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I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

July 2022: Monthly Recap

by | Aug 3, 2022 | At A Glance | 5 comments

This was such an interesting and lively month, I don’t know about you, but July always tends to be such a busy month for me. There is a lot of activity that happens in July for us here in Utah. We have the celebrations of our Independence Day (and also we normally always love to do the Stadium of Fire), my brother got MARRIED, I had family come down from Canada, we celebrated Pioneer’s Day as well. I got back into adult coloring and I have below the pages I have colored this month. And its been so relaxing and fun to get back to it once again. Also this month has been crazy because my landlord is having me do all the work to fill in the rooms in the condo here. So its been kinda busy the past couple weeks of July trying to get those rooms filled.

As far as books and blogging goals, this month has been pretty solid. I have been trying to stay consistent with posts and doing half reviews and half book themed posts but also try to focus more on reviewing every books but have those reviews on my other bookish platforms. So if you want to see my reviews, then I would recommend checking out my goodreads. This is a change that I have been thinking about for a little while, because with the amount of books that I read, its very stressful having to write a blog book review for every book I read haha although I was quite successful for 12 years, I just want more time to read more.

Reading Stats

Books Read: 46

Audiobooks: 7

Audio Book Listening: 66 Hours

Number of Pages: 12,160 Pages

Library Books: 13

Re-Reads: 4

Diverse Reads: 12

Self Pub Books: 25/ Trad Pub Books: 21

Total Books For Year: 246

Historical: 7

Contemporary: 19

Dark: 4

Erotic Romance: 5

Fantasy: 1

PNR: 4

Romantic Suspense: 4

Romantic Comedy: 2

5 Stars: 15

4.5 Stars: 1

4 Stars: 25

3.5 Stars:3

3 Stars: 2

DNF: 0

Average Rating: 4.26

Books Read:

Top Books of the Month

Cheska Harlow-Wright was born into a life of luxury and privilege. She has never wanted for anything. A comfortable future as a married London socialite ⁣
awaits her. But since the age of thirteen, Cheska has harboured a secret—an unshakeable fixation on a boy who could never offer her anything close to ⁣comfort. A boy steeped in sin and draped in depravity. A boy born into the possessive embrace of darkness. ⁣

When Cheska’s seemingly perfect world is ripped apart by an unknown but deadly enemy, there’s only one person she can run to. One person in the world ⁣who has the power to keep her safe. The one person her weak and shattered heart craves. ⁣

Arthur Adley. The new head of the most feared crime family in London. ⁣

Forced too young to take the helm of the Adley firm, Arthur has become even more ruthless, formidable, and cold than ever before. His enemies are circling, and he must fight—and kill—to maintain his family’s place at the top of the London crime underworld. There is no room for weakness, emotion, or loss of control.⁣

But then Cheska smashes back into his life with the force of a wrecking ball. She has no place in this dark, vicious, and bloodthirsty world. And worse, she is the solitary chink in his impenetrable armour. He’s already pushed her away once, but this time she desperately needs him. She’s broken, lost, and in danger, and he is the only one who can help.⁣

Arthur must protect her. He must destroy those who dare to threaten her, hunt down those who would take what is his. He would raze all of London to the ⁣ground to keep her safe… but can he also protect himself?⁣

The infamous Dark Lord of London Town faces his most brutal battle yet—the crippling weight of the past, the unrelenting enemies lurking in the shadows… and the havoc that Cheska’s presence is wreaking on the granite fortress that was once his heart

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book here totally SHOOK me, I have read almost ten books by this author so far and this book is my favorite and somehow beat Raze (which was my favorite from her for years) But there was something so rich about this book. It just had so much heart and emotion in it, and had me in my feels. I really loved seeing this mafia set up in London. Ironically I read this on the 4th of July (haha)

A sexy and soul-stirring novel about love, family, and rediscovering what matters most by Melissa Foster, the New York Times bestselling author of Maybe We Will.

When workaholic Boston attorney Deirdra de Messiéres is passed over for a well-deserved promotion, she takes a two-month hiatus to show her boss just how much he needs her and heads home to Silver Island. But beyond seeing her sisters happy, home is not where Deirdra’s heart is. She has no interest in their family restaurant, the Bistro, or reliving hurtful childhood memories, and absolutely no interest in spending a single second with Josiah “Jagger” Jones, the Bistro’s too-laid-back musician and chef. Sure, the hippie is hot, but he drives her nuts. The guy lives in a van with his dog, and he can’t even commit to a solid work schedule. To make matters worse, he’s always around. She needs to get off the island, stat.

Jagger has overcome his own personal trials to place stock in life’s pleasures: family, friends, peace…and if he has his way, one positively beautiful, absolutely uptight attorney. Jagger knows he’s the perfect person to help Deirdra deal with her hurtful past and find her way back to being happy.

A chance encounter leads to deep conversation, and night after liberating night, Deirdra lets down her guard. But neither is long for Silver Island. Free-spirited Jagger has wanderlust, and Deirdra has a career to return to. They’re on different paths, and plans for a future together don’t stand a chance. But when has anything gone according to plan?

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book really was one I didn’t expect to love as much as I did. I wasn’t really a big fan of the heroine in the first two books, but this book was so precious. I loved how “freeing” their story felt, seeing all the growth and sense of renewal in this book was captivating. And its the best in the trilogy, hands down!!!

From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard, a new standalone, full-length Turkish Mafia Romance novel.

Cinderella said to be kind, have courage, and always believe in a little magic.

She’s wrong.

To survive in my world, you have to be dead inside, be on guard at all times, and never dream of the impossible.
You never dream of anything because you don’t just get to stop working for the Polish mafia.

But you can be stolen from them.

Well, kind of.
When Gabriel Demir, head of the Turkish mafia, attacks my boss, I’m caught in the crossfire.
I’m taken captive, interrogated, and soon find myself in the position of maid again. Only this time, it’s for the Turkish instead of Polish.
This time it’s for a dangerously attractive man and not the insane one I’ve known all my life.
This time I find myself fantasizing about my boss instead of dreaming of ways to escape.
This time I’m not threatened with pain and death but with pleasure.

But can I step out of the maid’s uniform and into a ballgown?
Do I dare cross that line just for a moment in the spotlight?

Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you love Mafia romance, then this is the book for you but it does have some dark elements. This also has a Cinderella retelling of sorts, and just seeing how protective Gabriel is for his family and how sweet and tender he is with the heroine is STUNNING! This book blew me away and honestly, I want to re-read it already haha

She came to him when he needed her the most

She came to him at his lowest point. The voice of an angel, a whisper in the dark. She’s the only thing that gets Nathan Kelly through his captivity, the endless days of torture and the fear that he’ll never return to his family. With her help, he’s able to escape. But he isn’t truly free, because now she’s disappeared and he’s left with an all-consuming emptiness as he struggles to pick up the pieces of his life. Did he imagine his angel? Or is she out there, needing his help as he’d once needed hers?

Now he rushes to save her before it’s too late

Shea has been on the run from people who will stop at nothing to exploit her unique abilities. She never wanted to drag Nathan, who’d already suffered so much, into danger, but she doesn’t have a choice so she reaches out to him for help. Finally face-to-face after having already formed a soul-deep bond in hell, their emotional connection is even more powerful than their telepathic one. Nathan refuses to consider ever letting her go again, but she worries they can never have a life free of the dangers that dog her every step. He’ll protect her with his every breath, but can he convince her that they are meant to face these threats together? 

This one I think is my FAVORITE of the series so far! This one had me on the edge all the way through, such a solid plot and a great relationship journey and the intrigue and mystery was so well built in this story. I am really just falling more in love with these books and I am really seeing why they are so well loved for this author.

Honorable Mentions

How was your reading month? Did you have any successes or failures? What book was the most memorable for you? Let me know in the comments below!

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5 Comments

  1. Rachel @Waves of Fiction

    Can’t believe July is over and more than half the year is gone. You read 46 books?!! That’s amazing! I can understand why you’d need to write shorter reviews and list a lot on GRs too. I couldn’t write 46 reviews in a month! Hope August is a great month too!

    Reply
  2. Sophia Rose

    Yes, you had a busy one. And, great reading totals. Fun seeing some of your coloring.

    Have a good August, Renee!

    Reply
  3. Christine @ Captivated Reading

    46 books read!! That’s impressive!! I read a lot–but I haven’t touched 36 in a month! What a great month this was for you! Looking at the ones you’ve read–I’ve read none of them!? But, you’ve given me some good ones for my TBR! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Samantha @WLABB

    You had quite a busy month, and you have some mad coloring skills. The Foster book looks good. I have it on my list at Hoopla.

    Reply
  5. Sophie @BewareOfTheReader

    I love how reading is truly a personal experience because for as much as I loved Raze I dind’t like Lord of London Town! And 46 books read is just wow!

    Reply

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