I can't even begin to describe how excited I am that it's officially September guys!
It's almost time for fall, and that of course means it's almost time for the leaves changing color, pumpkin and apple season, and of course sweaters and riding boots.
There's so many fallish books I want to get to in the next couple of months, but before I do so, I thought I'd take a moment to share with you guys all about all the books I finished in August of 2018.
As always, I'm listing these in the order I finished them, and not in a best-to worst or worst-to-best order.
Let's jump right in:
Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig:
My first read of August was unfortunately a big disappointment. I'd had Pretty Crooked sitting on my book shelf for a couple of years, and I was really looking forward to finally reading it. I'd heard that it was kind of a Robin Hood inspired tale, and that it was recommended for fans of Ally Carter. Unfortunately, I found the story really fell flat, and that the main character annoyed me to no end. You can read my full review of this one here, and I rated it two out of five stars.
Like Never Before by Melissa Tagg:
I followed up one of my most disappointing reads of the month with one of my favorites. Melissa Tagg once again delivered a beautiful, heartwarming tale with two characters who have quickly become new favorites of mine, and I can't recommend it enough. I rated this one five out of five stars, and you can read my full review here.
A Christmas Homecoming by Melissa McClone:
I was in the mood for a sweet, Christmas story this month, and I remembered that I'd downloaded this one from Itunes a few weeks ago. I really wholeheartedly enjoyed this, and it gets bonus points from me for being a clean read, which I always really appreciate. I really loved the dude ranch setting, and the chemistry between the main couple, and I rated it four out of five stars.
The Angel of Forest Hill by Cindy Woodsmall:
I checked this sweet novella out of my church library last month, and it was my first experience with a novel by this particular author. I really enjoyed it, and thought the premise being about a young Amish woman marrying a man she's just met who's recently lost his wife and needs someone to help raise his children was really intriguing, and definitely kept me interested from start to finish. I rated this one four out of five stars.
Pretty Sly by Elisa Ludwig:
I definitely enjoyed this book more than I did the first one, but I still wouldn't say it was a favorite. I gave it three out of five stars, and you can read my full review here.
Shiny Broken Pieces by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra:
I can without a doubt say that this was my least favorite book of the month. I wasn't expecting amazing things, especially after being so underwhelmed by the first book, but I was still hoping for some character growth, and a resolution to a lot of the issues that were raised in the first book. However, I didn't feel like any of this happened, and I remain with the opinion that I didn't like any of the characters in this entire story. It was just way too much drama over and over again for my liking, and I really didn't like how they chose to end it either. All in all, I'm really glad I didn't purchase this one, and I gave it two out of five stars.
The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel:
Once again I followed one of the most underwhelming reads of the month with one of the most amazing, and I can't possibly recommend this one enough. I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting when I finally picked it up after receiving it a couple of years ago, but it was amazing, and the ending completely blew away all of my expectations. I gave this one five out of five stars, and I will definitely be looking for more of Kristin Harmel's books in the future.
The Christmas Joy Ride by Melody Carlson:
I was in the mood to read a Christmas story at one point during the month, and I chose this fun sounding one by Melody Carlson. I adored it, and thought the road trip element made it a little bit different from most other holiday stories I've read, and I gave it four out of five stars.
The Winter of Candy Canes by Debbie Viguie:
The third installment in the Sweet Seasons story was another favorite of mine this month. I loved all the holiday excitement happening around the Zone, and how Candace manages to find herself in yet another predicament. Definitely recommend this series, and I gave this one four out of five stars.
Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold by Katie Finn:
It had been a few years since I read the first book in this series, and I decided August was finally the month I would go ahead and finish it. This particular installment takes the revenge plot up a notch as both Gemma and Hallie are well aware of what's going on, and each is determined to one up the other. I also really enjoyed the addition of Ford's character, and I would probably say that he's one of my favorites now in the series. I gave this one four out of five stars. No one can write plot twists like Morgan Matson, or should I say Katie Finn.
Take A Chance On Me by Susan May Warren:
I finally started the Christiansen family novels last month, and I loved the first installment. Darek and Ivy's relationship was swoon worthy, but it also dealt with some pretty serious issues like overcoming past hurts. I always enjoy with Susan's books the amount of research she puts into them, and in this particular one I quite enjoyed getting to learn a lot about forest fires along with a beautiful, faith based romance. I gave it four out of five stars, and will be continuing on with others in the series this month.
You'll Think Of Me by Robin Lee Hatcher:
I picked this one up from our church library, and thought it would be my kind of read with a slow burn romance, an orchard setting, and an author I've been much anticipating reading a book from. However, I honestly found this one a little underwhelming. I liked the writing style and the small town/orchard setting. However, I didn't truly connect to either of the main characters, and as such, I found myself dragging a bit in finishing this one. I gave it three out of five stars.
Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer:
I cannot possibly say enough good things about this book. It literally had everything you could possibly want in a historical romance. Bold, feisty female protagonist? Check. Ranch setting? Check. Emphasis on Jesus? Check. New book boyfriend you'll be swooning over long after finishing the story? Check. To put it mildly, I loved this one, and gave it five out of five stars. I'll be sharing a full review with you guys soon in the upcoming weeks.
A Wild Goose Chase Christmas by Jennifer AlLee:
Another pleasant surprise from another new to me author. I adored Jennifer AlLee's quirky writing style, and the eccentric cast of characters that rounds out this beautiful holiday story. I gave it four out of five stars, and I'll be sharing a full review with you guys shortly.
Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things To Cross by Katie Finn:
This was definitely an explosive finale to the trilogy, and I really enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed Gemma's love interest, and their numerous interactions. However, my favorite part was the character growth that the reader sees in both Hallie and Gemma as they both discover that sometimes it is possible to go too far. I loved this series overall, and I gave this one four out of five stars.
The Spring of Candy Apples by Debbie Viguie:
This was literally the perfect ending to this series. The reader sees just how much Candace has grown and matured, and how the Zone has played a huge role in this happening. I adored the romance part of it, I loved how once again so many of her friendship's are highlighted, and I personally thought the ending was perfect and exactly what I was looking for. Five out of five stars to this one, and I highly recommend picking it up. I'll be sharing my full review of it with you all shortly.
And that's all the books I finished in August 2018 guys! I'm thankful that for the most part it was another really good reading month, and here's to hoping September will be the same!
Thanks for reading, enjoy the last of this beautiful long weekend, and I'll see you all again on Wednesday.
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photos do not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
It's almost time for fall, and that of course means it's almost time for the leaves changing color, pumpkin and apple season, and of course sweaters and riding boots.
There's so many fallish books I want to get to in the next couple of months, but before I do so, I thought I'd take a moment to share with you guys all about all the books I finished in August of 2018.
As always, I'm listing these in the order I finished them, and not in a best-to worst or worst-to-best order.
Let's jump right in:
Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig:
My first read of August was unfortunately a big disappointment. I'd had Pretty Crooked sitting on my book shelf for a couple of years, and I was really looking forward to finally reading it. I'd heard that it was kind of a Robin Hood inspired tale, and that it was recommended for fans of Ally Carter. Unfortunately, I found the story really fell flat, and that the main character annoyed me to no end. You can read my full review of this one here, and I rated it two out of five stars.
Like Never Before by Melissa Tagg:
I followed up one of my most disappointing reads of the month with one of my favorites. Melissa Tagg once again delivered a beautiful, heartwarming tale with two characters who have quickly become new favorites of mine, and I can't recommend it enough. I rated this one five out of five stars, and you can read my full review here.
A Christmas Homecoming by Melissa McClone:
I was in the mood for a sweet, Christmas story this month, and I remembered that I'd downloaded this one from Itunes a few weeks ago. I really wholeheartedly enjoyed this, and it gets bonus points from me for being a clean read, which I always really appreciate. I really loved the dude ranch setting, and the chemistry between the main couple, and I rated it four out of five stars.
The Angel of Forest Hill by Cindy Woodsmall:
I checked this sweet novella out of my church library last month, and it was my first experience with a novel by this particular author. I really enjoyed it, and thought the premise being about a young Amish woman marrying a man she's just met who's recently lost his wife and needs someone to help raise his children was really intriguing, and definitely kept me interested from start to finish. I rated this one four out of five stars.
Pretty Sly by Elisa Ludwig:
I definitely enjoyed this book more than I did the first one, but I still wouldn't say it was a favorite. I gave it three out of five stars, and you can read my full review here.
Shiny Broken Pieces by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra:
I can without a doubt say that this was my least favorite book of the month. I wasn't expecting amazing things, especially after being so underwhelmed by the first book, but I was still hoping for some character growth, and a resolution to a lot of the issues that were raised in the first book. However, I didn't feel like any of this happened, and I remain with the opinion that I didn't like any of the characters in this entire story. It was just way too much drama over and over again for my liking, and I really didn't like how they chose to end it either. All in all, I'm really glad I didn't purchase this one, and I gave it two out of five stars.
The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel:
Once again I followed one of the most underwhelming reads of the month with one of the most amazing, and I can't possibly recommend this one enough. I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting when I finally picked it up after receiving it a couple of years ago, but it was amazing, and the ending completely blew away all of my expectations. I gave this one five out of five stars, and I will definitely be looking for more of Kristin Harmel's books in the future.
The Christmas Joy Ride by Melody Carlson:
I was in the mood to read a Christmas story at one point during the month, and I chose this fun sounding one by Melody Carlson. I adored it, and thought the road trip element made it a little bit different from most other holiday stories I've read, and I gave it four out of five stars.
The Winter of Candy Canes by Debbie Viguie:
The third installment in the Sweet Seasons story was another favorite of mine this month. I loved all the holiday excitement happening around the Zone, and how Candace manages to find herself in yet another predicament. Definitely recommend this series, and I gave this one four out of five stars.
Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold by Katie Finn:
It had been a few years since I read the first book in this series, and I decided August was finally the month I would go ahead and finish it. This particular installment takes the revenge plot up a notch as both Gemma and Hallie are well aware of what's going on, and each is determined to one up the other. I also really enjoyed the addition of Ford's character, and I would probably say that he's one of my favorites now in the series. I gave this one four out of five stars. No one can write plot twists like Morgan Matson, or should I say Katie Finn.
Take A Chance On Me by Susan May Warren:
I finally started the Christiansen family novels last month, and I loved the first installment. Darek and Ivy's relationship was swoon worthy, but it also dealt with some pretty serious issues like overcoming past hurts. I always enjoy with Susan's books the amount of research she puts into them, and in this particular one I quite enjoyed getting to learn a lot about forest fires along with a beautiful, faith based romance. I gave it four out of five stars, and will be continuing on with others in the series this month.
You'll Think Of Me by Robin Lee Hatcher:
I picked this one up from our church library, and thought it would be my kind of read with a slow burn romance, an orchard setting, and an author I've been much anticipating reading a book from. However, I honestly found this one a little underwhelming. I liked the writing style and the small town/orchard setting. However, I didn't truly connect to either of the main characters, and as such, I found myself dragging a bit in finishing this one. I gave it three out of five stars.
Short Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer:
I cannot possibly say enough good things about this book. It literally had everything you could possibly want in a historical romance. Bold, feisty female protagonist? Check. Ranch setting? Check. Emphasis on Jesus? Check. New book boyfriend you'll be swooning over long after finishing the story? Check. To put it mildly, I loved this one, and gave it five out of five stars. I'll be sharing a full review with you guys soon in the upcoming weeks.
A Wild Goose Chase Christmas by Jennifer AlLee:
Another pleasant surprise from another new to me author. I adored Jennifer AlLee's quirky writing style, and the eccentric cast of characters that rounds out this beautiful holiday story. I gave it four out of five stars, and I'll be sharing a full review with you guys shortly.
Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things To Cross by Katie Finn:
This was definitely an explosive finale to the trilogy, and I really enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed Gemma's love interest, and their numerous interactions. However, my favorite part was the character growth that the reader sees in both Hallie and Gemma as they both discover that sometimes it is possible to go too far. I loved this series overall, and I gave this one four out of five stars.
The Spring of Candy Apples by Debbie Viguie:
This was literally the perfect ending to this series. The reader sees just how much Candace has grown and matured, and how the Zone has played a huge role in this happening. I adored the romance part of it, I loved how once again so many of her friendship's are highlighted, and I personally thought the ending was perfect and exactly what I was looking for. Five out of five stars to this one, and I highly recommend picking it up. I'll be sharing my full review of it with you all shortly.
And that's all the books I finished in August 2018 guys! I'm thankful that for the most part it was another really good reading month, and here's to hoping September will be the same!
Thanks for reading, enjoy the last of this beautiful long weekend, and I'll see you all again on Wednesday.
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photos do not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
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