Hello Bookish Friends :)
It's officially September and I couldn't be happier about it.
Fall is my favorite time of the year, and September is definitely one of my favorite months of the year. While I do appreciate and enjoy every single season that our Heavenly Father has created for us and blessed us with, there's just something special about fall, and it continues to be my favorite.
I can't wait to read fallish books, to take fall inspired bookstagram pictures, to consume pumpkin flavored everything, to wear sweaters and riding boots....ahhhh my list could go on and on.
However, before I dive into any fun fall things, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you all my reading wrap up for August 2019.
It's a little more sparse than my wrap ups usually are, mainly because August was an insanely busy month for my hubby and I, and as such, I didn't have as much reading time as I normally would.
Here's the books I finished in August 2019 in the order in which I finished them.
The Boy Next Door by Katie Van Ark:
A horribly written, provocative tale about a guy who treats every girl like a dish rag and his best friend/skating partner who thinks she can be the one to change him. This book, in my opinion, should not have been marketed as a young adult title as the content would have been much better suited for the new adult market. I couldn't stand any of the characters, the plot made no sense, and it's one of those books that gives every teenage girl the notion that getting treated like dirt is romantic, as long as the boy doing it is worth waiting for. Final rating: 1/5. I don't recommend this one at all.
Girl Defined by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird:
One of the very best Christian non-fiction books I've ever personally read. Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird tackle the controversial subject of femininity, and what the Bible truly says about being female versus being male. This book spoke to me in so many ways, and I found it extremely eye opening. In the current trends of our society, I think this is a book that every young Christian woman will find helpful and motivating, and I'm really glad I took the chance to read it. Final Rating: 5/5. You can check out my full review here.
Starlight Bridge by Debbie Mason:
When I picked up the first title in Debbie Mason's Harmony Harbor series, I was expecting more of a sweet romance series along the lines of Debbie Macomber or Sheila Roberts. I was slightly disappointed when I realized that these are more along the lines of Susan Mallery's books, with spicier plot lines and content than what I was anticipating or wanting. I do think Debbie Mason is a fairly good storyteller, and that Ava and Griffin's story was pretty interesting. However, this one failed to get a perfect score from me because of the content which I didn't feel was necessary, and also the fact that I felt the story dragged a bit in the middle. Final Rating: 3/5.
Mandie and the Schoolhouse's Secret by Lois Gladys Leppard:
Whenever I pick up a Mandie title, I know I'm in for a fun, nostalgic treat. This particular title I especially enjoyed as I always loved the titles that are set completely at Mandie's boarding school. I enjoy Mandie and Celia's friendship, and the antics that always seem to follow whenever Snowball is involved. Final Rating: 4/5.
Primrose Lane by Debbie Mason:
I have to be honest and state that I was kind of expecting more from Olivia's backstory; especially with how much is hinted at in the previous books in the series. That being said, I did appreciate that the content was cleaner in this one than in many of the other titles in this series, and I enjoyed Finn and Olivia's relationship. I did think the ending with George was a little too cookie cutter to really be believable though, but overall I did enjoy this one. Final Rating: 3/5.
Mandie and the Courtroom Battle by Lois Gladys Leppard:
At last reader's finally get to find out what's going to happen with Mandie's father's house at Charley Gap. In this particular Mandie title, the family travels to Swain Country to try and find out who truly holds the deed to Mandie's late father's house. Grandmother Taft makes her first visit to the area, and Joe and Dr Woodard play a prominent role once again. While this isn't one of my favorite Mandie titles, I did still enjoy rereading it, and loved that Uncle Ned also makes an appearance in this one. Final rating: 3/5. Check out my full review here.
Sugarplum Way by Debbie Mason:
Story wise, this is definitely my favorite installment from Debbie Mason's Harmony Harbor series. I liked both Julia and Aiden as characters, I liked the settings of both Christmastime and the bookstore, and I really enjoyed the depths that the mystery goes into in this one as well. However, once again, I could have done without a bunch of the content, and that definitely hindered my enjoyment. Final Rating: 3/5.
Driftwood Cove by Debbie Mason:
I really don't have anything good to say about this particular title. The characters had me ready to pull my hair out, the content was too much, the plot was implausible and made no sense half of the time, and all in all, I found this one was just a hot mess. It's definitely my least favorite of all the titles in this series. Final Rating: 1/5.
A Fairytale Bride by Hope Ramsay:
The only reason I ended up reading this particular title is that it was included in one of the Debbie Mason books as a bonus short story. I read the synopsis, and saw that it was about a woman trying to keep a struggling bookstore afloat and out of the reach of greedy developers, and I thought it sounded like something I might be interested in. However, this book frustrated me to no end. I couldn't even classify it as insta-love, it's complete and utter insta-lust, and I had no patience or sympathy for either of the main characters. The reader is supposed to believe that the characters have fallen in love after only knowing each other for a few days, mainly because they ended up sleeping together in a public park. Yah this whole story was gross and implausible, and I don't see myself picking up anything from this author in the future. Final Rating: 1/5.
Sandpiper Shore by Debbie Mason:
Overall, I did enjoy Jenna and Logan's story. I enjoyed their quirky friendship, and the fact that both of them cared so much for every one of their family members, and were determined to help. However, I found the plot of this one to be more confusing than any of the other titles in this series, and their were a few things that I felt were never truly explained in a way that made sense to the reader. Also, a big portion of the plot felt extremely implausible, and the content was once again, more than I felt was necessary to the story. Final Rating: 3/5.
The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross:
I can without a doubt say that The Queen's Resistance is every bit as amazing as The Queen's Rising was, and I enjoyed every single page. I love the intricate world building that occurs within this series, and I've come to care about every single one of the characters. While I know that at this point, this is only supposed to be a duology, I'd love to see Rebecca Ross revisit it in the future and maybe give us Sean, Luc or Merei's story. Final Rating: 5/5. You can check out my full review here.
Strands of Truth by Colleen Coble:
This gem of a story is releasing into the world on September 10th, and I can honestly tell you that you're not going to want to miss out on reading it. I've read a lot of Colleen Coble's books over the years, and this one may just be my new favorite. A complex mystery with strands that are woven into deeply hidden secrets, a beautiful slow burn romance, and focusing around mollusks, DNA testing, and the weeki wachee mermaids, I can't possibly say enough about this one. Final Rating: 5/5. You can read my full review here.
The Corner of Holly and Ivy by Colleen Coble:
Once again, their were things I liked about this Debbie Mason title, and things I definitely didn't like. I enjoyed both Connor and Arianna as characters, I enjoyed learning more about their backstories, and I liked the mayoral race, and the truths it brings to light. However, I once again didn't appreciate some of the content, and I also have to be honest and state that I found the ending of this one to be extremely predictable. I literally knew where she going to go with the story when I was only about a third of the way through the book, and nothing happened that proved me wrong. Final Rating 3/5. I do plan to continue finishing the Harmony Harbor series, but I don't see myself picking up any other Debbie Mason books in the future.
Mandie and Jonathan's Predicament by Lois Gladys Leppard:
This Mandie title is kind of unique in the sense that it's set in New York City, and focuses around Mandie's first visit to the Big Apple. I always love the titles where Mandie and Celia are together, and I enjoyed the fact that this one also reunites them with their friend Jonathan. Final Rating: 4/5. You can check out my full review here.
Lucky In Love by Kasie West:
I am so behind with reading Kasie West's novels. Because she's my favorite, I have a bad habit of saving her books to read, as I want to look forward to reading them later. However, I finally decided to start reading the ones that are piling up on my shelves, and decided to dive into this one. I loved Maddie and Seth's sweet friendship, I loved the zoo setting, and I enjoyed, as always, Kasie's beautiful writing. However, this isn't my favorite Kasie West story to date, and I think it's mainly just because I didn't love the plot revolving around a lottery win, or some of the terrible decisions Maddie makes because of said lottery win. Final Rating: 4/5.
Mandie and the Unwanted Gift by Lois Gladys Leppard:
Getting to spend Christmas with Mandie is always a special treat, and this lovely story has the additional delight of it being the first time Jonathan and Joe are truly spending time together. The mystery also builds as to why it is that Grandmother Taft doesn't care for Jonathan's father. I really found myself enjoying this one. Final Rating 4/5.
With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander:
This particular title was one of my most anticipated 2019 releases, and I couldn't wait to finally dive into it. I really love how realistically Tamera Alexander always writes her historical fiction, and the reader can always tell just how much time and effort is painstakingly put into the research. I really enjoyed Lizzie's story, and the focus on the brutality of the civil war, but also on the faith and hope that grew from such a horrific time of history. Final Rating: 4/5.
Barefoot Beach by Debbie Mason:
I'm going to be honest and state that the Harmony Harbor novels are all starting to blur together for me. The romances are so all so similar, the characters don't seem very distinguished from one another, and honestly, how many big secrets can one family possibly have to be revealed. Final Rating: 2/5.
A Christmas Haven by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall:
I'm going to be sharing a full review of this one with you guys on Friday, but for now I'll simply say that I loved my first experience with a Cindy Woodsmall novel, and I found this beautiful story full of hope, faith and love amidst troubles and hardships beautifully done. Final Rating: 4/5.
And that's all the books I finished during the month of August. What was your favorite (or least favorite) read of the month? Let me know in the comments!
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.
It's officially September and I couldn't be happier about it.
Fall is my favorite time of the year, and September is definitely one of my favorite months of the year. While I do appreciate and enjoy every single season that our Heavenly Father has created for us and blessed us with, there's just something special about fall, and it continues to be my favorite.
I can't wait to read fallish books, to take fall inspired bookstagram pictures, to consume pumpkin flavored everything, to wear sweaters and riding boots....ahhhh my list could go on and on.
However, before I dive into any fun fall things, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you all my reading wrap up for August 2019.
It's a little more sparse than my wrap ups usually are, mainly because August was an insanely busy month for my hubby and I, and as such, I didn't have as much reading time as I normally would.
Here's the books I finished in August 2019 in the order in which I finished them.
The Boy Next Door by Katie Van Ark:
A horribly written, provocative tale about a guy who treats every girl like a dish rag and his best friend/skating partner who thinks she can be the one to change him. This book, in my opinion, should not have been marketed as a young adult title as the content would have been much better suited for the new adult market. I couldn't stand any of the characters, the plot made no sense, and it's one of those books that gives every teenage girl the notion that getting treated like dirt is romantic, as long as the boy doing it is worth waiting for. Final rating: 1/5. I don't recommend this one at all.
Girl Defined by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird:
One of the very best Christian non-fiction books I've ever personally read. Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird tackle the controversial subject of femininity, and what the Bible truly says about being female versus being male. This book spoke to me in so many ways, and I found it extremely eye opening. In the current trends of our society, I think this is a book that every young Christian woman will find helpful and motivating, and I'm really glad I took the chance to read it. Final Rating: 5/5. You can check out my full review here.
Starlight Bridge by Debbie Mason:
When I picked up the first title in Debbie Mason's Harmony Harbor series, I was expecting more of a sweet romance series along the lines of Debbie Macomber or Sheila Roberts. I was slightly disappointed when I realized that these are more along the lines of Susan Mallery's books, with spicier plot lines and content than what I was anticipating or wanting. I do think Debbie Mason is a fairly good storyteller, and that Ava and Griffin's story was pretty interesting. However, this one failed to get a perfect score from me because of the content which I didn't feel was necessary, and also the fact that I felt the story dragged a bit in the middle. Final Rating: 3/5.
Mandie and the Schoolhouse's Secret by Lois Gladys Leppard:
Whenever I pick up a Mandie title, I know I'm in for a fun, nostalgic treat. This particular title I especially enjoyed as I always loved the titles that are set completely at Mandie's boarding school. I enjoy Mandie and Celia's friendship, and the antics that always seem to follow whenever Snowball is involved. Final Rating: 4/5.
Primrose Lane by Debbie Mason:
I have to be honest and state that I was kind of expecting more from Olivia's backstory; especially with how much is hinted at in the previous books in the series. That being said, I did appreciate that the content was cleaner in this one than in many of the other titles in this series, and I enjoyed Finn and Olivia's relationship. I did think the ending with George was a little too cookie cutter to really be believable though, but overall I did enjoy this one. Final Rating: 3/5.
Mandie and the Courtroom Battle by Lois Gladys Leppard:
At last reader's finally get to find out what's going to happen with Mandie's father's house at Charley Gap. In this particular Mandie title, the family travels to Swain Country to try and find out who truly holds the deed to Mandie's late father's house. Grandmother Taft makes her first visit to the area, and Joe and Dr Woodard play a prominent role once again. While this isn't one of my favorite Mandie titles, I did still enjoy rereading it, and loved that Uncle Ned also makes an appearance in this one. Final rating: 3/5. Check out my full review here.
Sugarplum Way by Debbie Mason:
Story wise, this is definitely my favorite installment from Debbie Mason's Harmony Harbor series. I liked both Julia and Aiden as characters, I liked the settings of both Christmastime and the bookstore, and I really enjoyed the depths that the mystery goes into in this one as well. However, once again, I could have done without a bunch of the content, and that definitely hindered my enjoyment. Final Rating: 3/5.
Driftwood Cove by Debbie Mason:
I really don't have anything good to say about this particular title. The characters had me ready to pull my hair out, the content was too much, the plot was implausible and made no sense half of the time, and all in all, I found this one was just a hot mess. It's definitely my least favorite of all the titles in this series. Final Rating: 1/5.
A Fairytale Bride by Hope Ramsay:
The only reason I ended up reading this particular title is that it was included in one of the Debbie Mason books as a bonus short story. I read the synopsis, and saw that it was about a woman trying to keep a struggling bookstore afloat and out of the reach of greedy developers, and I thought it sounded like something I might be interested in. However, this book frustrated me to no end. I couldn't even classify it as insta-love, it's complete and utter insta-lust, and I had no patience or sympathy for either of the main characters. The reader is supposed to believe that the characters have fallen in love after only knowing each other for a few days, mainly because they ended up sleeping together in a public park. Yah this whole story was gross and implausible, and I don't see myself picking up anything from this author in the future. Final Rating: 1/5.
Sandpiper Shore by Debbie Mason:
Overall, I did enjoy Jenna and Logan's story. I enjoyed their quirky friendship, and the fact that both of them cared so much for every one of their family members, and were determined to help. However, I found the plot of this one to be more confusing than any of the other titles in this series, and their were a few things that I felt were never truly explained in a way that made sense to the reader. Also, a big portion of the plot felt extremely implausible, and the content was once again, more than I felt was necessary to the story. Final Rating: 3/5.
The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross:
I can without a doubt say that The Queen's Resistance is every bit as amazing as The Queen's Rising was, and I enjoyed every single page. I love the intricate world building that occurs within this series, and I've come to care about every single one of the characters. While I know that at this point, this is only supposed to be a duology, I'd love to see Rebecca Ross revisit it in the future and maybe give us Sean, Luc or Merei's story. Final Rating: 5/5. You can check out my full review here.
Strands of Truth by Colleen Coble:
This gem of a story is releasing into the world on September 10th, and I can honestly tell you that you're not going to want to miss out on reading it. I've read a lot of Colleen Coble's books over the years, and this one may just be my new favorite. A complex mystery with strands that are woven into deeply hidden secrets, a beautiful slow burn romance, and focusing around mollusks, DNA testing, and the weeki wachee mermaids, I can't possibly say enough about this one. Final Rating: 5/5. You can read my full review here.
The Corner of Holly and Ivy by Colleen Coble:
Once again, their were things I liked about this Debbie Mason title, and things I definitely didn't like. I enjoyed both Connor and Arianna as characters, I enjoyed learning more about their backstories, and I liked the mayoral race, and the truths it brings to light. However, I once again didn't appreciate some of the content, and I also have to be honest and state that I found the ending of this one to be extremely predictable. I literally knew where she going to go with the story when I was only about a third of the way through the book, and nothing happened that proved me wrong. Final Rating 3/5. I do plan to continue finishing the Harmony Harbor series, but I don't see myself picking up any other Debbie Mason books in the future.
Mandie and Jonathan's Predicament by Lois Gladys Leppard:
This Mandie title is kind of unique in the sense that it's set in New York City, and focuses around Mandie's first visit to the Big Apple. I always love the titles where Mandie and Celia are together, and I enjoyed the fact that this one also reunites them with their friend Jonathan. Final Rating: 4/5. You can check out my full review here.
Lucky In Love by Kasie West:
I am so behind with reading Kasie West's novels. Because she's my favorite, I have a bad habit of saving her books to read, as I want to look forward to reading them later. However, I finally decided to start reading the ones that are piling up on my shelves, and decided to dive into this one. I loved Maddie and Seth's sweet friendship, I loved the zoo setting, and I enjoyed, as always, Kasie's beautiful writing. However, this isn't my favorite Kasie West story to date, and I think it's mainly just because I didn't love the plot revolving around a lottery win, or some of the terrible decisions Maddie makes because of said lottery win. Final Rating: 4/5.
Mandie and the Unwanted Gift by Lois Gladys Leppard:
Getting to spend Christmas with Mandie is always a special treat, and this lovely story has the additional delight of it being the first time Jonathan and Joe are truly spending time together. The mystery also builds as to why it is that Grandmother Taft doesn't care for Jonathan's father. I really found myself enjoying this one. Final Rating 4/5.
With This Pledge by Tamera Alexander:
This particular title was one of my most anticipated 2019 releases, and I couldn't wait to finally dive into it. I really love how realistically Tamera Alexander always writes her historical fiction, and the reader can always tell just how much time and effort is painstakingly put into the research. I really enjoyed Lizzie's story, and the focus on the brutality of the civil war, but also on the faith and hope that grew from such a horrific time of history. Final Rating: 4/5.
Barefoot Beach by Debbie Mason:
I'm going to be honest and state that the Harmony Harbor novels are all starting to blur together for me. The romances are so all so similar, the characters don't seem very distinguished from one another, and honestly, how many big secrets can one family possibly have to be revealed. Final Rating: 2/5.
A Christmas Haven by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall:
I'm going to be sharing a full review of this one with you guys on Friday, but for now I'll simply say that I loved my first experience with a Cindy Woodsmall novel, and I found this beautiful story full of hope, faith and love amidst troubles and hardships beautifully done. Final Rating: 4/5.
And that's all the books I finished during the month of August. What was your favorite (or least favorite) read of the month? Let me know in the comments!
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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