Nothing AUGUST about this month of reading

 August was a pretty good reading month. Not great, just average amounts of reading. I finished 9 books. A total of 2,938 pages. An average of 95 pages per day. 

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren (401 pages). Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is a super successful romance novelist who’s currently in the middle of a dry spell, both professionally and personally. Connor Prince is a documentary film maker who’s been conscripted by his boss into producing a reality dating show. When Connor meets Fizzy, he realizes he has the perfect concept on his hands. And with Fizzy’s input, the True Love Experiment is born. Where our Heroine is set up with 8 archetypal Hero’s- from Hot Nerd to Tattooed Bad Boy, from the One that Got Away to Vampire. But sparks fly between producer and star, and Connor and Fizzy begin to have a hard time denying their attraction. As with any true romance, the path is never easy. But omg- it was so cute!  I finished in 4 days. 

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint (305 pages). I love me some mythological fiction (is that a genre?!  It should be). I never really thought much about Ariadne. She helped Theseus defeat the labyrinth and the Minotaur and was then abandoned by him on the island of Naxos, to be wooed and wed to the god Dionysus. That’s all I knew. I loved this version of her story. Her relationships with her family members. Her heartbreak at being abandoned by Theseus. Her love for Dionysus. The tragedies surrounding her and her family. It was awesome!  And the author did such an amazing job weaving the “true” mythology into the novel. I finished in 1 day. 

The Dark King by Gina L. Maxwell (275 pages). Caiden Verran is the king of Vegas. He and his brothers own most of the Strip. And he is king of the Dark Fae of the Night Court of Faerie as well, fae who have been banished from their home of Tir na nOg in Ireland for centuries. Bryn Meara arrives in Vegas for a weekend at Nightfall, a Verran hotel and casino. When they lock eyes across the hotel lobby, they both feel something they’ve never felt before. And the next morning, they wake up mated and bonded. As only fae can be. But there’s more than a few things Bryn doesn’t know about her new husband. Like treaties and blood curses. And turns out there are some things Caiden doesn’t know about his new wife. I liked this book way more than I thought I would. Imagine if there was a faerie version of Twlight. And it had a baby with 50 Shades. Now you have this book. I finished in 3 days. 

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (356 pages). The residents of 12, rue des Amants, are an eclectic bunch. Antoine, the alcoholic who’s just been left by his wife on the first floor. Nick, the nice guy who was Ben’s classmate at Cambridge on the second floor. Mimi, the young student on the fourth floor. Sophie, the wealthy wife in the penthouse. The concierge in her courtyard cabin. When Jess arrives late one Friday, she fully expects her brother Ben to be waiting for her in his third floor apartment. Even though she told him about her trip shortly before leaving England, he’s her brother and he’s always there for her. So when there is no sign of him upon her arrival, she begins to worry. And no one in the building is helping. In fact, there’s a good chance at least one of them knows what has happened to Ben. Y’all- the twists and turns. Loved it!  I finished in 4 days. 

Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher (358 pages). Charlize Wynwood and Silas Nash have known each other their whole lives. And been in love for the past nearly four years. But as of the middle of one school day, they don’t remember each other. Or really anything. But what has happened to them?  And when they finally learn what’s happening, can they fix it?  I finished in 2 days. 

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge (259 pages). This was my May Once Upon a Book Club box. I’ve been hoarding.  When Tabitha Knight moves to Paris to live with her grandfather, she quickly becomes friends with her neighbor, fellow American Julia Child. She helps Julia with her French, Julia helps her with her cooking. One morning, the body of Therese Lognon is found in the trash room of Julia’s apartment building, the morning after Julia’s sister hosted a party. A party that Tabitha attended and left at the same time as the victim. Inspector Merveille is assigned to the case. And Tabitha finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation that involved international espionage!  I finished in 2 days. 

Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson (294 pages). This was my June Once Upon a Book Club box. Cat Cranwell has been been a famous Instagram influencer for half her life. But shortly after her 30th birthday, her world implodes. Her business partner (and by extension she herself) have been accused of serious financial crimes. So Cat runs to her uncle Terry, a park ranger in Montana. While helping boost the park’s social media presence, Cat also begins to learn that there is life outside of the carefully curated Instagram life she’d created. And it doesn’t hurt to have handsome park ranger, Zaiah Smith, around to look at. A man who hates all things social media. Maybe even her…. So cute!  I finished in 2 days. 

Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman (401 pages). London is the winter of 1799. Pandora Blake is an aspiring jewelry designer.  But she’s stuck living with her uncle above her parents’ former shop of antiques. A shop her uncle has turned into a shop of frauds. When a mysterious crate containing a mysterious vase appears at the shop, her uncle becomes obsessed. And enlists the help of an antiquities scholar Edward Lawrence to learn about the vase. Turns out it more than simply an ancient Grecian vase. And as myth and fact begin to intertwine, Dora begins to learn more about her family. It took a bit to get into this one. But once I did, I couldn’t put it down!   I finished in 2 days. 

Murder in the Locked Library by Ellery Adams (289 pages). Storyton Hall is a beautiful resort in Virginia, the resort of any book lovers’ dreams. Rooms are named for famous authors. And resort manager Jane Steward is the guardian of it all- books, resort and people. Her next goal is the addition of a spa. But when they break ground, they find bones and an old book. Fortunately the Rare Book Conference is staying at the resort and they are happy to lend their expertise. Unfortunately, someone doesn’t want the truth to come out. And someone is willing to kill. This book was the 4th in a series (I have no idea how it came into my possession) so there were some things that seemed confusing- relationships, jobs (some people at the Hall were Fins and Jane herself was a Guardian). I finished in 4 days. 

This month’s favorite is…….a tie between The True Love Experiment and Ariadne. Totally different genres but the two that stuck out the most at the end of the day

July’n- I finally got some pool time and therefore got some good good reading done

 Last month was better than I expected. I read 10 books. A total of 3,312 pages. An average of 107 pages per day. And all but one were winners. So I consider that a great month!

Deliberate Cruelty: Truman Capote, the Millionaire’s Wife and the Murder of the Century by Roseanne Montillo (288 pages). In 1955, former showgirl Ann Woodward shot her husband, banking heir Billy Woodward. She claimed to have mistaken him for a prowler. No one believed her. And the very society she craved by marrying Billy shunned her after his murder. Meanwhile, Truman Capote was riding high on literary success and the confidences of his “swans,” society women who let him in.  But all it took was publishing one story. One story to undo everything Capote had created. Because death can come at the hands of a gun. Or at the hands of a pen. Y’all- I typically tolerate biographies and nonfiction. Not this one!  I couldn’t put it down. The background into Ann and Truman was so fascinating- their rises to the top and their eventual downfalls. I finished in 2 days. 

Red Queen by Christina Henry (313 pages). The sequel to Alice (which I read back in February). Alice and Hatcher have escaped from the City and are searching for Hatcher’s daughter.  But the allegedly beautiful land surrounding the City is nothing but ash. And Alice and Hatcher find themselves in the clutches of the White Queen, the Black King and the Red Queen.  Alice learns more about her own magic and Hatcher learns more about his own madness. I didn’t love this one as much as Alice, but I still love this retelling of Wonderland. I finished in 3 days. 

Looking Glass by Christina Henry (287 pages). 4 novellas that continue the Alice Chronicles. These were great. We meet a new character, a young girl from the New City named Elizabeth. One who seems curiously familiar to another young girl from the New City. Even down to her magical abilities. We also learn more about Hatcher’s life when he was just Nicholas, a fighter in the Old City. And we get a few more adventures with Alice and Hatcher as they search for their happy ever after. An excellent ending to the Alice Chronicles!  I finished in 3 days. 

Eight Dates by John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman (225 pages). This book was a gift. It focuses on going on 8 different dates with your partner to discuss different issues. All of the issues are important for long-term relationships. And the ideas for dates are great. I’m going to have to get the hubs to go on a few with me!  I finished in 3 days. 

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand (368 pages). In 1922, hotel maid Grace Hadley died in a fire. And remained behind to gleefully haunt the hotel. In present day, Lizbet Keaton finds herself newly single and jobless after breaking up with her cheating boyfriend/business partner. When she learns that billionaire Xavier Darling is planning to reopen the Hotel Nantucket, she applies for the job of general manager. The hotel is more beautiful and luxurious than she could’ve imagined. And as she opens the season with her new employees and a superstar chef running the popular new Blue Bistro, Lizbet hopes they can score an elusive rave review from an anonymous travel influencer. When a young guest uncovers the secret of Grace, the hotel becomes more popular than ever before. It was a great summer read. If I’d been poolside, I’d have probably finished it in a day or two. I finished in 4 days. 

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (333 pages). If you haven’t seen the (relatively) recent movie, you should. It’s great. In the book, beautiful and wealthy newlywed Linnet Ridgeway Doyle is killed during her honeymoon in Egypt. She and her husband are on a small cruise down the Nile. Meaning the only suspects are the 18 passengers on board. Fortunately, famed detective Hercule Poirot is on board as well.  As the clues begin to unfold and 2 more bodies are discovered, Poirot slowly begins to unravel the mysterious deaths. Even though I’d already seen the movie and therefore should have remembered whodunit, I literally found myself at the edge of my seat, wondering how it would end. I finished in 1 day. 

The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas (383 pages). Rosie Graham quit her job after her first romance novel was a big hit. But she’s hit the sophomore book writer’s block. At the same time, the ceiling of her apartment literally crumbled on top of her. So she decided to head to her best friend’s studio apartment to stay while Lina is on her honeymoon. The one thing Lina forgot to tell her?  She’d offered the use of the apartment to her cousin Lucas (who is visiting from Spain). Turns out Rosie had kind of Insta stalked Lucas and developed a major crush.  So when Lucas offered up experimental dates to help her out of her slump, she takes him up on it. And as they live together and date each other, they begin to worry (without telling the other) that the 6 week stay of Lucas’ might not be enough time for them. They might need more than that.  They might need forever. I finished in 1 day. 

A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows by Holly Renee (259 pages). The book itself is beautiful- pink hardback and decorative page edges. The story?  Meh. Adara is the Starblessed and betrothed to Gavril, the fae crown Prince of Citlali.  Her blood and his power will combine to keep their country safe. But Adara doesn’t want to married Gavril, as she finds herself attracted to his brother Evren. His slightly older, bastard, mixed vampyre-fae brother. It wasn’t really my type of book. Think bodice ripper, but with a supernatural fantasy bent. I finished in 3 days. 

Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson (407 pages). Ruthanna Ryder is Nashville royalty- one of the greatest singer-songwriters to hit the stage. Think Dolly and Reba combined (at least that’s what I did!). And Ruthanna is retired. But when her backup guitar player Ethan Blake first heard newcomer AnnieLee Keyes in a bar, he knows he’s heard something special. Ruthanna takes a special interest in helping AnnieLee achieve her goals. But AnnieLee has some secrets that she doesn’t want to come to light. I finished in 1 day. 

The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer (449 pages). Y’all know I love some WWII historical fiction. Especially when it covers something of which I had no prior knowledge. Covering the 1930’s to the 1950’s, the novel looks at two women. The first is Sofie von Meyer Rhodes, wife of scientist Jurgen, mother to Georg, Laura, Gisela and Felix, and best friend to Jewish Mayim, in Berlin. Under severe threat to himself and his family, Jurgen eventually joins the Nazi party and helps create bombs at Mittlewerk. But neither of the Rhodes are believers in Hitler’s plans. They just want to survive. And when Jurgen is given the opportunity to join Operation Paperclip in America, he does so. Hoping Sofie and the children can join him in creating a new life.  The other is Lizzie Davis. Lizzie grew up a farm girl in Texas. Until the Dust Bowl claimed the lives of both of her parents and their farm. Lizzie finds herself and her brother living in El Paso and eventually being wooed by Calvin Miller.  Lizzie marries him and they move to Huntsville, Alabama, for Operation Paperclip. Lizzie has nothing but hatred for the former Nazis who are taking over their town. And Sofie struggles with the hatred directed toward her. Y’all- this book was so good!  Survival, family, blind bigotry and hatred- all things that we still face today. I finished in 4 days. 

This month’s favorite is…….a tie. Between Deliberate Cruelty and The German Wife.