Yesterday we showed you what books we added to our collections in July and today we want to talk about what we read in July. Did we have a good reading month? Are we happy with what we read? Find out by taking a look at our July Wrap Up!
Candyce
July was another amazing reading month and I read a total of 19 books and 1 novella! If I don’t get a major reading slump in August, I will be finishing my Goodreads challenge.
White Hot Kiss – Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Dark Elements is an amazing trilogy it’s been five years since I’ve read them. The cover change was one that I loved and the perfect reason to do a reread. I loved being back in the world and actually gave it a higher rating the second time around! My review will be on the blog next week!
I never thought I would be reading horror, but I even surprised myself. This was a really interesting story and kept me hooked from the beginning until the end. I have to say the ending felt a bit rushed and felt like it was leading up to a sequel. Hopefully the author will return to this world one day!
I have had this book on my shelf since it released. When I started reading it in July, I even noticed I had started Nevernight. About 30 pages in! Haha. What an amazing book though!! Nevernight has so many amazing twists and turns and don’t even get me started about the worldbuilding. I am definietly reading Godsgrave in August!
The Modern Faerie Tales is a bundle of the full trilogy. These books were released quite a few years ago, but they were never on my radar. Faerieathon was something organized in the bookish community and Tithe was the first book on the TBR. Tithe was a darker book than I’m used to in YA, but I just couldn’t connect with the main character!
Raze is a M/M romance and I really enjoyed the characters. This book isn’t the first in the series, but they can be read as standalones! The author writes this story in a very descriptive way and I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if this book was just a bit shorter.
I have been enjoying the Shelfbrooke Academy series and Sway is the third book. I really enjoyed the story, but I would’ve liked a dual POV. We don’t get to see a lot of one of the characters that plays a bigger part of the story. I think that would’ve given just a bit more insight into the events during the story.
The Shortest Distance Between Love & Hate – Sandy Hall
I read this book in one sitting and I really enjoyed it. There were a few things that bugged me though. In this story the characters start pranking eachother in my eyes, this went on just a bit too long. The main character even states at a certain point she knows she’s wrong. Other than that, a fun summer read.
Beauty and the Beach – Kayla Tirrell
A genderbent retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This was a cute summer story and I loved it! My only complaint is that this was way too short!
A hockey romance is something that almost always makes me happy. Dax was an amazing book and I was actually sad it was over. I loved that the author also added an illness I have never heard of before reading Dax. I can’t wait for the next book!
Choosing Chelsea -Christina Butrum
Christina Butrum is known for her clean romances and Choosing Chelsea fits right in her style of books. I loved how much animals were a part of this book and how they came together to save a place she loved. I only wished the two main characters had more time together in this story.
Sl*tshamed – S.M. Shade
The Violent Circle series is one of my favorites when you talk about romantic comedies. S.M. Shade made me laugh out loud so often while reading. Sl*tshamed is a short story the author added to the box set of the series. We get to read more about a character we see a few times in the other books. I just wished she got a full book!
The C Word – Michelle MacQueen & Ann Maree Craven
The C Word is the third and final book in this trilogy and it was my favorite. I love that these authors take on some heavy subjects and I really think everyone needs to read them. I was sad when it was over even though I was happy to see the characters end up where they did!
Small Spaces – Katherine Arden
Small Spaces has been on my radar for quite some time, but yet again another book that I just haven’t gotten around to getting. Netgalley put it on Read Now for 24 hours and I just had to have it. I couldn’t put this book down and I loved how spooky it was! I’m still shocked this is a middle grade and I’m looking forward to the sequel this month.
I have been patiently awaiting Cruel Legacy. This is the final book in the trilogy and so far I’ve been left with so many questions while reading. Cruel Legacy didn’t disappoint, but it wasn’t everything I hoped for either. All in all, I was satisfied and I’m very sad this trilogy is over. At least the author announced a spinoff coming next year!!
Making Up was my first Helena Hunting book and I’ve been asking myself why I’ve waited so long to pick one up. This author gave me characters I came to love and so much humor! The steamy scenes were worth it as well. I definitely plan on picking up more of her books.
Infinite is the second book in this duology and had me tearing up in the first chapter. Corinne Michaels knows how to right books that hit you in all the feels. Infinite picks up right where Indefinite left off and this was such a powerful book I’m happy I read this duet.
In It to Win It – Kelly Jamieson
After reading Play to Win earlier this year, I was so excited for In It to Wint It! Kelly Jamieson did not disappoint. She put everything I enjoy in sports romances into this book. I hope we get more books for so many of the family members we’ve met so far!
Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa – Nancy Naigle
I know, it was July when I read a Christmas story, but I loved them!! The warm feeling I get from stories like this will never get old. I actually saw this movie not too long ago, but the book was still a lot of fun. There was even a little epilogue I wasn’t expecting.
RSVP for Two – Christina Butrum
Small town romances are also something I love and the Maple Glen series has been so much fun to read. I really enjoyed RSVP for Two and I loved that the author gave us a bit more that had to do with the family. This was done really well, but I felt that the two main characters weren’t ever really together. In a romance there needs to be a bit more interaction!
The King – Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Wicked trilogy is amazing and I am very happy that the author decided to add novellas to this world. Even though I still want a book for Tink, haha. I loved beiing back in this world and flew through this book. Why do we have to wait a year for the next novella?!?!
Isabelle
I only read 9 books this month but there were quite some bigger ones compared to other months. And I’ve read some great stories so I’m totally happy with it. I’m also very close to completing my challenge, hope to do that next month! Let’s see which books I read in July.
Fruits Basket Collector’s Edition vol. 1 – Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket had been on my wishlist for quite a while but it’s pretty expensive for a manga. Since it 400 pages and contains 2 regular volumes it is totally worth the money. But since I wasn’t sure I’d like it, I decided to watch the first episode of the new anime. And after loving that one, I immediately ordered the first volume and dived in! I adored it so so so much!! The rest of the series went straight on my wishlist and I hope to buy a volume every other month or so.
A little while ago I bought the collected edition of the Modern Faerie Tales and with the Faeriathon it seemed like the perfect time to read these books. I had to get up to speed and read Tithe before they scheduled Valiant. Unfortunately this book really wasn’t what I was expecting. I will definitely finish the trilogy and I have high hopes for Cruel Prince, since that is set in the same world. The very dark and cruel Fae in this story were my favorite part by far!
Mooncakes – Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu
Oh my, how happy was I to see this in the Read Now section over on Netgalley. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year so as soon as I got it I started reading it. And I finished it in one perfect sitting. Absolutely loved it. Only wish it was a series so we would get more. There was some quite some representation and lovely art work. I would highly recommend this one.
Voyager – Diana Gabaldon
I finally picked up the third Outlander novel. This time around I did it completely with the audiobook. I highly enjoy these books even though there is hardly any plot. It’s mostly characters and adventure after adventure. And I’m okay with that! I know what I’m going into and sometimes this is all you need. These books are super chunky so I might not pick up book 4 until next year. And hopefully this way I’ll be all caught up right around the time Diana releases the next Outlander book.
Reign of the Fallen – Sarah Glenn Marsh
I started reading this one ages ago! But I put it down in favor of something else and didn’t pick it back up until now. This was a very enjoyable read but it took me some time the get invested in the story. I really enjoyed the world Sarah created and will want to read the sequel. And I will also be interested in anything new she hopefully writes!
I wasn’t sure what to think about this one at first. And I was a bit hesitant going in to it. But there was a read along going on in the TBR and Beyond fb group and I figured this was the time to pick it up. And oh my, did I love this one! Last Monday we already shared our buddy review and hopefully we conveyed our love for this book haha. Can’t wait to start Godsgrave this month!
Half Wild – Sally Green
It had been quite a while since I read Half Bad by Sally Green and if I’m being honest I wasn’t planning on picking up the sequel anytime soon. But this was my random book for the Book Junkie Trials so I had to pick it up this month. I have such difficulties keeping to a set TBR and am once again reminded of that. But I am happy it forced me to read Half Wild. It still isn’t my favorite series or one I would really recommend, but this one was more enjoyable for me and I will read the last book soonish!
Killing November – Adriana Mather
This book definitely surprised me. The synopsis sounded interesting enough but I couldn’t have imagined the world Adriana created. I don’t want to go into any spoilers but I can tell you I enjoyed this one a lot. The sequel is coming out March 2020 and I’m already looking forward to it. This is exactly the kind of contemporary novel I love to read and would highly recommend it.
Small Spaces – Katherine Arden
OMG, this book was CREEPY! It’s a MG horror story and as someone who scares pretty easily, this kept me up at night haha. I finished it around midnight and couldn’t really fall asleep right away because I kept imagining scarecrows around my bed haha. This is a perfect Halloween read and I would highly recommend it. Can’t wait for the rest of the books in this series.
So this is what we read in July! If you’ve read any of the books we’ve read, let us know in the comments what you thought! What was your favorite book in July?
