Mini Reviews Wrap Up June 2026

Posted June 30, 2026 by Julie S. in Wrap Ups and Mini Reviews / 0 Comments

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!

Mini Book Reviews

Julie’s Mini Reviews:

So most of my reviews this month are full review posts so enjoy those linked below.

Witch Hunted: The Hunted Book 2: I didn’t read book 1, but these are supposed to be standalones. This.. didn’t do it for me. It was very tropey – reluctant fated mates, hunter vs. witch/wolf mixed, hunter raised in hatred and then learned the truth, she can’t control her magic yet and he trains her, etc etc. I paused the audio at the beginning of the month and finally finished it near the end of the month. But it was a quick read/listen and the pacing of things didn’t feel… earned. The audio was fine, dual POV and narration. Fine for when you want a quick urban fantasy romance if you haven’t read all the plot lines already in other books. I did hear the first book is better so who knows.

Lynn’s Mini Reviews:

CHERRY BABY: Not the vibe I was looking for in a book, especially a Rainbow Rowell book. It’s me, not you, Cherry. A little too on the nose with actual real life when I read to escape actual life. Trigger warnings for body image and a LOT of sex scenes. Cherry is super confident in her life. But also tends to shut out people around her instead of dealing with her feelings. Which I find REALLY irritating. I never found myself rooting for Cherry. Nor could I figure out which love interest to pick. There were some scenes I really loved (like Cherry and Tom doing all the Christmas baking together). And some scenes that I did not love (cough. sex scenes. cough). The writing is classic Rowell. The narration is classic Lowman. But nothing about this book worked for me.

WORST TRAITORS IN THE CONFEDERACY: Continuing on with the adventures of Brad, Jessica, and the rest of the crew. This time, we learn more backstory on Haley, rescue a kidnapped sister of a friend, get betrayed, space battles (multiple), space pirates, a really cool car chase in a ’64 1/2 mustang that was transported from Earth and is thousands of years old and barely has any original parts remaining at this point. The usual action, sarcasm, and dry humor. Jessica and Brad trying to move their relationship forward while staying alive adds life to the series. Overall, another enjoyable read in this series.

HIEROGLYPHS AND HOMICIDE: Fun romp through 1920s Egypt. Mystery, murder, and a side of archaeology. Clarissa is an interesting main character. She is escaping from her father, his money, and his demands she marry. Instead, she’s trying to make her way in Egyptology, where women are certainly not appreciated. I enjoyed her mental categorization of everyone and their actions. Quinn is no Radcliffe Emerson. He has much looser ethics which make the comparison moot. But. He’s super fun. And flirty. And does his best to keep Clarissa safe. Quinn leads Clarissa on adventures she never dreamed of. I loved their flirty banter and crime solving. I’m looking forward to future exploits of these two.

HIGHLAND GAMES: Cute Grumpy\Sunshine romance. Loads more spice than I was expecting. Where the frick is my long lost relative leaving me a cabin in a small Scottish town? Granted, I would prefer my cottage to include running water, electricity, and internet. I liked how Zoe lets Rory be himself, but an improved self by the end. Secondary characters are well developed.

EVERYONE IN THIS BANK IS A THIEF: Another Ernest Cunningham murder mystery. But this time, it includes solving bank heists as well as murders. Ern is great. Dry wit. A little too obsessed (addicted?!?) to solving crimes. With Juliet along to help sort out the details he may have missed. I love the format of these books, with Ern telling\writing the story after the fact, while we wonder if he has even survived the ordeals. Multiple deaths. Multiple bank heists. Locked room (well, technically, locked building). Fast-moving plot. Completely bonkers deaths. I imagine anyone looking at author Benjamin Stevenson’s internet history would be very concerned. I would recommend this series to anyone interested in solving crimes along with the characters.

Books we reviewed in full this month:

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We are linking up our monthly wrap up posts with Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight (we now co-host her monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up) and The Sunday Post (hosted by The Caffeinated Reviewer).

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