Queen of Books: July 2023

Time for another wrap up!

Hello everyone! I can't believe June is over. It wasn't a particularly good reading month as I only had two five stars but I did read a lot. I also graduated college so there's that!

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first physical book that I read was The Love Wager by Lynn Painter. I have only read one of Lynn Painter's previous novels but I really liked it so I decided to pick her new one up. This is about Hallie who decides to turn over a new leaf after a one night stand. She gets a new wardrobe, haircut and apartment but when she decides to join a dating app who does she see? Jack, the guy who she had a one night stand with. The two decide to become partners in their own searches for The One. Becoming discouraged by the lack of prospects they make a wager to see who can find true love first however, when they agree to fake date for a weekend wedding everything changes. This one was so fun and I had such a great time. I ended up rating it 5 Stars.

The second physical book that I read was Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan. Jennifer Dugan's books have been a hit or miss for me but I will always pick them up. This one is about two girls who are on a summer road trip in the ice cream truck owned by their moms. Chloe and Fallon used to be best friends until last summer when they hooked up and then after a series of misunderstandings they now don't speak. There was way too much miscommunication in this book and I felt like even though it was such a short book it could have been shorter. I will still read from this author but I didn't enjoy this one. I rated it 3 Stars.

The third physical book that I read was Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert. I've read adult books by Talia Hibbert but this was a young adult romance from Talia Hibbert and I was excited to try it. This was a cute young adult contemporary but I feel like it read a little bit too young for me and i only ended up rating it 3 Stars.

The fourth one that I read was An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves. This is a cute young adult historical romance about three girls who set off to Regency London for their first Season and they think they know exactly what they want. I thought this was cute even though I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. I rated it 3 Stars.

The fifth one that I read was Queen Bee by Amalie Howard. This was another young adult historical romance but I enjoyed this more than An Improbable Season. This is basically Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Christo where an eighteen year old girl seeks retribution against her backstabbing former best friend during London's social season. It's so cute and I ended up rating it 4 Stars.

The sixth one that I read was Duke Most Wicked by Lenora Bell. I'm having such a good time with this series by Lenora Bell. This is about Viola who is the music instructor to a duke's five younger sisters. Brandan, the duke, is famous for his scandalous behavior but he realizes that he must marry for. money in order to support his sisters and help them secure matches and futures. Viola strikes a bargain with him, and asks him to allow his sisters to attend the Season and in exchange she'll chaperone them and keep them safe from scandal. However, it might actually be Viola and Brandan who cause a scandal. I loved this one and rated it 4 Stars.

The seventh one that I read was The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten. This was by far my favorite read of the month. This is an adult fantasy book about a woman named Lore who has the power to raise the dead, and she's taken by a group of warrior monks to work for the Sainted King, when a job of hers goes wrong. She is instructed to use her magic to find out what is happening to villages on the outskirts of the country which have been dying overnight, or she will die herself. I loved this one and it is such an interesting set up to a series. I rated it 5 Stars.

The eighth one that I read was I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston. I will always read what Casey McQuiston writes. This is a cute sapphic romance about a high school senior named Chloe Green, who four years ago her moms moved them from Southern California to Alabama. She attends a very conservative high school and competes with it-girl Shara Wheeler for valedictorian. She is so close to beating Shara but on the weekend of senior prom Shara kisses Chloe and then vanishes. Shara leaves behind a series of letters for Chloe and two other people she kissed and it's up to them to solve her riddles. This is a lot more than a romance, it also tackles a lot of hard topics and I ended up really enjoying it. I rated it 4 Stars.

The ninth one that I read was Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta. I am always looking for more science fiction young adult stories to fall in love with and I was hoping this one would be one, however, I didn't end up enjoying this one as much as I thought. This is about Godolia, a place that wished for gods so much that they eventually decided to create them. They created giant mechanized weapons piloted by cybernetically-enhanced individuals. There are those who resist Godolia's tyranny who are called Gearbreakers. These rebels are tasked with crippling Windups from the inside and bringing Godolia to its breaking point. One such Gearbreaker is Eris who one day on a mission gone wrong is captured and brought to a Godolia prison. There she meets a newly enhanced windup pilot with loyalties of her own, named Sona. They share a common goal which is to destroy Godolia's tyrannical reign from within. This felt more like a young adult romance sprinkled with science fiction elements rather then a full young adult science fiction which is why I didn't love it like I thought I would. I rated it 3 Stars.

The tenth book that I read was Black Water Sister by Zen Cho. I have had this on my physical tbr for years and I am so glad that I finally got to it. This is about Jess who has just graduated from Harvard and has no idea what she is doing with her degree as she has no job prospects. She also finds out that her family is in debt because of her father's cancer treatment fees which forces them to move back to Malaysia to live with their extended family. Jess is not happy with these sudden changes and she also has a girlfriend she has been keeping a secret from her family. However, those are not the only problems she has as she's also been hearing a voice in her head. The said voice is the voice of her deceased grandmother Ah Ma, and she can also connect with a mysterious deity known as the Black Water Sister. Jess becomes a pawn in her grandmother's plan to settle a score against a business magnate who did something offensive against the god. I really liked this book and I actually lived in Malaysia at one point in my life so this was so fun to read. I rated it 4 Stars.

The eleventh book that I read was Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. I wanted to love this book so much but it had one of my least favorite romance tropes which made me end up not enjoying it and rating it pretty low. This book is a little hard to explain but it's about Persephone who during her childhood/teenage years, spent most of her summers in a home on a lake, where she met a boy named Sam and the two became inseparable. Their friendship turned into something more before it fell completely apart. Now she spends her summers in the city, and hasn't seen him in years until one phone call sends her running back to the lake home. I rated this one 2.5 Stars.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE

ARC'S READ

The first ARC that I read was Playing for Keeps by Tristen Crone. This is a book about a young woman named Farren who is a substitute teacher who aspires for more. She meets Sebastian in a coffee shop and he's a workaholic who is "married to his work". This was a cute book but it should not solely be marketed as a romcom as it is a lot more than that. I think that is what I struggled with because when I requested to read it, it was marketed as a rom com and that is not what I got. I ended up loving the characters though and rated it 3 Stars.

The second ARC that I read was Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey. I read book one of this companion series a couple months ago and absolutely hated it so I was nervous to pick this one up. However, this one was miles better than the first one. This is a marriage of convenience book where a Napa heiress, Natalie loses her job and fiance and has to return home. Natalie wants to access her trust fund to help finance her new business venture but the terms require her to marry before she gets the money. This leads Natalie to propose to a man she doesn't like. This man's name is August and he owns a vineyard but doesn't know anything about making wine and he wants to do his late best friend proud. However, no bank will give him a loan in order to turn the business around until Natalie knocks on his door and proposes this marriage. This book is hilarious and so fun. I rated it 4 Stars.

REVIEWS IN JUNE:

NONE

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

NONE

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

Summer '23 Anticipated Releases

May '23 Wrap-Up

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL MEN:

Jack from The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

Bastian from The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

Gabe from The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten