Good Morning Guys!
I can' honestly say that September was one of the best reading months I've had in a very long time. I finished so.many.books! Now I will say this was mainly because I ended up sick with a nasty cold for a few days, and didn't do much besides read, but still. I ended up reading some really amazing books, and only had a few duds this month which is always a bonus. Plus I ended up crossing off every single book I had on my original TBR, and read quite a few additional ones besides.
As this is going to be a loooong post today, I'll be keeping my thoughts on each of the books fairly brief.
The books will be listed in the order of the ones I finished first to last.
Stealing The Preacher by Karen Witemeyer:
This was such a great choice for my first book of the month. I loved Crockett and Joanna, and the strange circumstances by which they first come into each other's company. Five out of five stars!
It Had To Be You by Susan May Warren:
Eden and Jace's story was so heartwarming, especially the way Eden has to learn to get past her obsession with helping her little brother live his best life. I gave this one four out of five stars.
I Really Do Miss Your Smile by Susan May Warren:
I have to be honest that I didn't enjoy John and Ingrid's story quite as much as I did the ones about their children. However, it was still a sweet read, and I gave it three out of five stars.
On Magnolia Lane by Denise Hunter:
Without a doubt, this upcoming release by Denise Hunter is the best in the Blueridge Romance series. Readers everywhere are going to love Jack and Daisy's story. I gave this one five out of five stars, and you can read my full review here.
Why I Hate Green Beans: And Other Confessions About Relationships, Reality TV and How We See Ourselves by Lincee Ray:
This is without a doubt one of the funniest books I've ever sat down with, but it's also eye opening and heart warming in the way Lincee tackles the insecurities that us women battle with on a daily basis. Lincee is a natural storyteller, and I found myself completely entranced with each and every story she tells throughout this hilarious read. I gave it four out of five stars, and will be posting my full review of it hopefully soon.
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine:
This one I have to be honest and say that I kind of went back and forth about how I truly felt about it. Without a doubt the setting and world building is fantastic, and that alone made it a really enjoyable read. However, I found the plot dragged a bit, and I found that I didn't care for a lot of the characters, really I only enjoyed Jess, Thomas and Glain. And then the amazing ending happened, and that had me anxious to run and pick up the second book. I'm going to go with three out of five stars for this one.
Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski:
This was without a doubt the worst book I read the entire month. While I've enjoyed many of Sarah's other novels, this one was just a hot mess in my opinion. The plot went beyond implausible, their were so many characters you almost needed a spreadsheet to keep track of who was who, and I was turned off by the amount of language and sexual content it contained. Two out of five stars.
A Cowboy Unmatched by Karen Witemeyer:
Such a sweet conclusion to the Archer Brothers stories, and Nell was as adorable as ever as he's determined to stand on his own two feet away from his brother's help. I gave it four out of five stars.
No One Knows by J.T. Ellison:
For some reason I was in the mood for a thriller this month, and I chose this one that's been on my bookshelves for a couple of years. I know a lot of people were turned off by the very ending, but for myself personally, I was just confused as to how the ending actually happened when it seemed there was no build up to it. I gave this one three out of five stars.
Keep Holding On by Melissa Tagg:
I have to say that Beckett and Kit's story ended up being my least favorite novel in The Walker Family series, but I still really did love it. I gave it four out of five stars, and just didn't love it quite as much as the other books in the series.
Riverdale Volume 1 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa:
I've had this graphic novel sitting on my bookshelves since Christmas, and I hadn't ever read it. Well one night my husband was reading a manga novel, and I felt like I was in the mood to read a manga or graphic novel myself, and since this is one of the only ones I own, I went ahead and picked it up. While the illustrations were beautiful, and the stories were interesting, I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read it back it when I was still into Riverdale. I've stopped watching the show as it's gotten way darker than I'm comfortable with, and as such, I wasn't as into this novel as I might have been otherwise. I gave this one three out of five stars.
You're Gonna Love Me by Robin Lee Hatcher:
I have to admit that I was slightly procrastinating on reading this one, since I hadn't enjoyed the first book, You'll Think Of Me, nearly as much as I'd expected to. However, this one completely surprised me with just how much I enjoyed Nick and Samantha's story, and I gave it four out of five stars. Thunder Creek is another fictional town that I honestly wish was real.
Miracle on 34th Street: A Storybook Edition of the Christmas Classic by Valentine Davies Estate:
I fully reviewed this one on my blog earlier here, and suffice to say that I loved it! It was a perfect adaptation of one of my all time favorite Christmas stories, and it was the perfect choice for my first children's book review on my blog. I gave it five out of five stars.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows:
This was my book club's read for September, and I adored it. I'd already watched the Netflix movie, but the book was even better, and delved so much further into the lives of the beloved characters. I loved Juliet, and the way she's willing to stand up for whatever she believes is right. Four out of five stars, and I very much enjoyed our book club discussion to dive a little further into this one.
Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter:
I knew going into this one that it wasn't a true Alice in Wonderland retelling, and so I was okay with that. I really enjoyed Gena Showalter's writing style, Alice's character, and a different take on zombies than I'd personally ever read before. However, I wasn't a fan of some of Cole's more controlling tendencies, and so I only gave this four out of five stars instead of the five stars it otherwise probably would have been. I really did enjoy it though, and I think it's a really unique story idea.
When I Fall In Love by Susan May Warren:
So far, this was one of my absolute favorites of the Christiansen family novels. Grace and Max both stole my heart, and I was completely absorbed in their beautiful romance, especially considering how many obstacles they have to overcome to be together. Five out of five stars to this amazing read!
Evergreen by Susan May Warren:
Evergreen is a novella inclusion in the Christiansen family series, and it focuses mainly on the patriarch and matriarch of the family, John and Ingrid. I really enjoyed this sweet tale, that focuses on unresolved issues that have come into play for the couple, and I rated it four out of five stars.
All This Time by Melissa Tagg:
I had very high hopes for Raegen and Bear's story, and I'm very happy to say that this beautiful novel surpassed all of them. There's so much more to both of their stories than I was initially expecting, and I felt my heart breaking for both of them over the hardships they've been forced to endure. Once again Melissa Tagg is perfection plain and simple, and I gave this one five out of five stars.
A Place To Belong by Melissa Tagg:
It's such a fun treat for all of us Maple Valley fans to get one last special visit, and especially for it to be Megan's story. I'd always adored her character throughout the Walker Family novels, and I'm so happy that Melissa decided to give us fans her story, and for her story to turn out the way it did. I can't recommend the Walker Family series enough, and I gave this final installment five out of five stars.
Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost:
I'll be sharing a full review of this one with you all shortly, but I will simply say for now that I completely loved it. It's one of my all time favorite cozy mysteries I've ever read now, and I gave it five out of five stars.
Always On My Mind by Susan May Warren:
I've really been enjoying reading all the Christiansen Family novels, and I've loved every installment in its own way. However, I'll be honest and say that Always On My Mind is my least favorite in the series so far as I'm not a fan of Raina's character. That being said though, I still gave it four out of five stars as I adore Casper, I love the whole Christiansen family, I found myself intrigued with the mystery unfolding, and I really enjoyed another look into Darek and Ivy's life, and the reminder that no one is perfect, and neither is any marriage.
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine:
Honestly, I almost wish I could rate these books on the world building alone. The setting of The Great Library series is unlike anything I've ever encountered before, and I'm completely enthralled with it. However, I just don't feel the action, characters, plot or the romance live up to the world building, and I once again found myself dragging a bit through this one. I still gave it three out of five stars, but I'm not feeling too optimistic for the third one at this point.
Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski:
Since I'd had such a low opinion of Don't Even Think About It, I didn't have grand expectations of this one, and it was basically exactly what I expected. I honestly don't think a sequel was really even necessary for this story to begin with, and everything unfolded exactly as I'd predicted. The student's start having trouble with their ESP, their were still way too many character's, the characters that weren't as annoying in the first book become super annoying in this one, the sex content is even worse than in the first book, the improbable plot points just keep on coming, and the twist at the end honestly didn't surprise me in the slightest. All in all, I gave this one two out of five stars, and I definitely do not recommend this book or it's predecessor.
The Wonder of You by Susan May Warren:
I will be sharing a full review of this one with you guys very shortly, but I will simply say that I wasn't expecting Amelia Christiansen's story to be my favorite in the Christiansen Family series, but it definitely was. I loved this story so much, which really shocked me considering it's about a love triangle. I gave it five out of five stars, and I can't wait to share my full review of it with you all very soon.
Through The Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter:
As sequels go I thought this one was actually really good, and that it added some pretty original plot points into the mix. I was hooked on the story right from the start, and stayed so right through the end. I'm still not sold on Cole however, and I didn't like how he acted as soon as Gavin entered the picture. As well, I definitely feel the sexual content could have been minimized a bit as it was a tad out of hand, but all in all I did really enjoy it and gave it four out of five stars. I hope to finish books three and four this month.
Winning The Teachers Heart by Jean C. Gordon:
I didn't realize that I'd actually read the second book in this series a couple of years back, and didn't connect that it was part of this series until after I finished this one. This one focuses on the oldest Donnelly Brother, Jared, and his return to the town that had never had a good impression of him. I enjoyed it immensely and gave it four out of five stars.
and the very last book I finished it in September of 2018 was:
The Christmas Heirloom by Karen Witemeyer, Kristi Ann Hunter, Sarah Loudin Thomas, and Becky Wade:
Guys this novella collection was the perfect choice to finish out the month, and it releases tomorrow! I'll be sharing my full review of it with you all tomorrow, but just know that I gave it four out of five stars, and I adored it. It's the perfect collection to get you into the Christmas spirit, and I can't wait to share my full review of it with you all.
So as you guys can see I read a lot of books this month, and now let's get onto my final wrap up statistics.
Books Finished: 27
Least Favorite: Don't Even Think About It and Think Twice
Favorite: Stealing The Preacher, On Magnolia Lane, All This Time, and The Knife Before Christmas!
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
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.
I can' honestly say that September was one of the best reading months I've had in a very long time. I finished so.many.books! Now I will say this was mainly because I ended up sick with a nasty cold for a few days, and didn't do much besides read, but still. I ended up reading some really amazing books, and only had a few duds this month which is always a bonus. Plus I ended up crossing off every single book I had on my original TBR, and read quite a few additional ones besides.
As this is going to be a loooong post today, I'll be keeping my thoughts on each of the books fairly brief.
The books will be listed in the order of the ones I finished first to last.
Stealing The Preacher by Karen Witemeyer:
This was such a great choice for my first book of the month. I loved Crockett and Joanna, and the strange circumstances by which they first come into each other's company. Five out of five stars!
It Had To Be You by Susan May Warren:
Eden and Jace's story was so heartwarming, especially the way Eden has to learn to get past her obsession with helping her little brother live his best life. I gave this one four out of five stars.
I Really Do Miss Your Smile by Susan May Warren:
I have to be honest that I didn't enjoy John and Ingrid's story quite as much as I did the ones about their children. However, it was still a sweet read, and I gave it three out of five stars.
On Magnolia Lane by Denise Hunter:
Without a doubt, this upcoming release by Denise Hunter is the best in the Blueridge Romance series. Readers everywhere are going to love Jack and Daisy's story. I gave this one five out of five stars, and you can read my full review here.
Why I Hate Green Beans: And Other Confessions About Relationships, Reality TV and How We See Ourselves by Lincee Ray:
This is without a doubt one of the funniest books I've ever sat down with, but it's also eye opening and heart warming in the way Lincee tackles the insecurities that us women battle with on a daily basis. Lincee is a natural storyteller, and I found myself completely entranced with each and every story she tells throughout this hilarious read. I gave it four out of five stars, and will be posting my full review of it hopefully soon.
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine:
This one I have to be honest and say that I kind of went back and forth about how I truly felt about it. Without a doubt the setting and world building is fantastic, and that alone made it a really enjoyable read. However, I found the plot dragged a bit, and I found that I didn't care for a lot of the characters, really I only enjoyed Jess, Thomas and Glain. And then the amazing ending happened, and that had me anxious to run and pick up the second book. I'm going to go with three out of five stars for this one.
Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski:
This was without a doubt the worst book I read the entire month. While I've enjoyed many of Sarah's other novels, this one was just a hot mess in my opinion. The plot went beyond implausible, their were so many characters you almost needed a spreadsheet to keep track of who was who, and I was turned off by the amount of language and sexual content it contained. Two out of five stars.
A Cowboy Unmatched by Karen Witemeyer:
Such a sweet conclusion to the Archer Brothers stories, and Nell was as adorable as ever as he's determined to stand on his own two feet away from his brother's help. I gave it four out of five stars.
No One Knows by J.T. Ellison:
For some reason I was in the mood for a thriller this month, and I chose this one that's been on my bookshelves for a couple of years. I know a lot of people were turned off by the very ending, but for myself personally, I was just confused as to how the ending actually happened when it seemed there was no build up to it. I gave this one three out of five stars.
Keep Holding On by Melissa Tagg:
I have to say that Beckett and Kit's story ended up being my least favorite novel in The Walker Family series, but I still really did love it. I gave it four out of five stars, and just didn't love it quite as much as the other books in the series.
Riverdale Volume 1 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa:
I've had this graphic novel sitting on my bookshelves since Christmas, and I hadn't ever read it. Well one night my husband was reading a manga novel, and I felt like I was in the mood to read a manga or graphic novel myself, and since this is one of the only ones I own, I went ahead and picked it up. While the illustrations were beautiful, and the stories were interesting, I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd read it back it when I was still into Riverdale. I've stopped watching the show as it's gotten way darker than I'm comfortable with, and as such, I wasn't as into this novel as I might have been otherwise. I gave this one three out of five stars.
You're Gonna Love Me by Robin Lee Hatcher:
I have to admit that I was slightly procrastinating on reading this one, since I hadn't enjoyed the first book, You'll Think Of Me, nearly as much as I'd expected to. However, this one completely surprised me with just how much I enjoyed Nick and Samantha's story, and I gave it four out of five stars. Thunder Creek is another fictional town that I honestly wish was real.
Miracle on 34th Street: A Storybook Edition of the Christmas Classic by Valentine Davies Estate:
I fully reviewed this one on my blog earlier here, and suffice to say that I loved it! It was a perfect adaptation of one of my all time favorite Christmas stories, and it was the perfect choice for my first children's book review on my blog. I gave it five out of five stars.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows:
This was my book club's read for September, and I adored it. I'd already watched the Netflix movie, but the book was even better, and delved so much further into the lives of the beloved characters. I loved Juliet, and the way she's willing to stand up for whatever she believes is right. Four out of five stars, and I very much enjoyed our book club discussion to dive a little further into this one.
Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter:
I knew going into this one that it wasn't a true Alice in Wonderland retelling, and so I was okay with that. I really enjoyed Gena Showalter's writing style, Alice's character, and a different take on zombies than I'd personally ever read before. However, I wasn't a fan of some of Cole's more controlling tendencies, and so I only gave this four out of five stars instead of the five stars it otherwise probably would have been. I really did enjoy it though, and I think it's a really unique story idea.
When I Fall In Love by Susan May Warren:
So far, this was one of my absolute favorites of the Christiansen family novels. Grace and Max both stole my heart, and I was completely absorbed in their beautiful romance, especially considering how many obstacles they have to overcome to be together. Five out of five stars to this amazing read!
Evergreen by Susan May Warren:
Evergreen is a novella inclusion in the Christiansen family series, and it focuses mainly on the patriarch and matriarch of the family, John and Ingrid. I really enjoyed this sweet tale, that focuses on unresolved issues that have come into play for the couple, and I rated it four out of five stars.
All This Time by Melissa Tagg:
I had very high hopes for Raegen and Bear's story, and I'm very happy to say that this beautiful novel surpassed all of them. There's so much more to both of their stories than I was initially expecting, and I felt my heart breaking for both of them over the hardships they've been forced to endure. Once again Melissa Tagg is perfection plain and simple, and I gave this one five out of five stars.
A Place To Belong by Melissa Tagg:
It's such a fun treat for all of us Maple Valley fans to get one last special visit, and especially for it to be Megan's story. I'd always adored her character throughout the Walker Family novels, and I'm so happy that Melissa decided to give us fans her story, and for her story to turn out the way it did. I can't recommend the Walker Family series enough, and I gave this final installment five out of five stars.
Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost:
I'll be sharing a full review of this one with you all shortly, but I will simply say for now that I completely loved it. It's one of my all time favorite cozy mysteries I've ever read now, and I gave it five out of five stars.
Always On My Mind by Susan May Warren:
I've really been enjoying reading all the Christiansen Family novels, and I've loved every installment in its own way. However, I'll be honest and say that Always On My Mind is my least favorite in the series so far as I'm not a fan of Raina's character. That being said though, I still gave it four out of five stars as I adore Casper, I love the whole Christiansen family, I found myself intrigued with the mystery unfolding, and I really enjoyed another look into Darek and Ivy's life, and the reminder that no one is perfect, and neither is any marriage.
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine:
Honestly, I almost wish I could rate these books on the world building alone. The setting of The Great Library series is unlike anything I've ever encountered before, and I'm completely enthralled with it. However, I just don't feel the action, characters, plot or the romance live up to the world building, and I once again found myself dragging a bit through this one. I still gave it three out of five stars, but I'm not feeling too optimistic for the third one at this point.
Think Twice by Sarah Mlynowski:
Since I'd had such a low opinion of Don't Even Think About It, I didn't have grand expectations of this one, and it was basically exactly what I expected. I honestly don't think a sequel was really even necessary for this story to begin with, and everything unfolded exactly as I'd predicted. The student's start having trouble with their ESP, their were still way too many character's, the characters that weren't as annoying in the first book become super annoying in this one, the sex content is even worse than in the first book, the improbable plot points just keep on coming, and the twist at the end honestly didn't surprise me in the slightest. All in all, I gave this one two out of five stars, and I definitely do not recommend this book or it's predecessor.
The Wonder of You by Susan May Warren:
I will be sharing a full review of this one with you guys very shortly, but I will simply say that I wasn't expecting Amelia Christiansen's story to be my favorite in the Christiansen Family series, but it definitely was. I loved this story so much, which really shocked me considering it's about a love triangle. I gave it five out of five stars, and I can't wait to share my full review of it with you all very soon.
Through The Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter:
As sequels go I thought this one was actually really good, and that it added some pretty original plot points into the mix. I was hooked on the story right from the start, and stayed so right through the end. I'm still not sold on Cole however, and I didn't like how he acted as soon as Gavin entered the picture. As well, I definitely feel the sexual content could have been minimized a bit as it was a tad out of hand, but all in all I did really enjoy it and gave it four out of five stars. I hope to finish books three and four this month.
Winning The Teachers Heart by Jean C. Gordon:
I didn't realize that I'd actually read the second book in this series a couple of years back, and didn't connect that it was part of this series until after I finished this one. This one focuses on the oldest Donnelly Brother, Jared, and his return to the town that had never had a good impression of him. I enjoyed it immensely and gave it four out of five stars.
and the very last book I finished it in September of 2018 was:
The Christmas Heirloom by Karen Witemeyer, Kristi Ann Hunter, Sarah Loudin Thomas, and Becky Wade:
Guys this novella collection was the perfect choice to finish out the month, and it releases tomorrow! I'll be sharing my full review of it with you all tomorrow, but just know that I gave it four out of five stars, and I adored it. It's the perfect collection to get you into the Christmas spirit, and I can't wait to share my full review of it with you all.
So as you guys can see I read a lot of books this month, and now let's get onto my final wrap up statistics.
Books Finished: 27
Least Favorite: Don't Even Think About It and Think Twice
Favorite: Stealing The Preacher, On Magnolia Lane, All This Time, and The Knife Before Christmas!
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)
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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