eager to see where the story took them. Can’t wait to read more in this series.

Paula Brackston is a bestselling author. The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour:   The Backtrack, by Erin La Rosa   

Image belongs to Harlequin Trade.

Title: The Backtrack
Author:  Erin La Rosa     
Genre: Romance
Rating:  4 out of 5

Life, rewound …

Nearly twenty years ago, Sam Leto left her small hometown of Tybee Island, Georgia, to pursue her dreams of becoming a pilot. While she’d prefer to keep flying away from her painful childhood memories, her beloved grandmother Pearl decides it’s time to sell the family home. Reluctantly, Sam is summoned back to pack up the house.

The 2000s nostalgia from Sam’s old bedroom hits Fall Out Boy posters, drawers of roll-on body glitter and even her favorite CD player with a mixtape from her best friend, Damon Rocha. Damon was always a safe place and Sam often wonders what if her teenage self admitted her feelings for him back then…

Mysteriously, the CD player still works all these years later. And somehow it has the power to show Sam an alternate version of her life.

Song by song, Sam receives flashbacks from her past—senior prom, graduation, leaving home. But the memories aren’t as she remembers them; they show what could have been. Suddenly, Sam knows exactly what would have happened if she’d taken a chance with Damon—and she can’t help feeling she made a terrible mistake leaving Tybee all those years ago.

This was an interesting read to me. It did a great job of placing me in the early 2000s—that was a little unsettling, actually—and I really like both Sam and Damon and their alternates. Sam’s grandma was a hoot and she really had me laughing. I liked how well-done the setting felt, both in the present and the past, and that made this story a believable read for me.

Erin La Rosa lives in L.A. The Backtrack is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Year of What If, by Phaedra Patrick

Image belongs to Harlequin/Park Row.

Title:  The Year of What If  
Author: Phaedra Patrick         
Genre: Fiction        
Rating:    4 out of 5

Can the future be rewritten?

On the verge of her second marriage, Carla Carter knows she’s found the one. She and her fiancé, Tom, met through Logical Love, a dating agency she founded for the pragmatically minded, and she’s confident that, together, they’ll dispel an old family curse claiming Carter women are unlucky in love.

But when Carla’s superstitious family insists she visit a fortune teller before her big day, the tarot reveals that the love of Carla’s life is not Tom, but one of the men she dated on a gap year—twenty-one years ago. With her wedding just weeks away, Carla sets off across Europe, tracking down her exes from that unforgettable year to prove the fortune wrong. From Spain to Portugal, Italy to France, will one of them be her perfect match? And could a face from Carla’s past help her rewrite her entire family history forever?

I was a little iffy about Carla at first, with her insistence on logic and rules, but she grew on me. I loved her travels, and her bravery in returning to men she had known so long before to see if they were “the one.” Her family was pretty messed up, but I liked their quirkiness. This was a solid, enjoyable read.

Phaedra Patrick is a bestselling author. The Year of What If is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)