Here at Chapter Break, we don’t always write a full review of every book we read. Well, now we decided to do these monthly wrap-up posts with roundups of our reviews this month and mini-reviews to fill in the gaps. Enjoy!
Duuuuude I reviewed 7 books this month. And all were FULL reviews. Take that review dry spell. Let’s see if this lasts haha.
Skin of the Sea: This is a case of I would have never picked up this book if it weren’t for book club. It’s an interesting take on history, fantasy, and mythology. With some mermaids thrown in. The entire novel is journey\quest and world-building. The ‘surprise twist’ and ending were predictable. But the ending left me wanting to know what happens next to Simi and the crew. The audio narration was ok. There were some instances of the pronunciation of characters names changing during the narration. But with only a few characters, I could easily determine which character was being referenced. I’m calling this 3 1/2 stars.
A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons: This was ok for me. Saffron using her feminine wiles to manipulate men were cute the first few times. But irritating by the end of the novel. The time setting was a bit of a challenge for me. I kept thinking it was set in the 1880’s for some reason – but then then mention of telephones and buses kept reminding me that it was the 1920s. I found myself wanting more, though. More action. More romance. More something. I wasn’t particularly engaged\excited about how the plot unfolded. Like the novel, the audio narration was ok. I did have to slow the narration down to follow along due to the narrator’s accent. Given the ending, I imagine that we’ll see more of Saffron and her crime fighting skills in the future. I’m calling this 3 1/2 stars.
Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend: Another example of Ms. Reid’s smart romances! What I really appreciate about the characters in all of Ms. Reid’s books is that they are clever and flawed. Winnie and Byron fit both of those descriptions well. And I really appreciate the lesson here that women can be into STEM, while also still being ‘girly’. Enjoyable and honest romance. With some very emotional connections between the characters.
And Only to Deceive: The first in the Lady Emily series, set in the 1880’s. I can totally get behind the idea of marrying a wealthy Viscount who dies 6 months later on safari, leaving Lady Emily a very wealthy widow. I appreciated how Emily is trying to figure out who she is now as a widow, learning new subjects, solving mysteries, travelling. I spent a lot of time reading the novel wondering who the bad guys were and who would be Emily’s new love interest. Let’s just say I was wrong on most accounts! We even meet Renoir as a character. Renoir! I enjoyed this and will definitely be reading more in this series!
The Wickeds: A case of history is written by the winners, this short novella gives us the pov of the wicked stepmothers of Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel. Cute story! I enjoyed the twist of who we should consider heroines and villains. Plus (currently) free on Prime Reads!
Books we reviewed this month:
- [7 Jun] Stealing Time Series Book Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway #LoneStarLit
- [7 Jun] Killing Time (Stealing Time Series #3) by K.J. Waters ★★★★
- [11 Jun] Steele Secrets (Steele Secrets #1) by Andi Cumbo-Floyd ★★★★
- [12 Jun] Where the Werewolves Run Audiobook Review and Tour
- [12 Jun] Where the Werewolves Run (Moon of the Monsters #1) by Lola Glass ★★★★
- [19 Jun] Where the Lycans Howl (Moon of the Monsters #2) by Lola Glass ★★★½
- [19 Jun] Charlotte and the Twelve (Steele Secrets #2) by Andi Cumbo-Floyd ★★★★
- [25 Jun] Silence at the Lock (Steele Secrets #3) by Andi Cumbo-Floyd ★★★★
- [26 Jun] Where the Monsters Change (Moon of the Monsters #3) by Lola Glass ★★★★
- [29 Jun] Spider Web Scramble by Amanda M. Thrasher ★★★★
I work with plants so A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons sounds interesting to me.
Have a great July reading month.
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