August 2016 Wrap Up

Hello All My Fellow Readers :)

I may be stating an unpopular opinion here guys, but honest to goodness I'm so glad to see summer come to an end.

Fall has always been a time of the year that I've loved, but with how crazy work has become over the last few summer's, and me not dealing so well with extreme heat anymore, I can honestly say that Fall has become my new favorite season.

Today I'd like to share with all you guys my August 2016 Reading Wrap Up!

I discovered some amazing, and perhaps some not so amazing books this month, and I'm here today to tell you all about them.

One Star Books:

Thankfully August was a month with no one star books for me! I love when that happens!

Two Star Books:

Fire Study by Maria V Snyder:

While I had many up and down feelings about the first two books in this series, and I had read horrible reviews about this one, I decided to go ahead and read it anyways, and honestly, I kind of wish I hadn't wasted the time. I basically got to the point where I reading this more out of obligation than enjoyment, and I felt it dragged so badly from page to page, that I'm sure there were many numerous passages I don't even remember reading. I also felt Yelena and Valek's relationship had such potential in the first two books, but this one felt like they were only together for moments at a time for a quick roll around, and that was all there was to it. I really felt this series had such potential, as it's such an original idea, but sorry to say I agree with all the other reviewers that did not like this book at all. I have however heard that the spin off series is much better so far, so I am still going to go on with those, and hopefully I don't end up regretting that choice. 


Lady of Magick by Sylvia Izzo Hunter:

There is honestly nothing I hate more than completely falling in love with the first book in a series, only to be devastatingly disappointed in the second. As you will see when you get to my four star books for this month, I really really enjoyed the first book in this magical series by Sylvia Izzo Hunter. However, I unfortunately did not feel the same way about this second novel, and it literally felt like a chore to even finish it. I hated how all the spunk and charisma I loved so much in Gray, Sophie and Joanna's character in the first novel was literally non existent in this one. This whole book dragged from start to finish, and I didn't even find the magical side of things interesting this time around. At this point I really don't think I'll be picking up the third book, as this book really turned me off of the series, but I guess we will see as to whether or not I stick with that choice. 


Three Star Books:

It Must Be Your Love by Bella Andre:

As always, I loved getting another peak into a Sullivan family romance, but I didn't find myself loving Mia and Ford's story quite as much as I've enjoyed some of the previous ones. I enjoyed both of their characters, but the romance felt a little rushed to me, and I found their obsession with each other emerging after only spending five days together to be a tad unbelievable. I did really enjoy their chemistry however, and as always, I loved Bella's writing style, I just wish the romance hadn't felt so much like insta love. 


Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Clair:

This one had been on my TBR list for quite some time, and my friend ended up reading it recently and loving it, and since we often have similar reading tastes, I decided to finally go ahead and grab it from the library. Unfortunately, I didn't end up loving this one quite as much as I was expecting too, and that was mainly due to two reasons. 1) I honestly could not sympathize much with the main character. While I wanted to root for, I just found her overall personality to be a tad offsetting, and she didn't grow on me much throughout the book.  2) Secondly, the scientific notions behind the parallel universe segment I'm sorry to say went way over my head, and I found myself having to reread several passages to try and understand what was going on. I did really like the romance element, and the ending was downright adorable, but those two reasons made this a three star book for me, instead of the four I was initially expecting it to be. 

Death Takes A Honeymoon by Deborah Donnelly:

As always, I enjoyed getting to follow along on Carnegie's wedding planning chaos, with the usual side dish of murder thrown in along the way. I really enjoyed how this one gave a glimpse into Carnegie's past, and the cast of characters in this one was probably my favorite from any of the series so far. However, once again, I really didn't like the way Carnegie and Aaron's relationship was portrayed in this one, as they both behaved so juvenile that it started to get on my nerves. The mystery was really well written, and had me guessing for most of the novel, although I won't say more than that cause I don't want to spoil it for anyone else. 


Bride and Doom by Deborah Donnelly:

Bride and Doom is the last book in the Carnegie Kincaid series, and it was one the one I'd been waiting for. It was finally time for wedding planner extraordinaire Carnegie, to plan her own nuptials to longtime boyfriend Aaron, and I'd been highly looking forward to how this would play out. Unfortunately, I felt the reader got a little cheated, as most of the book has nothing to do with Carnegie's own wedding, and instead focuses on a wedding she's putting together for a high profile couple. While I did enjoy the overall story, I wish there had been more on Carnegie and Aaron's own wedding, and I also found the mystery a tad predictable. I'd already put it all together about half way through the book. While I would still recommend this one, it definitely wasn't my favorite of the series, and I thought the series could have been concluded a teensy bit better. 

Between Now and Never by Laura Johnston:

I honestly finished this YA contemporary with very mixed feelings. I loved the premise of an FBI agent's son falling for the daughter of one the criminals imprisoned by his father, and I had high hopes for such an amazing premise. My main complaint, however, with this novel was the fact that I felt the first half dragged badly, and I couldn't sympathize or connect with either Cody or Julianna, and then all of a sudden the second half became extremely addicting, and I ended up finishing that half in one sitting, only to be left with a less than satisfactory ending that had me completely wondering what just happened. I still gave this novel three stars cause I really did enjoy most of the second half, but I definitely felt it could have been concluded better, and that more could have happened in the first half to draw my attention. 

After You by Jojo Moyes:

After finishing Me Before You I was honestly left with very mixed feelings. While on one hand I loved this touching, but heartbreaking love story, about two people who fall for each other when time is against them from day one. But on the other hand, it dealt with some controversial issues that I was definitely not feeling positive about, and left me questioning how I felt about the book overall. I'd heard that this sequel was met with very mixed reviews, but I decided to go ahead and read it anyways, and once again, I've come out of it with very mixed feelings. 


While I do feel that every reader out there has a secret wish to see their favorite book characters again in a new story, I don't feel this is actually usually necessary. Sometimes I think it's best for us just to be content with how a story ended, instead of knowing what's going to happen with the characters later on. However, I did try and keep an open mind about this one, it just wasn't necessarily what I was expecting.

 While in the first novel I loved the witty and hilarious banter that always seems to follow Lou's family around, in this one, I honestly found them all extremely annoying, especially the weird way that Jojo Moyes touches on the feminist movement. As well, the "blast from Will's past" angle was not at all what I was expecting, and I thought it was kind of a strange thing to bring about in this continuation, and I'm not sure I really liked that too much either. However, the redeeming grace of this book for me was I did enjoy getting to read more of Lou's tales, and how Will has influenced her life, but I don't foresee it being a reread for me, and it's more of a I'm glad I read it, but don't think i'll feel the urge to do so again type of novel.

Four Star Books:

The Midnight Queen by Sylvia Izzo Hunter:

Books about magicians are something that I actually haven't read too much of, other than of course Harry Potter, so this book about a young man suspended from Oxford's Merlin College, peaked my interest. I definitely found myself enjoying this one, as I really liked both Sophie and Gray as main characters, and thought their quest for justice was really interesting to read. The only thing I didn't like about this one was that I found the language a tad hard to follow, and it ended up taking me almost a full month to read this, which doesn't happen with me too too often. 


The Season by Jonah Lisa Dyer and Stephen Dyer:

I hadn't heard too many great things about this contemporary Pride and Prejudice retelling (in particular people seemed to be confused as to which demographic it's aimed at, since it's marketed as YA but the main character is a college student, and it's definitely not NA), but I'm so glad I decided to go ahead and take a chance on it, as I ended up loving this sweet and sassy take on one of my all time favorite novels. Megan's character was definitely not my favorite to start with, but I loved how participating in the "debutante season" really helps her grow as a character, and come to terms with the fact that she can still be true to herself while deviating a little from what she always thought she wanted. I honestly highly recommend giving this one a try, and I advise everyone not to be put off by the age of the protagonist, as it definitely still feels like a YA novel to me, and it was a truly pleasant surprise just how much I ended up liking this novel. 

Starstruck by Brenda Hiatt:

Not gonna lie guys, I honestly had no idea what this book was about when I downloaded it from Ibooks. I just saw it was a free YA book with a beautiful cover, and I was pretty much sold. However, I was completely stoked when I found out it was about aliens, since let's be honest, ever since I got addicted to Roswell a few years ago, I'm kind of fascinated by alien stories. On top of loving the supernatural element of this book, I really loved "M" the main character, and also the romance that develops between her and the new guy, Rigel. I highly recommend this to anyone who loved Melissa Landers' Alienated, or Jennifer L Armentrout's Lux series, and I'm really looking forward to continuing on with this series. 

The Diva Serves High Tea by Krista Davis:

The Domestic Diva series was the very first cozy mystery series I picked up, and it's still probably my favorite of all the ones I've read. I literally gobbled up the first six or so books in the series, but to be perfectly honest, I hadn't loved the last couple nearly as much. However, this one is right back to amazing quality of those first six, and it was a perpetual page turner for me right from the start. As an avid tea drinker myself, I loved how Krista Davis wrote a super compelling mystery tied around a fancy new tea shop that's just opened in town. Murder soon abounds, and Sophie as always, finds herself in the midst of it. This would have almost been a five star read from me, if only it weren't for Alex's character. I have honestly never liked the addition of his character, and I keep hoping that one of these new books will be his last appearance, but alas it was not meant to be this time. I really enjoyed this visit back to Old Town, and I'm honestly looking very much forward to new books in this series in the future. 

You May Now Kill The Bride by Deborah Donnelly:

I can honestly say that this has been my favorite of the Carnegie Kincaid series since the first book. I've always loved Lily's character, and I was really anticipating getting to read about her wedding. The setting of San Juan Island really added to the mystery element in this one, instead of the location taking away from it, as I felt the last book did. Although, the mystery itself may have been a tad on the unbelievable side, I still found myself really enjoying this one, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a light mystery read.

A December Bride by Denise Hunter:

I was really exited to start reading the A Year Of Weddings novella series, but I was anticipating not actually liking this first one by Denise Hunter, as I was anticipating that it was going to be insta-love, which everyone knows I'm not a huge fan of. However, I surprised myself by completely loving this sweet and adorable read about a woman who chose the wrong guy a few years back, and a fake engagement that gives her a chance to make the right choice this time around. I'm so glad I ended up taking a chance on this one.


A January Bride by Deborah Raney:

I'm wholeheartedly enjoying the A Year Of Wedding Novellas, and I definitely enjoyed January's story by Deborah Raney. I've always loved the idea of two people first meeting and falling for each other through letter writing, which is the case with this book. Maddie and Art enjoy communicating and getting to know one another through they notes they leave, but both are under the impression that they're corresponding with someone much their senior. This sweet novella was the perfect combination of romance and intentness, with just the right amount of added hilarity, I definitely will be recommending this one.

A February Bride by Betsy St. Amant:

This one was definitely my favorite of "The Winter Bride" stories in The A Year Of Weddings Novella Collection, as I loved how it revolves around a woman who chose to leave her fiance at the altar, based on her own insecurities that have arisen due to the women in her family's messed up beliefs on love and marriage. Allie and Marcus' chemistry was sweet and endearing, and I loved getting to read about their second chance at love. :)

Five Star Books:

And finally it's time for the best book I read in August 2016, and that is:



Her One and Only by Becky Wade:

I'm not gonna say too much about this one, since I posted a full review of it last week, but suffice to say that I loved it. Becky Wade is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite inspirational authors, and this was definitely one of the best books I read all month. 





And that's it for my August 2016 wrap up guys! September will probably be a month where I don't end up finishing too many books, as we will be in Disney World for a huge chunk of it, but I do hope to get to more YA books, as I feel I didn't read too many from my favorite genre this month. 

Thanks so much for reading guys, and I'll see you all in my next post!

This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. The pictures do not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.