Yesterday we talked about the books we added to our shelves, so today we want to tell you what we read! Did we find any new favorites? Did we have a good reading month? Keep on reading our October wrap up to find out!

Candyce

In October I ended up reading 25 books (8 paperbacks, 5 manga, 4 hardcovers 3 eBooks, 3 eARCs, and 2 audiobooks). I was off of work the first two weeks of the month, so I started it off really strong. The last two weeks was slower, but all in all I can’t complain. I feel like I’m slowly finding my reading groove again.

Be Still My Unbeating Heart – Josh Winning

A vampire that doesn’t drink human blood anymore goes on vacation in a small Italian town. He wasn’t expecting a dead body to be on the beach and have it look like he did it. This mystery and romance was a lot of fun to read. The cat, Whitby, really stole the show though! I’ll definitely read more by this author.

We Who Will Die – Stacia Stark

Vampires, trials, political intrigue, and an interesting magic system. Need I say more?!? I had heard good things about We Who Will Die, but I never knew I’d love it as much as I did. Arvelle is such an interesting character and I can’t wait to see what is going to happen with her magic and a possible romance that’s blooming.

The Winged Game – Sophie Kim

A fantasy sports romance? Yes, please! The Winged Game was so much fun! I loved the world, characters, romance, and the winged creatures were the best. The banter was spot on and the slow burn was burning! While I appreciate this being a standalone, I would love more books with these characters.

The Coldest Touch – Isabel Sterling

The Coldest Touch has been on my shelves for a few years, but I thought spooky month was a great time to finally read it. This book was a fast and entertaining read, but it did kind of leave me wanting more? I loved the vampire cliches and our main character trying to learn how to control her powers. But then the ending really went fast and nothing really mattered anymore? It’s hard to explain if you haven’t read the book.

Sprial – Bal Khabra

After not loving Collide as much as I expected, I was a little nervous about starting Spiral. That being said, I did enjoy this one more. Fake dating is my favorite trope and I really loved how much Elias saw Sage and just wanted to take care of her. There were quite a few very heartwarming moments.

Savor It – Tarah DeWitt

Savor It is a book I’ve been hearing nothing but amazing things about and I finally curled up with it. This book was everything I was hoping and then some. Both of our main characters were kind of starting over and were just what the other needed. Add in a little farm full of animals and a nosy small town, and I was sold! I need to get my hands on the second book soon.

Riding the High – Paisley Hope

Cole and Ginger have been friends for years, but a drunk night in Vegas ends with them married. That being said, there’s so much tension between these two, it was bound to happen. Them living together and Ginger helping Cole with his daughter Mabel really warmed my heart. I was so sad when this book was over!

Dear Reader – Tate James

Whenever I read a Tate James book, I always forget how awful her cliffhangers are. She knows how to leave you wanting more. Dear Reader was a great start of this trilogy. I’m still not sure where these romances and the plot will go with this secret society, but I need to know more. It’s on my priority TBR for November.

The Ending Writes Itself – Evelyn Clarke

I had high hopes for The Ending Writes Itself, but it ended up falling a bit flat for me. The setting was perfect (all of our characters stuck on an island) and it got stormy. I also loved that all of them were getting a chance to write the ending of a very famous series. It got predictable though. At a certain point you knew who was going to die and when and that made the final reveal pretty obvious? I was hoping for it to leave me more at the edge of my seat than it actually did.

Pink Ink – Avina St. Graves

Pink Ink had everything in it I should’ve loved… a FMC who loves horror movies and creates her own based on a serial killer’s murders. And the MMC, who is her professor and just happens to be the serial killer. This could’ve been so promising, but I was so bored. There was too much inner monologue and more telling than showing.

Grim Tidings – B.K. Borison

A romance between a grim reaper (who doesn’t want to takes lives anymore) and a guardian angel in a small town was very interesting. Grim Tidings hit me in all the feels and then some! I really see myself rereading these books. I’m so excited that she announced this series is going to have a total of 5 books.

Never Ever Getting Back Together – Sophie Gonzales

So every time I read this title, I have Taylor Swift’s song stuck in my head, haha. I’ve enjoyed Sophie’s other books and I was happy that I finally had the chance to read Never Ever Getting Back Together. I can’t imagine going on a dating show to get back my ex, but that’s what happens here. There’s quite a bit of drama, but that’s fitting for the setting and I enjoyed watching our main characters fall in love. It was a fun take on reality TV.

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku Vol. 5 & 6 – Fujita

I finally finished the last two volumes of Wotakoi and loved how it all wrapped up. We really get to see all of the story lines wrapped up and it made my heart happy. There isn’t a lot I can say though because these are the final two volumes in a manga series.

My Dress-Up Darling Vol. 7-9 – Shinichi Fukuda

This series is just a fun time to read! Not a lot happens, but it’s just fluffy! It’s fun seeing these characters create cosplay, get to know each other, and just the slice of life vibes this manga series gives. My fiancé got to choose a few things for me to read and he picked this one for me to continue. I’m having a good time!

Date Night in December – Jaqueline Snowe

Yes, it was only October, but I can’t resist a Christmas romance. I enjoy marriage in trouble romances that get a second chance. Yeah, most of this book wouldn’t have been necessary if these two character just sat down to talk, but I feel like it took the start of this story for them to actually talk. I had a great time.

This Jury Is Guilty – Laurie Blake

I loved the idea of having a jury during a murder trial that we also couldn’t completely trust. The different POVs and the little parts of the trial and some media coverage really pulled me in. I do feel like the ending ended up being just a bit underwhelming. Even though I did enjoy how a few things at the end played out.

Wanted – Paisley Hope

Paisley Hope is becoming one of my favorite authors, so I was so excited that I was approved for the eARC of Wanted. This one actually releases today and my full review will be online in a couple of days. Beau & Hallie were everything I wanted and needed! Them getting close was the best. I will say this ended up being darker and more emotional than I was expecting. Wanted really hit me in all the feels. I can’t wait for the next book.

All In – Bella Matthews

After reading Bella Matthews’ Christmas novella last year, I meant to start reading more of her work. A friend sent me the reading order, so I started All In. This was a cute new adult romance. I had a great time with these characters, but just wanted a little bit more depth? I do plan on continuing the series.

Hemlock & Silver – T. Kingfisher

My first T. Kingfisher book and it was for my monthly book club. Hemlock & Silver is a Snow White reimagining and it was a fun read. I will say that it took a while for anything to really happen in this book, but I enjoyed what the author did with the story we all know. This won’t be my last book by this author.

Beautifully Broken Pieces – Catherine Cowles 

Catherine Cowles has quite the backlist and I’m slowly working my way through her series. I love the small towns she creates and the touch of mystery we get in each story. She knows how to create families you want to be apart of and romances that leave your heart happy. I can’t wait to continue with the Sutter Lake books.

Dinner for Vampires – Bethany Joy Lenz

One Tree Hill is one of my favorite shows, so I’ve been meaning to read Bethany’s story. It’s true you really don’t know what someone has going on behind the scenes and she was slowly brainwashed into this cult. Thankfully she found her way out, but it wasn’t easy at all.

This Is Me – Hayden Panettiere

I seem to be in a memoir mood… two in one month! This Is Me was pretty heartbreaking to read now that she’s recently passed even more so. Being put in the spotlight at a young age can be harmful and Hayden even went through a lot in her relationships. It’s very sad she died at such a young age.

 

Isabelle

I read 6 books this month, it was a mix of all sorts of things. At the moment I’m trying to finish some books I have started and at the same time I’m reading some of my most anticipated releases of the year!

A Court of Frost and Starlight – Sarah J. Maas

I was finishing up my reread before the release of A Court of Splintered Harmony and that means I also reread A Court of Frost and Starlight (a title I keep getting wrong haha, I called it  A Court of Mist and Frostlight for some reason haha). Once again I didn’t really care about this book, it was fine but I refuse to call it the fourth book in the series, this was definitely a novella.

Threshing Day – Rebecca Yarros

One of my most anticipated releases of the year! I really enjoyed this collection of short stories and I definitely cried while reading some of these. It was great being back in this world and I’m so excited for the next book in the series.

Dune Messiah – Frank Herbert

It took me quite a while to finish this one, even though it’s not a big book at all. I wanted to read this one before the third movie releases, but I didn’t really care for this story to be honest. It will be interesting to see how it is translated to the screen, but I won’t be reading the rest of the series.

Mythos – Stephen Fry

This was really fun! I knew about some of these stories, but definitely not all of them. At some point I would love to read the rest of the books as well. I also think it’s great to own this one and be able to look at some of the stories whenever I see them referenced somewhere.

The Poison Daughter – Sheila Masterson

Another one that took me a while to finish. I really liked certain parts of the story, but other parts weren’t my thing unfortunately. There is a great plot twist, but it was already spoiled for me so that was unfortunate. I’m happy I finished this book, but I’m not sure I would recommend it.

A Court of Splintered Harmony – Sarah J. Maas

I have been looking forward to this one for years and of course I immediately read it! There is already so much being said online about this book, but I think it’s important to remember that according to SJM this isn’t a book, but part one of a story told in 4 parts. Pagewise we didn’t even get a quarter of the story yet. Of course we’re not happy, of course the characters are being annoying, we still have so much story and thus so much growing left! I personally enjoyed this one and I can’t wait for the next part of the story. If you haven’t read this one yet, you might want to wait until the next book releases ;).

So that’s our October wrap up! Did you read any books we did? Or what was your favorite book of the month? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!